NOTE: On July 1, 2017 I
retired from full-time ministry in the United Methodist Church. As I prepared
for retirement and what that might look like, this verse and quote came to mind.
Some have asked whether I will continue this SOUND BITES Ministry. Based on
what I feel God is calling me to in retirement, I have no plans to discontinue
this ministry. I have appreciated the many words of support for keeping it
going. Blessings… -- DW
GOD’S CALL IN RETIREMENT
“For I
know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me
and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me
when you seek Me with all your heart.”
(Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)
For
some, retirement is disengagement, a time of withdrawal from life. For others, it is new activity. For those who seek to understand how God fits
into retirement, we must return to see how God was at work in our past
stories. Only then can we understand how
God calls us in this new chapter of life's journey. There is continuity between how God called us
in our past and how God calls us now. …
As we
look backward and see God's presence in life, we can look forward to the end of
life with hope and optimism.
-- Richard
L. Morgan in “I Never Found That Rocking Chair"
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