Philippians 1:3-6 NIV — I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I am not retired yet. I am still in the routine of rising early to start my day with devotion and time with God, going to work, working hard at my job, and then returning home to carry out my roles at home. Currently, I love my job and look forward to the work I am able to do each day. However, retirement is on the horizon for me. Technically, I can retire in June of 2026. At this moment I am undecided on when I actually will retire. However, I feel like my writing for God is just getting started. God continues to put others in my path who teach me, stretch me, and push me in my writing. As long as God lays upon my heart His message to share, I will do my part in relaying it through writing. I am so thankful for Julie and Ray and our ministry partnership of sharing God through Waterwalkers.

Take time to ponder your current season. What blessings are you thankful for? Has God placed someone in your life to partner with in His ministry? Spend some time praising God for this season.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for this current season. Open my eyes to all of the blessings. Thank you for using me as Your vessel. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Colossians 3:23-24 NIV — Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV — For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

As Christians, you and I are called to a relationship and service to God. We each have gifts and abilities that God can use to share His love with others in every season of life. We have spent most of our week talking about retirement but many of us have not retired yet. Perhaps you are new to the workforce and have many years until retirement. Maybe your retirement date is within sight and you are beginning your exit from the workforce. Possibly, you are the age for retirement and are ready to retire, but financially not able to stop working. No matter your season, God has a purpose and mission for you right where you are.

Spend some time examining your current season. How are you serving God? How is God using you to share His love with others? Is He calling you out of your boat? How are you listening, trusting, and obeying His call? Today I encourage you to embrace your current season. Allow God’s hand to guide and direct your path of relationship and service with and for Him.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for my current season in life. Show me Your path for me and give me strength and courage to step out of my boat, trust and obey Your call. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

(Today’s post is written by Ray White.)

1 Peter 4:10 — Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

 This week Deborah is sharing insight about retirement and service to God. Entering retirement after a lifetime of structured labor is daunting for some people, while others chase it like a child running to an ice cream truck.

What we do with our time in retirement, like how time is spent in the workforce, matters. Opportunities to be of service to God are all around us, especially if we actively seek ways to serve. Before I retired in the summer of 2021 I prayed God would use me for His glory.

While filling out retirement paperwork with Julie, who I barely knew, a desk photo of her father led to a conversation about him. We discovered her father and I were stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas at the same time in the 1970s.

After meeting Julie I started following this Water Walkers’ blog.  As I read the blog for a week or so, I realized my passion for photography could be useful and volunteered to submit photos to occasionally accompany their posts. That led to submitting daily photos, then later helping with planning and editing. Working on this Water Walkers blog with Deborah and Julie has been a rich blessing from God.

If we ask God to provide opportunities to serve Him, then listen to and follow the Holy Spirit, we will find blessings beyond measure at any time of our life.

Let’s pray:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings You provide and please lead me to opportunities to serve You and proclaim the salvation offered by Christ Jesus. Amen.

1 Peter 4:10 — Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

This week Deborah is sharing insight about retirement and service to God. Entering retirement after a lifetime of structured labor is daunting for some people, while others chase it like a child running to an ice cream truck.

What we do with our time in retirement, like how time is spent in the workforce, matters. Opportunities to be of service to God are all around us, especially if we actively seek ways to serve. Before I retired in the summer of 2021 I prayed God would use me for His glory.

While filling out retirement paperwork with Julie, who I barely knew, a desk photo of her father led to a conversation about him. We discovered her father and I were stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas at the same time in the 1970s.

After meeting Julie I started following this Water Walkers’ blog.  As I read the blog for a week or so, I realized my passion for photography could be useful and volunteered to submit photos to occasionally accompany their posts. That led to submitting daily photos, then later helping with planning and editing. Working on this Water Walkers blog with Deborah and Julie has been a rich blessing from God.

If we ask God to provide opportunities to serve Him, then listen to and follow the Holy Spirit, we will find blessings beyond measure at any time of our life.

Let’s pray:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings You provide and please lead me to opportunities to serve You and proclaim the salvation offered by Christ Jesus. Amen.

Jesus said in Mark 11:24 NIV — Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

My husband, Clark, and I have had many changes occur in our lives within the last year. Last January Clark’s parents moved in with us due to his dad’s declining health. At that time, Clark was already working toward his retirement date of December 30, 2023 from law enforcement. While he mostly enjoyed his years of service, the latter part of his career was spent in administration at the detention center which was very stressful. Clark was eager to retire and alleviate the stress. In the months leading up to his retirement, he would spend time in the evenings browsing online sites for job openings and searching for what he may do next. He would say he didn’t know what he wanted to do when he grew up. I would tell him the right job hadn’t shown up yet because he couldn’t apply until closer to his retirement. I told him at the right time the right job would be there.

November 5, 2023 Clark’s dad fell and broke his femur which resulted in surgery and weeks of being in a rehabilitation facility. Due to the seriousness of his break and his age, the doctors said it could be a year of recovery. After being in the rehab facility for 7 weeks, he was still not able to put any weight on the broken leg. As it turned out, Clark’s dad would be returning home a week before Clark’s retirement. We all realized how much care he would need and began praying about how we would care for him. The Sunday before he came home, Clark and I discussed the predicament on our way to church. While at church someone asked Clark how his dad was doing. After talking with that person, another person asked about his approaching retirement date. Clark said it was like it just hit him like a ton of bricks. The answer to our predicament. God was telling him his job after retirement was to stay home and help his mom take care of his dad. Bam! Answered prayers! Clark felt peace about his epiphany and I am confident he will never regret this time at home caring for his dad. Retirement may not always come as we plan or look how we imagined, but God always has a plan! We just have to trust and obey.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for answered prayers. Open my eyes to Your plans for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV — There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Life is full of seasons. For some of us, one season is a time spent working on a career, often with many hours spent away from home. Those who have a career usually dedicate many years in the workforce. Then comes the time to retire. The way everyone arrives at retirement may look different. For some, their career has been enjoyable and fulfilling which makes retirement bittersweet, while others may have experienced abundant stress that led them to speed up the retirement process. What season are you in with your work life? Are you just beginning your career? Are you in the trenches of the workforce or have you retired? This week I will share with you my recent experiences in this season of my life, and challenge you to closely examine your current season.

Let’s pray: Dear God, thank You for the seasons of life. Open my eyes to the reality of my current season so I may see Your presence and work in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Join us for See You Saturday. God is doing something new!