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Archive for June, 2009

Still Waiting

Posted in Motivational on June 8, 2009| 1 Comment »

Are you any good at waiting?  I hate waiting.  I don’t like long lines at the grocery store or at Six Flags.  I don’t like red lights and I despise the waiting room at the doctor’s office (appropriately named).  If I have to go to the doctor, I always take a week’s supply of reading and work with me so that I can use the time productively.

If you are like me, you aren’t crazy about waiting.  But I read a good book a few months ago that I still go back to occasionally when I get frustrated with waiting.  The book is titled, Deep-Rooted in Christ – The Way of Transformation, and it is written by Joshua Choonmin Kang.  In this book, Kang uses Moses as his example of what God does while we wait.  

I am in the midst of the desert in many respects, waiting for God’s plan to be revealed and at times, I confess, I get very impatient.  But the quote that I go back to from time to time from Kang is this: “In the school of waiting, servants of God behave differently than others do.  Some are tempted to complain about time wasted, but they resist; instead they use their time to pray and plan and fuel their dreams for the future.  And God is at work while they are waiting.”

I find this is not easy to do, but a good reminder from time to time.  You may not find yourself in this situation now, but most assuredly you will sometime in the future.  If you find yourself in a time of waiting right now, take heart.  God is at work – your job is to stay focused on the call God has given you.  

Easier said than done but hang in there.

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You Wanna Dance or You Wanna Visit

Posted in Motivational on June 5, 2009| 2 Comments »

Late Night Square DanceI was only at youth camp for one evening before returning home, so I am sure there will be better things to report but this was one of those moments that is most likely more funny to me than you might find it – but here goes.  The schedule included “Late Night” each night at 9:30.  Monday night the agenda was square dancing.

A real live square dance caller was brought in to make it a real experience.  So here is the scene:  300 middle school and high school students, excited to be at camp on the first night – boys trying to impress girls and girls doing the same (you know the scene) – all crammed into a long narrow room 35 feet wide and 100 feet long.  It was chaos.  The caller, a tall, thin man in his early 100’s (ok probably really in his 70’s) was at the mic trying to get the students to follow the calls.

Finally, the frustration got to him and he yelled out through the mic, “You wanna dance or you wanna visit?”  I was just observing all of this and I lost it.  It was the funniest thing I had heard in a long time.  The sad thing was, I am not sure that many of the students heard it or even cared.  But he finally got them going in the right direction and the overall effect was that they all had a good time.

I still plan on having the man’s picture put on a T-shirt with the tag line, “You wanna dance or you wanna visit” emblazoned across the front.  But the experience has come back to me several times this week.  It got me to thinking about how often that question could be asked of me.  How often do we go to church because that is what we are “supposed” to do?  We put on a joyful face and put on aires trying to impress our peers.  But we rarely really join the dance.

As a Christian, God has a wonderful plan for each of us – one that will require everything from us but be the ride – or the dance – or our lives.  But so often we stand by and never participate.  So my question for you to ponder this weekend is this – “You wanna dance or you wanna visit?”  The choice is yours – but as for me – I wanna dance!!!

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It Takes All of Us

Posted in Church on June 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I just had the best meeting with a gentleman in our church.  He lost his wife a few months ago and we have gotten to know each other a little better through that experience and since.  In one of our conversations a few months ago, he told me about his career and how he had spent his life working in the electrical industry.  

I mentioned that we are always needing people knowledgeable in that area on our mission trips.  He said that he could not attend and participate in a trip like that but he would be happy to help if he could in some other way.  Marvin does great getting around but he uses a walker to assist him and so he didn’t feel that a construction site would be the place for him.  I told him we always have plenty of help but not always the needed knowledge so if he could design the electrical layout of the house, we could probably take it from there.

This past Sunday, Marvin came and found me.  He wanted to know if I still needed him to help with the electrical plan.  I told him I did and so today, I took him the floor plan.  He took the plan and began to tell me how he would design the layout and color code it so that anyone could pick it up and understand what needs to be done.  

