Are You In the Right Place?

Well, again I'm struggling to keep up with trying to post at least three times a week. Storm recovery and clean-up is like having a second job for many people in our area. And so, so many folks are working at it way harder and longer than I am. Law enforcement personnel, utility company workers, shelter volunteers and so many more are working around the clock. They are the real heroes.

I'm ashamed to say that one good selfish thing has come out of all of this. I have a new toy - a 16 inch cut chain saw. (I may have mentioned this in an earlier post.) A chain saw is a guy thing, producing the same rush of however much testosterone there is left for a 50+ year old as a power drill, a four wheel drive, and picking the winner of the NCAA Tournament. Most people who know me are pretty worried about it, but, so far, I still have all ten fingers and toes.

In our ice storm recovery, I've gravitated to small limb cutting and removal, trying to help older people and poor people get their yards cleared. I learned quickly that I can only do the small stuff. I don't have the tool or the skill to manage large limb or tree trunks, or especially any broken branches that are still lodged up in trees. If I was to try to do that kind of thing, I would be in the wrong place. The thing we've all been trying to sort out in our town is where each of us fit in for the goal of overall recovery. No one of us can do it all, but we all have a place where we can contribute.

For those of you who are Jesus followers, how are you contributing to the goal of introducing people to Jesus and molding them as disciples? What is your specific contribution? Are you doing too many things, and getting worn down? Are you not doing anything, and thus not using whatever gifts God has given you to contribute to the mission? Do you know your gifts of the Holy Spirit and how God has equipped you? (Google "Equipped for Every Good Work" to find out.)

Today I met with a faith searcher who discovered that God may have prepared him for a role in evangelism ministry. He was inspired by a meeting on Saturday in which a state leader in our denomination spoke about the Church's disciple-making mission. The blend of his gifts of the Holy Spirit and his personality lean him toward witnessing type mission. It's a joy to see the excitement in a relatively new Jesus follower who is discovering the right place for him to contribute to the overall goal.

Are you in the right place? If so, serve the Lord with gladness! If not, what would it take to get you there? I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Ice Storm Postscript

I'm going to break from my usual content and use this post as a way to disseminate information about our post-ice storm situation here.

Sikeston is slowly digging out from the storm of the century. As of today (Friday, February 6) we're down to about 35% without power. Our law enforcement personnel, utility personnel, and city leaders have been stellar through all this; working long hours and sacrificing a lot. As with every other place affected by the storm last week, damage is extensive. We've lost the bulk of our tree cover, and downed trees and limbs have wreaked havoc for many houses and commercial structures.

As is always the case, the poor and elderly are suffering the most. Followers of Jesus need to answer the call to risk-taking mission and service in a profound way. I'm grateful for how the Christ-followers at First United Methodist of Sikeston have seen this event as God speaking to us about having a servant's heart. Our facility will now be a staging center for Volunteers in Mission work in our area. For the last week church folks have been preparing, delivering, and serving food daily to our local utility workers and the many out-of-town crews that are here. In addition, another group from our church has been preparing and serving a meal a day to our law enforcement personnel. Last Sunday many of our people gathered at the Sikeston High School Field House, a Red Cross warming center, to provide a worship service there. Through the storm we worked to locate and check on home bound persons, delivering them to warming centers, if needs be. This week church folks distributed emergency and help information in neighborhoods still without power. Now we're creating chain-saw and clean up crews to begin to work on the properties of the people who need it most. And many, many other congregations in our area are stepping up similar ways and in other ways as well. Followers of Jesus all over our region have chosen to see this as a call from God.

As bad as it has been here, it is infinitely worse in other places. In Kennett, Missouri, for example, 80% of the people are still without power. Western Kentucky counties have been particularly hard hit. Please pray for these people, and, where you can, help out with gifts and/or hands-on involvement. For those of you who are in United Methodist connections, our district disaster response coordinator is Jim Mills. (573-380-6699)

The river's been icy and scary lately, but it's still flowing with resolute determination. I'll see you around the next bend.