Clapping.
With Antioch and work and stuff I had to step down from assistant coaching cross country this year at the local high school. What a tough decision. I love those kids. We ran together. We played together. They were over at my house all the time. They still come over, just in the middle of the night to ring my doorbell and run:) And vice-versa. These kids are like family to me.
Anyways, today was my first chance to come back to practice and stay for a little bit. So I walk up into the mezzanine where they stretch. The coach was talking as they all lined the wall. Then when they saw me. Clapping. That's what I heard. Not a huge clapping. Just that, Hey-you've-been-away-for-a-while-and-it's-good-to-have-you-back kind.
Isn't it amazing? That feeling that you're presence is good to someone else. That someone else knows you. That someone cares when you're around.
Sometimes I wander how many people don't have this. They feel alone. Even in a place crowded with people, alone.
If you left and came back to a group of people after a duration of time away, would there be clapping?
Here's my answer for anyone reading this. Yes. Simply Yes. The Bible talks about celebrating on someone's return. Jesus says that one person returning to God sets heaven into an intense party celebrating that person's act of coming back.
Why?
Because that is where we truly all belong. With God.
There is no one who knows you better or has been with you more. He even knows your thoughts and words before you say them. If you don't think so check out Psalm 139.
Let me say this clearly: You are important to Him.
It doesn't matter how far away you go or how long it takes. Jesus came here and died so that you could come back. And when you come...clapping.
You're wanted.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Doing Verses Being
I have a confession I need to make. This is a hard one for me to throw out there but I'll just suck it up and give it to you. I have a problem and here it is.
I get caught up in...doing.
Yes. Doing. I've found that it must be one of the hardest things a follow of Jesus struggles with. Here's why. When I get lost in this "doing" I forget about "being." My mind starts running around and it seems like I have a million things to get done. Deadlines, meetings, people, messaging, blogs:), work, yard work, tires on the car, etc, etc, etc.
As of us have that don't we?
So on the surface, I just look busy. We're all busy. The problem lies deeper though. When I find my life gets caught up in "doing" I then evaluate my personal worth based on how much, or how well, I'm doing. Are my jobs getting done? Am I doing a good job? Then of course this mindset falls over to my relationship with God.
It's like I feel I have to be doing His work and doing it the best way to make Him happy. If I don't do it well, then He might get irritated. Often during these times, my prayers center more around things that I doing than anything else.
Ok..so yes God is a God who expects us to do His stuff, His will. Yes. But I've also found that when I focus on just doing, I don't really focus on God. Just me.
I forget that I don't have to do everything, because He has already done it all through His son, Jesus. We can't base our relationship with God solely off of what we do for Him. That would kind of take away the importance of Christ.
Sometimes I think God wants be to just be.
He wants me to sit and be with Him. To listen, to talk, to walk together. To have prayers full of the stuff I'm thankful for instead of just requests all the time and guidance for decisions I feel like I need to make right then.
What a horrid relationship it would be if my son Isaiah always felt he had to be actively doing stuff to make me love him. Or if he was more interested in doing the chores I will someday give him (he's only 2) than he was in me.
That would break my heart as a father.
May you take some time this week. Stop doing. Just be with God. And I pray the peace and fullness you'll receive from that time will leave you thirsty for more.
I get caught up in...doing.
Yes. Doing. I've found that it must be one of the hardest things a follow of Jesus struggles with. Here's why. When I get lost in this "doing" I forget about "being." My mind starts running around and it seems like I have a million things to get done. Deadlines, meetings, people, messaging, blogs:), work, yard work, tires on the car, etc, etc, etc.
As of us have that don't we?
So on the surface, I just look busy. We're all busy. The problem lies deeper though. When I find my life gets caught up in "doing" I then evaluate my personal worth based on how much, or how well, I'm doing. Are my jobs getting done? Am I doing a good job? Then of course this mindset falls over to my relationship with God.
It's like I feel I have to be doing His work and doing it the best way to make Him happy. If I don't do it well, then He might get irritated. Often during these times, my prayers center more around things that I doing than anything else.
Ok..so yes God is a God who expects us to do His stuff, His will. Yes. But I've also found that when I focus on just doing, I don't really focus on God. Just me.
I forget that I don't have to do everything, because He has already done it all through His son, Jesus. We can't base our relationship with God solely off of what we do for Him. That would kind of take away the importance of Christ.
Sometimes I think God wants be to just be.
He wants me to sit and be with Him. To listen, to talk, to walk together. To have prayers full of the stuff I'm thankful for instead of just requests all the time and guidance for decisions I feel like I need to make right then.
What a horrid relationship it would be if my son Isaiah always felt he had to be actively doing stuff to make me love him. Or if he was more interested in doing the chores I will someday give him (he's only 2) than he was in me.
That would break my heart as a father.
May you take some time this week. Stop doing. Just be with God. And I pray the peace and fullness you'll receive from that time will leave you thirsty for more.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Opportunities 3: The River
Check this out.
