August 16, 2023
Leadership Notes
Odds & Ends…or Bits & Pieces {Whatever you prefer}
The other day, whilst driving hither and yon, “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley was playing on the radio. It’s one of those songs where, even if I arrive at my destination, I’m compelled to stay in the car until it’s over.
The song explores the reality of aging and how we sometimes question past decisions. We all have summer memories that elicit both joy and, sometimes, melancholy. Here are a few verses:
Nobody on the road Nobody on the beach I feel it in the air The summer's out of reach Empty lake, empty streets The sun goes down alone I'm driving by your house Though I know you're not home.
I understand the primary meaning of the song. But it also turns my mind toward thoughts of the waning days of summer. Which is a non-short-cut way of saying we are heading into the final lap of a beautiful summer. However you want to goldilocks our summer weather, these nearly three months have been a glorious expression of God’s creative goodness. All the time…
As part of my seasonal rotation, it’s time to share potential sermon and/or weekly note items that are accumulating in my useful stack-of-stuff. In no particular order of appearance:
“The message of 2 Peter is simple: Be ready. The Christian life isn’t
easy, but God will equip you to serve Him well.”
-Chuck Swindoll
“Pray that God would ground our hearts in His absolute
omnipotence so that we might rest in the midst of being tossed to
and fro by hard circumstances.”
- Cory C. Brock
“The Church is not in crisis. Christ is building His church the way
He wants. It is the heretics and false converts being exposed by
the power of His Word that are in crisis.”
- Sylvester Tonderai Faravadya
“I imagine being a seagull is pretty rad because it’s basically just
endless fries and permission to scream whenever you want.”
- Some Guy Who Said Something I Thought Was Funny
“Loving one’s children is no proof of virtue. {People often try to
excuse scoundrels by saying: ‘He’s a good family man!’}
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
“The second purpose for the law is the restraint on evil. The law in
and of itself cannot change the human heart. It can, however,
protect the righteous from the unjust.”
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
“Because I was in the dentist chair from 9:20 – 12:15 on Monday,
PB&J streak was broken at 15. I’m not obsessive, you know.”
- Pastor Richard
“Being soft, weak, and offended by everything isn’t a virtue, so
why do so many people act this way?”
- Keith and Kevin Hodge
“All I can do is keep going and trust that the long effort will be
rewarded with occasional success – the success of knowing that
I’ve been {used by God} to bless or encourage or equip another
person.”
- Tim Challies
And now, your Moment of Spurgeon:
I am persuaded, beloved, that the best cure for pride is a sight of
Christ.
With Much Love and Affection,
Richard