OBSERVATIONS FROM LIFE IN A COMMUNITY (2021)

​OBSERVATIONS FROM LIFE IN A COMMUNITY (2021)
                Every ministry has it’s own unique situation. I love mine. I am part of a community that has seen me so often they don’t really see me anymore. That is not to say they do not appreciate me. Just yesterday I received a monetary gift from the parents of a music student. People often take time to let me know how I have been helpful to them. But, I am not the “missionary” who attracts greetings and special care. That time came and went long ago.
                If you are a school teacher, you have students who come to you. You see them as students. That is how you know them. You seldom get to see them as a son, or as a daughter. You almost never see them as a big brother or sister. Here, in this community, I get to see those things. It is a powerful thing to see a teenage student who borders on being prideful when you see him alone, and then he stops to care for his little brother, or bows his head in the presence of his mom. It is a more complete picture of the student. 
                Many of the people with whom I work in the church here were my students years ago. I saw them then as one uniform in a classroom.  They grew, developed, and changed. Many of them I saw turn into teachers. Then they turned into wives or husbands. Now I sit and watch as they attend church with their eyes constantly seeking control of their children. That is life. I find it a glorious thing to observe.