Two Churches

We went to church on Saturday night. We had never been to this church before. It was the stereotypical Missouri synod Lutheran church service. Lots of people sitting in back. We sat toward the front.

Sang every verse of every hymn. Except for the last one since we were over time and then it was just the first and last verses so that we could get out of there. The sermon was OK. But we left with the feeling of being "unfilled".

Sunday morning I got up early and went for a run. 'Twas hot and humid. As I ran I prayed. I knew that I should go to church on Sunday so I decided to go to the nearby nondenominational church that we have visited several times. I showered and cleaned up ate breakfast and headed off to the early service.

Got there just in time for the praise band. And they played a couple of old standby hymns. The violin was a nice accompaniment. Lots of joy. And a great sermon on temptation that compared the lives of Joseph (Old Testament one) with the life of Jesus. Compared the temptation that Joseph faced from Potiphar's wife with the temptation Jesus faced from satan after 40 days inthe wilderness. Practical application points at the end. Followed by communion.

God worked me over. Lot's of prayer.

Right at the end of the service I had the distinct impression of: "It is well with my soul."

Quite the difference from the feeling of the night before. And a great Father's Day present.

I have to be careful though. Feelings can deceive. I need to listen to the voice of God speaking through His Holy Spirit and follow the direction that I can discern. And thats not what I want to discern, its what I can discern.

For the road is narrow...

Rain Barrel

This last Saturday we went out to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to look around. While there we bought a rain barrel kit. And we had a free hot dog, chips and iced tea.

Saturday afternoon, I put it in place and put it together. Then I waited for rain. And I waited. Prior to Saturday it rained eight days in a row. Finally, early this morning, it rained. A third of an inch. And the barrel overflowed. It is placed under the shortest length of gutter on the house.

Later this morning it poured again. But the barrel is not any fuller than it was before. It is just as full as it was and will remain so until I empty something out.

I'm reminded of our Christian life. God gives us a little and it is enough. We need to empty some out so that he can put something back in. Otherwise we will just sit in place slowly going stale and moldy.

So our goal is to empty ourselves to others. We have to look for those places that need water and be ready to give water.

And be ready and available to be filled again.

Walk

So this morning, before the sun came up, I went for a walk. The creek was running full over the small waterfalls after the half inch rain over night.

After work I went for a run in the 74 degree fall day with the wind out of the northeast. I guess it is still spring but it sure feels like fall.

After I grilled up the Shoyu Chicken that Loralie had made and we had a great dinner on the deck, I took Nikki (our dog) for a walk.

I was about 3/4ths of a mile in and deep in prayer. The Lord has laid a couple of things on me lately that I need to deal with. I was cruising along when I noticed out of the corner of my eye an older man struggling with a large trash can. Tomorrow is trash day (remind me to get the trash out tomorrow).

His cane was getting in the way. I was just about past him when I realized that I needed to at least ask him if he would like me to help him out with the trash can. He was really grateful. So Nikki (our dog) and I ran the can down to the street. Its one of those large ones that have to be placed in the correct position.

Then Nikki (our dog)and I continued on our way.

And it struck me. How many other times have I been so wrapped up in doing ministry that I miss the opportunity to minister to someone who needs it?

I could have just kept on walking wrapped up in my own prayers and thoughts and missed the opportunity to help someone in need.

I have to be more open to those opportunities.

And next time I have to spend a little more time talking with the person I am trying to help...

Hitting Home

So it has finally come home to roost.

Up to now it has been kind of abstract and distant.

But today, I found out that some friends have disconnected their home phone and business line and have their house on the market. They have been been building houses for years and the market has dried up to almost nothing in the high end houses that they built. And they have three houses to sell.

There were no building permits issued in Overland Park last month for new construction.

So what is the upshot of this? The electrician doesn't wire any new houses, the finish crews don't put in trim, the painters can't paint, the roofers don't get paid to roof and plumbers don't run pipes. And lumber yards don't move product. And these people don't spend money on other things. And the impact expands.

So it is time to pray for those in similar situations...

Blue Screens and Birds

This past week I was out the door by 0445 every morning.

Once to be at work and the other days to go for a walk. Took the dog one morning but she was so tired she refused to go the rest of the week.

Two things struck me as the week went on. The first was that the birds were singing loudly that early in the morning. It was beautiful. No dogs running loose (although there was a strange noise in the bushes down by the creek), not much traffic and no one else out walking.

Just me and the birds.

But I saw something else. In many houses there was this weird blue glow from behind drawn curtains. Could have been televisions, could have been computer screens left on all night. One house had the curtains wide open so that I could see what the big screen TV was playing (ESPN Sportscenter). Didn't see anyone around watching.

So what does this mean?

I don't know. But the contrast was startling. The birds singing was sharp contrast to the glow of the blue screens behind drawn curtains.

Now I have to be honest. I checked the weather before heading out and our curtains are drawn at night and a couple of days this week I couldn't sleep so I had the TV on.

But the birds remind me that I need to spend more time outside, looking for life going on all around me and not inside waiting for someones ideas of life to be presented to me.

Tightly Wound

So yesterday I was reading my Bible and praying and the words: "tightly wound" kept coming to mind. Over and over.

I came to the conclusion that I was wound so tightly about myself that I wasn't hearing God. I was letting the stress get to me. Not enough sleep. Weight creeping up. No motivation to do anything. Work pressures. Family visits. Trying to be (get) in shape. Trying to please men. Worrying about things that I can't even remotely control.

So I have started to unwind. Took a nap at 5PM and went to bed at 930.
Still got up at 405 this morning and off to work at 440. Still went to Bible Study ( took my Dad). Still had a ton of e-mails and phone calls to deal with. Turned it all over to God because I can't possibly deal with it all myself.

You see, I have to be a God pleaser and not a man pleaser. Don't get me wrong, I can not deliberately set out to offend men, for this displeases God. But I must always attempt to please God first and foremost and seek his will for me and my life.

If I worry first about pleasing God the rest will fall into place.

Oh, I was tired tonight. I still went for a run to break the carbon loose.
But I don't have to go into work quite so early tomorrow.

Might just get the dog out for a walk before the sun comes up.

That would be a good unwinding...

Silence

Yesterday I was tired of noise.

So I turned stuff off. I didn't have the radio on as I went to and from Bible study in the morning.
I kept the radio off all day at work.
Didn't play music through the computer.
Kept the radio off when doing errands at lunch.
Turned down the ringer on my phone. I could still hear it and I did answer it but it wasn't near as loud. Kind of nice.
I did turn on the radio for a bit in the car as I drove to ref a soccer match since the skies were black and ominous looking. But I found it distracting.

It was...pleasant.

Found myself thinking for a change (I know, something new for me).
But without all the noise I heard more than I usually do.

I wasn't quiet by any stretch of the imagination.
If anything, I noticed just how much noise is going on around me all the time.

But I think that I heard more when I didn't try to fill up the quiet with noise...