Life @ Montrose, June 12

It's been a busy week. Almost every day has been filled with pastoral visits, Bible studies, and church meetings. On Friday I was up at 6 am and didn't get done with church work until 11 pm (a schedule that repeats itself more often than I care to admit). My schedule can be incredibly demanding. I usually reserve the first hours of each day for devotion and sermon preparation. I just started reading Augustine's Confessions and I am re-reading The Desire of Ages by Ellen White. One thought that struck me this past week as I've thought about how we can become a more loving church is the statement by Ellen White that it is only by love that love is awakened. One the most important things for me is for people to know that we are a loving church, and we can only be such a church by letting the love of Jesus pervade our lives.

 

On Sabbath morning I preached at Orchard Valley and then in the afternoon went for a hike to the Pinnacles in Currecanti National Recreation area. It's about a four mile hike. It was beautiful to see all of the wildflowers starting to come out. Later on we continued up to Gunnison where we had an evening vespers and church social. "Imaginif" is a great game for learning more about your friends! Then on Sunday morning Jon Gardner, Nate Cranson, and I met to start putting together plans for a two-week evangelistic series in Gunnison at the end of the summer.

 

Monday was a marathon day because I made a day trip up to Dinosaur National Park. I met with the ranger in charge of group reservations and I was even able to ride around in one of the Ranger vehicles. I was able to visit both camp sites and I was glad to see that there are trees for shade (for those who are tent camping) and other sites that are more conducive to RVs. I think it is a really nice set up for our church campout. I talked with a couple of retirees who are volunteer campground supervisors (they stay there from April through September). I learned that the average temperature at the time of our campout is about 88 degrees. It is usually cool in the mornings and in the evening--we'll be right next to a river, too. In the afternoon when it gets warmer there are nature trails and nearby in Vernal are some museums. I also checked out motel/hotel options in nearby towns. I now have a list with more information which I am putting in your boxes at church.