It's interesting. I found out today that things that used to be important to me are not longer that important. I used to be all about making the grade. I had to perform at my best so that I would make the grade. I found out today that I was docked two letter grades for an inappropriate remark I made in a homily that I preached for my preaching class. Now, normally I would be at my wit's end over that penalization, but right now it just didn't seem like that big of a deal. Maybe I'm being insensitive and maybe I'll be disciplined by the Spirit later about it, but right now I see more important things in my life.
I sat at dinner tonight talking to some of the guys on the team. We weren't really talking about anything significant, just shooting the breeze. I began to feel the tug of my rational side saying, "Davey, you really need to go to the library to do some work." But I just couldn't find the motivation to leave the conversation and go to the library right then. I began to feel guilty that maybe I was losing my motivation for school work (which may be true). But I realized in that moment that everything I'm studying right now is preparing me for what I'm already doing. I can simulate teaching people from scripture, and caring for their needs, and running the business of the church, and debating philosophies of ministry, but that does absolutely nothing compared to getting my hands dirty in ministry right here, right now.
If I live for the grade, or for the fleeting feeling of affirmmation from a professor or a colleague, then I've failed my calling, because all of that will fade away. II Corinthians 5:1 says, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands . . . So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." The things that will have eternal value in my life are consuming much of my time right now, and I don't think that is a bad thing. (Disclaimer - I did go to library eventually tonight, and I got a bunch of work done - just in case you're reading this, mom.)
Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
I'm Back!
Ok so I'm back. I can't promise that I'll remain here for a while but I'll try. I missed blogging. It's a great way to get your thoughts out and just let the stream of consciousness take over for a while. It's an amazing thing to write and just let your thoughts flow from your head down to your fingertips and out on the screen for everyone else to see. Hmmm . . . that's kinda of scary now that I think about it. Ok this will be a censored version of my thoughts, don't worry.
So tonight was an incredible night. We've been seeing some amazing things happen on SWU's campus and on our baseball team and I wish that I could go into it all, but I really don't have the time. I've got some last minute tying up to do on a valentine's gift for my beautiful girlfriend (hope she's not reading this).
Back to tonight: One of my buddies on the baseball received Christ tonight!! It was awesome!! We've been praying for him and talking to him about Jesus for a while and he's been showing up at Bible study almost every week, but he's been holding off on a decision. Finally, tonight he accepted Christ into his heart to be the Lord of his life. As I sat and ate dinner with him afterwards I explained to him how this is just the beginning and not the end of the journey and how exciting the rest of his life is going to be as long as he makes Jesus his first priority.
I want to tell you a little about why this story is so cool, because I feel that God spoke more to me in this experience than he did to Bud (that's this guys name) or anyone else. A few weeks ago I mentioned something to my Media Ethics teacher that I really wish that God's hand would just write on the wall his will (in regards to what I'm supposed to do in the future). I was really frustrated because it seems that God spoke in all these awesome ways in the Bible and yet we don't get to have encounters like that with God anymore. Elijah saw him in fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel, Moses saw him in a burning bush, and Daniel saw his hand write on the wall. So I began praying that God would write it on the wall what I was supposed to do with all these decisions I'm presently making.
We went to Newspring last Sunday (great church; Perry Noble, the pastor, has a blog site and there's a link to it on my sidebar). Perry did a sermon about telling your friends about Jesus and bringing them to church (in religionese that's called evangelism). At the end of the sermon he had us go write a name or two on the wall of the sanctuary of a person that we would commit to pray for that week and to whom we would extend an invitation to church the next week. So I felt that I needed to write Bud's name on the wall.
As I approached the wall with the pen in my hand I had one of those de ja vu moments. It was like I had been there, or was expecting to be there . . . right there in Newspring sanctuary, facing the wall, I felt God speak to me. His words were few but powerful, "You wanted to see Writing on the Wall, Davey. There you go." Before me were hundreds of people's names who did not know Jesus, and at that moment I knew what God was saying to me through the writing on the wall. "Davey, I'll take care of everything. You just be concerned about bringing people to me." I can still feel those words resounding in my soul right now as I type. It stirred me to the core and for the first time I "heard" God speak to me as clearly as writing on the wall.
So my prayer is that through these thoughts and words, you too will be stirred. That if there is someone out there in this wild cyber world who is down on their luck and their life is in shambles, they would run across this blog and it could somehow offer them encouragement. There is a God out there who longs to live inside each and every one of us and if you turn your life over to Him he will radically revolutionize your life!
So tonight was an incredible night. We've been seeing some amazing things happen on SWU's campus and on our baseball team and I wish that I could go into it all, but I really don't have the time. I've got some last minute tying up to do on a valentine's gift for my beautiful girlfriend (hope she's not reading this).
Back to tonight: One of my buddies on the baseball received Christ tonight!! It was awesome!! We've been praying for him and talking to him about Jesus for a while and he's been showing up at Bible study almost every week, but he's been holding off on a decision. Finally, tonight he accepted Christ into his heart to be the Lord of his life. As I sat and ate dinner with him afterwards I explained to him how this is just the beginning and not the end of the journey and how exciting the rest of his life is going to be as long as he makes Jesus his first priority.
I want to tell you a little about why this story is so cool, because I feel that God spoke more to me in this experience than he did to Bud (that's this guys name) or anyone else. A few weeks ago I mentioned something to my Media Ethics teacher that I really wish that God's hand would just write on the wall his will (in regards to what I'm supposed to do in the future). I was really frustrated because it seems that God spoke in all these awesome ways in the Bible and yet we don't get to have encounters like that with God anymore. Elijah saw him in fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel, Moses saw him in a burning bush, and Daniel saw his hand write on the wall. So I began praying that God would write it on the wall what I was supposed to do with all these decisions I'm presently making.
We went to Newspring last Sunday (great church; Perry Noble, the pastor, has a blog site and there's a link to it on my sidebar). Perry did a sermon about telling your friends about Jesus and bringing them to church (in religionese that's called evangelism). At the end of the sermon he had us go write a name or two on the wall of the sanctuary of a person that we would commit to pray for that week and to whom we would extend an invitation to church the next week. So I felt that I needed to write Bud's name on the wall.
As I approached the wall with the pen in my hand I had one of those de ja vu moments. It was like I had been there, or was expecting to be there . . . right there in Newspring sanctuary, facing the wall, I felt God speak to me. His words were few but powerful, "You wanted to see Writing on the Wall, Davey. There you go." Before me were hundreds of people's names who did not know Jesus, and at that moment I knew what God was saying to me through the writing on the wall. "Davey, I'll take care of everything. You just be concerned about bringing people to me." I can still feel those words resounding in my soul right now as I type. It stirred me to the core and for the first time I "heard" God speak to me as clearly as writing on the wall.
So my prayer is that through these thoughts and words, you too will be stirred. That if there is someone out there in this wild cyber world who is down on their luck and their life is in shambles, they would run across this blog and it could somehow offer them encouragement. There is a God out there who longs to live inside each and every one of us and if you turn your life over to Him he will radically revolutionize your life!
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