PIANO PRAYERS, MISSIONARY, JACOB’S FIRE AND AMANDA’S CUPS

/ joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

The tide of ministry has been high this week. Sunday I preached my 50th message in our series on Revelation. Truthfully it is probably more like the 60th or 70th sermon in the series, but it is entitled “Jesus Doing Life Pt. 2 Pt. 50.”

We were stuck in chapters 2,3 and 4 for quite a while and I was using decimal points (2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and so on) for that particular point in the series. It has been a wonderful study and I am looking forward to its conclusion on Sept. 29th (which it just hit me would have been my mother’s 88th birthday).

HERE IS THE SERVICE FROM SUNDAY.

Sunday preaching always leaves me ready for a nap. This series has left me feeling particularly drained. Maybe it’s just the content but I am finding I need to rest deeply on Sunday afternoon, and it is good to have a lot of time to pray on Mondays.

This week I did get several hours to pray on Monday morning and then Monday evening I led worship from 5-6 at THE WORSHIP ROOM HOUSE OF PRAYER and prayed in the prayer room from 6-7 P.M.

HERE IS THAT SERIES OF PRAYER SERVICES.

Tuesday is always one of the busiest days of my week. Staff meeting led into a missions lunch with one of our missionary friends from a sensitive country. Amanda came down with the stomach flu which is running through our kids ministry, so I took youth group for her on Tuesday night.

This is the “GET WELL” bouquet one of her teens made for her.

Youth night this week was easy. It was the fall opening for youth ministry, girls ministry and Royal Rangers Ministry to boys. One of Amanda’s teen-agers had a vision. for having a bonfire to start the season off. Together, Jacob and a few other folks from the church cleaned out and prepared the fire pit at the back of the church property.

One of our youth leaders, Troy, helped Jacob get the fire up and running while the other kids opened with business and games.

Then everyone came out to the fire and made stores while another one of Amanda’s youth led in worship.

Wednesday. I worked at home to catch up on prayer and Vicarage projects.

Then on Thursday, I joined Amanda’s DLT group (she was fully recovered from the stomach bug by that point) to start getting ready for our upcoming Church Crockpot cook off. Amanda’s group is sponsoring the event and so we had to label 1100 sample cups for the cook off

Today. I am getting ready for oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth. So…yeah… it’s been a fun and active week. Which is my excuse for not writing as much here at Notes.

I have smiled a lot this week and made a lot of fun memories.

WHAT MEMEORY DID YOU BUILD THIS WEEK?

THE MUSIC OF PROCESS

/ joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

Music, at least good music, takes its listeners on a journey. Most songs start small. They grow and shrink and grow again, leading the ear towards a pinnacle, a crescendo, that prepares the listener for what must be the ultimate end. If it’s a really good song it makes us long to hear more.

I am learning that there is a musical nature to the processes of community living. Those who are listening carefully can hear a song beginning in our community. It’s not a real song of course, it’s a process. But just like a really good song this process in our community has started small.

This weekend our town Parks and Rec Committee held a free community day based around the theme INTERNATIONAL

It was not very well attended, but it was fun!

THERE WERE GAMES FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND A TEA PARTY FOR THE KIDS.

Actually because the crowd size was small I sat and had tea ( it was mango juice, but the English accent Rajuli used as she served into the tiny paper tea cups held the atmosphere for me).

The director of the Parks and Rec Committee introduced me to one of the point people for the Winchendon Commission on Disability. We had tea…err mango juice together. It was fascinating to speak with my new acquaintance. We made small talk about the town. That turned to the people we knew in common and a rising sense of hope we both feel about what is happening in our little community. Then we went deeper and talked about the mindset that has helped her to maintain a mindset of abundance through her progressive disability. She told me that for her she does not look at her illness like a fight or a battle. She sees it more as a wave. She sees her job as accepting the power of the wave and using that power to her advantage by seeing what the wave is bringing her towards. Like I said fascinating and faith building!

THERE WAS ALSO MUSIC

AND OF COURSE THINGS TO EAT AND THINGS TO BUY.

After I spent some money here I went downtown to a music launch party for one of our church’s worship leaders. He has just put out two singles and is beginning to build his ministry platform.

Nothing we are doing is big yet, but what is happening in our community process is building to a crescendo. I am so excited about the song God is singing over us. It is a process of blessing and I can’t wait to hear more!

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

WHAT DO YOU SEE GOD DOING?