The last time I had opportunity to write was on July 23 while I was on vacation - sad.
Interesting choice of words I just used there - "had opportunity". Like everyone else, I have 24 hours in a day. For a large chunk of those hours, I have the ability to choose what to do. I can chose to read something, I can chose to watch TV, I can chose to serve someone, I can chose to write, etc.
Paul wrote to Timothy: You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance..... (II Tim 3:10; I added the emphasis). Paul lived a purposeful, intentional life. Something that we are supposed to emulate.
How are you "spending your time" is a common expression. Stewardship encompasses stewarding my time. I need to be intentional about how I use my time today; at least my discretionary time. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth - do everything to the glory of God (I Cor 10:31).
Use your time wisely today. Easier said than done.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
You know what happens when I get busy? Things slip. Between extra things to do at work (we are building a new building), trips across the ocean, moving a daughter to Iowa; life has been a bit full. And things slip (like writing, ha!).
I read a book a while ago called “Margin”. The basic thrust of the book was to provide space in your life so that the urgent doesn’t crowd out the important. Notice that I said I read the book - I have found myself over the past three weeks without margin. I guess I still have some learning to do! (Over the years I have come to understand that when I get to the point that I am writing things or wanting to write things, my mind is rested and I have had time to think and meditate about things; I am living with some margin.)
The other problem is that I find that when I live in the urgent, when I live without margin, I have a way of just spiritually “snacking”. I still read the scriptures, I still pray (a bit), I still serve, but as I review my soul during these periods in my life, I am just grazing the surface of spirituality. I am not feasting, I am not drinking deep; I am not filling my soul.
The collateral damage of living in the urgent is that I don't act out of the fulness of my soul; I act out of emptiness. Because we have a deep, deep desire to fill our soul, when I am empty, I look for something to fill me: other people and other things. The problem is that I begin to USE people and these things to fill me, instead of serving them. I become more demanding, more focused on me, more of a sinner.
The other problem I have is that have a propensity toward activity, doing things – maybe it is a guy thing, maybe it is a character thing; not sure. But I like to be busy, to do things, to complete things. This propensity toward filling my life with activity and being busy is a dangerous threat to margin in my life. It robs me of fullness of life because it robs me of the time to connect deep in my soul with my creator. (I probably should not use the word "rob" because it connotes that it was stolen from me; the reality is that I give it away; I am plan the activities; I make the commitment. I am not innocent in this process.) I don’t really live, I just exist. I don’t thrive, I survive. Not that way I want to live.
Watch your schedule. Do you have space in your life where your mind has time to wind down; where you have time to focus on the eternal; where you are not thinking and wondering about the things of life, but a place where you are still, waiting for the Spirit of God to talk to you; a place where your mind has been filled with the thoughts of God (most likely through reading through scripture) and where you can list.
Try it sometime; it really is filling! (By the way, this is the first day of vacation and I had margin this morning.)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Summer! I CANNOT believe that in a week it is going to be the 4th of July. It is crazy how fast life moves isn't it? Except............
Except if you are in a crisis. Except is someone you love has debilitating illness. Except if you have lost your job. Except if your 2 year old is acting up every 5 minutes. Except if you are waiting for your house to sell. Except if you have a huge stress in a relationship. Except........
Isn't it funny that it seems as if some days time seems to stand still and other days it flies by. When I was waiting to get my license when I was 16, time moved excruciatingly slow; I felt like the day would never come. As I am looking back over my years as a parent, I cannot believe how fast they have flown by.
But time is time. There are always 24 hours in a day. There are always 7 days in one week. I just doesn't feel that way. To a large degree, our emotional response to a situation dictates the perceived speed of time. If most cases it seems as if negative circumstances slow time down and, more importantly, consume an inordinate amount of emotional energy.
