Sacred Days

I am always amazed how ordinary days and ordinary places are "magically" transformed by the presence of God and become those "sacred" spaces in our lives. In real-time, you can sense that something significant is happening, that you are caught up in something bigger than you, that you are really just along for the ride, but I think that in the moment we seldom grasp the magnitude of what is happening. This journey we're on requires our attention, our energies, our resources. If you're like me, you think there's simply no time to stop. We've got things to do, places to go, people to see. However, every now and then God gives you a break at one of those scenic overlooks. Only then, when looking back on the road you've been walking can you see the significant course corrections and hard turns that were those "sacred days." Those were the ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill days that God visited and graced with His intervening presence; where you adjusted the course, changed trajectory, and followed down a dimly lit path because it was where God was leading. These sacred days are not the "whole" of our journey, but instead provide the road traveled with the bends and turns that get us to where we are today. Most of our days are ordinary days. The sacred days give our lives their "shape." For in those moments of decision, of crisis, of confusion, we are reminded of God's guidance, his leadership, and we are re-aligned with His plans for our lives.

October 4 was the 11-year anniversary of the "sacred day" when I bowed my knee to Jesus and followed him into ministry. In "real-time" not much was changing. A day or two later the decision didn't even seem all that significant. However, as I followed down this "new" road, I was able to rest and look back and see just how much God used that day to shape and form the rest of my life. I have been gifted with a few of those days over my life - the day I was saved, the day I was called to ministry, the day I realized that I had met the amazing woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, the day I sensed God calling me to a new state and a new ministry, and the day I sensed God calling me and my family to dig deep in upstate NY and lead Temple into its next ministry season. All of them, sacred days. All of them, foundational. All of them, anything but ordinary. Today, I was able to connect with some local pastors and hear their thoughts on ministry and our transition here at Temple. I am still trying to process all that the Spirit spoke through these godly men. I am fairly certain that, looking back in a few years, today will be one of those "sacred days," providing my ministry and life the shape that is so needed. Thankful today for sacred days. Praying that you each receive one soon too.