Balancing church and family responsibilities is a reason Paul cautioned wannabe pastors in Corinth about getting married. Depending on the source you’re reading, there are varying views about divorce rates among couples who profess themselves to be Christ-followers. The rates are either growing at the same rate as non-believers, greater than that rate, declining from that rate, or were never as high.
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As we completed the previous installment, Vikki and Jules were about to begin their early-morning long distance Chicago Marathon training, timing their start in pre-dawn darkness in order to be finished with minimal overlap -- read, "running into" -- people competing in the Fox Valley Marathon on the same trail. The first wave of runners was scheduled to take off at 7 AM, about the same time Vikki would have completed her first six miles, turned around, and headed toward her scheduled 16-mile finish from the opposite direction. In order to do so, Vikki, Michael and Jules had scheduled a 5:30 AM rendezvous to allow for pre-run schedule-check, rest room visit, and prayer before starting to run at 6 AM. It was a Francis Scott Key kind of morning: "Oh, say...by the dawn's early light?"
This particular Sunday was not just another long-distance training day. They had spent Saturday mapping out the plan for Sunday; a more intricate collaboration than had occurred in previous planning sessions. There's something to be said for Experience being a teacher. Their phone call was about an hour, going over and again the start time, the drive time, the water stops, the energy shots, the traffic flow. Distance had its own importance. Vikki had not completed any of her previous double-digit goals. Today's 16-mile run was admirable; however, she was struggling, lamenting that it should be 20. Twenty is the optimum number of miles a marathon runner should run in a training session before race day, and three, the optimum number of weeks that 20 should be run. Twenty miles were what Jules ran on the same day three years ago when she was getting ready for the Chicago Marathon . That same day, Vikki ran her first 26.2-miler. The Fox Valley Marathon. Today was the third anniversary of that sub-five-hour hoof. Undoubtedly Christmas and Easter are two of the most popular and celebrated holidays of our culture, even among people who do not understand or believe in the central focus of their praise: That God, the Creator of Life, offers a permanent relationship with humans through the life work of His emissary Jesus The Christ.
Beneath the catchy or reflective melodies often heard during holiday galas are provocative, inspiring poems whose depth is often missed, even by the most passionate Christ-follower. We explored those poems, revisited the Scriptures that inspired them and discovered the depth of their lyrical message: What Jesus endured to save humans — who by nature rebel (or “sin”) against God — from eternal separation from God (eternal death, or “hell”). The result is a new production based on a previous premise: Singing the music of Christmas as Easter carols. The church we have attended for a quarter century -- where Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries was birthed -- is going through changes. In the last two years there has been a change in the leadership structure, including, in recent months, the pastoral staff on which Mike served for 13 years.
As part of those changes, Mike and Vikki are embarking upon a new season of ministry service apart from their home church. It's a frightening and exhilarating time for both our ministry and that of our church. The transition is reminding us many things about God, and more about our faith IN God through Christ. |
The KIT 'n' Kaboodle BlogThe essays here are culled from our travels, conversations, worship experiences and discoveries. Many are reprints from our newsletter, The KIT 'n' Kaboodle, or Facebook notes over time. They're written by our ensemble, Garlan Garner, Michael Edgar Myers or Vikki J. Myers -- solo, or collectively. Archives
February 2024
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