Retirement!

     King Solomon wrote: "In everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Wise words from a king with real world application.  There is a season for everything in life.
     I have found there are seasons I enjoy in life, and seasons I do not enjoy in life.  When I go through a season I do not enjoy, I get through it with the knowledge that it will end and something else will come.  When I experience a season in life I really enjoy, I find it comes to an end too soon.
     There was a season when I was born ... I am not yet ready for the other part of this proverb... It will come later ... I hope much, much later.  But when it comes, I am prepared ... and the Bible tells me after a little while, when the transition takes place it will be a good season (Philippians 1:21; Luke 23:43; Genesis 15:15).
     There was a time to be a child.  I enjoyed that time.  Sometimes I still try to slip into that time.  We watched Peter Pan last night, it was fun.  I even tried to fly, and I sang, "I'll never grow up;" But the season ended, and I did ... and it was not so bad (as long as one can remember where they came from and join the little children sometimes... To this I tell every adult, sign up to work in the church nursery, and spend some time playing with the children in the block area.  Matthew 18:3).
     There was a time I was a student.  I did not like that at first, but with graduation it passed, and that phase was over (I thought!).  Well, I guess that phase keeps coming, and I keep learning more, and that is ok.  I will start a new phase of learning in my next stage of life. (Psalm 19; Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim 2:15)
     There is a season to work, and earn a living.  I have been experiencing that season now for about 40 years (35 in ministry).  And there is a season to move beyond a normal job.
     I have come to one of the season changes.  I have enough on my agenda, I will not get bored.  There are at least three areas of productiveness in which I will be involved ... and then some travel, time with friends, recreational activities, which I will be able to do ... in this new season.

Picnic for 5,000

One miracle which appears in all four Gospels is the feeding of the 5,000.  [Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:35-45; Luke 9:10-17; John 6].  Recently I thought about who would have been at the picnic.  Although this list is not exhaustive, it does capture many of the people who were present and participated at the picnic.  You will find it to relevant because many of the same people are at large group event today.

• There was Simon Peter - who heard Jesus say to the disciples: “You give them something to eat,” and he just sat there like a rock and did nothing about the request.
• There was Thomas - He doubted that the disciples could feed the crowd, so he just sat and doubted and watched.
• There was Philip - the worrier.  He wanted to know how they would ever get enough money.  He had not yet learned that with God all things are possible (Mark 9:23; 10:27).
• Matthew the Publican who understood the methods and reasons for taxation.  He probably responded to Phillip, “If we had known we could have charged admission.”
• And there was Andrew (John 6:8-9), the Problem Solver.  Andrew went out, worked the crowds and found a boy in the crowd who brought some food.
• In the crowd there were lots of children: Ben , Yelda , and Peyton , for example.  These were children who could not sit still (you see them at every picnic, and often in other large groups).  These children, although asked to sit with their group of fifty, were actually running around the group playing games and creating commotion.
• Not all the children were like this.  Shelly and Damien sat quiet and securely in the group with their parents, waiting until the food arrived.
• Nathan was the child that Andrew found with the two fish and five loaves.  Nathan was a kind hearted child, willing to share his lunch with Jesus.  He knew there was not enough for everyone, but because Jesus asked, Nathan was willing to give.  I think Nathan was as surprised as everyone else when Jesus broke the bread, blessed it and the disciples began to distribute the food … and there was enough for everyone!
• Pat was one of the first people to get some food from the disciples.  She wondered if there would be enough, so she only took a few crumbs so others could have some to eat also.
• Esthio had been there all day, and was hungry.  He saw how little Pat took, and decided that he could take her portion, and a couple others.  He was hungry, and didn’t care if there was enough for those who were last in line.
• Mary was bitter.  She was several rows behind Esthio, and saw how much he took.  She worried there would not be enough food for her, and she was hungry too. 
• Camad tasted the food, and found it to be pleasant.  Nabashal thought it wasn’t cooked well enough (of course she was a picky eater).  Melody said the food was the best she had ever eaten.  It reminded her of food she ate at a wedding (John 2).  Something about this meal was much better than the ordinary.
• Tessie was served near the end.  She knew that Jesus had received only one lunch, but there was so much food she decided to take some home.  She liked to put food in her purse, which is what she did without anyone knowing.
• Nemalia is a regular at any picnic, and carried the scraps on the ground home.  (This is the ant, not a person, of course)
• Cathy , Jardin , Cher ; and Cal <5526> cleaned up after the crowd, picking up twelve baskets of broken bread.