Practice or Real Life?

When I was involved in theater, we would always get the cast together to do a read through of the script. This gave us a chance to get to know each other, hear the director's thoughts, and start to discover more about our characters. It was a safe practice that wasn't open to the public because we weren't ready for that step yet. We needed time to rehearse and become more comfortable with our show before it was time to step under the lights. The read through wasn't the real performance and didn't reflect what things were going to be once we had more time to refine

Life might be easier if we were able to do a read through before the big performance, but it's not how things happen. Every piece of our life is real and part of the larger show of who we are and who we're becoming. Each conversation we have carries weight and our actions have a more powerful impact than we might realize in the moment. I don't think this means we should live fearfully, but that we should see how each interaction and event in our life is part of the big show. We can't casually dismiss pieces of it as they all contribute to the sum of our lives.

Worth 1000

This is a picture I took several years ago in a place which has impacted me deeply. They say a picture is worth 1000 words and I believe this one has many words to share.

I can tell you where it came from, but I'm more curious about what the photo says to each person who looks at it. What do you see? What details are there in the edges of the frame? Does it stir up any thoughts or emotions as you look at it? How do you interpret what you see?

I'll blog tomorrow about the real story behind the picture and leave today's interpretation to each reader's imagination.

Roll It Over

I was talking with a good friend over coffee this morning about some of my aspirations for 2015. I admitted I had fallen short of achieving some of my goals even though I was able to mark several things off my list. While I try to have a realistic view of what is possible, I realize I may have set my expectations too high for what is truly feasible.

I can also confess to losing focus in some areas and neglecting to follow through on the tough decisions and hard work which makes some goals possible. My friend counseled me this morning to roll some of those unfulfilled desires into next year’s plan. While I think he is right in encouraging me to keep shooting for those things I feel are important, I also realize I have to take a different approach if I want to see them become reality.

Just writing them down and talking about them won’t make it happen. I’ve got to develop a better game plan and break it down into manageable steps so I can be successful. Having a plan for growth and new experiences is good, but unless I can match that up with action steps they are merely concepts and not reality.

Don't Forget Why

During our current sermon series, we used a clip from the movie, "The Matrix". It has been several years since I watched it, but the clip has reignited my memory of the film. The basic premise is pretty simple: there are two worlds operating around us. There is what seems to be the normal world we all live in and there is the real world that only exists for those able & willing to see it. It's an interesting sci-fi twist on the idea of a virtual reality that has fooled most people into believing it is real.

I think we can sometimes fall victim to this same mentality. We become consumed by the stretched rhythm of life its demands on our time, energy, and finances. This creates a frenetic pace that narrows our vision to only conquering the problem of the day or maintaining our status quo. Sadly, this hectic mindset becomes our main focus and we end up forgetting the things which matter the most. We quickly become consumed by what we are doing and often forget why we do them. It's the motivation behind our actions that matters most--this is our true reality.

Don't let the rhythm of day-to-day life cause you to forget something bigger is happening at the same time.

Reality Check

I doubt I'm the only one that has come back from vacation and said, "Back to reality!" It's as if we have separated family relaxation time from the normal daily activity portion of our lives. I really believe it's a reflection of the way we tend to compartmentalize. We keep things in separate boxes in our minds and miss the big picture of how everything fits together.

I think all of our life experiences: routine family events, work, hobbies, events to celebrate, tragedies to mourn, and difficulties to endure are all part of real life. It's the blending of these positive, negative and seemingly mundane things that make up who we are and define the life we are called to lead.

Every part of our life is valuable. We should pay attention to it as it goes by or we'll miss something important. We live in this reality every moment whether we recognize it or not.

That Must Be Real

Perception is reality. 

I've often used this phrase to describe the concept of what we see becoming what we believe to be true. Our personal view of current circumstances will shape how we engage with people around us. While it's important to recognize this truth to foster better relationships, it can also present a problem when someone's perception is incorrect. This leads to a false idea of reality that may be completely skewed from what is actually taking place.

