I am still here

Personal
Written By Ben Smith
Ben and Dana in a hospital room

Cell service in my office is spotty, and my calls are often dropped. Sometimes when this happens, I am unaware until I end a sentence and wait for the other person to respond and only hear silence. Not sure if they are in thought, still waiting on me to say something else, or no longer on the line, I ask, "are you still there"? I know that I have been talking to myself when this question is met with more silence.

You may have been wondering if I am still here. It has been over a month since I have written a blog post or sent out an email. My lack of activity has not been for lack of desire but rather circumstances not entirely of my choosing.

In mid-June, I planned to travel to Anaheim, CA, for the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting. A few days after returning to Waycross, I planned to run a 5K obstacle course race on Saturday, preach at CBC on Sunday, get the kids off to camp on Monday, then enjoy a relaxing week at the beach before traveling to Columbus to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. It was to be a tight schedule for sure, but I was thankful to be able to fit everything in.

I planned to publish a blog post between returning home from Anaheim and leaving for the beach about what transpired at the SBC annual meeting. I worked on it some during the flight back, but travel fatigue exacerbated by an overnight delay in New York prevented me from finishing. But the unexpected event that most dramatically changed my plans would come the Saturday after returning from Anaheim.

While competing in a 5K obstacle course race, I attempted to scale a large tank when the rope I was holding onto unexpectantly broke. After hitting the ground, I realized I had broken my wrist badly. I knew at the time that this would significantly alter the coming days, but I could not imagine how much.

So much of my work is at a computer keyboard. With only limited use of my left hand, writing takes significantly more time. I have found the increased time and effort required to write rather frustrating. Writing sermons and creating all the related media has been a consuming task. However, I am finding ways to accommodate and hope that as healing continues, I will find it more comfortable to write.

I hope to write soon about the SBC annual meeting, the blessing of the SCOTUS decision that ended Roe v. Wade, and some of the things the Lord has taught me since breaking my wrist and having to depend on others. This summer has not been what I expected or planned for, but if the Lord wills, I am hopeful that as summer comes to an end and my schedule becomes more regular, I will be able to write more consistently.

Until then, be assured that I am still here and look forward to writing soon.

I did address the SCOTUS decision concerning abortion in my July 3 sermon. I preached from Acts 25 on how Christians should interact with government and politics. I would encourage you to listen to it.



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Ben Smith

Originally from Columbus, GA, pastor Ben Smith has served churches in Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia. Ben and his wife Dana make their home in Waycross, GA, where Ben has pastored Central Baptist Church since 2012.

Pastor Ben preaches each Sunday at Central Baptist. An audio podcast of his sermons is published weekly. Pastor Ben also posts weekly to his blog, Ponderings.

https://bensmithsr.org
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