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| The Preacher after church |
If there was one word to describe what "The Preacher" does well (other than "everything) it would be "communication." Rebekah is beyond awesome when it comes to connecting with people; be it just the one, or a room full of a thousand.
I'm sure I've already said this, but my wife is absolutely without a doubt the most interesting and inspirational preacher I have ever heard! But she also happens to be a really good writer, a wordsmith who manages to draw people in with just the right words at just the right time.
Our church newsletter - "The Happenings" - goes out twice a month, and the "Rebekah's Remarks" page is never a disappointment. A lot of preachers brush the newsletter off as hardly worth the effort, but Rebekah understands that her message is an important element of the communication package and she always takes the time to get it right.
It actually reminds me of a weekly newspaper column. The "Op-Ed column" is an art form, and when it's done well it's one of the best reads in the paper. Rebekah gets it right every time.
So I thought I'd share a couple of paragraphs with you, just to offer a different slant from a writer I truly admire. They are the first and the last from this week's "Happenings".
Dear Fine People (Rebekah writes):
We were gathered for our weekly staff meeting two weeks prior to Easter, and it was noted that "things will calm down after Easter Sunday." I don't know where such a thought came from. I was told of this so-called slow-down my first year in ministry... and I'm still waiting. By now, I know that a church sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit isn't about to slow down.
Every day is Easter.
Every day affirms that the tomb is still empty.
Every day allows us to realize our world's constant need of the Light and Power of the Risen Lord....
...There is so much going on, in such a wide variety of ways, as people are being led to go deeper and wider in their relationship with God in Jesus: The world Jesus sends us out into will break; wars continue; lives are destroyed by natural disasters and random acts of evil and violence; termites will eat away in poorly reinforced walls (Inside joke - it happened at our church!).
But:
God's healing is found in the midst of brokenness...
Peace transforms conflicts...
Natural disasters will be cleaned up...
People will commit their lives to Christ...
Celebrations will be enjoyed...
Ministry and mission will be carried out...
The Bible will enlighten and strengthen...
Our church family will be faithful, as we continue to be who we were created to be - the Body of Christ for right now.
Invite your friends to church with you. They'll find out more about who we are in the next few weeks than even some of us know (Next week is the church 50th b/day celebration).
I love you - Rebekah
This coming weekend we celebrate 50 years as a church, witnessing to God's grace here in the Brandon community. Stay tuned, there's bound to be a blog post that reflects some of the excitement!
- DEREK
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