Barnabas and Naomi

This Christian life is a journey. Jesus, when encountering a disciple-to-be would just say, "Follow me", (and they would). And so, after 20+ years in pastoral ministry, the Lord is leading my wife, Cheryl, and I on a new journey... where we will discover more of Him, more about ourselves, and more of what it means to be Christ-like shepherds of his people. Read-on and join us in this adventure of love... Mark and Cheryl ("Barnabas and Naomi") Michel

Name:
Location: Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States

Born in Branson, MO... Lived most of my life in Eastern Massachusetts... Wife: Cheryl... Three mostly-grown kids... BA, North Adams State College... MDiv, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary... Worked in Human Services and Pastoral Ministry for 20+ years

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

"I'm not dead, yet..."

Remember that line out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? What a funny movie!

It's like the time of the plague in Europe.

I can hear the ox-cart man..."Bring out yer dead!"

Now, they're hauling me out to the cart..."I've got one... here's yer nine-pence"

But wait... hold on... "I'm not dead, yet. I think I'm getting better."

It's been a very long time since I posted to our blog... but, really... (well, you know the line).

Naomi and I are alive and relatively well... trying to survive another eternally long New England winter. At this time of year my whole body and soul begin to ache for Spring. The signs are there... the Red Sox are playing baseball in Florida, the clock gets turned one-hour ahead and our basement is flooded.

It is so close that I can just about reach it. I can almost feel the warm sun on my face and smell the newly-thawed dirt (mud?)... I can almost see the garden beginning to break through the patches of gray snow and dead leaves and hear the birds in the morning through my bed-side window (OK... I just couldn't stand to leave it closed any longer). Almost...

The other day I was asked in what season of the year I thought I was experiencing spiritually. Without hesitation I said, "Late winter...". Lately, it has pretty much always seemed to be late winter. We (Naomi and I) have Kingdom dreams for the future (see our inaugural post on this blog) and they glow brightly... just ahead of us. This call is real... this vision is real... and the ache in our hearts is real. It's a hope-filled, yet frustrating, time of the "year".

Well, the answer that the Lord revealed in the course of this discussion was this... "Mark, you want (and you pray) for my Kingdom to come and My will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Great! But, Mark, you are so focused on the future and so immobilized by your heart-ache that you miss the opportunities to let my kingdom come and my will be done on the way to the future. I will minister through you all along the road."

"Father... help me to lower my eyes to the to the road before me and look for the hurting people there. Like the Samaritan, help me see the ones who need a touch from the Father. And satisfy my heart-ache so that I can find contentment in ministering in the here and now... even as we look for the fulfillment of the journey." Amen.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

And yet Mark I admire your fight. Its been a struggle but, its been real. Too many of us go along with with whatever life deals without ever asking why. I think you've have questioned life and you know maybe its enough. Maybe the question and in sharing your thoughts is enough to inspire others. Remember Barnabas was that great encourager. He never wrote any books of the Bible but he was an inspiration to Mark and maybe even to Paul.

7:00 PM  

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