Busy little thoughts...
Wow...it's been a while since I last posted...been busy, and I have been reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. AMAZING book...in it's point of view. It is really challenging me, and I hope helping me to see the opportunities that are out there, especially when it comes to people with different ideology than me. Let me quote from the 2nd chapter...something that I am trying to digest and ingest...
"Some people skip through life; some people are dragged through it. I sometimes wonder whether we are moving through time or time is moving through us...I say this only because time kept traveling through me. When I was young I thought I had forever to figure things out...But I didn't. I didn't have long to figure things out. I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God."
So I ask myself...
Am I wasting time?
Am I being religious to the detriment of taking the opportunities God is bringing into my life?
Am I sinking into habit?
Is my heart engaging God?
How about You?
"Some people skip through life; some people are dragged through it. I sometimes wonder whether we are moving through time or time is moving through us...I say this only because time kept traveling through me. When I was young I thought I had forever to figure things out...But I didn't. I didn't have long to figure things out. I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God."
So I ask myself...
Am I wasting time?
Am I being religious to the detriment of taking the opportunities God is bringing into my life?
Am I sinking into habit?
Is my heart engaging God?
How about You?
posted by Brent F at 6:54 AM
10 Comments:
wow... good comment dale... i was going to just simply say that we need to go after the opportunities and if there aren't any then we need to create some... but wow... great advice dale... and forget the snooze... i haven't even been setting and alarm lately... lol!
i'm a little of both...skipping through, yet carefully watching and paying attention to what i'm skipping by....we just need to be careful to be aware....not missing opportunities...
Hi Brent!
Thanks for visiting and leaving your encouraging comments.
Me, I figure God's out to get us - in a good way. I'm trying not to be too much of a hindrance without being self-conscious about my part in it all. It just seems to happen, with the smallest grain of willingness. Sometimes I think that there's no "progress" when actually there is, but it's in such a modest venue that I don't recognize it. Not all spiritual ventures look all that spiritual at first glance.
I'll have to look into that book.
Brent, I'm glad to hear you are reading "Blue Like Jazz"! It really was awesome. It's funny: when I read that paragraph in the book, I had to read it a few times. Then, I read it out loud to a few people. It really struck me.
The concept of whether we are moving through time, or time moving through us really hit me. I mean, if time is moving through me there is a much greater sense of urgency to my life. I can't afford to drift, I have to make sure I capture every opportunity I can.
skipping is a good way to put it, Jen...
I find if I run I miss out on the people along the way and if I walk I get distrated...
I guess I like the analogy also because skipping brings to mind joy and fun and I have found that people are drawn to the joy and peace of knowing God is in charge of my life and He will direct my path...
"Be still and know that I am God..."
It's not at all that I take my walk and the Great commission casually, beleive me, but (most of the time) I just have a peace that He is there leading me on to complete what He has started. I don't mean making me a "better person",(by the world's standard) I mean directing me to walk in His way, how Jesus walked when He was on earth...
So I don't know where this puts me in the conversation, but that's me! lol
I think that when you think of "engaging God"...it just all goes back to God is absolutely puruseing us individually...just as He did with Adam in the garden, after Adam sinned and was hiding from God, God was searching for him, and crying out for him! Just as Christ left perfection in heaven, to pursue a relationship with us...so we must "put on this mind that was also in Christ Jesus" and pursue others through the supernatural opportunities God will definitely bring into your life every day! I just want to live life urgently looking for those opportunities...
Thanks everyone for all your comments and encouragement!
Brent
Yeah, that book is on my list too. :)
I personally would never recomend that book to anyone. I found that it was full of nuggets, unfortunately you had to choke on the pages of junk to get the good stuff. No one wants to be "religiuos", no one wants to be "pharisees of this day", on the flips side what about "wise living".
I just want to say,you can be a radical for Christ and still hold to high standards. I am sorta tired of reading books written by my generation that imply you have to dance with the devil to show him God's love and if you don't you are judging and not Christ like.
Perhaps that kind of book may be really challenging to those raised in the church never challenged by the very behaviors that he encourages as he finds "freedom" in his walk. For those of us, whom God has set "free" from those very lifestyles find it gross that someone who seeks to encourage others to find a dept of God and his love would reveal that lifestyle as being "REAL".
Amen it is real, it is very real, It is so real that everyday i walk by demon possessed men and women living on the streets becasue they were "free" and didnt care what others said. Because they were "just being who they are".
So if I am strongly opinionated about this new watered down "free" movement, I hold no appoligises.
I will ran, walk and sometimes struggle to stand in my life as I desire to see the kingdom advance. Eventhough my flesh desires to feel as little pain in the death seasons of it, I still press forward to lay it all down. If in my "hunger" to run hard is viewed as 'works' or 'religiuos' than so be it.
If I choose to not take part in activities that "i" feel aren't pleasing to the father, and that is looked apon as being 'works' or 'religiuos' than so be it.
If I choose to take seasons of fasting and prayer that pull me from the "norm" and that is looked apon as 'works' and religious' than so be it.
I can say with my heart standing strong, I walked from that accused lifestyle to be "free" and found that my heart became so heavy with the cares of this world, with the things that make me sad. It opened the doors (call them whatever you like) for sadness, lonelyness and boundage. It was tourmenting!!
THAT IS REAL.
Now as I press all the harder to get more disciplined (not to please the father, but because there is work to be done) I find it difficult at times.
Dale that snooze button isnt as temptin as that "off" button to me.
But non the less, we need to wake up.
Lets be careful that in our attempts to change what the "church" is, that we don't break and wound those that are in it.
My heart is so hungry for Church.It is the greatest desire in my heart, to see the church rise up and walk as Christ intended for it.
ok ok, if i go down this road, i will never end this comment.
Jillm
Hey Brent, This is not really so much a comment on your post as a general comment. Since your blog is about opportunity, I figured it was the best place to share this. I'll have pictures and more on my blog in a couple of weeks.
Roxana left at 4AM yesterday for a week-long medical mission in Managua, Nicaragua. The team will be doing surgery for about 14 or so hours a day while they are there. They will be the healing hands of God to many children and families there. Please keep her and the team in prayer this week, that God will use them to literally touch people with His love.
Wow, it's been a while since you last posted....
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