Changing Friendships

I was saddened today to learn that a friend died of a heart attack. I met Lenny Fuentes while serving the church in Cadillac Mi. Lenny and his wife Nadine had moved there from California to care for Nadine’s aging mother. Lenny was on fire for the Lord, he was a man who just wanted to serve God and his neighbor in any way that he could. He was the type of guy that would come to the pastor and say, “How can I help you in your ministry?” During the four years that we shared life and ministry in Cadillac, we experienced many hours of prayer and many good experiences. When Lenny returned to Highland California he poured himself into ministry in the local church and has touched many lives over the last decade. After leaving Cadillac, I asked Lenny for a favor, if he would fill out a job reference sheet for me. Lenny’s response was “Your ministry and friendship have blessed my life and I love you, I would die for you.” He wasn’t kidding around when he said this. That was the type of friend Lenny was. If I would have called him in California and said “Lenny I need your help” he would have dropped all and been on his way. You don’t get too many of those types of friends in life. Friendships seem to come and go, changing all the time, but true friendships are eternal. I know that Lenny has joined a few other brothers and sisters in the Lord who are watching over me as I serve Christ and rooting the church on in its mission. His love and prayers have changed from being earthbound and limited to being eternal and heaven empowered. One more friend joins the great cloud of witnesses that stands in support of Christ’s mission here on earth. I’m sad, but I also gain strength in knowing that heaven has one more friendly witness. May God inspire us all to care for each other, the way Christ cares for us.

Waking up on holy or shaky ground

I believe that it was Henny Youngman who used to joke that he woke up on the wrong side of the bed… the side with the wall. I can relate, sometime the problems of life seem to hit me in the face before I even get up and moving. Even though my bed is in the middle of the room, occasionally I will wake up and figuratively hit a wall. All it takes is a stray thought, a concern that creeps into my consciousness, and as I lay in bed ready to get up my mind is off and rolling on a litany of troubles. I’ve come to realize that this is caused by “stress overflow.” Stress has to come out in some way, so it sneaks out when I am only half awake and takes control of my thoughts. I’ve also come to realize that how much control I give stress over my morning thoughts, determines whether I awaken standing on holy ground or shaky ground. Awakening in the morning has some inherent blessings attached to it. First and foremost, I’m alive, God has chosen to give me one more day at life. Second, another day is another chance to get it right, to live in a way that blesses God and the world around me. Third, there is always the possibility that the day ahead will be the most spectacular day of my life. I’ve had some pretty good ones, but I have to believe that with God, the best is yet to come. Philippians 4:13 reads “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This includes waking up and crashing through a wall of troubles that exist for the primary purpose of stealing my joy. May we all “…be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2)