Dear Friends,
So, you are having a bad day.
The residents of Lytton, British Columbia, have had a string of bad days. Lytton is a small fishing village at the conjunction of two famous rivers, the Fraser and the Thompson. On Monday, of this past week, the forested town of 250 residents was the epicenter of the heat wave that engulfed all of the Pacific Northwest, registering Canada’s all time high of 115 degrees (F). On Tuesday the record was broken again with 118 degrees and on Wednesday it was broken again with 121.2 degrees, all registered in Lytton. Folks, that is just one degree cooler than our Valley’s record temperature of 122 degrees set back in 1990.
It’s hard to believe that the village would look back and say that their week actually got worse on Thursday. Much worse! A huge lightning storm erupted in the vicinity of Lytton, igniting many fires in and around Lytton, resulting in 90 % of the village being destroyed by fire. A truly bad, bad week for our neighbors to the north.
Still having a bad day.
In Miami-Dade County, Florida, a 12-story condo partially collapsed, killing at least 22 people with 126 unaccounted for. Aside from catastrophic damage due to earthquake, tornado hurricane or terrorist attack, such a collapse of a modern building just isn’t supposed to happen in our nation. Yet it did. Residents went from have a nice peaceful sleep to the worst day of their lives in just a few seconds.
How’s that bad day going?
For some people having a bad day, it helps putting their experience in perspective. Doing so allows them to look at what is happening in their life with a fresh, new look. For others, it only makes it worse, because their bad day still remains a bad day, but now they add someone else’s misfortune onto theirs.
When someone acknowledges to me that they are having a bad “day”, I have found it not helpful to introduce what I consider a worse day story. Of course there are such stories, many in fact, but such stories often do not help the one who is suffering. In fact, the person just might feel that I am attempting to minimize their pain and suffering, something I would not want to do.
What I find helpful is to just be there, to be present. Being present with a friend during tough times often is more powerful, more comforting than any word that I could speak.
When our troubled friend is ready to talk, then the best thing for us to do is listen. No comparisons of bad days; no story of when you had a bad day; just listen. Saying “I know how you feel” is rarely comforting, even if your story, to you, seems identical to theirs. Feelings are always personal and no one knows exactly how another person feels.
Sometimes telling a person that you want to do one thing for them and doing it is one small act of love. I remember a story of a neighbor who went up to a home of his friends, who were getting ready for a funeral of a parent the following day, asked for all of the shoes that would be worn that day. He took them home and polished them and returned them an hour later. One small, loving act can make a bad day a little brighter.
Many times I have been told by members who are experiencing a sad, painful day, how precious were the prayers offered by their friends. So pray for one another.
Finally, be careful with your God-talk. Most people I have ministered with during some dark days of their lives have reported that hearing that God “needed” their loved one in heaven was not comforting. Or hearing that God was the cause of someone’s suffering is often too much to bear, even when it was meant in a supportive way.
Peace,
Pastor John
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Pastoral Call Update
Pastor Brian Weinberger of Kingman, Arizona accepted our congregation’s call to be our next pastor. His starting date is around Sept 1 and his installation will be on Sunday, Oct 10, at 3 pm.
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CPa
BLC Welcoming Committee Needs Your Help in Creating a:
“Where-to-Go” and “Who-to-See” Directory as a guide and valuable information for our new pastor and family when we receive one. If you have a special talent or business or know someone that you would recommend to be added to the directory, please submit your information to: Avis Peterson at Petersonspark@aol.com or call me at 480-835-5044 (leave a message if no answer).
These special talents can cover a multitude of areas like home care, cleaning, decorating, landscaping, pool care, plumbing, carpentry, electrical, A/C, painting, general maintenance. Personal care such as hair, nails, skin, massage, alteration services. Child care & entertainment centers in case there are children, CPA, attorney, financial advisor, technical, mechanical and vehicle care, and the list could go on.
Think about it and please submit your info soon. A business card, brochure or ad would also be helpful and can be mailed to or left at the church office with my name on it, Avis Peterson. Thank you! Your input is valuable and you are special!
We are one Christian Family at a “Home to Share God’s Love & Grace”