A guy by the name of Wilfred A. Peterson wrote these words which I pasted in the front of one of my favorite books. I placed it there as a reminder that life is not always about snuggly puppies, fuzzy little kittens, hot donuts, inspirational sunsets and rainbows. At times life is a struggle and it isn’t always crisis related. There are times when life is uneventful with duties to fulfill and responsibilities to deal with. Oswald Chambers called this drudgery and then explained that the better part of our individual lives are made up of the “ho-hum” and there is wisdom and fulfillment in accepting the reality that life is not about jumping from mountaintop to mountaintop.
Well anyway, before my train of thought jumped the rails, I was speaking of a quote by Wilfred Peterson that was a “keeper” in the Andy Oliver archives. His words are not flowery and poetic nor are they a complex conglomeration of impressive clichés that roll off the tongue impressing some and boring others. The value is found in the quote’s simplicity:
“Sooner or later, a man, if he is wise discovers that life is a mixture of good days and bad, victory and defeat, give and take.”
I had a bad day on Tuesday of this week. It came after a great day on Sunday when we dedicated the new facility with worship and celebration. It was a special day – Poplar Springs on the peak! Monday was a good day until the first non-ministerial interruption occurred. Mondays are my day to schedule the week’s objectives, establish contact with folks I have offended over the weekend, and my day to place sermon ingredients in the spiritual crock pot. This interruption created a domino effect as my cherished list of “to do’s” tumbled in succession, infringing on task-saturated later weekdays. Terrible Tuesday and Wicked Wednesday became realities as time progressed.
Jesus’ final week on the earth as God in the flesh started on a high note as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey: the victorious Savior. Children were running by His side waving palm branches as grateful spectators placed their cloaks on the road before Him. It was a procession fit for a king. The week concluded with betrayal, deceit, torture and a temporary death. It was a week of good and bad, victory and defeat, give and take.
We will be offering times to worship and remember during Holy Week. Scan the pages of our newsletter and website and join God’s people at Poplar Springs for a time to find a spectacular Savior in the midst of your everyday existence. Find peace and meaning in the risen Christ.
Andy O. (704) 300-0062
…..Don’t forget our Easter offering for the new facility…..goal $60,000…..feel free to make a statement and surprise yourselves by reaching a goal of $75,000.