Late Night Musings Vol. 4
I am a...
Perfectionist
You may not be able to tell it by looking at my life, but I sweat the small stuff. Actually I find that in many areas of my life that is true, and in many areas it is not. I typically like things symmetrical, orderly, even, square. Yes it’s true, when I am at a restaurant and see a crooked picture I get up and straighten it. I am that guy. Even when it comes to folding laundry, there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. I do it the right way. This shows up a lot in graphics I create for the church. My graphics tend to be more logical and less artistic. I will work on a graphic for way too long to make it as close to perfect as I can get. I also see this a lot in formatting notes and outlines. To me thought organization on a page is an art in and of itself. For me, good enough is never good enough.
Buzzwords: Lord
LORD
You might be thinking… Lord? I know what that means, it means God is in control right? Sort of. It must be, just think of the lord of the house, the lord of the castle, and the lord of the rings! The key words used in the Bible that translate to Lord are YHWH (Yahweh), Kurios, and Adonay. Definition of these words? Lord.
Perhaps you have heard somewhere along the line that it is easy to make Jesus your Savior, but much harder to make him your Lord. I have to agree. Jesus as my Savior benefits me, Jesus as my Lord benefits Him. I know there are benefits to putting God in control, but they come at a cost. There are a lot of people who say “Lord Jesus” or “Jesus is my Lord” and don’t mean it. Often they don’t even understand the gravity of what they are saying.
Lord Jesus is in complete control.
I submit to His will no matter what it takes and what it costs.
Lord Jesus determines my steps, He guides my conversations, He holds my heart in His hand. Lord Jesus owns me.
Lord Jesus loves me.
Lord Jesus controls me.
He is my Lord. Is He yours?
Late Night Musings Vol. 3
First I have to realize that I am an incomplete picture. I am not a final product, I am a prototype. Getting there, but not there. So all I can do is look at the pieces He has shown me so far to catch a glimpse at the picture and wait for the rest to bring it into focus. Maybe experiences that I have right now are major puzzle pieces and I don’t even know it yet. I will just have to wait for God to reveal that to me when He is ready. So what has He unveiled so far and how has it sculpted me? As I look back on my life I see that (in no particular order) I am a…
Rule Follower
Growing up I was taught to follow the rules. I color inside of the lines. I can’t remember one time in school that I ever had detention or was even sent to the principal’s office. Honestly, I probably couldn’t tell you any of my principals’ names (with the exception of Mrs. Polemeni because she is the mayor of our city, and “Mr. Dorito” whose real name I can’t recall). Even to this day it makes me very uncomfortable to disobey the rules. For example, if my glass is empty at a restaurant and our waitress is not paying us attention, I would rather die of dehydration than go behind the counter and get my own drink from the fountain. THAT’S OFF LIMITS PEOPLE! And given the choice I will always walk on the sidewalk instead of the grass. Why am I that way? No clue, just am.
Buzzwords: Love
Buzzwords
- Love
- Lord
- Crucified
- Saved
- Disciple
- Repentance
- Amen
Why Men Hate Going to Church...
- His recliner is much more comfortable than a pew.
- Communion isn't his idea of an appropriate pre-game tailgate snack.
- He finds his Snuggie more comfortable than a choir robe.
- Because standing and sitting 12 times constitutes exercise, which violates the Sabbath.
- Top Ten plays on Sportscenter is much more interesting than the Top Ten Hymnal Hits.
- The senile old lady that insists on giving him an uncomfortably long hug.
- He has to actually put on pants Sunday morning.
Late Night Musings Vol. 2
Before I was a pastor I don’t know if I ever honestly thought about who God had created me to be. Sure I thought about what I was good at, what I enjoyed, what I wanted to do, “when I grew up.” But never really looked at the big picture and realized the mosaic that God was creating. To see that He had orchestrated every piece of my life to lead me where He wanted me to be, and that He is not even close to finished. Part of me wishes that I had seen it sooner and could have taken steps to prepare myself more fully for my purpose… and yet part of me realizes that perhaps the veiling of my purpose was necessary to lead me to it. The process of discovery has been and exciting one and there is a sense in which I feel like a child who is learning that he can swing, or run, or stack blocks. All of these things seem run-of-the-mill to us now, but when we are still young they are significant revelations. God is teaching me very specifically who He has designed me to be. As He is doing this, He is revealing to me events and experiences from my life that He has (unbeknownst to me) been using to shape me for this day and the days to come. It’s almost as if He has been creating each piece of the puzzle and He is just now putting the edges together. Not to dissimilar from one of my favorite movies of all time “Magnolia”. It is a strange movie for sure; in fact most people don’t get it. But I see my life in that movie. It tells the story of several different people living very distinct and separate lives. All with their own seemingly disconnected circumstances and issues. Yet somehow by the end of the movie every single story interconnects and you can se a larger picture that is greater than the sum of its parts. That is my life. I also believe that if everyone would truly seek God’s purpose for their own life, they would see that it is theirs as well.
What is my picture? What is God forming me into? What does He want me to do?
