GPBC Blog

With children returning to school and our landscape aflame with a bright palette of changing colors; fall is upon us. Our lives consist of different seasons! Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” (NRSV) Solomon suggests that in every season we continue to move forward, but not always in a straight line as we see in verse four, “a time to mourn and a time to dance,” and verse seven, “a time to rend and a time to sew.”
 
Here I am in my 70th year reflecting back on my own seasons of life beginning with college, starting a career, marriage to my wife Susan, raising our family, and entering and growing into the role and responsibility of husband, father, and grandfather. With time comes greater perspective, and I recognize God’s leading and direction through each of these seasons. Transitions from one season to the next are inevitable but not easy, and remaining longer in one place can seem preferable, but God continues to move us forward for his purposes. Verses 10-11 say, “I have seen the business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (RSV)
 
So what am I getting at? In less than 3 months I will be retiring after going to work each day for the past 46 years. “What’s next?” In jest I could say that I have ideas, but my wife has others that likely will prevail.
 
A number of years ago I read NFL great Gale Sayers autobiography, “I am Three,” where he said his life priorities were God first, family and friends second, and self third. That list for some might also include vocation. At first reading the order seemed logical for a Christian, but some years later a spiritual mentor shared a similar diagram but, rather than God first, then family, friends, work and self, it was God first in and within each of those things, which has been the model I’ve tried to emulate through my own personal ministry and walk with the Lord.
 
Former GPBC members, Rod and Leyda Vickers, made numerous mission trips into the jungles of Leyda’s native Panama after Rod retired in his late 60’s sharing the gospel and showing the Jesus Film. As physically challenging as this work was, Rod and Leyda were passionate about reaching these native people for Christ. Rest and leisure took a backseat to continued ministry in retirement. I was privileged to get to know Rod and Leyda as they ministered for a number of years before Rod’s passing. Rod’s mantra after he stopped working was “RETIRE, REFOCUS, REFIRE.”
 
As I continue to frame what retirement and ministry will look like for me, Rod’s words are a wonderful roadmap and challenge for my next act.
 
2 Timothy 4:5: “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of the evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (NKJV)
 
Philippians 3: 13-14: “Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and streaming forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (RSV)