08/05/2026
Because of challenges uploading videos more than 30 minutes in length, we post only Sunday talks and not the entire service. If you listened to last weeks talk, you may want to read what I said to the LiFE Church family during our preworship welcome. (IF you did not listen to that talk yet, maybe this will move you to give it a listen.)
On Tuesday I drove to Worthington OH, just outside Columbus, to meet up with Bill Parrish, my good friend and former workmate who lives in Cincinnati. We sat at a table on the sidewalk outside a coffee shop and talked for five hours. The path of that conversation wound its way through the various ways and experiences God used to form us and make us the men he needed us to become to do all kinds of things we never imagined ourselves doing in the church, in our communities and in the world.
Last week God nudged me to call Bill to ask him if we could meet up and talk. As expected, I walked away with insights and inspiration I needed. I’ll share some of those things IF and WHEN the right situation or time presents itself.
Donna and I are glad to have our good friends Brad and Ann Kafer from Central IL. in the mix today. Like my friend Bill Parrish, Ann and Brad live life on mission for Jesus. Their faith and love Is a source of support and connection feeds our souls, so Donna and I treasure the times we can be with them.
I’m guessing it was the time I spent with Bill…and anticipating the time with Brad and Ann…that fed into a dream I woke up to the other day. In that dream I was giving this advice to someone: “Surround yourself with people who fill your soul and move you to live for God.”
Many of the times Donna and I go on the road, it is not just to see some area or attend some event, but our travels include visiting people who are good for our souls and inspire us to serve Jesus in new or deeper ways. Sometimes we take people along with us that do those same things.
I say that to say this: we have had time off and time away, but this past month has also been about God using people we have been with who have refilled our spiritual tanks so we can go forward with renewed vision, energy and passion.
Bill Parrish said it well when he paused as he was talking about life at this stage of the game…and looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Jeff, you and I never get to retire. We’ve been called. We may end our formal church ministry, but God will have important stuff for us to do until he takes us home.”
I don’t think the heart of that statement applies only to pastors, If we fully understand what it means for Jesus to say, “Follow me” …to any of us, that never out of God’s game is true of both YOU and me.
We have all been called to be the salt and light of God to the people of this world…all of us who claim Jesus is our a lord and Savior have been commissioned to go and make other followers of Jesus…until the day we leave this life and exit this planet.
The question is, “How active and intentionally are you and I…leaning into and living out our call and mission?” Are we open to receiving orders from Jesus and stepping into whatever he asks us to do? If we let him, Jesus will guide us in our going and he will continue to grow us up and give us fruit.
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