The other night I was reading a post from a classmate in Missouri. He had responded to a forum that I had posted on an assignment the day before, and was asking me about my goal to become more of a leader with a servant's heart. His question was pretty much...... how do you know if you have a servant's heart, and what does that look like? I thought that it was good question and it started me thinking; how do I know if I have a servant's heart? What would it look like to people that I come in contact with everyday?
I could tell stories of examples that I have seen in other people that I believe have a servant's heart, but that doesn't tell me if I have a servant's heart; and that doesn't answer my classmate's question. Still, I recall all the examples that I have seen. There has to be something common in all of them; something that I can learn and develop into my leadership goals. Hmmm; maybe there is something in the scriptures that could shed some light on this. Of course, the best example of a servant's heart was demonstrated by Jesus as he washed the feet of His disciples. And what made this so amazing at the time........it wasn't expected by His disciples. This was not what they would ever think their Master should do; totally unexpected. That's it!!
How do you know if you have a servant's heart? When you take the opportunity to do something for someone, it doesn't matter what it is, and they weren't expecting you to do it; that is having a servant's heart. It is not hard. It may be demanding, and it may be dirty; but it is something that you feel lead to do......and that leading comes from within the heart......a servant's heart.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
what if I break it?
The other night I was communicating with a lady in California through a discussion forum (the internet is so cool), and she was making a statement......or maybe it was a question. She has this fear that when God makes something available for us to use.....what happens if we break it? Will He be upset with us?
I started wondering about the same thing. God has given all of us at least one gift; some maybe more. Our responsibilty is to use our gift in service for Him. If He has given us a gift, then I suspect that He would prefer that we use it, instead of storing it away. I think that sometimes we take what God has given us and we place a label on it. The label may be "precious", "delicate", or "fragile". We treat it like some people would treat an antique. "Be careful with that!" "Please don't drop that! It will break!" Maybe you haven't heard that before, but I grew up hearing it. You know how children can be. They just don't realize how fragile something can be, or how easily it can be broken. We'll just put this away for safe keeping. I guess if we grow up with that in our mind, and then God hands us a gift to use....hmmm. I can see how there could be a sense of fear that God might be upset if we break it.
Then again, why would He give us something and not expect us to use it? If we don't use the gift He has given us, then we will never break it. We might forget that we have it, but we won't break it. It can only be broken if we are actually using it; if we are putting it to use in our lives; if we are......how can I say this?......if we're wearing it out. I believe that if it does break, God will fix it. I believe that if we come to Him with whatever we've broken, He is not upset; He smiles. That smile that says, "Yes!! You're using my gift! That's what I wanted you to do"....
"Well done!"
I started wondering about the same thing. God has given all of us at least one gift; some maybe more. Our responsibilty is to use our gift in service for Him. If He has given us a gift, then I suspect that He would prefer that we use it, instead of storing it away. I think that sometimes we take what God has given us and we place a label on it. The label may be "precious", "delicate", or "fragile". We treat it like some people would treat an antique. "Be careful with that!" "Please don't drop that! It will break!" Maybe you haven't heard that before, but I grew up hearing it. You know how children can be. They just don't realize how fragile something can be, or how easily it can be broken. We'll just put this away for safe keeping. I guess if we grow up with that in our mind, and then God hands us a gift to use....hmmm. I can see how there could be a sense of fear that God might be upset if we break it.
Then again, why would He give us something and not expect us to use it? If we don't use the gift He has given us, then we will never break it. We might forget that we have it, but we won't break it. It can only be broken if we are actually using it; if we are putting it to use in our lives; if we are......how can I say this?......if we're wearing it out. I believe that if it does break, God will fix it. I believe that if we come to Him with whatever we've broken, He is not upset; He smiles. That smile that says, "Yes!! You're using my gift! That's what I wanted you to do"....
"Well done!"
Monday, March 9, 2009
living in a garbage can
These past couple of days have been amazing.....weather-wise, I mean. Very different from last weekend, with all the rain and snow. 70's on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It has been beautiful. Just stepping outside and taking it all in; you can't help but think about how amazing God is......that He created all of this for us. And in six days.
I was reading a quote the other day by Keith Green. He was a Christian Songwriter, whose life was cut short in a plane crash at the age of 28. In a very short span of life, he made a major impact on what we now call contemporary worship music. He also did a lot evangelism. Karen sent me a page online so I could read some of his quotes, and this was one of them that fit with what I just talked about.
“You know, I look around at the world and I see all the beauty that God made. I see the forest and the trees and all the things. And it says in the Bible that He made them in six days, and I don’t know if they’re a literal six days or not. Scientists would say no; some theologians would say yes; it doesn’t matter to me. But I know that Jesus Christ has been preparing a home for me, and for some of you, for two thousand years. And if this world took six days, and that home took two thousand years, … this is living in a garbage can compared to what’s going up there.”
