I have always been the parent of our family who has taken the boys to school.  Before moving to Conway, Leah was a teacher in Texas and had to be at school before the boys.  Fortunately, most of the time their school was at the church where I worked, so I took them to school.  I have kept the trend here in Conway, simply because I enjoy the ride to school.  However, from the time we wake up to the time we get in the car, everything seems to be a mad dash.  

It's almost straight from a cartoon or sitcom.  Bowls and cereal are thrown on the table from the kitchen, clothes are flying around and something ends landing on their bodies.  Toothbrushes, toothpaste is all a mess.  Their hair may or may not get done (but that's our little secret).  Lunches are in the backpacks, backpacks on their backs, and we are heading out to the car.  I just got stressed out all over again, just typing that!  

The car time is different.  We can only drive so fast (there are speed limits and we go through several school zones just to get to our school).  So it seems that time during the car ride slows and this is where there is much magic and awesome conversation.  I know I won't always get this kind of conversation, so I'm taking advantage of it.  But that's for a different post.

That mad dash gets me every day.  I don't look forward to how frantic we get.  Even on the days that we make slower yet successful progress, it is probably because I forgot to take out the trash or something like that.  Being on time is a pet peeve of mine and I grew up knowing that on time means 15 minutes early.  I'm never that early anymore, but I try my hardest to be on time.  That means that sometimes the process to get somewhere on time is frantic and crazy.

I see in many people and in many churches that we tend to have this mad dash sense of spirituality.  That we must run around frantic to get everything done.  Yes, there are things that need attention every Sunday.  Yes, there are times when we need to hurry to an Emergency Room, hospital, or someone's house.  But if we are going to be disciples of Jesus (people who follow Jesus), then we might want to reflect on our pace.  Jesus never seemed to live life in a mad dash.  He was not bound by time, quite like we are.  He was urgent about glorifying God.  But he was evenly paced when it came to healing others, miracles, exorcisms, and raising people from the dead (remember Lazarus).

I think it is important to take notice of our pace in life.  Sometimes we need to slow down from the mad dash life that exists in our culture to really soak in Jesus and see what God is doing around us.  We might even need to do this at church, during our worship services.  Other times we might need to find more urgency.  When it is time to show God's glory to those around us, it is time to be urgent in that mission.

What is your pace in life?

What is your mad dash story?

How can we find a better pace for the Kingdom?

Please indulge me a little and allow me to speak somewhat hypocritically.  I have been really brought down in the past few weeks.  Mostly it has been due to twitter and Facebook.  A recurring conversation in my mind and with my wife has been, "I really want to delete my Facebook and twitter."  We both agree that this could be a real blessing.  However, (and yes, this is an excuse) many of the people of my church and the friends that we have left in Texas are on Facebook and it provides a way of connecting and engaging with people, the church, and culture.  However, it is a double-edged sword.  I've been wanting to deactivate my Facebook account for two years.  I'm still on the fence about it.  Anyway as I find my way back to my point, I have been really brought down by social media the past few weeks.  The Chick-fil-a issue has been one of those things (don't read that statement and assume you know where I land on that issue, and no I'm not telling...yet).  But also there are some of my friends on Facebook who spend their entire time tearing down and being extremely critical of the church.  I will say more about that in the future.  it has just seemed to me that everything I tend to read on these avenues has been negative, vicious, and cynical.  I need a break from that.  And I realize that this entire paragraph is negative.  


And so here I go on the roundabout!

Jesus faced great critics, great sinners, and was forever surrounded by liars, sick, demon-possessed, ignorant, manipulative, and persecuting people.  And yet...he did not give in to the negativity.  He stayed positive for the sake of the Kingdom and His father.  You know we can learn a thing or two from Jesus.  Life is imperfect and predictably broken, dark, and awful at times.  However, we are to be the light in that darkness.  We are to be the healers within that brokenness.  We are to be the awe that is surrounded by the awful.  If Christians are simply the same as the world our message is weak.  If we join the complaints of the world our burden becomes like that of the Israelites in the wilderness and it is a burden that cries out for slavery and bondage when freedom is the promise.  Our burden should be that even while we are on earth where things have taken a alternate route from God's ideal, we live with the Holy Spirit in our heart connecting us to Christians all over the world.  Our burden is a message of hope, reconciliation, and love.  Our burden is not perfection, but redemption.

I am redeemed
I am accepted 
I am loved
I am healed
I am sheltered
I am sustained
I am forgiven
I am a light
I am an extension of grace
I am HIs

AND SO ARE YOU!!!!!

Lay down negativity and live in the Light of God.  It doesn't mean it will all go the way you plan and life will be easy.  It doesn't mean we won't mourn, lament and feel the troubles of the world.  It won't mean we will smile all day as we walk on rainbows and eat nutritious cotton candy.

It will mean we will have a perspective that is other-worldly.  A sightline that looks through the negative to the positive and our hope (read expectation) is in the one who makes all things new and will restore all of creation.

When it seems I'm drowning in life's negativity, yes I can deactivate Facebook or delete my twitter.  Or I can shine my light not so my stance can be heard, but so Jesus can be seen.