Don't Miss It! - Black Friday

Don't you hate it when you miss something?  A couple weeks back I was bidding on a pair of shoes on eBay.  They were mint condition $100 loafers and my bid was in the lead for somewhere between $30 and $40.  I was sure they were mine.  Then I got busy.  As the bidding was coming to a close, I was distracted with some other--granted important--things.  I forgot to watch my bid and I missed it.  Someone else beat me for a dollar.  Ouch.

The other day The Pastor was out hunting when a little deer jumped up in front of him.  He fired off a shot, but a strange angle and some extra brush thwarted his effort.  He missed it.  Now, I firmly believe that missing a shot at a smallish deer has no comparison to missing a hundred dollar pair of shoes, but The Pastor was distraught, nonetheless.

I'm sure it hasn't escaped you that this week is Black Friday.  That little detail certainly hasn't slipped by me...the ads and hype inundating me have kept me constantly reminded.  People are making their plans, terrified that they will miss out on a once in a lifetime deal.   My fear is that they're missing out on so much more.

For the past few years, Black Friday sales have started earlier and earlier, but this year we have finally crossed a very important line.  Now, rather than staying up until midnight or setting your alarm clock for 2am, you can wolf down your turkey dinner on Thanksgiving day, and instead of pushing back from the table and taking a nap in your Barcalounger, you can leave your crazy relatives behind and go shopping.  Sounds appealing on some levels, but is it?

Have we become so obsessed that our need for a great bargain requires others to work, rather than spend a holiday with their families?  Are we so consumer driven that we can't even take ONE full day to be thankful for what we have, before running off to acquire more?  Is the $20, $50, or even $100 savings worth it?  What kind of society and people have we become?

I'm all for a good sale as much as the next guy (or girl), and I might even set my alarm for 2am for a super sweet deal, but we have so much to be thankful for in our lives, that when it comes to Thanksgiving Day...let's not miss it.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Going With God

There's a familiar song from church that says, "I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord..."  I've been working on some decisions in my life lately that have been difficult to think through.  I can't quite make the logic of them "work out" in my head.  I can't figure out how to get all the pieces to come together neatly to ensure that the plan is sound.  Try as I might, I can't see how it's even possible to do what I think God is calling me to do. 


In the midst of my decision making, that song keeps playing in my head.  Thinking about my trip to India earlier this year and pondering where else the Lord might want me to travel to, I find myself telling Him, I'll go where you want me to go, Lord. But even as I hear the words in my head, I realize that in my single dimension thinking, I'm only considering physical places the Lord might want me to go--a country, a continent, a city.

Today I had to ask myself the hard question of where God might want me to go and where He might want to take me that are not physical places.  Maybe he wants to take me into uncertainty.  Will I go there?  Perhaps He wants to take me to a place of circumstantial or financial hardship.  Will I go there?  Will I follow Him to trouble, suffering, or sorrow?  That's a much more difficult decision to make. 

There's a quote I've heard and keep written on a 3x5 card.  I realized this morning I haven't seen it in awhile and I think maybe the card has been buried in my desk amongst the papers, receipts, dried up highlighters, and other office supplies that live in my desk drawer.  The quote says, "Anywhere we go with God, is a place of safety."  Anywhere.  That applies whether  I travel to Africa or into the dark land of uncertainty where I don't understand what He is doing.  Anywhere I go with him is safe. As long as He's with me.

So that leads me back to my original dilemma of decision making.   I think I better go dig that card out of my desk drawer, post it on the fridge where it can remind me of God's provision for me, stop wavering, and decide if I'm really willing to "Go where you want me to go, Dear Lord".

You Can Run...Well Maybe Not.

A lot of you know...The Pastor has been on crutches.  Chalk it up to a bone problem related to his Diabetes.  I won't get into the gory details, but let's just say that the crutches have been difficult for everyone involved, if you get my drift.

I don't blame The Pastor for getting weary of the crutches, and for the most part, he's been a good patient, "crutching" around as he should.  However, a couple weeks ago, we went out to lunch and tired of lugging them around with him, he left the crutches in the car, though he should have been using them.

He hobbled into the sparsely populated restaurant and before he could make his way to a table to sit down, he ran smack dab into...his foot doctor.  Oops.  The perils of living in a small town.

I've learned the hard way, there are some things you just can't run from.  (Especially when you're on crutches, but that's not my point.)  God tells me he shuts doors no man can open and opens doors no man can shut (Rev 3:8).  Simply put, if God wants to do something, he will do it, and no amount of whining, complaining, or running away on my part will change that. God will accomplish his purpose. 

Lately God is calling me to some tough decisions.  I don't particularly want to make them.  My inclination is to run and hide until the whole situation miraculously works itself out without any effort from me.  But, I'm getting the distinct feeling that's not going to work.  I need to come face to face with the fact that God wants something of me. And if he wants it, one way or another, he will get it.  In the far corners of my heart and mind, I can hear him whispering, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way..."

The doctor has finally told The Pastor he can put down the crutches... and I think maybe it's time I take off my running shoes.