2012 In Pictures

In the grand scheme of things one year isn't very long, yet, when we reach the end of a year and think about all the things that have happened, it is easy to see why countless year in review lists are done at the end of each year.  Well, why should my blog be any different?  While I am pretty busy, I don't really consider my day-to-day life as being all that exciting or eventful.  However, there are several things that stick out to me from the past year, most of which has been documented on facebook and/or twitter, here are some of them;

 

  This year I was fortunate to baptize two of my three children.  More than just the fact that I baptised them, I am so excited to see them choose to follow Jesus, and even more so to see Jesus in their lives.

 



In the summer my son, JD, and I were able to attend a Mariner game with friends of ours and got to witness our first no-hitter which was thrown by 6 different Mariner pitchers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of our favorite places to camp as a family is on Orcas Island.  This year we went the week of the 4th of July for some hiking, bridge jumping, swimming and fireworks

This is just a picture of a burger and fries simply because I love a good burger.  I enjoy good food (usually in the form of burgers and pizza) and love to go out with others to eat.  This picture is just a reminder of the good food eaten throughout the year, particularly that which was eaten with friends and family.

 

 

2012 was a big year for Crosswater as we celebrated our 5th anniversary and added a third full-time pastor when we hired Josh Moser as our Worship Pastor.  It is an amazing privilege to work with Aaron and Josh and I look forward to what God wants to do in and through us.

 

In the summer, my family took a road trip to Yellowstone National Park.  It was great to get away with some good friends and see some of God's amazing creation.  It is a little weird though going out into nature and seeing a huge crowd waiting for "nature" to happen (like this picture, on the left, at Old Faithful)

 

 

Before we got to Yellowstone, we were able to spend a couple of days with good friends near Boise, ID which included floating down the river.

Football is one of my passions, particularly college football and most specifically Husky football.  I was able to go to two games this year (both UW wins) due to the generosity of friends and was able to take my youngest, Halle, to her first game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In November my wife surprised me with a trip to see a good friend of mine in Hawaii.  I hadn't seen him for almost a year and as it turns out, he moved to the Philippines just a couple of weeks after I left.  The warning signs to the right were at the start of a hike that we did but they are also a greater analogy for life.  We are faced with many hazards, obstacles and difficulties but if we let all of those stop us on our journey we won't get to experience much of the amazing things that happen.

 

 

 

 

This is my amazing family.  I am incredibly blessed  to have the wife and kids that I have and I look forward to the time that I have ahead of me with these four amazing people and wait with anticipation the addition of our 5th family member.

Waiting...and Waiting...

Nobody likes to wait.  Look at our society, and probably your life, and you know that statement is true.  We have microwaves, fast-food, instant rice, and many more time saving things.  There are few people above the age of 12 that don't have a cell phone, many of which are "smart" phones.  Does anyone really NEED a cell phone, especially one with the capability to check email, immediately post on Facebook and play games whenever we want?  Sure people always cite examples of "what if my car breaks down" or "what if there is an emergency and I have to get a hold of________".  How many times have you actually had either of those things happen?  We have cell phones (and many other time saving devices) ultimately because we want things now, we want convenience.

This is a problem in the church as well.  We want to go to church and get a quick fix to help our marriage or our finances.  We want our weekly "dose of the ghost" rather than truly seeking God and following Him daily.  I am generalizing with these comments but I think you get the point, we are not good at waiting.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days with friends of mine who have been waiting.  Almost exactly a year ago they were offered a position in India which they excitedly accepted.  The problem is, they are still in the states waiting to get into the country.  I too am waiting.  My wife and I started the process of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia in January of 2011 and were officially put on a referral waiting list about one year ago.  We are still waiting and now at a point where we will need to start renewing much of our paperwork.  My friends have no idea how long their wait will be, it could be over next week or next year.  My wait is slightly more predictable but will likely be at least another year or more.

