Converse by A. Allan Martin

Today zillions of people are talking to You all at once. Heartache. Elation. Frustration. All coming at You in hundreds of different languages. . . millions of different ways. At noon, I came to You along with our entire nation, asking You to "Bless our President, Congress, and all our leaders with supernatural power." And yet, it's awkward. Because You don't speak up; You're not like my wife, my friends, my colleagues. You speak different.

Sara* says it well for me:

"Hello Lord, it's me Your child. I have a few things on my mind. Right now I'm faced with big decisions, and I'm wondering if You have a minute.

Chorus: Right now I don't hear so well and I was wondering if You could speak up. I know that You tore the veil so I could sit with You in person and hear what You're saying, but right now, I just can't hear You.

I don't doubt Your sovereignty, I doubt my own ability to hear what You're saying and to do the right thing, and I desperately want to do the right thing. [chorus]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I think You are telling me to wait, and though patience has never been mine, Lord I will wait to hear from You. [chorus]"

Waiting is the hardest part. It makes me anxious. It's then that You mention, "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to Me. And My peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Me." [Philippians 4:6,7 NIV paraphrased]

You're right. I don't understand it. You're always right.

Christine* says it well for me:

"The people said this desert never ends. We have no bread our throats are dry. Our heads are heavy and our feet need rest. Has He left us here to die? And we've forgotten all His words. As if we never heard. We take our hearts and turn away.

Chorus: But He is not silent. He is not whispering. We are not quiet. We are not listening. He sends a lifeline. We keep resisting Him. He is not silent. We are not listening

We wander through this world in disbelief. Shake our heads at every tear. Searching endlessly. For some relief. Has He left us dying here? But we've forgotten all His words. Pretend we never heard. We take our hearts and turn away. [chorus]

We take our daily bread. And after we've been fed. We take our hearts and turn away. [chorus]"

So today, I'm turning towards You.

Time for me to be quiet...

I'm listening. [really]

ENCOUNTER: How is it between you and God?

 

---

*Sara Groves' song "Conversations" and Christine Dente of Out of the Grey's song, "He is Not Silent"

Be Present: In the Now

Forever – is composed of Nows –

‘Tis not a different time –

Except for Infiniteness –

And Latitude of Home –

From this – experienced Here –

Remove the Dates – to These –

Let Months dissolve in further Months –

And Years – exhale in Years –

Without Debate – or Pause –

Or Celebrated Days –

No different Our Years would be

From Anno Dominies –

– Emily Dickinson

The Kingdom of GOD fills this moment. 

For the GODfollower who believes in the awesome authority of Christ Jesus, eternity is not off in the distance, to be experienced someday in heaven with harps and halos and fluffy white clouds.  Forever includes this day, this “now.” And no moment in the Kingdom of GOD is to be squandered.

In critique of Dickinson’s prose, Gudrun M. Grabher offers, “Evasive and intangible as the concept may be, time is considered to be one of the most precious and valuable aspects of our life. . . In terms of its preciousness, and even reality. . . time is most real and most valuable as the present. The present moment is what counts. . .”

Yet all too often, the moment slips away from us, as we are so easily distracted by demands on all sides.  Our lives can quickly blur in the rush of the urgent and the worries of the day.  The Kingdom of GOD can get lost in the checklist; It can be compromised by ambition, surrendered to selfish gratification.  The moment can inadvertently evaporate with the heat of life lived frantically.  In the midst of your frenetic life, GOD beckons:

Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
      He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
   Bans war from pole to pole,
      breaks all the weapons across his knee.
   Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
      loving look at me, your High God,
      above politics, above everything. --Psalm 46:8-10 [Message]

Being present affords us a long loving look at Christ Jesus.  He adores you.  Although the entire universe is under His care, the details of your life are not trivial to Him.  It is in those very details that His Kingdom is often revealed.

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. –Matthew 6:30-34 [Message]

GOD’s invitation to “be present,” is an offer for us to simply relax.   

He’s in control.   

He’s got it covered.   

He’s got your back.   

Check your worries at the door, and enter into a “now” with GOD steeped in the realness of His peace, presence, and provision.  Be present.

