MINISTRY

WELL, THAT DIDN’T GO TO PLAN!

/ joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

Last time I wrote, I said that I planned for my Fourth of July to be filled with grilling and gardening. We at the Vicarage were about as far from that idyllic form of celebration as we could be on the Fourth of July holiday.

It all started with a call from my daughter at 6:30 A.M. Melanie was having a gall bladder attack and was heading to the emergency room. She asked if I could watch Daniella and Abigail for the day.

The girls arrived around 7 A.M. and Melanie and James headed off into the uncertain wait that is our American medical system today. That’s not a criticism of the doctors and nurses who work so diligently in our hospitals, just a commentary about the state of our system. You never know what is going to happen when you head out to the hospital these days. It turns out this time around they would keep Melanie over until surgery could be scheduled. The girls would be at The Vicarage for the day.

At this point, I still thought we could rescue the holiday from the ashes of the fire pit. My nephew , Tyler, was still coming over. James was planning to pop by and check in on the girls if Melanie was in a place where she could be left for a bit. Kristine was willing to bake the cookies and make the Jello salad that Melanie was going to bring originally. I got the meats marinating and the barbecue started.

It was all going according to plan B and then our family cat, Picasso, had a stroke while my daughter Amanda was holding him. A few hours later, my daughter’s dear little companion for the last 13 years would pass.

It was not lost on any of us that this is the second family celebration in less than a month that has been effectively cancelled by illness and trauma. A week ago my daughter, Melanie, had sent me a word she felt was from God for our family. It read, “The garrison attacks are a distraction from the true objective of the enemy.”

Well we can now see what the garrison attacks are. What, I wonder is the true objective of our enemy, the Devil.”

LORD DO NOT LET ME BE DISTRACTED. LET MY EYES SEE AND MY HEART PERCEIVE THE TRUTH THAT IS BEING HIDDEN BEHIND THE HORRIFIC DISTRACTIONS.

A Weekend Of Prayer and Family

/ joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

It is summer. Here in New England with summer being so short (lasting really only two. months) we try to cram in as much summer living as we can. This weekend the Parks and Rec department scheduled inn the annual Food Truck Festival. It was all hands on deck for this huge event, so my daughter Melanie had to work the event from start to finish. Her husband James also had to work, so I got to watch their girls, my granddaughters Daniella and Abigail.

We watched “Bluey” and”Monsters At Work” on the Disney Channel

Then we went to the playground for some much needed playtime in the sunshine. We even stopped at the Food Truck Festival, but the girls didn’t see anything they liked (except ice cream of course) and so we ordered a pizza from where their Dad works and hunkered down until Melanie and James were finished their work.

On Saturday all the kids went to the beach and I met mum with my Father-in-law for lunch at Kerrick’s Tavern in Orange MA. Doug is up visiting his brother and sister-in-law who are both ailing. But we found time for lunch and catching up.

After a ride through the countryside, I dropped Doug off at his brother’s house in Athol MA. Since it was time to pray I decided to take little prayer tour around the area. I stopped at Silverlake St. Cemetery where my family is buried. There I heard I felt the Spirit of God urging me to begin tying up loose ends.

At Tully Lake I contemplated how long my family has been connected to this area of the world. My great great great grandfather was a pastor in this region back in the mid 1850’s. My family has been actively spreading Christianity in this part of the world for a long long time.

At Doane’s Falls I was once again thinking about how much spiritual water has been over the bridge since my family came to this region. How many lives have we been able to touch over the centuries and how many more souls remain to be impacted before the age of the worlds changes.I

I know my great great great grandfather probably thought the same way I am thinking now, but I feel like time is short and the message must be brought to our generation.

HERE IS THE MESSAGE I PREACHED ON SUNDAY OF YOU CARE TO LISTEN.

https://fb.watch/t2Of-Ueiw2

What’s Happening At the Vicarage This Week 6-26-24

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Today is my sabbath. I started the morning by drinking mint tea from my garden in the outdoor prayer chapel during Prime.

I have a pretty long to do list that I have compiled over the last week. I will probably get some of it done today, but it is Sabbath so a relaxed rhythm is in order.

Join me in my walk around the Vicarage gardens.

The day lilies are in full bloom now.

So is the giant hosta.

I love the delicate flowers of the lady’s mantle.

The fleabane is also in full bloom. These tiny white flowers on 3 foot stocks attract lots of pollinators to the garden. So many people pull these out of their gardens considering them weeds, but I love how they fill out space around the yard and bring in the bees.

The whole yard is filled with the scent of honeysuckle. It is really strong this year. I can smell it no matter where I am on the property.

This year the forest garden is attracting a large number of birds.

I have to pick up more suet for the feeders today. We have five or six hungry woodpeckers that are hanging around.

I have also set up an extra hummingbird feeder. I have a larger than average population of hummingbirds and they are constantly warring over the one feeder I usually put up. The second feeder seems to have solved the problem.