A "garbage can"?!? How could he call this living in a garbage can? It's beautiful here. Just look around. I know that may be hard to grasp, but if we think about it; deep down inside, we know he is right. To be in the presence of God, in all His glory, and to share that with all of heaven....
I was reading a quote the other day by Keith Green. He was a Christian Songwriter, whose life was cut short in a plane crash at the age of 28. In a very short span of life, he made a major impact on what we now call contemporary worship music. He also did a lot evangelism. Karen sent me a page online so I could read some of his quotes, and this was one of them that fit with what I just talked about.
“You know, I look around at the world and I see all the beauty that God made. I see the forest and the trees and all the things. And it says in the Bible that He made them in six days, and I don’t know if they’re a literal six days or not. Scientists would say no; some theologians would say yes; it doesn’t matter to me. But I know that Jesus Christ has been preparing a home for me, and for some of you, for two thousand years. And if this world took six days, and that home took two thousand years, … this is living in a garbage can compared to what’s going up there.”
A "garbage can"?!? How could he call this living in a garbage can? It's beautiful here. Just look around. I know that may be hard to grasp, but if we think about it; deep down inside, we know he is right. To be in the presence of God, in all His glory, and to share that with all of heaven....
Friday, February 20, 2009
shachah
I have to say that I am doing quite a bit of reading this year. I may not retain all of what I read, but I do remember some of what I read. I am currently reading a book entitled, "Seven Words of Worship". So far it has been an interesting read. I just finished a section that recalled how Abraham chose to worship in what was called, "a crisis of belief". In the Book of Genesis, Abraham is instructed by God to offer up his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Now, as a father, I would have to sit and think about this for a while; even after hours, maybe days of prayer. But, the scripture tells us that the next morning Abraham set out for the top of the mountain with his son.
Did you know that the first time the word "worship" shows up in the Bible is during this crisis in Abraham's life? "The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we'll come back to you" (Gen. 22:5) Abraham is facing an unbelievable crisis, too much for anyone to even try to imagine, and at the same time he is planning to worship with his son. He has faithfully placed his crisis in God's hands and is already assured of the outcome...."we'll come back".
The Hebrew word for worship that is used in this passage, is shachah. This word is used more than 100 times in the Old Testament, and it is a worship that is done by bowing, kneeling, stooping, or lying on the ground before God. It symbolizes that the created is responding to the Creator........."the lesser is responding to the One who is clearly greater". I can't help but think that maybe in our worship today, we have limited ourselves to just the activity of singing songs to God, and have missed shachah; a worship that requires a physical action.....a realization of who God is and what He has done for us. I'm sure that not everyone is comfortable with bowing, kneeling, or even lying facedown on the ground before God; and I'm not saying that you have to. I do feel that the condition of one's heart will direct our worship; and a heart that is filled with the love and mercy of Jesus Christ will cause one to worship beyond the singing of songs....even on bad days ....... even in a crisis.
Did you know that the first time the word "worship" shows up in the Bible is during this crisis in Abraham's life? "The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we'll come back to you" (Gen. 22:5) Abraham is facing an unbelievable crisis, too much for anyone to even try to imagine, and at the same time he is planning to worship with his son. He has faithfully placed his crisis in God's hands and is already assured of the outcome...."we'll come back".
The Hebrew word for worship that is used in this passage, is shachah. This word is used more than 100 times in the Old Testament, and it is a worship that is done by bowing, kneeling, stooping, or lying on the ground before God. It symbolizes that the created is responding to the Creator........."the lesser is responding to the One who is clearly greater". I can't help but think that maybe in our worship today, we have limited ourselves to just the activity of singing songs to God, and have missed shachah; a worship that requires a physical action.....a realization of who God is and what He has done for us. I'm sure that not everyone is comfortable with bowing, kneeling, or even lying facedown on the ground before God; and I'm not saying that you have to. I do feel that the condition of one's heart will direct our worship; and a heart that is filled with the love and mercy of Jesus Christ will cause one to worship beyond the singing of songs....even on bad days ....... even in a crisis.
Friday, February 13, 2009
interrupted
A couple of weeks ago, Karen and I were enjoying one of those days-off that seem to go by so fast. You know the days I'm talking about........you look forward to them and before you know it; its over. On this particular Monday, we had a few errands to run in the morning, and by lunch time; we were done. Everywhere we had to go, and everything we needed to do just fell into order. There were no delays that we had planned for. There was no back-tracking and driving all over town. Everything just clicked right along, and we found ourselves with some "free time". The only thing bad about "free time" is, if you aren't prepared for it.....it's gone.
