2024 DAY 9…MARATHONS NOT SPRINTS

January 9, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

This day started at 1:30 A.M. Mom was struggling to get up to the toilet. I heard her on the baby monitor in my room and went down to help. She has been having a lot of muscle and joint pain. So I massaged her back and got her settled back in after she used the bathroom. Her legs are getting very weak now and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone. So I opened up the recliner and went back to sleep.

I heard Joe leave at 6 and then prayed until I got the dogs up to walk at 7.

By 10 I was t the office for staff meeting. (Kristine was home with Mom today. I am so grateful for extra hands).

At noon a group of us hosted some missionary friends from China for lunch.

By 2 I was home walking the dogs and spending some more time in prayer.

I actually fell asleep in the recliner again. At 4 I made supper.

Then Joe and I braved the weather to Walmart to pick up pillows for Brenda’s bed. She flies in tomorrow to help with Mom for the next few months.

By 5:30 the storm had really picked up, but we were home for supper and tucked in for the night.

After supper I walked the dogs and then settled in to write for a bit.

Now I am ready for my final prayers and sleep. Life is not a sprint for me. It has become, is becoming a daily marathon. I think I need to get in better shape.

IS YOUR LIFE MORE A DAILY MARATHON OR A DAILY SPRINT?

2024 Day 8… Keep Making Stories

January 8, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

It is a universal truth that we humans come from stories and we are moving into story. All of our lives are made up of the mingling of many stories. We are books that tell of the intersection of lives and the conflicts and wonders those intersections create.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. Psm. 139:16

I have noticed this common truth about the people I have worked among, that life flows from the stories we tell ourselves and each other. We live until we stop telling our stories. We grow until something comes along which causes us to stop making our stories before ourselves and others. As soon as we stop adding new chapters to the book of our lives we begin to die.

There are signs that we have stopped the authoring process. When we decide that the story is done, when we decide there is nothing more to add we stop trying to make more story and we just begin rereading the story that was. We begin to live in the past and only the past.

We can live a long time with just the past, but we can’t create new chapters from it. The future is not in the past and neither is life.

If we look back long enough even those stories we once knew so well, become lost to us and then only the stories other people tell us remain.

One of the great dangers of our society today is that so many people who should be making stories are just sitting and watching other people’s stories. It is one thing when a ninety year old stops telling their story. It is quite another when a twenty something gets so wrapped up with Facebook or Twitter or Instagram that they stop telling their own story.

I guess this post is an encouragement to people of any age. One of the great keys to life is to not let anything stop you from adding a new chapter to your story. Whatever is happening to you…around you don’t let the roadblocks stop you from adding something new to the book of your life. Keep making story. Keep living!

WHAT ARE THE ROADBLOCKS TO YOUR NEXT CHAPTER? HOW COULD YOU CHANGE THOSE ROADBLOCKS INTO THE NEXT DEVICE THAT PROPELS YOUR STORY FORWARD?

2024 DAY 7… HAPPY BUSY

January 7, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

“HAPPINESS IS A STATE OF ACTIVITY.”-ROSE LANE, THE WISDOM OF ALPACAS

If that is true then we, at The Vicarage, must surely be among the happiest people on Earth. Yesterday was Abigail’s 3rd birthday.

Joe and Kristine went house-hunting.

Amanda had a meeting of her cohort of women ministers.

Meanwhile I watched Sevy.

When Amanda got home, she and I bounced back and forth between keeping an eye on Sevy in the playroom and cleaning the front office in preparation for Brenda’s arrival on Wednesday.

Mom’s health has reached a place where we are beginning to need the extra hands (even with everyone residence). So Brenda is coming home on a quasi-leave of absence/ fund raising tour.

Sunday morning has begun as most Sundays do with a few hours of prayer in preparation for the on-line service. Then morning chores: shoveling snow, setting up pills for the week, walking and feeding the dogs, making the coffee and getting Mom up and ready to meet the day.

The air pressure has set off Mom’s arthritis so it is a Motrin and Aspercreme morning ( the type of day that is becoming most common for her recently). She seems to be settling in well now, though the pain was bad enough to bring tears first thing this morning.

Amanda is setting up for her children’s on-line meeting at 9. I am getting ready for the morning service at 10. Joe is doing pre-approval paperwork for a home loan and Kristine is out cleaning off the cars from the five inches we got last night.

