Encouragment

I must admit that when preaching every Sunday, it was better to have someone walk by me at the front door and say, "Enjoyed the sermon, Preacher," instead of "Worst sermon I ever heard."  And in the same spirit, I must confess to needing to hear from time to time that someone is actually reading these blog postings.  It helps on those mornings when I ponder the possibility of having written the last one.  This morning a friend from a former parish called me before I got to stirring and told me that a recent blog meant a lot to him.  And, then, there was a note a few days ago from a former Minister of Music who told me she was sending them to her choir members each morning.      

I have decided to keep on writing.  At least for a spell.  Once again my congregation's face took shape in front of me.  I am grateful for their encouragement as well as the many other such expressions received from time to time.  Encouragement is a blessing.  It blesses to enable people to continue with whatever it is that they are doing.  It blesses to know what is being done touches people in an important part of their lives.  It blesses to know that God is still finding those who sometimes seem exhausted as being useful to Him for a small measure of His Kingdom' work.    

One of the things I have learned in these years of being around here in the midst of the Creation is the way awareness of blessings makes us more grateful.  Surely, one of the reasons we fail to live with constant gratitude has to do with the way we hurry through life without a mindfulness to what is happening around us.  What is happening around us is that we are walking in an ever flowing stream of blessings.  Even in those moments when it seems we are walking against a strong current seeking to pull us under, we are surrounded, even overwhelmed, with blessings provided by the Spirit who dwells within us as well as through the people He is constantly putting out there ahead of us to encounter on the journey.