Downtime!

If your summer is like most folks’ summer you were busy! It seems like we all try to cram in the most fun in the least amount of time – especially when you have family. School is out for only so much time and with our eldest heading off to college (yes, he’s already there), we wanted to spend some quality time all together before school forced us all to go our separate ways.

So we headed to southern Colorado. We enjoyed a tranquil setting to say the least; with a plethora of picturesque photo opportunities at almost every turn of the road. No television, no Internet, and not much cell phone activity either – just a lot of time practicing our social skills. Taking hikes and drives through the mountains and trying to catch our breath at 8000 plus feet of elevation. Barely staving off altitude sickness (since we went from around 700 feet above sea level to over 8000 in one day instead of the 3 or 4 days recommendedJ), but having a blast.

It is interesting how much our fast-paced world impacts our lives; it normally takes 2-3 days for me to just “relax,” but after I do the feeling is immensely pleasurable. We usually don’t even realize the need for solitude and relaxation in our lives, but when we finally get a taste of it, we can’t imagine how we’ve done without it for so long.

So too our spiritual lives. We often get busy with living life and trying to do the best we can for our families, the organizations we enjoy, and sometimes even the spiritual side of life. Then, when we finally have that divine encounter, or “God moment” as a few folks call it, we suddenly realize that we have been missing something important. Whether you have been raised in church your whole life or feel like God isn’t a big part of your life, those moments when God seems so near cause us to realize there’s more to life than just “keeping up with the Jones.”

The Scriptures do tell us that God really cares about us; so much so that he allowed his only son, Jesus Christ, to pay a high price for our debts (John 3:16). Even though we did not ask him to do it, God allowed his son to die on a cross for us so that you and I might have an opportunity to know God as he longs for us to know him. The neat thing about God though, is that he never forces anyone to follow him—it’s always our decision. And if we do make that decision to connect with God on a deeper level—the free gift of that relationship provided for by the death of his son—is ours.

You may not be able to sneak away to southern Colorado for some downtime, but I pray today that you’ll be able to break away for a few moments and seriously consider the value of what a deeper relationship with God could do for you. I know he can’t wait to hear from you!

Thankful!

Since my hiatus from blogging we’ve given final exams at seminary and Bible school (much to my students dismay), taken a trip to Europe, a mission trip to Namibia, Africa, a ministry trip to Texas that included seeing family, and now getting ready for some meetings back home in Springfield. I can tell you this…it’s awesome sleeping my own bed!

Since our oldest is getting ready to head to college we wanted to really spend some quality family time together and have a blast. So I put my doctorate studies and everything else on hold and jumped in head first for a summer full of fun. I must admit, we have definitely had a blast but I’m ready for summer to be over! And a 16 hour plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean (to Africa and back) is not my idea of relaxation. But the time together has been priceless, and the mission work had an impact on everyone’s lives. What an enriching experience!

Over the course of the summer, the moments of thanking God for the blessing of a great family seem to come more frequently. I often reflect back on all the days of sowing into our children’s lives and secretly praying that they’ll still want to come and visit mom and dad even when they have moved out of the house and have families of their own. I’m overwhelmed at times by the shear realization of how blessed I am.

This realization comes as I sadly see others who have not fared so well. Family feuds, separations, and tragedy have marred the lives of far too many people. And even when I see (and sometimes experience) the hardships of life, I realize that God’s grace helps us through those times. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans in the book of Romans chapter 8, verse 28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God has been working in my life through all the good and not-so-good times of my life. Through successes, failures, disappointments, and tragedy, God has always been there for me – and He wants you to know that He’ll be there for you if you let Him. Can you imagine…the God of the universe in your corner ready to help you at a moment’s notice? That’s just downright radical!

Are you in the zone?

While vacationing in Germany with my family we happened to ride the wonderful transit system that Germany enjoys. I knew the trains were very punctual and efficient since I had been stationed in Germany while in the Army many years ago (over 20), but knew I needed a little refresher course prior to hopping on. I visited with our hotel clerk and she shared the specifics of the automated ticket machines and the different "zones" you needed to specify when purchasing your ticket.

My German was rusty at best but I managed to understand enough to actually get us on the right train at the right time! So off I went to purchase our tickets. I had to enlist the services of a local patronage but finally got everything ready for the train. During this time I noticed that those folks who ride the train every day for work or leisure had no problem with the system and went through the necessary motions as though it was all second nature. I was reminded of places we had traveled to in ministry, like Washington, D.C., where people ride the subways everyday. They know the right trains to get on and what signs to look for - they know which "zone" they need to travel in - the blue line, red line, yellow line, green line. Whichever system of "zones" a community uses, the people gain an understanding of how it works.

As a minister, I began to think about spiritual "zones." I used to be in the "far from God" zone long ago and have seen others in a multitude of zones (since we all like to stereotype folks and place them in categories). I've seen the "religious" zone where everyone goes through the religious motions of doing what they think is right even when their heart isn't, as well as the Jesus fanatic zone and cynic zone. We've got the atheist zone, the deistic zone, the secular zone, and the relativism zone.

But I think there is a zone we all can experience and that's the Jesus zone (yeah, a bit corny but you understand what I mean I hope). Connecting with a God who cares about each of us through His son Jesus Christ doesn't mean we have to disconnect from reality. The Scriptures tell us that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:14). We can enter the work place or wherever God has placed us so that we can make a difference by our example. If we are fearfully and wonderfully made then we should realize that God only wants the very best for each of us.

I realize that bad things do happen to great people and that we do not live in a perfect world, but God truly does care about each and every one of us and longs to be a part of our world--but we have to let Him in. We have to choose whether we will willingly enter into his "zone" and allow Him to have leadership and Lordship of our lives. That's a daily challenge and may be why Jesus said that we had to pick up our cross daily. So what zone are you in? Every day is an opportunity to connect with God....will today be your day? I hope so!