I don't know why I suggested it. I don't know where the idea came from. But when Karen asked, "What would you like to do?", my response was......."Let's go to the Waterworks Gallery." As long as I have lived in Rowan County, I've never been to the Waterworks Gallery. I was an Art Major in college and I really enjoy art galleries. I can stand in front of a work of art and look at it for the longest time. I'm not so much trying to decide if I like it, or if it makes any kind of sense at all. Art is more than that. When I look at a painting; I not only see the brush strokes.....I feel the energy that the artist put behind each stroke. In a large painting, I can feel the artist using their entire body as they would stretch and move across the canvas.....keeping balance not to lose the flowing motion of the brush soaked with paint. And I see areas in the painting that may seem out of place to some people, but it would tell me that at that moment......the artist's plan was interrupted, and instead of ignoring this change......the artist was drawn to it. And to be honest; anyone who stands and looks at the painting is drawn to it as well.
Worship is art. Worship involves our whole being. Every part of our daily lives is adding to this work of art we call worship. When we are totally surrendered to the art of worshipping our Creator, it inhabits us. We not only sing it......we stretch and reach as far and as high as we can to embrace it......we move through life trying to keep our balance as worship moves in, through, and around us; and then.....
......God interrupts. It's up to you and me to decide now. Do we stop and take notice of the interruption; embrace it and make it a part of our worship? Or, do we just keep going along on our own. To embrace the interruption would be to embrace God; to draw close to Him. Others will see.....and will be drawn to Him......the whole reason for the interruption.
I don't know why I suggested it. I don't know where the idea came from. But when Karen asked, "What would you like to do?", my response was......."Let's go to the Waterworks Gallery." As long as I have lived in Rowan County, I've never been to the Waterworks Gallery. I was an Art Major in college and I really enjoy art galleries. I can stand in front of a work of art and look at it for the longest time. I'm not so much trying to decide if I like it, or if it makes any kind of sense at all. Art is more than that. When I look at a painting; I not only see the brush strokes.....I feel the energy that the artist put behind each stroke. In a large painting, I can feel the artist using their entire body as they would stretch and move across the canvas.....keeping balance not to lose the flowing motion of the brush soaked with paint. And I see areas in the painting that may seem out of place to some people, but it would tell me that at that moment......the artist's plan was interrupted, and instead of ignoring this change......the artist was drawn to it. And to be honest; anyone who stands and looks at the painting is drawn to it as well.
Worship is art. Worship involves our whole being. Every part of our daily lives is adding to this work of art we call worship. When we are totally surrendered to the art of worshipping our Creator, it inhabits us. We not only sing it......we stretch and reach as far and as high as we can to embrace it......we move through life trying to keep our balance as worship moves in, through, and around us; and then.....
......God interrupts. It's up to you and me to decide now. Do we stop and take notice of the interruption; embrace it and make it a part of our worship? Or, do we just keep going along on our own. To embrace the interruption would be to embrace God; to draw close to Him. Others will see.....and will be drawn to Him......the whole reason for the interruption.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
good to be near God
At the start of this year, I received an e-mail from Ray challenging us all to read our Bibles and pray more. So, I challenged myself to read through the Bible this year. It hasn't taken too long to realize that there will be days that this will be more challenging than I first thought. But I have been blessed by the reading that I have done. Today I was reading Psalm 73 and when I reached the 28th verse....my memory cells clicked into gear. I had read this verse before. It holds a special meaning for me.....it's a special verse. "But as for me, it is good to be near God." This verse not only speaks to me, but it screams out to me. It is good to be near God!!!
When my daughter Kristen was in college, she decided to be a missionary in Mexico for a whole summer. This verse was the one she selected as a "go to" passage. She shared it with me before she left. She not only used this verse to prepare for the journey, but she would revisit it while in Mexico....and I would visit it as well. With Kristen in Mexico, away from her family, I (we) needed to be near God. During this time in our lives as a family, our daughter was being faithful to God's calling and He was growing her into becoming more of who He had created her to be. And, He was growing me. It became very evident that God had a plan for her, and He also was developing a plan for me. What?........I wasn't sure, but it would be His plan; not mine.
As a parent, we sometimes feel that we need to lead our children in a certain direction; give them specific goals for life; and try and make most of their decisions for them because "we have been there". That's our role....right? But God did a role reversal for me. He had decided to use my daughter to teach me. She would be "leading me"; helping me to see that God has a plan and a goal for me, because......He has been there. He used my daughter to show me that when it comes to His plans, if I would just trust Him and let Him lead and decide where He wants me to be, then He will mold me into what He wants me to be. All I have to do is "be near Him".
