This coming Sunday, May 11, is Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you. At church this Sunday I’m using this day to begin a new series of messages that somebody might even consider Christian counseling. I would really consider it to be Christian discipleship in all of the different phases of life. Let me explain.
I’ve been in some form of ministry either as a youth director for the first few years or as a pastor here now about 47 years. And they certainly know badge of honor or diploma of longevity, it’s just a fact. And undeniably over those years I have not only grown through different stages of my own life, I’ve worked with people in most every stage of life. Children who are just learning about life, teenagers who have so much to look forward to in our growing into that adult stage. I performed 175 weddings of couples from of all ages about to get married with dreams of a grand life ahead of them (as they should!). I have performed just about as many funerals stood with widows and widowers who faced the reality of a stage of life that almost no one can prepare you for. I have not only been an empty nester and gone through that experience, but I have walked with and watched numerous families experience that “joyful pain.” I have been a part of retirement parties that worked out well and retirement events that were painful and lonely.
The point is there are multiple stages of life. Singleness; Married; Young; old and retired; elderly; you get the picture. Not every one of us will experience everyone of these stages of life, but no question about it. Every one of us will experience many of these. I want to take this spring and summer and I am going to address the different stages of life and how we can apply the gospel truth that we have been learning this past year into each stage of life. And I’m starting this several week series this coming Sunday morning with a message about the investment that we make as disciples of Jesus in the generations ahead.
This particular study is not a book study as we are used to doing. I’m going to pull from many different Bible truths and principles. But to prepare for this message, I might encourage you to read before Sunday morning Deuteronomy 6:5-9.
One more heads up to all of you. Even though I am starting the sermons series this Sunday, we will take a break on May 18 and listen to our special guest preacher, Tim Kim. We have introduced him in the past, but I will talk about him again this coming Sunday morning. But in the weeks to follow that I’m going to address many different stages of life and see what the Bible says about how to be someone who applies to Gospel to every stage in every situation of life.
I look forward to being worship with you this Sunday morning.
