Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:16-17

Every once in a while I meet someone who sees right through me and recognizes something about me that I don’t even see.  Last week I ran into one of the Point’s members, Tammi Zimmerman.  I said something to her about me being in a cynical, sarcastic mood and Tammi made an interesting statement: “As your prepare to leave New Brunswick and move to Burlington, do you find that stuff bugs you that didn’t before… Stuff that you used to just deal with, but now you’re really glad that you won’t have to take it with you… and there may even be some things you just don’t want to invest in because you know you are leaving.”  At first, being the incredibly super spiritual pastor that I am, I wanted to say “no, definitely not.”  But after just a few seconds, I recognized a great deal of truth in Tammi’s observation.

She was right.  There are a few things I will not miss about New Brunswick:
*Alternate side parking on street cleaning days.
*Gray two day old snow during the winter.
*No left turns on George St. in downtown NB.
*Used Goya soda bottles littering my front lawn.
*Pedestrians who cross the street with no warning.
*All of the creative uses of the “f-word”- noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, and some I’m not even sure about.

She was also correct that a temptation exists for me to disconnect, withdraw, and not invest in the people and opportunities right in front of me.

But for some crazy reason, I still love this city with all of its annoyances.  I love the ethnic and cultural diversity.  I love that I count college professors and homeless people as my friends.  I love that I can touch my neighbors house outside of my hallway window…
and I still believe God cares about this city and has big plans for His people here. I still want to be a significant part of God’s activity here and make the most of this short time God has entrusted to me- I don’t want to withdraw and coast for these last 3 1/2 months.

Please pray that God will give me wisdom with the following questions:

*Which nonChristian friends do I need to be more intentional with in sharing Jesus?

*What leaders and potential leaders should I spend more time and energy investing in?

*What practical steps can I take now to strategically and structurally prop up the Point Church for future success?

*How can I leave my friends, neighbors, church, and community with the clearest picture possible of who Jesus is and what He is about?

I want to make sure this time counts!