Monday, January 11, 2010

What I’m reading today: Romans 1:1-17

When it comes to aging, there are definitely pros and cons to the whole process. Some of the cons include things like the fact that your metabolism slows down (i.e. I now gain 2 pounds from eating two slices of pizza whereas I use to be able to eat an entire pizza and not notice the difference); you get aches and pains occasionally for no good reason; and you tend to fall asleep before the conclusion of some episodes you like on late night television. Ug!

So how about the pros?

Some of the pros of aging would include things like gaining a sense of what’s important/not important; an increase in one’s ability to appreciate the so-called “little things” in life; and gaining self-confidence so you aren’t as dependent on other peoples’ opinions as you were when you were younger. All of those are great things!

One of the pros of aging even spills over to my daily devotions. Take today’s passage from Romans, for example. For many years when I was reading Paul’s letters I would practically skip over the words of salutation at the beginning of his letters. And when I did stop to read those words, they sounded incredibly corny to me.

Fast forward eight years into my ministry, and guess what? Those words make complete sense to me.

Paul wrote: “I think God through Jesus for everyone one of you. That’s first. People everywhere keep telling me about your lives of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank [God]” (Romans 1:8-9 from The Message). After having left my first parish (a parish that I loved and cherished), I now know exactly how Paul felt.

So how’s your connection with your local faith community?

If you are currently participating in a local faith community, take a moment to stop and give thanks for the many ways it blesses your life! Thank you people of Woodland Hills Community Church!!! If you don’t have one, take a risk and reach out to one. While participation in a local church can certainly cause its share of headaches, it’s also brings with it transformative moments of love and grace – moments unlike any other!

Til next time…