Things I am pondering

Some random thing have caught my attention this week. Not sure how they all tie together but these are the things that I have been thinking about.

• What does it say to someone when we say "I've been busy"? Read the following quote yesterday on one of the blogs I follow - "The truth is we are all busy and we all make time to do what we really want to do. When I say those words to someone what I'm really saying is this - I am too busy for you." Ouch! Sometimes the truth is painful. We throw out the limp excuse of busyness, when in reality we find the time to do the stuff that is really important to us. I've been dismissed by this excuse before as someone rattles off their lengthy list of things they have been doing and I've wondered why I didn't make the list. Why did they have the time for all of those things? Were they politely saying "I am too busy for you"?
• What are you talking about that isn't even relevant? I read a list yesterday that is put out each year by a small college about things that the incoming freshman class have either always lived with or have never known to exist differently. It's their perspective of the world. Things like - few in their class know how to write in cursive, that parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-Head might be the voice of a lost generation, they have never used a phone that has a cord attached to it, Nirvana is on the classic oldies station, having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine. Does the cultural reference that you are using mean absolutely nothing to the audience you are trying to reach? Is the latest thing you are worried about going to be just another one of those things that end up on this list? Made me wonder what to do as I listened to a couple of guys argue about the importance of e-mail, when in reality for the under 25 crowd e-mail is too slow and outdated anyway. They simply don't use it. Can you change to reach a new generation or are you using references they simply don't understand? Change isn't bad. Embrace it or miss some very important opportunities to reach a different generation. Are you waiting for them to adjust to yours? It isn't going to happen.
• Is a forgotten e-mail, appointment, text, promise or phone call really that big of a deal? I would argue yes. The follow-through is crucial. When we don't follow through we might miss an opportunity. If someone is ready to open up, to make a decision to move forward, shows an interest in Jesus and we don't follow through, then we have at least missed an opportunity and maybe even hindered their growth. When we miss the follow-through, we miss when they wanted to talk, we missed the chance to help them move forward when they wanted to make the effort to move forward. You never know when the opportunity will be available or when they will want to, so the follow-through is crucial. How is your follow-through? Do you do the things you say you will do? Do you show them they are important or do you tell them with your actions that you are too busy for them? We often want to skip the details and just look at the big picture, but if you don't pay attention to the small things you might not even get the opportunity for the big ones.
• Be ready to embrace the unexpected. I was writing a letter to one of the students that leaves for college today and it hit me how strangely our friendship started. It was a little over a year ago that he showed up to where I was hanging out and talking with some of the guys that I had asked to be in a small group. He was a friend of one of the guys and I had never really talked to him before that. He jumped into the conversation that night and continued to keep coming back over the next year. A year of unexpected twists and turns, challenges and incredible conversations. I hadn't planned on meeting with him when I started out last year, but God had other plans. Are you ready to have your plans changed? Sometimes the unexpected is where we get to grow the most. Having a plan isn't a bad idea, but be ready to embrace the unexpected in the plan because that might be where something incredible happens.

Just noticed that today is post 400 for me. Almost two years of writing about the things that grab my attention, the incredible ups and downs of living in community, the way God keeps challenging me, the hard lessons to learn, the things and people that I am thankful for, the books that spark more thoughts, the conversations, the random thoughts and observations, the funny moments and a small glimpse into my perspective on life. Don't know why you check in here, but glad that you do. Hopefully you take away something to think about and realize how crazy God is for you. Hope you have an incredible day and that the unexpected will invade your day.