Approaching these situations humbly is key to helping people see what is actually taking place without demeaning their viewpoint. We need to show respect for other's perceptions while working to gently correct a wrong path. This can't be done from a position of superiority or an intrinsic desire to be right. It has to be focused on reconciliation and mutual submission to the real truth not just the truth as we choose to see it.

Too Idealistic?

I don't know many people who think that setting goals is a bad idea. Having something to aim at hopefully inspires us to become better people. The truth, however, is that we won't always reach what we are striving for. Sometimes we will fall short of our desired objective and will need to reevaluate our goals. 

When we discover that something is idealistic but not realistic, what do we do? 

• Give up.
• Change our ideals. 
• Figure out a way to get closer to our ideal even if it's not 100% attainable. 
• Diminish our values so that we can say it worked. 
• Make adjustments while continuing to strive forward. 

The correct answer might seem obvious, but it really depends on our level of maturity, our willingness to persevere, and our committed passion to the goal. 

Hazy Image

Do we see ourselves as we really are? Are we living with an accurate assessment of self or are we calling self-delusion our reality?

We often overestimate our strengths and underestimate our weaknesses. It's a distorted evaluation of the person we actually are that is fueled by our need to protect ourselves. Under the guise of presenting the best image we have told ourselves the same lie for so long that we believe it's the truth. This skewed viewpoint may even appear to be successful from a distance, but will eventually implode (and explode) under the light of reality. 

Recovering from this is not an easy endeavor, but is necessary for maturity, genuine relationships, and spiritual success. We need to bathe in humility, experience brokenness, and give trusted people the freedom to speak the truth in love while grasping the beautiful grace that God offers to His desperate people.

Lift the Veil

Yesterday I was on our balcony watching the sun come up while my family was sleeping. It was a peaceful start to my Sunday with a good cup of coffee & time to read my Bible. In between watching the ocean and reading, I was reflecting on what God has done in our lives the past three years. Sometimes I fail to recognize how much has transpired and how God has been actively working in and through us. The crazy schedule of life can often distract me from seeing God's constantly moving plan. Fixing my attention only on task lists causes a veil to be dropped over my eyes. It prevents me from seeing the truth of my purpose and the work that God is calling me to be a part of. I need these glimpses of reality to encourage me to keep striving when things are tough. It's a perfect reminder of the undercurrent of God's plan throughout all of my life.

I See It

I have had vision problems most of my life. I remember when I got glasses for the first time and how everything suddenly became more clear. I saw things that I didn't even realize existed. Until I put the glasses on I didn't know what I was missing, but just believed that what I was experiencing was full reality. 

The same principle applies to us spiritually. We become convinced that the imperfect images we see and incomplete things we experience are the real life God intends for us. We settle for less than God's   reality by accepting a flawed perception of reality. 

The power of the Holy Spirit changes that vision if we are willing to submit to Him. He will lift the veil that we have built over our eyes and allow us to see how the potential of real life the way God intends it. The possibility of correcting our vision is a choice that is left up to us. We can either resolve to accept the clear vision of God or resign ourselves to seeing nothing clearly.

It Could Get Messy

Our lead pastor, Mike Waers, preached a hard & powerful message yesterday about the call for us to minister to our modern-day Samaria. This would be defined as people that we have a hard time reaching out to because of our own prejudices and biases. Our discrimination can be based on ethnicity, socioeconomic standards, or just a general dislike for people based on our own selfishness. Fulfilling this calling takes a change of heart in many ways and will most definitely make us uncomfortable.

If we are actually willing to fulfill God's call to the church we have to realize that things will start to look different than they do right now. As we wade into the middle of people's hurts and share the truth of Christ that will save them, it will prove to be a difficult and messy journey. It will stretch us as we ask God to increase our compassion and place a new heart within us that does not judge based on our weak prejudices. This will be a church that is actively engaged in reaching all of the community and not just people who are similar in appearance and experience.

It brings to mind an image of sitting around a table filled with diversity as we share with the King in worship, repentance, recovery, and healing. This will certainly change the way church looks, but I would wager that it would finally start to be the church that God has envisioned all along.