BY: NORMAN WETTERAU, M.D. - FMHF PRESIDENT
Serving God Through the Stages of our Lives
Stay plugged into the Powersource
Around 45 of us joined together with our speaker, Dr. Bill Morehouse, as we examined this topic by examining ourselves. One thinks of young people making important decisions and seeking God’s guidance but as long as God has left us on this earth, we need to continue to examine what we are doing and what God’s calling for us is. Our calling is also not just as a physician or nurse but as a Christian. We need to stay connected to God daily. Dr. Morehouse kept reminding us, not to just seek God's guidance and help but to stay plugged into the powersource through regular prayer. He kept repeating: “stay plugged in” and this requires regular times of prayer.
He provided specific advice for prayer taken from Bob Sorge’s Reset: 20 Ways to a Consistent Prayer Life. A handout on 20 ways to a consistent prayer life and additional materials and notes can be found on Dr. Morehouse’s website (scroll down to Free Methodist Healthcare Fellowship.) This list includes ways to escape distraction, the need to repent, cleanse, praying the scripture, and taking time to listen to God. He encouraged us to journal during our quiet time. The notes from the conference are posted on his website as well.
One of the best parts was dividing into groups that looked at medical practice as a mission, serving the poor, community outreach, mentoring students, and preparing for retirement. Small groups kept lists of ideas that were shared with the larger group. What was interesting was that many of the listed things did not just apply to our profession. We can serve the poor in many ways. We can mentor medical students but also youth in our church and family members.
Retirement is not the end but the beginning of another stage of our life. We do not finish but graduate into retirement. There are tasks to retirement including mentorship, passing the baton, investing in the extended family, and focusing on building His kingdom.
At the end of the weekend, some of us felt that we were just beginning. If we stay plugged into the powersource, God can do great things in our lives and we will not burn out or become exhausted.