Jim Nichols

My spiritual journey is similar to others in that it has been directed by strategic people at specific times in my life. In some cases those people knew they were speaking to me on God's behalf, but in most cases God simply used them and their words and actions in a way that drew me gradually toward Him.

Certainly, my parents started that process; growing up in that home and in the Christian Church planted basic understandings of God in my heart. Their influence was continued by my involvement with the Yadon family, from whom my wife, Jeanenne, came. That family, and Jeanenne in particular, challenged me to take large steps of faith. She continues to be my human model of searching and praying.

Besides family members, individuals such as Tony Ash and Lemoine Lewis spring to mind as spiritual guides when I was younger. Nearing ?? now, I profit from the encouragement and challenges from my Christian brothers and sisters.

Shepherds are on the lookout. They are watching not only for dangers but also for sources of food and water. The shepherds of a church have the responsibility of equipping other Christians to recognize the difference between light and dark. This is not just information, but spiritual insight. Shepherds in a church are to bind wounds and heal hurts. A challenge for a shepherd is to recognize gifts other Christians have, to help the other person recognize those gifts, and to create situations where the other person can use those gifts to God's glory.

Shepherds do a lot of reminding. There are certainly circumstances where people need "instruction," but most Christians have received plenty of instruction. What they really need... (what I really need)... is not more information, but encouragement and guidance to act upon the Christian instruction they have received. Christians need guidance as to how to live lives as peacemakers, lives of hope, lives of forgiveness, lives that sow the seeds of Christ in others' lives.

The Highland church has many strengths. Those strengths include a compassionate spirit, a willingness to venture into new ministry areas, a love of worship, an intense interest in prayer, and a history of leaders and others who have had ideas, energy, and freedom to find different ways to spread the good news. In these areas we need to carry on.

Can we do some things better? Of course. For me, growth areas include a continued clear focus on the study of scripture individually and collectively, improvement in our ability to meet needs of various age groups, nurturing the growth of families, and sustained efforts to help members finds their gifts and for the church to set the stage for the playing out of those gifts. A friend suggested to me just today that our challenge (as an individual and as a congregation) is to figure out "...how to live in the eternal while getting things done in the here and now."