Two-fer

Yes, I know there’s already one of these articles for today.
Yes, I know that 1 per week is sometimes more than you can handle, but this experience kind of hit me in the head.

Have you ever asked that God speak to you?  I mean, really let you know what’s on His mind?

Maybe you really wanted an answer and you hear nothing or maybe some little stirring or whatnot.  You can’t really tell if it’s God guiding you or if it’s your own little in-my-head-voice.

I ask for this all the time.  I want guidance.  I want answers.  I want it so obvious that I ask for the proverbial 2x4-over-the-head wake-up call!

You're In My Way

I just did something we do all the time.  I went grocery shopping.

Long work-weeks make us look forward to those two-in-a-row days to relax.  But, in most families, relaxation will take a back seat to life. Non-work hours are rare and sacred, but there is only so much available time to do the ‘domestic stuff’.

Today, exasperation seemed to rule. Everything took longer than it should.  Everything came with its own speed-bumps.  Nothing went as planned.

A person can’t help but ask, “Why does this always happen when we’re rushed for time?”

Escape or Purpose

We've all had those days, weeks, maybe months.  The pressure builds and the heaviness drives us to our knees.  Will it ever stop?

When things get overwhelming, I start reading.  I find books with my phone app now.  I can usually find a few that cost little and the books stay with me wherever I go.  Technology can be so helpful!

Mind you, this is not reading about light refraction, genetics or quantum theory. The goal isn't curiosity, or education or any kind of enlightenment.  It's purely to get into a story and leave life behind for a while. Delve into a well written tome (or even one not so well written) and become engrossed in something that helps remove me from that which weighs me down - this is the target.

From my latest escape novel:

I Got Nothin'

I’ve made a commitment to write every week.  I promised myself I’d stick to it no matter what. And yet, here I am thinking, “Maybe I’ll skip this week”.  After all, I’m looking at a long weekend.  I’ve got things to prepare.  I’m going to get less sleep and it’s only one missed week, right?

Besides . . .
. . . I got nothin’

Is that so?
• I have the promise made.
• I have the ability.
• I have the fingers.
• I have the computer.
• I have the means.
• I have the desire.
• I have the history.
• I have the notes
• I have the time
• I have the goal

I have . . .
. . . the Guilt because, there IS no excuse.

All good things come from the Father. 

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17

He’s given me all (and more) of those bullet points and there is every reason to be grateful.  I could be unable to write; fingers cramped in pain, an inability to see, even a lack of imagination.  I could be without the means and the equipment.  I could be completely without the ability to perform. 

However;
• I know this discipline is good for me. 
• I know this exercise makes me think about my relationship to God.
• I know this endeavor encourages me to be more aware of God every moment of every day.
• I know this practice teaches me to be grateful throughout the day – every day.
• I know this simple work matters for me and sometimes for others.

All good things come from the Father.

But;
• That reluctance?
• That dismissal?
• That indifference?
• That willingness to say, maybe not today?

None of that comes from the Father.

So, I’ll resist. 

Even if the words aren’t elaborate or inspiring or even meaningful in any way, I’ll continue because it matters, if only to me. 

The only accommodation I'll make?  I must send this early!

And the fact that this is now published, gives me hope that I can keep my promises and that God will too.

Parkour

Unrelated streaming . . .
. . . and then a connection.

This morning I listened to a favorite teacher tell her story.  It’s a story I knew a little about, but as she spoke, much less than I thought.

It was about a life dedicated to God.  She’s a talented and motivational speaker. Her extraordinary love for Jesus is nothing less than inspiring.

It was two years ago that I listened to Nicole Bullock for the first time.  Then, it took about a year before I found her again and I have been a follower ever since. Today, that gap was explained in more detail than I probably wanted.

Lupus struck her shortly after my virtual introduction and for this woman of God; things were as serious as possible for quite some time. Her loss of mobility and speech was devastating.  The inability to be who she was with her children and her calling as a pastor must have been unbearable. 

She recovered.  Mostly.  But she never gave up on her mission to teach. 

Today, she turned to John 5: 1-15, the Parable of the Man lying on his mat beside the pool of Bethesda. She talked about how Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to be healed?”  She talked about his answer and what Jesus was really asking of him - of us.  Simply stated, it boils down to, “Take up your mat and walk.”  Then, as a way to show us what this means, she connected this parable physically and emotionally to her personal story.

A miracle and after 38 years, a biblical man was cured.  But I learned today that it isn’t all about the healing.  It’s also about picking up your mat and carrying this mat with you while remembering and talking about the One who healed you.  It’s about standing up when you can’t.  It’s about moving forward with the plan God provides when it’s the last thing you want to do.  It’s about living with God’s promise - the life He would like you to have.


Then I watched the film, Tracers. An interesting narrative was revealed as the story wrapped around scenes of parkour.  Par-what?

A YouTube link is provided HERE so that you can see the type of stuff I’m talking about.  It’s about ten minutes long but watching these amazing people spin, jump, twist and land while bouncing to the next narrow plane is captivating. The things they can do!

Serious practice is required along with strength, stamina and some gene probably called “daring”.  None of these things apply to me.  Examples of the results, should I even attempt this activity, can be found briefly demonstrated mid-stream.

Within a few hours, two things appearing to have nothing in common have nevertheless been joined together and both of my brain hemispheres are involved. 

Make no mistake; I will never attempt parkour.  Never!

But, based on the first video today, I do want to grow in my relationship with Jesus.  I do want to take the spoils that life provides and defeat them by standing up.  I do want to take up my mat and walk. 

This will also take serious practice.  It will take strength, stamina and some gene called ‘faith, with a dose of trust’.  It’s a bigger gene than daring, I think.  But I believe that I have it.  I believe you do too. 

This means that if I do my part by exercising in spiritual ways, sticking with it while gathering strength and stamina, I can parkour WITH Jesus. It’s the way He wants us to live! It’s called abundant life.

I can spin, jump, twist and land while bouncing to the next narrow plane too.  And my mat won’t get in the way because the mat becomes part of the way. 

Alone?

The Laundromat.
One folding clothes.
One walking out the door.

Recognition and a squeal followed by warm hugs.
Greetings for an old friend.
Ear to ear smiles.
Animated conversation.

You're all alone - or maybe just feeling that way.
You think;
God is gone.
He isn't here.
He isn't involved.
He doesn't care.

You're all alone - or maybe just feeling that way.