21 March 2007

As I sit in my living room most mornings reading and praying, it’s often a wonderful experience to watch the sun stream through the dining room windows into the living room.  A few weeks ago I beheld an amazing sight.

My wife placed three candles on our cocktail table during the holidays.  The glass containers holding the candles are made of multi-faceted, many-colored glass pieces. Their surface is such that, when light shines on it at just the right angle, it reflects a myriad of colors onto the walls.  This creates quite a show that changes as the sun moves across the sky. Okay . . . so  it’s the little things that amuse me.

This light show reminds me of how God works through all our lives.  Our church is sending a team to Haiti next week. This week, a group from our church is in Israel. A few weeks ago some of our folks were in Mississippi helping Katrina victims. Last Sunday a group met to plan our continued ministry with folks at Bethesda Mission.  Earlier that week, a meeting was held with one of our school officials to gain support for us to build a special needs playground on our property. Meanwhile, people in the church and community helped one of our families through a crisis.

Another person has gathered their neighborhood to prepare items to go to poor children in Haiti.

Across the world, or across the street, God is using a myriad of people to express His incredible love in amazing ways.  The beauty of this process is like the colorful mosaic that crosses my living room each morning.  Every glass piece reflects the light and shines its own color on the wall. The images move and change with the movement of the sun. Every glass panel reflects this light.

"Each one should use whatever spiritual gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms."   I Peter 4:10

We are all like broken glass which seems rather useless.  But God takes our brokenness, gathers it with other broken shards, and forms it into its own unique vessel. Then He shines His light onto it and creates an incredible mosaic for the world to see and enjoy.

Sharing the Journey,

Pastor Don

7 March 2007

Moving forward in life might be more about unlearning than learning.  Some of you remember Star Wars.  My favorite character in the series was Yoda.  Yoda was a wise and powerful Jedi Master.  When teaching young Luke Skywalker, he made this profound statement, “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

You start the game of golf without the benefit of instruction.  Before you know it – LITERALLY – before you know it, you’ve developed habits that you will have to unlearn if you want to move forward in the game.

You simply do what comes natural; you eat what you like.  One day you wake up to realize that what you like in those amounts will ultimately kill you.

You’ve done this job well for years. You know how to do your job, but not today.  Today they changed the rules on you.  Now what?  If you are to continue to be good at what you do, you’ll have to unlearn what has become habit.

Jesus regularly told people they would need to unlearn certain spiritual practices that were keeping them from growth.  They were to unlearn their misguided views on prayer, giving, the Sabbath, the end times, loving their neighbor, and so forth.  His guidance was not always well received.  In fact, telling them to unlearn their views about the Messiah got Him killed.

So what do you “know” that’s holding you back?  How do you become aware of those matters and what do you do about it?

First, keep yourself involved in a growth environment where you are challenged to think in new or different ways.  Second, admit when you need to change.  Third, develop a simple plan to change.  Fourth, put yourself into accountability relationships.  Fifth, don’t give up the long-term goal because of short-term failures.  Sixth, celebrate small victories.  Seventh, keep the process ingrained in you so you can reproduce it over and over again in your life.  Woe to those who refuse to unlearn what is now holding them back.

Sharing the Journey,
Pastor Don