There is just something about this time of year that stirs the soul. The sights, the smells, the feel of the cool air and the clarity of the crisp Autumn sky that dances with the sparkling of the stars. There is just something about this time of year that causes me to slow down, to breathe deep, and to appreciate the life I've been given. Last Sunday our family (meaning my mother, sister, niece and I) took a road trip to Asheville, NC; one of the best places to experience Fall. On the drive we whizzed by multitudes of trees that were transforming from lush greens to the fall bouquet of colors; reds, oranges, and yellows. By far one of the most riveting sights my eyes will behold. My sister mentioned the irony that this beauty blazes from the dying of the leaves.
Autumn is a favorite time of year! A season marked by the beauty of the changing weather and colors but as well by the time spent with friends and family. A time for campfires, corn mazes, pumpkin pie, and anything warm to drink. Just a few weeks ago at a friend's pumpkin carving contest we baked pumpkin seeds sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. This is a time of year characterized by everyone's favorite seasonal foods and drinks; pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread and even pumpkin beer. What is it that makes this time of year so wonderful? What is it that you love about this time of year?
A number of things I have experienced even over the last few weeks that capture what I love about Autumn: Wrapping my hands around a hot cup of Brueggers "Pumpkin Spice" coffee. The smell is as good as the taste! I love sitting on the front steps of my town-home in the evening enjoying the smell of the cold, crisp fresh air. I love the rustic smell of a distant fire that carries across the cool evening air. I love the blazing colors of the leaves and their crunch underfoot as you walk a trail. Things I hope to experience over the next few weeks of Autumn: I love the thought of a warm bowl of mom's home cooked chili with some sweet cornbread. I love the thought of Thanksgiving Day with the food and family and a reason to slow down and just enjoy life! I love the thought of gathering friends on a cold Friday night and drinking hot cocoa and watching a movie - or Tennessee football.
I wonder what you look forward to most about Autumn?
there is just something about this time of year that stirs the soul!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The importance of the "In between"
Have you ever asked the questions "What's next?", or "In what direction should I go?". Maybe you have asked this question of your current vocation, a current dating relationship, or current experience or lack thereof in relational community. This is a tension that has risen to the surface of my heart and mind over the last year and a half of living in the "in between". The "in between" is that place in the human experience where we are aware that our current circumstance and experience are not where we desire to remain. It is a temporal place that causes us to ask questions like, "What do I really desire to invest my life in?", "What do I desire my life to look like 10 years from now?", "What do I want to be doing 10 years from now?", "What am I doing to move towards meaningful relationships both in the direction of marriage and community?" It is a place of frustration and yet self discovery. It is a place of questioning and yet a place of the opportunity for gaining clarity. Things are not yet as I desire them to be in these particular areas of my life and I wonder how I can move in the direction of where I desire to be? I've heard said that "life is not a destination, but a journey" and this is true in many ways. However in this season of "in between" I have become more conscious of my need to have an idea of where I would desire to be.
A friend named Ken asked last year at a men's retreat, "What do you want your life to look like in 5 years?". I honestly hadn't thought much about that given my tendency to be controlled by the "Tyranny of the Urgent" and the overwhelming demand of the present. What a great question to ask of ourselves! So few probably take the time to consider such a question and is it really possible to move in a direction if there hasn't been a thoughtful process of our current reality and our desired reality? I wonder if many thoughtful dreamers lose their way to their preferred reality due to the challenge of this intentional process? And where would this intentional and thoughtful process of our current reality and our desired reality lead us to anyway? Over the last few weeks as I have become increasingly aware of this restlessness within for direction - movement - towards a desired/ preferred reality I have considered options as extreme as taking a year break from my current vocation, to move to a West Coast city like Seattle or Portland, to get a common job as a coffee barista which would allow me to take more time to enter into this thoughtful process, while at the same time seeing the sights and enjoying the outdoors.
