3.30.2011

Learning from Mr. Obama

i·de·al·ism
NOUN
1. belief in perfection: belief in and pursuit of perfection as an attainable goal
2. living by high ideals: aspiring to or living in accordance with high standards or principles

3. belief that material things are imaginary: the philosophical belief that material things do not exist independently but only as constructions in the mind

Ah, idealism. It is a malady that most of the free world is born with. I guess the good news is that it slowly dissipates with age (in most cases, at least). Some are simply carriers of this disease, while others are life-long sufferers :-) I am an idealist in every sense of the word! Everything I do is tainted with idealism...give me a day in a new setting and I can tell you what needs to change. I get all pumped up over causes and frustrated when I cannot fix them.
 
I am a young person. No, I'm no longer in high school or college, but I am still relatively young. My youth has blinded me to my own idealistic insanity on multiple occasions...usually, to my own detriment. They say hindsight is 20/20...I don't know if that's always true, seeing as how I've made the same mistakes a couple times. However, with each passing year, my impulsive and idealistic self is learning to make wiser, more pragmatic decisions.
 
When I was in AP US History and then again in Government, good old Mr. Burns left a couple impressions on me. One, he made sure I was registered to vote, even though I was not quite 18. He made certain that ALL of his students understood their duty as citizens of the United States...to VOTE, to simply show up at the polls and make one's voice heard. He also made certain that we understood the basic Bill of Rights, the Constitution, etc. He laid out a thorough understanding of the requirements for running for public office...which as a younger American, I felt were a little steep, especially when it came to age!


I used to believe that what the White House needed was youth...a fresh perspective...someone who could see things the way they could be, not so much as they are! No, I did not vote for Mr. Obama. However, I was slightly tempted to vote for him due to his age, his fervor and the "freshness" that he could bring to the Oval Office. I did my research, I studied the facts, I looked at the issues. Here's what made my decision not to vote for him... He kept promising change...ALL OVER change...but he never outlined a plan for any of his proposed changes. It sounded great on paper...every idealist in America wants REAL change. But ideals were not convincing enough...


Now, Mr. Obama is the 44th president of the United States of America. He and Michelle and their beautiful daughters are a lovely family. I love that they set a nice model of a healthy African American family.  I tend to disagree with most of his politics but he is my president and I refuse to bash him.

That said, I think that watching Mr. Obama's leadership, we can see the quintessential young, idealistic leader. He is led by his own set of ideals...in many ways, I see his Utopian ideals and I understand why he does what he does. However, almost every initiative that I have seen set forth from the White House is impulsive and reactionary...the result of youthful, inexperience... Yes, in a day and age that idolizes youth, I DID just say that.

I once heard a wise (older) someone say, you eat an elephant the same way you eat a mouse, one bite at a time. Perhaps, one could swallow a mouse (I'm not sure why anyone would want to, but it is feasible). BUT imagine trying to swallow an elephant? HAha... yeah... not gonna happen.

Age teaches one to pace oneself...to choose battles wisely...to focus on the essentials and not to major in the minors. As much as we would ALL like to be heroes and do something that changes everything...we simply CANNOT. We humans are finite, we have limits...

Most leaders have boundaries and time parameters within which to work, presidents have four years to leave a legacy (occasionally, eight...if we're lucky, this one won't). What I've seen Mr. Obama do is take the helm of this massive ship called the United States of America and try to go in too many directions. He has tried to conquer the economy, health care, foreign policy, energy...what's next? The problem when you try to do everything...you don't do anything well. And often you create more problems.

What I'm beginning to realize is that a good leader see the whole picture and holds hope for change in multiple areas. Perhaps he or she plants seeds in various areas, but he or she picks a few specific things to focus on. Then, that leader builds a team of experts who then work with said leader to make an incremental plan for change...

There's an old church joke that goes like this. How do you move a piano from one side of the stage to another? (Every pastor knows, you can't simply move the piano...WWIII would be imminent with a swift resignation pending ;-) You move it an inch per week...then everyone will insist it's always been there.

I can see where this has already been happening in the ideals of our nation over the last 30-50 years...people do not look at government or history the way they once did. But there are still enough people in this nation who look at the USA as a sovereign nation that they are proud to represent... those people do not take kindly to instant change...in EVERY area. Frankly, I'm somewhat glad for our president's impulsive idealism because if he were older and wiser, those who oppose his politics would not know what hit them.

To my fellow young leaders, learn from our president...don't try to lead solely by your emotions and ideals, let those guide your decisions, BUT look at the bigger picture, assess the situation and your own skill set, then choose a few important areas upon which to focus. Build a team. Make a plan for change...a plan is vital...that plan can be tweaked, but without a WRITTEN plan, you'll end up the same place you started. Then, begin to implement that plan, in stages...a time-released change.

...without a vision the people perish...
...there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors...

