When subtle doesn't work

Sometimes we need a high-five to the forehead... well, at least I do. The subtle doesn't always get our attention. How can we miss the obvious? The obvious is suppose to be easily seen by its definition. So how do we still manage to miss it?

In any sport that I've played, I've always heard the coaches talk about the basics. The key things to focus on. What happens when we forget the basics? The basics are what everything else is built on. Sounds easy right? But when things go wrong, we need to be reminded to go back and concentrate on the basics.

I think our pursuit of Jesus is like these a lot of the time. We ignore the obvious and choose to try to do things our own way. Forget the basics, we have a better plan. Yesterday was one continual day of "Hello, anybody home? Think McFly. Think!" type moments (nice 80's reference) for me. The most painfully obvious - if I want to be close to God, I need to be spending time consistently talking to him (praying) and listening (reading the Bible). Duh!

I wonder how many people noticed the red mark on my forehead at the end of the day from all of the high-fives I got yesterday? Anybody else have trouble seeing the obvious?

Living in the middle

Have you ever been stuck in the middle on a long car ride? Being given the chance to fend off two people who have decided to harass you. Or to play referee between two opposing forces.

The middle is where most people tend to hang out and ride the fence. You have the chance to go with the most convincing argument. A decision is made with the masses. There is safety in the middle according to some.

But what about living in the middle of life with someone? Do you want to invest in someones life? If so, be prepared to live in the middle of it all - the good, the bad and especially the ugly. The middle is where it thins out in life. Unlike in politics or making a decision where the middle can be crowded, when you are living in the middle of the mess of life, people don't want to venture there. It is messy. Things get complicated. There aren't easy answers. There are often more questions than answers. When it is going good you might have some people along for the ride, but in the middle it is easier to tell who cares about you because the crowds have thinned.

Are you a Christian? If so, I would say that the middle is where we are called to live. The place where hurts exist, where the realities of life collide with what you say you believe, the place where we are the most unlovable but need the most love, the tension from the tests of life - this is the middle. This is where a pursuit of Jesus will lead you. The place where people are hurting and need an unexplainable and unconditional love. It isn't for the weak. It isn't easy. Living in the middle will cost you - time, money, heartache, and comfort.

Wonder if we shouldn't just just ask people who decide to follow Christ if they are ready to live in the middle? Don't know if you are in the middle yourself or trying to help someone who is, but I think this might be where life is decided. It isn't crowded there, but some amazing things can happen in the middle. Ready to jump into the middle of it all?

Searching for inspiration

Where do you find inspiration? I think we all look for something to inspire us. It doesn't have to be the thing that inspires us for the rest of our life, but maybe just for the day. Maybe it just catches our attention and causes us to pause. Maybe it is a new way to see something you hadn't noticed before. Maybe it is an idea that makes you want to take action. Maybe it is an injustice that makes you want to find a solution. Maybe it an incredible photograph that inspires your heart. Maybe it is a movie that captures your imagination. Maybe it song that keeps running through your head the rest of the day. Maybe it is a book that impacts your world more than you ever thought possible. What is it that inspires you?

For me, all of those things inspire me at times, but probably the most consistent source of inspiration for me is the relationships in my life. They push me to want something more. Sometimes it is to be a better person. To learn to love and care for others more than about myself. Sometimes I see what it looks like to be a person madly in pursuit of Jesus. Sometimes I hear the words in conversations that inspire me to dream bigger and not settle for just okay. Sometimes it is a hug from someone that helps me to understand that we need to love with open hearts. The relationships in my life teach me so much. Sometimes from unexpected sources and sometimes from the consistency of relationships that have lasted a long time. So again, what inspires you? Maybe the better question is how are we going to inspire someone else today?

Do we really want others involved?

I was talking with several guys last night about things going on in our lives. Each of them in some form or another said they needed the support and accountability (I've come to not really like this word because it is one of those words that people throw around but never really define what it means to them) and felt like they had been alone in the things going on. It was like a light bulb came on for me (maybe because I heard it in multiple ways in a short time), even though we are surrounded by people who can be a part of our lives we choose to do it by ourselves. We say we want it, but when we are in the tough situation/trying to make a decision/whatever, we choose to go it alone. We don't want to bother someone. They won't understand the problem. It is my life. Plain and simple excuses to keep ourselves from having others really be involved in our lives. Really what we mean is they may tell me something I don't want to hear. They may challenge my weak excuses. I may not get to do what I want to do. So we go through life alone surrounded by lots of people. It is messy to open up to others. It is messy to try to serve others. So we continue to choose the easy and get the same results each time and wonder why. Wonder when we will stop playing around and really jump into the messiness of life with each other? Do we really want that support or do we want people who will agree with us? Those usually aren't the same thing. So what are you going to choose?

What occupies the center?

These aren't original thoughts by me, but what has been on my mind since reading Mark Batterson's blog yesterday. He wrote the following:

"In the beginning, God created us in His image. We've been creating Him in our image ever since. Instead of worshiping the Creator, we settle for something less. We find a substitute god, small g. Instead of the Ultimate End, God becomes a means to an end. We want something more than we want God. And we try to use God to get it."

That is the definition of an idol. Maybe you don't have a little statue that you bow down to, but what is it that you are placing in front of your desire for God? I challenge to really think about the following questions and then be brutally honest in telling your answers to someone.

• What consumes your thoughts? What is it that you daydream about?
• What habits do you you struggle with?
• What do you spend too much money on?
• What produces intense emotions in you? What are you emotionally attached to that shows in your strongest emotions?

These all are pointers toward things that might be idols. Things you place in front of God. Things that mights control you and your thoughts. Things that have control of your money. Where your heart lies. To remove an idol you have to be able to name it. Do you have any idols that need destroyed? If so, what are you going to do about it? Who are you going to reveal your answers to?

A blank page

The beginning of the year is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a blank page that is still waiting to be written. I am not big on resolutions (probably because it feels like a checklist to me), but I do like the feeling at the start of the year of how everything going forward is wide open. I know each day is like this, but at the beginning of the year I recognize it more. The possibilities are all there and I am starting with a clean slate - no failures this year to look back on, no baggage from my mistakes this year to carry, but instead there is hope. Hope that my pursuit of being more like Jesus will be reflected in my life. The hope that I can be the husband, father, friend, leader, and worker that I am suppose to be. That hope is what keeps me trying. The possibility that this year I will get it right more often than not. Today is a blank page in the first chapter of 2010, what are you going to write today?