Seasons of Life

     After my shepherd resignation letter was read to this congregation, I had an opportunity to teach Sunday morning Auditorium class here at College Church. I chose to talk about the Seasons of Life (Ecclesiastes 3), a topic on my mind due to my retirement from teaching at Harding University and our plans to build a house and move to Mobile, Alabama.
     The College Church has been our home congregation for nearly ten years, and it has been a joy to reconnect with people we have known from other places, some from fifty years ago. Back then, I played club sports with Charles Ganus, learned math from Dr. Dean Priest, and sang with Dr. Bill Hollaway. As the seasons of life pass by, we accumulate friends and memories along the way, reminders of God’s blessings and harbingers of heaven’s sweet reunion.
     College students and young families face changing seasons of life, and here at the College Church we have had many opportunities to teach, mentor, and host some of them in class and in our home. I am grateful that as new members in a talented congregation we were quickly accepted into these ministries. Some of the most gratifying feedback we have received was from college students who regularly came to our home for Wednesday devotionals and from young couples who gathered at our home on Sunday evenings.
     The elders and ministers that I worked with at College Church have impressed me with their devotion and dedication. We gathered around families in trouble, discussed policies and spiritual issues, and engaged in strategic planning. When occasional differences of opinion arose, I saw respect and consideration for one another. We spent much time in prayer and dealt with some challenging issues, but it was always clear that God knew what He was doing when He designed the church and provided his authoritative word as our guide.
     There is always some loss as we move from one season of life to another. However, there are also opportunities to learn, to address new challenges, and to be grateful for God’s providence as we look back at our lives. In our senior years, we no longer have the health and strength of our youth, but we do have valuable experience to offer the generations that follow us. We will always be grateful for our opportunities and experiences here in Searcy, and we look forward to the next season of life.