In the holiday season, people wear the craziest things. They - in fact - dress up the craziest things: dogs, cats, homes, cars … the other day, Jude and I were leaving Target after shopping for Asa (which took us every bit of 90 minutes to spend just over $9 for his brother's gift) - and Jude yelled: "Look, Daddy, it's Rudolph!" To my surprise there was a blue VW Bug dressed up, well, like Rudolph with a nose, tail, ears, and antlers. Really, it was quite impressive.
Perhaps it's because of my new role as a teacher, teaching in History in Newport News Public School, or perhaps it is due to the role my wife are transitioning into at the Church as Lead Pastors - whatever the reason, my mindset and focus this holiday season has already been marked with the thought process: Be involved.
Pastor Tonya Fehrenbach preached an incredible message today on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, drawing out powerful connections to our individual identity in Christ as well as our corporate identity as the Body of Christ. If there is one thing I know about the Fehrenbachs, they are passionate enemies of anything that will detract from the God-potential in people.
We must be people who are led by, and empowered by, the Holy Spirit. Romans declares to us that those of us led by the Spirit shall be called the sons of God. Though God, our Creator, places a premium on a life lived by and through the Holy Spirit - it seems that we, as people - His creation, do not. Technology enables us to be more efficient and more effective than any other age in History prior, but it also places an inordinate amount of - or rather a sense of - ability. My iPhone, iPad, the internet: these are all wonderful tools and make me able to accomplish much, to multi-task, but they don't replace the anointing of God's Holy Spirit and His ability to multi-task. We call God's multi-tasking: omniscience.
We don't like to be in the dark. When we're younger, it's frightening; as we get older, it's unnerving. Even in my mature state of age I find myself not fully embracing any time in the dark because it's murky, unknown, unfamiliar. I wouldn't say I'm scared of the dark. I just don't care for the unknown.
This past Sunday I administered a Driving Test at Christian Life Center: are we driving the Church with Jesus or just along for the ride?
My new employment has brought me a lot of new things. Some I have welcomed. Others I could do without. What I have found to be most beneficial is the nothing that has been afforded to me in the 40 minute drive I have each and every morning and each and every afternoon. It far exceeds my 7 minute walk I have been walking the past few years working at the Church, and I had many, many plans for that extra 30 minutes added to my commute: Books on my iPod, Podcasting, PBC Classes, phone calls to encourage, touch base, and plan things. Ultimately what I found was that I needed a little more of nothing.
This year we began with the Series: Being A Blessing, and we have heard many great messages, exhorting us, entreating us, enlightening us to the reality that God has indeed called us, in fact - created us - to be bright, to be salty ... to be a blessing to those around us: saved, unsaved, found, lost, hurting, broken, and perfectly put together.
Trust is a big deal. It’s a subject that is talked about a lot between husbands & wives, friends, employees & employers; when election season rolls around the term ‘trust’ is bandied about like a tennis ball at Wimbledon.