katie0128
Silver Member
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Got this in our weekly email from our minister. It really spoke to me and was lead to post it for all the cheffers as well... With many of us in the summer slump, I think it will help.
(Some of the notes in the article will make more sense when you know that we are building a new building on the 75 acres we purchased a few years ago. We are relocating from the very conservative area we have been in for over 90 years, which has been causing many ripples, waves and small hurricanes within our congregation... espeically since we will be moving into our new place later this year.)
Anyway... here is the pep-talk...
On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine to Boston back in 1987, pilot Henry Dempsey heard an unusual noise near the rear of the plane, so he turned the controls over to the co-pilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. The problem was that the original noise was caused from the rear door not being properly latched prior to take-off, so now the impact of his weight caused it to open.
Dempsey was instantly sucked out of the tiny jet. The co-pilot saw the red light that indicated an open door, so he radioed the nearest airport requesting permission for an emergency landing.He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and wanted a helicopter to search the area. But after the plane landed, the ground crew found Henry Dempsey holding on to the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow he had caught the ladder and held on for 10 minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet, and then when landing managed to keep his head from hitting the runway, which was only 12 inches away. According to the news reports, it took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey's fingers free from the ladder!
In many ways, those leading and working so hard these days at WCCC are just like Henry Dempsey. We are hurtling into the future at breakneck speed simply trying to hold on! The velocity of our impending move and the intensity of our summer ministry are requiring a veracity of unusual degree right now. This Direct from David is to give an encouraging reminder to everyone around this church who is tired and weary - hold on!!! We will be landing soon!
As you study the life of one of the Old Testament's greatest relocation leaders, you will find that one of his most impressive qualities was his sense of resolve. God called him to rebuild a broken wall and a broken people in the city of Jerusalem. Along his journey, he had a lot of reasons to become discouraged and give up, but he didn't.
When the wall was half-way up, the Bible says that the strength of the laborers began to give out because there was so much rubble. (sound familiar to anybody around here!) But Nehemiah motivated them to persevere through mid-term discouragement. He led them through financial pressures, fierce opposition, criticism, and people quitting. But they succeeded and the entire wall was completed on time! What an amazing testimony to the power of perseverance. At the end, even their enemies recognized that the work had been done with the help of God.
This week I felt compelled to share these words with you as we enter the final months of our own project and flight to the promised land. Stay faithful! Don't quit! Don't be discouraged! Hang on! Eugene Peterson calls the Christian life "A long Obedience in the Same Direction." That is a great description.
The Heisman Trophy is awarded every year to the college football player who is voted the best in the nation. It is named after John Heisman, who coached at Georgia Tech in the early 1900s. John Heisman had a reputation - first as a player, then as a coach - of being a fierce competitor. He never quit.
In 1917 Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College 220-0. It was the biggest rout in college football history. There were no first downs in the entire game. Cumberland didn't earn any and Georgia Tech didn't need any, since they scored on the first set of downs every time they got the ball! At halftime, leading 126-0, coach Heisman told his team, "Men, we're in front, but you never know what those Cumberland players have up their sleeve. Don't let up!"
WCCC - we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We are assured the victory through the power of Christ. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
See you Sunday for another half-time pep-talk.
(Some of the notes in the article will make more sense when you know that we are building a new building on the 75 acres we purchased a few years ago. We are relocating from the very conservative area we have been in for over 90 years, which has been causing many ripples, waves and small hurricanes within our congregation... espeically since we will be moving into our new place later this year.)
Anyway... here is the pep-talk...
On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine to Boston back in 1987, pilot Henry Dempsey heard an unusual noise near the rear of the plane, so he turned the controls over to the co-pilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. The problem was that the original noise was caused from the rear door not being properly latched prior to take-off, so now the impact of his weight caused it to open.
Dempsey was instantly sucked out of the tiny jet. The co-pilot saw the red light that indicated an open door, so he radioed the nearest airport requesting permission for an emergency landing.He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and wanted a helicopter to search the area. But after the plane landed, the ground crew found Henry Dempsey holding on to the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow he had caught the ladder and held on for 10 minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet, and then when landing managed to keep his head from hitting the runway, which was only 12 inches away. According to the news reports, it took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey's fingers free from the ladder!
In many ways, those leading and working so hard these days at WCCC are just like Henry Dempsey. We are hurtling into the future at breakneck speed simply trying to hold on! The velocity of our impending move and the intensity of our summer ministry are requiring a veracity of unusual degree right now. This Direct from David is to give an encouraging reminder to everyone around this church who is tired and weary - hold on!!! We will be landing soon!
As you study the life of one of the Old Testament's greatest relocation leaders, you will find that one of his most impressive qualities was his sense of resolve. God called him to rebuild a broken wall and a broken people in the city of Jerusalem. Along his journey, he had a lot of reasons to become discouraged and give up, but he didn't.
When the wall was half-way up, the Bible says that the strength of the laborers began to give out because there was so much rubble. (sound familiar to anybody around here!) But Nehemiah motivated them to persevere through mid-term discouragement. He led them through financial pressures, fierce opposition, criticism, and people quitting. But they succeeded and the entire wall was completed on time! What an amazing testimony to the power of perseverance. At the end, even their enemies recognized that the work had been done with the help of God.
This week I felt compelled to share these words with you as we enter the final months of our own project and flight to the promised land. Stay faithful! Don't quit! Don't be discouraged! Hang on! Eugene Peterson calls the Christian life "A long Obedience in the Same Direction." That is a great description.
The Heisman Trophy is awarded every year to the college football player who is voted the best in the nation. It is named after John Heisman, who coached at Georgia Tech in the early 1900s. John Heisman had a reputation - first as a player, then as a coach - of being a fierce competitor. He never quit.
In 1917 Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College 220-0. It was the biggest rout in college football history. There were no first downs in the entire game. Cumberland didn't earn any and Georgia Tech didn't need any, since they scored on the first set of downs every time they got the ball! At halftime, leading 126-0, coach Heisman told his team, "Men, we're in front, but you never know what those Cumberland players have up their sleeve. Don't let up!"
WCCC - we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We are assured the victory through the power of Christ. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
See you Sunday for another half-time pep-talk.
