Brian Swanson

Brian Swanson is one of the Pastors at Woods Chapel.  He is a fantastic guy.  He is one of my favorite humans.  I got this email from him to the congregation, it was just too good not to share.  Here it is.

It’s almost Halloween. We are 17 days out! This means that I still have yet to decide on a costume, which also means that it will probably end up being really lame, even if I do decide to dress up. It’s not that I live for Halloween costumes. It’s more that my kids want me to have fun *with* them. I don’t want to miss out on building that memory with them, so I better get on that!

Along the lines of my girls wanting to share Halloween fun with me, it sparked this question: How often do I miss opportunities to build those memories and moments with the ones I care about the most? What about extending that beyond just my family? How often do I miss moments to be there for someone else? It often only needs to be something small, like an encouraging text or quick phone call. Who is someone you could touch base with today?

If my comment about how Halloween is almost here resonates with you, this might, too. Once Halloween gets here, it’s a short walk before we are celebrating Thanksgiving. And then you blink and Christmas is here. Then, all of a sudden, it’s another new year and thoughts go through our minds like “What are my new year’s resolutions going to be? I haven’t even thought of any yet!!!”

“Where does the time go,” we ask ourselves. “If only I had more time,” is a prayer I often toss-up to Jesus.

Time is one of our most precious resources and it’s one of the only ones that are non-renewable. It’s a gift because no matter how we use our time, we make a choice to say that how we spend it is more important than the ways in which we don’t. What if we realize that it doesn’t always take gobs of time to make a difference? Like I mentioned earlier, sometimes a simple text is enough to make a difference. Sometimes it’s a couple of hours of listening to someone or helping out in a way that might stretch you.

I was reading out of Luke 11 today when I came across this line from Jesus. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” It struck me that I might be the answer to someone’s prayer who I could help by opening a door. Or even just pointing to where the door exists!

What about you? Can you be the answer to someone’s prayer? Would you be willing to invest in a little bit of your most precious, non-renewable resource, in order to make a difference for someone?

That is some good stuff.  Thank you Brian.  Love you!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to be the good.

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I am leading a River Cruise to Belgium and the Netherlands March 19-27, 2022.  If you are interested in reading about the trip or joining in, the link is below.

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/RC22_031922T_TulipTime_002_FINAL-1.pdf

Click here for the brochure