May the Kingdom of GOD be at hand, right here, right now, in you.

Encounter Prayer:

Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield,[a] O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

Lord Almighty,
    blessed are those who trust in you.  Amen.  –Psalm 84:8-12 [TNIV]

Encounter:

• What might you do to "be present where you are?"
• How will you value today, recognizing it is part of your eternity?
• Who might you invite to spend some time with you on a get-away with GOD?

Be Present: Instant Replay

“Why not just live in the moment, especially if it has a good beat?” –Goldie Hawn

Although I’ll be the first to admit an almost blind approval for anything technology-driven, let me declare my love/hate relationship with instant replay in sports.  If there can be such a thing as road rage, I believe I may be a replay rage-aholic.

It’s bad enough that the NFL referees have a penalty flag they can throw any time to stop the momentum of the game, but now coaches have a “challenge” flag tucked in their sock or back pocket!?!  And then, of course there is the booth referees tucked away in some media man cave somewhere, looking at high definition renditions of what just happened over and over and over again from every angle?  So the game comes to a screeching halt, and we’re stuck like commuter traffic purgatory, as the referee dons a black hood to repeated review the penalty?  Oh the humanity! 

Okay I’m done venting.  But seriously?  Now instant replay is creeping into the NBA. . . What’s next?  Life instant replay?  Okay, I’m done venting now.  Really.

Yet televised sports isn’t the only place where “instant replay” is plaguing our world, there are places far more important where it’s taking a more discouraging toll.

Should ha’

Could ha’

Would ha’

As a student looking at test scores, “I should have studied instead of goofing off...”

As a spouse early in marriage, “I could have been more understanding and less stubborn...”

As a parent regretting angry words, “If only I would have taken a moment to listen to her side of the story…”

Don’t get me wrong, there is great benefit to gaining wisdom through our past mistakes.  And certainly our past can serve as a reference point for better choices in the future.

But what’s often a stumbling point is the debilitating mental instant replay of life’s fumbles, mistakes, intentional fouls, and unsportsman-like conduct—The instant replay of our sins.  While there is virtue in remorse and the turn of a repentant heart—repeated replay of our failures and faux pas is destructive, and one of the devil’s tools to stop GOD’s momentum in your life.

Thank GOD for the forgiveness and freedom offered in our Savior, Christ Jesus!

“Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.” –2Corinthians 5:17-18 [Message]

Christ Jesus takes the replay remote away from Satan, and offers us the opportunity to live life freely.  Our past sins are erased, and we are invited to experience the new day, fully present.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” –Henry David Thoreau

May you spend this moment fully living, free from the torment of replaying past sins.  May this new day in Christ be filled with all the possibilities and freedom that His forgiveness affords.  Today may you truly live to the full.

Encounter Prayer:

Lord, who is a God like you?
    You forgive sin.
You forgive your people
    when they do what is wrong.
You don’t stay angry forever.
    Instead, you take delight in showing
    your faithful love to them.
Once again you will show loving concern for us.
    You will completely wipe out
    the evil things we’ve done.
You will throw all of our sins
    into the bottom of the sea. –Micah 7:18-19 [NIrV]

Encounter:

• What parts of your past haunt you?
• Who might you need to make amends with and reconcile?
• How are you going to live this day freely and fully in Christ Jesus? 

 

Be Present: DWELL

Encounter the Word:

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  –Psalm 84:10 [ESV]

We get to choose where we spend our days.

Some of us DWELL on Yesterday.  We get hung up with regrets, and wishes that things had been different.  We remember hurts, and heartache.  We hang on to hatred and harbor resentment that all that could have, should have, would have been didn't turn out right.  We feel guilt, and shame, and unworthy, because our past record declares us guilty.

If we are not careful, we can be imprisoned by the past.  We feel coerced to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

But GOD had other plans, and through his Son, GOD gives us another place to dwell.

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty.” –Romans 8:1 [ERV]

“So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.” –John 8:36 [Message]

GOD claims us as His own, forgives us, and offers us Himself as our refuge.

