Life's Unexpected Turns

I was reflecting recently on the wisdom of the following statement:  "Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans.”  Far too often that is exactly the case.  We make our own elaborate plans regarding the future and what we intend to do, and then life throws us a curve and we must adjust as best we can to the new realities that we face.

Are any of you living exactly as you had envisioned you would be many years ago when you set out on the adventure of life after finishing school?  I suspect that not many of us are.  Coping with unexpected changes in life demands a certain degree of flexibility on our part, but whether we like to admit it or not, as we age we generally grow more resistant to change.  We prefer the comfort of familiar routines, places, and people.  That isn’t a bad thing either, but we’re not always permitted to enjoy our preferences in those areas.  It’s nice to know that at the end of the day that there is always one friend on whom we can always depend.  Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  His love, mercy, and grace are new every morning. As certain as the sun rises, Jesus’ presence will be there to guide us.

Recalculating Conference

The "Recalculating: GPS for Active Adults" conference this past Saturday at Holmeswood Baptist Church went extremely well.  We had about 100 participants from four area Baptist churches (Grace Point, 2nd Baptist Liberty, Holmeswood, and First Baptist Lee's Summit) take part in the workshops.  I was able to attend two of the sessions in time slots in which I wasn't offering my own workshop on "Missions and Ministry Opportunities for Active Adults."  They were both very informative and interesting.  Holmeswood did an outstanding job of hosting the event and their folks proved to be extremely friendly and helpful in directing visitors to the various venues for the workshops.  We enjoyed a tasty catered Italian lunch and then some participated in some optional conferences and individual consultations while the group from our church loaded up the bus with items that had been donated for the ministry of Forest Avenue Homeless Shelter.  We headed to the shelter and received a tour of the facilities and a brief history of the ministry from pastor Ken Smith.  It was the first time for several of our members to visit Forest Avenue and I think it was an eye-opening experience for them to witness what the church has done to reach out to the needy in its community.  Ken Satterfield of Word and Way followed us in his car and snapped a few pictures in the process.  I'll try and provide a link to any article that appears in Word and Way in the coming weeks about the conference and the visit to Forest Avenue.