Still Alive

I can't believe that it's been several weeks since I last blogged. Somehow I was under this delusion that once I was done with work, things would "calm down." Ha, ha, ha. I'm headed to bed, but I figured I'd blog some quick things that were on my mind.

If I had a tassel to turn, I'd be turning it. I finished all my graduate classwork on Monday and now I'm done! :-) How very happy. I look back on the semester and realize how very true it is that God's strength is so evident in our weakness. There's no way I would have made it through this semester without Him.

I turned in my computer today which means that everything at North Way is also wrapped up. My computer, Atticus, and I have had a rocky relationship over these past few years, but I when I turned him in, it kind of felt like it does when someone is on their deathbed and you forget all those bad times and just dwell on the good ones. I was sad to see him go.

One month from today, I will have finally landed in Hawaii. :-) Crazy madness. I'll blog more on wedding updates later, but it's been really fun watching the countdown clock go under 30 days.

I'm headed to Detroit tomorrow to spend Christmas with my new family. Then we'll return to Pittsburgh a few days later and celebrate with my family as well. It's amazing to reflect on all that God has done over this past year. Beyond all I could ask or imagine seems like an understatement. :-)

Last Day

Today was my last day at North Way. It's funny how one can be so deliriously, sick happy and yet be sad at the same time. I wouldn't have thought it possible. It was very surreal packing up a box of my stuff and going through e-mails and files over the past six years. North Way has been such a special place for me to grow and I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I've had to do life there. It's really crazy for me to think that they hired a 22 year-old college graduate, but I am one grateful girl that they took the risk. I won't allow myself to say, "Good bye," because it sounds too final. "See you later" will work, right?

Vacation Pics

Here are a few pictures from the fun times in Florida. How happy to have Disney World and my whole family together?!? Samantha has a lot more that I didn't get yet, so I'll post more as I get them.

Time with my Grandma Dorothy at her house in Florida. Once we actually found it, we enjoyed a lovely dinner together. :-)

The five "kids" together on a safari ride in the Animal Kingdom. Brad got 10 different groups of people to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ashley throughout the day. She was delighted.

How much happier can you get than Mickey Ice Cream Pops at Disney World??? :-)

Happy Birthday Leewards!

I didn't get to write on the actual birthday of Leewards (November 24), but I guess a 1 year and 2 day celebration is close enough.

It's funny because I never actually intended to start a blog whenever I wrote my first post. It was a part of a school project, a hypothetical webpage that I created for a web design class. I started a blog with the intention of never telling anyone to see if I really liked it and maybe, some time in the distant future, I would actually write in it. Two days later, I was shocked to see that I was a feature blog post of The LaunchPad (Pastor Jeff Leake's blog) and I realized that like it or not, I was going to have to give this blogging thing a shot.

I liked it. I liked it a lot.

And in classic God form, He used that simple little instrument to introduce me to new friends (and new "more than friends") and to capture one of the most unbelievable years of my life thus far.

Last Thanksgiving, I wrote about my deep sadness as all my family left and I felt so alone. It was a really significant moment of me pressing past my feelings and the "reality" of my situation at the time and to choose to believe the Truth of God's promises and the hope He extends through them. This Thanksgiving, my fiance and I joined my family in Florida for an amazing family vacation. Ashley and Nate cooked and Brad's parents even traveled up from St. Pete's Beach to celebrate with us. If someone had told me last Thanksgiving what my next Thanksgiving would look like, I'm pretty sure I would have had the same reaction as Sarah in Genesis and just would have laughed my head off.

I am truly humbled and thankful beyond words for all that God has done, truly more than any one of us could have asked or imagined. My prayer is that God would continue to expand His Kingdom and plans, using my life and story as a testimony of hope of the incredible plans of our Father that He has in store for each one of us.

Little Tease

So, in the spirit of football analogies, I think it an appropriate time to explain my thoughts on the Cleveland Browns.

I don't hate the Browns. I think the Browns are like this little brother of Pittsburgh. The city loves to beat up them, but you kind of feel bad when someone else does. That's why I'm really kind of happy that they've been finding their own success.

That is, until today. Started to get a little nervous. But, again, with the little brother analogy . . . picture this little brother who wants to play with a ball that the big brother is holding just above his head. The little guy is jumping up and giving it everything he has to try and grab it and he thinks he almost has it until . . . the older brother pulls it just out of reach. And snickers with a sinister laugh.

Poor Browns. Great game. I don't hate you. Now the Ravens on the other hand . . .

Sleepytime

I've been reading through the Gospels again over these past few months and the Holy Spirit has so graciously opened my eyes so that I feel like I'm reading it for the first time. Perhaps it's due to my own slightly narcoleptic tendencies, but one of the things that's really stuck out to me this time through are the times that there is mention of sleeping.

The disciples are often sleepy at the times when Jesus asks them to pray. In Luke 9, it says that Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. Shortly thereafter, the Transfiguration occurs and the disciples almost miss it because it says they were "very sleepy" (vs. 32). And then there's the time when Jesus is agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane and tells the disciples to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mark 14:38). I wonder if the disciples had spent more time in prayer during that night if it would have changed their response when the ensuing trial came?

The other stark contrast is to see when we have record of Jesus sleeping. When the disciples were panicked on a boat, doing everything in their power to not drown, Jesus was sleeping peacefully in the bottom of the boat (Mark 4.35-41). The reality of each of the situations was far different than it appeared. When it felt like all was lost, the Truth was that their salvation was as close as speaking a word. A quiet, late night in a garden was truly the greatest crisis they'd ever known.

I guess I'm trying to be more sensitive to listening to my Father's voice, letting me know when I need to fight against the weakness of my flesh and pursue the hunger of my Spirit, and when I need to set aside my anxieties and fears and truly rest in Peace. Almost time for bedtime . . . :-)

How 'Bout dem Lions?!?

So, it's about time that I addressed the phenomenon known as the 2007 Detroit Lions. With a 6-2 record, it's certainly creating a buzz even outside the Motor City. A few things to note . . .

• I feel as if I can safely add the Lions to my cheer list, as they are in an entirely different conference as my beloved Steelers. 95% of the time, I can cheer for both. The remaining 5% of the time, my blood still runs black and gold.
• I would like to take personal credit for this year. I think Kitna knew that if a Steelers fan was willing to add them to their repetoire, he needed to kick it up a notch. :-)
• My dad predicted that the Lions would win 10 games before the season ever began. He has a weird sense of knowing with these things . . .
• Brad was introducing me to Detroit sports radio on Monday. The best analogy that I can use to describe what I heard was that the city was like someone who's just come out of a bad relationship and they're afraid to trust anyone again. The callers refused to acknowledge the possibility of "the P-- word," hesitant to raise any hopes and "jinx" what is happening.

It's okay, dear Lions fans. It's a new year. A new season. Dream high.

Merci Beaucoup!

To all my new friends and family at Church of the King, Brad and I can't thank you enough for all the love and generosity that you extended to us this past Sunday. I was truly overwhelmed (in a good way). :-) I can't wait to start using it in T-minus 70 days (and counting). Here are a few pics of the beautiful event.

(Getting ready to play the infamous . . .)

(Why this didn't catch on, I'll never know.)

When asked "What is your husband/almost husband most likely to lose?" See this post for more information. :-)

The Beginning of the End

Remember that old commercial where it had the guy doing a voice over saying,

"This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?"

And then you'd just hear the sizzling of a fried egg as it put up a "Just Say No" campaign sign?

That's the picture I thought of around 4:15 PM today. It was around 4:15 PM that by the grace of God I turned in my comprehensive exam, with 45 minutes to spare, might I add. My brain is fried. I can hear the sizzle.

I had originally planned to travel to Detroit this past weekend to spend time with Brad, but ended up making the tough call to stay at home to finish my paper. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have finished as I get easily distracted when Brad's around. :-) I'm so grateful that I have such an understanding fiance who is so supportive of my dreams. He's prayed for me and encouraged me through these past few weeks that have been especially intense, and I'm sure I couldn't have done it without him.

Even though I still have the remainder of the semester to complete, and my assignments are far from over, for me, for the first time, it feels like the beginning of the end. The end of this season, that is.

And you know what? That feels good. :-)

Hero Update

Thanks so much for your prayers, everyone! Nate's surgery went really well, as they were able to extract the bone marrow that was needed to complete a transplant for the other patient. Nate was home resting the rest of last week, as he's still in some pain and is his energy is pretty low from the loss of blood. We keep praying for the other patient as well, as we know his road to recovery will be even more arduous.

Nate and Ashley . . . my heroes. :-)

Hero

So maybe it was a bad decision, but I've finally caught up on reading my blogs in between my furious writing of my comprehensive exams this week. I needed a break, despite the fact that time is at a premium now, and I thought it was a perfect time to blog about a genuine, modern day hero, one for whom I would covet your prayers.

As you can see from my picture, this post is focusing on my brother-in-law and sister, Nate and Ashley. There are so many things I admire about the two of them: their amazing gift of hospitality, their love of life, their ability to not take themselves too seriously, their commitment to their church and walk with Christ, and their incredibly generous spirit. It's this generous spirit that I've been especially challenged with recently.

Tomorrow morning Nate is undergoing surgery to donate bone marrow from his spinal cord to a total stranger. He donated blood a few years ago and said that he would be considered to be screened for a bone marrow donor if anyone was ever a match. The blood bank called a few weeks ago informing Nate that he was a match to a man who was very sick, whose only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant. After some prayer and discussion, Ashley and Nate made the decision to go ahead with the surgery, giving this man a chance for life.

Nate is not allowed contact with the man and he will not know how he'll respond to the transplant or any other details. That's why Nate and Ashley are spending so much time intentionally praying for him, asking God to use the whole experience to reach the man wherever he is in his personal relationship with Christ and to draw him closer to Him.

Can you please be praying for Nate's surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and pray for the man who will receive the donation's physical and spiritual health? And I will continue to pray that God would challenge me to grow in my spirit of generosity and selflessness, just like my younger sister and brother. I want to be just like them when I grow up. :-)

Nephew!

First I should give my "I'm sorry for not blogging" message. I've found in seasons of busyness, something that is a priority in my life inevitably gets pushed off my plate for a bit. In the past, that "something" has usually been working out, but with the wedding now 100 days away (but who's counting . . .) I figured I probably shouldn't skimp out on work outs entirely. Therefore, blogging has gotten the short end of the stick. :-(

That being said, I just got back from a few delightful, whirlwind days in Detroit that culminated with the birth of a nephew! What a crazy surprise as Robert William arrived 19 days early! (Which I thought was really gracious of both Betsy (Brad's sister) and Robert to rearrange their schedule to make sure that I could be there when he was born.) :-) And let me just say that Betsy has set an entirely new standard of greatness for me in that I can only hope to be half as calm, gracious, pleasant, and beautiful, before, during, and after just having a baby.

Little Robert (and I do mean little Robert at 5 lbs., 15 oz.) is just precious and it was so incredible to be able to share in the initial moments of celebrating a new life. . . truly miraculous. As we were all standing together drinking in the reality of this baby, I was struck watching the nurses who were also there, bustling about, helping to take care of Betsy and the baby. They were great, very professional, courteous, helpful, and kind, but I realized that they must do this several times a day, 4-5 days a week. For them, this baby was another part of their daily routine. I thought about all the "little" miracles that I experience on a daily basis that I don't even notice any more. Things as simple as a sunset and as profound as watching a six year old pray and praise Jesus in worship. . . things which should be far from routine.

I realize that I'm waxing along the lines of sounding like a trite bumper sticker, but I pray that God would splash cold water on my face as I go through each day, recognizing as C. S. Lewis has said, "That we have never talked to a mere mortal."

Congratulations Rob & Betsy, Grandmas & Grandpas, and Uncle Brad! :-)

One other fun fact . . . My dad reminded me tonight what the Greek word for "Aunt" is. It's "Thea." Yep. That would officially make me Thea Leah. Just when you thought Leah Leach couldn't get any more fun. :-)

Sillyville

When I was little, there was this video of Samantha's that I had to secretly love, as I was probably about 12 and way too old to publicly indulge in such childish entertainment. It was called Wee Sing in Sillyville and is a classic, poorly made children's video that is just oh, so entertaining that you can't help but watch it over and over again.

The last song, however, ironically enough, has been coming back to me quite a bit over these past few weeks. It's a simple little verse that goes:

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver and the other gold.

I guess my mind and heart has been reflecting a lot on the end of one season and the beginning of a new one in my life. Last week at this time, I got to spend a short trip in D.C. with Brad visiting my sister and brother-in-law and spending the day with two of my new friends (2 of Brad's old friends), Tony and Jamie Sebastian and their adorable little boys. How much fun to get to know brand new friends and get excited for the new friendships that God was giving me in this new season of life in which I'm entering.

This week, I just got home from the last "official" time my small group met that's been meeting in some form for the last 12-36 months! We're all in such different phases, and have had trouble meeting through the summer, but getting together tonight was like we never left. What a gift to truly enjoy fellowship at the deepest level, laughing and crying together, truly sharing in each other's burdens and celebrations in so many different seasons of life.

As I was driving home thinking about all these different things, I tried to comprehend even a brief glimpse of how incredibly overwhelming and magnificent Heaven will be. To be in the presence of our Bridegroom with our fellow brothers and sisters in perfect fellowship, truly surrounded by silver and gold . . . just like Sillyville, but probably better. :-)

Birthday . . . Again!

I've enjoyed one of the most delightful birthdays today, relishing e-mails, texts, cards, phone calls and even a few presents from family and friends near and far. I think one of the most special parts of the day was receiving quite a few e-mails from new friends in Michigan, some of which I haven't even met yet! I know it will certainly be an adjustment moving away from my family in a few months and I'll certainly miss them, but what a wonderful gift to already have a new family (both literally and in the church body) that I can love and enjoy. Special thanks to everyone who overwhelmed me with your love! :-)

Birthday!

29 years ago today, God began the most wonderful story that would change my life forever (even though technically my life hadn't begun yet). Brad Leach was born into this world bringing delight to so many of his family and friends. It was not long after that my parents received their little baby girl and began praying for the spouse that she would one day have. It would take some time for the worlds to collide, but coming from the Baby Girl, it was certainly worth the wait.

Happy Birthday, Brad. Thank you for staying faithful to God's call on your life even when it's been uncertain, confusing, and incredibly challenging. Thank you for being like Jesus to me from the moment that I met you. Thank you for the promise of growing closer to our Father and each other in the years to come. Thank you for being such an example to me of perseverance and undying loyalty as evidenced by your passionate dedication to the Lions. :-) I love you and can't wait for the adventure ahead!

New Normal

So these last few weeks have been a blur of activity and a wide range of emotions. Very good and fun, mind you, but certainly intense. I've been processing some various changes that I get to experience over these next few months and I thought it might help to verbalize some of them here. I'll start this post with the not so deep stuff . . .

Lions Football - I was discussing my first experience watching a full Lions football game to Brad and our friend Norflette on Monday and came to the conclusion that I'm not sure I have the emotional fortitude to be a Lions fan. Silly me thought that a 17 point lead at halftime was a pretty safe and secure place to be. Imagine my angst and distress when I watched that lead diminish into nothing in a matter of 5 minutes in the third quarter. It was then Brad informed me the first rule of watching Lions football: no lead is a safe lead. I was delighted to ride out the rest of the emotional roller coaster and end the day with both the Steelers and Lions, 1-0.

New Family - I LOVE this part of new normal. I genuinely have such a love for Brad's family and was trying to put my feelings into words the other day, coming up with the following simile that hopefully at least my female readers will be able to appreciate, knowing that it may go over some of the male readers' heads (i.e. Brad didn't get it.). Brad's family is like a gift with purchase that you get at the makeup counter at Christmas. You go to buy one item that you really did want to get, and then find out you get a whole OTHER gift, too, leaving the store so extraordinarily happy! God has truly blessed me not only with such an amazing family in which to be born, but an equally amazing family in which to be married. How wonderful.

More thoughts on some other transitions later. Any suggestions on how to best adjust to cooking and Lions fanaticism would be greatly welcomed. :-)

And it's off!

How excited am I about football season starting tonight?!? And this weekend will kick off the Steeler's season w/ one of the greatest rivalries in football . . . Steelers vs. Browns! I've really gotta soak up all the Steelers that I can this season, as I've heard that for some crazy reason, the people of Detroit aren't nearly as interested in Steeler games as I am. Bizarre, huh?!?

Still Awake . . .

So I apologize for not staying true to my word and posting the rest of the story the next day. As it turns out, I've taken a very hefty bite of "school" this last semester and it's taking up a lot more of my time than I initially realized. I trust that many of you have been keeping up with the epic tale of love here, written by my handsome Prince.

To complete the pre-engagement story, I mentioned that my interest was piqued after reading Brad's blog, but nothing more serious was going on in my heart until I followed a link on his blog to his church website where there were also links to his Podcasts. I decided to listen to one, choosing a message entitled "Baggage Claim 301: Dreams." Somewhere in between "Welcome to church today . . ." and "Let's close in prayer . . .," God managed to grab my cynical little heart and mind and speak to me directly through this man's insightful and God-inspired preaching.

Brad was talking about the dreams that God can lay on our heart, dreams that many times have to die in the way that we expect them to happen, in the way that we want them to happen, only to be later resurrected in a more perfect way than we could have ever asked or imagined. Listening to the message was a wrestling match of sorts for me. I knew that what he was saying was Truth, was what God was trying to tell me about, but I didn't want to believe it. I was scared to believe it. The truth was that after suffering the pain and hurt of broken dreams I didn't want to dream again. I didn't want to hope again. It was easier and less painful to expect nothing and never be disappointed than it was for me to honestly allow God to do something new in my heart.

And so, after I listened, sat there, prayed, and then listened to the whole message again, I spent some serious time honestly downloading my thoughts and dreams to God, totally unfiltered, total stream of consciousness, total of two hours and a good 8 journal pages. My dream was to one day be married and though I never sat down and wrote out the infamous "list of husband qualities" (saying instead that I didn't care and would take whatever God gave me) I realized that if I was honest, I was carrying around this "backpack" full of expectations and desires for a future husband. I was just in denial that I was doing it.

So, I "dumped out" my backpack, taking a look at all the things I was carrying around, some of which I thought were really big, but in the big picture of things weren't (i.e. A last name that sounded good with mine) and other things that I didn't give enough value that should have been huge (i.e. A family of his that I could genuinely love). I left that journal entry day asking God to put back the things in my backpack that He wanted to be there, and burn up all the others that wouldn't matter. And, nearly 12 months later, I can now say that I'm quite delighted with my new alliterative name, Leah Leach. It makes me giggle.

All that to say, that by the time I actually met Brad in February, God had already done such a work on my heart that meeting him was about as close to love at first sight as I think is humanly possible. I came home that night and took this picture (at top) so I could remember how I felt when I first met Brad.

I never thought that it could happen to me. My analytical mind often has me examining decisions and thoughts from every possible angle. (I thought that if I were Eve, I would've had to pray for several months to see if Adam was the man I was to marry.) :-) But God made the impossible not only possible, but truly a dream come true.

It's truly my prayer that He would breathe life into your dreams, resurrecting them from the ashes or tombs where they may be lying from long ago. Go ahead. It's worth the risk. Dream on.

Am I Dreaming?!?

I've had to ask myself this question several times over the past few days. In the biggest whirlwind of a weekend that has turned out to be the best weekend of my life, I now have the delight of having the best fiance in the whole world. :-)

Yep, I got engaged. Brad Leach asked and I said, "Yes!"

Since Brad is doing extensive feature articles on the actual details and process of the engagement, I thought I'd take a few posts and rewind and recap some of the story of how we got here. It's a good story written by a Good Author. Jane Austen's got nothing on Him. :-)

Almost a year ago I went to a Saturday Night Service at Allison Park Church (the wonderful church where I grew up) and I had the opportunity to talk to Pastor Jeff Leake and Melodie afterwards. Pastor Jeff was telling me about his latest trip to Michigan where he met with a pastor friend of his, a guy who had planted a church 5 years ago, planted another in the meantime and . . . was 27 years old. Jeff called him his hero. :-) I was perplexed at what kind of person this could be and as I was pondering this further, I could see the wheels in Jeff's head turning too. He looked at his wife, Melodie and asked, "Hey?!? Don't you think it would be great for Leah and Brad Leach to meet? They'd be great together . . ."

Before he could extrapolate much further, I had to interrupt him. I didn't even have a chance to tell him I'm not interested in set-ups because I couldn't get past the even bigger "red flag" that was already present.

"Do you REALLY want me to meet someone and risk becoming Leah Leach?!?" I asked incredulously. Clearly this is NOT something that God would ordain.

I was just curious enough to check out his blog that night, however, doing so with at least 10 different reasons why this guy HAS to be a weirdo. My first concern was quickly quieted when I saw his picture . . . he certainly didn't look like a weirdo. In fact, I had to admit that he was pretty cute . . . ok, really cute. And when I actually visited the blog and saw that he was funny and profound and liked football (including pictures of the Steelers at the Super Bowl!). . . well, my interest was piqued.

So this post doesn't last obnoxiously long . . . I'll continue the epic tale tomorrow. :-)

Christmas Eve

Tonight is the night growing up that was second in excitement to me only to Christmas Eve, the night before the first day of school. Of course, I could never officially admit that to anyone else, but I LOVED the excitement of new books, new teachers, yep, even new homework. I'm such a nerd.

Although it's not quite as exciting when I'm having to buy all of my books and when I journey to school via the world wide web, maybe I'll still try and get my old kicks one last time by picking out a fun new outfit for tomorrow and buying a new lunchbox and Trapper Keeper. I loved those Trapper Keepers.

Deep Thoughts . . . Again

Ok, over these past few days I've been pondering some "deep" thoughts once again, thoughts that are best processed on the blogosphere.

I confess that I have been known to watch the Weather Channel from time to time. Strange, perhaps, but during hurricane season even the largest skeptic has to agree that it can be kind of entertaining. My question is, when these psychotic weather reporters are doing a live report in the 130 mile/hr. winds and sideways rain, why do they insist upon wearing a hood? Do they really think that is helping them stay dry? Why don't we just report the weather like a real man in a hurricane, sans hooded raincoat.

Why do we call it a "pair of pants?" There is only one of them and yet it is always used as a plural word and we insist on using the word "pair" with it. We do the same thing with glasses. Why? I suppose you could bring up the point that there are two pant legs involved, but we don't call it a pair of shirt because they have two sleeves. Weird, huh?

Jack Handy's got nuthin' on me.

Sesame Redemption

One of the first posts of my blogging career was written right around Thanksgiving 2006. I was suffering the effects of "post-Thanksgiving withdrawal" and lamenting the sadness that comes with the end of a really great thing, one that I first remember experiencing when I went to see Sesame Street Live as a little girl. If you missed it the first time around and care to see it now, you can catch up here.

On this, the day of Mr. Snuffalupagus's birthday :-), I thought it would be a great time to share how God has continued his lessons to me, showing how He can redeem our hurts and renew our dreams truly far beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

A little over six months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Brad Leach. He was coming in to Pittsburgh for some meetings and asked if I'd like to grab some coffee. That simple night started a beautiful conversation that continued throughout the next week on the phone, e-mail, and IM until we had the chance to see each other once again the following Friday afternoon in Cleveland (it was half-way in between Detroit and Pittsburgh).

I'm pretty sure that my work and school efficiency that week was not at it's highest peak. And by that I mean that I really wasn't thinking about too much else other than when I got to talk to Brad again. :-) The more I got to know this man, the more I found myself wanting to get to know him more. He was funny and goofy, yet also profound and deep. He dreamed HUGE dreams for His Father and was crazy enough to chase after them (how many people do you know that plant a church 3 months after they graduate college?). More than anything, the thing that struck me from the moment that I met him was the way that he talked about Jesus like He was his Best Friend. It was so refreshing and genuine, and it made me want to know Jesus more.

And just when I thought that this guy couldn't get any better, it was only a few days after that first trip to Cleveland that Brad asked if I would like to meet him there again the next Friday. This time, however, he wanted to know if I would join him to see Sesame Street Live. I giggled, smiled, and felt all melty. :-) I was so touched and delighted and impressed with his creativity and effort to truly get to know me. The night was such a special treat and joy beyond what I could have imagined.

Ironically enough, as we were getting ready to leave, we saw a mom and her young son leaving the show, the boy crying inconsolably and his mom trying to figure out what was the matter with him. I found myself wanting to run after him, telling him that everything was going to be okay and that Jesus could redeem his sadness better than anyone ever could. It was a moment for me to pause and remember, to thank God for His goodness and faithfulness, and to then turn and thank the man who had just subjugated himself to a politically correct Cookie Monster for the last 2 hours just to bless me in such a special way.

Six months later, my gratitude to both of them has only grown. Thank you, Brad, for the miles driven, the minutes talked, the coffees, breakfasts, and dinners bought, and most of all for drawing me closer to Jesus. And thank you, Father, for your never ending faithfulness and goodness, far more than I could ever deserve or imagine.

Congrats, Edna!

So I read this most fascinating article on CNN yesterday about Edna Parker, the new world's oldest person. Edna was born in 1893. Yep. That's no typo. She's 114 years old.

I started thinking about all that Edna has experienced in her life and was overwhelmed trying to grasp it all. When she was born, airplanes were not invented. The telephone was a new-fangled gadget and the country was recovering from the not-that-distant Civil War.

If there ever was a century to be alive, certainly this past one has been filled with arguably the most revolutionary changes to culture and society. Could Edna have ever dreamed of cell phones, nevertheless the Internet when she ventured into her happy marriage in 1911? It made me think about what would be a part of our world 114 years from now if Jesus doesn't come back first. I couldn't even begin to fathom. Any thoughts?

Want to know the even crazier part of the story? The new oldest person in the world is apparently friends with the tallest woman in the world. Don't they make a fun couple of friends?

Rear View Vision

"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear."

I remember asking my mom, "What does that mean?" when I was riding in the car with her when I was younger. She tried to explain to me that the car manufacturers were trying to warn the drivers that while the mirrors were there to help them see behind, the reflection was distorted providing not an entirely truthful picture of what was actually there.

Over these past few weeks, I've been giving a lot of thought on looking back in my life. I've been reading through the book of Isaiah and came across the well-known and well-loved verse, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past" (Is. 43:18). I find it to be so interesting because at other points in the Bible (several times in Deuteronomy, for example), God instructs His people to look back and remember what He's done and where they've come. Why the conflicting instructions?

As I've prayed about it more, I realized a specific distinction between "remembering" and "dwelling on the past." Too often when I look back on my life I find that I'll either spend time reminiscing about the past or struggling with regret. It's great to think back on fond memories, but when I start to dwell on them with "rose-colored glasses," remembering the "good old days" without any of their troubles, I find myself wanting to go back to what I think was an easier time. Or, I'll think back on poor decisions or sinful shortcomings and they seem so big and condemning. Like those rear view mirrors, my rear view vision is often distorted making the past perfect and my mistakes mammoth. When I live in a state of reminiscing or regretting, I'm stuck, paralyzed by feelings of inadequacy and a lack of desire to even try and do better in the future.

I think that's what God's talking about when He says, "Forget about it!" He goes on to say, "I'm doing a new thing!" something that will be even better than the best days of the past. The only reason we should ever look back is simply to remember, to reflect on His goodness and faithfulness and the grace that has brought us this far. Remember what He's done, thank Him for it, and use the memory to encourage further steps into the unknown new thing that He's doing next.

Extremely Wise

I've been reading through the books of the Bible that Solomon wrote over these past few weeks (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) and at the risk of sounding incredibly sacrilegious, I have to say that they're not my favorite books of the Bible. Granted this man is supposed to be the wisest man that ever lived, but to me, Proverbs seems incredibly random or incredibly obvious.

"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret" (Prov. 11:13).

Really, Solomon?!? So you're saying that a gossip is going to tell other people my secrets?!? What do you think a liar is going to do with it?!? :-)

I really have been trying to press past my initial feelings, however, and ask God to enlighten my heart and mind to learn from the wisdom that I believe is there. Recently, the Holy Spirit really challenged me with a particular verse in Ecclesiastes. It's found in the 7th chapter, verse 18.

"It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes."

Earlier this week, I posted some feelings about how I was trying to figure out "normal life" after crazy-busy seasons. I realize that it's a lot easier for me to live in one extreme or the other. When you're working 16 hour days for weeks at a time, it quits becoming difficult. And you think you don't really need sleep or days off like you once thought.

On the other hand, when you visit life in the other extreme, it kind of makes you never want to work again in your life. Sleep, recreation, more sleep, exercising, and then you get to sleep again. Kind of makes that sluggard look good no matter what Solomon has to say about it.

Learning to live in the way that God intended, between the tension of work and Sabbath, productivity and rest . . . that's what really takes some work. Grabbing on to the one without letting go of the other truly takes a fear of God to learn how to do it in the beautiful way He created it to work.

Maybe there is something more to these words of Solomon. If this keeps up, maybe I'll start to understand why I should be flattered if some guy told me told me that my hair was like a flock of goats. :-)

They're Baaaaaaaack!

It's that time of year again . . . St. Vincent's College is filled with our favorite black and gold team. It's a good thing, too, because our local news coverage was running out of Steeler stories to talk about in the off-season. I just love football. I'm so happy it's here again. :-)

Oh My-pod!

As I was driving in the car the other day, listening to my iPod, I was reflecting on how much I love my little Nano. I got him for my birthday last year, signed up for iTunes, and named my little blue friend, Svenn. While I love the shuffle feature and the surprise of music each time a new song comes on, I have to say that my most favorite part of my iPod are podcasts. The most ironic part of my iPod is that I call it, "the gift I never knew I wanted." While I enjoy music, I can't say that I'm a passionate music fanatic, so when I was thinking of birthday gifts last year, I was thinking more clothes than iPods. My mom knew me better, though, and introduced Svenn into my life and I'm not sure how I could get along w/out him now.

I can think of several other things in my life that would go in that same iPod category, things way more significant than actual material gifts. My job and some great friendships are just some of the surprises that God's brought along my way, things that I never knew I wanted and yet are far greater than I could have ever asked. Thank God for all the "iPods" in my life and that He knows me far better than I know myself.

Return to Normal

So did you ever have one of those seasons of incredible intensity where you lose all sense of balance and "normalcy" in an effort to just survive? In the weeks before Kidz GiG, I found myself not taking days off and working 12-16 hour days more often than not. I got used to 2-6 hours of sleep a night and somehow found myself arriving at work by 5:30-6:30 AM on more than one occasion. Clearly, this is not a healthy lifestyle to pursue on so many levels and an argument could certainly be made that I shouldn't even embrace it for a season.

Getting back into a more healthy and Sabbath honoring lifestyle has certainly been an adjustment. I'm finding myself sleeping ridiculously long amounts of time (10+ hours), and once again having significant amounts of time to think, write, and pray. It's got me realizing again that learning to live in a God-honoring way in the midst of all these seasons is certainly a desire of mine. Any suggestions on some of the things that you've learned in the midst of similar types of seasons?

Loch Ness Memories

I had the delightful opportunity to spend a day off at Cedar Point on Friday. For a roller coaster enthusiast like myself, I have to say that I got quite a thrill from some of its impossibly designed coasters that I'm sure would make even Mr. Newton scratch his head on how they could work alongside his laws of physics.

After a day at "the Roller Coast," I can't help but remember how I was first initiated into the world of these thrill rides. I was about seven years old when my family was vacationing at Busch Gardens Virginia. While I had experienced a few rides on a "baby coaster" at a local amusement park, I was now just tall enough to ride the "big kid" rides and from the moment we walked into the park, it was impossible to ignore the bright yellow, steel frame towering over the rest of the Olde World . . . the Loch Ness Monster.

I could see the glimmer in my dad's eye, itching to tame the beast, and I could feel the knot in my stomach as I felt the tension between pure fear along with a compelling urge to conquer it. I knew if the day went on, the lines would get longer and my courage would get smaller, so I made the bold declaration. "Let's go, Dad."

We practically walked on to the ride, being one of the first people in the park, and I didn't talk much during the short wait to get in the car, as I was focused on trying not to overtly display my terror. When the large, black harness came down over my 48-in. body, I began to have second thoughts, however. What was I thinking?!? The only thing that brought me out of my tailspin panic was feeling my dad's reassuring hand on my knee, and hearing him say, "You're gonna be fine. I think you're really going to like this."

The next 2 minutes were an upside down, loop-the-loop, death-defying drop delight. I came out of the line a victorious warrior and couldn't quit talking about it to my dad. I was relating every turn, every hill, and every loop that took me to a new level of roller coaster fanaticism. He excitedly joined in where he could, which wasn't too often since he didn't actually "see" much when his glasses fell into the lake on the second loop (he forgot to take them off in his concern to make sure I was okay).

I remember the feeling I felt when he told me that when we went through the dark tunnel we were actually turning over in corkscrews. I knew that if I had known that ahead of time, I would have never gone through with the ride. That knowledge would have thrown me over the edge on the fear factor. Knowing that my dad was with me, and that he said I'd like the ride, however, made my ignorance bliss, and afforded me the opportunity to enjoy an adventure that I would have sadly missed out on otherwise.

In the years since, my Loch Ness lesson has come back to me, serving as a very tangible picture of the thrilling ride on which my Heavenly Father has taken me. I confess again, that had He told me all the twists and turns that the ride was going to take, I probably would have bailed out a long time ago. In the midst of those disorienting, dark tunnels, however, my fear of the unknown is replaced with exhilarating anticipation when I choose to ignore the track ahead and instead listen to the reassuring voice of my Father. It's been a wild ride, but one that I wouldn't trade for anything. Almost makes me want to be a line-jumper to get in the front for more rides to come.

Buckets 'o Fun

So I went to the bank yesterday with 6 buckets of coins and a wad of dollars collected from Kidz GiG last week. I wish I could explain to you the looks you get when you walk into the bank and ask for a cart to help carry in your money. I was so proud of the kids, however, when we came up with the grand total . . . $2,076.69! All that money will go to provide scholarships for children to attend the Christian Paisanart School in Thailand. I can't wait to see the look on the faces of some of our GiG kids someday when they get to Heaven and get to see what their little pennies and dimes did for kids they would probably never know or see. Amazing how this whole Family of God works!

Water Bottle Ethics

I read this really interesting article the other day from an online magazine called Fastcompany.com. It's called "Message in a Bottle," and it brought up some incredibly thought-provoking ideas on a topic I had previously given very little thought about . . . bottled water.

I, like probably many others of you, have enjoyed the convenience and accessibility of bottled water over the past few years. Its presence has subversively crept into our culture, moving from an elite drink of the Parisian aristocrats, to the preferred beverage at soccer games and shopping malls. I don't really think much about spending $1.35 for my bottle of Dasani or buying a case of water for my office. What was shocking to me, however, was what kind of market the bottled water industry commands.

This article reveals that the leaders of the bottled water industry last year made $15 billion, more than Americans spent on iPods and going out to the movies combined. What's more, if I filled that $1.35 bottle with tap water (some of which, like San Francisco, is so pure it doesn't even have to be filtered) once a day for the next 10 years, 5 months, and 21 days, I would finally spend $1.35 for that water. If we paid for tap water like we do for bottled water, we'd spend roughly $9.000 a month. Wow!

The real interesting point of the article came in when they raised some ethical questions about the bottled water industry and our consumption of the beverage. The article argues that bottled water is a luxury item, one that we enjoy thoughtlessly, while 1 out of 6 people in the world don't enjoy any kind of safe drinking water. Ironically enough, it's easier for an American to pay to drink a bottle of Figi water than it is for the majority of the people of Figi to drink any kind of safe drinking water. San Francisco has actually banned city departments from buying bottled water trying to set an example in being environmentally responsible, as more than a billion bottles end up in state landfills each year.

I'm not quite sure what to do with this information, whether or not it will significantly alter my bottled water drinking habits. What do you think of some of the ideas? As Christians, what kind of responsibility do we have to take care of the environment and others around the world and should this affect our usage of "luxuries" like bottled water?

KiDZ GiG Stories!

I thought it would be cool to invite some of the KiDZ GiG leaders to share some of their best stories from their week at KiDZ GiG so that we all could celebrate all the amazing things God has done among us. GiG Leaders . . . post away! :-)

Incensed!

Last week, I mailed a card to a friend that included some mints and an iTunes gift card. Tonight, I found out that the card arrived, but that the envelope had been opened and it was completely empty! No card. No iTunes card. No mints. Just an empty envelope. I was incensed! Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Does anyone know a way that I can state an official complaint to the the Postal service? Grrrrrrrrrr.

Avalanche Fun

Well, it's started this week. Our VBS, Kidz GiG, kicked off yesterday with a Western bang! I came home around 6 PM yesterday, was asleep by 7 and slept for almost 12 hours! When the kids left that first day, so did the adrenaline that I'd been living on for the days before. These past few days have been chalked full of lessons that God's been teaching me. Here are a few:

• Delegation - Sunday night I was feeling a little nervous about all the registration and administrative details for the next morning. Last year I had spent the days before camp literally not sleeping in order to get everything done. When it was done, I was exhausted, but I knew that it was right. This year, I made what was the better choice, and allowed other people to handle all the registration details over these past few months. This choice meant, however, that the night before camp I had to simply trust these very capable leaders, and let it go. What resulted was a great registration time (even for Day 1) and other people who enjoyed doing jobs that they wouldn't have been able to do.
• Ego - The night before Kidz GiG, I was walking through a back hallway, one that was designated to be decorated by a group of middle schoolers. As I walked through, it wasn't hard for me to believe that the decoration was executed by those who were just old enough to legally see a PG-13 movie. A huge part of me was compelled to take down all the work, and do it over myself (which would have definitely taken a few more hours). I was convicted with the thought, however, "Would redoing this job help children learn and know about Jesus even better?" The answer for me was a resounding, "No!" Pulling in a group of people to carry out a task is not necessarily the most efficient way of accomplishing something in the short term (as many times it's just faster to do it myself), but it's certainly the most rewarding in that so many more people are changed and blessed. How humbling to think that God doesn't need me to accomplish His plans (He's certainly more than capable of doing it Himself), but He allows and chooses me to carry them out, giving me the gift of purpose and meaning.

Tomorrow will mark the half-way point, one that will end with me and my partner, Darren, getting pied. I'll post some pictures when I get them. :-)

Na, Na, Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Hey, Good-bye!

I've worn glasses or contacts since the seventh grade, only being able to see the big "E" on the eye chart without some type of optical help. My eyesight had just become a way of life, working around contact solutions, eye drops, and cleaning glasses lenses. So, when I was given the opportunity to accept a remarkable gift of tremendously discounted LASIK eye surgery, you'd think I'd jump at the chance. And yet, I must confess, I hesitated.

My first reaction was, "I'm not sure if I want to get LASIK because sometimes, I just like wearing my glasses." Yep, I feel sheepish just writing it. I quickly determined that if I was in one of my scholarly moods that required wearing some chic glasses, I could just buy a fake pair of glasses because, as a friend enlightened me, "Wearing a fake pair of glasses is about as dumb as turning down the gift of eye surgery."

Once I had resolved that issue, I was next faced with some very real fears about this surgery. Granted every person I had ever talked to who had this surgery only raved about how easy and revolutionary it was, yet I was uncertain that I might be "that one person" who experienced the dramatic side effects. Watching the "informative (we don't want you to be able to sue us)" DVD didn't really help either. It was basically 15 minutes describing just about everything that could go wrong including displacing my cornea, having my eyes feel "gritty," and even blindness. My favorite quote was from my doctor when he said, "You may smell a burning smell during the surgery. Don't panic. It's completely normal." Normal . . . uh huh.

The part that really stuck out to me, however, was when they said on the video, "Know that you are choosing to have an irreversible, permanent procedure done to your eyes . . ." They were right. I was choosing this. I was choosing to undergo surgery along with all the potential risks that came with it. And when I was struggling with all those risks, I read one other key piece of information on my papers. "The only way to completely avoid the risks involved with LASIK is to not have the surgery." And there it was. The choice was mine. I could walk away from the opportunity due to my fears of the possible detriments that could occur. Or, I could choose to have the surgery, believing that the potential reward was well worth the work and risk involved.

As you can see from my pictures, I chose to have the surgery (I'm waving good-bye to my glasses). And, as you can see from my subsequent after picture (taken from my phone right after the surgery) IT WAS AMAZING!!! Truly, REMARKABLE!!! The whole world looks different . . . clearer, brighter . . . night and day. To think that I almost passed up the opportunity to be healed, changed, more whole, well, I'm saddened to think about it.

Like He does so many times, God used the situation to get past my eyes and point to an even bigger condition of my heart. If I were honest, there are some areas of hurt and pain from my past that while I may have done some preliminary work to get them to a place where they are "functioning" from day to day, I've not committed to pressing through, taking the risk to allow Jesus to write my prescription and to follow the rigors of the healing process whatever they may be. I'll glamorize my hurt like my glasses, a bizarre dysfunction to desire to hold on to them. I've settled for a life of myopic living, seeing enough to get by and dealing with crutches and "glasses" to get me through.

After my surgery, I'm feeling a new empowerment to embrace the risk when Jesus is involved, acknowledging the work and potential complications, but reaching for the reward that is far beyond what I could have ever imagined.

Oh No!

If you check my blog through bloglines and just tried to look at my last post before I was able to change the picture know that I still have no idea how that picture came up and it was not intentional. Hopefully no one else saw it, you're simply confused reading this post, and it's only me who is terribly disturbed . . . :(

I Am Noggin

So you might remember a post from a few weeks ago when I related the story of my fine, feathered friend affectionately named . . . Noggin. In case you were still curious, I thought you'd like to know that Noggin is still going strong . . . every day . . . over and over and over again against my window. I really don't even notice him much anymore until I see the pained look on the faces of visitors to my office for the first time watching the ornithological masochist bash himself on my glass. I introduce them to Noggin and then usually do pause to realize that it is quite remarkable that this bird has been at this since May 2006.

Maybe what's even more remarkable is that in many ways my "Nogginyness" continues. I continually find ways to forget what God has done in the past or worry about how I will get things done or live as if I am in control of my life and in each case, I'm only hurting myself when I do this. I've mentioned during these past several posts that we have our Vacation Bible School coming up a week from Monday (July 9-13). Even though I can clearly know that it was God who brought this together in the past and it will be God who will equip me and the other leaders to accomplish His good work, I still struggle with keeping that perspective on things. I get so caught up in trying to get everything done and I place so much pressure on myself that I let my life get out of balance, not taking time to rest, to do things I enjoy doing (like blogging . . . obviously), or simply being quiet to pray.

Maybe each time I hear the little "tap, tap, tap" (or painfully loud crash) on my window, I'll actually take notice of it again, remembering that "I am Noggin." It'll hopefully move me one step closer to flying on to a new way of living.

Wacky Words

So for whatever reason, my brain has been spending time thinking recently about how weird the English language is. It really doesn't make any sense and defies all logic.

For example:

• Why is "To" pronounced the same way as "two," but "No" isn't pronounced as "Noo?"
• Should I start pronouncing my name as "Lhah" if "Yeah" is pronounced the way that it is?
• "Hey" sounds completely different than "Key," yet phonetically they should be the same, right?

I guess my brain is resorting to some less than deep thoughts in the midst of my VBS planning. Any insights?

Mark 3:29

So my dad filled me in on this week on the most atrocious round of the Steeler rumor mill that I've ever heard yet. Bill Cowher . . . our beloved Bill Cowher . . . talking to the Panthers (not surprising), the Redskins (ok for at least my sister and brother-in-law), and horror of all horrors . . . the BROWNS! I'm pretty sure Mark 3:29 is an appropriate reference for this moment. Going to the Browns has got to be up there with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. At least it's not the Ravens. That's the only way it could be worse.

Home Again, Home Again

So, I've finally returned from vacation. I was reminded once again about how much I love to travel. Here are a few reasons why:

• As I mentioned before, "veeeecation" was a big part of my childhood. So many great memories that I'll carry with me the rest of my life. I think travel was put in my DNA from an early age.
• I love the adventure of going somewhere that I've never been. New experiences definitely make me come alive.
• Travel gives me a healthy perspective on things. When you look at the ocean and it extends as far as you can see, and you actually try and count grains of sand in even a small handful, it's so clear that God is truly ginormous (to use the scientific term). :-) To Him, the ocean is like a swimming pool (Job 38:8-11) and the sand has already been counted. Apparently this perspective thing seems to run in my family. :-)
• I love being reminded that the world is so much bigger than the 50 or so people that I see each week. Again, it reminds me of the incredible nature of the God I serve. He knows each one as if they were the only person on the Earth, and each one probably feels as if they are the center of the universe. It reminds me of who I am as nothing more, and nothing less than a child of God.

It's always hard to come home from vacation, and I confess I felt some Sesame Street Live Syndrome on my way home.

For another interesting perspective, read what Mark Batterson has to say about travel here.

Veecation!

One of the happiest words in my vocabulary as a small child . . . "Veeeecation." (I seemed to have an issue with pronouncing words correctly.)

Anyway, I'm headed on vacation for the next week so I'll be checking out of the blogosphere until I return. I'll be back with lots of profound insights, I'm sure. :-)

Gettin' Giggy Wit It

So, I'm down to almost a month out from KiDZ GiG, the VBS at our church. I'm really struggling these days trying to maintain a proper perspective on the whole thing. I find whenever I'm planning something like this, it's really easy for me to get caught up in the "loud," urgencies of the logistics of the event and to neglect responding to the quiet voice of the LORD. When I do neglect that, I start to see myself with a distorted vision. I either get overwhelmed with fear at the thought of failure and letting others down or I get swelled up with pride and ego, thinking I am responsible for any "wins" experienced. Either way, I lose.

God's really been challenging me to spend as much time in prayer for this event as I do on working through the logistics. Clearly both sides need to be accomplished and one cannot be sacrificed for the sake of the other. My prayer is to maintain Mary's heart as I Martha through the next few weeks, doing the planning side with excellence as unto the LORD, without "getting distracted" with all the details of what has to be done. That would truly be a win.

Pableah Picasso

So when I was little, I received this super cool gift that brought much fun to bath time . . . soap crayons. I was pleased to find that these are still on the market today, bringing joy to thousands of children everywhere, I'm sure.

These crayons allowed us to draw on the wall and my mother actually encouraged it! Apparently, however, they are ONLY supposed to be used on bathroom walls. One time when we were at my Grandma's we used them on the walls in her hallway (I swear she said we could!) and although my mother never saw us actually drawing the masterpiece, it didn't take her long to see our fingerprints all over it.

I was recently reading through the book of Esther and found it to be incredibly interesting that it's the only book of the Bible that doesn't clearly use the name, title, or pronoun for God in it. Like my soap crayon masterpiece, however, God's fingerprints are all over the narrative. I love seeing all the "coincidences" like the King reading the annals of his kingdom because he couldn't sleep (Esther 6) and all the times when someone had "just entered" a room (Esther 6:4, 6:14, 7:8). Clearly, those were no coincidences.

I thought of all the times in my life when I may be going through a stressful time or crisis and it feels as if God is nowhere to be found. It is often in those times that I need to rest in my Trust of my Father and believe that there will be a time, just like Esther experienced, when I can look back at my trial and see His fingerprints all over it. I won't paint over those works of art on the walls of my life, but rather frame them as evidence of God's handiwork at all times, whether I can see it or not.

Early Riser

So it shouldn't be so hard, and yet every morning it's an overwhelming battle of my mind and body. I make the best laid plans to get up early, get some reading and studying done, get to work early, exercise, etc. and when the alarm goes off, all of my plans get chucked out the window because every ounce of my body wants to stay right there in my bed. I know I've been working on this for a while and though I've made some strides at some times, it appears as if I've now regressed into old patterns. Any suggestions on how to overcome?

Vision, Part 2

So I know this is a little delayed, but I thought it was still good to finish up some of my thoughts on vision from I Chronicles. If you missed the first post, you can catch it here.

As David was talking to his son about the vision for the Temple (I Chron. 28-29), I saw a couple points that I think are critical components of a God-given vision. David clearly says that it's nothing less than that (I Chron. 28:19).

1. Fear - This might sound like a funny component and it certainly shouldn't remain long, but I think that if there's not some element of overwhelming fear about the vision initially, it's probably not big enough. How many times does God command His people , "Don't be afraid or discouraged about the size of the task?" (I Chron. 28:20) I think God's vision for us should be such that we know we are doomed to fail unless He steps in. David reminds Solomon how the job will be done in vs. 20. ("He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the LORD is finished correctly.")
2. Bigger than Me - This goes along with the size of the vision. I think God will clearly equip us to accomplish it and that it usually will require other people and resources to be provided. David reminds Solomon, "Others with skills of every kind will volunteer, and the leaders and the entire nation are at your command" (vs. 21). God gives us a vision to bring Him glory and draw others to Himself, so it should be larger than just me.
3. Personal Sacrifice - Pursuing God's vision will cost us something, probably proportionate to the size of the vision. David told his people, "I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple" (I Chron. 29:3). Though our sacrifice may be great, I really like how Mark Batterson has said, "We cannot sacrifice anything for God." He's done so much for us, that there's nothing we can begin to do to compare.
4. Inexplicable Provision - If God gives the vision, clearly He will supernaturally provide for it. This section of Scripture ends saying, "The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD, and King David was filled with joy" (I Chron. 29:9). One caveat that I would add to this is that it may not be in the time or in the way that we expected, but if God gives the vision, He will provide.

I was excited to read Pastor Jeff Leake's blog today that also talked about pursuing a God-given vision. Getting past that first step of fear can be a big adjustment for me, so I can't wait to hear his message about how to recklessly follow God.

Vision, Pt. 1

God's been really challenging me with a particular passage in I Chronicles over these past few weeks. Yep, you read it correctly. I Chronicles. Who knew?

I was reading about David's interaction with God, when He asked if he could build the Temple, and God very clearly answered by saying that David was not to build it, but his son, Solomon was to carry out this dream. What really struck me was when I started reading in I Chron. 22. David says:

"My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced, and the Temple of the LORD must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world. So I will begin making preparations for it now." So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death." (v. 5)

David was clearly a man driven by a passion and heart for God. He pursued the promise God had given him about his kingship for years before it ever came to pass. The amazing part that I saw, however, was the way that David spent the entire last season of his life passionately pursuing a vision that he knew he would never see. It's one thing to pursue and wait and fight and plan for a vision that will involve and bless you. It's entirely another mindset to do so for something that you know you will never get to enjoy. You're doing all the work for someone else to eat the fruit.

And yet, David did just that. He poured himself into preparations for Solomon and constructing the Temple. He got his people ready for it, clearly pointing to Solomon as the next king (granted there were some complications with his other sons, as evidenced in I Kings), collected all the supplies for the Temple, and told Solomon exactly what to do with them.

I really think that this was one of the (if not the biggest) main reasons why the book ends with the statement, "So Solomon took the throne of the LORD in place of his father, David, and he prospered greatly, and all Israel obeyed him" (I Chron. 29:23). Sadly, I don't think Solomon ever grasped the concept of seeing beyond himself, and he died having everything and yet leaving a legacy that quickly led to the country being torn apart.

It's been a good challenge for me to remember that the dreams and visions that God plants on my heart are bigger than me. I may or may not see them to fruition. I still must be faithful to do my part, however, to pursue with all excellence and passion the role that He's given me in carrying out His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. I know I have been so blessed in ministry and my life thanks to the legacy left to me by my leaders in ministry and in my family. I pray I can do the same for generations to come.