Friends

Isnt it great to have really good friends!? People who encourage just when you need it. Or who correct and hold you accountable. Or, my favorite, tell you that they love you. When God places those people in your life, it is a blessing like none other.
Sometimes those friends come from unusual beginnings. For example, some of the most encouraging and best friends I have are former students. Kids I have seen grow up from 6-7 year old snot-nosed heathens to the Godly young men and women they are now. Youth ministers have a peculiar circumstance to deal with in this area. About the time we get to see a kid mature, we have to send them off to the world. But all hope (or communication)is not lost.
One of those good friends/former students sent me an email with some C. S. Lewis quotes in it and I thought I would share both my happiness in the friendship and the wonderful encouragement of the quotes themselves. So here goes:"'[Law said], 'If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.' Those are hard words to take. Will it really make no difference whether it was women or patriotism, cocaine or art, whisky or a seat in the Cabinet, money or science? Well, surely no difference that matters. We shall have missed the end for which we were formed and rejected the only thing that satisfies."
The end for which we were formed. Wow, what an idea. That we were formed for the perfect relationship with God Almighty only salvation can bring. Everything else is dis-satisfaction.
The relationships He allows in our lives can and should mirror that perfect one with Him. That is a topic and idea I am exploring with great joy!
I seem to have rambled quite a bit on this one, i'll try to keep it together better on the next.

Moved

You know that feeling you get when you got just the right amount of sleep? You wake up and have that rested sense of perfect sleep. Especially nice when it hasnt happened in a while. That's a pleasant awakening.

After pondering so much yesterday and today about music moving me, that part of me was awakened on the way home from Houston tonight. I stopped by Pineywoods on the way home to pick up some of Melo and my shoes. On the way out the driveway, I turned off the radio, rolled down the windows and opened the sunroof. For a long while there (until the rain made me close everything) the wind, God and me had a pow wow.

I told Him what was on my heart and really just tuned into His for about an hour or so. It was very refreshing. Then I cranked a CD back up and was MOVED by the songs I wailed before my King. The part of me that is moved by spending time tuned in to God (worship) awakened. What a pleasant awakening.

The 'Move' of Worship

I know that music moves us. Its the way God set us up. That's not entirely a blanket statement, but by and large music moves us. My question for this musing is this: To where does music move us? It moves us from here (where we are) to where?

The right music moves me closer to my wife, or different music stirs a patriotic response in me. The music on that ASPCA (the sad one with the abused/neglected animals) commercial moves me to change the channel. But music that proclaims the Holiness or Righteousness or Sacrifice or Grandeur of our Lord moves me to offer Him all of me. It stirs in me a desire to surrender.

So music moves us toward the intended target? That doesn't sound exactly right. To where does music move us? It can move us to an ideal or event. Get the right jingle stuck in my head and I'll start craving coca-cola. But I don't think God's intended purpose for that programming is fulfilled by mass marketing that "teaches the world to sing, in perfect harmony". I think God's intended purpose in programming us to have music move us is so that we are moved to worship Him. So if the song you just listened to causes you to be amazed at the God of the universe, it fulfilled His intended purpose. If not, well that's 3+ minutes of your life you'll never get back.

At Wit's End

...you will find yourself at your wits' end and at the beginning of God's wisdom. When you get to your wits' end and feel inclined to succumb to panic, don't; stand true to God and He will bring His truth out in a way that will make your life a sacrament. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Oswald Chambers said it so much better than I could ever say it myself. I do believe that only when we get to our wit's end can we begin to trust God's wisdom. The Word says that He will never put anything on you that is more than you can bear. Only He is talking about temptation in this much quoted scripture, not about circumstances of life. You see, He wants to put more on you and me than we can bear because He knows it will cause us to rely on Him, instead of our own strength. Dont resist the trials of life. See them as the gift from God they are. You may find yourself in Elisha's shoes, striking the Jordan river with Elijah's cloak asking, “Where it the Lord, the God of Elijah?” and finding that the river has parted.

SNAC

SNAC this weekend will be at Bro. Lee's house. Jr Hi needs to bring drinks, 9-10 chips and 11-12 desserts.

Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.

Important?

Is what we do important? I dont mean to ask if what we do is significant or interesting or cool. Is what I (or you or your gf or bf or, idk, your bff rose) do important? If it is then we should, by all means, pour all our hearts into it. We should let it consume our conscious moments and drive our dreams. We should shuffle our schedules to have more time to do that thing which we have realized is truly important. We should spend the money we work so hard to earn on that very important thing. We should convince our friends and families that it is the most worthy and valuable thing we could possibly do. We should invite them to join us, but if they refuse, it shouldnt deter us from continuing. When we face ridicule and persecution for doing that most important thing, we should set our face as a flint; determined to carry on.
If what we do is not important, we shouldnt.

Ok, so this begs the question: what do we do? I cant answer that for anyone but me, and I dont like the answer very much. Reason being that what I do is largely unimportant. Gandhi said: what we are doing may seem insignificant, but it is most important that we do it. I like to pretend that what I do is significant and that people are very concerned that I do it. When, in fact, much of what I do is not. I would like people to see me as important and my work monumental. But that's the fallen side of me. The Christ in me (who, btw, is working very hard to be seen) doesnt care the people see me or my work as important or monumental. He cares that they see Himself in me. They can only do that as I spend time with them and love them and care for them. Who "they" and "them" is should be a different musing altogether. Let's suffice it to say that for now, I want for God to change me. That doesnt sound like its going to be very comfortable, but I'm ok with that.