It was in that moment that I was reminded that it takes all of us.  The key is understanding who we are and what God has called us to do and then the most important element of that formula – actually getting involved and doing it.  Thanks Marvin for reminding me, once again, that everyone has a part in God’s plan.  

You are truly an inspiration to me.  You reminded me that everyone has a part to play and that in order for the plan to work, we all have to do our part.

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Fine on the Outside, But on the Inside . . .

Posted in Formation on June 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

This past Saturday I had to finally bring myself to cut down three trunks of an oak tree.  We noticed last year that the leaves were not coming out as well in that area of the tree but thought maybe next year . . .  But, no that part of the tree is truly dead.  So I spent the day cutting, hauling and stacking wood and branches. 

As the first trunk crashed to the ground, I noticed in the cut I had just made, some white worms.  As we looked at the wood, we found holes bored all through it.  It appears that we found the culprits.  The first thought I had was, “I wonder if these little guys have friends and family eating away at our other oak trees.”  From the outside, the other trees look fine, but so did this one just a few short months ago.

The tree may have looked fine on the outside, but the inside was a different story.  The tree was being eaten away and was rotting.  It got me to thinking about people (as do most things I encounter).  Do people ever get into this situation – looking normal on the outside but suffering death on the inside?  Jesus used the metaphor of whitewashed tombs,  you can read about it here.  

What about you.  Do you work at appearing great on the outside but neglect the inside?  When people look at you, do they see a true picture or are you hiding what is really going on?  The point of the story today is not to make us feel bad, but rather to alert each of us to two facts.  The first is that we cannot ignore the inner life.  We must be committed and disciplined to spend time in God’s word and in prayer.  We do not ever want to fit Jesus’ description.  

The second fact is that we must never forget that the people we encounter may look like they have it all together but in reality, on the inside, they may be hurting.  God calls us to show grace and compassion – to everyone.

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Just Follow

Posted in Formation on June 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I realized last night at worship here at youth camp in the midst of the mountains of Ruidoso and the smell of the pine trees that my own batteries have been dangerously low for a while now.  Sometimes it takes getting out of our normal environment for God to show us how empty we have become.  

I honestly wish I had more time to be here in this place with the students to witness what God will do here this week.  But God showed me something last night and even again this morning – even in times of drought, our call is simply to follow – just follow.  That is a good reminder for me.  I have committed myself to take the time this week to recharge and I have also committed myself to remember that even when I am not sure what God has for me, the best thing I can do is simply follow.  To follow means to do the things I know to do and that means to continue to seek God in prayer and in God’s word.  So that is what I will do!

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Spiritual High’s

Posted in Formation on June 1, 2009| 1 Comment »

In a few minutes I will get behind the wheel of our people mover and make the 4 1/2 hour trek to Ruidoso, NM.  We are taking our students to youth camp.  As I am hurrying around to get things done before I leave, I can’t help but think about my days at camp when I was a teen.  We spent our summers going to two or three camps normally.  Most of them were at Paisano Baptist Encampment between Marfa and Alpine.

 I have many, many fond memories of camp.  I made new friends at camp.  I strengthened existing relationships at camp.  I sang with friends at talent shows at camp.  But the thing that stands out most in my mind about camps was the spiritual “high” I always came away with.  In fact, I surrendered to full-time vocational ministry at camp.

But without fail, the spiritual high only lasted a few weeks once I returned home.  Now one might be tempted to think, “Then what is the point?”  The point of having these experiences is extremely important.  I may not have grown very wise in my 43 years but one thing I have noticed about life is the constant ebb and flow.  Some days are better than others.  We need the times when we feel close to God to help us through the times we don’t.  But more importantly, the realization that the “high” slipped away with time also helped me realize that my spiritual walk is so much more than a feeling it is a commitment to a growing relationship.

So look for those spiritual high’s – that’s great, but realize that it is in the consistent day to day that real relationship is formed.  Stay strong!

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