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Friday, August 27 Devotional from Pastor John Hartman

Repeat Performance”
 
Looking at some Facebook posts this week, I saw many pictures of children and young people getting ready to start their first day of school and begin another school year. Some of our college people have already begun their fall semester, while others are just getting underway. As I was looking at these pictures, my mind was transported back in time to when my three children were much younger (Tim, Julia, and Emily) starting their new school year. It doesn’t seem that long ago, and I can hardly believe how quickly time has passed as they are now 30, 27, and 25 respectively.
 
In Wake County, North Carolina, our children were in “Year Round School” for both elementary and middle school. Basically, the school’s population was split into four separate groups, what were called “tracks.” The schedule was designed so that children were in class for 9 weeks, and then they got a 3 week break. It worked out to the same amount of time off that traditional schools got, but it was spread out throughout the year. I always found it humorous that my son, Tim, thought the ideal school schedule was to be 3 weeks in school, and then 9 weeks off from school. The school year actually started just after July 4th. We had all 3 children on Track 3. It was a choppy track, but we got those 3 week breaks in August, November, February, and May.
 
I miss those days, and hope you will take to the time to really enjoy them. The late Presbyterian pastor-author, Frederick Buechner wrote, “In the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” He also wrote, “All of life is not just a journey through time, but it is a sacred journey.” (Many thanks to my good friend, Dr. Bill Slater from Wake Forest Baptist Church for providing me with these two nuggets!)
 
You know, as parents we work so hard to create a path for our children to journey through life into the perfect schools and the best teachers and the right lessons. Perhaps, we need to rethink this approach. Maybe what we need to do is prepare our kids for the road, rather than trying to prepare the road for our kids. One thing is certain, -- it won’t be perfect. It is pure joy to know that God does not expect us to be perfect. One day we will stand perfected in His presence, but until that day we live by his grace. So for heaven’s sake, cut yourself a little slack and don’t expect everything to always have to turn out exactly right. I want to be like the little boy in his little league baseball uniform who was out in his backyard one day and said, “I am the greatest hitter in the world! I am Babe Ruth!” He threw the ball up in the air, swung and missed. He picked the ball up and said, “I am the greatest hitter in the world! I’m Babe Ruth!” He swung again. Again he missed. He picked the ball up again, and this time he swung so hard his hat flew off and he spun around and fell on the ground. He said, “Wow! I am a great pitcher!”
 
You don’t have to be perfect. I love the prayer of Nancy Speigelberg who wrote, “Oh God of new beginnings and second chances, here I am again!” She called it a “Repeat Performance.” As we journey into September, and resume our “repeat performance” of church activities and ministries again, may God continue to guide us, bless us, and be with us.
 
On Sunday, I will finish up my sermon series on, “The Bible You thought You Knew,” with the often used phrase, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” Hopefully, we will be in person outside at 8:00 am on the FLC lawn (inside the sanctuary like last week if it rains). If you attend at 8:00 am, you will be able to sit in your car and listen via the FM transmitter on 102.1. At 10:30 am, we will be in the sanctuary, while also broadcasting on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube.
 
Pastor John
 
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