Blessed in the Midst of Uncertainty

An abundance of uncertainty has characterized the world with COVID-19. Borders began to close, meaning my frequent ministry trips to Canada and Mexico came to an end.  Speaking engagements were cancelled as conferences were forced to abide by governmental protocols.  My calendar was suddenly covered with more Wite Out than ink.  Then, just as it appeared I was about to spend several months in my recliner watching TV, I got the first of three significant phone calls.  My first Sunday as Interim Pastor at Valley Grove Baptist Church in Stephenville, Texas was the Sunday after the Texas Governor shut down the churches and limited them to ten worshippers per service.  For the next nine months, I served this wonderful church, filled with ministry-minded college students from nearby Tarleton University.  The same month I received my COVID vaccine shots, I began serving as Interim Pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Burleson, Texas, and for the next eight months I enjoyed this historical church, once served by four of my former Seminary professors. This month I begin serving as Interim Pastor at Trinity Hills Baptist Church in Benbrook, Texas. In the months between interims, I spoke in Texas churches is Gatesville, Dennis, Hillsboro, Forney, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Bonham, Gladewater, Arlington, Newark, and Denison, as well as several churches in Rapid City, S.D. In the movie “Forrest Gump” the lead character says, “Mamma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  Who, other than God, knew that I would be so blessed in the midst of a global pandemic? Much about the last few months has been uncertain.  However, the God of Certainty, makes no uncertain sounds. “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle” (1 Corinthians 14:8)?  I’ve been blessed in the midst of uncertainty.