Sound familiar? A great place to learn wisdom is in the Scriptures...start in Proverbs...

3.25.2011

DON'T Panic! Just be faithful...

I've always despised movies like Left Behind. Now before you pounce on me, let me explain...

I believe that Jesus is SOON to return...His return has been iminent for centuries...yet the fact that He has not yet returned makes it all the more possible that He could return today!

What I do not like about these movies is that it puts people in a panic...people are not excited to see Jesus return, they are afraid that the world is going to end...they are afraid of being left behind...they are afraid of the tribulation...they MIGHT be afraid of hell (if they believe it exists...don't get me started...but yes, I do believe it exists).

For believers, the end times should not be a point of panic...it should be our greatest, most blessed HOPE!!! After all Jesus promised He would come...and we would be WITH HIM...eternally! But if He chooses to wait until after we have passed on into eternity to return to earth, we will BE WITH HIM...for eternity :-)!

For non-believers, i.e. people who do not consider Jesus to be Lord, who discount His existence, people who have never heard of Him, people who have known Him and yet intentionally rejected Him...those people have no hope in Christ's return! This saddens me deeply... But let's be honest, even if the world does not end in our life time, these people will DIE...WITHOUT HOPE! They will be eternally separated from our Father...from Jesus, Our Great Redeemer! As long as they live, and we live...and we walk together on this earth...we have the opportunity to offer the HOPE THAT WE HAVE IN JESUS!!!

If you have been paying attention to current events, you may feel a tinge of panic. If you are American, you may need to question yourself, "why am I panicking?" Your reaction to events certainly triggers a slow yet impending doom to everything we've ever known in our comfortable American society...unfortunately a large percentage of our population is clueless to what is going on. The impact that these flippant and impulsive decisions that our American leadership is making does not seem to weigh in with many people who are more caught up with Hollywood, FB & Twitter, etc. than they are the bigger picture. Here's the reality, if you're paying attention to these events in light of Scripture...there is an even bigger impulse to panic... anyone laying the newspaper side by side with the Word of God can see that we are in mid-labor...

I have been wrestling with panic...My Bible is becoming accustomed to being open to Matthew 24, Ezekiel 38 & 39, and Revelation...

The other day, I sat, reading and praying...talking to the Lord about the situations in our world...asking Him, what do I do? I felt so led to look at Matthew 24, where Jesus listed wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines and pestilences of many kinds as signs of the end times (and His return)... but He said, these are NOT THE END...

Matthew 24:4-8
 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,  for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

What I find most interesting is that in Matthew 25, the VERY next chapter, Jesus shares 3 parables. 

The first parable is of the 10 virgins (5 foolish & 5 wise). This parable has always SEEMED to be about Christians vs. Non-Christians...but what I've realized in recent years, all the virgins here represent Christians (at least in my humble opinion)...they are ALL waiting for the arrival of Bridegroom (Jesus). Non-believers are not waiting for Jesus to return (NEWS FLASH)... So, since they're all Christians, I found myself asking...what makes some wise vs. foolish...IT WAS THE OIL! Now, I'm not a famous theologian, but I know that oil is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit... Some of the virgins ran out of oil before the Bridegroom arrived and it says that they wasted their oil running around doing foolish things and not savoring it... hm, now what I see is that the Holy Spirit...intimacy with the Holy Spirit...is pretty valuable...and must be maintained so that our LIGHT does not go out...

The next parable in Matthew 25...one of our FAVORITE parables...the story of a master who is going away and gives 3 servants varying amounts of money to manage for him while he is away... you know the one I'm talking about, you've probably heard as many sermons about it as I have... Long story short, master comes back and the two servants that he gave the most money to had invested it and doubled it...
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’


Then to the third, who had done nothing with his money except to burry it (out of fear), the Master says,
"You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,  why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

So moral of the story, Master (Jesus) has given his servants (that's us, Christians) treasure to manage while He is away, to grow and cultivate and develop and invest.. what is that treasure? Is it our gifts? OR is it the gospel...the GOOD NEWS!!! I say the later...the treasure represents the gospel...the Kingdom of God...the good news that ALL OF HUMAN KIND can come to know our Creator...can be sons and daughters of a LIVING GOD...through JESUS! What kind of response will we get when Christ returns? Will He call us faithful? Or will He send us away?

The final parable is that about the Sheep & the Goats. Keith Green wrote a great synopsis of this parable...check it out. Basically, Jesus compared the Final Judgement to a shepherd separating his flock, the sheep enter into the Kingdom and the goats...not so much! The only difference between the two...one group was religious and did not care for the broken and lost members of the world...the other group was not so religious but did care for the broken and the lost....

