3 conversations

Funny how three short conversations can energize me. Last night I had three distinct conversations, none of which lasted more than 5 or 10 minutes, that continue to impact my thoughts today. I didn't really say a whole lot, but mainly listened. Heard people speaking from their heart about what is impacting their lives at this point. Basics of those conversations were as follows:

• One talked about the discovery of what true joy looks like for him. He was talking about an experience he had recently that allowed him the to be selfless, to learn to follow instead of lead, to be surrounded by community and to love and be loved. The question he had was - so how do I bring that to my everyday life now? I've experienced it, now so what? (One of my favorite questions and one of the toughest to answer.)
• Another conversation was about following the prompting of the Holy Spirit even when you don't know why exactly. I love when people do this. Risk the unknown to experience what God has planned. It can be scary, but man, it can also be exciting. Love to hear that mix of fear with excitement of the possibilities. Isn't that really where we should be living most of the time anyway? Waiting to see what God is going to do next.
• The other conversation was about laying down the baggage he is carrying around. Knowing he is loved as he is. No additional clean up needed before he is good enough to be loved. The fact his past doesn't define who he is. We all have a history. It shapes us and our life experiences are part of the process of molding who we are becoming, but we don't have to have arrived to be loved. I told him I don't think we ever arrive during our life. We continue to grow, to wonder what is in store next, to make mistakes, to learn and to keep chasing after Jesus. I wonder how much ego someone must have to think they have arrived and have it all figured out? I think I continue to learn more of just how much I don't know.

Three conversations, none of them probably registered as life changing for the people, but for me... it gave me hope. Hope in the fact that people care. There are others who crave community. Others who have doubts and baggage to deal with. People willing to risk being real and more importantly willing to pursue a life chasing after Jesus. A much needed night for me. A small glimpse of what energizes me.

For or against?

What are you known for? Is it what you believe in or what you are against? I have a couple of friends that I could tell you what they are against, but I wonder what they are for? I wonder if people know what I am for or rather what I am against? One says this is how I live my life, the other says this what I criticize in others. Just wondering aloud this morning.

I read on Anne Jackson's blog sometime last week her list of "instead of" statements. I like this idea and have been thinking about it since then. These are some of the characteristics I want to be know for:

• Generous instead of entitled
• Patient instead of demanding
• Understanding instead of judgemental
• Honest instead of popular
• Serving instead of self focused

What "instead of" statements would you like your life to say?

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is one of those things that looks good when someone else does it, but isn't as wonderful when it is something personal. We look at athletes who are able to slam dunk a basketball or hit a home run with one sweet swing and wish we could do the same. We see the incredibly talented musicians who seem to be able to play anything and pick up instruments easily. We see the results, but we ignore the sacrifice it takes to get there. The long hours of practicing the same things over and over, the things passed up so that they could concentrate on doing this one thing well, the frustrations involved as they learned.

We do the same thing in the Church. We see the person who goes on the mission trips and think how incredibly gifted they are. If only we could do something like that. We see the person who starts an outreach to their community and makes a huge impact. If only we were that talented and had their resources. Some things I might not be able to do (I don't think I will ever be able to slam dunk), but most things can be accomplished if I am willing to personally sacrifice. The problem isn't that we can't accomplish some incredible things in chasing after Jesus, the problem is we aren't willing to sacrifice anything for them. Well, at least not much that would make us uncomfortable. Wonder if we would still want to watch March Madness as much the next couple of weeks if the athletes didn't put in the effort and sacrifice they have over the years? Wonder what God thinks with the effort we put into His plan? What are you willing to sacrifice?

Pushing through the normal

Working out this morning was an effort. Not so much physically, but mentally. It has reached the point that I feel like it is the same routine every time I go. Hit the cardio, then work the stomach, some weights and then repeat the last two. It has become the normal at the gym.

I was in a meeting the other day where it seemed like there were no new ideas. Oh, there were some variation of ideas that we've done before, but nothing really new. No really throwing out the box and doing something completely different. It was productive, but not really that much different than the meetings before.

Conversations with people that seem to cover the same ground. No new insights, no arguments (not that I am looking for those), a comfortable pace... almost like the replay button has been hit on those conversations.

This week at home has been about managing schedules, who needs to be where and when, doing the typical chores that need to be done, and figuring out what needs to be paid this week. A normal week. No crisis, nothing exciting, just the normal.

So how do you push through the normal? The routine, the predictable, the normal... I don't like those very much. I know most people long for those, but I want something different, something that moves me beyond the normal. I want to physically go farther than I have before, I want meetings that energize me and stretch me creatively, I want relationships that are always moving forward and molding me, I want more than a schedule at home... I want more than normal. How do you move beyond normal and have a sense of wonder and awe of what the day will hold?

What would it look like if...

I was watching my two youngest boys play last night. I watched as they played something sort of like football. What the rules were I couldn't really tell, but they seemed to be having a blast making up the game as they went. At some point when I stepped out of the room and came back, it had switched to a variation of baseball. Again the rules were a little fuzzy to me, but it sure looked like an exciting game. One of those games where they were cracking up frequently for no apparent reason. I love when the laugh so hard and can't seem to quit. It is a pleasant sound even though it is definitely a noisy experience.

Wonder why people don't more frequently see the church that way? A place that is fun and full of laughter even when they don't totally get all of the "rules". What would it look like if we weren't known so much for the rules... the "you can't", "you don't", etc... but known for our creativity. Or known for the laughter involved in pursuing Jesus. Or the love involved. What stops us from making it look a whole lot different than what it is? Stop and imagine what it could look like, not what it is, but what it could be. I wonder what it would look like if we...