September 24: Not Our (My) Will But Yours
September 17: How Clear is Your Vision?
September 10: The Power of “Thank You”
September 3: A Little More Pooh
August 27: The Wisdom of Pooh
August 20: What Can Separate Us
August 13: Everyone Needs Practice
August 6: Fast, Slow, or Economical
July 31: Give Way
July 9: Scrapes, Dents, and Imperfections

For the week of September 24th, 2018

Not My (Our) Will But Yours

Just to let you know…in sharing the following, I make known my occasional failure to follow my own advice… to “practice what I preach.”

As a church, we have been engaged in what is called a “missional” endeavor…seeking to be about God’s Mission in the world. The phrase, “Christ’s Mission is Our Mission,” has been shared and spoken in many contexts and through a variety of resources. We have begun to understand the importance of joining God in what God is doing rather than asking God to bless what we are doing. Though there are perhaps many variations shared by many different people, the following quote by author Tim Dearborn in Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, A Heart for Mission (p.2):

“God’s church falters from exhaustion because Christians erroneously think that God has given them a mission
to perform in the world. Rather, the God of mission has given his church to the world. It is not the church of God
that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a church in the world…”

clearly reinforces our need to watch and listen for God, as well as join God in what God is already doing.

And yet…we (I) sometimes fall back into our old ways… making a list of what we want … deciding what we can accomplish … and setting out to get it done.

The Table, a midweek coffee house ministry that set out to be a new expression of the church “creating sacred community one cup at a time,” and having decided early on that we wanted to focus any missional needs on the homeless, began to struggle after two years. It was becoming just another gathering of well-meaning Christians who committed to being together, praying for one another, and learning about God. We were asking each other what we wanted from the ministry, but not asking God what God wanted from our ministry. Sound familiar? Well, although those things are important in the life of a church, and may be that to which some groups are called, it didn’t seem to have sustaining power for The Table. We were struggling to find our place…to regain the vitality that we felt when we began. So…when all else fails…pray…right? For the record, we prayed a lot in the first two years, but we forgot the line “not our will but yours.”

About a month ago…standing on the brink of letting go…the leadership refocused on the Mission Prayer and on the sense of call they had discerned only two short years before. Inviting the group to join in the discernment, The Table began laying everything on the line and started being very intentional about the questions they were asking God … “what are you doing?” “Where are you doing it?” “How can we be a part?” I can honestly say that they don’t know all of the answers yet, but they do know that a group that had fallen into a routine has found new passion and energy. An idea for a “little free pantry” discussed as an option a year ago, has been built and food to fill it is being gathered (some by the donations of persons who have heard about what we’re doing) … members of the business community surrounding the Highland church have already begun responding with “gifts” to be auctioned at a fundraiser … other businesses have committed monthly gifts … persons previously uninterested in The Table have started to get involved…and a new God-inspired vision for what The Table can become has begun to emerge.

It’s still a little early to say that a thriving ministry has been born…there is much work to be done. It is NOT, however, too early to say that there is no limit to what can happen when we remember that what we can accomplish by serving our own will pales in light of what can happen when we first seek God’s mission and will.

What is God doing in your neighborhood or community that you can be a part of? Be encouraged in knowing there is always something!

Please pray for The Table, and know that The Table will be praying for you.

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of September 17th, 2018

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How Clear is Your Vision?

It wasn’t until after cataract surgery on my left eye last week that I realized just how clouded my vision had become. The decline had been relatively slow and steady. I had worn glasses before, and even got to bifocals at one point, but had then my eyes got better for a while and I went without. I just figured that it was time to get glasses again, but the reality was that there was something getting in the way of my good vision. The difference made by removing the cataract was immediate and amazing. I already can’t wait to get the right eye done so that I can see even clearer.

Needless to say, with this new “clearer” vision, I was captured by this excerpt from “Learning to See” by Jake Owensby found on ministrymatters.com:

With language, we make sense of our experiences. We share our lives with each other by telling stories. We express our hopes, pledge our love, reveal the tender places deep within. We provide instructions, explain the workings of the cosmos and connect with our dogs in baby talk.

With language we can stretch out to each other soul to soul.

Learning to speak takes time.

Learning to see also takes time.

The analogy between speaking and seeing may seem unlikely. Barring injury or a congenital condition, our eyes will see what’s in front of us as soon as an adequate amount of light strikes them. At least, it seems that way.

