This past weekend we had a "Clean Up Day" for Minden. There were some dumpsters where residents could bring appliances, metal, and household junk they had been accumulating. From the looks of the piles I'd say there was a lot of stuff that had been accumulating around town. From the looks of the overflowing dumpsters this was something that Minden had been needing to do for the residents, and hopefully it will become a yearly occurrence. I spoke to a number of people who cleaned up their yard and brought stuff down. Stuff that had been sitting in their house or yard for years because there was no real practical place for it to go.
As I finally cleaned up from the construction of the sandbox, the spring storms, and various other little projects around the house I was reflecting on how good it felt to have the backyard all organized and cleaned up again. I got quite a sense of accomplishment and pride looking at the sandbox and then at the yard that was finally clear of dirt and branches and stray pieces of wood. Then I glanced in the front yard and saw more pieces of wood where the boys were "building" a door on the play house. Oh well, I'm resigned to the fact that it is okay for some toys to be left out and some stray pieces of wood to be around as long as the boys are living at home.
Back to my reflecting...it feels good to clean something up doesn't it? Whether it is a yard, a house, a room, a closet or a car. Once the job is done it feels good. Now imagine if we could take a day where we throw all of our mental, emotional and spiritual garbage away. Wouldn't it be nice if clearing out our own lives was as easy as picking up some stray sticks and organizing a closet? We are very good at holding on to "garbage" in our lives aren't we? Past mistakes, grudges, feelings of inadequacy, past hurts...the list is endless. The trouble is all that stuff builds up in our lives and we become like an unkempt yard or dirty closet...we need some cleaning out. We need to let go of grudges, forgive the people in our lives that need forgiven, forgive ourselves for past mistakes, and realize again that we are all beloved children of God. The cool part is we don't need to wait for a special time of the year, or for a dumpster to arrive, in order to begin cleaning up our "garbage." We can start right now. Ask God for guidance/wisdom in showing us what we need to get rid of, asking the Spirit for strength in doing so, and then to allow ourselves to be begin the process of clearing out our mental, emotional, and spiritual closets. I guarantee you it will feel better than a freshly cleaned house!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tough Week
I was going to spend this blog whining about how busy I'm going to be this week. I have 3 different sermons to write: baccalaureate, wedding and Sunday sermon. The events happen in that order, so if you come to church on Sunday I'll either have a fantastic sermon because it will be my third try for a good one, or it'll be terrible because I've already used up my good one for the week. So, instead of working one day this week I'm going to have to work 3!
I said I was going to complain, but I thought better of it...I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who like to complain about how tough their job is. Two thoughts run through my head: at least your employed, and if you don't like it find a different job. I know, I know those aren't very pastoral responses, and I know sometimes jobs really are horrible and changing them isn't a real viable option at the moment, but does whining about them help?
Ok, that rant is off my chest. As I was typing a thought occurred to me...is it easier to whine about our lot in life then do something about it? Do we get some sort of enjoyment out of comparing our perceived troubles to others and coming out ahead? How do you think God feels when we constantly complain to Him about our situation in life and just expect it to be fixed? Whining doesn't get us anywhere with people or with God. God will listen patiently, infinitely more patiently then family and friends, but God isn't going to just wave his hand and fix our trouble. God never promised us an easy path through life. God never promised us easy fixes to our problems. What God did promise was to be with us always. God is with us through the ups and the downs. And, God works the best through us, and in order for that to happen we need to stop the pity party and look for ways God might be leading us. So, no complaining about my horribly busy/exhausting week, just asking God for help and strength to get through.
I said I was going to complain, but I thought better of it...I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who like to complain about how tough their job is. Two thoughts run through my head: at least your employed, and if you don't like it find a different job. I know, I know those aren't very pastoral responses, and I know sometimes jobs really are horrible and changing them isn't a real viable option at the moment, but does whining about them help?
Ok, that rant is off my chest. As I was typing a thought occurred to me...is it easier to whine about our lot in life then do something about it? Do we get some sort of enjoyment out of comparing our perceived troubles to others and coming out ahead? How do you think God feels when we constantly complain to Him about our situation in life and just expect it to be fixed? Whining doesn't get us anywhere with people or with God. God will listen patiently, infinitely more patiently then family and friends, but God isn't going to just wave his hand and fix our trouble. God never promised us an easy path through life. God never promised us easy fixes to our problems. What God did promise was to be with us always. God is with us through the ups and the downs. And, God works the best through us, and in order for that to happen we need to stop the pity party and look for ways God might be leading us. So, no complaining about my horribly busy/exhausting week, just asking God for help and strength to get through.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Stop Monkeying Around
Went to see the movie "Chimpanzee" yesterday with the family. After the sticker shock of matinee prices and getting some pop and popcorn we settled in for the movie. Thank goodness for a gift card. Now I know why the Phoenix in Neola is such a community treasure! But, I'm not here to rail on about the prices of movies.
