A Month in the Life

If I or someone were to write a book about my life, several years from now – what would I hope be written about me? Would it be that I had accomplished great things in this life? Did I successfully climb the corporate ladder of life? Such things would be considered vanity of all vanity (Ecclesiastes), or meaningless of all meaninglessness. The question remains -- what is of temporary or eternal value – does that inspire me to strive toward Him actively on a daily basis?

I posed this question to our small group last night, and they shared the hope to be remembered as someone who loved God and others with every fiber of their being. One person shared that she wished to have the tapestry of her life, from all the low and high times along the journey, to bring glory to her Creator. Another shared that they hoped that they would be a person who made a difference in the lives and the hearts of people around them.

Each of us have a message being communicated through our lives and our actions each and every moment of the day. My hope is that my message is a direct reflection of Christ – my thoughts, my actions, my hopes, my ambitions, and my dreams. An organic faith that propels me to live my life in a tangible manner to all those around me.

Can I fulfill such a commission to have my entire life - from the moment that I walk out from my house, while I am driving on the freeway toward work, to the countless people I am in contact with during my visits in the hospital, to my other chaplain co-workers? My hope that is that I can truly let my life be a light in the darkness – to inspire others along their journey toward Christ. May the Lord mold me into the man of God that He calls me to be each and every day. My hope is that my life’s message is one that may be pleasing to the one who deserves all the glory – for His light inspires me to reach after Him.

mr

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

My mom and I took a short trip to Waco today and something caught my eye just as we were coming into town. A church located on I-35, Victorious Life Church, had a huge banner on front advertising 30 minute worship. (For more info, the church has created a separate site for this worship experience: http://www.30minuteworship.com/.) The website even details what to expect during that 30 minutes:

Worship (10 minutes)Each service will have praise and worship lasting 8-10 minutes to connect you with God, lead by our full worship band;
Word (12-15 minutes)The most important part of the worship gathering is God's Word;
Response (5 minutes)Every service gives you an opportunity to respond to God through prayer and giving. We know prayer is essential for life!

I’m all for letting folks know what to expect when they come to your service. I’m also a big supporter of structure (those who know me well KNOW how much I love structure) and organization. What I’m struggling with is…what’s next? Don’t bother getting dressed and coming to church—we’ll come to you at your convenience, with a worship band in tow, and God will be given precisely 45 seconds to work your miracle!

What if I need more than a 5 minute response of prayer and giving to live a “Victorious Life”? God, please never let my structures and methods limit You!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

So this year I received a “promotion” of sorts. But not the kind you would necessarily be excited to receive. You know, more responsibilities, more work, but no additional pay. J I now serve as the district’s Lead Dyslexia Specialist, which is more of an administrative position: training & mentoring new hires, facilitating difficult meetings with parents, etc. Most days, I love my job. I travel a lot, so I regularly meet new faces, and I appreciate the fact that my work has the potential to positively impact a larger number of students than ever before. My supervisor is an amazing woman whose husband is a youth pastor, so working with someone who shares similar values is a refreshing change of pace.

With all that said, there are still days that I’m not so fond of my job. With the added responsibilities comes even more difficulty attaining a healthy work-life balance. I know what you’re thinking—wait a minute, it’s summer time! Teachers don’t work during the summer time, right? Well, this teacher does!

Summer work wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, except for the kind of work I’ve been doing lately—interviewing & hiring. We thought most of our positions filled, but now we’re falling apart. One of our specialists is moving with her husband’s job, two potential new hires we expected to gain have declined the position due to gas prices, another lady who interviewed well had horrible references (don’t burn any bridges!) so we can’t hire her, and the list goes on. The short of it means I may potentially be mentoring up to 5 new dyslexia “specialists” who have no specialty in reading at all, with little or no relevant training prior to coming to us. This is scary and frustrating…and gives me a wonderful opportunity to turn it over to God!

