Preaching and more

I’m sitting in my room with the window open to enjoy the fresh air before it gets too hot and the air conditioning comes on. As I sit here, I notice many sounds around the community. There’s someone moving this morning so I hear the sounds from that. I hear traffic in the distance as I live close to a major roadway. There are a couple of birds chirping. …And then there are the ever present barking dogs…

I brought another friend to the airport today and in two hours; I make yet another trip that way. I’m getting tired of saying goodbye. I’ve had to bid farewell to so many friends already and there are many more to come in the next three weeks. On the other hand, there are many things I look forward to after I leave. It really is an exciting time in my life even though I don’t know what I’ll do when I get home. For now, I’ll just plan my trip home and look forward to seeing lots of people I’ve missed for the last couple of years.

I got a CD last week that created some strange feelings in my mind. On the front of it is the Hillsong Logo that is used on CD’s with messages from the weekend church services. The part that felt strange was seeing my name on it instead of the usual pastors who preach on a regular basis. True, it was a small group of people at the extension service where I preached, but it’s part of Hillsong Church and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I’ve received some really positive feedback regarding that message and I believe it went well. To me, the most encouraging thing is that I’m seeing fruit out of the pain I’ve experienced in the last few years. I was quite open and personal in the message as I talked about my wife dying of cancer and some things I’ve learned through my time of supporting her in sickness and my grieving her loss. I was able to testify of God’s goodness and provide some ideas on how other people can do life well when they face struggles. After I finished preaching, the pastor got up and presented an invitation for people to commit their lives to God; and a few minutes later, the angels in Heaven rejoiced one more person accepting Christ. While I have seen other sorts of fruit and people’s lives being impacted by God’s faithfulness in my life, this is the first person I know of who has responded in this way. While it does nothing to minimize the pain I’ve felt, it helps that I can see some benefit. It also makes me question again; how much am I willing to give up for the soul of one person. Jesus gave it all.