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DEVOTIONAL
Balance has always been a handicap for me.  There is a stretching exercise I’ve done in Army training where you stand on one foot and grab the other foot to stretch the front muscle of the upper thigh.  I’m always impressed by others who can stand still and hold one foot behind them, while I bounce on one foot trying not to fall over.  On the other hand, balance by its definition requires movement; slight adjustments left and right (I guess my movements are just extremely visible).  It seems to me that the life of a believer is also in constant movement to maintain balance.  Rather than moving against gravity, we move in relationships to maintain balance.  The three primary nodes of our relationships center on 1) our loving God 2) our “close” companions in faith, and 3) our extended community.  We can ask ourselves some questions about each relationship “node”.  With respect to God, do I pray often as if talking to a good friend and do I read Scripture so that God might speak to me through it?  With respect to God’s people, do I have a tight relationship with a handful of them so I might be kept accountable for a faithful walk in Christ?  With respect to the community in which I live, does my relationship with God and God’s people empower me to serve relative strangers for the sake of Christ?  Yes, there are many other questions we could ask ourselves about these three nodes of our spiritual triangle, but I think you can see that balance is about doing all of them – and not overdoing any of them.  I hope these thoughts lead you, as they have led me, to some energizing introspection.  It seems to me that the witness of Scripture points us to this kind of living and the struggle that comes with it.  As for any of you who have trouble with physical balance, I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.  I’m just glad (physically) that I still have pretty good balance standing on two legs. –Pastor Jess

St. John is seeking to Call a Pastor. To learn more go to "Call Process" under the North American Lutheran Church tab.
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Current Interim Pastor - Rev. Dr. Jess Abbott
Pastor Abbott resides in the Cincinnati area with his wife Cindy.  They have three adult sons and two granddaughters.  He and Cindy were born in southern Michigan and have been joyfully married for more than 38 years.
 
Pastor Abbott served congregations for 25 years while also serving as a chaplain in the Army Reserve. He was deployed to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Before retiring from the military, he served for five years as the U.S. Central Command Deputy Chaplain. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star.
 
Pastor Abbott received his Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI), Masters of Divinity degree from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary (St. Paul, MN), and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, MI).  He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.