Jesus replied: …On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. … . –Matthew 16:28b.
As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious Cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.
1 Peter 2:6
One would think that as long as I’ve lived, I would be de-constructing some things, or, as we often like to say, “paring down.”
These monthly Blogspirations were going great until a catastrophic illness entered our home. My wife had a stroke.
It’s amazing how quickly such things change by just seconds of time. Book marketing, blogs and writings all took a back seat to the things that mattered the most.
It has been a cacophony of discombobulating dissonance in just about every aspect of life since.
Just as my wife was getting better, our daughter, who lives with us, had surgery, followed by sickness that has continued since the first of the year.
The death of her car, the fractured bathtub, the hideousness of a worn-out carpet have opened the door of our house to a parade of construction bidders, salivating to do the renovations to enlarge their pocketbooks while depleting our savings. Ugh! Truly, my life is under construction. But then, hasn’t it always been?
Even though things continue to be chaotic around here, it’s great to be back online as you and I continue life’s journey.
I am currently seriously considering sharing these moments in podcast form. There is so much to learn and, since I am technologically challenged, such a process does not come easy.
But one of the gifts I received at Christmas time was a broadcast quality mike. I want to put it to work. As you may or may not know, I was the voice of the “Moment of Inspiration” radio broadcasts over a period of twelve years. With radio, such programs are limited to specific times on specific radio stations. On the Internet, you’re on 24/7 worldwide.
Once I get the podcast up and running, I would like to turn my book, “The Perils and Parables of Pastor Preechet,” into an audio book, as travel is getting more difficult for me as my body continues to age.
I believe this book has a lot to say to the church of today’s generation, even though the setting takes place back in the mid-’70s, and an audio book provides a much wider audience.
It’s all a part of God’s master construction project: “The Church.” It gives me great courage to know that Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone. The question is, “Where do I fit in? Where do any of us fit in, for that matter?”
So, what am I doing already? I teach an adult Sunday School class at my church and write my own material. I preach at a couple of retirement centers and occasionally fill in for my pastor. As a pianist, I perform weekly at the community senior center, the soup kitchen, and I do a few concerts here and there.
The music I share takes in a wide variety of styles and genres, with the emphasis upon the music of the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.
I sum these comments up with an experience I had last night. I had just played my arrangement of “It Is Finished,” by Bill and Gloria Gaither.
It is an extremely complex arrangement that begins with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Following that performance, a lady came up behind me and surprised me with a hug. She just kept on hugging me with tears streaming down her face saying, “Thank you.”
I could not help but think of Jesus and the woman who washed his feet with her perfume and her tears. God speaks in many different ways but, as the Apostle Paul said, I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings –I Corinthians 9:22b-23.
Ah, oh! The doorbell just rang. Please tell me it’s not another bidder! See you next time.
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