I really have no idea why this hit me today. Probably because I am watching my oldest daughter grow up and move to Iowa and I put my youngest daughter on a van for a mission trip (right after she got back from a week away on the east coast). After 21 years of being a parent, I am seeing the end of this phase of my journey and it has gone fast. I know that there are times when it seemed to slow down; seasons of stress and overly busy times of life. Those passed. They always pass. Recognize that in your life. Enjoy the journey. Do what you can to relieve the stresses of life, but when stresses and tough times hit, understand Psalm 30:5 - weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Still working my way through Mark with my group. The more I read, the more the pieces seems to be indicating that, at least in chapters 7-8, Jesus is attempting to help the disciples understand who he really is. In Mark 7, the Pharisees come to Jesus with a question - why don't your followers wash their hands like tradition taught us? A legitimate question. We have been doing this for years and why aren't you?
Jesus goes on to announce to crowd that had gathered about what really defiles a man - what comes out of him (vs. what goes into a man). After the crowd clears, the disciples ask him what he meant by the teaching. he then makes this statement: "are you so dull" (v.18).
After hanging out with him, walking with him, listening to his teaching, feeding the 5,000, seeing the healing, casting out demons, talking with him about life, watching the crowds gather - they still do not understand. After going out two by two into the cites and villages of Israel and proclaiming the good news that the Messiah was here, after personally healing people and casting out demons - they still do not comprehend the ways of the kingdom of Jesus. (OK, so here is where I insert myself and ask how much have I been with Jesus - I am worse than the disciples.)
The more I read and thought about this, the more I have to ask myself how dull am I. How many of Jesus' teachings and His ways of living do I just blow over because I am dull. How many areas of my life have I not submitted to Christ because I am dull and lack understanding?
The issue is that I have the tools I need to not be dull. I have the Holy Spirit within me who's job it is to teach me (John 14:26). My job is to be open. I am finding that dullness is really about me: my lack of openness to do the work that I need to do in my soul, a perspective of me that "I am OK", instead of perspective of I need a Savior.
The first step in the process of sharpening is admitting you have a problem. I mean, really admitting it. Not just saying you do, but really owning it; really coming to grips with the fact that you need a Savior to redeem you from you. I think that I am getting here - occasionally (when I think about it, I am there; as life hits me in the face, there are times when I leave that place and go back to where I was in dullness).
The second step is opening your soul to the Spirit of God and asking for Him to change. He is the agent of conviction. He is the agent of change. My part is yielding and allowing God to do His work.
Just keep repeating the phrase - "am I dull?" and listen. Listen to those around you. Listen to the Spirit of God. Listen to the words of God as you read scripture. You will hear where you are dull and where you need to change.
Jesus goes on to announce to crowd that had gathered about what really defiles a man - what comes out of him (vs. what goes into a man). After the crowd clears, the disciples ask him what he meant by the teaching. he then makes this statement: "are you so dull" (v.18).
After hanging out with him, walking with him, listening to his teaching, feeding the 5,000, seeing the healing, casting out demons, talking with him about life, watching the crowds gather - they still do not understand. After going out two by two into the cites and villages of Israel and proclaiming the good news that the Messiah was here, after personally healing people and casting out demons - they still do not comprehend the ways of the kingdom of Jesus. (OK, so here is where I insert myself and ask how much have I been with Jesus - I am worse than the disciples.)
The more I read and thought about this, the more I have to ask myself how dull am I. How many of Jesus' teachings and His ways of living do I just blow over because I am dull. How many areas of my life have I not submitted to Christ because I am dull and lack understanding?
The issue is that I have the tools I need to not be dull. I have the Holy Spirit within me who's job it is to teach me (John 14:26). My job is to be open. I am finding that dullness is really about me: my lack of openness to do the work that I need to do in my soul, a perspective of me that "I am OK", instead of perspective of I need a Savior.
The first step in the process of sharpening is admitting you have a problem. I mean, really admitting it. Not just saying you do, but really owning it; really coming to grips with the fact that you need a Savior to redeem you from you. I think that I am getting here - occasionally (when I think about it, I am there; as life hits me in the face, there are times when I leave that place and go back to where I was in dullness).
