Then and now ...

As you can see, it's been nearly a month since I have posted on this blog, as well as The Pastor's Buzz. With two jobs and a home in disrepair, I've had little time to contemplate or put "pen to paper."

This has also left my spiritual life in disarray.

So it is that I have been trying to keep a pattern of intentional devotions during Lent, and have had at least some degree of success. I've been using a collection of Lenten meditations from the works of Henri Nouwen entitled, "Renewed for Life."

Today's devotion is titled "Accepting Our Powerlessness" and uses Psalm 71:1, "In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame." The prayer guides us to a remember a time in our life when God's strength became clear because of our own weakness.

I immediately remembered how God brought me through the last year, and how powerless I was. It also brought me back to the day when I learned for certain that I had Hepatitis C. God was in control, and I was not.

Today, as I struggle with meeting pastoral, vocational and family commitments, I feel quite powerless. It seems I am in constant autopilot mode, with events moving me rather than the opposite.

And tonight I preach a Holy Week service.

In you, O Lord, I place my trust. In you, O God, I place my hope. My hope is you; show me the way.

Grace and peace ...