FROM OUR DESIGNATED PASTOR

Send a link to a friend  Share

"

Dear Friends,
I'm actually writing this letter to you on a very windy day! The storms are coming our way and have already wreaked havoc in many states, causing tornados, flooding, it spreads out of control fires, and it destroys. Wind is part of our
earth and we need wind. It's an oxymoron to say that wind is bad. It's a fact of life we deal with on a regular basis. As a tornado survivor, which many of you are, wind can be a scary one of earth's traits. Or! Wind can be a helpful phenomenon ... a gentle breeze to cool us off, helps us to keep our water supply fresh, is a
great source of clean energy, it spreads pollens and seeds, it creates. It teaches us that all of the earth's qualities can be both good and bad. Too much or too less wind is bad, just like too much or too less of most of life. I can't see the wind, but I hear it howl, I see my poor Iris blooms
waning over and wilting in the cooler air, and the trees are swaying.

The Holy Spirit is also referred to as the Wind of God, or Breath of God. God's presence is not very often visible in itself, like the wind of the earth. But we can see God's presence in the swaying of people to the music of God, we hear the presence of God in loving and encouraging words, and we feel the gentle breeze of love in our hearts. In my life, the Holy Spirit sometimes blows hard. It wreaks havoc and blows me right out of my complacency! It moves me fast and
hard into a new way of living life, whether I want to live there or not. Sometimes, I go kicking and screaming, trembling with fear and crying "NOooooooo!" into the new way of being in this world. When the Spirit says move, ya gotta move!

The Search team of St. John is now relying on the Spirit to help them discern who might be the right pastor for this church. Yes, my profile is in the mix. But the Spirit is in charge, not Peggy Goetsch, not any of the search team members
and by all means, not me. After working with the team for the first part of their process in creating the profile, I can tell you, they are going forward with extreme carefulness and prayerfulness. They are wanting to be very responsive and
responsible to their tasks. They are diligent in their study of profiles and their developing of interviewing questions, and their prayerful contemplations on many issues. Whomever is called to be the pastor of this church will be called here by the Wind! The Holy Spirit! They may be called by a gentle breeze or a whoosh of
gust of Holy Wind, but it is the Spirit who will call them here. Please join me in praying that the Spirit will gently move the Search Team and whomever is meant to be pastor of St. John together. And pray all will trust that the Holy Spirit is in charge: Our God, Creator, God's Son,
Redeemer and God's Spirit, Mover and Shaker, Encourager and Inspirer will be with us all.
God's peace,
Pastor Laurie

 

Back to top