As many of you know, my wife Paula gave us a scare this past weekend when she became ill, and we rushed her to the hospital. The good news is, she passed all of her tests, and she’s perfectly fine. We’re giving God all the praise and thanks, which makes us especially thankful this Thanksgiving season.
As some of you also know, even while she was in the hospital undergoing tests, we decided that it was best that I go ahead and speak at The Gathering in both services. Since the subject of the day was about peace, (and our peace was certainly tested during this time) we’re glad to say that we’re still in one peace.
I think this is an important talk for you to listen to, if for no other reason than, it was given under duress. I have to be honest, I was more than a little worried, more than a little concerned. I was trying to focus on the task at hand because I think sometimes you have to live what you preach, as you’re preaching it; which means you should never try to traffic in truths that you’re not living. So in this talk I am telling not just what I think, what I learn as a teacher, or what I aspire to as a pastor, but what I am walking through every single day.
Each Sunday morning I ask The Gathering family how they are doing. And we all respond, “Still in one peace.” That is never more a real statement, for me at least, than it has been this weekend. I hope you know of the peace that Jesus gives, real Jesus. Because it’s a gift unlike any other you will ever receive.