As I continue to work through my retirement journey, I have discovered that one must have a purpose or two. I have completed an interim assignment that I started about 81 days into my new normal; now, eleven months later, I am back to navigating the waters that lead to the future. I felt led to throw out the idea of starting an online Bible Study, my expectation that perhaps…
Read MoreFinding Your Way in A New Environment
Moving to a new area, particularly during retirement, can be an exciting adventure filled with new opportunities and experiences. However, leaving behind established social connections can also be daunting. The good news is that you can create a vibrant social life in your new community with a proactive approach and a willingness to explore. I want to explore practical strategies to help you connect with people when you move…
Read MoreI Tell you…
I have come to appreciate Eugene Petersons’ Message, a paraphrase of the Bible. It is beneficial after hearing verses and hearing them from your favorite translation for a lifetime. The Message throws open a window that allows you to see it differently. Not different as in twisting it into saying something new or novel, but giving you another way of seeing and hearing the Word. “I tell you, love your…
Read MoreEverything I have, I have received!
The Apostle Paul makes this statement in 1 Corinthians 4:7. He talks to a group that feels superior and reminds them of a truth. “What do you have that you have not received?” That is a great question. When you get to the place where you feel pretty assured that you are something special, it would be good to remember Paul’s statement: everything I have, I received. You are…
Read MoreA little help from my friends
We were made to live in community. We do need each other. There are many reasons for forming friendships. Friendships change and evolve when you are my age and have lived in several places. Since I graduated from high school 49 years ago, I have lost track of my friends from high school. Rather than being friends, they were primarily acquaintances. I was heavily involved in the youth group at…
Read MoreReflecting: Two Months into Retirement
Today Susanne and I will take our first trip since we have retired. We are leaving this afternoon and flying to the state of Maine. We will be staying with our friends; this will be our third trip to the state in the last four years. I officiate a wedding as well as preach on Sunday morning in Gardner, Maine. My official retirement date was June 17. We have spent…
Read MoreThank You
About a week ago, I gave my last official report to the pastors and congregations I have served for the last eleven years. I entered pastoral ministry in late 1981 and, forty-one years later, had the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you. I was once again reminded of how many people helped me along the way. It all starts with God. His grace, mercy, and blessings have attended me…
Read MoreSow Sparingly..Reap Sparingly!
This past Sunday, I was asked to preach at one of the churches in our district. It was the first church I preached at when I was elected District Superintendent 9 years ago. It was a joy for us to be a part of the church service in North Vernon, Indiana. Pastor Caleb Reynolds is doing an outstanding job. He told me that he was in a series on stewardship,…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Perspective? Is God for me? Or…
Today is going to be a great day! I believe that the world is conspiring for me and going out of its way to bless me! Unlike the paranoid who thinks everyone and everything is conspiring against them. The word Pronoia is a neologism coined to describe a state of mind that is the opposite of paranoia. Whereas a person suffering from feelings of paranoia feels that persons or entities…
Read MoreAre You Thirsty?
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Have you ever been thirsty? I mean so dry all you can think about is water, just a drink of cold, clear water. You are so thirsty that nothing else matters; you are consumed with the desire for water. Being thirsty is an…
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