Reflecitons

Today is a "catch-up" day. After a busy week of follow up meetings from the Pastor's Conference, I needed a day to reflect and catch up on household stuff. In spending time with other pastor friends and mentors, I'm seeing a clearer direction for future ministry. In our Calvary Chapel family of churches there is a great need of pastoral care for pastors. I met so many men at the conference who were new in the pastoral ministry and could really benefit from spending time with some of us older, more experienced pastors. So I am following that leading and making myself available, as God would lead, to come alongside and talk pastoral ministry with those God brings my way.

This week also marks the 1 year mark of the start of some very painful days a year ago as my beloved Joyce began her final journey to heaven. This morning I went back to my blogs from last June and July. Joyce's passing on July 5, 07 was preceded by about 3 weeks of steep decline that both agonized and blessed so many of us. My family and I were surrounded with 24/7 care and love as we stood by Joyce in her last days. I'm still moved deeply not only by the things I wrote in my blog entries but also by the hundreds of comments given by so many dear friends both close by and far away.

If you would like to reflect along with me over the next few weeks, you can click on the month and year archive list to the right of this entry.

After Joyce passed, my family and I decided we would wait till the 1 year anniversary of her death to scatter her ashes at sea. We have scheduled that to take place Sunday evening, July 6 a couple miles off the Oceanside pier.

And what a year it's been! God has been working in deeper ways than I ever could have imagined. I'm still waiting for a surgery date to reconnect my colon which I pray isn't too much further away. And then we'll see what God has next!

In His Arm's,

Pat