Endure for Joy

This morning, my pastor reminded us of a verse in Hebrews that really struck a chord with me, especially following the past few hectic and exhausting weeks of college.

See, in the same weekend I had two very different experiences--completely opposite of each other, in fact. On Thursday night I had to stay up all night to work on a project and was absolutely miserable. Part of the reason--and really BIG part of the reason--was that I saw no end in sight. I knew the whole weekend would likely be just like that night, and that I'd get little sleep and do lots of work. I felt that I had nothing to look forward to for a very long time, which didn't help getting through those few hours very easy.

Just days later, on Sunday night, I was facing the same predicament. Oddly enough, however, I was in a far better mood, and the night seemed shorter and more feasible than the earlier, miserable night that began the weekend. And, again, a HUGE part of my attitude was based on what I had to look forward to; I knew that once I'd turned everything in on Monday afternoon, I would be free to do whatever I liked (which by that point was to sleep without setting any alarms!). The end was in sight, and for that pleasure set before me I endured that night, which really should have been miserable just like the other had been.

In a similar (but far worse and greater!) way, Jesus did the same thing. Hebrews 12:2 says that He endured the whole ordeal on the cross "for the joy set before him." He could see the end in sight, and He deemed it worth enough to go through unjust pain, shame, and humiliation just to attain that end: that He might rejoin God the Father in heaven and enable mankind to join them instead of being doomed to spend eternity (the longest time) in torment.

My pain was nothing to His, and my reward seems so shallow; but, in a small way, I now understand what it means to endure just for the result. My sleep that night was marvelous.

How I Waste Time

As I struggle to prioritize "my life" at the moment, I'm torn between doing the things that will get me through school and the things that really matter, like considering God and taking time to pray and even just taking time to think (because yes, we Christians really ought to think sometimes) about the issues I'm facing, decisions to make--and priorities I should have.

Should I begin working on a reading assignment, or should I put it off until Thanksgiving break? I'd really like to get at least half of it done so that I can finally sell the book back and have money to live off of--but, really, I should be creating lesson plans because they're due on Tuesday, before Thanksgiving--but I really don't think they'll take that long to do, though they'll probably take longer than I have time for right now. And when on earth should I clean my room, because it's been a couple of weeks...but, gosh, I'm so distracted by questions like "what is it like to really be proud of your country?" and "aren't Christians supposed to care more about God than their country?" and "where will I be teaching next year?" and "couldn't I be using this musing time for more constructive things?".

So, by the time all of this has happened, I could have at least vacuumed the floor--and I lose even more time considering everything I could have done with the time I just wasted, then try to decide what to do again and the cycle continues until it's time to head off to my next real appointment, and I've gotten nothing done.

Maybe I need to re-read The Purpose-Driven Life--in those spare moments.

The Bum Thumb

Recently, I injured my thumb to such an extent that it was rendered essentially useless for over a week. (Don't worry; the injury is in no way permanent, though the scar may prove quite lasting, and besides the initial injury I have felt no pain.)

Honestly, you never realize how much you use your thumbs until one of them is incapacitated. Showers took twice as long, washing dishes became a chore, even fastening buttons became a complicated maneuver--and my handwriting suffered probably more than I did.

So, I now have a much better understanding of the passage in 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul explains how the church is like a body--the very body of Christ, in fact. In order for a body to function most effectively, each part should be in tip-top shape. If one part is rendered useless, the other functions of the body also suffer, having to do jobs for which they are not designed in order to pick up that part's slack. I can function without using that thumb--but everything takes longer and, in the case of my handwriting, doesn't turn out quite like it should.

Please don't be the bum thumb in your body, wherever you are. Take steps to discover your area of usefulness--and then use it! Bum thumbs are no fun.

An Interactive Post

Today's post is going to be what we education-types call "interactive." In this particular case, it means that I'm going to post a short passage (from nothing else but the book Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne, no less!) followed by a guiding question, and anyone who cares to respond may do so in whatever way he/she thinks fits.

"'Eeyore,' said Owl, 'Christopher Robin is giving a party.'

"'Very interesting,' said Eeyore. 'I suppose they will be sending me down the odd bits which got trodden on. Kind and Thoughtful. Not at all, don't mention it.'

"'There is an Invitation for you.'