But I have to admit that I have more than once failed to see what is right in front of me.

We’ve all failed to notice a friend’s new hair cut or a small change in the landscape along the familiar ride home. But I have something more than inattentiveness in mind. When someone else brings things like a new pair of glasses to our attention, we realize that we’ve simply missed what we could have easily seen had we been less distracted.

I mean that there are depths to this world that we might live our entire lives without ever once seeing with clarity. Our eyes can remain on the surface of things, even though we have the nagging sense that there is more than presently meets the eye.

The persistent sense that there is more to see is a holy invitation to seeing in a new and richer way. We can learn to look deeper, more closely, more reverently. We can learn to see with the heart.

The prophet Jeremiah records God as saying something like that to the people of Judah. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33b)

Jesus summarized God’s law like this: Love God totally. Hold nothing back. And love your neighbors the same way. Seek their best interest as your very own best interest.

This is not a rule that I can simply follow whether I like it or not. I can imagine feeling so enraged at someone who harmed my children that I might want to kill him. And I hope that my sense of right and wrong would prevent me from doing it.

But what Jesus says suggests that God seeks to write the law of love in our hearts. By heart, Jeremiah and Jesus meant something more than the seat of our emotions. “Heart” for them signified the very core of our being. Our essence. The perspective from which we will see the world, ourselves, other people, and God.

God is transforming us so that we can see the world and our neighbor through the lens of love. That is the only lens through which we can see how things really are.

Theologians like Karl Rahner teach us that the entire creation is God’s act of self-communication. God speaks to us and gives God’s self to us through every photon and blue whale, through every starry night and cicada, through every wobbly toddler and homeless veteran.

When we love our neighbors, we find God in the depths of them. Our neighbors are dogs and cats and mockingbirds and humans. Especially humans, those fragile images of God.

Rahner put it like this: “Only in love can I find you, my God…. since by your love you are the inmost center of my heart, closer to me than I am to myself.” (Egan, An Anthology of Christian Mysticism, 626).

How clear is your vision when it comes to “seeing” (a.k.a. loving) your neighbors?

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of September 10th, 2018

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The Power of “Thank You”

Why do people do good things for others? Why do people treat others with kindness? Of course, for some, the answer for some is because they hope someone will notice and give them the accolades or “attaboys” that they deserve. Those people are likely to become either angry at or disappointed with another person for their not having expressed appropriate gratitude. They may become resigned to a more disconnected or apathetic approach to community living. I mean… why bother if no one is going to notice…right?

There’s a commercial on TV these days that shows a mom helping her family (husband and children) get out the door for the day. Serving breakfast…packing lunches…and generally making sure that everyone has what they need. In the commercial, the family members head out for their day without a single word of thanks to “mom.” When the family has gone out the door, the mom says…to herself… “Bye mom…thanks for breakfast mom…you look fantastic today honey.” The implication is that it would be nice if someone recognized her for all that she does. Even a simply “thank you” would suffice!

Then, the mom opens that cabinet to put away the product being advertised, and is surprised by a hand written note that says, “you are the best mom ever!,” and she appears to be pleased. It’s going to be a good day after all.

Luckily, I think that a majority of people do nice things or respond in kindness just because that’s who they are. It has nothing to do with what they expect in return. It’s probably true even for the mom in the commercial. But…you can’t deny that it feels good…every once in a while…to know that what you do and how you do it matters to someone. I know it does for me!!

About a month ago, my wife brought home a book from a conference she had attended. The book, The Richest Man in Town, by V.J. Smith, is a delightful quick read that tells the story of one man’s encounter and subsequent friendship with a cashier from Walmart who knew the power of “thank you” and a handshake. I was inspired by the book to think more about the power of these words and where I might do the most good by using them in my own encounters. It didn’t take me long to figure it out.

You see…one of my “hot buttons” is customer service. My first jobs (in the hospitality industry) taught me to always provide good customer service…to go the extra mile to make the customer happy. I absolutely can’t stand when a “customer service” representative reads from a set of pat answers from a pre-written script…or when a cashier acts as if I am a nuisance for having had the audacity to make them work… or when someone, with little to no thought, says in answer to my inquiry, “I’m sorry, there’ nothing I can do!” There’s always something that can be done…

So…I’ve been on a bit of a journey over the last couple of weeks, and I’d like to invite you join me on that journey… a journey where the “power of thank you” and the Mission prayer invite us into places of encounter that can be life altering for us and for those with whom we share.

