A Study in Communication

What a wonderful weekend!

I was overwhelmed Friday evening when we entered the church building and saw all of the people who had traveled to be a part of our meeting. We had quite a few new faces join us this year. It was great to meet new people and catch up with old friends!

The theme of our meeting was communication. One person mentioned to me that it seemed funny that the speakers chosen for this topic were such quiet men. I explained that it was by design…that most of the wisest people we meet in this life are those who are slow to speak and choose their words carefully. We certainly had the right line-up!

Gene gave an excellent lesson on Communicating with God. Prayer is such a basic Christian principal, but we often neglect it or misuse it. Gene gently instructed us on how we should be using this powerful aid that God has provided for us.

After Friday night’s service, a bunch of us went to Braums. Some hadn’t had supper, others just wanted ice cream, but we all enjoyed having some “semi-private” time to visit. Before we knew it, we had kept the store open past their normal hours of business! They were very gracious, though, and allowed us our visiting time.

We met up at the Millsap Community Center for a hamburger/hot-dog lunch on Saturday. We filled the building! The guys were “in charge” of serving on Saturday. After a good lunch and a lot of time for visiting, we assembled to hear Terry speak on Communication in our Congregations. He used Ecclesiastes 10:10 as a reference on how we should use wisdom to sharpen our communication skills. He showed how our communication should all be done in a sense of cooperation (as a body) and sincere love. I’ve always thought highly of Terry and enjoyed visiting with him privately. Hearing him speak for the first time was no different. His teaching style is just like his “one-on-one” style:  gentle, sincere, and full of wisdom.

After the assembly, we headed back to the Community Center for more fellowship and a sandwich supper. Afterwards, Kay and Diane came home with us to spend the night. Sheila also came over to visit for a few hours. We enjoyed them all so much! That is such a wonderful side benefit of these meetings…having dear ones in our home and getting that extra special time to enjoy one another’s company.

Yesterday, David P. gave the morning lesson on Communication Between Congregations. I didn’t really understand why he was chosen for this topic, because David is a very private, introspective guy. However, he rose to the challenge and gave an amazing lesson, utilizing his skills that he has developed in his professional life. He emphasized how necessary it is that we take the time and effort to keep those lines of communication open in order to all be working for the same goal…and that all needs to be done to promote unity and love.

After the morning assembly, we enjoyed a potluck back at the Community Center. Many had to leave after lunch to start their long journey home. Our building was no longer full for the afternoon assembly, but we still had a nice crowd for Jensen to speak to us about Communication with the World. I love listening to Jensen. He brings a fresh perspective to his lessons that I really enjoy. The thing I enjoy most, though, is that his lessons all come from his personal experiences in working with the “inner city” students of his. He definitely practices what he preaches! He shared with us what our common mistakes are in trying to share the gospel, used the story of the “Good Samaritan” as an example (to stop, to stoop, to save, to serve), and ended by emphasizing that we are to share the answer of Hope to those who have none.

It was sad to say our good-byes when it was all over. These times we have together are so precious! We greatly appreciate all who took the time and effort to travel to our meeting to make it such a success. I hope that we all do a better job of keeping our lines of communication open, and I look forward to the next time we can be together.