We are looking ahead! This past Sunday, June 30^th, was my last Sunday as the pastor here at FUMC-Douglas and it is tempting to look back over the past seven years and dissect all that has occurred in that time. However, as a church we are always to be looking forward, as children of God we are reminded why God has freed us from slavery into discipleship so we may put our hands on the plow and not look back.

Every day is a new thing, filled with challenges and with joys and we are free to focus our energy on whatever our heart desires. The Sprit often leads us on a path which is very different from what we think we want. We want freedom, but we must acknowledge the cost of that freedom. We want security, but we must balance our wants against our freedom.

God calls on us to be unafraid and faithful heirs of the kingdom, ready to move with the Spirit and to be looking forward to what blessings God is bringing us each and every day. It is in this Spirit I am looking forward to what God has planned for myself and my family; but it is with a tear in my eye that I move on from this place which has been such a huge blessing for us; if I have been a help to you, I thank God for the opportunity to walk with you; if I have failed you, I apologize for my failings and I pray for your forgiveness; for every kindness extended and every joy shared I am eternally grateful.

May God’s love shine brightly through us all, this day and into eternity!

Pastor Donnie Holt