The Second Day

It would be interesting to visit with the version of myself that lived thirty years ago.  I wonder what I regarded as the most shaping sections of Scripture.  While I must confess to not being able to give a definitive answer, I would guess that it would have been the book of Acts and Scripture that centered on prayer.  As I recall those were years of working with church growth goals and a growing awareness of the importance of vital prayer ministries within the church.  

The man I know today is one who views the first chapter of Genesis and the Prologue to John's gospel as sections of Scripture which are foundational to my faith.   I recognize that the influence of movement to the farm from the pulpit has taken me to such a place.  Being on the farm has been like being immersed in the spacious cathedral of creation instead of being immersed in the brick and mortar world of the church.  Long before I could truly be aware that change was taking place, I was slowly opening up to the unfolding revelation of the Creator God in the midst of the creation which was all around me.  Sometimes truths take root in us long before we are able to see them growing.  

Such speaks of the spiritual journey in these years of retirement.  The younger version of me would not believe the older version of me would become who I am and the older version of me looks back to the younger version wondering why what is seen so clearly now could not be seen back then.   Perhaps, it is the way life is experienced.  Even as everything in creation is constantly changing and moving toward being something new that has never before existed so it is with each one of us.  For some folks like me, the change seems so sudden; yet, pausing for a moment of reflection gives life the reality of something taking root and grow imperceptibly and invisibly for a long time before breaking into the conscious mind.  Sounds a bit like the Kingdom of God at work.