So there was this time in the Bible that this nation named Israel stood at the edge of a river. Not just any river, though, THE river. Where they stood was safe. On their side of course. There they had families and a history. They had familiarity and comfort. The problem is that there was one thing they were missing out on that dwelt on the other side.
Life.
Real life. Not just the I'm-happy-doing-my-thing kind of life. No. More of the I-have-a-significance kind. Call it what you want (fate, destiny, will) but you know what I'm talking about. The life that you want. The life with meaning, action, truth. All of us feel it. Or better yet, have felt the lack of it. It's that, "Is there something more?" feeling. We stand on our side of the river.
So here we have these people. Of course this isn't the first time they've stood here. Their parents where here 40 years before. Same chance. Same opportunity. Stay and never change, or cross and find life. See the problem with crossing is that there's risk. There are armies on the other side. There are giants. Cities are impenetrable and the enemy is fierce. That first generation saw that. Sometimes looking at the risk can cause us to forget the reward. It happened to that first generation and they paid dearly for it. 40 years worth of paying for it. They had their chance and blew it.
Not it's their kids turn. The first generation is gone, and Joshua's team is up at bat.
So what would you do? Risk and see what happens? Take the chance? Sit back and be happy where you're at? What would you do?
History shows Joshua took the step. Faith. He jumped. He went after the true life, the true promise.
Giants? Yeah. Fortified cities? Sure. Armies and wars? Yep. And it all started when he crossed the river. Of course so did the beginning of a new life. Why? Because where Joshua went, God was already there. Calling. Waiting. Wanting them to take the step.
It's amazing. God gave that nation a second chance. He forgave the first generation and led their kids back to the river. I believe in a God of second chances, don't you? I wouldn't be here writing this if He wasn't.
On the other hand. I don't believe that He is always a God of second opportuinities.
There are times that we all find ourselves at the edge of the river. Life sits on the other side. God sits on the other side. And He waits for us to make a choice. Do we follow after Him and find life? Do we stay and wander aimlessly?
I never pet that goat. I let it walk away. I never called Chris like God told me to. A couple days later though, I recieved a call that he had drown in a river. God's forgiven me both times. Unfortunantly though, in both, I lost my opportunity. And I deeply regret them.
May you find yourself at the edge of the river. And when you do, be bold. Step into life. Because God never asks you to go somewhere that He is not at already. Find life.
[check out where this history of Israel is recorded: Numbers 13-14 and Joshua 1-2, John 10:10]
So there was this time in the Bible that this nation named Israel stood at the edge of a river. Not just any river, though, THE river. Where they stood was safe. On their side of course. There they had families and a history. They had familiarity and comfort. The problem is that there was one thing they were missing out on that dwelt on the other side.
Life.
Real life. Not just the I'm-happy-doing-my-thing kind of life. No. More of the I-have-a-significance kind. Call it what you want (fate, destiny, will) but you know what I'm talking about. The life that you want. The life with meaning, action, truth. All of us feel it. Or better yet, have felt the lack of it. It's that, "Is there something more?" feeling. We stand on our side of the river.
So here we have these people. Of course this isn't the first time they've stood here. Their parents where here 40 years before. Same chance. Same opportunity. Stay and never change, or cross and find life. See the problem with crossing is that there's risk. There are armies on the other side. There are giants. Cities are impenetrable and the enemy is fierce. That first generation saw that. Sometimes looking at the risk can cause us to forget the reward. It happened to that first generation and they paid dearly for it. 40 years worth of paying for it. They had their chance and blew it.
Not it's their kids turn. The first generation is gone, and Joshua's team is up at bat.
So what would you do? Risk and see what happens? Take the chance? Sit back and be happy where you're at? What would you do?
History shows Joshua took the step. Faith. He jumped. He went after the true life, the true promise.
Giants? Yeah. Fortified cities? Sure. Armies and wars? Yep. And it all started when he crossed the river. Of course so did the beginning of a new life. Why? Because where Joshua went, God was already there. Calling. Waiting. Wanting them to take the step.
It's amazing. God gave that nation a second chance. He forgave the first generation and led their kids back to the river. I believe in a God of second chances, don't you? I wouldn't be here writing this if He wasn't.
On the other hand. I don't believe that He is always a God of second opportuinities.
There are times that we all find ourselves at the edge of the river. Life sits on the other side. God sits on the other side. And He waits for us to make a choice. Do we follow after Him and find life? Do we stay and wander aimlessly?
I never pet that goat. I let it walk away. I never called Chris like God told me to. A couple days later though, I recieved a call that he had drown in a river. God's forgiven me both times. Unfortunantly though, in both, I lost my opportunity. And I deeply regret them.
May you find yourself at the edge of the river. And when you do, be bold. Step into life. Because God never asks you to go somewhere that He is not at already. Find life.
[check out where this history of Israel is recorded: Numbers 13-14 and Joshua 1-2, John 10:10]
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