So That I May Finish My Task and Ministry

But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace. — Acts 20:24

Daily I ask God to help me finish my task and serve Him in ministry.

And to guide me in the ministry I've received from Jesus.

To share the good news of God's grace with others.

To encourage those around me.

To love others.

And to consider my life as a sacrifice to God.

To follow Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

This week I spoke with my surgeon who removed the melanoma on my knee.

She is very pleased with the way it is healing.

There was no cancer left - the margins were clear.

I can swim again, so I'll go after work tonight.

Praise the Lord!

Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry

And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; — Ephesians 4:11-12

For the past few months, I've been meeting every other week with a mom from our congregation.

She is joining our church and met with our elders yesterday to confirm that she wants to follow Jesus.

She mentioned how blessed she's been by our times together.

And I've felt the same.

God has brought us together to pray for each other and to share our burdens and blessings.

We are both cancer survivors, and we often feel nervous about what that means for our futures.

She went through chemo 10 years ago. 

Mine was two years ago.

We have both learned to trust in God and put our lives in His hands.

We are still learning to be anxious about nothing.

In three weeks, her youngest son will be baptized.

Thank you, Lord!

Reconciled Through Christ

 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  — 2 Corinthians 5:18

This past week was Kirk's first as a retired teacher. 

He had a chance to get out golfing with friends twice.

And of course, one of his crowns fell out, which meant a last-minute trip to the dentist.

Fortunately, they were able to fit him in, he saved it when it fell out, and they got it set back on the tooth where it belonged.

Here is one of the cars that was decorated just a week ago to celebrate his retirement.

He also received a very complimentary email from the superintendent of his school district, wanting to get together.

Then he threw out his back a bit with the golfing.

This retirement thing will be quite an adjustment, but he is up to it.

Congratulations, Kirk!

30 years well spent.

You touched many lives, both young and old.

And you inspired many students to go on and live up to their potential.