So, for the past week and a half, I’ve been on the phone, on emails, calling, begging, looking for qualified folks….and praying! I can’t describe to you the burden I have for our kids. While the thought of preparing up to 5 inexperienced teachers to be “specialists” is overwhelming, what’s more concerning for me is the impact of their lack of experience on the kids. I don’t want folks to be experimenting with our kids—a quite vulnerable population. So, when fear or anxiety start to get the best of me, I stop and pray for our kids, that God would send us teachers who will love, nurture and respect them, and help them become all they can be in Him.

At the end of the day, I have to trust that He loves those kids more than I do, and it will all work out. And I’m finding each day that my ministry in the public school setting isn’t much different from my ministry at The Sanctuary of Cedar Park: it’s all about depending on God to use your life to make an eternal difference in someone else’s life. Isn’t that why all of life is worship, and any service to another is ministry to God?

For a few months, we’ve been prayerfully negotiating a tract of land in the northern part of Cedar Park. The monthly payment is above our monthly budget for the church, and it will require a down payment that is also beyond our reach. With that all said, by faith we are placing an offer on the land tomorrow. We hope to hear something in the next few days – and that could, in turn, begin a new chapter at the Sanctuary of Cedar Park.

What would it mean for us? The most basic answer is that we’ll no longer have to set up and tear down everything into a portable trailer each week, or worry whether the school’s A/C is working, or whether they’re having field day and the gym is trashed. The big picture, however, is much more significant: with permanent facilities, we can offer more ministries, and more effectively meet the needs of our community. For example, we could have Sunday school classes (as opposed to our current Sunday School closets & hallways), offer mid-week services, prayer meetings, and youth activities all under the same roof. We can even provide after-school services like free tutoring for struggled learners, marriage & family counseling (you know, we’ve got to put our education to good use!), and provide a safe place where people can meet to explore God’s Word on a regular basis. As Bro. Bernard said, this could be the crucial next step that permanently establishes our church.

So, please keep us in your prayers this week as we step out in faith on this new piece of property….it is in God’s hands.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

So, I was pondering life thoughts over the weekend and how my actions and attitudes have a direct correlation to how I reflect Christ. When the world sees me, my thoughts, actions, attitudes, my entire life -- do they truly see Christ in me? My hope is yes – surely others must see me going to church as my neighbors are heading to the beach. Hopefully, they notice that my life’s mission is to be actively involved in my community; hopefully they see that what I do and what I preach about on Sunday match up. When I visit folks in the hospital, or give food to the homeless, I truly strive to embody the mission of what Christ has called the church to be. When I teach a Bible study or baptize someone in Jesus’ name, am I fulfilling everything God is calling me to do?

As I really reflect about the larger things in life – am I really giving everything to store up treasures in heaven? Do I give, sacrifice, love, care, and respect others the way Christ calls each of us to live? I recall reading something about the soul-winner’s crown (I Thessalonians 2:19), the crown of righteousness (1 Peter 5:4), the crown of glory (2 Timothy 4:8), the incorruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9:25), and the crown of life (James 1:12). What does that all mean? Is there more to being a true disciple of Christ than just being baptized, speaking in tongues, and living a separated life? What about all these crowns?

I guess these questions often come to mind when someone asks that objectionable question “so, is that a heaven or hell issue?” Even better still, “will that be what keeps me out of heaven?” Such questions could reflect an individual’s desire to simply slip into heaven rather than to fully reflect what God has for His creation while on earth. Conversely, it could simply reflect our western way of compartmentalizing—making salvation a linear, step-by-step process as opposed to an organic experience.

My prayer is that I can truly be “salt and light” to the world around me, to positively influence others in their personal journeys toward a deeper relationship with the Creator of all things known and unknown. May God help me as I strive to be more like Him, and fully reach for all that He is calling me to be, in my daily life, spiritual development, and missional lifestyle.

My prayer is that whatever it takes for me to become all that God has purposed, one day I can take all my faith, actions, and accomplishments and cast these crowns at the feet of Christ….

mr

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!