Recently two unrelated events have caught my attention and given me pause for thought and for hope.
The first event was very sobering. Three years ago, I moved from Bay City, Michigan, a community of 37,000 about 100 miles north of Detroit. In late January an 92 year old man was found dead in his house. He had frozen to death when the limiter, a device used on the electric meter to restrict the flow of electricity for customers who are behind on their electric bills, turned off the electricity in his house. He had no family in town, and so when he lost power, he sat in his house and slowly froze to death. When neighbors found him, they found his electric bill with cash clipped to it for payment.
The second story happened within the congregation I serve. After missing a family one Sunday, I wrote to the husband and told him I missed him and he wrote back, "(Sunday) was the wife's birthday and we (the boys and I) had a scheduled day of pampering and it ran long. Sorry about that." I replied, "Well, that is one of the best reasons ever to stay home. I would be thrilled if people gave some time on Sundays to relationship building on a regular basis! Thanks for that testimony!"
Now how do these stories relate? I believe what happened in the second story is the cure for what happened in the first story. The time that my friend spent pampering his wife, enriching that relationship and strengthening their love will overflow into his community. The foundation that is built in that family will be the springboard for him and his boys to watch over their neighbors more closely and to serve within their church more faithfully. In Bay City, a man died because there were neighbors who were too preocupied with going to church, shoveling their walks and preparing meals to notice that the windows were icing over the mail was piling up. However, when love is growing in a home, the way it is in my friends house, eyes will be open to the needs of neighbors as well.
Men, I hope that each of you are actively seeking to fulfill the purposes of ABMOPAD, the first two of those purposes are: 1) Helping men reinforce their commitment to Christ, church and family; and 2) Motivating men to practice their ministry at home, at work, in the community. In August we will be gathering at Shippensburg University once again to celebrate and learn together. It is my prayer that this time will enable us to strengthen our relationships so that we can be the men of God that HE has called us to be.
Pastor Doug Stratton