The Bald Goat

It’s that time of year again!

Time for chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, and playing hide and seek with an imaginary bunny. Time for girls to wear pretty new dresses and boys to wear a tie that makes them look like angelic gentlemen…(if only for a few hours!) A special time of festivity and celebration that only happens once a year!

Oh, and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and returning from the grave to save our souls. Almost forgot about that part…

I am being sarcastic, but we do have the tendency, especially in America, to give in to the commercialism and secular festivities of the season. And I do it, too. I look forward to seeing Piper in her new dress and our boys dressed up in their little man clothes. To hide eggs and watch our kids go and find them. To consume large amounts of marshmallow Peeps and chocolate. 

I am ok with these traditions. I am even ok with not trying to find some way to Christianize these traditions to make them acceptable for a religious holiday. (I do not like you Resurrection Eggs!) They are fun and happy times. But I do think we need to be careful not to lose the “reason for the season”. I don’t think we have to chose. It is not one or the other, to egg or not to egg. I think God likes to watch his children have fun just as much as we like to watch our children have fun. His love for us is incredible!

I think one of the most healthy things we can do is to enjoy our traditions and allow them to be just that, traditions. Have fun and laugh and smile for the camera as we make memories that will last for years to come. But then, never let these joyful things overshadow the amazing joyful event that this day marks for us to remember, the resurrection of Christ and the power of God to overcome all obstacles to save our broken world. Remember this event. Share it with your children and with each other. Be intentional about this part of the day and when your children ask, “What does the easter bunny have to do with God?” you can say, “Nothing. It is just one of those crazy fun things we like to do.”

Lord, I thank you for happy times and fun for the sake of having fun. Let tomorrow be a day filled with laughter and joy. Let us remember the events of 2000 years ago and what it means for us today. Tomorrow let us celebrate the origin of the grace that we embrace every day of the year.

Hello everyone and welcome to my 100th blog post!

I began putting my stories, thoughts, quotes that make me think, videos and even a recipe online a little over 2 years ago and I am finally reaching post number 100!

This statistic is actually kinda weak…

Since March 9, 2009, over two years ago I have only manages to put out 100 posts and 44 of those posts have happened in the last 45 days! I must say that when I began thinking about my 100th post I became a little excited because that seemed like a real milestone. A true accomplishment, but when I look how long it took to get here I kinda feel pathetic.

But that has been part of my purpose for the Lent: My 47 Day Challenge. I would never complete a blog post because I didn’t have the discipline to sit down and write. I would think about an idea forever until it magically went away and never got posted. There are so many things I could write about and I am learning to actually sit down and do it. I am learning how to look around at everyday things and see ideas and things that inspire or motivate me. 

I try not to get hung up on the analytics of a web site like this. But I can’t tell you how loved it makes me feel when someone says, “I read about that on your blog!” Or when someone leaves a comment about a post. When someone takes the time to read my random thoughts and weird ramblings I am truly, deeply honored.

So in all of this I want to say thank you for joining me on my blog. Not all the posts are gems, but I believe nothing will ever be worth reading if it is never written. (Whoa! That was profound!) 

I also do believe I have reached a milestone that has nothing to do with numbers. I have learned the discipline of writing. I have broken through the barrier and pushed past the struggles. Blogging is not something everyone wants to do, but it is something I wanted to do, but until I stepped up to the challenge I never devoted myself to the discipline. 

What does the future hold?

Well, I still have a couple more posts until the challenge is over and then I will set a new goal. I have finally cleaned off the dust from this site, pulled down the spider webs and settled myself in. It is a comfy space once you get used to it and always open for visitors.

Love and be loved,

Jeremy

We had a pretty interesting conversation during lunch today as we sat in the back of our big box truck at a 7-11 and chowed down.

This scene reminded me of Donald Miller’s description of a memorable setting in his book “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”. (Amazing read!) This was no ordinary location and places like that make the scene memorable. This whole paragraph does nothing for the conversation I want to share. It is simply an interesting detail that I thought was cool.

So, Brian had been listening to Pandora as we mowed lawns today and he heard a song by an artist that he had never heard before. He thought, “I wonder how many other songs they have recorded that we have never heard because they were not chosen for an album or the radio.” I wondered how many songs never even get recorded. They are simply ideas jotted down in a notebook or scribbled on a napkin. I have heard of artists who have dies that left thousands of unrecorded material behind. These could all be great songs, but they never saw a studio. 

