Sometimes I wonder at myself. I am a walking contradiction. I need to be around and interact with people and yet I am an extremely private person who enjoys time alone. I get wrapped up in the pages of well written fiction, but I am also fiercely pragmatic about almost everything in my life. My core is built around the truth of God’s existence and the reality of relationship with the Divine through Jesus Christ and yet often I trudge through my day without doing anything of substance to deepen intimacy with my Lord and Savior.
I see my reflection and shake my head.
I am responsible to encourage people to pursue God. My vocation requires me to help others deal with the daily triumphs and trials of life from an eternal perspective. I am both keeper and gateway of truths passed down from generation to generation. It is my charge to communicate God’s words in a relevant and clear manner. I find myself often pointing over my shoulder in the general direction of truth rather than walking with a friend to converse with Jesus.
I am convinced and convicted this may not continue.
I have already shared with my friends at Main Street that God was brutally clear in revealing that my inclination to speak in pointed generalities was not helpful. My aversion to being direct so that I could protect myself from the hurt of rejection was disobedience. My refusal to be unelaborated has robbed genuine seekers of the tools they need to join in what Jesus promises is the abundant life.
As much as I still feel it unsafe to say, it is time to get personal. This upcoming Sunday I will be introducing Main Street to a “trip ’round town square.” We will use four simple “errand stops” to illustrate how every person can begin a relationship with God through Jesus and then to consistently grow in and deepen that relationship. I believe with all my being that God is calling out those who belong to him to come and follow now and I want to all I can to help my friends to understand exactly how to respond to that call.
Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11, NLT)
TheNarrowRoadPursued 
I hope this finds you and your family well. I will now become a reg. to this blog and look forward to seeing you in the near future. I have been having health issues and after I got my apt. the way I wanted and fixed I got news I had to move as Joy’s grandson is getting married and they have no place to move. I have till the end of Sept so I will wait till 2 weeks before as usual. Getting ready to hit the big 50. God Bless
INSPIRING …AWESOME …HMMM …Always thought you were direct 🙂 …Reserved yes ..but reserved with discernment …but always speaking in love even when you should have just given me a swift boot in the butt 🙂 …I often wonder if we look at ourselves as how God sees us? Or how we think God sees us which has our own warped twisted eyeglass view?
Unfortunately we do think God sees us as we do. The challenge is to see us as God does. He is far less critical than we may think, but also far more insightful than we would like to admit. Grace is God, Mercy is God and Righteousness is God.
I will remain reserved. God made me that way and I will honor his wisdom!
Amen and Amen! Glad to hear it! PTL!
First..the video is incredible. Very frustrating but awesome (took me 20 minutes to watch it…slow internet.) How loving those people were…and, I don’t think they were being critical of one another; or even really thinking about themselves much at all. They were just loving God. Sometimes I think we think too much about ourselves…so much so that we can’t love others because we are constantly judging ourselves, considering ourselves as more important than anyone else, our problems, our lives. Some people lay down their lives to love…and sometimes love hurts a lot. Rejection hurts. Judgment of our work hurts. But you know what, those people I saw in the video were just too busy loving God to worry about their pride, or their possessions. They were so grateful just to live, to worship, just to be. It rather reminds me of the simplicity of my favorite name for God…”I AM”. Don’t we so very often strain at gnats and swallow the whole camel. Remember what Tim Eliot said,”He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Giving love away is that way, and it is in the giving that you receive as do we all. To know and share, in whatever circumstance you find yourself,the love of God that is the great adventure.