This past Tuesday was an exciting day for many … it was a snow day for almost every kid I know … and there seemed to be lot of parents that had a day off … somehow. Well it was a very exciting day for me too … not just because I discovered there was going to be a snow day early in the morning … or because there was a fire in the fireplace with the snow blowing outside … or because I had a cup of hot coffee in my hand … a silent house and a great time for devotion and prayer. What made it most exciting was what happened a few hours later …
I had the opportunity of lunch with Kate Bucrek, a young lady from our congregation who is a sophomore at the U of M in the nursing program and home on winter break. It was just truly an inspiring experience to here her talk about how exciting life and studies were … the challenges she had faced and still would … and about how much she was realizing that God had blessed her. Great attitude, great heart, great outlook on life. I especially appreciated her appreciation of her parents and her education at OSL … notably she referenced her 8th Confimation instruction.
Later that early afternoon I had the opportunity to read on OSL’s home page about how Krista Thorp, one of the young ladies from our congregation, who is on a medical missionary journey in Mali, W. Africa. When Krista has been home and I’ve had the opportunity to talk with her, again I am awed at her heart, her love for the Lord, and her commitment to making her life count for the Lord. I am also aware of her deep appreciation and respect for her parents, for the up-bringing she’s had, and her time at OSL.
Then, late Tuesday afternoon, I heard from my daughter Leah over in Denia, Spain. She of course was missing her family (we were missing her) … but again I heard a developing maturity that made me smile. She expressed her gratitude for so many things … and loved the pictures that we sent of the JV boys basketball tournament at OSL where her younger sister “cheered.” Fond memories of school, but also of a place that was and is a blessing in her life. She’s growing spiritually through her own Bible study, prayer time, reading of John Eldredge’s Waking The Dead and Max Lucado’s Come Thirsty.
Yes, Tuesday was truly an exciting afternoon. As I thought about these three individuals through whom I was blessed … I noted that there were three constants in their lives. (1) The grace of a gracious God who is more willing to bless us than we deserve or may be ready to receive. (2) Loving, caring, godly parents who have taken the time to be with and love their children whether they wanted that at the time or not. And (3) a Christian education through Our Savior Lutheran (OSL) that supported, nurtured, strengthened and further developed that foundations that was clearly being laid at home. We do have some wonderful, godly teachers in our school!
Heavy weights indeed … God, Faithful parents, and Christian Education. Awesome.
And before someone else mentions it … yea, yea, yea … there was a third constant. I know that all three examples were … girls!
Again … awesome! I can't wait to meet the guys they will attract to the Lord or to our church. Let's here it for church and kingdom growth!
And all God's people said ... Amen!
