Lost and Found

Have you ever lost something?

There are items of necessity that when we lose it's annoying.  We search for these everyday items, the remote control, the car keys, left socks (where do they go?!?), in all the normal places and typically find them just slightly out of place.

There are possessions when we notice their disappearance we panic.  When we misplace a debit card, we search the house, the car, the house again, the car again, and call all the stores we had visited that day.  We cancel the card just to be safe and for months we check bank statements for charges we did not make.

Then there are items that we treasure and when we lose these items we act as if nothing else matters, like the world is coming to an end. The dog runs away and you spend hours driving up and down streets, knocking on doors, posting signs, calling animal pounds.  I have a ring that Corey gave me when we first started dating; it is among my most prized possessions.

Once in college, I noticed that is was missing from my left pinkie finger.  I tore apart my dorm room, scoured the sidewalks and grass, I was completely distracted in class.  Finding my ring was the only thing that I cared about.  Today was the first time in five years I didn't know of its location and in the moments it was missing, I was a wreck.

Why is it lost things put us into such a tizzy?  Is it possible that we are made to care for what is lost?  When Jesus shared three stories about lost items he didn't call it materialism and scorn those who searched.  He used these stories to demonstrate God's heart for those who have not accepted Him as Lord.  He uses all the resources at His disposal in His search for those who are lost and celebrates when one is found.

Do we share God's heart for His lost items?  Are we annoyed with the number of those who are lost?  Are we in a frenzied panic searching out for those who don't know Christ?  Because soon this world will come to an end and nothing else matters but finding those who are lost.

What Matters

When I come to the end of my life I will not regret the times the dishes remained dirty in the sink.
The load of laundry sitting at the bottom of my closet won't mean a thing.
The mess in my car won't matter.
The piles that form in my kitchen won't overwhelm me.

I will not worry if the house was clean enough when visitors came over.

I won't be concerned with the length of my grass.
I won't wish I spent more time on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games.

If it won't matter then, how much should it really matter now?

Dedicated to Baby Amelia

Laura and Matt Dawson were here visiting with their 6 month old baby, Amelia.

It was great to have them and I enjoyed the few days we got to spend together.  During their visit, I was insipred and together we created the following list:


Good reasons to get a dog / Bad reasons to have a baby:

You could use a little more companionship.

When company visits, you'll have something to talk about.

The walks will help you get in shape.

Your friends and family say you need to learn to be responsible.

You need an excuse to fence in your backyard.

Strangers will have a reason to talk to you and you like meeting new people.

You love to play fetch.

You don't want to sweep up the crumbs on the floor.

Feeding time is a better excuse than "I can't. I have to wash my hair tonight."

It takes more than a buzzing alarm clock to get you out of bed.

The cat's not cutting it.

Jonathan's Heart

The current series at Southern Hills is titled "Heros: Champions of the Faith."  (Check out the stage design at my post More Foam Board).  A few weeks ago Mike preached about Jonathan going into battle with his armor bearer and followed it the next week with a sermon on David's heart.  In All Stars (the children's program), Corey focused on Jonathan's friendship with David.

Sitting in these three different services, I heard nothing new, but my brain made a connection with the facts that it had not before.
    -Mike briefly mentioned that Jonathan was the son of Saul the King and thus entitled to the throne.
    -God chose David to succeed Saul.
    -Jonathan was a great friend to David.  He stood-up for David to his father and risked his own life to save David's.

Really?!? Jonathan was best friends with the guy who was going to prevent him from being the next king, a privilege he was guaranteed at birth?!?

Did Jonathan not want to be the next king and thus not mind?  Sure, maybe.  But based on Jonathan's character demonstrated in the rest of scripture, I doubt that was the case.  I think it is more likely that Jonathan recognized the will of God and submitted to it.  As David's close friend he saw David's heart for God and was able to offer him support and encouragement as he prepared for leadership.  Jonathan didn't allow their friendship to be riddled with envy or competition, but he humbled himself and recognized his own role to play.

What a friend.  What a man of God.  What an example.

I pray my heart becomes more like Jonathan's.

Crew Commune

I want to live in a commune with "the crew," my tight knit group of friends from MACU.

I've desired this for some time.  During the recent visit of three of the crew members, Rob, Matt, and Kaylin, I had a commune moment.  I was doing the dishes and Rob was leisurely strumming his guitar while everyone else chilled and chatted in the living room.  I got lost in the moment and imagined us making meals together, caring for our homes, sitting on the front porch sipping coffee, doing life together as we grew old.

Of course this would never work.

There is graduation and internships.
There is Papua New Guinea and Mexico and Iraq.
There are churches who need these men to preach and lead.
There are communities who need these women to teach and influence.
There are families to start.

Maybe in Heaven their mansions will be next to my shack and we'll live together forever, worshipping the God we all love.  And I'll have the greatest joy as I look out from my porch swing at the streets lined with those they reached during our time apart.

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here and it's time for spring cleaning!

During Elizabeth's visit, we cleaned out the closet in the All Stars (Children's Church) building.  What a disaster!  We threw out a ton of junk, created a free pile for the volunteers to rummage through, and reorganized the shelves.  In the cleaning process we made a HUGE mess before we made it better.  It was a long, tiresome, two-day process but the closet is now organized, junk free, and you can see the floor!

And it got me thinking...

Spring is here and it's time for spring cleaning!

It's time to
     dust off the disciplines I've neglected.
     throwout negative attitudes I've been holding on to.
     sweep out the cobwebs of sloth.
     reorganize my priorities.
     give away love I've been hoarding.

I make a huge mess before it gets better, but the end result will be worth the effort.

Spring is here and it's time for spring cleaning!

Overheard Words

Early this past week, Corey, Elizabeth, and I went to Shane's for lunch.  Sitting in a nearby booth was a very boistorous, chatty college girl talking at a male friend.  It was nearly impossible not to eavesdrop, but when she started to talk about an assignement in her English class I listened in more closely.

Her English professor instructed the class to write a poem including a random statement that they overheard.  I find this scene of me evesdropping into a conversation about evedropping rather ironic.  And without the assignment, this student wouldn't have given the overheard statement a second thought nor mentioned it over lunch while I was sitting within ear shot so that I could then share it here.  Intriguing.

The student went on to explain that her poem was terrible, but written around a golden overheard statement at Wal-mart (of all places).

"She is like Beethoven and I am like Houdini."

The statement stricks me.  How poetic.  And I wonder- What did the originator of the statement mean?  What context did the student give the statement in her poem?  What would I pen with this line?

Maybe the assignment and statement struck your creative nerve as well.  Feeling up to the professor's task?  Start listening to those around you and see what overheard words inspire you.