August 25, 2024 – CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 25TH 2024, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

During my last few years of living and working in Homestead Florida – I vowed to not be the person that I was for all of those years once I move away and enter the retirement chapter of my life. I was an anti-social loner in Homestead. I basically went to work, and then I came home exhausted after a long day. I rarely associated with coworkers, friends, or neighbors. I actually didn’t know a single one of my neighbors, and I lived in a gated neighborhood of 640 condos.

I didn’t want to be that person in Sebring Florida, so I prayed a lot about it. 17 months after moving away – I’m thankfully not that person. I’m more socially active today than I could have ever imagined back at my previous place. I know many of my neighbors, and I hang out with them each week – particularly every Monday night at BINGO as well as at various breakfast, lunch, and dinner events during the year (all food-related). You know – food and fellowship go hand-in-hand with each other. Can you have food without fellowship ? Of course. How about fellowship without food ? Definitely. But food and fellowship – it’s a match made in Heaven.

And then there are my museum friends – at 3 different museums in Sebring and Avon Park. I actually spend more time with my museum friends than I do with my neighbor friends. Again – food is generally involved. And not only that, but I get to welcome and meet and guide and share information with locals and tourists – visitors alike – at one of my museums every Tuesday. It’s like my workday in retirement. I actually dress-up a bit on Tuesdays – much like I did on Tuesdays when I was working (before retirement).

But wait there’s more. I can’t leave out my new church family. Next week marks exactly one year with my Highlands Community Church family. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ. About 20 of us meet every Friday night for Bible Study hosted by our Senior Pastor. It’s a great time for fellowship (without the food). And then there’s what we call Men’s Ministry – which should really be called Men’s Fellowship (with food – usually home-cooked). I just recently immersed myself into this every other Tuesday night event. And finally – we praise and worship our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ corporately every Sunday morning. More fellowship.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another – especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT)

You know – I should write a sermon on fellowship. Actually – I don’t really need to write one. I can just preach all about it from the heart (and experience). I can preach on how God gradually transformed me and used fellowship to change my life. I can preach on the importance of fellowship on this day-to-day journey with Christ. It’s not just a Sunday morning thing. It’s not just a church thing. It’s life sharing. It’s life changing.

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord, and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.