That’s the best word for it.
That’s the BEST WORD FOR THEM!
A.MAZ.ING.
I took so much for granted.
I didn’t realize all that was happening behind the scenes.
The fact that you are reading this is proof:
Amy Outlaw, Douglas Ward, Derek Leek, LeeAnne Thornton,
Chris Daniel, Linda Smith…
send them a thank you email STAT!
They are all the names associated with all things digital and communication for our Conference,
and because I am a technological dinosaur when it comes to that world, I can’t even come up with the appropriate words to explain what they do!
But holy Toledo, do I appreciate them!
Then, there’s ALL THE MATH!!!
WOWZA!
Joanna Ezuka and Christine Dodson and 9 other AWESOME SOULS
whose brains are wired in ways that I can only stand back and marvel at
and then exclaim with all of my educated verbiage and the shared profundity of
Gomer Pyle, “G-AW-AW-LL-Y!!!
And, I know that this is dangerous territory, because when you start naming folks,
there is always the risk of leaving people out.
It’s fraught with peril.
So…I am going to STOP. (-:
My point, Church, is that we are surrounded by a TREMENDOUS CLOUD
of WITNESSES right here, right now, who are working TIRELESSLY
for the health and well-being of our Conference, our churches, and us,
all for the sake of Christ!
Yes, AMAZING is definitely the word.
Before I became District Superintendent, I had no idea how many came together each and every day, many hours all during the night and day to
help all of us BE THE CHURCH!
We don’t realize all that they do,
yet, we couldn’t be here without them…
we wouldn’t be here without them.
They are like the mechanics who make sure that all is right with the plane
so that we can fly!
In this new call of God, I am seeing the Conference Staff firsthand in a new way,
but the same is true wherever we are.
We are surrounded with, often unknown and unnamed folks,
who without our realizing it, make the miracle of our life happen.
It’s a wonderful reminder that God’s blessings abound
and God’s good is at work in so many ways that we
never see or take the time to realize.
(One of my favorite youth lock-ins illustrated this point. We spent the night
visiting all of the places where people were at work while we normally slept.
We visited the emergency room, the police station, the fire department,
a convenience store, and the local newspaper printing out the next day’s edition.)
God is working out God’s good, Church.
And, there are people God is using for that good that we often don’t know about or realize.
You, for instance, are definitely part of God’s good in my life,
and there are many of you I have yet to meet.
I haven’t met you, I don’t know you, but I trust the good of you.
I trust God’s good of us together.
As Paul reminds us,
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
– 1 Corinthians 12:27
Amy Outlaw, who is putting this newsletter together (and all the District newsletters)
is an awesome good in all of our lives.
Did you know that? Did you know her name?
See, there are so many that we don’t know.
And that is why I always thank God for the
blessings I see and the blessings I don’t.
(I am thanking God for you right now.)
I invite you to do the same.
And…I invite you to learn a new name of someone God is using to
help you fly.
We are all surrounded by those blessings.
You can find their names on the conference website, you can find their names
on your child’s school website, you can find their names on the nametag
of the clerk checking you out, or you can ask the name of the person
who surprised you with a smile.
Let’s take some time Church, to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ” by looking for those often overlooked angels among us,
learning their names, giving them our thanks, and giving God our praise.
Flying because of you and thankful for you,
Dena