Here I Go Again

Obviously - you will be hard pressed to find a better decade of music than the 80's... Granted - fashion was not at its 'highest' point during those 10 years (okay - spilling into the 90's, as well - TIGHT ROLLERS!!!) but it was a time of rockin' music... Artists like Def Leopard and Bon Jovi were bringing powerful anthems left and right in complete stereo... And who didn't want to have "Nothin' But A Good Time" with Brett Michaels..? One of the more 'catchier' songs of that era was by a group named 'Whitesnake' titled "Here I Go Again"... The chorus takes the title, but adds, "on my own - Duhn Duhn - Going down the only road I've ever known - Duhn Duhn - Like a drifter I was born to walk alone - Duhn Duhn Duhn... Can any of you finish the line..?

Anyways - I too am off and going, again... I'm not going alone, though... I'm heading out with 31 other students and adults to the East Coast... We are off to do some mission work in the greater Boston area... We will be working on houses and serving people who can't help themselves... There will be elderly, disabled, or low income families... It's always a blessing to know that we can help out those in need... But you know what the best part is, though - Pleasing Jesus with our service... Paul said in Acts 20:35, "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

It is true... The reward is far greater to give to someone in need than it is to receive EVEN MORE... You know it's true... If it's not - Ask yourself this question, "Why isn't it?"

And - yet again - I find myself gone for another week away from any computer... But I leave you Bloggerites with this thought... Here I go again on my own? No way - I'm never alone - God is always with me...

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." (Psalm 139:7-10)

Kid's Stuff

One of the most challenging parts about getting older is the amount of fun that you 'refuse' to have... "I can't do that - that's Kid's Stuff"... You know what I'm talking about, don't you... I won't stand up - I won't clap - I'm not going to do the 'Cha Cha Slide' or the 'Chicken Dance'... You won't join in on the friendly duel of DDR or Wii tennis... For some reason - you've have outgrown being 'fun'... When does that ever happen?!!

Unfortunately - we see this same phenomenon in the church... We have been in the trenches of, yet another, VBS... That's right - Vacation Bible School... Our children's pastor and volunteers have made such HUGE efforts to make this an enjoyable, educational, and powerful experience for these young people - And their efforts are to be commended... But all the while the band is jamming - and the singers are rocking out - and the kids are busting a move - I see something that bums me out... Some of the adults REFUSE to join in the fun!!! Now - don't get me wrong - I'm glad they're present in the first place... Obviously, they are investing in the lives of these children... But what's keeping them from joining in with the fun..? Whoever came up with the lie that worshiping God should be boring..? Oh, wait... I can probably figure out who 'fathered' that lie...

Psalm 30:11 says, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy..." Which would you rather do - wail or dance..? Well - if dancing before God and shouting for joy and singing songs is 'Kid's Stuff' - Then I don't ever want to grow up!!!

Stroke of Midnight

There was a time in my life when I could stay up late - get up at a reasonable hour - and still manage to function with normal 'human' abilities... I remember trips to Denny's or Steak n' Shake after a concert - Going to 'midnight showings' with the other geeks to watch 3 hour movies - and (most recently) trips to IHOP at 2:00 in the morning after church camp... I fear, however, that those days need to become fewer and far between...

I sit here thinking about how tired I am becoming just typing these few simple words at 10:30 pm... I'm starting to linger and contemplate how nice it would be to slide into those cool sheets -gently lay my head on that soft pillow - and snuggle up next to my 'non-snoring' wife... And it dawns on me - I have several students who are waiting to go to a midnight showing... That's an hour and a half from now - to then go and watch a 2 1/2 hour movie... Are they crazy?!!

At midnight - I may not turn into a pumpkin - but I sure might turn into a grouchy oger, or something... I like sleep... In fact - I need it... We all do... God designed us all to sleep - to rest - to refresh our bodies... Even when we have stress in our lives - God wants for you and I to rest well... Proverbs 3:24 says, "when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. " I think tonight instead of a midnight showing - I'm going for a "midnight snoring"... Sweet dreams!!!

Consistently Inconsistent

I have recently discovered that the life of a 'blogger' can go through seasons... Those seasons can be a Spring of creativity and blogging daily- The Fall of equipment failure(i.e. no internet, or computer malfunctions) - a bitter Winter spent snuggled up next to your mac or pc hoping for warmth and communication from somewhere - or maybe even a Summer drought where most of your blogging time is spent tapping your fingers and hitting the 'backspace' key...

I am currently going through a season where I can't find time to consistently blog... I've been on the go since the end of May and haven't stopped since... A week here - a week there... And I'll be honest - I miss it... I truly enjoy this idea of putting down random thoughts... I don't even know if anyone truly reads this jargon on a regular basis or not... But it's great for me... Like many folks today - I'm not the greatest at getting out what's 'on my mind'... I find that I keep things in order to: 1) Keep the peace 2) Avoid looking stupid... But here - in this billowing 'Blog World' - I can let my mind unload a little... It's very 'freeing'...

As American's - we talk a great deal about being 'free'... "The Land of the free and the home of the brave," right..? While it appears that we have our physical 'freedom' - at times we are still in captivity in our own minds... Our spirit still feels chained up and weighed down - like there's no hope for us... Our sin and our guilt have us 'shackled' to our past... But you know what - you can be 'free'... You most certainly can... Jesus said in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

It doesn't matter what season of life you are going through right now - God has the means and the desire to pull you out of any pit and draw you to His side - to the place where true freedom is...

Is It Worth It?

I'm not sure if any of you have ever noticed how difficult it is to go out of town... Whether it's for business or pleasure - it's very challenging to get your (already dysfunctional) life in order enough so you can escape your normal 'day to day' life for a short escape... I've felt this in different environments... I've experienced it in the school system where I would be going to a conference or have to use one of my 'sick days' and prepare for a sub... That was always FAR MORE work than my normal work day... You have to plan ahead and actually - PREPARE!!! Who does that..?

Today - I'm doing that, as well... But this time - it's for 'pleasure'... My wife and I are going to be traveling to meet my side of the family for a week of vacationing and 'fun in the sun'... I believe that it's of the utmost importance that all of us 'get away' every now and then - so for you "work-a-holics" - GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND LIVE A LITTLE!!!

However - as in teaching - I am having to think and plan WAY ahead... And I'll be honest - I'm not very good at that... Oh, don't get me wrong - I'm improving by leaps and bounds... But still not great... It's so difficult for me to 'walk away' from the things that are normally under my control and trust others with that responsibility... Even though I know I won't be able to control the situation - I know it will be great - God's still on His Throne...

"The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all." (Psalm 103:19)

So - is it worth the strenuous planning to get away and (at times) find rest for our 'weary souls' (and bodies) - Of course it is... Sometimes - God wants us to let go of the things that are standard or normal - dare I say, "mundane" - in our lives so He can refresh us and give us a new perspective on what He has for us... Worth it - YOU BET!!! Now - does anybody have any spf 30?