Dear
Fellow Children of God,
On Wednesday, March 20, I went golfing at Turkey Creek Golf
Course in Alachua, Florida, north of Gainesville. Now, I know my Alaska friends might be
surprised that I would complain.
Afterall, most Alaskan are not golfing IN MARCH!
However, on this morning, after two holes, I was ready to
throw my golf clubs into the lake! First
of all, the league in which I sometimes play tees off at 8:00 a.m. The sun rose that day around 7:30 a.m. And it was cold – for Florida at least!. There was frost on the ground as I drove to
the course. My I-phone read 38 degrees
as I teed off. The humidity of Florida
weather makes 38 degrees in Florida feel colder than 38 degrees in Alaska. And, as a man now in my 70’s, my body does
not start as quickly as it once did. I
have some stiffness when I wake, and the aches and pains of arthritis. Before I
golf I need to stretch to get ready.
But, I have been playing well, and had hopes for the
morning of March 20. So, I teed off on
the first hole of play for our group. I
hoped I could make it through the first few holes and warm up and then my game
could go alright. The first hole for our
group was number 17, a 137 yard par 3. I
have recently parred this hole many times.
But on this day, though my ball traveled the right distance, and
surprisingly traveled straight, it was straight just a little bit to the right
of the hole. I did not quite follow
through enough on my swing, and my ball flew straight into a sand trap beside
the green. I hit out of the sand trap,
but the dirt was hard, and the ball flew . . . OVER THE GREEN. I chipped on and then 2 putted for a DOUBLE
bogey, 5, not a good way to start.
Our next hole, hole 18, is rated as the toughest hole on
the course. My first shot was close
to the lake, but not in. I knew I
could hit the ball over the water easily, but I did not want to fly over the
fairway into the woods. I chose a club
less than I might have otherwise chosen, and hit the ball solid, right into the
. . . yup, right into the lake! Two
shots into the water, one shot out, and now hitting my par shot onto the green,
almost. I chipped on and two putted for
a score of 7 on a par 4 hole! Before I
even started I was 5 shots over par! I
had hoped for a good game. My cart
partner was named Scott. I growled at myself
and told him, “Maybe I should just take my clubs and go home.” He knew I was upset.
So, with a sour attitude I played the next holes. But, I scored a par, then a bogey, and
another par, and another bogey and my score was looking much better. Scott asked, “Do you still want to go
home?” I confessed to him, “You know,
it’s easy to forget that I am outside enjoying God’s creation. (It had warmed
up.) It’s easy to forget that I’m playing
a game I enjoy, and that I am healthy enough to play. I’m with friends. It’s too bad that I can let a few bad golf
shots cause me to forget my many blessings.”
Have the troubles in your life ever caused you to forget God’s rich
blessings for you?
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Romans 8. Verses 16-18 of that chapter assure us of God’s
eternal love, in spite of the trials, the REAL trials in this world. “16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we
are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God
and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may
also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of
this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed
to us.”
Verse 18 is especially helpful to me. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In this sinful world we
suffer injustice, hatred, persecution.
We endure illness, failure, and guilt.
But for those who are “children of God,” who are “heirs with Christ,” “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory
that is to be revealed to us.” Because Jesus died for
our sin and rose from the dead, he gives the glory of heaven. Life’s suffering cannot compare with the
wonder of heaven!
Thankfully, God’s love blesses this life as well as the
next. When we live in the assurance of
the glory of God in heaven, we can face this world with peace and joy and
hope. When we live in the assurance of
the gift of God’s glory in heaven, we can see his presence and blessings even
in the midst of large trials, and small ones, like a bad golf shot, or two, or
three.
I played pretty well the rest of my match until the last 2
holes. On those holes I reached the green in my desired number of shots, but I
actually hit the ball too far. (Until recently my shots have been short.) So, a 4 putt on number 15 and a 3 putt on
number 16 added 5 extra shots to my score - AGAIN! ☹
However, by that time I had a better
attitude, and could be thankful for my good shots, in spite of the bad
ones. What bothers me though is that, as
pastor, I try to encourage others to see our Lord and His love in the middle of
the suffering and trials of life. Their
troubles are much worse than a bad golf shot. Where is my faith? What example
am I setting?
