Just Some Thoughts

Well, yesterday was the day that I had been eagerly anticipating since last fall. After work, Ben, Trent, and I headed out on the first official bike ride of the season. The title of Trent's blog post made me laugh. The Chronicles of Ben, Todd, and Trent Eructation, Flatulation, and a little bit of bike riding. So I'm sure that there will be more bike posts to come but it was definitely a blast hitting the road with the guys again.

On Sunday, I ventured over to Grace UMC for the morning service. Pastor Bill shared a message, "The End Is Only the Beginning." This message had particular relevance to the congregation because they are embarking on this amazing journey. In a few short months, they will cease to exist as Grace UMC and will combine with a church down the street to become an entirely new church with a new name. Opportunities like this don't just happen every day. This is such an amazing opportunity to start anew, to turn a new page, to begin a new journey.

At my own place of employment, Friday also brought significant and unexpected change. It marked the end of an era of sorts and the beginning of possibly something new and different.

Of course, one of the most difficult endings to discuss is death. Two students I know are dealing with the sorrow and grief resulting from the death of their aunt to cancer.

I wrote down a couple phrases that caught my attention:

All endings are beginnings
Every exit is an entrance
When one door closes another opens

Endings are difficult. Endings are painful. We don't really like to talk about them. Yet, there is this thing called hope and hope burns somewhere within me. Sometimes it burns brightly. Sometimes the flame is nearly extinguished. But even the littlest flame can fan out as Bill shared this reminder from Mark:

Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." (4:30-32)