I woke up Sunday remembering it was the Reformation Day festival. It was starting to blow cold and drizzle 
outside. But inside the church things were warm and getting hot as in an inspired kind of heat for the soul.
That is because the Holy Spirit blew into Andy and he delivered. He brought it. The sermon caught fire and on a subject we dont’ like to hear about – Money! But blow ye winds hi ho! We should have had the offering AFTER the sermon today! Andy noted that it was the abuse of “money” that sparked the Reformation. Luther was impassioned over the sale of “indulgences” stating that Scripture is clear that we cannot buy our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In between services I led a new member orientation class. Great session on the six Covenant Affirmations. God is blessing us with new people joining our church which is sunshine on a cloudy day.
Following services we were carried by the breeze of hospitality over to Nancy’s. What a refuge she is from the storms. Food was great and so was the time together in her new swanky shelter.
Due to the northern cold front, Andy, Rob and I are headed South for a few days. We will be on retreat with other pastors in Lake Geneva (Mon-Wed). We will leave our sun tan lotion behind. But we will carry along out prayer journals. Caribou Coffee shop is just a rugged, dangerous and precarious15 minute hike along the lake from our shanty into town. This will be a pre-dawn exercise for me linking the need for quality caffeine and the exercise of bearing one another’s burdens. Such is the cost of discipleship. Temptations still abound especially at the camp’s famous Breakfast buffet. Those of you who have been there know!
I’ll try and post some photos during the next days so you can see how tough we have it… stay tuned.
As we watch the last leaves being torn from their branches in this gusty October wind I leave you (no pun intended) with this poem (note the theology) by Robert Frost entitled, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”