If for some reason, you haven’t heard of the Mission Prayer, here it is:

God, where will your Spirit lead today?
Help me to be fully awake and ready to respond.
Grant me the courage to risk something new
And become a blessing of your love and peace.
Amen.

My living of out of the “fully awake” portion of the mission prayer over the last few weeks has been focused on paying particular attention to persons in service positions (cashiers, servers, sales associates, garbage collectors, grocery baggers, etc.) who make an extra effort to be friendly, cheerful, helpful, or especially pleasant (not just offering the obligatory half smile). Then comes the response…When I have found those persons, I have gone out of my way to not only say “thank you,” but to thank them for the specific action or behavior that made my day just a little more enjoyable. I thank them and encourage them to continue treating everyone as well as they have treated me. On one occasion, I went as far as going to get a Starbucks coffee (it was BOGO Happy Hour) and bringing it back to the employee that had offered exceptional customer service. You would have thought I brought her a brand new car! I have no doubt that a simple acknowledgement of a positive behavior has twice the power of condemning a negative one.

To top it all off… by spending my time looking for the good rather than the bad, my outlook on life is better…my stress level is lower…and I’m seeing a lot more smiles these days.

I encourage you to “risk something new” by finding people doing something good, and thanking them for doing it…even if it was for someone else! They’ll feel good, and you’ll feel better… and all will be blessed…I promise!

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of September 3rd, 2018

A Little More Pooh

That’s right…in case you haven’t had enough in your life this week…here’s a little more Pooh!!

It’s been just over a month since the movie Christopher Robin was released in the US. Prior to seeing the movie, I had heard little about it other than my family’s interest in seeing it. Since seeing the movie and writing about one of my key “take-aways,” I have continued to run across others who found teachable moments in the movie.

In her August 1st post, “Return to a Classic,” found on ministrymatters.com Andrea Murdock shares:

Christopher Robin is a grown man with the responsibilities of a stressful job for a demanding boss, as well as having a wife and daughter with whom he spends too little time. As the movie begins, Christopher Robin must back out of a family trip to meet work obligations and is feeling emotionally lost. In this same moment, Winnie the Pooh also arrives in London and is physically lost. The two old friends must work together to get Pooh back home and in the company of his friends. Along the way, Christopher Robin is reminded of the happiness he felt when personal relationships were his priority and play was an everyday way of life.

Becoming an adult involves two processes: aging and maturing. One need not be older to be mature, nor is a person necessarily mature because he or she is older. However, the majority of our society does expect maturity to reflect the ability to accept and to meet responsibilities. These societal expectations have resulted in the coining of a new word, a verb: adulting. Oxford Dictionary defines it this way: “The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.” And, while becoming a contributing member of society is a reasonable goal, too often we end up like Christopher Robin, forgetting to seek joy and play as regular parts of our lives.

Can you remember a time in your life, before adulthood, when “relationships were [a] priority and play was an everyday way of life”? Are you one of those adults who has “matured” to the point that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to dream and to play and spend time wandering around the “Hundred Acre Woods” with those who bring out the best in you?

As Christians, I think we often compound the effects of that “maturity” process by allowing our pursuit of righteousness to inhibit our creativity…our color-blindness…our innocent, accepting view of others…our ability to find joy in the little things…our knowledge and acceptance of the fact that coloring outside the lines can sometimes create the most beautiful masterpieces (if they aren’t masterpieces, why do so many of them get hung on refrigerators and office walls?)

Andrea Murdock’s post ends with this…

Consider the adults who are part of your life. Do they play or do they relax? Play is an active involvement in the world around you that brings pleasure. Play helps us as humans to remain pure in heart and filled with the energy required to view and love everyone as a child of God.

Do you have that kind of energy?

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of August 27th, 2018

The Wisdom of Pooh

A couple of weeks ago, I gave in to the temptation to go to the theater and see a movie. My family wanted to see Christopher Robin, and since I mostly go for the popcorn anyway, I thought… “why not?” IT’s been a long time since my children were young enough to enjoy Winnie the Pooh, and if it’s been a long time for them…

Well…let’s just say I had forgotten how much wisdom could come from a silly little bear!

