Graduation Marathon

I have just completed a graduation marathon in the past week. It began with my daughter's college graduation. On returning home I went to two high school graduations for my nephews and a my grandson's Kindergarten graduation. I have seen it at all levels this week. From top to bottom there are similar themes; the ending of one era, the beginning of another, the joy in looking back at accomplishments and the excitement of what the future holds. I must say the Kindergarten graduation was the most entertaining! At the same time I must also confess my daughter's college graduation was most touching to my heart.
Having spent 9 years as a high school counselor I consider myself a connoisseur of graduation ceremonies. The Baccalaureate message at Converse last week was perhaps the best and most appropriate I've ever heard. It could have been that maybe I was just applying it to my own daughter. For whatever reason it really seemed to resonate with me. Another thing I love about small college graduations is the dignity and respect in which it is conducted.
Another thought that crossed my mind was how much less stressful the ceremony is when you are not a part of the administration that is in charge. You always worry about things going well, kids behaving (at least at the high school level and Kindergarten for that matter!)and mispronouncing the names. As a guest you just enjoy all that is happening, don't worry and enjoy the people watching. As a parent your heart is just about to burst with pride at the accomplishment of your child. I spent four years praying through every struggle, conflict, joy and triumph. My heart was very full as I watched my child walk with confidence across the stage ( no she did not realize her greatest fear of losing the hat) and receive her diploma and be hooded. What a sweet moment.
As I've thought about this post I think the biggest most consistent thought was that graduation is a time of Transition. It could be that during a time of fasting last January the Lord spoke to me about this very thing. Any time you end one thing and are preparing to move to the next it is a time of transition and that always brings with it a sense of urgency, excitement, fear, relief, etc.
Last night I came across an article about transition from a spiritual perspective. The pastor listed 4 keys to transition. 1)God knows what He is doing, 2) Our scars can be changed into trophies of grace, 3)Every battle we survive is a graduation into new realms of authority, 4) grace works through time and time is on our side.
Number 3 really stood out to me. In a sense graduation does mark the victory of a battle won. It most definitely leads to new realms of authority which I suspect is the cause for the angst and the excitement. Think about it, with each graduation I mentioned there is a new level of authority and responsibility. The Kindergarten child will no longer take naps and have tons of "center time." It it time now for sitting in rows, reading, and math. The high school graduate will be not longer have a schedule set for them and authorities watching every move. The college graduate will move on to start their own home and career.
All this talk of transition reminds me of the place the Lord took me in January- the story of Joshua taking on the mantle of leadership from Moses. If you are in a time of transition this is a great place to hang out in the Word. The phrase or thought "be strong and courageous," is repeated about 4 or 5 times in the first chapter alone!!! Do you think God knew that transition brings with it a little fear?
I think I'm going to marinate in this idea of transition for a while since I'm there myself. For all you who are in a time of transition I say this, "Be strong and courageous, neither fear not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

Fellowship of the Believers

I've had this phrase, the "fellowship of the believers," in my head for the last two weeks. I finally sat down to write this post and wanted to see where it was in the Bible. It's not there! I guess that is just one of those church phrases that has been coined and used over the years and you just assume it's in the Word. Well, I can't say I did an absolute exhaustive study but I'm pretty confident it is not there. If you can find it I would love to know where it is!

Back to the reason for the post. I recently went on a turkey hunting trip to Missouri with my husband. (I think ladies I may have slipped into first place in the running for "wife of the year" with the points I earned on this one! jk) After riding 17 plus hours in a motor home with 4 men I was ready to get out and do something different. We arrived on Saturday afternoon. I had found this AG church in a small town just over the Iowa line and planned to attend church there on Sunday while the men were hunting.

I got up and had a wonderful time with the Lord in prayer that morning and said to God, "Lord I just want to be in Your presence this morning and share fellowship with other believers." I went to this church and the Lord was there and I had wonderful time of worship. The people were so sweet, the young preacher so full of passion for the Lord, and he preached a great sermon. It was one of those services where I just sat in tears most of the time because the presence of the Lord was so strong.
After the service, the lady I was sitting by, struck up a conversation with me and we talked about the Lord and what He was doing in our lives. I left that church revived and refreshed in the Lord. That started this whole thought process about the fellowship of believers.

Many churches today use Acts 2:42 as their ministry model. "And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Sometimes churches fall into a trap of emphasizing one over the other. Anyway, I know the Lord designed us for fellowship with Himself and other believers.

Fellowship with other believers is so critical to our growth as a believer. My pastor last week in teaching through 1 John 4:12 which talks about God perfecting His love in us, made this comment. "If you want to perfect that love, talk to other believers about Jesus." It occurred to me in my 50 years of church life most often the term fellowship involves people, food and talking. Unfortunately it doesn't always involve talking about the Lord or sharing spiritual food.

I crave true fellowship, I love talking about the Lord. I have come to understand and realize that is where most of my growth occurs. When the Lord speaks to me or teaches me something from His Word, the process of sharing it with others establishes it in my own heart. When they share their experiences with me it causes my faith to grow or confirms things the Lord is teaching me. Last week I spent time talking with about 8 different friends talking about the Lord. I felt like I had been sitting at a banquet table with one course after another of spiritual food. Each person and conversation left me feeling nourished and full. Now that to me is the fellowship of the believer! I pray we will all devote some time to fellowship this week as we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord!