While heading back to the office after lunch this week, I dialed Mom as I often do while driving. Sunday is Father\u2019s Day, and I could tell that she was having a hard day thinking about another year without him. It\u2019s been 8 years since Dad was with us. In some ways it gets easier; and at other times, it\u2019s just as a hard. With tears filling my eyes in that moment, I realized this was one of the hard days.<\/p>\n
Hanging up the phone, I pulled into the church parking lot where people were arriving for an afternoon memorial service. A faithful, 51-year-old member of our church lost a hard-fought battle to cancer. His fellow airline pilots arrived in their uniforms to honor and celebrate his life with the rest of our church family.<\/p>\n
In the same moment when I was thinking about this faithful man, my thoughts shifted to another member of our church who is currently right in the middle of their own battle with cancer. In a matter of just a few moments, life reminded me of its fragility. There are no guarantees.<\/p>\n
I walked in to the office ready to tackle the \u201cnext thing\u201d on my very full calendar. However, in that moment, the Holy Spirit gently reminded me to slow down for a moment. The things that often fill our days have little significance in the big picture of life. Take a moment and smell the coffee. In just a moment, everything can change.<\/p>\n
This week I am reminded that relationships matter, people are important, and schedules can be adjusted. I am reminded to not get so busy to forget about what really matters. Life is short and people matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While heading back to the office after lunch this week, I dialed Mom as I often do while driving. Sunday is Father\u2019s Day, and I could tell that she was having a hard day thinking about another year without him. It\u2019s been 8 years since Dad was with us. In some ways it gets easier; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Take a Moment and Smell the Coffee","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[3,6,7],"class_list":["post-1632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main","tag-family","tag-life","tag-ministry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pexels-photo-272887.jpeg?fit=5053%2C3369&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pzg9k-qk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1093,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/let-them-do-it-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":1632,"position":0},"title":"Let Them Do It Wrong","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"February 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I just sat down in the chair with my MacBook on my lap to do my nightly installment of homework. 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You know \u2014 those guys that are really smart and can use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Apple_Logo.jpg?fit=600%2C250&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Apple_Logo.jpg?fit=600%2C250&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Apple_Logo.jpg?fit=600%2C250&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":210477,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/the-dynamic-duo-why-your-church-needs-both-a-website-and-an-app\/","url_meta":{"origin":1632,"position":4},"title":"The Dynamic Duo: Why Your Church Needs Both a Website and an App","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"May 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In the digital era, churches must utilize both websites and apps to effectively reach and engage their congregations. 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Apps, conversely, deepen engagement for established church members, offering tailored content and resources\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1567,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/ten-reasons-i-love-my-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":1632,"position":5},"title":"Ten Reasons I Love My Church","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"January 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This month my family and I are celebrating five years since we made the decision to leave our Indiana home and relocate to Colorado Springs. 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