Obviously there is a huge difference between waiting in traffic or waiting for God's call to move to India or to adopt to be finalized, but, we are all waiting for something.  What do you do in your waiting?  Do you grumble and complain and dismiss God as too slow?  Or, do you seek Him, rest in Him and trust that His timing will be perfect?  I would like to say that I mostly do the latter of those options, heck, I would like to say that I was 50/50. 

As we come to the first week of advent this Sunday and as I think of waiting for my son's adoption or my friends' waiting to move to India, I can't help but but also think about Jesus' second coming.  That's what advent is after all, the anticipation, the waiting for Jesus' return.  So as you wait for whatever you are waiting for, consider what advent reminds us of; hope, love, joy and peace.  We can only partially experience those things now but someday, we can fully experience all of those things through the death, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ.  Waiting is hard, but if there were ever anything worth waiting for, that would be it!

Fireworks or a Candle?

Do you ever have those moments where you wish you had different skills or talents?  Maybe you wish you could play basketball like Lebron James or sing like Alicia Keys or dance like...some dancer (I don't really know any dancers).

Lately, I have had thoughts like these.  I read books by amazing authors like Francis Chan and wish that I could take deep theological topics and make them easy to understand like he does.  Or, I hear someone like Matt Chandler give a sermon and wish that I could preach like that.  While it's not bad to have goals and to stretch ourselves in order to get better, it certainly can be bad to strive to be someone else.  Everyone is gifted differently and it is God's desire for us to use the gifts that He has given to each of us for His glory rather than wish we had someone else's gifting.

I was reminded of this today as I read an excerpt from a book called Mondays with My Old Pastor by Jose Luis Navajo while reading the newest edition of Leadership Journal.  In this book, Jose recounts a story from one of the conversations he had with his pastor where his pastor essentially asks the question above, Fireworks or a Candle?

If you have ever been to a good firework show or neighborhood 4th of July party, you have probably been awed by the wonder and beauty of fireworks.  But, have you ever gotten up on the 5th of July (or some other day after a firework show) and seen the mess left behind?  Scraps, charred cardboard, burn marks, etc.  "Fifteen minutes of glory and then burned cardboard."  This is a little like many of those people who awe and amaze us, many of the people that we want to emulate, but for one reason or another, they quickly fade into memory.  Some are just no longer able to "perform", some just become unpopular, worse yet, some "blacken with soot" due to some moral failure.

Too often our desire is to be like these spectacular people who awe and amaze, when really we should desire to be more like a candle.  A candle doesn't typically awe or amaze anyone but it does provide light in the darkness.  A candle burns steady for a long period not just for an amazing few minutes.  A candle may not be seen by thousands but it's long, steady burn can have a much longer lasting impact on the few that were touched by it's light.

"Don't focus on what astonishes, but rather what transforms.  Don't let yourself be impressed by fireworks that amaze people for 15 minutes and then leave them tarnished.  Look for something deeper.  Don't make your goal to amaze your audience.  Don't rest until you are sure that your ministry crosses the frontier of the soul and touches the spirit, the place where change is accomplished."

Connected

Is it possible to be truly connected when it is through a computer, smart phone or tablet that you are connecting?  Well, it depends on what you mean by connected.  If I am talking about truly connecting with people, then I would say no, it's not possible to truly connect through a computer, smart phone or tablet.  But, what if I am talking about connected to God?

We live in the most technologically advanced time in the history of the world and unless something happens along the lines of the new TV show "Revolution", our society is only going to get more and more advance technologically.

In the June issue of "Christianity Today" (yes, I am a little behind) there is a section talking about how technology can help us better engage the bible and therefore, connect with God.  As someone who frequently uses technology in that way, I thought it would make for a good post to hopefully help you do the same.

I am fortunate to have an iPad as well as an iPhone and I am happy to report that I use each of them for more than playing games, watching movies and browsing the Internet (though I have done all of those things on both devices).  In addition, to game apps, sports apps, and news/media apps, I also have several bible related apps.  While i'll admit that there are some that I really never use, the one I want to highlight to you is simply,  the Bible app.

The Bible app is published by YouVersion and is great way to always be just seconds away from the Bible.  If you have a tablet or smart phone, you simply must have this app.  YouVersion has 160 versions of the bible in 51 different languages making it virtually impossible not to find a version/translation that you don't like.  In addition, YouVersion allows you to set up all sorts of different reading plans.  Want to read the bible in a year, no problem.  In 90 days, piece of cake (at least when it comes to setting up the plan).  As well as many other plans.  One of the things I like the best about the app (other than simply having quick access to the bible) is the ability to share passage on Twitter or Facebook with just a couple of touches.  YouVersion makes it easy to get to a book, chapter and verse, as well as easily bookmark, highlight and make notes.  This is an outstanding app that everyone with a tablet or smart phone should have.

While there are many drawbacks to technology and our increasing dependence on it, technology can also be a great help in keeping us connected to God's word.  While you can certainly carry an actual bible around with you all the time, let's be honest, how many of us actually do that?  YouVersion and many other apps/technologies are a great way to stay connected to God by being connected to His word.

Please let me know if you have questions about this app or other apps and please let me know if you know of any great apps that help keep you connected to God.

Purpose

I was listening to the radio recently on my way to work and heard the morning show host share a quote that she had heard.  Normally, this is when I would have changed the station or just not paid attention but for some reason, on this day, I actually listened to what she said and found it to be interesting.  The quote was, "If you were to judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it would live it's life thinking it was dumb."

Now who in their right mind would judge a fish's ability to climb a tree, it obviously would be really bad at climbing trees.  Which, of course, is the point.  Fish weren't designed to climb trees, they were designed to swim and, as such, they do so really well.  We too are designed with a purpose.  Ultimately our purpose is to honor and glorify God but how we each do that is different.  We have all been given different skills and passions which are intended for us to use in honoring and glorifying God.  When we are living out of those skills and passions, life is more fulfilling and we are doing a better job of honoring God.

Too often we try to be like someone else.  While it is great to have role models and examples in our life, we shouldn't try to be someone else.  We all have gifts and abilities, some might be unknown to us and some might be undeveloped.  But, when we try to live out of someone else's giftedness, we are not being the person that we were designed to be.

Unfortunately there are some things that we need to do that aren't always what we are skilled at or passionate about (dishes, lawn care, vacuuming, etc.) but as responsible people, we still need to do them.  However, if you aren't using your skills and passions, you are like a fish trying to climb a tree.  God made you the way He did for a purpose, He has a plan for your life.  Are you living according to His purpose for you, or, are you living outside of that purpose?  My encouragement to you is to live how you were designed to live and stop trying to be someone or something else.

Humility

Have you ever listened to a sermon that you really just thought didn't apply to you?  You sit their and you think of all the people that you wish were hearing the sermon right then.  Or, you look around to see if the people who should really be paying attention are listening.  I've found that those are the times when I really need to be listening.

It so happens that last week as I was listening to my good friend and pastor preach about humility, I wasn't exactly thinking that I needed to work on it.  You're probably thinking two different things right now; first, it is pretty ironic to listen to a message on humility while thinking you don't need to work on it and, second, do you seriously think you don't need to work on it?

As I left church that day and went on with my week, it became much more apparent that I did in fact have some issues with humility.  I'm not necessarily talking about "look at how great I am" kind of issues but more motivation issues.  Some things happened during the week that caused me to look at why I am doing certain things and/or why I was upset with certain things.  While evaluating these situations, I discovered that while there were some legitimate reasons/motivations, there were also some identity motivations.  In other words, I was finding identity, value, etc. in these things which is a form of pride and therefore a lack of humility.

My identity should be found in Christ alone and seeking it in other places is a lack of humility.  So, next time you are listening to a sermon that you think would be great for 'ol so and so to hear, remember that it may actually be great for you to hear.

I Hope You've Learned Your Lesson

Have you ever heard the statement, "I hope you've learned your lesson"?  I am sure that most of  us were given that gem more than once growing up by our parents after we had done something we weren't supposed to and then suffered the consequences.  Well, this morning the tables were turned a little bit for me as I was laughing at Jesus' disciples and their failure to learn their lesson.

I've been reading through the book of Matthew and yesterday in my reading (Matthew 14) I came across the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with basically a sack lunch.  Today in my reading (Matthew 15) Jesus and the disciples are presented with a similar issue (a large group of people and very little food to feed them with) and the disciples ask Jesus where they could possibly get enough food to feed all of the people. 

I am not sure how much time had passed since the events of chapter 14 but I know it wasn't very long.  That's why as I was reading this question from the disciples, I was completely dumbfounded as to how the disciples had already seemingly forgotten what Jesus had done to feed the 5,000.  Here they are with probably fewer people (4,000 plus women and children), actually more food, and someone who has done this before, yet, they are genuinely concerned about how these people are going to eat.

However, I quickly stopped by chuckling as I realized how often I have to learn the same lesson over and over again from Jesus.  Suddenly the disciples behavior wasn't nearly as funny.  It was deeply convicting though.  Why is it that Jesus can come through for me in amazing ways, reveal Himself in spectacular fashion, comfort me in times of doubt and I can so easily forget all of these things the next time I am in a similar situation?

It is easy to look at the disciples and even easier to look at those around me and wonder why they just can't seem to get it.  It is a lot harder to look at myself and realize that I am just as clueless, if not more, than everyone else.  I know that Jesus can be trusted, that He loves me and that His way is the best way, but, I don't always remember those things.  I am still learning my lesson!

Spiritual Codependency

It has been quite awhile since I have posted and since I am sure everyone desperately missed my insights, I apologize for not being more diligent.  The truth is, I frequently struggle with what to write about and rather than just randomly blab, I tend to choose not posting.  However, today I was reading an article in a magazine that I get and I came across the question "Are you fostering spiritual codependency?" and I thought it would be a good topic for a post.

As a pastor, my desire is to help people realize their need for Jesus and see them obediently follow Him with their lives.  Not as a religious pursuit to earn any kind of reward, but because they are in love with Him and their heart is transformed so that they desire what He desires.  But is that what the Christian church looks like today?  Check out this quote from Mark Batterson's book "Wild Goose Chase"

I'm afraid we've turned church into a spectator sport.  Too many of us are content with letting a spiritual leader seek God for us.  Like the Israelites, we want Moses to climb the mountain for us.  After all, it is much easier to let someone else pray for us or study for us.  So the church unintentionally fosters a subtle form of spiritual codependency.

Where does my job as a pastor end and the responsibility of the individual follower begin?  Am I helping people or am I actually hurting people?  These are tough questions to answer definitively but I think they are good questions to ask.   Since most of you are not pastors, can I suggest a different question?  Are you spiritually codependent on your pastor (or some other person)?  Let me assure that other than being paid to minister, I am not really any different than you.  I am a guy trying to figure out what it looks like to follow Jesus and trying to apply the things I think I have figured out.  My desire is to help you do the same but not do it for you.  Let's step out together in being spiritually dependent on Jesus!

Perspective

The way you see things can drastically alter your opinions or feelings about things.  Take WWE wrestling for instance.  If you watch on TV, all of the hitting, punching, kicking, etc. looks to be legitimate.  However, if you were to see the same "wrestling" match in person from a different angle, you would probably see that much of what you think is happening on TV isn't really happening.  From one angle WWE wrestling may seem violent, rough and physical.  But, from another angle it just appears staged and fake.  I am not sure why I chose WWE wrestling as an example as there are several other perfectly adequate examples to illustrate my point, but I think you get the idea.

Life is the same way.  Our state of mind, mood and happiness are impacted by our perspective.  If we focus on what we don't have or what is currently bad or challenging in our lives, we will likely have a negative or poor state of mind.  However, if we focus on what we do have and what is going well in our lives, our mood will likely be much better.

As I was reading in Romans 8 today, I was encouraged by the shift in perspective that Paul provided.  Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."  We do experience hard things in life but when we compare those "sufferings" to the glory that we will experience for eternity with Jesus (if we have given our lives to Him) their is a huge difference in our favor.  There really is no comparison.

I have no intention of trying to minimize the hardships of life, they exist and they are real.  What I hope I am able to do, though, is show that with a shift in our perspective, we can be reminded of the hope and glory that awaits us.

Guest Post from our Children's Director

One of the great things about being a pastor is the amazing people that I get to work alongside of. I have met many great people over the years working in various jobs, but being able to work with fellow believers where I am encouraged, challenged and loved is a tremendous blessing. One of the amazing people that I work with is our Children's Director, Cherie. Cherie is an amazing, Godly women, with tons of wisdom and a heart first for Jesus and also for the kids of Crosswater, including my own kids. The following is something she wrote about her recent trip to Haiti for a Vacation Bible School;

“Nan Wo is an amazing area mostly comprised of farmland with crops varying from onions and tomatoes to rice and corn. The community is tightly knit with homes sitting close together along the main road leading through the valley. Homes are made mostly of stone and sticks with dirt floors. These houses are not much bigger than many people's family rooms here in the U.S. The church/school that Hope in Haiti has built and where we stayed is like a beacon to many in this area. It is, by far, the nicest building in the valley. The only community well is located here and many use it on a daily basis. I could see the effect that our (Crosswater Church's) and many other's support has had on this community. I see God working in an amazing way through Pastor Louinet and his staff. Pastor has a heart for people. I think that's what really stuck with me....people, not things, are what matter in this life. Use things to bless people but INVEST in people to make a true difference. I know this to be true and it was so good to see that being lived out by Pastor Louinet, his family and those he is discipling. Pastor has his work cut out for him as there are many people in the area that are still in bondage to voodoo. We got to see that first-hand after church the Sunday before Easter. There was a huge voodoo "ra-ra" group that came through and stopped at people's houses. If people desired, they could pay the ra-ra group to perform and ask Satan to bless their homes. The ra-ra group was also celebrating the death of Christ on the cross....His death, not His resurrection. The people may proclaim to believe in Christ but their faith is marred by the thought that they need to have Satan's protection too. They want to have all their bases covered, so to speak. Pastor is trying hard to help people see that true freedom is through Christ alone. The Vacation Bible School that we sponsored and put on for the school children is one way we hope to help break that cycle of bondage and to help children see their worth in Christ and the freedom they have in Him. Our theme was "Be a Light for Jesus" and that's what we hope this future generation is for the community of Nan Wo.”

Who are you investing in? Are things getting in the way of investing in people? I encourage you to first Love God with all that you have and are, next love your neighbor as yourself. Thank you Cherie for being a tremendous example of both!

Glory Hound

I have been accused of having a disproportionately sized ego which must be true because any ego at all is really more than we should have. It is also true because there are certainly times in my life where I have been pretty enamored with myself. But, I think for the most part, I do a pretty good job of not getting too excited about me (of course saying that kind of shows a bit of an ego, doesn't it?). Even so, I got a pretty good reality check recently as I was reading in the book of Joshua.

Joshua was pretty successful by our standards (any standards really). He was the leader of God's people after Moses died. He showed incredible courage, after scouting out the promised land, encouraging God's people to go and take the land that had been promised to them. He also led several military-like victories. This was a powerful and successful man.

Unlike most present day leaders in a similar situation, Joshua didn't take the credit himself. In his farewell (he was about to die) speech to his people, he gave all of the credit, all of the glory to God. God has gifted each of us and those gifts can enable us to great things. When we do, who gets the glory? The answer should be God. I needed the reminder as I read Joshua 23 that it is God who has allowed me to have any success that I have had. Sure, I may work hard at something and put in lots of effort. But who gave me life? Who gave me the ability to work hard? Who allowed my efforts to yield good results? God did! So the next time you become enamored with yourself, remember who should get the glory.

Promises, Promises

We've all made them and we've all broken them. Sometimes, we are accused of making and then breaking promises (usually by our kids who don't always understand the difference between promise vs. possible). Unfortunately we have all been hurt by broken promises and have likely hurt others by breaking promises. That's why I was so encouraged today when reading in Joshua 23:14;

"You know that with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed."

God is faithful! His promises are secure! In a world where keeping your word is less and less common, isn't it reassuring to know that there is someone we can go to that will keep their promises? We don't have to wonder which promises will be kept and when we'll be left hanging. We know without a doubt that He can be trusted. If we know that, shouldn't we trust Him?

Life Lessons from a Sandwich Shop III: Learning From Mistakes

Awhile back I did a post based off of a sign that I saw at a Jimmy John's sandwich shop and since they have so many great signs, I decided to make a series out of it. Today's post is the third post in the series based on the sign above.

The best way to gain experience (really the only way) at something is to do it. Whether it is a job, a hobby or a skill there really is no substitute for "getting your hands dirty". Unfortunately when you are just starting to gain experience in something mistakes are part of the equation. I know, some people are able to pick some things up like they have been doing it forever, but, that is more of an exception than the norm.

For most of my life, I have avoided things if I wasn't reasonably sure that I would do them well. How silly is that? How can I possibly expect to do something well the first time that I do it? As silly as it is, that has frequently been my mindset. There are at least a couple of problems with that mindset: I missed out on a lot of things that I may have really enjoyed, and I missed out on the opportunity to learn from some mistakes.

We all make mistakes! The important thing is whether we learn from our mistakes. How do you handle mistakes? Do you allow them to define you as a failure? Do you allow them to cause you to quit? Or do you use them as an opportunity to grow and to get better? Without mistakes we wouldn't have (or at least not as soon as we did) Post-it Notes, Coca Cola, Tires, the light bulb, penicillin and many more things. Mistakes are important in helping us learn and grow. I don't necessarily recommend intentionally making mistakes or continuing to make the same mistakes, but, I do encourage you to not waste your mistakes, after all, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

I Don't Like to Read

I have a bit of a problem. I like to learn but I don't really like to read. Now-a-days with all of the technology available to us, this isn't as big of a problem as it used to be. Even though I have tons of access to podcasts, vodcasts, apps, YouTube, etc. there is still something to be said for books. Which brings me back to the problem I started with; I like to learn but I don't really like to read.

That's why I was so excited a few weeks ago to hear about a website called "Study Leadership". This site offers book summaries for leadership books. In other words, they read the book and then give to their subscribers a much shorter (10-20 pages) summary of what the book said. So, instead of spending several hours over the course of several months (my typical book reading results), I can now get the main pieces of a book in only 20-30 minutes. What a great way to solve my problem.

These books aren't for everyone as they are focused on leadership and most are specific to church leadership. However if you are a manager or a leader (mom, dad, boss, coach, etc.) there are many books that I am sure you would find helpful.

If you like to learn but don't have the time to read full books, check out these summaries. And if you go to Crosswater (the church where I am one of the pastors) ask me about how you can get free access to these summaries.

"Free"

We've all seen it, "Free"; free trial, free 4 day/3 night vacation, free iPad2, the list goes on and on. Then comes the disclaimer, subscription at full price automatically starts if not canceled prior to exipration of "free" trial. Or, in order to get that "free" vacation you have to listen to a sales pitch for a timeshare or some other opportunity. In order to get the "free" iPad2 you have to complete 6 offers. All of these "free" things are suddenly no longer free.

