The work in the willow

We have three huge willow trees in our back yard.  They're weird trees.  In fact, they're a bit annoying.  Their branches hang down so low to the ground that when I mow the lawn it feels like I'm walking through a hippie's beaded doorway.  They grow new branches faster than I can grow hair (which I guess doesn't say much), and they lose just as many branches as they grow; so we are constantly raking them up and getting rid of them.  They are constant work - and yet, they are really beautiful.  Really.  The effort of their upkeep is worth it, because they are beautiful.

People are like that too.  Sometimes they are a pain, sometimes they are annoying, sometimes they need a lot of work - but they are worth it because they are beautiful.  We might not always see it, but their beauty is there even if it's hidden or has been temporarily lost.

That person who makes your life miserable; underneath everything - God has made them beautiful.

And you.  You are beautiful too. 

All of us need work, all of us need people who invest in us and help to bring our beauty out.  Let's be the kind of people who help invest in others as well.  Seriously, let's really do it. 


Romans 15: 1-2 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.

Why You Just Got Unfriended

In the past couple of weeks I have seen and heard more people talking about quitting Facebook or "unfriending" people than all the years I have been on it, and I'm guessing you know why.

Instead of being a medium to keep family and friends in communication with each other - over the past year(s)  facebook has become a couple of new things...

1.  The most annoying game server of all time.
2.  A place for people in a fit of  passive-aggressiveness to yell at people without looking them in the eye.

Last week was a very near breaking point for me as I read the posts that went across my news feed. Instead of reading messages about the love, grace, and compassion of Jesus, there was A LOT of political bickering and hostility. 

I know that we all have opinions, and that the subjects that were discussed are important and shouldn't be ignored.  BUT WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

I mean... it was Easter.

Yes, there are things happening in the world that I am concerned about.  But... isn't my God bigger than anything in this world?   Wouldn't my time be better spent showing Jesus' love to others?  It's more compelling than any argument I can come up with anyway.

1 John 3:16 -18 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?  Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.

Priorities

Hey guys,

This is just a quick note to say I am, indeed, still alive.  I started school back up in August and am now in the process of writing my Master's Thesis - so auxiliary writing is just not happening, but I thought I would send out a quick "Big Question" for you.  Here you go...

What is the one thing that you tell yourself is a priority, but you are not motivated enough to actually do it?

Big Questions - Time Machine

This is maybe my favorite big question yet. Thanks to my wife and Back to the Future for the inspiration.  Remember to answer honestly!

If you had a time machine that could go either back in time or into the future, but you could only choose one way, which would you choose and why?

Big Questions Part 2: E.T.

Here is our second time looking at big questions.  Remember I want you to take a minute to answer honestly to yourself and if you're brave in a comment.

Warning:  Today will make you think a bit outside of the box (well for some of you).

Question: If you found out today that aliens (extra terrestrials, outer space creatures, extras in Will Smith movies) truly existed, how would that affect your faith? 

I'm really looking forward to hearing your responses, feel free to take a few minutes or hours to think about it before throwing down a response.  

How take transition head on.

Moving to a small town has been an adjustment.  Some things are hard to get used to.  For example, why in a store called Dollar General are tortilla chips $3.50?  Any change that we experience creates unpredictable consequences and sometimes we simply cannot be prepared.  But here are a few things I've learned to make change easier.

1.  Pray

I'm a pastor and although it seems obvious I refuse to downplay the importance and necessity of prayer through change, it can literally be and has been what has gotten me and countless others through transition.

2.  Decide ahead of time that your expectations are only expectations.

False expectations are hope killers.  Sometimes we expect things that we don't deserve/ are impossible/ shouldn't be expected.  Don't let false expectations lead to early burnout.

Ex:  I thought playing golf in small town would be inexpensive and that I would do it often.  Turns out it is just as expensive and I haven't played once.  Although disappointed, I have decided it's no reason to pack back up and move.  (Ok, poor example... to some.)


3.  Enter the transition asking: "What can I do to serve this change?"  Not: "How can this change serve me?"

If Alissa and I moved to Nebraska asking how this move will make our lives better than we have missed God's intention completely.  Yes God wants to bless us - but change will lead to failure and/or sadness if born from selfish desire.

Phil 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves"

Ever since we arrived here I have noticed this transition has been different and better than most previous big changes and after a few weeks I realized why.  In the past every time big change has happened in my life I've been looking out for my own interests; getting my degree, getting my first job, etc.  Not all of these were intentionally selfish, but to some degree they were.  During this transition, however, I have been careful to ask God not what's in it for me, but how can I serve this community as best I can.  Not "what do I get" but "what can I give," and somehow having an outward focused attitude makes all the inward difficulties seem like less of a big deal.   That doesn't mean it's always fun or easy - but it is all worth it.

 What are some things that have helped you make it through transitions?

Big Questions

I'm starting a new blog segment today.  These will be quick and either thought provoking, challenging, or neither (I don't like to get too tied down by things I have said that I later realize were dumb). 

As I said these blog posts will be short - but I do want you to honestly answer to yourself, or if you're really brave - in a comment.  so... HERE WE GO.

Question 1:  If you went to church today... were you more excited to go to it or get through it?