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Ponderings from a wrecked Living Room in the Parsonage…

It started with a crack in the ceiling. Over time it got longer, over Memorial Day weekend it grew more pronounced. We watched it, we notified people, repairs would be made next week. At 10 p.m. Monday night, the whole ceiling fell. The WHOLE ceiling fell! Alice and Mary were in the room, buried with sheetrock and insulation, but by the grace of God, unharmed.

Like with my office, you pick up, you clean up, and you begin again. What else do you do? With a grateful heart, you start again. It certainly wasn't on my planner that day, but life happens, although I have never seen this before, and Bob Baker was simply speechless when he saw the damage Monday night.  You clean up, and begin the work. With a grateful heart.

As we approach the summer season, I had hoped for a more uneventful transition.  But since my medical event last year I have learned to take each day as it comes. Begin with a grateful heart, breathe, and move.  Pick up stuff if I must, fix stuff if I must, rest if I must, but always give thanks.

There are big things that come our way, and then there are little things. Anything that can be fixed, replaced, or healed is little stuff. These things require patience, a trust in God, and a grateful heart. The big stuff challenges us. Healing may not look the way we want, fixing may take longer than we want, we may have to tear down and rebuild.  Big stuff will challenge us, but remember God is with us in the big stuff and so even in the deep valley we need to remember to have a grateful heart.

As we move into summer we have events to look forward to. Vacation Bible School will focus on the LIGHT and LOVE of God starting July 13th through the 17th. The kids will meet Cap'n Krusty the Lighthouse Keeper of Chestnut Bay! We will also be planning for our Charge Conference on October 18th. We will meet and plan for Chestnut's future as we prepare to host the District Cluster here!

Throughout the summer we will all have hopefully some down time. Time to reflect and renew. I encourage you whether you travel or simply stay put and slow down to take time to pray. Give thanks to God for his grace, healing, and provision through the big and little things. His love never ends!

Have a blessed summer and please don't ignore a tiny crack in a ceiling!

God Bless
Pastor Ken