Rain Delays...

Sports have always served as a great metaphor for life and in this case it's no different. Regardless of how much time and effort have gone into putting a major sporting event like the U. S. Open together, there is no guarantee that things will work out as planned. It reminds me of a famous line from the poem "To A Mouse" by Robert Burns that says, "The best laid plans of mice and men always go awry." In other words, regardless of how carefully something is planned, there is still the potential that something will happen to disrupt those plans; even with an event as large as the U. S. Open.

But due to the uncertainty of life, which by the way includes "our" plans, God's word counsels us to place a disclaimer on our planning. In James 4:13-16 it says: Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.  

It's amazing that when constructing our plans for the future we place more confidence in what the Weather Channel has to say than we do in the role that God should play. We can't even do a good job at predicting the weather, never mind trying to control it. With that being said, shouldn't we adopt James' posture when it comes to putting our plans on the table? Even if they involve something as simple as saying what our plans will be for the week or even for a single day.

I would love to be able to watch some tennis at the U. S. Open, or even play some for that matter. But that, like many things in life, is completely out of my hands. But what is in my hands is my decision to place all of my plans, like my sins, at the feet of Jesus.

Pastor Charles A. Tapp

Sligo/WAU Unity Day

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, during the 11:15 a.m. worship service,our guest speaker will be Barry C. Black, the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was elected to this position on June 27, 2003, becoming the first African-American, the first Seventh-day Adventist, and the first military chaplain to hold the office of chaplain to the United States Senate. He previously served for over 27 years as a chaplain in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral (UH) and ending his career as the Chief of Navy Chaplains, commanding the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. He officially retired from the Navy on August 15, 2003. In addition to opening the Senate each day in prayer, Chaplain Black provides counseling and spiritual care for Senators, their families, and staff - a combined constituency of over seven thousand people. We hope you can join us!  

Chaplain Black is the best-selling author of his autobiography entitled From the Hood to the Hill, as well as The Blessing of Adversity. Both of these  books are available at  Potomac Adventist Book & Health Food Store.