Yesterday was a very difficult and wonderful day. God is still God and he showed up in a powerful way, for me personally and in our worship. As for my musings …

-On Saturday morning, just past 7:30, I received word that my Dad had passed from this life to his eternal reward in heaven. I knew this was coming, but I wasn’t really expecting it on Saturday. It hit me a little harder than I expected.

-When I got the word about Dad I was getting ready to go to a volleyball match out of town. That ended up being a nice distraction for me and my wife. Sadly, we lost the match and it was the last match of the year for the 7^th grade team. It has been a joy to watch them develop and grow this season. They are great young ladies.

-I was struggling the rest of the day to finish my preparations for Sunday morning.

-On Sunday morning I kept having waves of memories of my Dad. He was a pastor for 44 years. He and I talked about church and pastor stuff nearly every time we talked. He was still thinking clearly about such things until the last 3 or 4 weeks. I am going to miss those calls.

-God showed up in our worship. It is always my prayer that God will take over when we gather and when I preach. On this Sunday it was imperative that God show up and take over, because my thinking was a little foggy. He showed up in a powerful way.

-There were 4 or 5 people who prayed to receive Christ as their personal Savior. They said yes to accepting Christ’s forgiveness. There were another 4 people who committed to surrender everything to Christ. There were a few more who said yes to handing a current difficult circumstance to God and his care. Wow God! That would have been a fun call to tell Dad about the service. I believe he knew and was rejoicing.

-Due to some timing and travel issues my Dad’s Celebration of Life service won’t be until next week. Then we will have a graveside service back in his home state a couple of days later. Next week is going to be a long, emotional and wonderful week.

-We are in the process of going through pictures and paperwork. The process is a little more difficult because my brother, step-mom and step-sister and I are in 3 different states. Prayers for my step-mom are appreciated for this time of transition.

-We had a few visitors yesterday and a visitor who was in attendance for the third Sunday in a row. I think that means they are no longer a visitor. We were missing a lot of regular people, but our attendance was near our average.

-I am loving the sunshine we are experiencing today and the temperature that is rising to above 50. Bring on Spring.

-I am having trouble believing that Easter Sunday is just over a month away. We have a lot to do.

-I am in the process of writing some things about my Dad, his life and his impact on my life so I can share at his service. It is difficult to put into words, especially into a few words, the influence and impact of someone who was your single biggest influence about following Christ.

-After I get some things written about my Dad I will share them on this blog.

-I need to get going, there is much to do in addition to teaching twice this week and preaching this Sunday. I am praying for a clear mind and sharp focus as I study and prepare for this week.

Here’s hoping you find your focus this week and take each step with the knowledge that you are loved.

Dennis