{"id":2744,"date":"2013-07-20T09:37:59","date_gmt":"2013-07-20T14:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wc\/?p=2744"},"modified":"2013-07-20T09:38:58","modified_gmt":"2013-07-20T14:38:58","slug":"up-a-lazy-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wc\/2013\/07\/up-a-lazy-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Up a Lazy River?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s post is written by Dru McLeland, Director of Worship Ministries at Naperville Evangelical Covenant Church<\/a> in Naperville, IL.<\/em>
\n\"colorado<\/a>Last Sunday after church someone asked me, \u201cHow\u2019s your summer going?\u00a0 Busy I bet.\u201d\u00a0 It was one of those times when someone asks me a question like that and I know I\u2019m supposed to think about it \u2013 even if they asked it in an off-handed way. I think I responded that my summer has been busy, but good. But, I\u2019ve been thinking about it since.<\/p>\n

My usual expectation of summer is that it will be full of warm, lazy days interrupted by an exciting vacation or mission trip to a fun destination. In reality, that\u2019s not the way my summers ever are and this one is no exception. There has been Vacation Bible School, Annual Meeting, two seminary classes, preaching for the first time, three commissions and a board, and a husband training for an Ironman.\u00a0 It sounds hectic!<\/p>\n

BUT GOD (my favorite words) has worked in so many ways to create an ebb and flow of energizing work and rest. It\u2019s like I\u2019m riding my favorite inner tube down the perfect river.<\/p>\n

The excitement of doing what I love with people I love, the opportunities I never dreamed God would give me, the satisfaction of work well done, the time and energy to walk with others in struggles and joy, the timing of those encounters, introducing my husband to my friends, seeing him fulfilling a life-long dream, learning of the deep things of scripture, wrestling with ministry and seeing God show me the way \u2013 I am so grateful that I said, \u201cYes\u201d to getting into God\u2019s river instead of trying to carve out my own.<\/p>\n

There have been a few times when I\u2019ve said, \u201cno\u201d to God.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t recommend it.\u00a0 When I was nine I stomped my foot and said, \u201cI WILL NOT go to Greenville College.\u201d All my relatives for three generations went there and I wanted to be different. So, I went to Central College where only half of my relatives for three generations had gone. At the end of two years, the river turned into a canal that went straight to Greenville College and I couldn\u2019t wait to get there!<\/p>\n

I told God, \u201cI will NEVER get married.\u201d\u00a0 Having learned some prudence, I added, \u201cUnless you hit me over the head with a 2X4 and tell me to.\u201d He did. I did. And being married to Paul has been a wonderful gift.<\/p>\n

I told God, \u201cYou didn\u2019t call me to preach.\u201d He reminded me of the verse He gave my mother at my birth, Isaiah 59:21. He wasn\u2019t calling my siblings! He has gently softened my will and encouraged me. I\u2019m actually looking forward to preaching and the rough draft of my sermon came on the wings of the Spirit in a way that was uncannily swift and easy.<\/p>\n

So grab your inner tube! Get drenched in the river. Soak in the quite calm places. Stop and help your neighbors get out of the brambles. Yell loud and let yourself go over the rapids.\u00a0 Give thanks to God who provides the river!<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.\u201d (Rev. 22:1-2, NLT).<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s post is written by Dru McLeland, Director of Worship Ministries at Naperville Evangelical Covenant Church in Naperville, IL. Last Sunday after church someone asked me, \u201cHow\u2019s your summer going?\u00a0 Busy I bet.\u201d\u00a0 It was one of those times when someone asks me a question like that and I know I\u2019m supposed to think about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14510,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories","category-vocation-and-call"],"yoast_head":"\nUp a Lazy River? - Worship Connect<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wc\/2013\/07\/up-a-lazy-river\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Up a Lazy River? - Worship Connect\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today\u2019s post is written by Dru McLeland, Director of Worship Ministries at Naperville Evangelical Covenant Church in Naperville, IL. 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