Do you ever wonder how people have categorized you in their minds? It seems that people slap a label on you and put you on a shelf. When the time is right, or when they are in need of whatever you offer, they take you off the shelf, look you up, and utilize what they think you can give.
I know this is a little presumptuous, but probably not too far off. So what category do I fall in, how do people see me? I know that the title "pastor" automatically sets me in a certain genre, but besides that I don't know. Am I the fun one, or the one people feel obligated to involve in their lives? Do people genuinely desire my counsel or talk to me when they have no where else to go? Am I thought of as someone who is genuine or someone what pretends to be a certain way.
It's weird to get emails or face book messages that reveal how people see you. Some are humbling and encouraging, others are disappointing at best. Some make you proud to be who you are, others just remind you of your short comings. At it's best it causes me to want to be the best man of God that I can be, and at worst it makes me want to give up.
So to all you who have catagorized of me, I hope it brings out the best... in both of us.
Honest thoughts about living for Jesus in the East Bay.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Hume
Every year 50 of us load up for a 9 hour bus ride up to a small camp in the sequoias. In this unassuming small parcel of land, something extraordinary takes place. The children of God gather and spend some much needed time with their Father. They listen to His voice and are reminded of his love for them. They see His handiwork and stand in awe of Him. They tell stories of His goodness and have their hearts warmed as they reminisce of His faithfulness.
It is during this short time, these 6 days set aside every year, that God and his children re-establish the special bond that exists between the creator and his creation. In this time, conviction and comfort, rebuke and restoration, 1st time decisions and re-dedications take place. During this week the family of God seems to escape the complications and ill effects of the sin which plagues our world. They come back empowered, with a renewed vigor and hope, to address the issues that await each of them back home. They are reminded of the words of Jesus "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!". They are reminded that he is bigger than their problems, stronger than their weaknesses, braver than their fears, and able to accomplish his perfect will in their lives.
They come back changed.
It is during this short time, these 6 days set aside every year, that God and his children re-establish the special bond that exists between the creator and his creation. In this time, conviction and comfort, rebuke and restoration, 1st time decisions and re-dedications take place. During this week the family of God seems to escape the complications and ill effects of the sin which plagues our world. They come back empowered, with a renewed vigor and hope, to address the issues that await each of them back home. They are reminded of the words of Jesus "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!". They are reminded that he is bigger than their problems, stronger than their weaknesses, braver than their fears, and able to accomplish his perfect will in their lives.
They come back changed.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Listen
I've been thinking about taking a "vow of silence". I know it's not practical, and it would probably cause my son to need therapy 30 years from now as he recalls "the Silent years", but I it would be soo good for me.
I have been actively trying to listen to God more in the last month and a half. So far I've had mixed results. Some days God is very clear in what he is saying to me, other times I can't hear his voice at all. It's easy for me to blame the phone, people around me (it's not a quiet household these days), or the general business of life for my lack of hearing... but I think those are just cop-outs.
If I'm real with myself about these matters, I don't really want to hear a lot of what God has to say to me. His words challenge my way of life, my thought patterns, my desires to attain certain things in this life, and even what I want to accomplish in ministry. But they also breath life into my very being, they whisper of his love and grace, they remind me of the eternal significance of my work for him, and they empower me to be the husband, father, and man that I need to be.
Ultimately his words lead to life. I need to listen to them, whether I want to hear them or not... and the only way that can happen is if I am silent before him.
I have been actively trying to listen to God more in the last month and a half. So far I've had mixed results. Some days God is very clear in what he is saying to me, other times I can't hear his voice at all. It's easy for me to blame the phone, people around me (it's not a quiet household these days), or the general business of life for my lack of hearing... but I think those are just cop-outs.
If I'm real with myself about these matters, I don't really want to hear a lot of what God has to say to me. His words challenge my way of life, my thought patterns, my desires to attain certain things in this life, and even what I want to accomplish in ministry. But they also breath life into my very being, they whisper of his love and grace, they remind me of the eternal significance of my work for him, and they empower me to be the husband, father, and man that I need to be.
Ultimately his words lead to life. I need to listen to them, whether I want to hear them or not... and the only way that can happen is if I am silent before him.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Summer Nights
Oh how my summer nights have changed over the years.
Tonight it consisted of watching my little boy play in the sand on the beach for the first time, as the waves chase him up and down the shore. Watching his only set of clothes get wet and sandy, followed by his sampling and continual consumption of that very sand.
This was soon followed by sharing a hawaiian shaved Ice as we waited for our food from the Santorini cafe. There's nothing quite like sharing a shaved ice with a little boy wearing nothing but his diaper and a hoodie.
It's amazing how you don't miss the freedoms, late movies, night hikes, and midnight swims when they are replaced by a simple evening at the beach with your family. I like my summer nights.
Tonight it consisted of watching my little boy play in the sand on the beach for the first time, as the waves chase him up and down the shore. Watching his only set of clothes get wet and sandy, followed by his sampling and continual consumption of that very sand.
This was soon followed by sharing a hawaiian shaved Ice as we waited for our food from the Santorini cafe. There's nothing quite like sharing a shaved ice with a little boy wearing nothing but his diaper and a hoodie.
It's amazing how you don't miss the freedoms, late movies, night hikes, and midnight swims when they are replaced by a simple evening at the beach with your family. I like my summer nights.
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