Paring Down

Things are moving ever more quickly toward our upcoming move to Des Moines and Grace Church.  Thursday marked my last official day in the office here, and Friday Mal and I held our second (and final) garage sale.  Everything left-over was loaded into my truck and hauled-off to donate.  It took two trips, and the second time we showed-up, the volunteer helping us asked with obvious incredulity, "Did all this come out of one house?"  He really would have been amazed if he'd seen everything we'd sold before we started hauling!

Seriously, it's amazing how much "stuff" we'd accumulated.  An estimator for a moving company once told me that teachers were some of the worst in terms of the quantity of stuff they accumulate.  She also told me that preachers are right next to teachers--both professions necessitate lots of files, books, etc.  Add to that my natural proclivity to be a pack rat, and you end-up with a BUNCH of stuff!  Anyway, we've reduced things by probably a third, and we're well on our way toward packing it all.  There's still a lot to be done, but, fortunately, we've still got some time before we actually begin loading.

It really feels good to get rid of so much that we don't need anymore (if ever we did need it).  It's made me wonder what unneeded practices, habits or ideas I've accumulated over the years.  It turns out that moving provides the perfect opportunity for taking stock of oneself.  As much as it helps to get rid of physical stuff, I can only imagine what it will be like to get rid of those things that weigh me down spiritually.  What an adventure life is!

Blessings Shared

Our congregation recently hosted a vist from the Children of the World international children's choir, a ministry of World Help.  Composed of 15 children from Nepal, Uganda and the Philippines, the group shared in both morning worship services, then did a full concert in the evening.  The children did a beautiful job, on all three occasions, of sharing the joy and peace they have through knowing Christ as Lord and Savior.

But I want you to know, too, of the response of the people of Old North Church.  By day's end, 61 children around the world had received sponsors.  Beyond that, an offering of over $8,000 was received to help fund clean water in Africa.  At a monthly sponsorship of $30/month, that's a total of $30,000 given/pledged over the next 12 months--in just one day!

Way to go Old North!  That kind of generosity and dedication to making a difference across the street and around the world will pay rich dividends in lives saved and souls won to Christ.  Keep up the good work!