Maybe these sentiments are the ramblings of a man without direction or without the ability to take root and accept the current reality as a preferred reality. Maybe this restlessness within is just a childish inability to commit or to be content in the present? Or maybe it is something deeper? Maybe it is the inner sense that there is more to my life than what I am currently doing and experiencing? Maybe this restless experience in the "in between" is really the Lord's way of creating the opportunity for me to move from my current reality in the direction of my preferred reality? I have become more increasingly aware of the things I desire to pursue developing in my life; my ability to write, to communicate, to engage people at a heart level. to go places with people. In this season of life in the "in between" i have intentionally listened more to the Lord and to others. I have intentionally written more about my thoughts and insights, and I have intentionally read more to consider other peoples thoughts and insights. This season has been an incredibly contemplative place where I have felt the frustration of unrealized desires and yet I have experienced the clarifying of some of these desires along with the birth of new desires. As uncomfortable as this season of the "in between" has been I sense that the Lord is at work deeply within me, causing me to consider, listen to, and to communicate with Him in a way that my circumstances haven't demanded of me previously. Perhaps the process of the "in between" is actually the means by which the Lord works at bringing our desires for a future reality into line with His desires for our future reality?
A friend named Ken asked last year at a men's retreat, "What do you want your life to look like in 5 years?". I honestly hadn't thought much about that given my tendency to be controlled by the "Tyranny of the Urgent" and the overwhelming demand of the present. What a great question to ask of ourselves! So few probably take the time to consider such a question and is it really possible to move in a direction if there hasn't been a thoughtful process of our current reality and our desired reality? I wonder if many thoughtful dreamers lose their way to their preferred reality due to the challenge of this intentional process? And where would this intentional and thoughtful process of our current reality and our desired reality lead us to anyway? Over the last few weeks as I have become increasingly aware of this restlessness within for direction - movement - towards a desired/ preferred reality I have considered options as extreme as taking a year break from my current vocation, to move to a West Coast city like Seattle or Portland, to get a common job as a coffee barista which would allow me to take more time to enter into this thoughtful process, while at the same time seeing the sights and enjoying the outdoors.
Maybe these sentiments are the ramblings of a man without direction or without the ability to take root and accept the current reality as a preferred reality. Maybe this restlessness within is just a childish inability to commit or to be content in the present? Or maybe it is something deeper? Maybe it is the inner sense that there is more to my life than what I am currently doing and experiencing? Maybe this restless experience in the "in between" is really the Lord's way of creating the opportunity for me to move from my current reality in the direction of my preferred reality? I have become more increasingly aware of the things I desire to pursue developing in my life; my ability to write, to communicate, to engage people at a heart level. to go places with people. In this season of life in the "in between" i have intentionally listened more to the Lord and to others. I have intentionally written more about my thoughts and insights, and I have intentionally read more to consider other peoples thoughts and insights. This season has been an incredibly contemplative place where I have felt the frustration of unrealized desires and yet I have experienced the clarifying of some of these desires along with the birth of new desires. As uncomfortable as this season of the "in between" has been I sense that the Lord is at work deeply within me, causing me to consider, listen to, and to communicate with Him in a way that my circumstances haven't demanded of me previously. Perhaps the process of the "in between" is actually the means by which the Lord works at bringing our desires for a future reality into line with His desires for our future reality?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Kind of Like Dating!
I have lived in North Charlotte for little over a year now and just visited my 8th church. In a city where there are over 400 churches this is becoming a challenging task. Kind of like Dating! So many options - flavors - opportunities - which is wonderful and frustrating all at the same time. Have you ever looked for a church home? What were the things that were important to you - that you valued going into the experience? What were your criteria? Those are the things I am thinking through which is proving to be a character building experience as well as an opportunity for self discovery.
Over a year ago I lived in Uppsala, Sweden a town of around 125,000 with only a handful of evangelical, orthodox churches. Within a 10 mile radius of my home I have about 10 times that number of options. What to do? Well visiting churches is a must! This is honestly a bit awkward as a single adult - definitely one of the times during the week that I am most aware of my single status when most of the people I am meeting at these churches my age are married with kids. There is the excitement of seeing something new that wears off after the 10th person I introduce myself to and as I sit in a back row usually separated from others by a few seats. At least at this point I get a taste of what a "first- timer" feels like. And then as the service -"show" starts I immediately begin the evaluative process, from what the worship leader looks like to the number of times "I" or "Me" is mentioned in the worship lyrics. With the teaching of the pastor I look to see if he uses the Bible or not - how much time he spends in the text. I admit I feel the wrestle with self in these moments as I consider what I see and hear and I think I have been spoiled by my previous church home in Knoxville, TN. Lord help me be discerning in these moments about the character of the church but also to see Christ!