Yet there are others who DWELL on tomorrow.  We fret about the forecasts.  We are nervous as the newscasts are filled with naysayers calling for impending doom and despair.  We believe in murphy's law and predict things going wrong before anyone even has a chance to do anything at all.  We get frozen because of our fear of what's around the corner.
 

If we are not careful, we can be so anxious about the future, that it consumes us. We feel coerced to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

But GOD had other plans, and through his Son, GOD gives us another place to dwell.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. –Matthew 6:34 [Message]

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. –Philippians 4:6-7 [Message]

As opposed to squandering our days in the tents of wickedness, let us DWELL with the LORD.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent. –Psalm 91:9-10 [NIV]

Choose today to make GOD your refuge, the source of your strength.  Today, let GOD make His dwelling place your life.  Abide in Him, and let GOD abide in you, calling you His very own.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. –Revelation 21:3 [NIV]
 

Encounter Prayer:
May today be yet another day I fully experience life as you intended.  I choose right now to rely on You GOD, as my strength.  May if find refuge in You, my Savior and Friend. Amen.

Encounter:

• How have the tents of wickedness been working out for you?
• Where do you want to dwell?  What steps you taking to move in?
• What might you experience if you decide to spend time in GOD's courts?  What are the benefits of His being your refuge?

 

Be Present: Salvation Is Here

This summer, by GOD's designed coincidence, we had the opportunity to attend Switchfoot's Bro-Am in Southern California.  Hearing many of the songs that have been on my play list for nearly a decade and a half had me feeling reminiscent. Mid June on Moonlight Beach, the taste of salt in the air blended well with the electric hum of guitars full tilt.  We enjoyed Jon and his band expressing their music in their natural habitat, but the day was filled with more than songs and sand and sea.  I was struck by the poignancy of the lyrics. Although many of the ballads had become so familiar, fare for radio sing-along commuting--the gravity of grace, embedded in the words, anchored my heart.

As I've spent these past several months reflecting on the theme, "Be Present," it's been wonderful to explore GOD's Word and enjoy the many places He's creatively revealed facets of the theme to our team.  A Switchfoot album that could very well have been written expressly for this GODencounters experience would be "The Beautiful Let Down."  Of the many powerful tracks, "Dare You To Move" speaks to the tension between motion and stillness that I sense GOD calling us to as He asks us to "Be Present."

So without too much theological adulteration of this classic anthem, enjoy and linger on these lyrics:

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next
What happens next

[Chorus]
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

[Chorus]

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before 

Encounter the Word:

"But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today." –Matthew 6:33-34 [CEV] 

Encounter:

• What will make today different?
• How might your live today in such a way to express the significance of your faith?
• Who is the GOD calling you to be? Today? Right now? 

Be Present: Today

"What day is it?"
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.  –A. A. Milne

When our daughter was still very young, she loved Winnie the Pooh.  Her childhood days were filled with wonder and play.  Every person had the potential of being a new friend, and if they were just her size, she was eager to see if they wanted to be playmates.  Playing house only required imagination and a willingness on my part to sit on a miniature chair as she prepared plastic vegetables for dinner.

Over the years, I’ve grown fond of looking for stuffed toy “Winnie the Poohs” for her as I travel and minister—Partly because the Dad DNA in me is inclined to spoil her, and partly because it reminds me of the days when Pooh was as real as neighbors, summers seemed to linger forever, and school was some day when she “grew up.”

Those “todays” seem long ago.

Today, our schedule is packed full of demands and deadlines.  Between my church commitments, my wife’s 12-hour shifts at the NICU, and our daughter’s academic responsibilities, sports rehab, and extracurricular activities, it sometimes feels like today’s a too-small-carry-on-packed-too-full-to-fit in the overhead compartment.

My iPhone, and iCal, and MacBook Pro aren’t synced well enough for me to optimally track my appointments, my wife’s work schedule, and the various activities at the academy for my daughter. I sometimes feel like today gets lost in the scramble to go from one critical commitment to the next.

I miss the “today” of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

Not that I want to go back in time, but rather, that I can all too easily let “today” become a tool instead of a treasure.  Today can be made to take a toll instead of offer a twinkle.  If I’m not careful, today disappears in the deluge of the urgent—Too often, as of late, I’ve made today drudgery.

