-Welcome-

Great to have you here this semester! Hope you’re getting settled into classes & routines. It’s always good to have a warm reception when we go somewhere. No one wants to have cold water thrown on them when they go someplace new. In all the years I’ve served in ministry I’ve moved several times & ‘started over’ in new places. Most places were great, warm & welcoming.

I remember a couple of kids who moved into my neighborhood when I was a kid. I was excited to have someone else to play with & tried to welcome them. That was all well & good, except they brought their dog, Cujo, along! We were playing on a couple of occasions when Cujo thought I looked like a lunch entrée or something & treed me! Had to wait in a tree until someone called off the demon dog. I was walking home one night & looked over just in time to see Cujo bailing off the porch after me. My sisters ran home for help (‘no sense in all of us getting eaten!’). He was dragging me under the edge of the porch, presumably to eat me as a late night snack, when the cavalry arrived & squelched his plans. I still have four scars on my leg were he dragged me!

A visual reminder & lesson learned. Some folks are about as welcoming & inviting as Cujo there. I hope & pray that I encourage those around me & help as many as I can while I’m on this journey here. I don’t want to turn on people even in a misguided attempt to ‘protect what’s mine’, as I’m sure Cujo was trying to do.

Sadly, some people even treat Jesus that way. They want to be left alone to go about their way of life & not bothered with any ‘religious’ distractions. As Jesus went from town to town in His early, earthly ministry He pretty much had folks reject or receive Him…little middle ground. Truth be told, I guess there’s not much middle ground in that anyway.

One of the families that welcomed Him & later played integral parts in ministry was Mary, Martha & Lazarus of Bethany. A passage in Luke’s gospel that tells of the beginning of this friendship is also the key for our lives today.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught. Luke 10:38-39 NLT

My prayer for you and me is that we always ‘welcome’ Jesus into our homes & lives. May we always sit at His feet & listen to what He teaches us.

Feel free to call on me anytime. All the contact information is below.

www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com