Did you know that chimpanzee's eat other monkeys? Did you know they fashion tools to crack nuts, eat ants, and get bugs out of logs and trees? Did you know they pass this knowledge on to successive generations? The chimps eating other monkeys surprised me for sure. If you haven't heard about the premise if the movie a family of chimps is followed for a number of months and a surprising thing happens. After a young chimp's mother is killed he is adopted by the alpha male of the family group. Maybe this doesn't sound to surprising to you, but I guess it is HIGHLY unlikely to happen. Most of the time the orphaned chimp would have died because the other females in the group have kids of their own to take care of. In this case the alpha male stepped outside of his comfort zone, and defined role, to fulfill a need for the family group. Because of his sacrifice, the the orphaned chimp began to thrive, as did the group. It really is a good movie to see.
What got me thinking was the alpha male's willingness to step outside of his normal "role" to fulfill a need in the family group. He risked a lot. His attention given to the young chimp took away from his normal duties as the group's leader, and I imagine he risked some ridicule from the family for him taking on a female's role. I don't know if chimps pick on each other, but I imagine there had to be some head scratching. How often are we willing to step outside our little comfort zone to fulfill a need? How often are we willing to risk some sideways glances in order to fulfill a role that maybe isn't the "norm" for us?
There are many opportunities to help friends, neighbors, your church, family, and even people we dont' like so much that I think we miss because we are too afraid to step up and step outside the little comfort zone we've created. We might be worried that we're unqualified, we might be worried we won't like it, but if you're like me the usual culprit is laziness. I know I get comfortable with the normal routine and when an opportunity arises that might challenge me or cause me to step outside of the routine I've created my default response is "no." If we only respond to opportunities we are "comfortable" with then we're going to miss a lot of chances to have God use us and do amazing things with us.
Forget the qualified part...God is supremely qualified and able to shape/mold you to do the job. We just need to get off our butts and say yes! I try hard to keep my eyes open to opportunities for God to use me, and when I see one then I have to try even harder to overcome the default setting of "no." I don't always succeed, but I'm getting better. There are going to be numerous opportunities for you to get involved in our church life, in our community life, and I imagine in family and friend's lives, but you might be required to get off your butt and step outside your comfort zone a little. The question is do you trust God enough to say yes? Are you willing to let God use you and be an image of the Creator? Our church is growing in exciting ways, but that growth can only be sustained with help from the church family. Be ready for some challenges coming up, and please be willing to allow the Spirit to move in your heart and help out.
Did you know that chimpanzee's eat other monkeys? Did you know they fashion tools to crack nuts, eat ants, and get bugs out of logs and trees? Did you know they pass this knowledge on to successive generations? The chimps eating other monkeys surprised me for sure. If you haven't heard about the premise if the movie a family of chimps is followed for a number of months and a surprising thing happens. After a young chimp's mother is killed he is adopted by the alpha male of the family group. Maybe this doesn't sound to surprising to you, but I guess it is HIGHLY unlikely to happen. Most of the time the orphaned chimp would have died because the other females in the group have kids of their own to take care of. In this case the alpha male stepped outside of his comfort zone, and defined role, to fulfill a need for the family group. Because of his sacrifice, the the orphaned chimp began to thrive, as did the group. It really is a good movie to see.
What got me thinking was the alpha male's willingness to step outside of his normal "role" to fulfill a need in the family group. He risked a lot. His attention given to the young chimp took away from his normal duties as the group's leader, and I imagine he risked some ridicule from the family for him taking on a female's role. I don't know if chimps pick on each other, but I imagine there had to be some head scratching. How often are we willing to step outside our little comfort zone to fulfill a need? How often are we willing to risk some sideways glances in order to fulfill a role that maybe isn't the "norm" for us?
There are many opportunities to help friends, neighbors, your church, family, and even people we dont' like so much that I think we miss because we are too afraid to step up and step outside the little comfort zone we've created. We might be worried that we're unqualified, we might be worried we won't like it, but if you're like me the usual culprit is laziness. I know I get comfortable with the normal routine and when an opportunity arises that might challenge me or cause me to step outside of the routine I've created my default response is "no." If we only respond to opportunities we are "comfortable" with then we're going to miss a lot of chances to have God use us and do amazing things with us.
Forget the qualified part...God is supremely qualified and able to shape/mold you to do the job. We just need to get off our butts and say yes! I try hard to keep my eyes open to opportunities for God to use me, and when I see one then I have to try even harder to overcome the default setting of "no." I don't always succeed, but I'm getting better. There are going to be numerous opportunities for you to get involved in our church life, in our community life, and I imagine in family and friend's lives, but you might be required to get off your butt and step outside your comfort zone a little. The question is do you trust God enough to say yes? Are you willing to let God use you and be an image of the Creator? Our church is growing in exciting ways, but that growth can only be sustained with help from the church family. Be ready for some challenges coming up, and please be willing to allow the Spirit to move in your heart and help out.
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