Of course, theaters discourage the use of cell phones…even for the purpose of taking notes. Since my ability for recall is not what it used to be, I will have to see the movie again or go back and read the books to catch all of the wisdom available from Pooh, but there is one quote that really caught my attention…so I made a note…on my phone.

Here’s the quote:

“I always get to where I’m going by stepping away from where I’ve been…that’s how I do it!”

                                                                                                – W. T. Pooh

Twenty-five years ago, with the full support of my family, I made the decision to leave the restaurant business and enter full-time ministry. That was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. The change of careers required numerous other changes… moving away from the place that had always been home, giving up a “sure thing” for “uncharted waters,” taking my family to a place where we had no extended family, living primarily on one (lower) salary. I had fully bought into the “I’ll go where you want me to go” sentiment in relation to God without knowing the ultimate destination.

I made that decision with great trepidation, but I can honestly say that I have no regrets. And I’ve learned the truth behind Pooh’s quote, even though I just heard it for the first time. If I had not stepped away from where I had been, I would never have been able to get to where God was calling me…the place to where I am trying to go.

So why is that I still second guess myself…wondering if the thing I’ve chosen to do is the right thing…wondering if I even have what it takes to do “it”… wondering if the change (from this place to that) will have been worth it… wondering if it’s really God’s voice I hear calling me forward, or if my own will is drowning out God’s voice?

Perhaps because I’m human. And not only that, I am a human who so deeply wants to “get it right.” Here’s the thing…God is always calling me (us) to another (deeper) place, and we won’t get there unless we’re willing to step away from where we’ve been. We may not always “get it right,” but that’s where grace comes in.

Where have you “been?” And, where are you going? Are you stuck where you are (physically, spiritually…emotionally)? Have you convinced yourself that you’re satisfied where you are? In the “place” where you have found yourself, have you experienced darkness, doubt, denial, exhaustion or joy, forgiveness, confidence, and energy? Are you dependent on self-sufficiency to get you through the day or are you allowing God a place in your life? Do you keep to yourself when possible, or do you seek to build grace-filled relationships with others? When was the last time you tried something new…or allowed yourself to be spontaneous?

Be courageous enough to step away from where you’ve been…if even just long enough to see life from a different perspective. If a “tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff” can do it…so can you!!

Have faith that God will step away with you and lead you to new and great places!

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of August 20th, 2018

What Can Separate Us?

“There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide
people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against
another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they
divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.”

                                                                                                – Doctrine and Covenants 163: 3c

Can you imagine being separated from your child or someone else you love for over 70 years…not knowing whether they were dead or alive? There are those in our world who have found themselves in that position by no choice of their own, yet every day for one reason or another … people who do have a choice between connection and separation choose the latter… and often for reasons that blow my mind.

Politics, geography, ethnicity, race, age, economics, lifestyles, personal choices, habits, addictions, doctrines, beliefs… I imagine that if a diverse enough group of people were to get together and brainstorm a list of the “subtle, yet powerful influences…that seek to divide us,” there would not be enough room on a page to hold them all.

A couple of days ago, while taking a few minutes to watch the morning news, I was captivated by a story that reminded me just how precious and sometimes fragile our connections to others can be. I watched (with chills and, yes, some tears of joy) as brothers and sisters, parents and children, and long-lost cousins were reunited for the first time since having been separated by a geographic and political boundary (a line in the sand) as a result of the Korean War. Seventy years of separation…and not by choice.

I couldn’t help but think about stories I have heard and witnessed about families and close friends who have allowed subtle influences to divide them. For some, it’s been so long since the cause of separation took place that they don’t even remember why they split. For others, the choice was clear (or so they thought)…even to the point of denying the existence of the other.

There are many things in this world that I don’t believe…but I believe it when the Apostle Paul says in the 8th chapter of Romans…

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”

                                                                                                – Romans 8:38-39

We may not be able to be separated from the love of God, but, as the story of the families torn apart by the Korean War shows, there are obviously powers that can separate us from one another…some that may be out of our control. That said, there is no relationship…no, not one… that is worth sacrificing for the sake of an issue or disagreement. Life is too short, and the mission to which we are called is too important.

If you are one who has been cast out or disowned, my heart goes out to you, and I pray that you will find a way back. Though there is no justification or excuse for someone to treat another child of God in that way, there is always hope for restoration.

