Hope for a Broken World

As you may know, I love various types of music. And one thing I particularly love is "tight" harmonies with an acoustic guitar only. Add that to lyrics that move me or speak to me and you've got a masterpiece. Well, here is just such a song. I came across it this morning by Selah. It brought a tear to my eye:

I Don't Always Get It

We had the opportunity to worship in Lincoln this past Sunday. While the setting seemed much more like a rock concert (smoke rising up from the dimly-lit stage as the worship team came up), I did manage to hear a word from the Lord. I was simply reminded that there are many times that God does something (or is doing something) that makes no sense to us in that moment. We question, "Lord what are you up to? I don't get this." But God asks us to just trust Him, to be patient. It's like the story in John 13. Jesus comes to Simon Peter to wash his feet and Peter doesn't get it - at all!. But Jesus says, "Hang in there. You will understand in a little bit." Sure enough, Peter gets it (for the most part. He goes a little overboard, but he gets it).

Here's my point: There are 3 learnings I'm reminded about God's way of doing things -

1. We will understand and see immediately what God is doing.
2. We will simply have to wait (days, months, years) before we know what God was up to.
3. We will never know (in this life) what God was doing because it will have played out in the next generation or maybe even much later.

My response? Stay faithful. Stay committed. Trust in the Lord with ALL my heart. Don't lose heart. God is good. His steadfast love endures forever.

Catch Your Breath

Our family is totally blessed to be able to enjoy some much needed quality time together. We are so thankful to our Bellwood Faith Family for the opportunity to take a sabbatical and do some things we wouldn't normally get to do.

We recently returned from Colorado. It was a memorable visit. I was taking pictures like crazy trying to capture the beauty of everything, but it's hard to do. Pictures and words just can't describe the magnitude of God's good creation - everything from Pikes Peak to the Garden of the Gods. It was all breath-taking!

One of the unique features of Colorado that will literally take your breath away is the change in altitude. We went from about 1,500 ft in elevation (Milford) to almost 10,000 ft at Rocky Mtn.

Mennonite Camp. It definitely took some adjusting. We had to go slow the first two days. I was ready to go climb Pikes Peak the first day, but that would not have been a smart thing. We did get to drive up the parkway and made it to the summit. Once again, you had to go slow in order to adjust the the new elevation which is 14, 115 feet. (It used to be 14,110 but they said it had "grown" five feet). Once we were there, the view took your breath away. We could see for miles! We could even see the curvature of the Earth.

Wow - God is certainly the Master Artist. We were in awe of His creation.

Am I Really THAT Busy?

We had the opportunity to worship at a church in Lincoln today. One of the things the pastor said that hit home was that "people are not really that busy". I look around at people in my congregation and in my community and say "we ARE busy people". Just 12 days into my sabbatical I've noticed how busy I usually am. We are too busy - with other things; things other than God, but the pastor today said no.

Here's his point: We can always make time for that which is really important to us.

Think about that. Whatever is important to us, we will drop everything to be there. We will put it on the top of our priority list. We will get up early so we don't miss it. We will miss doing or attending other things in order to be part of this thing that is important to us.

We are as busy as we choose to be. I know some people who feel trapped in their busyness. They feel like they have to be so busy in order to please everyone (their spouse, their kids, their co-workers, their pastor...and yes, even God), but the fact is we are not slaves or robots. We have the freedom to choose. You and I have the ability and the freedom to say either yes or no. This is called having boundaries.

So the next time you feel like you are just too busy, ask yourself "what is it about this project or event that is making me feel this way? Is it really THAT important? Is there something else MORE important that I should be doing? Or some other place I should be?"

Strengthening My Soul

I am reading a book entitled "Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership" by Ruth Haley Barton. She says one of the best things a pastor can say to their congregation is, "It is well with my soul". I hope to be able to say that at the end of my sabbatical. Too often the daily grind of pastoral work starts to eat away at one's soul. Jesus asks, "What does it profit someone to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" What does it profit a pastor to preach the world's best sermon, build the largest membership, gain everyone's approval and yet lose their soul? Sabbatical is a time for me to receive from God and not have to wonder if "this will preach" or not. Barton says, "Many of us have reached a place where we have acquired a lot of knowledge and accomplished much, but something is missing. We are desperate to find our way back to God that will feed our own souls. I'm tired of helping others enjoy God. "

During my sabbatical I will be intentional about times of solitude and silence in hopes of hearing from God and just being with God. What might God reveal to me about Himself? What might God reveal to me about myself? What will God ask me to change? I'm not sure, but I will try to be open to what God has for me. Barton says that when the pain of staying the same is greater greater than the pain of changing, we are ripe for God to act. Like a sacrifice, I bring myself into God's presence. I offer myself to Him. Most of what happens in solitude is happening below the surface. I will have to trust that even though I may not see it, God will continue to do a transforming work in me. Only those whom God has transformed are prepared to lead others in the transformation they seek.

It is good to remove myself from the arena where I receive so much of my identity from. I have already struggled a bit with feeling like I should be doing something - but sabbatical will remind me to be still and know that God is God AND that my identity is in Him and not in what I do. I look forward to journey on a path of better self-discovery. Like Moses with the burning bush, I hope to pay better attention to God. Too many times I am so busy doing God's work that I totally miss where He is - why? Because I am a fixer, a problem-solver. I am used to pushing ahead with whatever needs doing, but sabbatical is not about fixing, solving or doing. It's about letting go - of patterns and behaviors that no longer serve me well. Barton says, "We live in bondage to that which does not take us forward in the life of grace."

I have experienced much grace in my life - but unfortunately I forget to live out of that grace sometimes. We all need moments in our life to allow the chaos and busyness to settle so we can allow God to remind us of His steadfast love for each of us. This reminder will strengthen my soul.