Pastor’s April Message
Dear Friends and Family of HBC,
This month, allow me to share two stories that happened to me recently. These two events may seem completely unrelated but when placed together I believe they share a common lesson.
Story #1 – “I’m ready now!” Not long ago my wife Karen mentioned the desire for a Bluebird box in our yard. She indicated she would enjoy watching the Bluebirds sing, flitter and fly around our backyard. Someone in the congregation overheard this and, having built their own Bluebird boxes, built two boxes for Karen. Having found an ideal spot to place the box, I fastened it to a pole and placed the pole in the ground. I was told Bluebirds enjoy dried mealworms and so I even placed a bird feeder filled with mealworms nearby to entice them. With great excitement the very next day I saw a male Bluebird curious about the box. The following day I noticed a pair of Bluebird’s investigating the box. This was quite exciting, but I have not seen any activity since and it is discouraging. If my neighbors did not think I was crazy, I might be tempted to stand outside and yell “Okay Bluebirds, the box is all set. I’m ready now!”
Story #2 – “I’d slow down” At a recent meeting I opened the conversation with this question; “If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?” The answer that most resonated with me was “I’d tell myself to slow down. I’m always going from one thing to the next and I would tell myself to just enjoy the moment.” This statement stuck with me because I often find myself thinking one, two, three steps ahead. Sometimes before I even get out of bed in the morning, I’m already thinking of all that needs to be done later in the day. I am embarrassed to admit this but there are some Sunday mornings in church when I am beginning to think about next week’s sermon! So, what is the common theme between these two stories? For me the lesson is “Be present in the present.” How can we possibly hear God’s voice if we are impatient or never slow down? If we never stop to simply be, what are we missing? If we are always anxious about what will happen next, if we are unable to slow down, I wonder – how can we enjoy His presence if we are not in the present? I wonder if this is why Jesus challenged us to enjoy birds in flight and watch flowers grow (See Matthew 6:25-34). With spring now upon us and we look forward to longer days, flowers pushing through the dirt and birds building nests perhaps the lesson for all of us is “Slow down. Be present in the present.” And maybe if we learn to do this, we will find ourselves present in His presence. See you in church.
Peace and Grace,
Dan
Categories: Pastors Message