Arrived in Pismo Beach last night (Sunday) at about 8:00 pm. After checking in, I went straight to the meeting room, where our District Pastors were gathered for fellowship. The room felt electric as everyone was just chatting away, catching up with old friends and making new ones. It was an exciting scene to step into!
After a late dinner at Denny's with Bernie, we hit the hay and slept in a bit. The breakfast bar is a full one, complete with custom made omelets. It was wonderful!
Then, we had our morning session with worship, devotional and a time of praying for one another at the tables. This was the meeting I had been asked to share the devotional at.
Quite something to lead a devotional with Pastors! You get that intimidating sense of "what haven't they heard, or what don't they already know?" Because surely, these Pastors being mostly more veteran than me certainly have a lot more knowledge than I do.
Preparing for this, I found myself having to quiet those voices and trust the Lord to give me the right words at the right times. It turned into a pretty special time for us all, at least given the feedback I received.
I shared a little of my burnout story and how I learned we all have a different pace of life God has for us to live. Your pace isn't mine and min probably isn't yours. And that makes it unfair for any of us as Pastors to compare what God is doing in someone else's church with what He is (or ISN'T) doing in mine!
The point was that we all have to find our own pace.
After that, Bernie and I hit a movie, then were back in time for a little reading and a nap before dinner. My Bible College friend, Jerry Dirmann, brought a powerful word about putting our trust in what God has said, even when it seems crazy to us and everyone else. It was good to see Jerry and be with him.
Well, that's it for now. Looking forward to a good night's rest before heading home around noon. I'll stop at Bernie's church in Lompoc to see their recently expanded Sanctuary. Didn't make it in time to do that yesterday, so I'm looking forward to catching up on that. G'nite!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Breath of Fresh Air and Rest!
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1 comment:
Hi Pastor Paul,
So please to hear that you are having a restful time. I am glad also that your devotional was Spirit Filled and just what was needed. The Lord has a wonderful was of doing that. The Womens Retreat was so awesome. The Lord met us there in a powerful way. Most people went away with such a real scence of God's love for them. I am putting the DVD'S in the church library, as many women want to borrow them to minister to the women in there lives. You might want to check it out. It is a great, great teaching on Loving Well. Blessing Pastor Paul! I'll keep praying. Love in Christ Veronica Joy
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