"'What's that like?'

"'An Invitation!'

"'Yes, I heard you. Who dropped it?'

"'This isn't anything to eat, it's asking you to the party. Tomorrow.'

"Eeyore shook his head slowly.

"'You mean Piglet. The little fellow with the excited ears. That's Piglet. I'll tell him.'

"'No, no!' said Owl, getting quite fussy. 'It's you!'

"'Are you sure?'

"'Of course I'm sure. Christopher Robin said "All of them! Tell all of them."'

"'All of them, except Eeyore?'

"'All of them,' said Owl sulkily.

"'Ah!' said Eeyore. 'A mistake, no doubt, but still, I shall come. Only don't blame me if it rains.'" (152-53)

(Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh. New York: Puffin Books, 1992.)

So, based on this passage, I would ask:

1. Does this remind you of anything, to start with?

2. Have you ever felt like Eeyore did here? (Explain, if you wish)

3. Have you ever met anyone who behaved like Eeyore? (Elaborate, if you want)

4. Have you ever responded like Owl to someone like Eeyore? (Tell us how, if you're comfortable)

5. (And this one's really deep:) Do you suppose there are people who respond to salvation in the same way that Eeyore responds to the idea of an invitation specifically for him? How should we respond to such people's incredulous questions? What do we do if they don't believe us, in the end?

Just for your consideration. Respond to as many or as few as you wish.

Be seeing you!

Calling All Creatives...

It's been too long, I know. College really gets in the way of life sometimes.

But I have a very special announcement to make:

REVIVE IS ON THE MOVE!

And we want you to be a part.

There are several ways this may happen, of course, but my personal favorite is via the Creative Media Team. Probably because that's my area of "expertise." But, see, I'm no expert, by any means, which is why I'm excited to invite you to apply to be a part of the team.

Applications for this (and several other positions) can be found on our website, www.revivethecity.org, under the "applications" tab. I look forward to hearing from you!

Blocked

So, funny story: Recently, I inadvertently infected my computer with a virus (or two, I'm still not sure). It was what we call a Trojan because, like the Trojan's horse of ancient fame, it arrived posing as a good thing. In this case, it claimed that it was an antivirus-scanning software that had detected several viruses on my computer and wanted to run a scan to see if there were more. I'd encountered it once before and thought, at that earlier encounter, that it was fishy, so I had the sense to ignore it. This time, however, I was genuinely concerned, so I clicked and let it scan.

Mistake.

Because, after it scanned, of course it had found a ton of stuff, and the next step was, logically, to buy its software to safely remove all those dreadful viruses and safe my helpless computer from a certain death. As if I have money right now to spend on computer protection! So I ignored this warning and tried to go about my merry way. My first order of business was, of course, the Internet, which is pretty much where all of my business is these days. But, lo and behold! when I try to go to Facebook, I get a big red screen that reads "This site may cause harm to your computer," and it gave me two options: to proceed unprotected or the buy this antivirus software. I click "proceed unprotected." Fail. And I get to another red screen that reads "This site may cause harm to you computer."

This went on all weekend. After about two days, I realized that my computer needed help, or I was going to kill it faster than the virus would. Fortunately, I have friends who know what to do, and they gave me a few Internet links to try--links to recommended, safe, REAL antivirus software that will clean up my act. Only, guess what? When I tried to enter these URLs, I got this big red screen that read "This site may cause harm to your computer."

See, this malicious adware was trying to block me not only from everything, but from the very things that might have fixed my problem. Of course they would want to do that!

But this is not just a scheme employed by computer viruses; our enemy, Satan, uses the same tactics. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that he invented the art. So, beware of his malicious adware, because it's tricky and may even pose as a good thing. (Those are the really scary ones!) As for breaking free from the "website block"--I'll get back to you on that, and I hope you don't think any worse of my for leaving you without any answers. But I don't want to throw answers at you on this, because it's serious. So, I'll leave you to mull over the potential viruses in your lives, because identification is the first step to correction.

From Complacency to Change

It's been a while, I know...and, when it hasn't been a while, posts have been sporadic, at best. Which is one indication of my summer growth, I'm afraid.



