What is a perfect day?
It doesn't consist of lunch in a rowboat with swans on a glassy pond filled with lilypads. And gone are the days of wearing white:)
No...I think a perfect day has very little to do with our ideas and plans.
And maybe that looks like all of you STILL in your pajamas at noon. Those pajamas only coming off because the boys are caked in mud and soaking wet. (I pray that we see the value in these moments. The hearts that we are shaping...the opportunity that we have been given to raise up these men.) And everyone says that we will blink and our boys will be grown. That we will long for days of dirty diapers and endless laundry...
And when they are older, they'll look back and recount the precious memories they have from these humble beginnings...and they'll smile.
They will say to their own children, "Goodnight, Mr. Butterfly!" in a silly deep voice. And they'll remember that they had to wash their hands until, "Jesus Loves Me," had been sung through at least once. They will always know that you love them, "Too too too too too pieces".
And these are just a whisper.
I think a perfect day is a day filled with abiding in Him. Nothing else. No expectations or checkmarks on your to do list.
A perfectly imperfect day is just giving our boys a home that is filled with His love...and our love.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Everyday Evangelism
It's not a new idea...and there are likely thousands of blog posts out there like this...but here goes...
Mark 16:15 says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation".
ALL the world.
There is some amazing work being done in "all the world". What do you think of when you hear this? I think of Africa and Honduras...and a lot of far off places.
And I have to ask myself (which is something that I tend to shy away from because the result generally involves an uncomfortable shift in my beliefs or in my life...or both). But, I have to ask myself...
What am I doing? On a daily basis...what am I doing to make this world a better place?
To effect change.
Good change.
Great change.
Life-changing change.
What am I doing?
And you know what's coming next...What are you doing?
It seems I've hidden behind my station in life. I have a wife and a three year old and a one year old...and they all need me. I'm a husband and a father and a son and a brother and an uncle and a coworker and a life coach.
Ok, I'm not a life coach...it was just getting boring so I thought I'd throw that in there to make my life sound more exciting. Because, frankly, my life is VERY full. In an amazing way...but maybe not exciting in a, "What did you do this weekend," recap kind of way. Don't get me wrong...there are adventures at every turn...bathtime and bedtime and breakfast time and all kinds of other "b times" that I can't think of right now. (As in-my three year old is climbing on my back and belly flopping into the pillows on my bed as I type this-time.)
So where were we? I was about to tell you how I don't see how I can pack up and go to Africa for three weeks on a mission trip. AND I KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE DOING IT...I get that. I commend them! I really do. And maybe I just need to take a leap of faith and do that very thing. And maybe I will...with the whole family. But that's not the point here.
My point is that, "All the world," includes HERE! Right here!
It means Austin, Texas. It even means my home. My neighborhood. My office. My church.
I can effect change today. Right where I am.
And I'm not talking about smiling at some one and being kind. Sure...that's nice. But that's not going to get them into heaven.
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron in, "The Way of The Master," lay it out like this...they say that your compassion must be greater than your fear. As in...Your love for people has to overshadow the fact that they might not want to hear what you have to say in regards to eternity. And really, that's okay...and it's not about what YOU have to say anyway...it's about what the Bible says. Right? So the fear of rejection shouldn't really come into play here.
But it will.
Just know that it's not from God. Fear does not come from Him. Plain and simple!
And you don't have to be weird about this. Just be yourself...and, yes, you will be nervous the first time you talk to someone about God. And that's okay. Just know that you'll be less nervous each time you do it...and God will use you in BIG WAYS as you keep at it.
So now we're back to my point. Which is this...
God can and will and WANTS to use you to change the world. Just be open to that. Spend five minutes...(do you like how I worked that into this blog?...FINALLY?!)...ask God what He wants to do with your day...and then LISTEN. Get in a quiet place and wait.
And do what He says.
That's all. That's all I wanted to say.
Mark 16:15 says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation".
ALL the world.
There is some amazing work being done in "all the world". What do you think of when you hear this? I think of Africa and Honduras...and a lot of far off places.
And I have to ask myself (which is something that I tend to shy away from because the result generally involves an uncomfortable shift in my beliefs or in my life...or both). But, I have to ask myself...
What am I doing? On a daily basis...what am I doing to make this world a better place?
To effect change.
Good change.
Great change.
Life-changing change.
What am I doing?
And you know what's coming next...What are you doing?
It seems I've hidden behind my station in life. I have a wife and a three year old and a one year old...and they all need me. I'm a husband and a father and a son and a brother and an uncle and a coworker and a life coach.
Ok, I'm not a life coach...it was just getting boring so I thought I'd throw that in there to make my life sound more exciting. Because, frankly, my life is VERY full. In an amazing way...but maybe not exciting in a, "What did you do this weekend," recap kind of way. Don't get me wrong...there are adventures at every turn...bathtime and bedtime and breakfast time and all kinds of other "b times" that I can't think of right now. (As in-my three year old is climbing on my back and belly flopping into the pillows on my bed as I type this-time.)
So where were we? I was about to tell you how I don't see how I can pack up and go to Africa for three weeks on a mission trip. AND I KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE DOING IT...I get that. I commend them! I really do. And maybe I just need to take a leap of faith and do that very thing. And maybe I will...with the whole family. But that's not the point here.
My point is that, "All the world," includes HERE! Right here!
It means Austin, Texas. It even means my home. My neighborhood. My office. My church.
I can effect change today. Right where I am.
And I'm not talking about smiling at some one and being kind. Sure...that's nice. But that's not going to get them into heaven.
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron in, "The Way of The Master," lay it out like this...they say that your compassion must be greater than your fear. As in...Your love for people has to overshadow the fact that they might not want to hear what you have to say in regards to eternity. And really, that's okay...and it's not about what YOU have to say anyway...it's about what the Bible says. Right? So the fear of rejection shouldn't really come into play here.
But it will.
Just know that it's not from God. Fear does not come from Him. Plain and simple!
And you don't have to be weird about this. Just be yourself...and, yes, you will be nervous the first time you talk to someone about God. And that's okay. Just know that you'll be less nervous each time you do it...and God will use you in BIG WAYS as you keep at it.
So now we're back to my point. Which is this...
God can and will and WANTS to use you to change the world. Just be open to that. Spend five minutes...(do you like how I worked that into this blog?...FINALLY?!)...ask God what He wants to do with your day...and then LISTEN. Get in a quiet place and wait.
And do what He says.
That's all. That's all I wanted to say.
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