If you are one who has done the casting out or disowning of another…even if for what you believe to be the most “righteous” of reasons, I pray that you will seek God’s strength and wisdom to open a door for reconciliation and healing.

Of such is the Kingdom of God!

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of August 13th, 2018

Everyone Needs Practice

Summer is wrapping up, and the time for another school year has come. Students, faculty, and staff all over are preparing for another “new beginning” some with dread and some with great anticipation. For those of us who have past the days of back to school rituals, I find that there are still some things that apply for all of us. As you will see in the piece below adapted from an article by Sandy Miller in the September/October issue of Devozine, a youth devotional magazine, the same is true for things in the spiritual world. Although the article was originally written for helping adults equip children and youth with helpful practices as they head back to school for another year, I found that the simple reminders are helpful to me in my everyday life as well. So…I share them with you. Of course, what you do with them is up to you, but my hope is that they will spark something in all of us as we seek to be better disciples and Kingdom builders…

Spiritual Practices for Going Back to School

Prayer. Pray throughout the day. Talk with God as you do with friends. Don’t just go through the motions; be honest with God. Pray that you might become an answer to your prayers.

Have a great week!

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of August 6th, 2018

Fast, Slow, or Economical

More often than not, there is more than one way to get from your point of origin to your destination. If you depend on a GPS device to help you find the way, you can usually adjust your settings in advance so that it will pick the fastest route, or the most direct route, or the route without tolls. The car our family rented while in Scotland had a built in GPS, and for every destination we entered, we were always given three route choices… fast, slow, and economical. Although we didn’t try every route, I’m guessing some routes would have fit multiple categories while yet other routes were not even given as an option.

Though we had the car for days, our primary purpose for renting the car was for an excursion into the Highlands where we would board the infamous Jacobite steam engine train from Fort William to Mallaig. As best we could tell, there was only one reasonable path from Glasgow to Fort William. Although the train ride was amazing…seeing many sites and crossing the 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter movies (if you’ve seen the movies, you will know what I’m talking about…if not, it’s worth making a trip to Google if not Scotland itself!), the car ride to the train was equally full of adventure.

The chosen road was a very long and winding road. There were spots where a steep cliff was on one side of the road while a loch (lake) meandered along the road on the other side. Although there were occasional small “pull-off” spots, shoulders were not common, nor were straightaways. There were also many “blind” curves in the road where you didn’t know what was coming until you were in the midst of the turn, and too often (for my comfort at least) the oncoming traffic was traveling too fast and too close to the center line.

In the moment, I was too focused on driving to make any analogies, but in the time since, I have thought about how this trip was much like our spiritual journeys.

We may go “miles and miles” without a straightaway. Few people enter a relationship with God and proceed on a journey that is free of turns and twists. There are often circumstances in our lives that surprise us … causing us to need a “minute” to regroup, settle our nerves, or catch our breath. There may be a few “roundabouts” where we get stuck circling for a while, or maybe take the wrong “exit” and find ourselves heading off in a wrong direction and needing to turn around and “recalculate” our path.

On our trip to Fort William, we encountered a serious accident that blocked the road and delayed our trip by almost four hours. We spent over half of that time simply sitting idle on the road with the car off. The used the remainder of the time to turn around and go back to a visitor’s center we had passed a few kilometers back where we had lunch, took some pictures and learned a little about the area we were visiting.

Ultimately, It didn’t matter which of the three offered routes (fast, slow, or economical) we chose, We still had to navigate roundabouts, hold our breath through narrow passages, and be extra cautious when rounding curves. But, along the way we experienced the beauty of the journey, we took advantage of some of the “pull-offs,” and, at the end of the day, we had accomplished all that we had planned.

Journey with God. Take the fast route, slow route, or economical route (I recommend the slow route). If you can avoid toll roads…great. You will most likely encounter narrow bridges, dangerous curves, and maybe even a few falling rocks, but if you will be patient, and if you will stay the path, God will help you to accomplish all that he has planned for you.

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of July 31st, 2018

Give Way

There is something to be said for muscle memory…that which allows us to repeat learned (and practiced skills) easier with time. Things like riding a bike, playing a musical instrument, typing (or keyboarding…depending on your generational connection), knitting, driving a manual transmission car, and similar repetitive actions become second nature. They can be completed with minimal conscious thought in the moment. We depend on this phenomenon more than we think. Though there has been no studies done (at least not that I can find), I wonder if this phenomenon doesn’t play some role in our resistance to change.

