Retirement Mondays

Yeah, retirement still has its own kind of Mondays.
Sundays are different than other days because of church and other weekend stuff, so Mondays are still the first real days of the week and then there are all of the other days that are pretty much just other days.

This week's Monday gets a late start since it was after 1am when we got to bed last night. It wasn't a big deal; just a lazy Sunday that was in no hurry to end. It was almost 9 o'clock when I finished sleeping this morning and got up to make coffee.
This will be a little more purposeful week than most as I prepare for next week's Revival in Richland MO. I spent a few hours Saturday and Sunday doing some background reading. More reading and notes today and tomorrow and then the rest of the week will be putting things together.

I'll be preaching three services (Sunday morning, Monday and Tuesday evenings), doing a mix of magic and message on Sunday night, and a predominately magic night on Wednesday evening. I am looking forward to it.

While preaching opportunities offer the opportunity to be a venue for God, they come far too seldom to be the only time to serve as such a meeting place. Last week I had an additional meeting with a man from a church where I recently preached. He wanted to get together and share some thoughts on how he can teach the things of God to others. I was honored to talk to him about that.

Could it be that we (followers of Jesus) have given up on personal ministry and delegated sharing the Good News to the professional clergy?
Even when we do decide to personally engage others with the gospel, do we hang on to the idea of militant evangelism rather than going out as sheep among wolves?
Didn't Jesus send his disciples out as sheep among wolves?
Didn't he instruct them to preach where they were welcomed and to leave when they were not?
I don't recall Jesus ever telling us to threaten people with eternal damnation; only to love them and show them God's love, to tell them the Good News.

I'm going to need another pot of coffee to get through this retirement Monday and the reading that is ahead of me.

Here is my encouragement for you:
Plan to be a venue this week -- a place where God meets with somebody. Prepare your heart so that you can meet with God and then invite a friend to join you. Introduce them to the joy and the love that you have found in meeting with your Creator.
Be a venue!

John <><