See, sometimes in the summers I grow complacent. I mean, it's not like I'm on campus surrounded by other people who are just as crazy as I am--indeed, some are even crazier, believe it or not. In the summertime, I'm at home where it's comfortable and where I've known everyone for pretty much my entire life. There's not much challenge to living at home, and I therefore forget that there should be a challenge at all.



But, if we're not challenged, then we're not changed. Shoot, we're not even motivated to change. And our lives are all the time in need of changing! If you don't need changing, then you're perfect and you're delusional. Congratulations. For the rest of us, if something in our lives doesn't change every so often, we become way too comfortable with where we are, and the desire to change wears off. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right? That's when we get stuck in a dangerous place called complacency. It's something like the walking dead, because you're missing out on so much that God wants to do in your life but you don't even realize it. You're missing the parade as it passes by because you didn't change what needed changing based on a challenge in or on your life.



Perhaps you find yourself in this complacent state; you don't see a need for change, because your life, though dull and/or meaningless, is at least easy. I reckon the best cure for such a disease is to find a challenge. Now, don't rush off just yet, and let me clarify: for real change, not just any challenge will do. I suggest that you search through the Bible for the sorts of challenges that will bring extended, if not lasting, results. It is rich with challenges for the Christian life. Again, I want to plug Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship, because it, besides the Bible, is the most challenging book I have read--because of the Bible. The same man wrote another book which concerns the Christian community called Life Together. Also, a Brit named J. I. Packer has written a book called Knowing God which deals with God's nature and our relationship to Him; and, finally, a smart man named C. S. Lewis wrote several books about Christianity. I've read Mere Christianity and Surprised by Joy and found both to be thought-provoking and, yes, challenging. Finally, Pastor Steven Furtick has written about change and challenge a great deal on his blog, which is always a good read. I mention all of these authors and titles, in fact, because, for one, they use the Scriptures as their basis for arguement and explanation; and, secondly, I have been challenged by them at some point or another--again, simply because of the Bible. I offer them to you as suggestions for a starting point in your journey from complacency to changed life.

Revolutionary

So, here's a revolutionary idea: what if Christians gave up their rights instead of fighting so hard to keep them?

I still have a lot to learn about (and from!) the Bible, but I have made one observation that I think holds true for the whole thing: while God talks a lot about giving up stuff (time, possessions, family, home, and so on) for the sake of one's faith, He doesn't spend much time telling us to keep anything--except faith. And, trust me, this realization staggers me as much as anyone. After all, could God really expect me to live as a doormat?

Before I answer my own question, let me clarify some stuff: God's original plan was a perfect world and sinless people. Unfortunately, sin made that plan impossible, and we now inhabit an imperfect world populated by sinful people--including you and me. But our loving God did not wish to allow us to all perish and suffer the punishment for our wrongdoings, so He sent His Son to the earth to take our place--and, as a perfect person, to serve as an example to His disciples, an added bonus. So, ultimately, we Christians, as Christ's disciples in our times, should also follow His example. This example is, of course, laid out in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible), which I encourage you to investigate on your own. We all learn best by our own discovery.

Please do correct me if you discover that I'm wrong, but it seems that the example of Jesus points towards a life fully committed to glorifying and obeying God, no matter what the cost to Himself. He gave up His earthly rights to dignity, a fair trial, and life in order to accomplish His Father's will. That's what surrender looks like: giving up what we like to call even our most basic rights in order that God be glorified--even your "right" to public recognition when you do so.

A smart man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer thought of things like this long before I did and gave a detailed explanation in a book called The Cost of Discipleship. Pick it up, if you get a chance, and enjoy!

Serve Like You Are Serving a King

It's been a common theme in my blog posts, hasn't it, this idea of serving? I can't explain why except that it has been one of the things that God has been reminding me of over and over again so far this summer...and He did so again just last week in a pretty special way.

A group of us from my church recently served in New York City at a place called "The Bowery" on Bowery Street--right next to Chinatown, not far from Little Italy, and within sight of the Empire State Building. But it's a homeless shelter and soup kitchen. Every day they serve three free meals to the homeless and poor who attend chapel services.

