Dave's Deep Thoughts

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Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.

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Sometimes, you just aren't sure which way to go.

I live in a garden.

It is beautiful countryside

with rolling hills, forests, and streams.

I have lived here much of my life,

so you would think I would know my way around by now.

I have lived here long enough,

that when people ask for directions,

I reference them to landmarks

that exist only in my memory.......

I've been known to say.......

Yeah, that's easy to get to.

Go down the road and turn left at the Smith's barn.

They tore it down a few years ago.

Then just turn right at the old Miller farm.

They are all dead now.

Yep, that's me.

Some help, I am.

I am pretty good with directions.

I have a strong sense of north, south, east, and west.

But just across the highway,

there is this town and surrounding region

that even I can't figure out.

The town is located at the base of some extreme hills.

It appropriately has the word Glen in it's name.

It's not an easy place to get to.

School buses have to squeeze their way

through one lane railroad underpasses

as they navigate blind curves and crying children.

I have driven roads over there

with curves that I am sure

far exceed 360 degrees,

thus making me feel like I am being flushed down a toilet.

Every rainstorm

turns into a flash flood

as every drop of rain works its way

to the center of town.

Straight, level roads do not exist in this zipcode.

But it's not just the geography

that confuses me.

It's the road signs.

Many of them start with the word Glen.

Glen Valley Road

Glenvue Road

Glen Ridge Court

My GPS quivers when I punch in this town's name.

Google Maps cringe with fear when I mention this zip code.

Occasionally I take food supplies

to this labyrynth that begins with Glen.

There is a ministry for single woman and children

to which we donate food.

As many times as I have somehow managed to arrive

at this hilly destination,

you would think I would know how to get there.

Not so much.

The folks there consider each donation of food

to be their miracle of the day.

I consider my arrival

to be the true miracle.

A trip to this ministry

is like playing a game of Chutes and Ladders,

but for me there are always more chutes than ladders.

A few days after Thanksgiving,

I was once again dared to cross the highway

and enter this land of hill and dale and misdirection.
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This time,

I came away with proof.

It's not just me.
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What do you do when you get to an instersection like this?

Sometimes you just reach confusing intersections in life.

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Middle school felt like that.

College felt like that.

Many seasons of adulthood have felt like that.

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Sometime's it's difficult to know which way to turn.

I am unlike most males.

I believe in asking for directions.

That includes prayer.

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Sometimes you receive specific direction.

But sometimes you don't get clearcut answers.

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Do I take this job offer,

or should I go another way?

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Do I pick this school,

or is there another school out there for me?

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Do I stay in this abusive relationship

or should I leave?

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Sometimes the Lord give clear direction.

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And sometimes, the Lord trusts us enough

to rely on the wisdom, information, and history

that He has provided us.

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I believe there are times in our lives

when we aren't sure whether to turn right or left.

But I also believe that God is bigger than our decisions.

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That whether we choose this path, or another,

all paths remain in God's ultimate will.

for those who put their trust in Him.

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Are you at an intersection in your life,

where the road signs aren't helping?

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The disciples were known to cast lots

when a clear decision wasn't on the horizon.

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Perhaps the emphasis shouldn't be so much on the decision,

but on the One who will carry us through the decision.

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After all, He has a pretty good track record.......

He has never been known to get lost,

even across the highway.

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And we know that God causes ALL things

to work together for good

TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD,

to those who are CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSES.

Romans 8:28

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