Vol 4 No 21 - Family Reunion

Is there any more unique thing in life than a family reunion?  The opportunity to see people you haven't seen in years, connect with people close to you that you don't see very often, meeting new members of the family and greeting others you didn't know were a part of the family, remembering and celebrating the life of those who have passed since the last time we gathered, conferring about and making decisions concerning family matters, spending time over common meals, recalling favorite memories of the past and the long-ago relatives without whom none of this would be possible...and the list could go on...

Sunday - Wednesday of this past week, I, along with your lay delegate Dana Blanco, attended Louisiana United Methodism's annual family reunion (also known as annual conference).  This year's session, held at the Ponchartrain Center in Kenner, was all of the above and more.  To see and hear what all God is doing in the life of the United Methodists of Louisiana is beyond description.  Just let me say that it is truly a joy to be a part of such a strong connection.

One thing that hit me this morning as I reflected on this family reunion was the tendency at times to take it for granted.  For the first time, I recognized that I may not have gotten as much out of, or more importantly, may not have put as much into, this holy time that I was given as a gift from God.  Of course at times like these there are some decisions that I did not agree were correct.  Of course there were some people who I allow to bring out less-than-the-best in me.  Of course I saw some old friends that I didn't spend as much time with as I should have because I figured that if I didn't catch them this year, I'd catch them next.

Admit it, we all take those that we are closest to for granted far often than we would like to think.

Whether we like to claim it or not, the church IS our family (Christ even went as far as to tell us that we had better not allow our blood family to keep us away from His purposes).  My hope and prayer is that NONE of us will EVER take the privilege we have been given to participate in the church for granted.  When we take it for granted, we will inevitably miss out on things that God has for us.

See you Sunday!

Lamar