So, in walks our little group (if 20 people is a "little group") to work in The Bowery: to clean, to cook, to serve, and to talk to people we would call "homeless." Some of them live in The Bowery, working through a year-long rehabilitation program in order to emerge with a means of sustaining themselves, while others come in just for chapel services and meals. Our group got to serve the meals; I was fortunate enough to be able to serve breakfast on the very first day of our stay. So, I took my place behind the hard-boiled eggs, pulled on my plastic gloves, and waited for the first few partakers. While I waited, though, I happened to look around--normal behavior for a first day, I think. Well, what to my wandering eyes should appear but a sign, right above the dining hall and facing us servers, that read "Serve like you are serving a King."

I found the same thing posted in the kitchen right above the oven, and someone had written it on one of the bunks in the women volunteers' dorm: "Serve like you are serving a King." I loved it. And, from then on, I tried to remind myself of The Bowery's mantra in everything I did. When I mopped, I tried to mop as if in a palace; when I wiped pews, I tried to do so as if a king would sit in them; when I helped organize a pantry, I did so as if a king would use it; and when I greeted each person in the serving line, I tried to greet each one as if he (or she) were a king (or queen). I didn't always succeed--but I would never have succeeded if I had never tried, you know what I'm saying?

So, here's a little bit of practical advice for those of us who sometimes have trouble implementing the command of Ephesians 6:7-8: make a little sign, or screensaver, or desktop, or whatever else will best remind you, that says "Serve like you are serving a King." See if that doesn't help.

Less Self

I just experienced perhaps the most challenging week of my life. It was awesome.

Has anyone heard of Crossroads Summer Camp? Well, if you haven't, let me school you: it's a week-long youth camp on the campus of Gardner-Webb University that includes a workshop and activities on campus during the day and a wicked-awesome worship service at night.

I went as a chaperone this year, for the first time (officially) ever! Which made me nervous. Because, though I am CPR and First-Aid certified, I was pretty sure that wasn't all that it took to be a youth helper.

Turns out I was right. I had to practice being selfless, too, and the lesson couldn't have come at a better time!

To be selfless means that you don't concern yourself with what you want to do (or "your own interests," as the Bible puts it), but consider, instead, what would be best for those around you. This may have meant, for me, going to activities with my girls that overlapped with the activity that I would most have enjoyed. Or, maybe it meant that I needed to give someone else the last dessert on the dessert bar and settle for something less exciting. And, the biggest challenge for me: instead of talking only about myself and always guiding the conversation into a direction that I wanted to go into, I've discovered that sometimes selflessness means asking genuine questions about my conversation partner, listening to their answers, and letting them say more than I do. It's not all about me.

If that were all I had to learn, though, the lesson would have been easy. But it wasn't; the best is yet to come! Selflessness is not only in our actions, but in our motivations as well. If I go to an activity for the sake of my girls in order to show off my deep spirituality or to brag about how I'd far rather be somewhere else--well, what's the point of that? To show off, of course, so that people will notice me and my "selfless" action. The focus, in other words, becomes myself again. If I surrender the dessert I really wanted so that some handsome, godly guy will notice and think that I'm a selfless, godly girl, then I've ruined the effect and brought the focus to myself again and taken it away from God, and my earthly reward (the attention I've received for it) is the only reward I can expect for it. Do we get the picture? We can even make our "selfless" activities selfish if we're doing them for our own benefit or praise. Remember 1 Corinthians 10:31?

Finally, you may wonder why we would ever want to be selfless anyway, if not so that others will notice. There are a few answers:

1. When we became Christians, we were made completely new so that the old way of looking at things (i.e. "It's all about me") was transformed by Christ

2. As Christians, we're not living for ourselves, but for the glory of God (as 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us)

3. Jesus gave the ultimate example of selflessness when He surrendered His very life so that we could live through Him.

Remember that it's not about us and what we can do, because we are nothing without Christ; it's all about God, and only He deserves praise, honor, or glory. Don't try to take what is rightfully His.

Payback

Perhaps you have, at some point in your life, really wanted to pay someone back for something they did to you that you felt you didn't deserve. I have.

Last week, my Sunday School class at church had a talk about revenge--and, since we knew what the topic was going to be a week ahead of time, I decided to do a little research. I visited BibleGateway.com and did a few searches on revenge and its synonyms to see what might be deduced from Scripture. You want a summary of the results? Well, "revenge" (in the context for which I was searching) came up 11 times; "avenge" appeared 46 times; "vengeance" came up in 25 different verses; and "repay" was found 29 times throughout the Bible. Totally, the topic seems to have appeared 91 times (but check my math).

