Time... is on my side?

I don't think I'll ever be able to wrap my head around the concept of time. I complain about not having enough time, but when I really think about it, I realize that I waste too much time. And then there's the repetitious things in life you have to do, like laundry, cleaning, driving, sleeping, that consume a lot of time. How are we ever supposed to get everything thing done that we're supposed to do each day? And even if we do, by the time we wake up the next morning, there's more to do again. Read this devotion a few days ago:

"It was Ernest Hemingway who once said "Time is the least thing we have of." And he was right. How quickly time passes - and how often we lament this. If only we could tack an extra twenty-five or thirty years on to the usual span. There is so much more we want to see, to celebrate, to do. So many places to go, so much to enjoy, to feel, to read, to talk about, to participate in, to encounter. Yet, for each of us, this thing called time is in such short supply..

Our frustration is only compounded by the numerous unimportant, dumb things that seal our minutes and siphon the signifcance out of our hours. You know what I mean. Stuff like getting gas or a haircut, standing in the eternal line at the DMV, doing laundry, washing all the dishes after every meal, mowing the lawn, and a dozen other time-consuming things that have to be done but keep you from doing the things that make life so invigorating and fulfilling.

Since "time is the least thing we have of" and since there is no way we're going to escape all the stupid time-traps that accompany our earthly existence, seems to me that we're left with two choices: Either we can fuss and whine about not having enough time, or we can take the time we've got left and spend it wisely. I mean REALLY wisely, with our priorities in the right order.

Speaking of that, what are you doing with the rest of your life? I'm talking about cultivating relationships, building memories that will help lift the load of future trials, and the deliberate pursuit of activities that will yield eternal dividends.

Do you have a family? Rather than leaving them the leftovers and crumbs and giving your job your best hours and your most creative ideas, how about rethinking the value of strengthening those ties? And while we're at it, let's not leave out necessary time for quietness, for personal reflection and refreshment.

You say you don't have time to add another week to your squirrel-cage lifestyle. Don't kid yourself. You keep blowin' and goin' like you've been doing most of your adult life, and you'll wind up mumbling to yourself in the twilight years, wondering how you could have stayed so busy yet accomplished so little.

Hey, maybe Hemingway wasn't right after all. You and I have more time than we realize once we get our priority ducks in a row."

Movies, Society, Sin

A friend's post pointed me to the article Escalating Depravity by Gene Edward Veith. It basically talks about how movies these days are getting worse and worse because people are becoming desensitized to the things they are seeing.

One of my friends used to say she can't wait until there's a moral revolution, where people get sick of where society is headed, start standing up for what's morally right, and put pressure on the TV and movie industry to stop the downward spiral they are in. I see her point, but sadly I just don't know if it will ever happen. Although, I suppose it starts one person at a time... This said a week after I went to see The Departed... What can I say? Growing up with my brother, I developed a taste for action/adventure/thriller movies. This article had the following comments about "The Departed": "Directed by Martin Scorsese from a gritty, witty William Monahan script, has no redeeming social value except one: It brilliantly depicts the depravity of man and the consequences of immorality. It is thus a more moral film than those that gloss over life without God."

I might have to limit myself to my other favorite movie genre from now on: Pixar!

In other news, here's an interesting game for the kids.

Urbana

Found out about the Urbana conference a while back, and keep hearing about it at random times. Not sure if I can take off work, but maybe if I work hard. Plus, I'd get to hang out in St. Louis, with the super-awesome Kruegers! All you folks out there with time on your hands after Christmas should think about it.

Kurds

We had a guest speaker tonight from Christar, an organization that reaches out to the "least-reached" people around the world. Cherie amazed me. She's probably in her mid-30s, is single, and has an amazing heart for Kurds. Her confidence and assurance in the fact that God is doing mighty things, even though only a small percentage of Kurds are believers, and her dedication to the tasks the Lord has given her made a definite impression on me. She was very down-to-earth, reminding us that "God does not call us to convert people. He only calls us to share the Gospel truth, and the Holy Spirit works on the heart." She talked about summer trips to Iraq, classes to take to learn more, and a number of other things that I simply don't have time to do now that I've got a real full-time job. I left this evening's class kind of depressed wondering "But what can I do? What is God calling me to do?" Given some time and prayer, I'm a bit more at peace and settled down. For one, I can pray. For two, I can look for opportunities to build relationships with people I encounter. And for three, God gives us each our own gifts and talents and opportunities to impact His kingdom. God gifted Cherie with the heart and personality she needs to reach out to Kurds. It is her calling. God created me for a specific purpose. Whether that involves computers or college ministry or cookies or koosh balls, I'm really not sure. I'm still trying to figure out what His purpose is, but I'm confident that He's leading me somewhere. If Cherie and I switched places, she would not be equipped to deal with my daily tasks and opportunities, nor would I be equipped to handle hers.