So… happiness…activity. I am pretty happy, but I would say it’s not just any activity that makes me feel that way but activity that builds family…activity that makes a difference.

2024 DAY 6…MISSED DAY 5. WHAT WILL THE FUTURE HOLD?

January 6, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

I missed yesterday’s posting time. It just got busy. That is always my excuse…. I got too busy. At some point I have to stop making excuses about the things I say I want and just do them.

Today I am answering the question from NOOM entitled, “EXPRESS YOURSELF PT. 2”

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

JOURNAL ABOUT A DAY IN YOUR FUTURE LIFE, WHEN YOU ARE LIVING FULLY AND CONFIDENTLY. THINK ABOUT THE QUALITIES YOU SEE IN YOURSELF AND HOW YOU ARE INTERACTING WITH OTHERS AND THE WORLD AROUND YOU. HOW DO YOU FEEL? HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE SEEN BY THE WORLD?

I was just talking with my daughter, Melanie, today about some things I am praying into for change during our annual fast which starts tomorrow.

I am praying for increased dedication to losing weight and to increasing may flexibility. I have a lot of muscle and joint page now. Stretching really helps. I get busy (there it is…my go to excuse). Losing weight will also help significantly… I know it. I say I am too busy to meal plan (and again). So I see that one of the changes I am praying in to my heart is that I stop feeling too busy. Some of it is just about addressing the lie (the stronghold) that I am too busy.

I also have to pray about what I should stop doing.

On that day in the future I will wake up to a fully scheduled day…but I will not be stressed about it. Nor will I rush to get into my day but I will rise to a slow, constant and intentional pace. I will make the breakfast I planned the day before and I will spend time in prayer and then in stretching.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

As I launch into the day I will work according to my schedule and pray according to the bells (on my phone that remind me when it is time to pray and study the Scripture). The people around me will be aware of the lifestyle I live and will let me live it, knowing that I am a better pastor and leader and man of God because of it.

WHAT DOES A FUTURE DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

2024 Day 4…Missing Day 3

January 4, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

Tuesday is the end of my week. Wednesday is my Sabbath. I am still trying to figure out what Sabbath should look like in my life. It is a day of rest, but more than that it is a day of a different rhythm. I am fighting with myself to figure out whether writing is part of that different rhythm. Is it work? Is it relaxation? Is it work that relaxes me?

Anyway, yesterday I tried the day without writing (although I still did my daily video for the other blog so I am not sure it was really a good test). I like writing. I missed it, but honestly, I was so tired I am not sure I had the brain space for it anyway. Even my prayer and Bible time were spent mostly in a staring stupor.

I was in the Book of Deuteronomy so I am not sure that helped either.

But the real weariness came from my “busy days of ministry ” Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.” Sunday is my preaching day. This week I preached us down a rabbit hole which is always more exhausting than sharing direct from the notes.

Then of course we had our NewYear’s Day celebration.

Monday I led an hour of worship at The Worship Room.

Tuesday was staff meeting and then Royal Rangers, boy’s ministry.

My end of week is filled with awesome ministry, but sometimes it does feel like this.

Yet another reason for me to lose some weight and get in shape!

DAY 2 2024: 5 THINGS I LIKE…ABOUT ME

January 2, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 4 Comments

I said yesterday that this year I will be working on my weight, strength and flexibility…in short my physical health. I actually started working on this a year ago. 2023 showed little progress in this area. I had a net weight loss of 3 pounds. It’s not nothing, but it’s close.

My chosen weight loss vehicle is NOOM, well at least it is the parts of NOOM that I like or find easy to accomplish. Therein lies the problem. I realize that I have not committed to the work. Part of the suggested work with NOOM is that you publicize your work, make yourself publicly accountable. SO….this is me making myself publicly accountable.

This morning I started a lesson entitled “Express Yourself Pt. 3”. It called for me to answer questions about how I felt about “Express Yourself Pt. 1”. Well, I never did Pt. 1 so I cannot do Pt. 3 (no I didn’t do Pt. 2 either but we will save that for another blog).

EXPRESS YOURSELF PT. 1 asked me to write down 5 things about myself that I really liked regardless of my size and shape. SO HERE WITHOUT COMMENT ABOUT HOW I FEEL ABOUT HOW I LIKE MYSELF IS MY LIST OF FIVE THINGS.