Let’s face it, once we are used to doing something a particular way, we can easily convince ourselves that our way is THE way…perhaps the only way that that “something” was intended to be done. We might even convince ourselves that it has always been that way…and for good reason. We rarely stop to ask…is there another way?… what are the pros and cons of another way? … might we benefit from doing “it” another way?

Why waste the time, right? I mean, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

So why is it that when we encounter someone else doing something differently, or asking us to do something differently, our first thought is that “they” are the ones that need to learn a new way?

Last week, while in Scotland spending some much needed time with family away from the chaos of daily life, I found myself justifying the “American way” and questioning the Scottish (and many other European countries’) way. Why drive on the left side of the road? Why have the driver on the right side of the car? Why isn’t there more ice? Why do restaurants and grocery stores close so early? Why do so many people walk every where they go? Why…why…why? It would be so much easier if they could just do things the way we were used to doing them. It would require the development of far fewer new “muscle memories.” (At least we didn’t have to learn a new language…LOL!) Perhaps it’s human nature to be so reliant on our own muscle memories that it’s OK to ask others to change…when they are visiting us AND when we are visiting them.

Here’s the thing…when all was said and done, my family and I were better for having made a few adjustments to another way. We walked more, talked to each other more, enjoyed longer meal times together but ate less, drank more water, lived in the moment, and even found that driving on the left side of the road was quite intuitive (it actually makes good sense to drive in a clockwise fashion).

We noticed in Scotland that instead of “Yield” signs, they have signs that say, “Give Way.”

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not ready to change all my ways. I like extra ice in my tea. I like the flexibility of having a late dinner once in a while. I’m really glad I have a car at my disposal and don’t have to walk everywhere I go. But… I do think there is something to learn (or at least to appreciate about others) when we are willing to “Give Way.”

What is the thing(s) on which you need to “give way”? What could you benefit from by learning a new set of “muscle memories?”

Blessings,
Blake
 
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For the week of July 9th, 2018

Scrapes, Dents, and Imperfections

So my day started out like most week days… early alarm… put on the coffee… drink a cup of coffee… get the animals up and moving… eat breakfast … get ready … and head to work. What was different about today is that I would be picking up a new car. I had been anxiously awaiting the car’s arrival for nearly five months. I was a little excited. If you’ve ever ridden with me in my car, you know that my car is very “lived in.” Fortunately (or unfortunately) a Prius will haul a lot of stuff … and so it does! The point is that even though I take good care of the car’s mechanical systems, the interior and exterior tend to get a few scuffs and dings during their lifetime.

I was determined that I was going to be very careful with this new car. After leaving the dealership, I had several stops to make. At each one of the stops, I parked at the far end of the parking lot so as not to tempt any other car owners to use my car as “door stops.” Each time I returned to the car, I was pleased to see that the car was still in perfect condition. I was heading to my last stop when things changed… I was rear-ended in rush hour traffic by someone following a little too close. So much for a car in perfect condition.

After getting the other driver’s information, watching him drive away before the police arrived (he was in the process of taking his wife to the hospital for a necessary treatment), waiting nearly an hour for the police to come, and then reporting to the necessary authorities (including the those at World Church), I proceeded to a previously planned family dinner.

As I drove, and then as I sat and listened to the conversations and laughter of those I love … honoring the memory of my father-in-law who would have been 81 today … I thought … “it’s just a car.” I am alive and well. I have not been put in jail, or separated from family. I have been hungry, but never starving…broke, but never poor. I have a comfortable place to call home. I have friends and family who love me. I have more possessions than many in this world could ever dream of having, and way more than I will ever need. I am blessed.

Christian artist Francesca Battistelli, in her song “Free to Be Me,” captured a struggle that many of us face when she says, “got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans, try to fit the pieces together, but perfection is my enemy.”

My car is imperfect, but so am I. My car has a couple of “dents in the fender,” but again, so do I, and so do the people with whom God has called me share His love. Am I disappointed that my car didn’t make it through a whole day without a scrape? Definitely! Is God disappointed that I rarely make it through a day without a scrape? Maybe. But this I know…I still love my new car, and God still loves me and you! No scrape or dent or imperfection will ever change that!

Keep looking for the blessings,

Blake
 
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