{"id":4045,"date":"2020-08-06T14:37:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T20:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/?p=4045"},"modified":"2020-10-25T14:51:28","modified_gmt":"2020-10-25T20:51:28","slug":"a-different-way-to-look-at-your-closed-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/2020\/08\/06\/a-different-way-to-look-at-your-closed-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"A different way to look at your closed doors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A different way to look at your closed doors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   In 2007 West Nile Neurological Disease\nremoved the Preacher from full-time ministry as a member of the clergy. But\nfollowing a period of rehabilitation, Sunday mornings often still found him\npreaching in various pulpits temporarily or permanently without pastors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Until COVID-19 closed the church doors,\nthat is. He misses delivering sermons (and I miss my favourite preacher.)\nHowever, like many other regular church attendees, we\u2019ve enjoyed \u201ccouch church\u201d\nand the messages of other pastors whose services allow online viewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   A few weeks ago, we tuned in to a\nfavourite author and pastor, Charles Swindoll, as, via YouTube, he delivered a\nmessage titled \u201cThe Magnificence of a Closed Door.\u201d The title seemed\nappropriate. Around the globe, COVID-19 has slammed door after door; not just\nchurch doors, but life doors for individuals, businesses and organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Almost daily I speak with someone on\nthe verge of despair. Even as our part of the world creeps back toward a more\nopen way of doing life alongside the pandemic, many know they\u2019ll never get back\nwhat they had a few short months ago. For those people, gone are countless wide\nvistas of opportunity and success. Hard-earned dollars, in the form of\ninvestments or earnings or potential earnings, have vanished too. Most\nheartbreaking of all, many have lost loved ones to the disease. This\ncoronavirus has left no one, it seems, unscathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   We all need regular reminders that God\nhas not abandoned us.  That he is still present. Still caring. And still\nin charge, even when it seems otherwise. We need to remember those truths even\nmore now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   I took notes during Pastor Swindoll\u2019s\nsermon. I thought I\u2019d share them here. If you find yourself, as a\nChrist-follower, mourning losses from which you fear you\u2019ll never recover,\nopportunities that have blown away like so many dandelion seeds in the wind,\nthese notes from Pastor Chuck Swindoll are for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.      Since God is sovereign, he is in full control of\nall the doors in our lives \u2013 and we are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.      Being in full control, he takes full responsibility\nfor all the doors he opens and all the doors he closes. (Stop crying,\nmanipulating, being creative in trying to outsmart him. Stop lamenting. You are\nnot responsible.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.      When a door of something good in our plan closes,\nit often leads us to an open door of something better in his plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.      Not until we walk through the doors God opens, will\nwe realize the necessity of the ones he closed. God is FULL of surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0 Wherever you are today, whatever fills your spirit, remember these things. In Jesus\u2019 name, I pray you strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A different way to look at your closed doors    In 2007 West Nile Neurological Disease removed the Preacher from full-time ministry as a member of the clergy. But following a period of rehabilitation, Sunday mornings often still found him preaching in various pulpits temporarily or permanently without pastors.    …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[416,413,294,1,81,380,392,412,390,401],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acceptance","category-determination","category-encouragement","category-faith-and-life","category-hard-times","category-hope","category-movin-on","category-overcoming","category-positive-attitude","category-thinking-differently"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4045"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4046,"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4045\/revisions\/4046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathleengibson.ca\/sunnysideup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}