“This day belongs to the Lord!
    Let’s celebrate
    and be glad today.” –Psalm 118:24 [CEV]

In some ways, “today” is like the stuffed animal presents I would get my little girl during my travels.  Today is a gift.  Undeserved, unassuming, yet full of joy, and love, and imagination.  There are smiles to be had, moment’s brimming with gladness and celebration.  Today is stuffed with enough goodness to make it my favorite day.  Today can be like Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

However in order to receive the present of today, I need to be present. . . today.

Encounter Prayer:

21 I praise the Lord
    for answering my prayers
    and saving me.
22 The stone that the builders
    tossed aside
    has now become
    the most important stone.

23 The Lord has done this,
    and it is amazing to us.
24 This day belongs to the Lord!
    Let’s celebrate
    and be glad today.
25 We’ll ask the Lord to save us!
    We’ll sincerely ask the Lord
    to let us win. Amen.

--Psalm 118:21-25 [CEV]

Much like my daughter's earliest years, today, GOD is calling you into a childlike faith, permitting you to see this day with the imagination of GOD-sized possibilities.  Our heavenly Father is always thinking of you, eager to give you gifts for no good reason.  His blessings happen in the unexpected moments of this day simply for the sake of His delight in you.  

But so unlike my earliest daddy years, GOD, your heavenly Father, is giving you so much more than an airport gift shop stuffed animal.  GOD is giving you the cornerstone of the world, Christ Jesus--He's giving you His favorite Son today, His favorite day.

May today be a gift to you from GOD, filled with all the wonder, celebration, and joy He intends.

Encounter the Word:

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness. –Psalm 84:10 [ESV]

Encounter:

• If you were to cultivate a childlike faith, what might you see today as a gift from GOD?
• Who might you share your "gifts" with today?
• How might you shape your days to start seeing each one as a gift?  What role might Christ Jesus play in the new shape of your day, today?

Be Present: Omnipresence

"The question is not whether the things that happen to you are chance things or God's things because, of course, they are both at once. There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak—even the walk from the house to the garage that you have walked ten thousand times before, even the moments when you cannot believe there is a God who speaks at all. . . He speaks, I believe, and the words he speaks are incarnate in the flesh and blood of our selves and our own footsore and sacred journeys. We cannot live our lives constantly looking back, listening back, lest we be turned to pillars of longing and regret, but to live without listening at all is to live deaf to the fullness of the music.” —Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey

Recently a good friend and mentor shared this Buechner quote with me, and its profound insight has haunted me over these past several months.  It reminds me of the peculiar nature of GOD’s omnipresence, being in all places and spaces of life.  My heart likes to think of GOD being infinite and universal, present in the spinning of galaxies while caring for starving third world countries.

I rarely think of GOD being present with me as I yawn through a committee meeting or as I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I love to think of GOD dramatically present in protecting our service men and women, present in healing terminally-ill children, present in rescuing disaster survivors.  I rarely think of Him cringingly present when I laugh at an off-color joke or helpfully there when I forgot the keys to the house.  I envision GOD’s presence in the miraculous, and often don’t notice Him in the mundane.

In Matthew 6:26 [NKJV], Jesus shares, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

I am valuable to GOD.  It astounds me that GOD loves so deeply as to be present for the little details of my life.  My journey need not be spectacular or exceptional for Him to take note—everything about me matters to Him.

But there is also a dark side to becoming aware of such holy omnipresence.  Recognizing that GOD is present in all my life, including my sordid past, can leave room for shame and regret to erode my soul.  My history is filled with lessons learned “the hard way” and missed opportunities—it’s easy enough to look back at my life and become a “pillar of longing and regret.”

Not giving in to the dark side of my past, the reality of GOD’s omnipresence has its best frame based less on my history and more on HIS story.  There is a balanced benefit in remembering the past, only to the degree we are reminded of GOD’s greatness and gracefulness.  The journey affords us stories of GOD’s pursuit, GOD’s guidance, and His rescue.  The landmarks of our past need only be a reminder of how awesome it is to arrive at home with GOD.