I don't know how that compares to other topics. It's actually pretty irrelevant to my point.

Do you know what interested me most? The people in the Bible who exact revenge are not usually the most savory characters. Let's see, we have Samson (Judges 15:7), King Saul (1 Samuel 18:25), someone's enemy (Psalm 44:16), a jealous husband (Proverbs 6:34), and Philistia (long-time enemies of Israel--Ezekiel 25:15), among others (like "evil men" and "treacherous friends"). Now, remember with me that no one in the Bible is perfect except for Jesus Christ--but, really, is this a list of names that we'd like to join? Didn't think so.

Instead, God says several times that "It is mine to avenge; I will repay" (quoted in both Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30). It's just that, somehow, we don't feel that this is quite adequate. For one thing, as one of my Sunday School classmates mentioned, we like to see their punishment, just to know they're getting it. One of the best ways to see it, though is to give it, so we exact our revenge.

But, have you considered the implications of our attitudes, in this case? God has already claimed vengeance as His area of expertise; so, when we decide to take matters into our own hands, we are putting ourselves into God's place--making ourselves gods. Ouch.

And that's not all! God doesn't take it upon himself to avenge for that momentary fulfillment like we do--you know, that fleeting feeling of having given our enemies their just desserts. God is not like us, no matter how much we try to pretend that He is. God is just--completely. This means that he does not accidentally send the innocent to jail while letting the guilty go free. He knows everything--including the exact reward for every action. It's when we don't quite believe this truth that we decide to repay others according to what we think they deserve; in other words, we don't trust God to be what He says He is.

God has reserved vengeance for Himself because He alone is just and can repay according to deeds. He uses people and nations, sometimes, but when people or nations take vengeance into their own hands, it's as if they're taking God's place in His seat of judgment and don't trust that He is just.

So, next time, instead of trying to give someone else what you feel they deserve, follow God's example: "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10 NIV). Surprise them by turning the other cheek.

What I've Learned in College

You hear a lot about the two kinds of people these days, so I won't claim that there are just two kinds. But I do think that the kids who graduate from college can be lumped into two broad categories: those who emerge from college having learned everything, and those who have learned how much they don't know.

The first group is easy to explain: they know it all, and to tell them any differently is futile.

I want to be in the second group, really, and I think I'm well on my way.

Don't get me wrong: you can learn a lot in college--and I have. Lots of good stuff about literature, and authors, and anthropology, and education, and psychology--some good stuff.


But I thank God that what I've learned most in college is just how much I don't know.

I wasn't always on this path, however; I have myself been on the way to becoming the know-it-all. One Sunday on Production Team at Elevation, the producer was trying to explain to me how to complete a task I had never done before--hooking up VGA (video) cables or something like that. To me, the task seemed fairly self-explanatory, so I ended up finishing her sentences, rather presumptiously. Here's an example of how the conversation would go:

Producer: Once you've plugged this end into the output box, the other end goes to the--
Me: TV!

That sort of thing happened a few times that same day, and at first I felt pretty good about myself. Then, the more I thought about it, the less of a good thing it seemed. After all, there is really so much I could learn about VGA cables if I were more teachable and less precocious.

Honestly, there's a lot more for all of us to learn; if we knew it all, we would be God. But, don't let anyone fool you: you're not God. So don't presume to know everything. Instead, find an older, wiser person to teach you, to be a mentor. Parents tend to be fairly wise, no kidding; teachers also may be, and pastors, and churches tend to be pretty well stocked with people older and wiser than us teenagers/young adults.

Be teachable, or you may end up laughable. Or worse.

Boundaries

Towards the end of the book of Numbers, while God is explaining the boundaries of Israel’s inheritance and how the people should divide the land, He introduces an intriguing concept: Cities of Refuge. These, He explains, are places that people can go if they have accidentally killed someone, and within its limits they have immunity from avengers. Outside the city limits, though, they’re free game. (This is all laid out in Numbers 35, if you want to check it out.)

I think it’s safe to say that most of us don’t like limits. We want freedom; we have rules. At home, it may be a curfew; in schools, it’s the dress code; in your community, it’s the speed limit.

