First impressions

By Pastor Tom Anderson

Some things I’ve learned so far:

moving is like a nuclear bomb gone off in your living room;
If you want to know what it’d be like to be on TV’s “Extreme House Makeover”, get the good people of Highland UMC to renovate. You will not fail to be delighted!
Sherrill Dorer is the best restaurant in Oakland County.
When visiting a youth swim event on Harvey Lake, don’t forget your suit, the water is fantastic.
When you want a good Turkish coffee, engage Jasper Meyer as your barista. (Prediction: Jasper’s brother Yan will succeed in bringing back the wood-framed automobile.)
A great place to see Sandhill cranes up close is behind Highland Elementary at about 6 AM.
Dick Cole knows CPR and can teach you how to use an AED.
Dan Smithers is a modern day Abraham.
God is with you wherever you go. Change is hard, allow yourself to grieve and don’t ever let go of your friends in Christ.
There is a sledding hill behind our church!
Colasantis is the place to go for a sandwich.
Meeting new friends is a joy and a blessing.
There is a “good” Larry and a “bad” Larry.
Bob Spear can fix anything.
I want to be like Martha Schwaninger when I grow up.

When I took Karen to the senior prom, Diana Ross provided the theme song, “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” Her lyrics gently chide us not to wander about without direction, intention or purpose. When God called Abraham, he revealed no detail about his final destination. God’s instructions were spare and blunt: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) It was to be a faith journey from beginning to end. The only thing you can pack is trust. God commands that we let go of everything else. Our purpose is to live in complete reliance upon the Word of God. That is also where the Church must start its journey.

I’m no Abraham but I’ve started a new habit. Each time I come to church my first act is to head into the Centrum, kneel at the altar and pray John Wesley’s prayer (hymn 607):

“I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, Exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”