God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread – and waits while the dough rises.  (Matthew 13: 33)

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I’m really late getting this blog written this week.  I normally write my blog on Thursday afternoons so after Prayer and Share, but clearly that didn’t happen.  It didn’t happen for a whole lot of reasons that I won’t go into.  Clergy have a fond saying – that Ministry happens in the interruptions.  I have a tendency to roll my eyes when I hear that saying, because really, Ministry also happens when I’m NOT interrupted.  Like, I get my blog written in a timely manner.  I get the sentiment though; in that I need to be flexible when life throws in some curves and just go with it.

But all of you who know me well, know that I like plans and my scheduling.  I like the order of my week.  I like it when my date book is full, but that everything happens when its supposed and for how long its supposed to.  I’m also really conscious that my church life has a tendency to bleed into my home life, so recently I’ve started working to keep things a little separate.  Just so that I don’t burn out.

So, my week was busy.  It had a couple of extra meetings in it that I knew about and had planned for.  It also had some really fun things that I got to do.  I enjoyed my week.  I also knew Thursday as I was heading home from the church that I needed to still get my blog written – and that was o.k.  On the drive home I planned in my head everything that I was going to write.  Then I got home, made supper and sat on the couch watching TV.  I didn’t even open up my computer and start writing.  My excuse was that Hugh was down in our home office practicing his sax, but truthfully, I could’ve easily moved the computer upstairs – I just had zero motivation to do so.

Then on Friday, I had all sorts of intention to start my blog first thing in the morning; get it done before lunch so I could practice a bit before I had my newly started singing lessons.  I poured my self a cup of coffee, sat on the couch (still in my jammies) and played Candy Crush.  Then my music teacher contacted me to say that it had started snowing and no one in their right minds should be out on the road, and so I pondered whether I was in my right mind, played some more Candy Crush, then obsessively tracked the storm on my phone.  Finally when it was absolutely crystal clear that my music lesson was canceled, I went and got groceries just to make sure that Hugh and I could wait out the storm.  Hugh and I have enough groceries to last us through until January, now, if any of you need some provisions!

With my groceries done, and supper made for another night, I pondered exactly how the interruptions scuttled all of my plans for the day.  And, I looked back at the day, and realized with some disappointment, that the ‘interruptions’ were all in my head.  The ‘interruptions’ were 1. Playing Candy Crush. 2. Tracking the storm.  3. Doing basically an unnecessary grocery shop.  And if I looked realistically at my day, I had actually been ‘gifted’ with time because the storm meant my music lesson was canceled.  But there was something in my head that just didn’t see that as a ‘gift’ that I needed to use.

And I realized that maybe its because I couldn’t see it as a gift.  I couldn’t see it as a gift because I was looking at the wrong things.  I looked too long at the busy-ness of my week; at the escapism of my game of Candy Crush, and at the disappointment of my music lesson being canceled.  I couldn’t see that I was being offered a little time to be with my computer and minister through my writing, because I was too busy being annoyed at myself for needing some down time, or annoyed that my plans didn’t materialize, or annoyed at a normal November snowstorm.

You see, sometimes the Kingdom of God is like yeast worked into bread;  And it works while we wait for it to rise.  We can’t see it working, but it is, and if we just hold on and let things happen then we will have a whole lot of bread to eat.

And sometimes, God’s plans aren’t written down in my datebook and scheduled for the whole week.  Sometimes God’s plans happen and just need to unfold in front of our eyes.  And our job is just to trust that these plans are good, and that we need to live our life trusting the Goodness.

Yeast rising in the Bread of Life.  And plans lying in God’s hands.

So today, my dear Bethel Friends, I’m counting on you all to help me see that not only is ministry in the interruptions, but its also in the scheduling, and in the disruption of the scheduling.  I’m counting on you all to not only help me see that, but to trust that God is in all of these times.  So that when the winter storms hit, and our best laid plans get scuttled, we still know that all of this is Good and Right.

Blessings today and remember you are loved.

~Rev Lynne

PS. Pic today is the fireplace in front my desk in the office.  Pretty cozy, eh!