Birds find nooks and crannies in your house, 

   sparrows and swallows make nests there. 

They lay their eggs and raise their young, 

   singing their songs in the place where we worship. 

God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God! 

   How blessed they are to live and sing there!   

–Psalm 84:3-4 [Message]

As we remember our journey, may we see GOD’s watchcare in the midst of the miraculous and mundane.  May His presence in every step of life build our confidence in His steadfast love, so that all that is remembered of the past milestones is GOD’s faithfulness to carry us through. 

"Sometimes we avoid listening for fear of what we may hear, sometimes for fear that we may hear nothing at all but the empty rattle of our own feet on the pavement. But be not affeard, says Caliban, nor is he the only one to say it. "Be not afraid," says another, "for lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." He says he is with us on our journeys. He says he has been with us since each of our journeys began. Listen for him. Listen to the sweet and bitter airs of your present and your past for the sound of him." —Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey

Encounter the Word:

"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries." --Luke 12:6-7 [Message]

Encounter:

• With GOD is there such a thing as "coincidence?"  Explain.
• In what ordinary aspects of today would it be helpful to be aware of GOD's presence?  How will you increase your awareness of GOD in the midst of today's mundane details?
• Where in your past do you see GOD's presence?

Be Present: Deal With It

How much of your attention is present in this moment?

What energies are needed for right now and 

what is getting squandered thinking about "what if" scenarios?

Today is what you've got. Deal with it.

Be Present: Choosing gods

Encounter the Word:

“So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God.  If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God.” –Joshua 24:14-15 [Message]

I’m always amused, and slightly irritated, when writers come up with typecasting monikers for young adults, albeit it sometimes earned or appropriate.  The latest one that has popped up in cyberspace is FOMOs [Fear of Missing Out], cited in Rhett Smith’s feature, “Generation Indecision.”   

Smith goes on to say of today’s young adults, “There is a constant feeling in our culture that we might be missing out on something better, therefore, we rarely commit to a decision that we can’t back out of if something better comes along.”

Although I certainly agree that this is generally true, I don’t believe it is especially exclusive to today’s culture.  It seems the children of Israel had the same cultural propensity.  Even the Israelites wanted to "play all their options."

Joshua’s words are just as poignant today as they were in Biblical times, “But suppose you don't want to serve Him. Then choose for yourselves right now whom you will serve.” --Joshua 24:15a [NIV, emphasis added]

Here’s the reality.  Whether we declare it or not: 

 

Every day we choose what or who will be our god. 

Right now, I choose what is first in my life.

Career:  I can sacrifice all other things to climb the ladder to this god.

Causes:  Although well intended, I can make humanitarianism a powerful god.

Cool:  Popularity at all costs.

Competence:  I can impress you with my abilities and skills and personal effectiveness.

Capitalism:  As Donald Trump would say, “It’s just business.”

Cosmetic characteristics:  Radiant skin, vegan-atic, workout junkie, botox groupie, or fashionista--beauty can become queen.

Confidence:  Self esteem can become self absorbing.

There are all kinds of things, attitudes, dreams, and beliefs that I can make into gods by giving them highest priority in my life.  Every day, I choose.

Joshua chose, “As for me and my family, we'll worship God [Joshua 24:15b, NIV].”

May you choose wisely today Who is first in your life.  May you and your family be able to declare, “We are second, we will worship GOD.”

Encounter:

• What can easily take the highest priority in your life if you let it?  What “gods” have you served in the past?
• Right now, who/what do you want to worship?
• How might you express your devotion to Who you are worshiping today? Right now?

Be Present: Treasure Today

As a teenager, I remember grown ups talking gloriously of how it was in the “old days.”  They would talk about how this, that, or the other was so much better back then compared to now. 

“When I was growing up…” 

“Life was better when...” 

“Back in the day we used to…”  

And as I have grown older, I have caught myself at times doing the same thing; sharing fairy-tale sized stories of my own “days gone by” and the bigger than life exploits of my yesteryears.  Yesterday was all that.  Right?

