October 8, 2010

10-8-10 Friday, 6:29 am Springfield, 54 degrees, clear.

We arrived home from Alton at 9:15 p.m., after a fruitful trip to the Honduras summit. We made good connections and my presentation went well on financing capital projects with a portion of the capital campaign. I met the guy who painted the white shutters and windows I was unable to paint on the education building in Diez, and we had lunch with the woman from COR who led the leadership training for Sunday School teachers, and who picked the curriculum. As we left, Audrey and I had a nice conversation with Bishop Palmer.

Today my calendar is open as I had thought I might need to be at the Honduras Summit today also. I will use today to write my sermon, and to catch up on preparations for the HCI weekend. There are also several people I need to follow up with a phone call or email. First, I will begin with the daily reading from The One Year Bible, and pray.

Jeremiah 10 – 11:23

Verses 6: “Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power.” This verse is one upon which to meditate. A contemporary Christian song builds upon this verse, and I am reminded that God is full of power, and nothing on earth, no person or power is greater than God. Jeremiah made fun of wooden idols, man-made images of gods. In my generation, there is fear of nuclear power, the awe of computer power and government surveillance, etc. This verse will be my meditation today, and my source of strength for the day.

As I have briefly caught up on the news, I realize that a small plane crashed and burst into flames at the downtown (small) airport here in Springfield, killing one woman, injuring the pilot and one passenger; and in the middle of the night there was a fatal crash on I 44 involving a semi and a car. Both of these fatalities remind me of the frailty of life, especially as I piloted a small plane with two passengers around Springfield last week, and drove home on 44 last night. Thank you Lord for your power, for the mystery of your will, and the opportunity to serve you today, October 8.