I felt it right as I left the parking lot. It stayed with me all the way home and still does today. I faced traffic on the way home and fought to stay awake. When I got out of the car at the gas station they looked at me kind of funny. I looked down at my cross and nametag and wished I was back on the mountaintop. The “it” I’m talking about is what I face after every national VDC gathering, and every weekend when I serve.
It is the Sunday night blues. The return to the real world of grass that needs cut, bills to pay, laundry to do and work to return to. I always have a hard time coming down, so to speak. We that gathered in Illinois had a tremendous experience I believe. The worship, the fellowship, the learning and prayers that were shared have us all inspired to go back and get to work. One of my personal highlights was the presentation of the “Cotton Patch Gospel”. This incredible one man performance was funny, inspirational and very moving. He acted out the Gospels with a southern “vernacular twist.” When he did the final scene of the resurrection he got up on a table and said “It Worked!” Yes, it worked, and yes the Gospel works. (You can find him on line or Google his name Phil Kaufmann.)
As one or more people said to me there is great momentum leading to Sylvania, Ohio next July. Mark your calendars now July 21-24, 2016. One person joked (not me) that it will truly be “Holy Toledo!” Our new president, Steve Gielda, will be a driving force as we go to the next level. We all must do our part as we pray for Steve and the National Secretariat, for our local Secretariats, and as we serve on teams, reach out and sponsor a pilgrim and so on. Our movement is alive and well. We received lots of positive feedback on the weekend and there is new energy generated! The same God on the mountaintop goes with us now. (I know that, I just had a really great time though.)
When Jesus was on the mountaintop (The Transfiguration Matthew 17:1-9 and other places) He was touched by God and became radiant. So do we in the encounter with Christ in VDC, in the written Word, in the Waters of our baptism, at the Table of Wafer and Wine, as we drive in traffic, do laundry and cut the grass.
And then the Scripture teaches that as they all came down from the mountain a great crowd was waiting on them. Look around, friend, a great crowd is waiting on us to go with Good News! Whether you were with us over the weekend or not, there is work to be done. And we can do it. God can and will do it through us…..we are ready.
Oh, I almost forgot! You are enough! You are enough, be “light” on yourself this week and it will feel like a mountaintop all over again!!
God Bless you all,
Pr. Doug
NLS SD
(Thank you to the many readers who spoke with me over the weekend in thanksgiving for this little devotional thought for your week!)
Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.
