Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Monday!  All is well here at 811. 12 treatments down and 22 to go. 

Dear God, than you for your mercy to me. Help me to meet other’s needs with your sincere compassion and profound sympathy.  Keep me strong as I serve you. Remind me that it is not about seeking others’ approval or earthly rewards, but in glorifying you. Thank you God for those who lift, encourage, affirm and teach me on this journey of my life.  Yes, sometimes the road is not what I expect, but I always expect you to be with me whether I look to the right or the left. You have poured out you love on me and called me to serve in your kingdom here on earth.  Lord, please help me to keep faithfully serving you no matter what the world tells me.  I love you so much Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Sometimes I wonder if God gets tired of my neediness.  The extraordinary truth is that God through Jesus relates closest to the neediest of people.  While I am not hungry, or without shelter or suffering  the ways of others, I do understand suffering. A friend of mine today said, “I do not know why you have been given the gift of suffering.”  I never thought of the tough times I have been through as gifts, but perhaps they have been placed in my path so that God could work through me to help others. Even more than that perhaps God will use me to let others know how he shares in their suffering, loves them so much and understands sustaining them too.  That is my hope and believe my calling by God to be.  While I cannot look into the lives of people as Jesus did I can serve by walking along side of those who are in need and are suffering. One of my questions on the list for ordination is how do I identify myself as a pastor in the representative  ministry of Jesus and Christ’s Church?  I suppose I could say that I identify with many of the identities of Jesus. I however strongly identify with these two; a midwife and a wounded healer.  A mid-wife is one who delivers a life out of darkness and into light. I am a mid-wife when I am at the bedside of one who is dying and passes from this life in darkness and into the eternal light of God’s presence. I am a wounded healer when I minister to the family of the one who has died and walk along side of these grieving, broken souls because God has sustained me through the suffering of Jesus.

In whatever way each of us has been called to serve one thing is true.  When we compassionately see someone’s need we are not only acting for Jesus, but we are following our baptismal promise to follow and act like Jesus acting out of mercy toward them.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these children of Mine, you did for Me.”

Matthew 25: 40

“I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.”

Matthew 25: 36

Take joy in the journey and remember that serving God is not always easy, but it is always worth it!  Wear comfortable shoes because journeying in uncomfortable shoes would be awful!  Get some sleep and think pink!   Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene