Jesus,Feel Free to Interrupt!

I was upstairs preparing for Youth Group. I had to set up the projector and computer for the message and worship for the evening. Its always the same....

1. Hook up the computer.
2. Hook up the projector.
3. Make sure the words are right.
4. Turn on the projector and adjust the picture.

This day, when I turned on the projector to adjust the picture, I realized that Jesus was in the way. You might be thinking.... Kel what in the world are you talking about? You see the wall we use for the words and power point is empty and bare. There is nothing on it and so the words are easy to read and the picture clear. But, this time, in the middle of the wall was a picture of Jesus. You have all the seen the one I am talking about. Its the profile shot. Long hair, white robe... That picture was right overtop the words and images for worship. I immediately looked to my friend and said "Hey can you put Jesus in the closet?" We chuckled for a second and then realized what an awesome opportunity and amazing illustration we had right there in front of us....

How often do we think of Jesus as an interruption. Now before you shout NEVER and before you close this site and walk away offended.... stop and think. How often does something happen in our lives where we are annoyed or impatient or think, this is in inconvenience. "It would be so much easier if"....(you fill in the rest). I know that I have. I know that I do often! I don't like interruptions in my life. I want to know the who, what, WHEN, where and WHY! I like to have an idea and a plan. I get grumpy when the plan falls thru and something that seems like an interruption gets in the way.

Jesus interrupts our lives for a reason... a purpose. His interruptions are for our benefit even if they do cause pain or a detour in "our plan." Rest assured that if He is interrupting, it is out of LOVE. You see He is more interested in our character then He is in our comfort. Instead of putting Him in the closet, lets worship and live with Him in the middle of our words and images. Lets learn to treasure those interruptions and look for His will and the lesson that He is teaching. It might not be easy.... It might require some effort and some adjustment on our part but its worth every perceived setback and every imagined annoyance.

He loves you... think about that. He loves you! Cling to that love and learn to welcome His interruptions.

Ice Cream!

I was tired...
I had only slept minutes the night before.
Tired and exhausted I went to church.
I thought about sleeping but I missed my church family and so I went.

I walked in the door to the fellowship hall and was greeted by the best hugger ever!
My little friend with her
Glittery jeans,
Soft blond hair and beautiful blue eyes.
to get a hug from her was just awesome.
Her smile lit up the room as she proudly pulled out her bible from her purse.
"i have my Bible with me" she told me proudly.

Just as I was getting up....
Another hug. An amazing hug full of love and life.
This time from a retired sheriff
Every week he looks for me... every week we hug.
His glasses sit crooked on his nose
His plaid shirt proudly displays a small stain from his recent spaghetti dinner
His eyes twinkle as we stop to talk

After my contemporary worship practice,
I was looking forward to a nap.
A nap with warm blankets... a little pillow...quiet and restful.
Instead...

a little boy climbs into my lap and smiles.
A smile that lights up the room.
He is proudly wearing a pin from his dad.
He tells me of a new skateboard he just got and all the tricks he can do.
His face is full of joy
He asks me.... are you coming with us to get ice cream?

Nap... Ice Cream
Nap...Ice Cream
I was full...
I didn't want ice cream,
I desperately wanted a nap

As I climbed into the minivan with the kids I looked around
Books
Hamburger wrappers
Toys
Play makeup
Soccer Ball
The "real" stuff of life and family was all around me.

I want chocolate...
I want chocolate too...
I want Mint Chocolate Chip....
Yum! - Ice Cream !
Oh.... pick a high top table one of them yells.
As we sat around that table we shared stories...
Stories of soccer games
Stories of an upcoming beach trip with family
Stories of dance lessons and
Halloween Costumes

All the cares of this world drifted away.
All the worries and stress of my day....GONE.
Instantly, I was filled with thoughts of joy.
Sticky fingers and
Chocolate Icecream mustaches smiling at me!
Hugs and kisses from a little boy and a little girl.
One of them softly whispers in my ear....
"I love you Zo"

Time to go... I hear my friend say.
We are greeted by a brown spotted dog as we leave.
I bend over to pet the dog and get a big wet lick.
Buckle up!
Lets sing.... Yea, Lets sing.
Turn on the radio
I like this song...
I know the words to this one...

Suddenly... the dial stops.

Country music?!?
One of my favorites...

Windows roll down
Volume goes up

In a matter of seconds, we are singing
Singing without a care in the world.
I close my eyes and stick my hand out the window
I smile as I hear the sweet angelic voices from the back
out of tune...
giggling in between words
singing the wrong words...
but what a BEAUTIFUL song!

i laugh and share a smile with my friend....
I whisper... "Thank you" as I look up and shut my eyes

My cup runneth over....
My heart is full....
I am filled with joy
My soul is at peace.

I mentally make a note of this moment
Its one that I will pull out often
Its one that makes me smile even now....
Its one of the presents God gave me yesterday....
Its a blessing straight from Him!

Perfect love...Fear or Faith

"But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment"

- 1 John 4:16-18

I was studying this verse the other day and the phrase "perfect love" stood out to me.... Perfect Love? Who was He kidding? I can't do that! I'm not perfect! I began to think about all the times that I should have or could have done something different... I began to focus on my failures in my relationships with other people. No one I know is perfect.

But God nudged me to read it again, this time with a different perspective. I quickly realized that I had missed the meaning! This verse was not about me or what I could accomplish. This verse was talking about Christ's love. It is HIS perfect love that eliminates fear!

Even on my best day I fall far short of perfect but I know that perfect love has come....in Jesus! We can eliminate fear. We can defeat fear if we just receive His fift. The only way to experience the perfect love that casts out fear is to rely on what God tells us He's already given. We are "made perfect in love" by resting in Christ.

God knows that we are going to struggle with fear. He knows that we are at war with this world and that this world constantly draws us from Him in fear. There are thousands of reasons we fear... Money? Acceptance? Lonliness? Relationships? Health?

Think about it....

How much stronger/bettwe would we be if we replaced fear with faith! The same situations that inspure fear are very often the same contidions that inspure faith. We have the choice....fear or faith? Our difficulties, concerns and questions don't seperate us from God... fear seperates us from God.

Our fear is really unbelief.

We think...God Can't or God won't so I must.

But faith....faith choses to believe that God can... God loves us, God wants too.

Our response should be to trust Him!

Fear and Faith both exist within us. We can not eliminate fear. As long as we are a part of this world we will have situations we fear. The question is which one (fear or faith) will have control of our lives. Only one can rule our heart. The more we open our heart and the more we turn to Him and rely on Him, the less control fear has. Its power weakens.

Only faith offers us the gift of quietness and rest.

the WOW of Jesus

My little brother, Bryan, played baseball growing up. He practiced for hours hitting, running bases, drills, pithching... He loved the game. His hero was Cal Ripken. Bryan spent hours/days working on his technique. He was a really good pitcher. He didn't have much speed but had excellent placement of the ball and could put it wherever my dad told him too. My dad spent time working with Bryan and teaching him new things and challenging Him to improve. It was something that the two of them shared. Dad was the coach, Bryan was the pitcher. A typical week may look like this: Batting cages on Tuesdays, Team practices on Monday and Wednesday, pitching practice Friday and games on Saturdays.... It was grueling!

It was constant pressure for Bryan. Dad was constantly talking baseball and constantly asking Bryan questions and telling Bryan he needed to improve The intentsity of the HOW made Bryan forget the WOW! of the game. He eventually stopped playing because all the practices and pressures frustrated him. Bryan got so buried in the technique of playing baseball that he lost the joy and pleasure and pure fun of playing.

This makes me think of Christians.... I am not suggesting that we don't study, don't pray, don't serve... I am suggesting that instead we often times lose sight of the WOW! of Christ. Our focus on the HOW may even be well-intended but still we sometimes lose sight of the WOW! The How mutes the WOW!

• WOW! God Loves me...
• WOW! God sent His Son Jesus to die for me....
• WOW! The spirit of God is present within me...
• WOW! The same God who placed the moon and the starts and the sun into the stky he also created me! I am God's workmanship! (Ephesians 2:10) WOW! - His Masterpiece

So what do we do......

• We must stay deliberate on focusing on the WOW! Don't ever forget His love for you and the sacrifice that Jesus paid for you... Celebrate that gift and never take it for granted!
• Remember that God is interested in YOU. You will find the greatest joy in being in a relationship with Him. The relationships we have with Him and others are far more important then success, fame or wealth. God is truly interested in the life of each person he placed on the planet.
• Staying focused on the WOW! does not sggest that the How is unimportant or that the WOW! can compromise Biblical Truth. Find time to study and grow personally in your relationship with the Lord.
• The WOW! guides the How....When we focus on loving God it will lead to us loving others Matthew 22:37-40