“I pray,” said Moshe, “that God will give me the strength to ask him the right questions.”

Frankly Speaking…

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. Ephesians 1:17-19 (NRSV)
In his autobiography, Night, Jewish philosopher Elie Wiesel tells of growing up in a village in Hungary before being sent to a Nazi concentration camp. As a boy, he befriended Moshe, the poor man who cleaned his synagogue. One day Moshe saw Elie in the synagogue praying. Moshe asked him, “Why do you pray?” Moshe proceeded to tell Elie the way of questions. “Every question possesses a power that does not lie in the answer. Humans raise themselves to God by the questions they ask.” Elie then asked, “And why do you pray, Moshe?” “I pray,” said Moshe, “that God will give me the strength to ask him the right questions.”
—Daniel T. Hans, “What do you want from God?” Gettysburg Presbyterian Church, Gettysburg, Penn., July 31, 2005, www.gettysburgpresbyterian.org.

Friends, since the last Frankly Speaking, we have endured a hurricane, power outage, displacement, fallen trees and fences, broken windows and storm surge. The church fared well this time. Many others in our community did not. We pray for recovery and rebuilding. We pray how God will use us in the renewing process in bringing hope to our community. It will take more than a hurricane to bring down the church. This crisis does not define who we are…only how we respond to it does.

The church recently had a Church Conference with two agenda items: to affirm Thera Freeman to the ordained ministry, and to hire a financial consultant to begin the capital campaign process. Both are important. Both will require our support and prayers. Thera will be on her way to Uganda in a few weeks. Mike Allen, a financial consultant for RSII, will begin his ministry with us in a few weeks as well. There will many questions to ask as we venture into a capital campaign for the church. I would ask that you pray for Thera and Mike daily. Pray that God will guide their lives and hearts to be about the Lord’s work in a faithful and creative way.

On another note, on August 4, I had a total knee replacement. It has been a painful journey of stretching, bending …all towards healing. I want to thank the congregation for your support while I was out of the pulpit for those weeks. I thank you for your prayers and cards that have given me smiles on my face, and tears of joy in my soul. Several brought food to the house that was welcomed and all eaten. I am blessed to be pastor of this great church. I am honored and humbled by your generosity of friendship, and support. I have great hope for the future. The Capital Campaign and Building Committees are working hard to bring to the church a plan of action that will affect our ministry potential for years to come. I am proud of their efforts. Pray. Be faithful. Encourage one another. Moreover, allow God to do what God does best through you and your gifts.

Shalom + Paz + Pax + Peace Pastor Frank