May 29, 2020
by Kevin Butler
If there was ever a time to “Fix Your Eyes on Jesus,” it was this spring. What began as a word play on the aspect of 20/20 vision, became a clarion call.
While an in-person gathering of our Conference faithful is a no-go, we still want to provide a taste of a virtual Conference experience during that last week of July. Details are coming.
A special treat that I’m looking forward to: our son Matthew Butler has agreed to lead our daily on-line Bible studies. The Air Force took Matt and his family to Las Vegas, Nevada, several years ago. He excelled in his duties and had his eye on the military as a career. God had other plans.
Matt still serves in the Air Force Reserves, but has followed the Lord’s call to serve Him at Grace Point Church in North Las Vegas. He is Pastor of Liturgy at their main campus (they just planted another church last spring), plans and leads their modern worship with intentional liturgy, and preaches occasionally. The church hosts over 900 people at their three gatherings each Sunday. Matt is married to Danny and Danita Lee’s daughter, Danielle, and they have four super children.
So, it’s good to know that some plans are going forward. Others were totally changed this spring.
My wife Janet serves as the administrator for The Connecting Church (SDB) in Milton, WI. Among her many jobs (church treasurer, newsletter editor, camp business manager, general go-to person) is to assist with weddings. Janet was helping Jared Osborn—son of Joel and Doneta—and his fiancée, Heather Riley, with their plans to get married in Milton on March 28. They expected around 200 to attend. With about two weeks to go, our governor imposed a “safer at home” order that barred any public event of over 50 people.
Jared and Heather’s plans changed with lightning speed. For an extra fee, they got their marriage license on the same day of the state shutdown (March 16), and tied the knot two days later! How in the world…
Contacting the pastor of Heather’s home church in Watertown, WI, they worked out a way to get hitched there on that Wednesday evening. Can you imagine?
And what about giving away the bride? A cell phone, propped up on a music stand, allowed that tradition to be kept. Heather’s father remained in Texas (dealing with stage 4 lung cancer), and her mom and siblings were in Michigan. The somewhat shortened ceremony took place with exactly 10 people in the room. And Doneta, an experienced cake decorator, went ahead and created a sweet masterpiece.
Plans are in the works to hold what they’re calling a “sequel.” A video of the intimate “prequel” will be shared among many more family members and friends in the near future.
One bittersweet addendum. Heather posted a picture of her and her dad on Facebook on March 29, the day following their original wedding date: “This photo was taken on Thanksgiving 2019. It was the week that changed everything. My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and today he lost that battle. I pray that he is at peace and pain free. Thank you for all those who have been praying and those who donated and allowed me and my siblings to see him again one last time during Christmas! I also thank God for allowing Dad to be alert enough to give me away on the 18th, as he wouldn’t have been able to if we were married on the 28th like we planned. God is good!”
May we continue to trust as we fix our eyes on His calendar, not ours.