On the other side of the pendulum, as an adolescent, I had a great optimism about the future—bright, bold, and full of promise.  This appeared no more prominently than in my great ability to procrastinate.  Whether it was household chores or the earth science project for class or brushing my teeth, I was almost genius in my ability to put off until later, practically anything.  It was a real skill.

Even as an adult, I can put off packing a suitcase, cleaning the garage, or getting on the treadmill almost indefinitely.  There’s always tomorrow.  Right?

In his book, Today Matters, leadership guru John Maxwell, outlines well my plight, and maybe you share my predicament:

• We over exaggerate yesterday – past failures and successes
• We overestimate tomorrow – things will get better, I will do it tomorrow
• We underestimate today – don’t recognize today’s potential and value

True.  In my more honest moments, I would confess to have squandered more than my share of todays.  Fondly framing yesterday and/or putting off until tomorrow, I’ve missed the power and precious jewel of today.

By embracing today, I have opportunity to form history that shines legacy.  If I embrace today, I foster a tomorrow that fills with hope and joy.  Exaggerating the past and overestimating the future are distortions that, at their very best are fantasy—at their very worst provoke anxiety.  All the while, what I have in my hands is…today.

So what might I do to harness the potential and value of today?  Matthew 6:33 [CEV] suggests, “But more than anything else, put GOD’s work first and do what He wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.”

More than the future or the past, seek first Christ’s kingdom and His righteousness…right now. Today.

Today, I want to be in His story, not merely idolizing history.

Today, I want to be in this moment, not putting off real life to some day.

Today, I want to be all about Christ Jesus, because He holds all of it—

   My past.

   My future.

   My present.

Today, I want to be present.

“Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has yet to come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering” –Ida Scott Taylor

May you and I live in the present, love in the present, and discover the gift of the present…today.

Encounter Prayer:

Christ Jesus, let today be for Your fame.  May I seek after what is most important to You and find delight in the freedom to embrace this moment for Your glory.  Whatever You decide to give me is great, but for right now, let me give you today. Amen.

Encounter:

• What does it mean to you to “seek first Christ’s kingdom and His righteousness?” Beyond the religious stock answers, what are some practical ways to do this?
• Amidst what you have planned for today, what will offer you chances to seek Christ Jesus’ kingdom?
• How might you “Be Present” today?

Be Present: Door Holders

I've made multiple pilgrimages to Passion Conference. For those not so acquainted with Passion it is a collegiate event in Atlanta with tens of thousands of college students from around the world gathering for the sake of God's renown.

Each trip has been amazing. Although the sheer number of young adults attending is incredible, there is a hidden facet that actually was quite impressive to me. Each year, I have arrived to a volunteer orientation, and have been amazed to find hundreds of adults there to serve these students. Last time I volunteered, there were 1200 adults--that's one thousand, two hundred adults--from all over the country coming to serve.

These volunteers paid their way, accommodations, and took time off from their lives to come and serve. Physicians & plumbers, grandmas & gardeners...all there to serve these students. I was overwhelmed by the mantra that was held by this motley crew of adult volunteers. Each one said in their own way, "I am here to serve these students." Directing traffic, organizing food, information, security, trash pick up, all kinds of jobs. Each task done by an adult investing, often in mundane ways, in the next generation.

Walk to match the talk.

I am again convicted that the world will change if we transcend mere talk about "supporting our youth." As we prepare for GODencounters, a young adult movement passionately pursuing a 24/7 experience of Christ Jesus, I am again reminded of the power of these new generations; But more poignantly, I'm convinced of the importance of older generations willing to open the door for those that follow. I'm here to serve next generations, because it feels like in doing that little bit, I'm serving Him.

What is our role in GOD's Kingdom?

While at the Passion Conferences, as I sat in the midst of hundreds of volunteers, all adults [many my age and older], I was struck by the enthusiasm and energy in the room.  There was vibrancy and smiles.  I was inspired by their eagerness to do our part to nurture new generations and their desire to live for His renown through serving young adults.

Passion founder, Louie Giglio struck a chord in my heart with his comment, "To hold the door for the next generation is what life is all about."