Will you join me in prayer? “Lord, send me Your Spirit so
that, when the trials of life attack, I believe and stand on your love and victory
in Jesus’ cross and His empty tomb. And
please, Lord, allow my faith to point others to You in the midst of the trials
in their lives, so that others may not doubt your love, but trust You and Your
saving love with all their heart. Amen.”
A
Child of God, Praying for Easter Hope and Joy and Faith, Especially through
Life’s Trials,
THANK
YOU! - HOLY WEEK VOLUNTEERS!!
THANK YOU to all who helped make
Holy Week special at First Lutheran.
Among others (I hope I do not forget anyone), I / We are thankful for
those who served as
· Pre-school singers
and families (Palm Sunday)
· Musicians
· Sound and
Technology Volunteers
· Altar Guild
· Ushers
· Lay Assistants
· OFFICE STAFF
· COOKS for the Many
meals
Holy
Week was very special, in large part because of the willing service of SO
MANY!
CALL
COMMITTEE NEWS – First
Lutheran was informed during Holy Week that we would not be assigned Timothy
Handrick as Deferred Vicar. He has been
assigned to another congregation.
However, we have completed our self-study, and will begin collecting
names of possible candidates for the call of pastor at First Lutheran. A Nomination Form will be included in
bulletins beginning, Sunday, April 7.
The process of nominations will be open for 2 weeks.
A
STUDY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS continues on Sunday mornings at 8:45 a.m. in the
Besalski Fellowship Hall. On March 24 we started book 2 of the Acts
study, chapter 13, the beginning of Paul’s missionary journeys. Come and join us in studying about the
history of the early Christian Church!
WE
CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN 2024 and 2025 using the Today’s
Light Devotional Bible. As of March 30
we finished Numbers, and start we started reading in Deuteronomy on April
1. Feel free to contact Pastor Rockey if
you have any questions at 907-841-4066, or at jonrock53@mtaonline.net
SUNDAY
SCHOOL IS HELD EACH SUNDAY DURING WORSHIP. PLEASE bring your children
and grandchildren!
BASIC
TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE / NEW MEMBER CLASSS –This class began on February
11th, after worship in the Besalski Fellowship
Hall. But, we have only just begun. There is still time to join the
class. This is also a good way to refresh you knowledge of God’s
Word. PLEASE NOTE, JUST BECAUSE A PERSON ATTENDS THE
CLASS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE COMMITTED TO JOINING FIRST LUTHERAN.
If you are interested in learning and growing, we would love to have you join
us. THIS CLASS WILL RESUME ON APRIL 7!
P.P.S.
PICTURES – AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
· I only went fishing once in the last week. While seeking some relaxation before Easter
Sunday, I fished on the Suwannee River. My sources said it would not be a good time to
fish, but I was outdoors on the water. I
saw gators, and had one short period of excitement. I was not getting any bites in the weeds, but
I saw a swirl in the river. When I threw
my line there, my line started to run off my reel. I set the hook and was surprised to see a 3-4
foot tarpon jump – 3 times! My light
tackle did not keep the big fish, but it was exciting. Here is a picture of what a tarpon looks like, and a gator or two. https://photos.app.goo.gl/A8j5Hv9NXApMHZgy9
*******
ABOUT
THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as full-time
senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a
weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the
Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue writing these
devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's
changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child
of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it
right to only send this message to those who asked to receive it.
(Currently I am serving as Vacancy Pastor for First Lutheran Church in
Gainesville, FL.)
So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you
understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish
to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my
distribution list. My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our
Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan
Rockey
Child
of God
Husband,
Father, Son, Grandfather
Vacancy
Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL
Pastor
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK
How
great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
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