[From a pastor's notebook; the names and places have been changed to protect identities.] He is in the ICU at the local hospital. His heart is failing. He has a pacemaker, but it is not much help since the muscles of his heart are very weak. Why? I don't know. Before I went up to … Continue reading Pastor Notes #7
Month: October 2009
Pastor Notes #6
A pastoral note to an early, middle-aged widow who had just announce her engagement to be remarried, names and certain other details have been changed to protect confidentiality: I'm sorry I didn't respond as soon as I received you letter. I intended to, but it has been an unexpectly hectic week or so. I really … Continue reading Pastor Notes #6
Backyard Notes #2
Well, our little wood frog seems to have moved to his winter quarters to hibernate away the winter under a rock or in the brush pile or under a thick layer of leaf litter. He's been a constant resident of our little backyard pond since he came to us a a tadpole in early summer. … Continue reading Backyard Notes #2
Pastor Notes #5
A Prayer My Father, I want to be a man of discernment. I want to be a man thoroughly committed to acting on your will as I discern it. But I know that that means I must be committed to nurturing a spirit of patience and quietness in myself -- a quietness that is not … Continue reading Pastor Notes #5
Pastor Notes #4
A Prayer You bring unexpected and surprising encounters into my life regularly, Lord. And because you are the Lord and my Lord, I know that these encounters are part of your purpose for me. I often don't know exactly what your purposes are in bringing me and any given person together, but I know that … Continue reading Pastor Notes #4
Pastor Notes 3
Sometimes when we come away from a worship service feeling unmoved, feeling as if the service was confusing, boring, or poorly led, the problem is not actually with the worship service itself or with the people leading it, but instead is a problem within us and our lack of real preparation. And sometimes when the worship service has indeed been poorly planned and led, we can meet God powerfully in it anyway simply because we have prepared ourselves well.
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 