The second step is opening your soul to the Spirit of God and asking for Him to change. He is the agent of conviction. He is the agent of change. My part is yielding and allowing God to do His work.
Just keep repeating the phrase - "am I dull?" and listen. Listen to those around you. Listen to the Spirit of God. Listen to the words of God as you read scripture. You will hear where you are dull and where you need to change.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Was thinking this morning about consequences - unintended, intended, ancillary, etc.
In a conversation with a friend of mine, he stated that his ex-wife wanted to readjust a portion of their divorce settlement because financial circumstances in the real estate market had changed since the time their divorce was final. There are a lot of nuances attached to this that I do not have time to explain in this setting, so you will have to take a bit of a leap with me here. Her statement was that since the value of the home had decreased, that the amount they had settled on several years before was not valid and that he should share in the decreased value.
What struck me about this was her desire to negate one of the consequences of a divorce - an unintended one that was outside of both of their doings, but a consequence none-the-less. If they were still married, if there were still one, then they would mutually share in the decrease in value of the house. A consequence of being married and the real estate market declining - unintended consequence, but a shared consequence. But they weren't married so the consequences of the decision made many years before was hers to bear and hers alone.
This seems to be a universal concept within our culture: we desire the positive consequences of our actions, but don't want the negative consequences. When I write this, it seems to be an intuitively obvious statement intellectually and emotionally. The problem is, we don't get to make this choice.
In my years in working with people, I have found that most people focus on the positive consequences of their actions and forget to consider and weigh the negative consequences. They emotionally move toward the benefits and dismiss the drawbacks. When the negative consequences come, and they will, they attempt to get around them, attempt to push them out, deny them, etc., so they can justify their decision.
Adam and Eve are classic examples of this. They wanted to be like God and so they ate the fruit. They did not want the death that came along with it. The death of innocence, the death of weedless gardens, the death of painless child birth, the death of humanity.
I know that this is not the only factor in decision making, but I know that it is a contributor. Why else would someone start or continue to smoke knowing that it could lead to lung cancer? Why else would someone continue to eat fatty foods knowing that it could affect their cholesterol and increase their odds of a heart attack? Why else would someone continue to carry an angry persona knowing that it will affect the relationships around them?
The Bible speaks of it in these terms - the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). It also calls living like this foolishness (read the first few chapters of Proverbs about wisdom vs. foolishness).
Think long term. Think holistically. Think of the positive and negative consequences the next time you think about an action. Weigh them carefully and think through future scenarios. Consequences will come, the idea is to keep as many in the positive arena as possible! You can keep consequences positive by being obedient to God in every decision you make!
In a conversation with a friend of mine, he stated that his ex-wife wanted to readjust a portion of their divorce settlement because financial circumstances in the real estate market had changed since the time their divorce was final. There are a lot of nuances attached to this that I do not have time to explain in this setting, so you will have to take a bit of a leap with me here. Her statement was that since the value of the home had decreased, that the amount they had settled on several years before was not valid and that he should share in the decreased value.
What struck me about this was her desire to negate one of the consequences of a divorce - an unintended one that was outside of both of their doings, but a consequence none-the-less. If they were still married, if there were still one, then they would mutually share in the decrease in value of the house. A consequence of being married and the real estate market declining - unintended consequence, but a shared consequence. But they weren't married so the consequences of the decision made many years before was hers to bear and hers alone.
This seems to be a universal concept within our culture: we desire the positive consequences of our actions, but don't want the negative consequences. When I write this, it seems to be an intuitively obvious statement intellectually and emotionally. The problem is, we don't get to make this choice.
In my years in working with people, I have found that most people focus on the positive consequences of their actions and forget to consider and weigh the negative consequences. They emotionally move toward the benefits and dismiss the drawbacks. When the negative consequences come, and they will, they attempt to get around them, attempt to push them out, deny them, etc., so they can justify their decision.