So at the end of my studying, I'm left an impression
...Jesus' return is imminent
...He is coming back for a people who fit the following description...
1. They have maintained a rich intimacy with Him through the Holy Spirit
2. They have been faithful to establish HIS Kingdom (not their own) and to share the GOOD GOOD News that Jesus loves the ENTIRE WORLD...and that they can know Him too...
3. They have lived their lives loving & serving the broken & lost


What do I do with this? Well, first, I am choosing not to panic...the world will end someday, I may be priviledged to see Jesus return, if not I will be with Him. I must be faithful to maintain intimacy with Him and draw others to Him...every day... in everything I do.

My resolution...
1. Quit politics (honor & pray for my leaders, obey as long as I'm not disobeying Jesus)
2. Pray often, without ceasing...stay close to the Spirit...
3. Invest in everyone and every opportunity that He brings my way...so that all will SEE JESUS...on that day!!

BE READY, LIVE FAITHFUL!!

3.23.2011

wait for it...

Have you ever noticed that part in a song where there are no words? The instrumental soliloquy? You know, the part where the musicians get solos and the music builds and everyone gets excited... For those of you who are "non-musicians"...this is the part where the soloist usually jumps off the drum cage and the guitarists head bangs and jumps around a lot....and the drummer goes insane!! yeah that's the part that always gets me!




:-) Yeah I know, sweet pic...andy barron took it (hilsong united concert)

Musically, it's the climax...the best part of the song...but I always end up trying to put words where they do not belong...

Seriously, the BEST part of any song is the instrumental part...but I can't seem to let it be...without serious effort ;-)

Why am I going on about this? Well, I was thinking about it this morning...it is a great comparison to THIS season of my life...my lifesong...I'm in the middle of a bridge...I should be dancing...and in some ways I am...but I'm in such a hurry to get back to the words...the next verse...I always am! Hurrying that is...

God keeps saying to me...be still...be still...be still...I'm about to do something REALLY cool...just wait. Wait for it, wait for it...wait for it.......wait for ME.........

Waiting :-) I'll try not to make up my own lyrics and put them where they're not supposed to be! I'll let Him play the song the way He plays it best :-)

3.11.2011

Why are we SO quick to complain in DAILYness?

So, this morning, I awoke to a nice coat of ice and snow ALL over my car. Mid-March Madness, I guess. Anyway, I found myself grumbling as I scraped my car to go to work....and day dreaming about living on the West Coast where it's sunny & 70 all the time.... :-) ah, soon enough!

Then I got in my car and headed to work. Of course, with the snow, a 15 minute drive turned into a 45 minute drive due to accidents all over the place (it's not that much snow, people, drive...come on!) Mumbling and grumbling about bad drivers and snow and Fridays... I turned on my radio...and realized I could have been waking up to this:


Quake, Tsunami Hit Japan; Waves Moving Toward West Coast
 Really, people? Why do we complain so much??? It's like an automatic response to inconvenience...like complaining will make it go away...or make us feel better.

I'm ashamed of my own lack of gratefulness. Lately, it seems like everything is just on hold...every ounce of work and effort I put into life comes back around  to...WAIT...just hold on... and deep in my heart I know that is a good thing...that God is at work in me and at work on my behalf. BUT instead of trusting Him and resting and being grateful...I whine...

My mom used to read the book  "Wendy & the Whine" to me on a daily basis (at least it seemed like it ;-) Why? Well, like most little girls...there were moments in the day when I would let out the most ridiculous whines...ugh. Did the book cure me? Mostly. I was scared of  "The Whine." But as I'm admitting, I occasionally am still visited by Monster Whine!

Now, I'm reminded of a verse that God has been trying to instill in me for a year now...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV, ©2011)
Rejoice always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

OR
 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMP)
  • Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);
  • Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];
  • Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

Yeah...OUCH! So...what will we do about that verse? That's a TALL order...
Do we just ignore is and stay focused on Jer. 29:11?

What about what Jesus also said in John 14:15?
"If you love Me, you will obey what I command."

There's no wiggle room there...

So I guess, our response to 1 Thess. 5:16-18 should be:
1. Do NOT complain...ever
2. Instead, Pray persistently, in every situation!
3. AND...be GRATEFUL...for everything!! (even fleas)
**THIS is God's Will!!**


 Ok, got it...
now, help me, Jesus!!
I SO want to honor You!

3.03.2011

Sometimes I talk too much...



I love this...there is something so rich and sweet about just knowing who we are ... not being so caught up in do, do, DOing! Lately, I've been quiet...ever feel like you just talk too much? I feel that way a lot...reallly! Some of you who know me best are laughing because you know this is true... I don't want to be known for the flourish of words that I speak...for self-centered soliloquies or famoous speeches...but by the still small Voice that speaks through me... may I learn to be still and patient before the Lord...to wait until He speaks...

That is my prayer for you as well...that you will know Him..the One who created you...and who loves you more deeply than you will ever even know yourself... that you will find a deep heart connection with Him and that He will satisfy your soul...

Jesus, come dwell in us richly...