My Sabbath day is going to be filled with prayer and gardening and cleaning.

How are you going to spend your day?

SHARING MY WORLD ON JUNE 11TH

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THIS POST IS WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO PENSITIVITY’S SHARE YOUR WORLD CHALLENGE.

You can read all the responses to this challenge by clicking the link above. My answers to this week’s questions are below.

What is/has been your favourite job/occupation? I am really enjoying the work I am doing now. I have been ministering in churches since 1991 in all kinds of different capacities. I have been a youth pastor, organist, choir director, worship leader, children’s minister/ director, fellowship and visitation director and assistant to the pastor. Up until three years ago I had avoided the work of being a lead pastor because there were aspects of the job I was afraid of. Then the call came three years ago to step into this role. I am not good at all of it, but I am enjoying every bit of it even those parts where I am on a big learning curve.

Is there a job you would never consider doing? There are lots of jobs I would never consider doing: Astronaut, Marine biologist, Mountain rescue, Fireman, Policeman, Physics teacher, Airplane pilot, Circus acrobat, lion tamer and the list goes on. I admire those who can and do all of these jobs. I know they are beyond me.

Did your family own a business and expect you to join the ranks when you got older? My family did own a business. I did join the ranks, but I was never forced to it. I settled into it. Then my father passed away and then I realized I was not suited to the business and moved back into the field I was created for.

Did/do you have a career requiring qualifications or did you learn on the job and work your way up? This job of ministry has both educational requirements and on the job training that is necessary. Bible college is absolutely necessary, but I have never met a Bible college graduate that was “ready” to minister to a congregation on the day they got their diploma or certification. There are so many non-tangibles to this work that cannot be taught only caught. I would recommend to anyone considering this work to enter this ministry as an assistant first before trying to take or build their own church.

GRATITUDE: I was so blessed by this incredible weekend of ministry.It was a great weekend of adventure.

FOUNDER’S DAY WINCHENDON MA
RELAY FOR LIFE GARDNER MA
CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR ANNE MARIE
WORSHIP SERVICE- ACTIVATION CONFERENCE AT CORNERSTONE AG CHURCH WINCHENDON
LUNCH WITH A MISSIONARY FRIEND AT LITTLE ANTHONY’S
VISITATION WITH A CONGREGATIONAL FRIEND AT HEYWOOD HOSPITAL

PREPARE YOUR LOVE PT. 1

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This year our church has been given direction, from the Lord, through the many prophetic words which have been spoken to us over the last year or so. Our leadership has boiled this direction down into a congregational sentence. That sentence says: “Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“

I am breaking down these seven prepare statements into twenty one brief devotionals. This post is devotional number 19.

DAY 19- Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open.

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

I have used this Scripture before, but it bears repeating, “

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [b]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [c]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails.  1 Cor. 13:4-8

HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH LOVING THE PEOPLE IN YOUR DLT GROUP? HOW ARE YOU DOING LOVING PEOPLE IN YOUR TOWN WHO ARE NOT PART OF THE CHURCH?

A RANDOM SPLIT OF A DAY: A Funeral, Founder’s Day and the Relay For Life

/ joseph elon lillie / 4 Comments

I was describing the job of a minister to a friend the other day. It is not like most jobs. It’s the ultimate split shift rotation. I start in the early morning and then take a break for breakfast and to walk the dogs. Then I usually have some morning work to do. Then I take a break for lunch (usually I go home and walk the dogs during that time). Then I have an afternoon commitment of some kind and always more prayer. Then I take another break sometimes I get to work around the house and the garden and then it’s more prayer and sometimes an evening commitment.

Today for instance. I started with prayer around 4 A.M. and prayed for a few hours. Then Amanda and I had a funeral to attend for a dear lady we know through disabilities ministry .

Anne-Marie was a wonderful woman of faith and Amanda and I were blessed to be able to attend her funeral. We stayed for the reception and got to catch up with many church friends from the area.

Then it was back home to meet up with Joe and Kristine and Sevy. They had an open house to attend in a neighboring town this morning. The house was not something they were very interested in but they keep looking and waiting for the right thing to come along.

Kristine, Sevy and I then headed out to one of the two big events going on today. It’s Founder’s Day in Winchendon.

And Relay For Life in Gardner. We had church staff and leaders at both. The Prayer Shawl Ministry gave out 64 shawls at the Relay!

Meanwhile we had several of our members working as volunteers at the Founder’s Day event.

I was just an attendee at the Founder’s Day, but I had some great opportunities to chat with people from town including one of my classmates, and one of the police sergeants whom I have known since childhood.

Then I went home to do a bit of gardening and to put together my devotional video for the church and to get myself ready for church tomorrow morning

I opened up the bushes next to the drive a bit.

I have one more prayer session for bed. It’s been a wonderful day!

WHAT’S ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THIS WEEKEND?