Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2005

Grace Church of Burlington January 9, 2005 “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow.”                                                                                      Swedish proverb             A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?" With surprise the missionary answered, "I don't put anything on it!" His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do! All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I've seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay." Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It's not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It's the reflection of the light of God in our hearts.”             If you were at last Sunday’s service, then you had the blessing of seeing shining faces coming from shining hearts. It was some of the best “preaching” that I’ve heard in a long time. And as your pastor, it was a joy to see and hear blessings shared that I know have come out of great struggles and often great pain. What a blessing it was to hear what God did in your lives during the past year.  In 2 Corinthians 7 the Apostle Paul talks about how his heart was encouraged and comforted by one believer, a man by the name of Titus. That’s what you did for me last Sunday!             There are times that I, too, get bogged down in ministry and forget the bigger picture. Sometimes as a pastor when you are helping those who are struggling with sin, marital, parental and emotional issues, you start forgetting that God is working, that His power still is victorious, that His grace is still sufficient. In the ministry, your phone doesn’t usually ring with good news. People call because they need prayer or they are hurting (and a few even call, if you can imagine this, to let you know that they disagree with you).             What a thrill it was though to my own heart last week to hear you share how God is faithful and how He is using our church to touch your lives! What a blessing it was to be reminded that our church family is a family that loves, cares, serves and ministers!             I know that I’m just a little prejudiced and even a bit subjective but I sometimes have difficulty understanding why someone would go somewhere else to church. I think that we’re the best church in the area (in spite of pastoral leadership). I needed last Sunday. And I consider myself very, very blessed to be your pastor! Thanks for allowing me to serve our Lord by serving you!