Good morning on this Saturday, February 9th. I was reading in the book of Romans for my personal devotions and was reminded of an recent application for Romans 5:3, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience. Barb and I were returning from Florida last Monday morning when the pilot announced that Moline was fogged in and we were unable to land. We circled the airport until our fuel ran low and then were diverted to St. Louis. Eventually we we allowed to deplane, get something to eat, and wait in the terminal for frequent weather updates. Finally about 4:00 PM we were told the flight was cancelled and that we would be bussed to the Quad Cities because of the continuing bad weather. After waiting for the arrival of the buses and retrieving our luggage, we boarded the buses and headed for home. The fog was sometimes so thick you could barely see the road which slowed our progress and lengthened our trip. We finally arrived home about midnight eastern time and gave thanks to be safely home. All-in-all it made for a very long day. We were so close yet so far as we circled 10,000 ft. above the Moline airport. All of our plans for Monday afternoon and evening were radically changed due to these uncontrollable circumstances. To say the least, the circumstances were frustrating and at times all-consuming, but according to Romans 5:3 - patience producing. Ah, that elusive quality of patience! Why is it so hard to learn and require so many repeated lessons. It is a fruit of the Spirit which Christ possesses and is readily available to us in and through Christ. All we have to do is depend upon Him and let His patience flow through us, or we can handle it on our own in our own strength and wind up struggling with it again and again. Like so many virtues, so easy in Christ but so hard on our own. I often think, why am I sometimes such a slow learner?
Tomorrow's sermon is an inspirational message entitled, Conquering Your Mountain. I'm eager to return to the pulpit and hope I'll see you in church tomorrow.
Pastor Mel Brown