Note: this is personal and I have a request at the end.

Last weekend I started feeling an increased numbness in my legs.  MS never leaves; it just lets you learn to live with it and then reminds you that you're not in control.

By Wednesday evening I asked my wife to pick me up from a meeting that I drove to because as I walked from the building to the car I knew it wouldn't be safe to drive home (The brake is harder to push than the gas. Maybe the former is even more important than the latter).

Wednesday afternoon I called my Neurologist.  Wednesday night he called me back.  8 a.m. Thursday morning I was in his office. Thursday after my appointment I was in the infusion center for the first of 5 days of stuff - steroid stuff.

Here's 3 things I know:
1. My label has not changed - I am a follower of Christ who has MS; I am NOT MS who is a follower of Christ.  I want people to see Christ first even if MS is sometimes more obvious. MS impacts how I walk right now not where am I going.  When I can't point to Christ I am no longer a pastor.

2. see 1.

3. see 2.

I've been on this physical journey since 1988. It has been two years since I have had a set back, the longest span since this all started.  I'm still able to get around - just less graceful.  I understand the cliche "cow with a crutch." A cow is never graceful, but with a crutch it's less so.

Sunday I intend to talk with my fellow followers about Jesus.  I'll do it from a stool close to the floor, a high platform messes up my equilibrium.  I'll do it pointing to Jesus.  I'll do it with all the anointing that God may choose to bless me with.

Here's my requests to those who are MFMCers.
Many of you are new since my last run in with this gunk.  Please know that your pastor is "fine."  I love you and I long for you to see Christ with me, to hear from Christ with me, and to follow Christ with me.

The other thing I'm really feeling led to say is; if you know someone who is hurting, someone who doesn't know how to trust, someone who can't find faith, someone who needs to know they are not alone, someone who needs to know followers of Christ deal with "it" too, someone who might hear a word from a person who isn't flawless - invite them this Sunday.

Something in my spirit believes this is a very important season for us.  I'm asking you to pray for Sunday and watch for the Holy Spirit to bring someone across your path to invite.  I'm asking to pray for my anointing not just my legs (no maybes about it, the former is more important than the latter)

Fellow Follower,

Pastor Dave

 

Time Change

The borrowed hour must be given back Saturday night.  Officially at 2:00 AM clocks are to be turned to 3:00 AM.  The hour we gained four months ago must be given back. 

There will be no babies born between 2:01 and 2:59.  That hour does not exist.  If a child is born at 2:56 it is really 3:56.  Which is less of a problem than when we gain an hour.  

Time change is powerful.

Example: If a woman is delivering twins and the first baby comes at 1:32 and the second one is delivered at 2:06, time goes back at 2:00, so it is listed on the certificate as 1:06.  The second born is legally the first born (by the way - that happened in 2007).

Example: I always find it interesting that the Sunday that we lose and hour is one of the lowest attended Sundays of the year.  People go to bed at night intending to be in church in the morning, but… "We'll go next week." 

Time change isn't powerful enough. 

Example: If you're scheduled to do something you really don't want to do at 2:15, it still needs to be done even if there is no 2:15. 

Example: If you did something you shouldn't have done at 2:39, it is still done even if 2:39 was skipped.

It's powerful, but not that powerful.

I watched the end of basketball game the other day in which the last 3 minutes on the game clock took over 15 minutes to play!  That's confusing.  Time seems to slow to a snails pace during the movie The Notebook and it seems to match the speed of light when I'm laughing with friends. That's confusing too.

Time is powerful, but we forget Whose it is.  The truth is the movement of a clock has no inherent power.  It changes nothing.  Time is God's, it's not ours to manipulate.  We can talk about how we "waste" it or "save" it, but time is God's. I would be wise to ask him how to "live" it.

Live the time he gives you.

26,032,320 minutes into life,

Pastor Dave