The Gift of Time

There is so much I haven't told you ....

Anyway, the ministry location we are at is closing down and we are in search of a new ministry location. In the meantime we have started a brand new ministry, but until it finds its new "home" we are in the proverbial state of "limbo".

I realized today that the gift of "limbo" is that I have time to do things that I neglect too often. Time to write. Time to read. Time to stop and think about more than the next 20 minutes.

The irony in this is that the focus of our new ministry is helping people to take the time they need to process life. Time to think, to reflect, to slow down and deal with more than the next 20 minutes.

I hope that in this time you hear from me more regularly. I am looking forward to reading books that have been piling up as well as taking time to listen to podcasts that help me think more clearly about our future and our plans. These are all good things -- too long neglected.

Let's hear it for the gift of time!

Not a great time to be pregnant ....

In recent months we have learned that we will become grandparents (for the first time!) and that our first grandchild will be a grandson! All really great news.

Recently as I was reading about the events surrounding the birth of Moses, I thought of the moms and dads, the parents, the grandparents and how they processed all of the tragedy and drama during those days.

First, the Hebrew midwives were instructed to kill any male children born, but the bible tells us that they "feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do ...". Having to answer for their defiance they told the king that the Hebrew women gave birth before they could arrive and carry out the order to kill the child.

So, then the situation worsened when Pharaoh instructed his own people throw every boy that is born into the Nile, but let every girl live.

What was that like? I can only imagine that there was an exodus of sorts out of Egypt by those who did not want to comply. Families that had rejoiced over the news of the pregnancy, had fretted over the growth of the little one, had coddled and pampered the mom to be .... what would they do now? How many babies were actually hidden from Pharaoh? How many people left the country and lived with family in other places until this storm passed over?

We know in the midst of this that Moses was born, was hidden and then adopted in the very family of Pharaoh himself; God had other plans for the life of this little one.

In my mind I fast forward to the time of Christ. Another jealous, fearful king. Another edict. Another exodus; this time to Egypt, not out of Egypt. A murderous king of this world had plans to rid himself of a perceived rival, but God had other plans for the life of this little one.

Live Music; it's Really Alive!

So, having just come home from a concert, I was asking myself "Why do people go to concerts?" I mean, after all, we can buy the CD's or download the songs and listen to them on our computers or some other more sophisticated sound system.

But listening live, now that is fun! It is a really stupid thing to say, but the music is so alive! The artists have the chance to share their stories, they talk about the music, they play extended versions of the songs and we as an audience get to interact with the artist and interact with the music as they share it with us.

So, after the cost of the ticket, the wait in line, the obnoxious fan, the sticky floor and the sigh at the end of set that seemed too short because I could have stayed all night -- it is fun to listen to the CD but it is great fun to be at the concert and listen, taste, touch and smell the experience.

Finding Time

Recently I was sharing a devotional thought from Matthew 26 (Jesus being anointed with oil just prior to the Triumphal Entry) ... looking toward Holy Week I was making the application of giving a precious gift -- a gift of great extravagance -- that could be a picture of God's extravagant gift of salvation to us.

I belive that God impressed on my heart this thought, "Give me a whole day. A day spent in worship by reading My word, praying and singing." I thought that seemed like a great idea -- until I tried to figure out which day! Have you ever tried to set aside an entire day just to give as a gift to God? I haven't found one yet, but I don't want to give up trying. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wrestling with the Necessities

I am slowly reading through Tozer's book, "The Pursuit of God". I am always wrestling between taking time to read and refresh myself and just doing the next thing that I need to do for work. Since spiritual refreshment is supposed to be part of my job, I shouldn't wrestle with taking the time to immerse myself in the Scriptures or in great books that will nourish my soul.

So, here are some other short quotes from Tozer, "If we would find God amid all the religious externals, then we must first determine to find Him, and then proceed in the way of simplicity ... The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One."

Tozer goes on to write that in the beginning God gave man a world of useful and pleasant things for his delight. But now, with the introduction of sin, " ... those very gifts of God (are) a potential source of ruin to the soul ... Within the human heart "things" have taken over ... God's gifts now take the place of God."

Very thoughtful and powerful words as I think about the things I have and the places they occupy in my life.

The Children of the Burning Heart

To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too easily satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.

-A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God