And indeed I have found that to be true in my life.  Life happens so fast.  It seems like just last week I was a 14-year-old working at Camp Kulaqua as a camp counselor, helping to bring campers to a joyful awareness of Jesus' love for us.  It seems like just yesterday I was a academy student planning week of prayer for Forest Lake Academy, trying to lift up Christ on our campus.  Wasn't it just hours ago, I was a collegian touring with the Destiny Drama Company, expressing the power, pertinence, and personality of Jesus through theatre?  Feels like minutes ago, I was serving as a youth/young adult pastor at Central Filipino Church while attending grad school at Fuller.

And all along my "youthful" journey, I can point to adults--compassionate, Christ-like teachers, relatives, parents, ministers and mentors--who held the door open for my generation, allowing us to bask in GOD's presence.

Better is one day in your courts
   than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
   than dwell in the tents of the wicked. --Psalm 84:10 [NIV]

So in this phase of my life, I am a door holder.  Glad to serve at my post, welcoming the glad hearts of the youthful as they seek to encounter GOD.  And there is no other place I would rather be--I'm enjoying this "one day."

Encounter Prayer:

⁸ Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
⁹ Look on our shield, O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² Lord Almighty,
    blessed are those who trust in you.

--Psalm 84:8-12 [TNIV] 

Encounter:

• Who "held the door for you" when you were younger, inviting you to experience GOD and enter into His presence?  What significance did that have for you then? Now?
• What are some simple ways we can be "door holders" for the next generation? Which are your favorite ways?
• Who is GOD impressing you to mentor?  What is your response to His request to "make disciples?" How might you "hold the door" for your mentee?

 

21 Days to Glory

Three weeks can accomplish a lot of things. In a month’s worth of days, I could clean up the garage or get the yard into shape. With some devotion, I could lose 6 pounds, maybe more. Even if I were to leave out the weekends, I could finish a book that I have been toting around since the first of this year. Three weeks is a good chunk of time.

So how about spending a slice of time, for the next 21 days, praying for GODencounters?

To give us a focal point, this year is about morphing, and our theme is Reflecting the Son. Taken from 2Corinthians 3:17,18 (NIV) which says:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Maybe you want to meditate on: freedom, reflect, glory, unveiled, transformed, likeness, Spirit.

There is another passage found in Romans which keys into transformation; Verses 1 and 2 read:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Some words you could add to your prayer list: mercy, offer, living sacrifice, holy, pleasing, spiritual act, worship, conform, pattern, renewing mind, God’s will, good, perfect.

What might happen if we gave 21 days towards conversations with Jesus? Maybe I could put my house in order. Or tend my spiritual garden. I could shed some excess weight/baggage. I would love to dive into another chapter of my life. How about you?

You’re invited to pray along with other GODfollowers. Post your prayers if you wish, the prayer rooms are set up just for that purpose. Real time prayers with people in person works too.

21 days. What might happen?

MySpace Confessional

Forgive me MySpace for I have sinned.

I've never been to confession, especially not to you, but admittedly I need to come clean.

I have committed slander against you and all that embrace you as home. At times I've been condescending, if not down right judgemental. It's not that I have anything against sexy women or stupid men tricks, but it just felt better for me to declare I am somehow above the likes of those who gather here and call friends friends.

It's here that millions come, baggage, bravado and all, and yet find belonging. Baring all, at times literally, many find solace with kindred spirits. As strange as it is to hear my fingers utter this, there is community being built here, probably much like what happened when a 1st century carpenter showed up at a party on the wrong side of temple.

It occurred to me that my Hero, would be found here in MySpace. He would be saving the world, including cheerleaders, utubers, and bloggers, baring His soul with a recklessness that you would understand. His comments would likely sound like random sound bytes from indie short films, but I suspect I would find many of you calling Him Friend, maybe even list Him in your top 8.

I wonder where I would list Him.

So please accept my apology. I am truly sorry.

If only my church could be more like MySpace...but that is another blog. Thanks for hearing me out and your gracious consideration of my confession.

encounter: What are places in your life today that you would like see Jesus Christ? How would you feel about Him "hanging out" in those places and spaces?