Theological Musings

es, I am still alive. Yes, I have lots I would like to write about! Yes, I still occasionally manage to read other blogs. Yes, I am extremely swamped with work, etc., and don’t know when I’ll get back to substantive posting. (And yes, Scott, I still owe you a return volley!)

Thank you to those who have checked in with me to see if I was ok. I apologize for the silence.

Having said that, I do want to take a few minutes to report on a wonderful ministry today. In nearby Vilas, NC (a “blink and you’ll miss it” portion of road between here and Tennessee!) sits Brushy Fork Baptist Church.

Christy and I know several people who fellowship there, and finally, after several years of talking about it, arrangements were made for me to minister in music.

I strive, whenever I do minister in music at a gathering anywhere, to be a blessing to the people who gather. And that was certainly my desire today.

We attended the morning service, where I shared two songs during the service. Then, this evening, they were kind enough to allow me to have the entire evening service at my disposal to minister in whatever way I felt led.

I’m not sure who got the bigger blessing, however — the people that gathered or me. I simply must say that the portion of the body of Christ that is Brushy Fork Baptist Church is a sweet and warm and welcoming group. And they can sing!

Anyway, it was a delightful evening where I definitely felt the Holy Spirit leading and shaping the service. And the responsiveness of the people there was very encouraging.

Thank you, Brushy Fork Baptist, for hosting our ministry tonight, and thank you to each person there (although I doubt any of them even know about this blog, much less read it!) for being a blessing to us.

Oh, and before I sign this off, let me share a really cool “God thing” that happened tonight…

We left the building, after saying goodbye to the few that were still there, and headed to Applebees for a much-needed meal (we had not eaten dinner before going to the service). Just as we pulled into the parking place at Applebees (about 10-15 minutes from the church building), Christy realized that she had left her purse at the church.

Even though we figured no one would be there at the church, we drove back out there. Sure enough, the building was all dark and closed up. But I said, “I’ll go up to the door anyway and see if maybe someone is still inside.”

I got to the double doors at the front of the church and saw that it was, indeed, dark everywhere within. I pulled on the right door — locked. Big surprise there!

For whatever reason (thank you, Holy Spirit!), I pulled on the left door…and it opened!

I walked into the lobby in the dark, hoping there wasn’t an alarm that would go off! Sure enough, in the shadows over where our CD table had been, I saw Christy’s purse on the floor.

I picked it up, carried it outside, and let the door shut behind me. Then, out of curiosity, I turned around and tried the door again. It was locked securely!

By the time I got back to the car, the pastor had come out of his house. He had recognized us from across the parking lot and came out to see if everything was ok. I explained the situation to him, and told him about how the door had been unlocked for me to walk in and retrieve the purse. What a cool way for God to help us out!

He thanked me “for locking up” for them and we headed back to Applebees again for real this time.

Anyway, isn’t that so neat how God kept that door from shutting tight when the church was “locked up” the first time, so that I could easily go back in and retrieve Christy’s purse? That’s the kind of God we worship!

Until next time,

steve