And I have learned over these past 4 1/2 years at HRCC that "it is good to be near God".
When my daughter Kristen was in college, she decided to be a missionary in Mexico for a whole summer. This verse was the one she selected as a "go to" passage. She shared it with me before she left. She not only used this verse to prepare for the journey, but she would revisit it while in Mexico....and I would visit it as well. With Kristen in Mexico, away from her family, I (we) needed to be near God. During this time in our lives as a family, our daughter was being faithful to God's calling and He was growing her into becoming more of who He had created her to be. And, He was growing me. It became very evident that God had a plan for her, and He also was developing a plan for me. What?........I wasn't sure, but it would be His plan; not mine.
As a parent, we sometimes feel that we need to lead our children in a certain direction; give them specific goals for life; and try and make most of their decisions for them because "we have been there". That's our role....right? But God did a role reversal for me. He had decided to use my daughter to teach me. She would be "leading me"; helping me to see that God has a plan and a goal for me, because......He has been there. He used my daughter to show me that when it comes to His plans, if I would just trust Him and let Him lead and decide where He wants me to be, then He will mold me into what He wants me to be. All I have to do is "be near Him".
And I have learned over these past 4 1/2 years at HRCC that "it is good to be near God".
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
me and Murphy
I'm sure that many of you reading this are familiar with the term, "Murphy's Law". It is a term that I frequently use when I am tackling a do-it-yourself project. No matter how long the instructions tell me this will take; no matter how simple a friend may make the task seem; no matter how few tools I will need......Murphy's Law takes over.
I can read all the directions (twice), and double check that I have all the parts and tools needed. I can think through the process and try and plan out every step in advance (so as not to waste time by getting any step out of order). I can get myself mentally prepared and convinced that I can do this......and then Murphy shows up. I've come to expect him at any time; usually when I think that I am about to finish. Recently, he showed up when I was replacing a motion sensor light for the outside of the house. Not installing a unit, but replacing an existing unit. The plan is to shut off the power, remove the old unit, untie the wire-nuts, grab the new unit, reattach the wires and the wire-nuts, and replace the base. Simple, right?......not with me and Murphy. "Why are there so many wires to try and get up into an electrical box?"; "Why are the screws that come with the new unit not long enough to reach the electrical box?"; "Why does the screw that falls into the grass have to be green?"; "Why do I have to climb back down the ladder to get a flat-head screwdriver that is not mentioned as one of the 'Tools Required'?"; "Why is the cordless drill not charged after sitting on a shelf for two years?"; "Why is it starting to rain while I am on a ladder, connecting electrical wires?". You see, me and Murphy have some interesting conversations.
I used to try and avoid Murphy, but as I have grown...... matured......... alright.... gotten older, I have been taught a great lesson by Murphy; patience. I guess I could have rushed into any project and found myself getting upset with mistakes and failures, but I have learned, through Murphy's help, that there is always a chance for distractions, a detour, or even another way to finish the project and have it still work. When we have patience, these distractions and detours become learning processes.
Oh, by the way, the motion sensor light works just fine.
I can read all the directions (twice), and double check that I have all the parts and tools needed. I can think through the process and try and plan out every step in advance (so as not to waste time by getting any step out of order). I can get myself mentally prepared and convinced that I can do this......and then Murphy shows up. I've come to expect him at any time; usually when I think that I am about to finish. Recently, he showed up when I was replacing a motion sensor light for the outside of the house. Not installing a unit, but replacing an existing unit. The plan is to shut off the power, remove the old unit, untie the wire-nuts, grab the new unit, reattach the wires and the wire-nuts, and replace the base. Simple, right?......not with me and Murphy. "Why are there so many wires to try and get up into an electrical box?"; "Why are the screws that come with the new unit not long enough to reach the electrical box?"; "Why does the screw that falls into the grass have to be green?"; "Why do I have to climb back down the ladder to get a flat-head screwdriver that is not mentioned as one of the 'Tools Required'?"; "Why is the cordless drill not charged after sitting on a shelf for two years?"; "Why is it starting to rain while I am on a ladder, connecting electrical wires?". You see, me and Murphy have some interesting conversations.
I used to try and avoid Murphy, but as I have grown...... matured......... alright.... gotten older, I have been taught a great lesson by Murphy; patience. I guess I could have rushed into any project and found myself getting upset with mistakes and failures, but I have learned, through Murphy's help, that there is always a chance for distractions, a detour, or even another way to finish the project and have it still work. When we have patience, these distractions and detours become learning processes.
Oh, by the way, the motion sensor light works just fine.
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