As we head into this season many of us find ourselves very busy! We have school finishing up, we are looking into trips and visits, we are worrying about when Fire Season will start, and we are trying to get outside to enjoy some sunshine and clean air while we can. “Strike while the iron is hot” is an old saying that means go while you can, do while you can, or get while you can. It encourages us to take advantage of the right conditions. Often in life we want to wait until we are ready to take the shot but we often don’t feel ready when the conditions are right. Waiting to go until we are ready to go often means we miss our window of opportunity. This summer as things start to heat up, I encourage you to “strike while the iron is hot.” To take the opportunities that come your way. God is giving us moments to share His love and His kingdom with those around us. Are we going to take that opportunity or wait until we feel ready and possibly miss our chance?

We are approaching summer. Also known as Fire Season here in Oregon. As we do I want us to remember the potential for dryness around us and the possible wildfires that can happen. We are aware of the need to be careful of a stray spark or lighting strike or some other accident. We are always sure that human error can sometimes start a fire. Occasionally there are those who go out and will intentionally start a fire. All of the things are dangers but in most of them it takes the right set of circumstances for a wildfire to spread. You may be wondering where I am going with this, but just stick with me!

Just as with the danger of fire season approaching, we start noticing how dry it is we can also take note of spiritual dryness in our society (and sometimes ourselves) preceding times of a Spirit led revival. While for a regular wildfire it takes the right circumstances to spread a spiritual wildfire can spread even across oceans of water. God’s movement and activity may be mysterious to us but He is still moving! Our society may seem dry right now, but maybe God is preparing us for a spiritual wildfire unlike anything seen in our world before!

This is the month! This is the month! We get to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord!

As we prepare for our Easter Sunday celebration this year we would love to have you join with us in prayer for our neighborhood. Take some time each week to do this. We are so blessed to be planted where we are because there is such opportunity to share God’s love with those around us. Let us seek God’s will for our community as we look forward to this great celebration!

“Man plans and God laughs.” – Yiddish Proverb

We had a plan. It was a good plan. I liked the plan. However, God decided to change our plan! We were going to host the Southern Oregon Area Meeting on February 27^th but with the weather that we had been experiencing we decided to reschedule the meeting. Our area will still get together and hear about what is going on in our Yearly Meeting. We aren’t sure when, but it will happen.

I say that with full assurance that it will happen. Because God changes our plans all the time and it always works out in the end. He does good things in His own time. He plans and follows through even when it means our plans fall through. God is the one who is in control and this is just another reminder of that. “We aren’t sure when, but it will happen” is a good mantra for us to hold on to as Christians. It is a perfect summation of the hope that we have in Christ’s return. We don’t have to know when God is going to act or how God is going to take care of a situation to be sure that He is present and moving. Maybe a fitting response to the proverb above would be “God acts and Man praises.”  When our plans change due to God’s orchestration of our lives we can respond in praise or petulance. I hope that in this season of changing plans we are flexible enough to praise God.