-Ecclesiastes 3:1

A few weeks ago, I was looking for a photograph of me from my childhood. We were beginning our new sermon series, "A Time for Everything" about how to maintain balance in life. I was sharing about learning to balance and ride a bicycle. I asked Pam where the best place would be to look for that old photograph. She directed me to our basement where she keeps the photo albums of family pictures.

I went downstairs and looked for that picture. The bad news is that I never found that photograph. The good news was that I spent at least an hour looking over all of the pictures Pam has saved of our family. It was kind of like seeing my whole life pass before my eyes - and I didn't even have to have a near-death-experience to do it!

Not only did it bring back many wonderful memories I have not thought about in a very long time, it gave me a brief overview of my life. I realized that often I am so consumed by the present moment - what is happening right now or next on my planning list - that the present seems to dominate my outlook. It is kind of like riding behind a big truck on the highway -- you mostly see the back of the truck and you miss a lot. But, seeing those photos gave me a sense of the overall flow of my life. I think it is healthy and helpful to look back over the seasons of our lives from time to time as we reflect on the chapters of life we have completed.

This Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in The Great Hall is our Annual Congregational meeting in which we do just that - we look back over how God has been at work in and through our church family this past year. We will also be hearing an exciting report from our Director of Music Search Committee about our newest staff member, as well as about great plans for our upcoming 25th Anniversary Celebration. I look forward to seeing you there!