Adam and Eve are classic examples of this. They wanted to be like God and so they ate the fruit. They did not want the death that came along with it. The death of innocence, the death of weedless gardens, the death of painless child birth, the death of humanity.
I know that this is not the only factor in decision making, but I know that it is a contributor. Why else would someone start or continue to smoke knowing that it could lead to lung cancer? Why else would someone continue to eat fatty foods knowing that it could affect their cholesterol and increase their odds of a heart attack? Why else would someone continue to carry an angry persona knowing that it will affect the relationships around them?
The Bible speaks of it in these terms - the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). It also calls living like this foolishness (read the first few chapters of Proverbs about wisdom vs. foolishness).
Think long term. Think holistically. Think of the positive and negative consequences the next time you think about an action. Weigh them carefully and think through future scenarios. Consequences will come, the idea is to keep as many in the positive arena as possible! You can keep consequences positive by being obedient to God in every decision you make!
Friday, May 20, 2011
It never ceases to amaze me how some people form their belief system. What they think, what they feel, what culture around them dictates, etc.
Some of the staff at Ada are dealing with a person who does not agree with some of our teaching. A person noted in a recent conversation with a couple of our elders that they really didn't agree with one of our doctrinal positions - didn't give a reason, but didn't agree.
When it really comes right down to it, this is a form of idolatry. Who is the idol? They are. When one has no basis for their beliefs other than what they think or what they feel, they are playing god (note the little "g" - did that on purpose). They have set the way they view the world up as the standard. The way that they view or feel about an issue is the basis that they judge everybody's beliefs. They play God.
It is pretty easy to identify someone who is playing God. Listen for personal pronouns - it really is that simple. Listen for "I" or "my". I think. I believe. As I understand it. My thoughts are. My perspective is. I am God. My opinion is the rule.
Unfortunately, it is pretty easy to fall into this trap - even if we really don't want to be god. Watch your speech and thought patterns. Listen to the words that you say.
What should one do instead? How do I avoid being God? Begin by looking to scripture FIRST. This is our objective standard. These are the words of God. This is where the real God communicates His desires, character and commands to us. What does God say? What does God think? What are His thoughts on the matter. Secondly, look at scripture. Third, examine what the Bible says. Fourth, apply what the Bible talks about or illustrates to the situation at hand. Fifth, if what you read in the scriptures doesn't jive with what you feel or think, refer to step one, two and three and believe it and allow God to be God.
Some of the staff at Ada are dealing with a person who does not agree with some of our teaching. A person noted in a recent conversation with a couple of our elders that they really didn't agree with one of our doctrinal positions - didn't give a reason, but didn't agree.
When it really comes right down to it, this is a form of idolatry. Who is the idol? They are. When one has no basis for their beliefs other than what they think or what they feel, they are playing god (note the little "g" - did that on purpose). They have set the way they view the world up as the standard. The way that they view or feel about an issue is the basis that they judge everybody's beliefs. They play God.
It is pretty easy to identify someone who is playing God. Listen for personal pronouns - it really is that simple. Listen for "I" or "my". I think. I believe. As I understand it. My thoughts are. My perspective is. I am God. My opinion is the rule.
Unfortunately, it is pretty easy to fall into this trap - even if we really don't want to be god. Watch your speech and thought patterns. Listen to the words that you say.
What should one do instead? How do I avoid being God? Begin by looking to scripture FIRST. This is our objective standard. These are the words of God. This is where the real God communicates His desires, character and commands to us. What does God say? What does God think? What are His thoughts on the matter. Secondly, look at scripture. Third, examine what the Bible says. Fourth, apply what the Bible talks about or illustrates to the situation at hand. Fifth, if what you read in the scriptures doesn't jive with what you feel or think, refer to step one, two and three and believe it and allow God to be God.
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