Perspective

Welcome to another Monday. I pray that this week you experience all that God has in store for you to the absolute fullest. It is Monday and if you are in South Florida it is a drizzly, gray day so far. It makes it tough to get going and makes all the little items that get in our way even more frustrating.

I came into the office today with a strategy to get a ton accomplished. Most of it had to do with getting the podcast from the last few weeks updated and making sure things were fresh on my blog. Of course the internet was not working when I came into the office. Now that it is up and running again I am out of time to accomplish what I had planned for today. I have afternoon appointments out of the office and tomorrow is full and Wednesday is a day spent studying, and….well you get the picture.

I had plans. I had goals. I had a list. And nothing that I have done so far today was on that list. But that is the way life is sometimes. I won’t try to over spiritualize my morning, but I will tell you one thing I have learned today: there is nothing I can do to change it. I couldn’t fix all that needed to be fixed and I can’t slow down the clock so my appointments are pushed back today. The last three hours are gone and I can’t go back and make them reappear.

I also found out a huge fact that puts it all into perspective: six billion people on the face of the earth are totally unaffected by my “trials” this morning. In the grand scheme of things they are mere blips. Instead of checking things off my “to do” list I spent time studying for next Sunday’s message, praying for people God brought to my mind and reflecting on how God has been moving in my life the last few weeks.

Maybe this morning wasn’t a waste after all.

Yours for his Purpose,
John

Thoughts for Sunday Afternoon

Today has been an amazing day. The last twenty-four hours have been strange, wonderful, joyous, wearisome and powerful. Here are a few things that God is doing in me right now.

• Emily got home from Costa Rica early this morning. We got home about 1:30 a.m.
• When your teenage daughter goes on a mission trip, she comes home changed.
• She is not my little girl anymore. She is an amazing young woman of God.
• Using videos to worship was powerful today.
• “In Christ Alone” may be the most powerful four minute music video.
• I had chills on my arm as we worshipped.
• Seeing people come forward to publicly declare their faith in Christ never gets old. I pray we never get tired of seeing that happen.
• My kids crack me up. As we sat over lunch I realized how unique and wonderful they all are in their special way.
• I love the Masters. It is without doubt my favorite tournament.
• I am not moving from in front of my TV until this bad boy is over.

Easter Monday

It is the Monday after Easter. For most people it is simply another Monday. They go to work, they enjoy a beach day with the kids who are off from school for spring break and they simply go about their lives. For pastors and other ministry types, it is a day of trying to get through the fog. It is a day of reflecting, thinking, planning and coffee!!!

Easter Sunday is the Super Bowl for pastors. It is the one day when people who we won’t see again until Christmas or next Easter are in the service. It is a day of a thousand extra details. It is the day where everything that doesn’t go according to plan sets us off. I am not sure any of this as externally fueled. I don’t think anyone else has such high expectations of us, but I know my standards are pretty high on Easter Sunday.

So, today I am sitting in my office in a fog. I am exhausted. It is not the physical act of getting everything done, but the emotional and spiritual battle that has been waged in my mind and heart for the last few weeks. Easter is always looming out there. We know it is coming and we love it, but the level of anxiety we feel every Sunday is ramped up all the way to 11!!

Yesterday was amazing at LifeQuest. People who had never been here before were here. People who have been only marginally engaged were involved and committed. And people who have been the backbone of this ministry for years took their ministry to a whole notha’ level!! And now it’s Monday.

In six days we will all gather together again to celebrate Christ. We will all worship and reflect on the fact that the God of the universe loved us so much he stepped out of heaven and walked the earth. There will not be the sense of expectation. There will not be the sense of excitement. There will not be a special breakfast or an Easter egg hunt. But the truth of the day will be the same: Jesus is ALIVE!!!

So, on this Monday after Easter I will enjoy the fact that the one that was dead is alive and that I, the one who should be dead, is alive in Him.