Unplugged

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with all of the extra noise in life? For the most part I like to be busy and like having lots of distractions around. Part of my short attention span I guess. Start things, move on, live in the chaos. But I also know the value of being removed from it all and being able to slow down enough to hear the things that the chaos and extra noise tends to drown out. That is one of the extra benefits for me of going to conference with our high school students. I will be unplugged for a week - no computer, no TV, and I plan on keeping the phone tucked away for the most part. A chance to have some conversations that are uninterrupted by all of the extra noise. A chance for some quiet (well as much as you can have surrounded by 1,000 high school students) and a chance to recharge. So if you read my blog, it will be silent next week. No posts, no thoughts, not even going to schedule posts for when I'm gone. Consider it my gift to you of a little less noise in your life. Take a break from a little bit of the extra noise and see if there are some things you need to be hearing. Enjoy your week away and we will see if I have any readers left when I get back.

The unofficial expectations

Read a post on Tim Steven's blog that pointed out how unrealistic our expectations as leaders in the church can be. Here is the list of some of the unofficial expectations of what a "real" Christian should be doing. We may not say these all of the time, but I think this may be the perception that is often communicated.

1. Attend church service weekly.
2. Volunteer during another service.
3. Attend bible study or Sunday school or midweek service (sometimes all three are offered)
4. Serve in a ministry that helps the poor and needy.
5. If you are a leader (and we know who you are), then we'll have a few more meetings to attend, contacts to make, events to organize and teams to rally.
6. Attend periodic special events hosted by the church.
7. Be a great husband or wife and invest time in your marriage.
8. Oh, and make sure you are involved in men's' or women's' ministry.
9. Get in a small group and meet regularly.
10. If you are a man, you must be in a men's' small group for accountability. Otherwise we know you look at porn.
11. If you are married, you probably should also be in a couple group if you care about your spouse.
12. Read your bible every day. Anything less than 30 minutes is probably not enough.
13. Be a good citizen. Vote and get involved in your community.
14. Give ten percent of every penny that you make. And give to the special offerings. And give to the kids going on the missions trip. And give to the building fund.
15. Go on a missions trip. Been on a local trip? Overseas is your next step.
16. Invest in relationships in your neighborhood and at your workplace.
17. Invite people to church. Every week. The purpose of that, of course, is so you can get them to church so they can do #1 through #16 above.

Worn out from that? Oh, well don't forget about all of the other expectations that everyone else in your life also has. Your friends, work, family, sports your kids are involved in, school activities, etc. The things above aren't necessarily bad, but the key is to figure out how we can help people bring their walk with Jesus into their lives. We don't need more things to do or activities to feel guilty about, we need to focus on who we are becoming. The hard part about that, and why we have list like the ones above, is because that is hard to measure. A relationship with Jesus will show in the fruit we bear, but sometimes that fruit may take a while to produce. More activities aren't the results of bearing fruit, a life centered around Jesus is where we should be aiming. What is your measuring stick?

What are you willing to sacrifice?

Sacrifice is a word we don't use much. Kind of goes against the grain of "you can have it all". To me sacrifice means to willingly give up something that I value for someone else. For some people that may be money. Can I give up my dream house, my plans to have a comfortable retirement, my vacation, my Starbucks coffee so that I can give that money somewhere else. For others it may be time. Will I give up my hobby, the sport I really enjoy playing, hanging out with friends so that I can use that times somewhere else? For me it is my preferences that are tough to sacrifice. I want things the way I like them. A friendship to be on my terms, a schedule that works conveniently for me, a church service that appeals to my style. See the tough part of sacrifice is that it requires us to step outside of what we want. Giving up something that doesn't matter to you isn't really a sacrifice. It may still be good to give it, but it isn't a sacrifice. Really sacrifice boils down to being selfless. Can we lay down what we want for someone else? Can I place someone else's desires ahead of my own? The sacrifice doesn't depend on the other person's needs or wants, it is about whether I choose to be selfless or selfish and really isn't that what it all comes down to anyways.

For me, it means today that I choose to give up my preferences in some relationships. Will it be tough? Yeah, hence the name sacrifice, but it is still comes down to a choice of whether I want it my way or if I am willing to give what someone else wants. What are you willing to sacrifice?

One of those days

Ever have one of those days? You know, the one where the minute you walk in the door it is one crisis after another and everyone needs a piece of your time, usually the same piece of time and their need is the most urgent. Yep, that has been my day - total chaos. In the midst of all of the craziness, I managed to go to lunch with a guy that I have been wanting to get to know better. We had rescheduled multiple times for one reason or another and had finally landed on today to get together. It was a nice break from the insanity at work and very refreshing for me.

Where is this story going (yes, there is a point and it isn't to complain about my day)? As I've had a few minutes to stop and reflect, today is a snapshot of how my life feels a lot of times. Things come at a frantic pace, sometimes without the chance to even catch our breath. We move from one challenge to the next, but in the middle of the chaos of life we get that day, week, or month of smooth sailing. That chance to slow down and enjoy life, but we've got to take that opportunity. Seasons of rest give us the chance to refresh for the next things coming down the road. Good reminder for me today not to waste those opportunities. Are you slowing down enough to enjoy things when you get the chance?

Fight or flight?

If you haven't experienced it, odds are you will. If things are going smoothly right now, you will probably have some bumps in the road at some point. It comes down to a choice in how you respond. Do you fight for it or do you take flight? Is it worth fighting for or do you just walk away? I see so many things that are treated as disposable - a job where they expect you to work hard, quit and find something easier; a relationship where there are problems or tension, walk away and blame the other person; a church that doesn't meet your needs, jump to another where they do things your way; a team that doesn't agree with your plan, quit and find those who will side with you. The list is long. Probably too long. Maybe sometimes you even need to walk away, but the scary thing is that seems to be the first thought. I want the easy. I want things my way. I want... and if I don't get it, then I quit. Sounds a lot like grade school doesn't it? But aren't the good things worth fighting for? Maybe it means we don't get what we want. Maybe we take the longer view. Maybe we need to stay and be the catalyst for change. The thing is it comes down to that one choice. Are you going to stay and do everything you possibly can or do you just simply walk away when things don't go your way?

I am so glad that I have people around me who are willing to fight. Odds are they could have walked away many times because often I am that bump in the road. I was today, but a friend chose to stay and fight through it. He could have walked and pointed the finger and would have been right, but he chose to take the longer view. He chose not to walk away. Odds are you will have a choice to make in the near future. Will you choose to fight for the things you believe in or simply dispose of it and move on to the next thing?