God has an established game-plan, almost like a personalized set of rules, for us Christians; it’s a little something we usually call His will. And His will is like a City of Refuge: if you remain inside of it, He will protect you—but if you should wander off into the Great Unknown (aka rebel), He won’t. It’s dangerous out there, because Satan lurks “like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV), and Jesus said “the thief [that’s Satan again] comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NIV). The devil’s the avenger, and we’re the prey he wants. But, within the boundaries God has established for each of us—His will for our lives—we have His protection. Not an easy life, mind, and probably not even a painless one. Remember the apostles? A lot of them were killed because they remained in God’s will, spreading the Gospel to areas that weren’t exactly user-friendly. Sounds like a tough gig, doesn’t it? And where was their protection? Their eternity is sure.

And maybe they’d read Psalm 5:11: “let all who take refuge in you [God] be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (NIV).

Remain in God’s City of Refuge. It's safer there; God guarantees it.

(Really) Random Thoughts

I’ll never claim to be the very best Creative Media Team Leader known to man. (In fact, if I ever do, just mention “InDesign” and I’ll be sufficiently humbled.) However, I will claim to have learned a lot about being a Creative Media Team Leader, and one of my first lessons was to carry a notebook. I have one specifically for Revive that I try my very best to carry at all times, because you never know when a great idea will hit you, or how long it will last. I’ve been using it ever since my first assignment in March, and it’s not quite half-full yet. In it, I’ve jotted some ideas, some words, some names, and some song titles, and I just thought I’d share a few of my (really, truly) random thoughts (and remember, these just represent a selection of the total):

IDEAS:
--candles
--ping pong balls
--construction paper
--huge felt board
--claymation
--glitter
--shoes
--texting
--voice cards
--paint stirrers

QUESTIONS:
--What materials do we already have?
--How many videos do we need?
--What are sermons/songs to be about?
--What is the setting?
--How can we get Revive into the community before the event?
--How long should a video be?
--Are there errors in grammar/spelling?
--What are the first things you look for in potential team members?
--How are brainstorming sessions conducted?

SONG TITLES:
--“Ignition” by TobyMac
--“Youth of the Nation” by POD
--“Come Together” by Third Day
--“You Know My Name” by Chris Cornell
--“Secret Crowds” by Angels and Airwaves
--“Pork and Beans” by Weezer
--“Broadcast” by Fee
--“Beat It” by Michael Jackson

What does any of this have to do with Revive? you may wonder. IDK. I guess you’ll have to show up to find out. :)

The Past

I’m a history buff, so I like the past. There have even been times when I really wished I lived in the 1700s—until I seriously considered the lack of amenities, like running water, electricity, and contacts. You can imagine, I’ve given up on that idea.

But, just recently, I traded it for another era. See, I studied abroad in England in the spring of 2008, and I found almost as soon as I had returned that I wanted to go back. No kidding—I think as soon as I boarded the plane for my return flight, I regretted it. And, for almost an entire year afterwards, I dwelled on that experience, mentally reliving the memories and wondering what my British friends were doing and even, sometimes, checking their Facebook profiles to see if anything interesting was going on in their lives. I began wishing myself back (much to the dismay of my mother), recalling how much healthier I had been overseas, how much I had grown spiritually, and how much more money I had seemed to have while there. I had a breakdown at Christmas, wishing I were there—and another, smaller one at Easter, recalling my Easter in Britain just a year earlier. It was bad.

But I didn’t realize just how bad until I ran across Numbers 11. In this passage, we find the Israelites making the journey from Egypt, the land of slavery, to Canaan, the land of promise. But, by this time they are tired of eating manna—the bread from heaven—and complain to God about it. “The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!’" (verses 4-6 NIV). Ignoring the blessing they’re receiving in the present, they long for their past—in slavery. Granted, I wasn’t in slavery in England—but their language struck me instantly, because it sounded exactly like what I was complaining about. And, in all my comparing my past to my present, I was ignoring God’s work in the here-and-now! It has probably been the hardest lesson I’ve ever had to learn—but it will also probably be the one I remember the most.

Certainly, God tells us to remember our pasts, to remember where we’ve come from. In fact, the Bible includes whole books devoted to reminding the Israelites of their past. But God does not want us to do so in order that we might pine for the way things were. Instead, He wants us to see His working in our pasts to remind ourselves that He is faithful in our present and can be trusted with our futures. “Forget the former things,” He says, and “do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). Instead of watching the road behind you, try looking ahead for the streams in your wasteland. It’s much more worthwhile.

