Ah, fall is in the air. With the advent of cooler days and the faint hint of hardwoods changing colors, it's time for so many things. It is time for the beginning of school. It is time for the end of vacations and the resumption of a "normal" routine. It is time for new Sunday School classes, the beginning of choir practice and the resumption of weekly Wednesday night church dinners. For each of these things, it is time. And this time seems normal, right even welcome. It is a kairos moment.

     The Greeks used two words when they spoke of time. The first was chronos. They used this word to mark the passing of events; the flowing of one day into another. The second word was kairos. In its biblical context this word had rich connotations of being in the time prescribed by God. It was God's right and proper and favorable time. It is the moment when God brings to fruition that which he has been preparing. It is normal, right, even welcome.

     This summer, we adopted our new purpose statement for Grace Baptist Church. We are now ready to begin to implement those purposes. We are ready to love God with a whole-hearted love (worship); we are ready to share Christ with others (mission); we are ready to grow in our walk with Christ (discipleship); we are ready to encourage each other in our walk with Christ (fellowship); and we are ready to serve Christ and his church with our spiritual gifts (ministry). "We are ready..." God has been preparing Grace for a kairos moment.

     In Colossians 4:5 Paul writes, "...make the most of every opportunity" (kairos). This moment is the opportunity that God has been preparing for Grace Baptist Church for the last 49 years. It is for us to choose to join God in this moment that He has been preparing. Start with prayer. Pray for me, that I might listen to God's voice and lead with integrity. Pray for Grace's elected leaders, that they will seek and obey God's direction. Pray for our purpose as a church, that God will show us the unique ministry that He has called Grace to passionately pursue. Pray for our ABC missionaries; they are our ambassadors of Christ to the nations. Pray for your place in this kairos moment. Remember, God is calling you and equipping you for a specific ministry as a part of the church family here at Grace. Pray and make the most of this moment that God has prepared.