I LIKE THAT I AM A PATIENT PERSON.

I LIKE THAT I AM A STUDIOUS PERSON.

I LIKE THAT I AM A PERSON OF PEACE.

I LIKE THAT I AM A PROPHETIC PERSON.

I LIKE THAT I AM A PRAYERFUL PERSON.

Ok, that wan’t as hard as I thought it would be.

IS IT HARD FOR YOU TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?

DAY 1 2024

January 1, 2024January 1, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

Happy New Year!

2023 is history. Here is my favorite picture from the last year.

This is a picture of night time at The Vicarage during a full moon. I was pleasantly surprised by the filter edits I was able to impose on the original.

I am setting my sights on 2024 now. I am praying close into what God will give me for the year ahead. I already know my word for the year…”PREPARE”. I am asking now what I should use for filters on the raw material God gives me so that I might be prepared for God’s best outcome.

I know I am going to be working on my weight, strength and flexibility.

I know I am going to be working on my administrative capabilities.

I know I am going to be working on my writing again.

I know I am going to be preparing for some big changes at The Vicarage which will affect me spiritually, emotionally, and practically.

I know there are opportunities and challenges in my pastoral work that I need to get a better understanding of.

I know there are coming changes in The United States and the Earth which I need to understand better.

I know God is about to move in our church in some new, exciting and challenging ways.

I know God is about to move in our region in some new, exciting and challenging ways.

Lord Prepare me! Lord prepare us!

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT YEAR WILL BRING?

A Bit of 2023 In 10 Pictures

December 31, 2023 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

I started the battle of the bulge at the beginning of 2023. So far it is a stalemate.

Melanie became one of Cornerstone’s lead worshippers

Joe, Kristine and Sevy moved into The Vicarage

WHAT DOES A DAY LOOK LIKE?

December 30, 2023 / joseph elon lillie / 3 Comments

People might wonder what a day in the life of a minister looks like. Well every day is different, but each day does have its commonalities.

PRAYER

No call to ministry can be carried out without much prayer. For me prayer is a practice I call myself back to seven times a day. Some of my prayer sessions are short, some are long depending on the rest of my daily schedule, but everything I do must be hemmed in by prayer.

BIBLE STUDY

Every day needs the Bible to be read and studied. Today being Saturday I spent time in devotional reading (Revelation and Deuteronomy) and then I spent some time studying Greek tenses for my sermon tomorrow.

PEOPLE WORK

There is never a day which does not involve connecting with people: Visitation, services, group studies, outreach, phone calls, letter writing, e-mails, texts, Messenger. I use them all and more in order to make connections with my congregation and community. Building relationships is a part of everyday’s work.

PAPER WORK

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Paperwork and administration is also an essential part of the everyday work of a minister. It is my weakest area of ministry. It is what I call “swallowing the frog.”

FAMILY

Unlike most jobs the family life of a minister is an important consideration. The other works of ministry often make prioritizing family health very difficult. Lord knows, I have done a poor job of it during many seasons of my ministry life. It certainly effected my effectiveness as a minister. Now I try everyday to make at least some small move towards greater family health.

I don’t think of the ministry as a job, really. It’s more of a life rhythm that helps influence a community’s health.

Finishing Up and Getting Ready

December 29, 2023 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

The season of lights is almost over. 2023 is nearly done. My son and his family took me to Lancaster Nights on Wednesday to see the year out. We enjoyed the ride through the park of lights.

Each light display, each tunnel reminded me that we are on a journey here at The Vicarage. 2024 is right around the corner and I sense something momentous is coming in the year ahead.

Today Joe, Kristine and Sevy are on a two day breakaway, in Wells Maine. Amanda and I began preparing the house for the arrival of my sister in 13 days. She is coming to help with Mom for the next few months.

Mom’s health has taken a turn these last few weeks. It feels like this is a part of the momentous change that is coming in 2024. It is, certainly, one of the most important things I feel our family needs to prepare for. I am praying much into the “how’s’ and “wherefores” of this preparation as well as into what else the word preparation is going to mean for The Vicarage in the next 365 day span.

PREPARE IS MY WORD FOR THE YEAR. WHAT IS YOUR WORD?

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