Exciting or Scary?

What is the difference between the most exciting thing you have ever done and the scariest thing you have ever done? Jeanette accuses the men in her life of only thinking things are fun if there is the possibility of bodily harm, the more harm potential the more fun.
But as I consider this question it strikes me that maybe the difference is often perspective. Is ski jumping exciting or scary? Is sky diving exciting or scary? It seems that often the issue is perspective. Perspective can be in part how we are wired. Some people seem to only have scary situations and never have excitement. Other people do not seem to be smart enough to ever be scared. Experience has much to do with it. I am not personally sure yet about the sky diving question but I heard an Army Ranger who insisted it was no big thing; he had done it many times.
When it comes to the events of life Scripture tells me that perfect love casts out fear and that Jesus has loved me perfectly. My wiring has some influence here but my experience even more. If my experience is that of being loved with a perfect love then life and all if its circumstances seem much less scary. Maybe even things like criticism are exciting opportunities to grow instead of scary events to be avoided. Maybe people are at least as potentially exciting as they are potentially harmful.
Maybe being loved by Jesus is the most important aspect when it comes to determining whether someone or something is exciting or scary.
Always thinking out loud . . .

The View

I heard a guy say that you have to climb the hill to enjoy the view. There is much to be said about enjoying the journey and living in the moment. But there is also a lot to be said for enjoying the view which is only enjoyed by those who climb the hill. The higher the hill the better the view. The higher the hill the longer the climb. So how much do you want to see? How much do you want to understand? Enjoying the climb, finding value in the path, building relationships along the way are all significant elements in life. But I think there is a greater sense of destiny if I am valuing those aspects of the journey with a clear determination to get to the top. So while I may not arrive as quickly if I am enjoying the journey and valuing the relationships along the way, I believe that these are also enhanced by actually enjoying the view at some point. Too often we reduce things to either/or instead of both/and. Some people have become so goal oriented and task driven that they arrive at the view burned out and alone. The answer to that is not to start avoiding the view and just enjoying the path and the people, but to enjoy the path and arrive at the view together. May God help us get somewhere loving each other along the way.

A Vision of Encouragement

Last night was a tremendous night of prayer and worship. What was impressive was the confirmation that God has a passionate concern for the people that we love. We sang "He is brighter than their darkest night; He is stronger than their toughest fight." I want to pass on to those of you that were not able to be with us that God loves the people you love even more than you love them. But the real difference is all that He can do for them that you cannot do. What a privilege it is to know that we can present the ones we love to the God who loves them; the God who can penetrate their circumstances with power and grace.

One of the men who shared in the worship and prayer time with us had an encouraging vision during our time together. He saw a large brick wall. Satan was sitting on the wall laughing at a man who was below him digging at the mortar between a couple of bricks. It appeared futile and even a little silly to be working on such a large wall by scratching at the mortar between a couple of bricks. But when the vision began to move closer it became apparent that the person working on the mortar between the bricks had the scar of a nail on the back of His hand.

I will let the Holy Spirit apply the visions that He brings, but I would encourage you to consider that maybe some of the things you thought hopeless are being changed by the persistent power and presence of Jesus. After all, this would not be the first time that God dropped walls on behalf of His children.

A New Assignment

So tonight is my first official City Council meeting. The last couple of days I have been reflecting on how I got here. I did stick my nose in things a few weeks ago when I offered to do mediation work with the former council. So I take on this assignment with that motivation still in tact. I want to be a man of peace who can function with the wisdom of Daniel in government.
But I did not arrive at this place completely by chance. In a letter to the exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah tells them to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Read Jeremiah 29:4-14 for the whole context) So as an exile from heaven living in Grants Pass it seems fitting that I should seek the peace and prosperity of the city I am in.
My having served on over a dozen boards, mostly of non-profits or service providers, comes from a firm conviction that though my eternal citizenship is in heaven my current responsibility is to the city in which I live and the planet that I am on.
People speak of being so heavenly minded you are no earthly good. When I read about stewardship, good works, honor, and grace it seems that my being heavenly minded should specifically make me of earthly good. In fact, Hebrews 11 talks about people of great faith throughout history and concludes that they were people "of whom the world was not worthy" (Heb 11:38) rather than people who decided the world was not worthy. As Jesus teaches us "Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven." (Mat. 5:16)
So while I had not planned to end up with this assignment and had actually resisted this assignment in the past I do not believe I have ended up here by accident.