Pastor’s Corner Have you prayed today?

No matter what town we pass through I keep my eyes open for church signs. I’ve had this habit for years and I like the signs because some of the best humor and profound spiritual insights I’ve known have been on them. I recently saw one as I was in Pea Ridge that didn’t make much of an impact on me at first other than to make me go “well, duh...” What did it say? It said “I only pray on the days that end in “Y.” It wasn’t until later in the week that it really sunk in.

Monday was great.

I felt good and got to spend some time with my two youngest grandsons in Pea Ridge and because school was out;

we, of course, had to do our time-honored tradition - have lunch at McDonald’s. I can’t think of anything more fun than taking 10- and 4-year-old brothers out to a restaurant to eat, can you?

I especially like it when they start fighting over who’s going to sit where, “he’s this and he’s that” - you know what I mean? Monday I find myself praying “Lord, give me wisdom dealing with these young boys so I can show them your mercy and love because I’m finding myself wanting to smack ’em both and tell them if they don’t settle down we’re never coming back and they knowthat wouldn’t be true.” Hey, what do you know.

I prayed on Monday and Monday ends with Y.

Tuesday was good, though a little tired from being up several times Monday night with sinus drainage. School was in session so youngest grandson had me to himself to play with and,of course, he conned me into going out for lunch again - it’s one of the perks of being a doting grandpa - being conned that is. After getting home that evening I prayed “Lord, thank you for being with us this day and taking care of me, my wife, all my children and grandchildren, and all your children everywhere.” Hey, I prayed on Tuesday... Huh! Imagine that. It ends with Y.

Wednesday we woke up to nearly two feet of snow and I thought when I woke up at 6 a.m., “not going anywhere today” and I went back to bed and slept a few more hours. I was looking forward to not doing anything all day except eating my wife’s good cooking when I thought of all the people who could be devastated financially because they couldn’t get to work. Watching the news, I thought of all the people stranded and I remembered when I was a child living in houses where the snow came in through the walls around the doors and windows and it was cold and I found myself praying “Lord, have mercy, protect, strengthen and provide.” Wednesday, I found myself praying on another day that endedwith Y.

Thursday began well.

We slept late looking forward to spending a day not doing much. My wife started a 550-piece puzzle with colors that all looked the same to me. I happened to look out the window in time to see a road grader plowing our road, something that hasonly happened twice in the 28 years we’ve lived on the road, both times being this year. I was telling my wife how nice that was when I noticed the extra 1 1/2 feet of snow shoved by the grader on top of what we already had (nearly covering our mailbox) and completely blocked off both ends of our driveway. After waiting a few hours for the grader to come back and fix it I got mad. The madder I got, the more inclined I was to get on the phone and start “lighting fires” under people.

I could tell my wife was praying for me, and I prayed for me, “Lord, give me peace and keep me from doing something stupid.” Hmmm. Thursday and praying on another day that ends with Y.

Friday didn’t start so well. I woke up upset because the grader hadn’t come back to fix the mess. At my age it’s not an option for me to shovel my way out. I drove my car around in the driveway a bit but there was no way to get it out. It was worse because people were happily running up and down our road - their drives not blocked or young enough to clear their way out. I finally decided to spend the day studying and trying to come to grips with having to eat crow stew because words I had spoken so many times kept coming back to haunt me.Things like “You know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” and “there must be some reason you’re not supposed to be able to go anywhere.” Friday, praying, another day ends with Y.

Saturday, warm but by 11:30 the wall of snow didn’t look like it melted a bit though mud was showing in the road and my driveway. I was torn between calling the county judge and demand he get someone to fix the problem; after all, I had to get out for church or decide to call everyone to tell them I wasn’t going to be able to get out so we weren’t going to have church. I went out to feed the animals and noticed something. My bees were out of theirhives flying and landing on the snow “drinking” moisture from the snow that can so easily kill them. As I watched them, I saw how they were doing what needed to be done even in the middle of adverse circumstances. I found myself praying “Lord, thank you for your patience, guidance and for the honeybee whose simple action of doing what they were created to do regardless of what they faced brought sanity and peace once again to an old man.” Saturday, and I prayed on another day that ended with Y.

How was your week?

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Editor’s note: Charlie Newman is pastor of Avoca Christian Church. To contact him, write in care of The Times at prtnews@ nwaonline.com or P.O. Box 25, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.

Church, Pages 2 on 03/09/2011