Worthwhile

I was doing something really menial this afternoon, cutting out shapes for a Sunday School classroom, and I asked myself, “Why do I care if the lines are straight? Does it really matter? Is anyone else going to care?”

And, suddenly, I remembered that verse in the Bible that says “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV). So, it mattered that the lines were straight not because others might notice, but because I was serving God, not humans. (There’s a similar verse in Ephesians, my favorite book: Ephesians 6:7.)

But, really, everything? I mean, the beginning of the verse even goes so far as to include eating and drinking. I read that and think, “Really, Paul—really?”

So, until recently, I’ve taken that verse as an example of supreme exaggeration, assuming that Paul couldn’t have really meant that Christians should do every little thing as if they were serving God. But, recently, I’ve found that serving God is the most abundant way to live! So why on earth would we not want to think that way? I’d encourage you to try it, even if just for a day, to start.

But this may not just mean changing the way you think about the things you do throughout your day; it may also mean changing what you do. Some things you just can’t do for the glory of God or as if you were serving Him—like sinning. Those two ideas really don’t jive. But, there’s more. I wonder, if we took a look at what we really do throughout the day, if we’d find most things to be worthwhile or worthless? So I tried it:

· sleeping: worthwhile (I need sleep to function, after all)
· sleeping late (worthless—that time could have been spent better)
· eating breakfast (worthwhile—good nutrition, if you can get it, keeps you in shape to minister)
· quiet time with God (worthwhile—need I explain?)
· bath/shower (worthwhile—BO can be a real turnoff to nonbelievers)
· surfing the Facebook for new pictures and status updates (worthless—Facebook can be an awesome tool, but that half-hour was wasted)
· reading a book about leadership (worthwhile—personal development)
· watching Black Beauty (worthless—sometimes you can get an illustration or idea from movies, but I just watched this one for nostalgia this time)

I hope you get the idea by now, but I’m afraid that to take you through the entire day would just be—well, worthless.

Now, I’ve made this list simply as an example of this exercise, so let me remind you that it’s not so much the activities you do that make them worthless, but your reasons for doing them. For example, I also use Facebook in a constructive way, to keep up with friends overseas. That is worthwhile. Relationships are important. Additionally, if you watch a movie with your family, that time may very well be worthwhile, because I find that movie nights with my family help build us together and give us some wicked inside jokes. On the other hand, sometimes eating can be worthless—like if you eat just because you’re bored, or are stressed, or something. It’s not what you do, it’s why.

So, when we start doing things because we want to serve God, I can almost guarantee that our lives will change. Try it with me.

What Excites a Brand-New Creative Media Team Leader

I got really excited today about some pretty mundane things. Well, mundane to the rest of the world, I guess—but when I stumbled upon them, they became extraordinarily good finds, and I got worked up enough to take at least half-an-hour to calm down. No kidding. (I try really hard not to exaggerate.)

You want to know what did it? Sure, I’ll tell you:

1) While browsing www.stevenfurtick.com, I discovered that Elevation Church is hosting an event for church-planters and like-minded folk (like-Revive-folk :) ) about the church-planting process. I got so excited, though, not just because I go to Elevation Church, but because I know what to expect. They hosted a similar event just this spring, and some of our Revive staff even had the chance to volunteer and glean some (literally) valuable information from the talks; that one was called “Thr3e.” This one will be “Impart.” And I am totally ready to be a part.

2) I’m currently reading a book, on recommendation of our Director, called The Creative Leader by Ed Young. He hosts annual C3 conferences (Creative Church Conferences—sorry to be redundant there) at his church in Dallas. His is a creative church. So it seemed like a good idea to visit the website he mentioned in his book: www.creativepastors.com. Once there, I saw all the stuff about C3 and how they’re promoting God’s work in the church by giving each attendee a new pair of shoes, and I got all excited and clicked on the “Register here” link—only to find that registration had closed. Bummer! But only a little. On the other hand, by subscribing to receive updates and a newsletter, I guaranteed that I can get great deals and cool ideas. Bingo!

It’s been a good day.