This Week in Arizona

I spent Sunday through Wednesday of this week (Jan. 20-24, 08) preaching for a series of renewal services at Tempe First Nazarene in Arizona.  I believe the services went well and it is always a privilege to get to be with my friends Brian and Sharon Delbridge - the relatively new pastor there.

Besides the services, the highlight of the week was getting to be with several people who attended the Monte Vista Church when my dad pastored there from 1972 to 1976.  I was in first through fourth grade in those days but have nothing but good memories of that church.

I drove over to Monte Vista one afternoon just to see the church, our old house, and my elementary school.  We lived in the parsonage at the back end of the church parking lot.  It was actually pretty fun to have a wide open parking lot out the back fence.  My nose is sill crooked from trying to jump some of the greenery planters on my bike and failing.  This is a picture of the front of the church.  As most things are, it was much bigger in my memory than in reality.

This is the house we lived in.  Three things came rushing back to mind there: eating figs off of the trees, splashing through the yard on irrigation day, and catching crawdads in the irrigation ditch and corner control box (you can see the box in the lower left hand corner of the picture).

This is my second grade classroom.  I remember presenting a project on Eli Whitney (the inventor of the cotton gin) and building a space-ship module out of a refrigerator box.  Mrs. Nash was my second grade teacher.  I think she liked me.

Here are some pictures of some of the former Monte Vista-ites.  Pictured are the Hills, the Wilsons, and the Millers sitting together and the Seversons by themselves.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the Browns or Dot White.

Seeing these folk reminded me again how great it is to be in ministry and have special friends all over the place.  But it also reminded me of the privilege of walking together with people at certain times and places in this community called church.  Even though folk move and particular local churches go through ups and downs our lives are better and the Kingdom is stronger because of God's gracious gift of giving us one another.

It was a very good week.  Thanks Arizona friends.

Comments

[Nancy B]

It was an outstanding week with you. We are still going over in our minds and notes, your messages. You have the gift of bringing new truths from passages we have heard our whole lives. Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to work thru you. And thank you for your continuing friendship. We will continue to pray for you and your ministry at PazNaz.

[Laura Rector]

Thanks! It is fun to see this part of your life:) Thanks for being so open with people!

[Laura Rector]

P.S. Hurry up w/ the Boyd book. I'm curious to hear your comments. We read it last summer in class.