Yesterday, my wife came to me with a "free" opportunity that she came across while running. A neighbor of ours had several stones about beside the road with a sign indicating that they were free. So, my wife literally ran home to get me and a vehicle to load up the stones. I was about to leave for the office and wasn't really in attire suitable for lifting dirty wet stones in a our vehicle. In addition, our vehicle was not ready to have dirty wet stones put into it (in other words there was no tarp or plastic or other material to keep the interior of our vehicle from getting dirty). I also knew that these "free" stones meant that some sort of project was coming and were going to need a permament location which I was sure would not be immediately agreed upon. So, to sum things up, I was instantly seeing the "disclaimer" while my wife was focused on the "free". Later, I had conversations with my wife about where these stones were to be put, saw several bags of paver base to create a suitable base for the rocks (these bags were not free) and heard about the emotional displeasure of my daughter who did not want to give up our playset as the new location for these rocks. These "free" rocks were not feeling very "free" to me.

I don't bring this up to make my wife look bad (I actually appreciate her desire to save us money), instead I bring this up as an example to show how easy it is to get enticed by something that ends up being "not all it's cracked up to be". In life we tend to settle for the quick fix, the latest and the greatest, the new fad, etc. When we do, we usually find out that these things weren't what we thought they would be. They don't satisfy, they don't fulfill. We leave feeling taken, cheated, disappointed.

Jesus offers us something different. In Galatians 5:1, Paul says to the church in Galatia; "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." The people in Galatia were trying to add to the grace of God, they were creating a disclaimer to Jesus' offer of FREE. Jesus' offer is different than the "free" offers we are accustomed to. in Jesus, we are offered true life, we are offered freedom from religion, from works, from the bondage of sin. What have you done with this offer? Have you accepted it or are you still looking for the disclaimer? Jesus wants to set you free, will you let Him?

What Do You See?

A friend of mine pointed this puzzle out to me today. What do you think when you come across a puzzle in this state of completeness? Some people see chaos and immediately get stressed out. Some people see a challenge and get excited about it. Some people are apathetic and just leave it to someone else.

Life is kind of like a puzzle. There are lots of pieces, some of which are in place, some are backwards, upside down or jammed where they don't fit. Like with a puzzle, there are many responses/feelings when we look at life. We may get overwhelmed by all that is unknown, or we may be comforted feeling that all the pieces will get put in the right spot at some point.

Whatever your response is, know that God has a plan. What may look or feel like chaos to you is known to God. He chooses to reveal where the pieces go in His time and when each piece gets placed you can look back and see how perfectly it fits. Instead of feeling stressed, overwhelmed, chaotic or even apathetic, look at the puzzle of life and know that the one who made the puzzle is putting it together.

When Passion is a Problem

If you have spent much time with me, you have probably discovered that I am a huge fan of the University of Washington. While I think it is a great university, I am really talking mostly about their football team and to a slightly lesser extent their basketball team. As a huge fan, today, February 1st, is pretty much a holiday for me. Why, because today is National Letter of Intent day. This is the day where high school seniors can officially commit to attend a school to play football. For many this is the end of what has been a year or even longer process of coaches, friends, family, strangers trying to "help" decide where to go to school. For fans of these schools it is a day of being hopeful of the future of the program or being disappointed about the direction.

In other words, I am a geek. I have been reading articles, checking tweets and looking for hints of where 18 year old kids are going to go to school. I don't know how much time I have spent doing all of this, not really a lot (depending on how you define "a lot"). But even though it hasn't been a lot, I have been increasingly convicted as today's "holiday" has come closer, about how much time, energy and passion has been expended on such a thing.

Do I have as much passion for Jesus and spending time with Him as I have for Husky football? I would honestly say that the answer is...sometimes. I don't follow Husky football because I have to. There was no requirement when I graduated that I had to take an interest in the program for the rest of my life or risk losing my degree. No, I follow Husky football because I am passionate about it. However, my passion for Jesus should be much greater. And, if it is much greater, it should my life should look like it.

What are you passionate about? Is it taking the place of Jesus in your life? If you say you are passionate about Jesus, is that apparent to those who see your life? I am really excited about the Huskies but I am in love with Jesus and want my life to look like it. I have some work to do!