Visiting churches is somewhat like dating in that you can only learn about a church by "going out" with it - spending time there asking questions about the church - How did current members get involved? What compelled them to stay? What are the things they value most there? Good questions are important whether getting to know someone you are interested in getting to know or inquiring about the life of a church. The question is, what are the important questions to ask? I think that depends on what you are looking for in a church. A few things I am learning to consider are; is there an emphasis on God's Sovereignty or more of a man-centered approach? You pick up on this underlying perspective through worship lyrics, the pastor's teaching, and even through the language the members of the church use to speak about their relationship with the Lord. A church in many ways tends to take on the personality of the pastor. A second consideration is the opportunity for community. It is easy to go to a church without being involved in relationships. You can go ,sit and watch, and leave the service with little interaction with a person. Many churches today emphasize anonymity which could be more comfortable for a "first timer" yet allow for years of church attendance with little community. The church isn't solely responsible for getting it's members plugged into community. There has to be initiative on the part of the individual, but some churches do a better job of facilitating this process.
With so many options, much like the dating scene in a major city like Charlotte, NC, finding a church is a process! The important thing is to know what you value - what you are looking for - and to get out there and visit around. It's always helpful to ask friends and acquaintances for their suggestions. The unfortunate reality is that many folks including myself will find it hard to commit to a church. Much like the fallacy of "Finding the perfect person" it is near impossible to find the "perfect church". There are many who have visited different churches for years without ever settling down and committing.
Over a year ago I lived in Uppsala, Sweden a town of around 125,000 with only a handful of evangelical, orthodox churches. Within a 10 mile radius of my home I have about 10 times that number of options. What to do? Well visiting churches is a must! This is honestly a bit awkward as a single adult - definitely one of the times during the week that I am most aware of my single status when most of the people I am meeting at these churches my age are married with kids. There is the excitement of seeing something new that wears off after the 10th person I introduce myself to and as I sit in a back row usually separated from others by a few seats. At least at this point I get a taste of what a "first- timer" feels like. And then as the service -"show" starts I immediately begin the evaluative process, from what the worship leader looks like to the number of times "I" or "Me" is mentioned in the worship lyrics. With the teaching of the pastor I look to see if he uses the Bible or not - how much time he spends in the text. I admit I feel the wrestle with self in these moments as I consider what I see and hear and I think I have been spoiled by my previous church home in Knoxville, TN. Lord help me be discerning in these moments about the character of the church but also to see Christ!
Visiting churches is somewhat like dating in that you can only learn about a church by "going out" with it - spending time there asking questions about the church - How did current members get involved? What compelled them to stay? What are the things they value most there? Good questions are important whether getting to know someone you are interested in getting to know or inquiring about the life of a church. The question is, what are the important questions to ask? I think that depends on what you are looking for in a church. A few things I am learning to consider are; is there an emphasis on God's Sovereignty or more of a man-centered approach? You pick up on this underlying perspective through worship lyrics, the pastor's teaching, and even through the language the members of the church use to speak about their relationship with the Lord. A church in many ways tends to take on the personality of the pastor. A second consideration is the opportunity for community. It is easy to go to a church without being involved in relationships. You can go ,sit and watch, and leave the service with little interaction with a person. Many churches today emphasize anonymity which could be more comfortable for a "first timer" yet allow for years of church attendance with little community. The church isn't solely responsible for getting it's members plugged into community. There has to be initiative on the part of the individual, but some churches do a better job of facilitating this process.
With so many options, much like the dating scene in a major city like Charlotte, NC, finding a church is a process! The important thing is to know what you value - what you are looking for - and to get out there and visit around. It's always helpful to ask friends and acquaintances for their suggestions. The unfortunate reality is that many folks including myself will find it hard to commit to a church. Much like the fallacy of "Finding the perfect person" it is near impossible to find the "perfect church". There are many who have visited different churches for years without ever settling down and committing.
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