Volume Four Number Five

--325 words, 1 page--

This is an announcement for an adventure that will take place shortly in the future: I will be preaching a sermon at church on Sunday, April 13th. Pastor Scott will be away for two weeks, and has asked me to fill in on one of them. I feel that preaching is the primary reason that I was created, and had wondered if it would ever really happen, but I also feel some trepidation. Declaring God's Word is serious business, and I feel a deep sense of responsibility to be accurate, faithful and passionate. There's always the "who am I to be preaching?" internal debate, but those thoughts, internally directed as they are, look in the wrong direction. Instead I should remind myself of the One who empowers the preacher and calls whom He will. Here am I, send me.

You can listen live, in person, at the Chelan Church of the Nazarene on the corner of Okanogan and Sanders across from the Fire Station at 11:00 am. You may also go to the church website some time after the service, and download the message from the audio page of the website. At this point, I anticipate titling the message "Pray for Patience."

Part of my inspiration for this message comes from my recent reading of a book by Joseph Bentz - "When God Takes Too Long: Learning to Thrive During Life's Delays." I'm not much for waiting or patience, and don't think I'm alone in this. I'll include a few nuggets from the book, and reference the stories of Joseph, Moses and Abraham from the Bible. See, I'm not alone in my waiting, and neither are you!

Please pray for me as I prepare this message and as I deliver it. Pray also for those who listen. My hope is that I'll speak the words God wants said, and the listeners will hear the words God wants heard. May God be glorified!

In Christ,

Jake

---31 March 2008---

Update: Sermon Title Change

I have discovered that messages from the Bible sometimes seem to take on a life of their own. Of course the source of this life and the resulting directional change is the Holy Spirit. Through conversations with Pastor Scott and digging more into this topic of waiting, I have been lead to change the title to: "What Are You Waiting For?" This better reflects the contents, especially with the inclusion of Moses' story.

The question has a double meaning depending on your preconceived notion. Either it is asking what you are rightfully waiting for, or why you are wrongfully waiting when you should be moving. Which camp do you fall into? Which camp do I fall into? Yes. Know what I mean?

See you there!