"Behold, I Am Making All things New!"

On the whole, I enjoy learning how to do new things on my computer, and I enjoy learning about new internet applications.  Sometimes, though, I find myself frustrated by the tendency of software developers to take away the simple routines I've long used to create the things I've used in my work.  For example, I have typically created new worship bulletins by starting with the Word document containing the previous week's order of worship.  I have used the "save as" command to create a new  Word document, identical to the old one but with a new name.  In that way, I've been able to create a new file that I can edit, to include the various hymns and prayers I want to use in the new order of worship.  meanwhile, the original file containing the previous week's order of worship has been left unchanged.  It's a simple process, one that I've been using for years.

In the most recent update to the Microsoft Office program (for Mac users), the menus have been changed to add a lot of new options, and that's fine.  But the simple process I have long used to make a new document out of an old file is no longer available.  After a lot of effort and unsuccessful attempts, I concluded that the "save as" routine just no longer worked, and I was annoyed and frustrated.  How could I still use an old file as a template?  How could I still create and manage new files and folders in the new version of Microsoft Office?  Why did they mess up the system that had worked for me?

Fortunately, our daughter Susan (also known in our family as "Tech Support") came to my rescue.  After some trial and error, she figured out how to do what I wanted to do, in the new way required by the new version of Microsoft Office.  It's not really all that hard, I have to admit, and the new version adds a lot of neat options and features.

In a lot of aspects of life, maybe we all tend to cling to what we know, even as the world changes around us.  Styles of clothing and music, ways of communicating, methods of running the church.  We know that change is an unavoidable part of life, but we tend to struggle against losing the ways of doing things that we have mastered.  Maybe we just hate to feel incompetent.  God reminds us that everything is being made new, both what we like and what we don't like--but that we don't need to be afraid.  God is still in charge, and things will work out in the end.  Even if the changes don't seem to make much sense to us right now.  Even if the changes make us uncomfortable or frustrated.  That should give us an ability to charge into rapidly changing times with boldness and courage.  We can advance to do God's work, even when we're not sure what we're doing.  Look!  God is making all things new!

Barn & Rummage Sale!

Every six months or so, our church holds a big Barn & Rummage Sale, during which we fill the fellowship hall with donated clothing, fill the kitchen with breakfast and lunch items to sell, load the tables with baked goods to offer, and empty out the barn of household items that have been left by people since the last sale event.  For two days, we sell all these things to the public, at very low prices, and it's a big event, for both the church and the community.

It's also a satisfying time in our own households, as we take the opportunity to rid ourselves of some of the unneeded stuff that has accumulated over time.  I tend to avoid disposing of things that I don't really need, and they gradually begin to take over all the space in the house.  I think I tend to keep such things either because I received them as gifts, or because they are in perfectly good condition.  Sometimes I keep clothes that no longer fit, because I hope that I will soon lose enough weight to wear them again.  I want to honor people who have been generous to me, and I don't want to be wasteful.  But it is wasteful to horde things that are not usable, and gluttonous to hold onto clothes just because they might someday fit me again.  I know that, but I tend to be slow to act on that knowledge.

The Barn & Rummage Sales help me get over all that, because I can give all that excess stuff for a good cause, and feel confident that someone will have a good use for the things I do not need.  The Sale events also re-connect me with my church family.  I really enjoy seeing how much fun it is, when we all work together!

My life can also sometimes get cluttered up with other habits and distractions that keep me from being productive and effective.   I know what habits I should change, but day-to-day events just take up all the time.  That's why I need the church.  I need the church to remind me, in a periodic way, of what is important.  I need the church to help me discard the clutter in my life, and engage my energy in tasks that matter.