Amongst all the handouts we got, there was a video that provides a basic overview on why some Muslims are peaceful and others are extremist, the difference between fundamentalist and modernists. If you have 12 minutes and are interested, it's here.

Blessings

I've been meaning to blog on the topic of Blessings for a very long while now, but I couldn't figure out how to organize my thoughts. What constitutes a blessing? When things are going well, people tend to say "the Lord has really blessed us." Hmm, are wealth, health, and happiness results of being blessed by God? Well, what if things are NOT going well for someone? Is the Lord still blessing them? And what about all the people across the globe who don't have a tenth of the things Americans have and who are living lives we couldn't even imagine? Where are their blessings?

The Lord blesses His people in different ways. How would you answer the question of "How has God blessed you?" Is that even an appropriate question? Here is my dilemma: I feel that I have been amazingly blessed by the Lord. He provided me with a wonderful Christian family, extremely loyal friends who stick by me even though I make that hard to do at times, a great environment to grow up in, and a good education, to name a few. I cannot help but think "why have I been blessed in this way when many other people in this world have not?" Or perhaps more appropriately, "why has God chosen to give me so many good gifts?" I have done nothing special to deserve them, in fact often times I have taken them for granted. But then I stop in my train of thought and realize the point: We don't deserve anything and we don't have to earn anything. They are gifts. And God in His sovereignty bestows gifts as He sees fit and according to His purposes. And what blows my mind even more is that God WANTS to give us more gifts than we could even IMAGINE! So long as we recognize that He is the source of these gifts!

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11

At Our Savior's tonight, Pastor Mike said "You are blessed to be a blessing." You can interpret that phrase two ways depending on if you read "blessed" as an adjective or a verb, and I like it either way because it makes the whole process cyclical: We are given blessings, so that we can bless others, and in doing so be blessed ourselves. The important point to remember is that "the more we have been blessed, the more responsibilities we have." I will never be able to figure out WHY God chooses to give certain gifts to some people and not to others. We are on a need-to-know basis, and we don't need to know why. The most important focus is not on WHY but on NOW WHAT? What do we do with the specific blessings, gifts, and talents God has entrusted to us? As Matt Redman says "Every blessing you pour out, I'll turn back to praise." We should use every ounce of everything we have to bring glory and honor to God. The next question is HOW do we do that? And the answer to that is different for each person and it involves a lot of prayer.

I'll close with one more quote from Pastor Mike:
"The Christian life is not about security, it's about certainty."

Books

When I was a kid, I loved the public library and couldn't get enough of books. College and boring textbooks cured me of that disease, but for the past couple years, I've tried to get back into the habit of reading. I've since realized that I have a bad habit of starting a bunch of books and never finishing them. So, I was going to be like Betsy and say I wasn't allowed to buy another book until I finished all the ones I already have, but I forgot and bought Lifestories by the Casting Crowns lead singer this weekeend. So, now I have 5 books by my bed that I need to finish, and that's not counting the ones still in boxes that I've forgotten about...

I ran across a list of the Top 50 Books that have Shaped Evangelicals. Before you look at the list, I encourage you to think about what books and authors have impacted your life the most, maybe even post a comment about it. For me, it would include:

• The Mystery of God's Will


• Through Gates of Splendor


• Spiritual Leadership


• God at Work


• Let the Nations be Glad

Themes

Years seem to come in themes for me. 2003 was about trust. 2004 was about transformation and Romans 12:1-2. 2005 was about priorities and God's plans, Jer 29:11-14 stuff. I think 2006 is about contentment. I did a Bible study on contentment back in February, but I'm definitely still learning what it means to be content in every circumstance. I like the quote that "Contentment is not the fullfillment of what we want, but the realization of all that we have in Christ." At the beginning of 2006, I was definitely struggling with contentment. Work was frustrating, the church was changing, friends were moving on, I felt like I was standing still. The problem was that I was focusing on the things I wanted but didn't have, instead of realizing how much Christ has already given me. Consider for a minute how absolutely amazing the gift of eternal life is. How often do we glaze over that fact because we've known it for years? We don't deserve the gift folks, but it's ours. Everything else in life pales in comparison.

