I just have to write this morning. I am in the office on a beautiful Saturday morning and I am supposed to be putting the finishing touches on the sermon and service for this weekend. But God has interrupted me…I love it when He does that.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a little time to do some site seeing. My parents are in town from Washington State and they wanted to take a drive. After all, the Monterey Peninsula is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. So we drove… We drove down Cannery Row and watched all the people as they hustled about. We passed the Coast Guard Dock, some very fancy hotels, a few artisan shops, some chain restaurants and snack shops, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and even the outlet stores.
We continued down the road around Asilomar State Beach and Campgrounds and then into Pebble Beach and the famed 17 -Mile Drive. Oh my! The vistas are incredible. God’s creation is amazing! And then there were the houses…castles on the coast I should call them. Towering, impressive, built of stone, and surrounded by tall fences and thick gates. Who ever was living there had every intention of keeping people out.
Then today I was on the way here and God reminded me of a handful of individuals who serve breakfast in the park every Saturday morning. There was a parking spot so I pulled over and tried to find them. Pretty easy when you just follow the hungry…
I met David, Miracle Joe, Michael Scott (he tells me he had the name first), and several others who had a smile on their face and their worldly possessions in their bags. They lined up for a hot breakfast and cold sandwiches. They went through bins of clothing and even a small “library” for a book to read. They brought their bikes and they had them tuned up. They laughed, talked, smiled, and were extremely polite and very grateful.
We finished…I got in my truck and I drove here….my office…where I had to open up my computer and write…to process with you the reader…whoever you are. You see God interrupted me this morning and I just had to share. It’s just one thought. One idea and concept that all of us have to answer. Especially those in the Church of Jesus Christ. You see, in the last 24 hours I have seen both ends of the spectrum. I have seen those that have incredible amounts of money and stuff….and I have seen those that don’t.
And so the question God is having me wrestle with this morning is, “What are you doing with what you have been given?” Don’t get me wrong – I truly believe it is OK to have, but we have to ask ourselves what are we doing with what we have been given. Are we being good stewards with God’s blessings?
Me? I need to continue to get better at this.
Until next time…
Pastor Barry
Pastor Barry's Blog 