He is coming, time to get ready

President Obama came to my home town of Council Bluffs, IA, today to give a speech in Bayliss Park. This is a park that sits in the center of downtown and is across the street from my church. For days we have had security people running around and the city prepping for his coming. Sunday morning between services, we stood at the front doors watching all of the commotion. There were electricians running cables, guys building fences, others unloading trucks and setting up tents. Then came the school buses to act as street barricades, some were parked on our sidewalk and in front of our building, (needless to say this cut down on the number of visitors we had). The Secret Service command post was located in our church. They started setting up their equipment at 5:00 AM this morning, which required the pastor to get up and be there for them. All of this for a twenty minute stump speech. Then came the break-it-all-down and try to get-back-to- normal phase. At the Sunday service, I made the comparison between all of the work that was required for the President’s arrival to that of Jesus Christ’s soon return. The workers outside knew the schedule and when he would arrive – we on the other hand know Jesus is coming, we just don’t have the time & date. The workers were clearly focused on the task at hand – I think we easily get distracted. They knew the whole world could be watching the fruits of their labor – yet many of us go unnoticed in our own towns. For many of them, after the event they will go back to their day jobs – but for us, this is our day & night job. Each one of us has been called to prepare the way for His return. We are to go out and make disciples, preach the Good News, teach what He taught, love as He loved, pull down barriers and become one. Our efforts are not to be just a series of 20 minute speeches, but it is to become a lifestyle for a lifetime. What are you doing to prepare for His arrival? Are you making a difference in anybody’s life? What can we do to help you do more? Remember, He is coming, time to get ready. Blessings, Randy Fontaine