I've heard the phrase "Grow where you're put." A tree simply grows where its seed is planted. God has planted each of us where we are right now for a reason. I think realizing that is one key to contentment. Now that doesn't mean we get lazy and stop listening to where He is leading us and what He is up to. It's kind of a balance between making the most of each day and looking forward to His future plans. Reminds me of the lyrics of a hymn that's been going through my head for a while now: Hark, the voice of Jesus calling

Islam

So, I'm taking a class on Islam and wow, I am learning a ton. Lots of things about the history and beliefs that I didn't know before. But also other things, such as how much impact Muslims had on classical mathematics and science back in the day. 1001 inventions points out a few. Makes me wonder, what happened to Islamic influence on the sciences? Why is it that the West is now dominating academia and technological discoveries?

Ramadan is from 24sept to 23oct. Pray for the Muslim world during this time, that the truth and the Gospel of Christ may reach out to them, and for those in the EWI class as we learn about their beliefs.

PS: I stole the meebo thing on the right from miked's blog. Figured I'd copycat and try it out for fun ;-)

Bloglines!

Want to keep up with blog posts, news sites, etc., but don't have time to traverse a ton of websites? You need www.bloglines.com. It can track any site with an RSS feed. Thanks to Derek for passing along this useful info!

National Cathedral

I went to a worship service at the National Cathedral this morning. Unlike most "cathedrals", this one is not associated with the Catholic church, but rather the Episcopalian church.

It's been a LONG time since I've been to a church service that was so formal. I tend to enjoy contemporary praise music, with guitars, drums, and the like, and most of the churches I went to in College Station had that kind of style. Plus, the Lutheran church I grew up in isn't really your typical Lutheran church. Formality and respect is definitely an important part of worshipping God, the creator of the universe. Think of it this way: when people have weddings, they have big ceremonies that are planned out and have a protocol. There's just something about a ceremony that emphasizes the importance of an event. Formal church services can be viewed that way. However, while awed by the ceremony, something was missing during the service at the National Cathedral, and I think it was the personal connection to Christ and to others that occurs in an intimate, laid-back worship service. God deserves all of our honor and respect, but He also wants our hearts and our emotions. He wants us to approach Him, to love Him, to make Him an integral part of every aspect of our lives. I think there's a balance that needs to be found in a worship service between honor and respect and making the throne of grace approachable to all.

Worshipping in our nation's cathedral was certainly an experience that I'll remember, but it's not something I could do every week. The congregation there is very transient, people come and people go. People are from various backgrounds and various faiths. While the diversity would be very enriching, it would be hard to make that a church home. Being part of a church is more than just attending the services, it's about being involved and growing together with Christ and the congregation: knowing the ins and the outs, knowing the people around you, and the stuff going on behind the scenes. I learned this lesson the hard way on my internships up here. Since I knew I wouldn't be in the area very long, I didn't make it a point to get plugged into a church and find a church home. Don't get me wrong, I went to church. I probably visited every Lutheran church in a 20 mile radius from my apartment! And I went to Frontline at McLean Bible regularly. But I didn't go to small groups, Bible studies, or any extracurricular church activities. Part of me looks back and wishes I had done things differently, but part of me realizes that those experiences were just lessons to teach me to prioritize my life and prepare me to find a church home this time around, and wherever God leads me in the future. It's funny the way the Lord works; many times we don't know how He is preparing us or what He is preparing us for. But we must be faithful, one day at a time, listening to His voice and being a light unto the world. The National Cathedral is certainly a light unto the world. It has its place in God's plan in sharing the message of Christ with the world, as do all the little churches across the country and throughout the world that proclaim the Gospel of Christ.