Road Trip

So we made it. Left Thursday at 4 pm and we were in Sarasota by 1:30 on fri. afternoon. I love vacations, we need at times to unplug and get away from the noise of our everyday lives and jobs. At our links group last week we talked about this concept and how the busyness and innundation of distractions (schedules, cellphones, email, internet, tv, people) actually can keep us from hearing God. Vacations are a forced time of unplugging from the daily things that so often consume us. Interestingly these things that often consume us are unimportant in the eternal scheme of things. I have been self evaluating how quickly I came unplugged from work and daily life (it took me till about the Angola exit on the 90) and then what consumes my mind in the meantime. The ability to live each day to the fullest in respect to how God might have us live is found in the scriptures. We are told to not worry about tomorrow. How can I live for God today? How can I be Jesus to someone today? Our obsession with the future is one of the things that hampers our living for "today". The problem is that our culture and society are consumed with the future. While watching my kids I realize that most of their living is in the moment, it is in the here and now. I don't think I have ever heard of a kid with an ulcer? A child like faith, hmmm....

Liquid

(Before reading this go grab a glass of water) The other day I had breakfast with Isidore and we were talking about living the life that God has called us to. While we talked of our calling as Christians I looked down at the glass of water that was in my hands. Then it hit me. The thing about reaching the world for Christ is we have to be willing to fit into the world. We have to ebb and flow where we are taken in this world, posturing ourselves to the lost is not just a good idea it is the point of it all. We are to be like that glass of water. God takes that glass of water and pours it all over this lost world, in neighborhoods, in schools, in bars, the inner city, other countries, the poor, the rich, they all get and they all deserve this water. This living water, it's us, our at least it's supposed to be us. The thing about water as a liquid is that it takes the shape of the container that holds it, it slips and sinks and flows into the cracks that it is poured into and on. The problem with us, or maybe its just me, is that maybe I'm not a liquid maybe I am block of ice. Ice is rigid, it is unmoving, it is not fluid it does not flow. The only place that ice fits is the container in which it was created. Isn't it ironic that many Christians "fit" best in the place they where created, in the pews, within the church building. God takes this ice and throws us at the world and we don't fit. We bounce off the doors of our unsaved neighbors homes, the bars, those places where the lost are, we bounce. Ice is rigid, but not water, water flows under doors into houses into bars into lives. Jesus said "I am the living water", he also said "I came for the sick and the lost" and last but not least he said "follow me". So where does this leave us?
Cheers, enjoy the water.

Rebuilding the Temple

So I saw this story on the national news the other day called 'Faith and Fat'. It was pretty much dealing with this measurable trend that a large percentage of those that call themselves Christians are overweight and in many instances obese. I know that some people think I have some OCD in regards to taking care of some of my possessions, but the way I figure it is like this, if I am spending my hard earned money on anything from a car, to a house, to clothes, to a pair of sneakers, I don't see the point in treating any of it like crap. I work too hard to abuse and not take care of the object, I want to get as much use out of it as possible, neglect is just going to lead to it's loss of functionability sooner than later. It is a question of stewardship. Sure the easier and cheaper thing to do is to not rotate your tires or change your oil, but then see how long your car will be of any use to you. So why is our body, that the creator of the universe blessed us with, any different? Why when it comes to our physical bodies do many Christians turn a blind eye, to the care and preservation of this gift? Why do we eat and drink things that we know will hurt this gift, and refuse to do the things (excercise) that will preserve and strengthen it? It is a discipline just like any of the spiritual disciplines. Is it easy? Heck no. Is it fun? Not usually. Is it worth it? For sure. We owe it to ourselves, to those that we love, and most of all to God. It is a piece of our testimony to Him. So with all this said I think tomorrow I will start my physical training again. I have been sick for the past month, and been pretty drained of energy, but you know what they say about excuses. So manana I will be back at it, getting sore, eating right, all that stuff. Getting ready to do some triathlons this summer. Hey if anyone wants to start training it would be sweet for a bunch of us to do some triathlons together. Let me know.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.