Change Ahead

One thing is always for certain. Change will come in one way or another. I have always believed if we don't take change by the hand, it will take us by the throat.

Hiding from change will not make it go away. Change happens as we get older, as our kids get older, in our business's, and in our faith walk. Handling change often causes us to look out instead of in. It forces us to depend on God and others because change shows us we are not in charge.

Due to the change in the weather BJ and Cassia had folks over for a sledding party last Sunday afternoon. 

Harrison is helping Mark change the landscape by cleaning up the old house.

After getting the concrete out of the basement we started hauling dirt back into the leftover hole.

We have had a week full of changes at our house this past week. One of the more noticeable ones is getting used to a yard without an old house.

Mike, Pablo, and the rest of the crew worked hard early in the week cleaning up equipment. We are betting fieldwork is finished until spring. 

We worked on some land changes both inside and outside our family.

Adapting to change with the opportunities you're given is taking change by the hand instead of it taking you by the throat. Those opportunities have added some color in our operation.

Acres and machinery are just necessities we use, given to us on loan from God, to make a living. We also worked through some family operation changes. Those conversations would have been impossible except that the participants cared about each other.  

Sticking to the old feels so much more comfortable and safe. Sticking to the old doesn't take much looking forward.

However taking change by the hand and moving forward gives a person so many more opportunities. Opportunities not just to one's self, but better capable to help others as well.

Last night I babysat for Becky and Brian's kids. We ate supper, wrestled, played apples to apples, read books, and watched the movie "Cars".

The movie is about a self-centered little car named Lighting who accidentally falls out of it's hauler on the way to California and ends up in a little "has been" community named Radiator Springs. Because of the process of interacting with the folks there and becoming friends with them he changes and starts caring about others. 

The little community of Radiator Springs and it's residents have been bypassed by an interstate highway. However instead of adapting to the change they all choose to stick to their old ways and have become a dying community. I didn't get to see the end of the movie, Becky and Brian came home, but if Radiator Springs would have changed and reached out to the interstate traffic they would have ended up helping themselves by helping others.

What about our churches? Are we adapting or are we stuck in the past? Why do we go to church? Is your church gaining folks or losing folks? Are our worships about God and self, or God and others?

We are Christ's hands. We celebrated his first coming a couple of weeks ago. While He was here He changed everything including our focus from ruling to serving. He's coming back soon. As He looks over our journey across life will He say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"?