Life in the Fast Lane

Well Internship is spinning right along and the fun just keeps on coming. It seems like more and more stuff is being added and the time is slipping through my fingers…

My wife went on a retreat to the beach this past weekend and I got to spend time with my two beautiful little girls who are growing up way too fast for me. Upon my wife’s return she ommented on how the littlest one, or the youngest I should say had many more words in her vocabulary than she had when my wife left for the beach. Vitamin, brush my teeth, please, thank you… All coming across much more clearly at least to us. As they continue to grow and say things and comeup with ideas that we sit back and think just where did that come from, I wonder how much I miss by being here at the computer, or here at the church, or here in the classroom, or here leading worship… One could ask is it worth being here?

Than I muse, I was called to this vocation, to this way of life. It is something that brings me great joy and connects me with where God is working. It allows me to have a piece in the kingdom of God, today, tomorrow, and forever. Is it worth missing time with me kids and family? Somedays yes, somedays no, but it is worth spending the time with God, and figuring everything else out in the meantime. I tell myself I need to look at the world, especially my world, the world I think I have all figured out through the eyes of my daughters, and see it as a child, the child that I am, the child of of God. God wants me to be with, work with, play with, love with, hang with, insert ______ with God all the time. God has called me to be with him, and walk with him, to help people see him and love him, as only he can love us.

Yesterday I spent some time at the Allegheny Synod office, and Bishop Pyle lead us in a study on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25… This is where Paul talks about the cross being a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentile. Well my pastor always said that stumbling blocks are interesting things, because they make you stop, or at least slow down and look over your shoulder, or turn around and see what you stumbled over. The cross is something we should trip over sometimes, becasue it is the one thing we should never loss sight of. It is foolishness to us, because why did God have to do this in this way? He could have just saved us all, but God went through, or on, the cross, the one focus, we need. by this thougth I am reminded of my internship sites mission statement: to proclaim Jesus Christ to each other and all the world. To do this we have to be focused on the cross, be cross eyed, as Hebrews 12:2 says…

Well in the madness of missing my children, I do get those moments that help me know this is where we are all suppose to be, like when my oldest daughter prays the Lord’s Prayer while her mother and I pray with the youngest at bed time, or the youngest says amen really loud after a prayer, or when they both try to say the apostles creed, or part of the liturgy…..

God’s plan may not line up with what we think our reality should be, but that is where the issue is…

In our reality, we should look at life like children, seeing everything with wonder filled anticipation, knowing that God is walking with us and guiding us along the way.

Beginnings of a blog

Here it is…

The first post on my blog. Today has seen many different emotions and ups and downs. I have just started my internship for my candidacy for ordained ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It has been a wonderful excruciating experience. It has seen many ups and downds, and is only on the fourth week! But it will be a good experience and will see many new educational experiences for me and possibly for those I am serving.

I started this blog because of another blog I read Deep Water by Todd found at http://www.the-well.org/blogs/

You can see my commetn there, or here it is:

Did not Martin Luther uphold the priesthood of all believers? Are we all not called by God to doa part in the kingdom here? Are we all not a part of the body of Christ each with his/her own part to play, job to do? If we are not using the gift of the spirit we have been given in this world, how can the kingdom ever come to be? The truth is God will do it with us, and even inspite of us, but our church leaders will not be burned out as quickly or even at all if the congregations believe they are called to play a part in the kingdom of God here, and play the part in Lay ministry. We are all invited to be at the feast, so let us use our gifts and help prepare for the feast!

I believe we are all called for a part in the kingdom of God, a part of the plan is given to use. It may be to clean up the mess of a party, or the mess no one wants to clean…

But if that is our gift then shouldn’t we use our gift? Jesus followed through on the path laid before him, even when it seemed it wasn’t where he wanted to go. Remember in the garden, if it is possible remove this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done (asacredrebel paraphrase). Even when we doubt, God has a place for us, we have a place in that plan, in the Kingdom of God.

Step out with the courage you can have, because Jesus walks with you and has prepared the path set before you!