Brian moved our conversation to  think about the most uplifting times or most spiritually impacting times as big spotlight moments, but there may be other moments that are just as important that hardly get our attention. What if a quiet time moment was huge or a time of service to someone in need. What about that good deed that you did that you didn’t even think twice about doing. You didn’t think about it because it was just something you did. Because that is who you are.

Do you think that someday as God is looking back over our lives he will want to reminisce all those awesome Sunday morning worship services you attended and felt moved? Or do you think he will say, “Remember that time when you stopped and helped that guy you didn’t know unload a refrigerator. That was really cool.” At which point you will say, “Oh, I had forgotten about that.”

Some of your greatest moments in life may be the times when you are simply walking with God, living a life that pleases him and allowing him to live in you. The little things, the insignificant things, the things that you do that come naturally because you are allowing God to live through you. We sometimes get hung up on trying to have “Greatest Hits” worship moments that we fail to realize the gems we have in the life we live out in our day to day walk.

Lord, open my eyes to the life that pleases you. To the life that honors you and gives you glory. Help me to see and live the life that is worthy of a greatest hits collection.

I have nothing for today.

My mind is blank and even the thoughts I have don’t go any deeper than a thought.

Nothing rises to the surface as anything that can be shared. Only random thoughts that I am sure have merit…just not now.

We have been working extremely hard and it seems that every minute is wrapped around God’s Care. I am not complaining. I believe we are building something special and I am proud to be a part of it. I have just deleted four sentences that I thought would come next, but they just led to dead ends. 

I need to be recharged.

I need more than just rest and comfort. My body is strong and I am blessed to be able to physically handle what I am doing. It is my mind that needs to reboot. I have come to a place where it seems full and empty at the same time. 

Lord, get me out of this hole I am in. I thank you for the realization of where I am because I believe that if I am at this place it is because you are shifting me. Whatever it means, shift away…

I love this song by Raul Midon! You need to watch this video twice to really appreciate it. The first time is simply to watch his hands and enjoy the music. He is an incredible musician. Then listen again and read the words below. This message is so important. He is singing about being rich…and it has nothing to do with money.

Used to sit and worry about the future
Worrying about the future don’t change the past
Used to think that tomorrow would be better
But now i know that i’m doing the best i can
I’m just a man trying to find the reasons why i stand
Took some time to realize that i am what i am
And i wanna be rich, i wanna be happy
And live inside a love that shines bright enough to last a lifetime
I wanna be rich more than a fantasy
Ride the winds and climb, cause it’s all a state of mind

Wake up in the morning and i turn the pages
Don’t understand what’s going down
Everybody’s acting so outrageous
It’s gonna take a lot of love to turn things around
I’m just a man trying to find the reasons why i stand
Took some time to realize that i am what i am
And i wanna be rich, i wanna be happy
And live inside a love that shines bright enough to last a lifetime
I wanna be rich, more than a fantasy
Ride the winds and climb cause it’s all a state of mind

Hear people talk about going to heaven
Grab a little bit of heaven right here on earth
Troubled times lead to healing times
I was sad now i’m feeling fine
It’s the taking and the giving that makes this life worth living,
Makes this life worth living
I wanna be rich, i wanna be happy
And live inside a love that shines bright enough to last a lifetime
I wanna be rich, more than a fantasy
Ride the winds and fly,
Spread your wings and fly
Cause its all a state of mind

Ride the winds and climb,
Spread your wings and fly
Cause its all a state of mind

When we think of being rich or wealthy we typically think of money. It is woven into our american culture. But we must change our state of mind and set our sights on riches not of this world. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. This list from Galatians should give us enough to get started. 

Here is the definition of the noun audible:

- a change of tactics called by the quarterback when the offense is lined up at the line of scrimmage.

It is an American football term that refers to a very last minute change of plans.

Today, God played quarterback on the God’s Care football team and decided to call an audible. As I wrote in my post on Thursday, we were very excited to be partnering with the IRC in order to hire a refugee from Bhutan. Everything was in order. The employment specialists at the IRC had coordinated the transportation, bought him clothes and filled out the paperwork. And then Monday morning rolls around for the first day of work and…

He never shows up.

I contact the IRC to find out what has happened and something out of the ordinary has taken place. He took another job somewhere else. This is absolutely uncommon and the IRC employment specialists were really upset that this had happened. But there was nothing we could do now except move on with our day. I communicated with the IRC and told them that I was not upset and I would be interested in looking at another refugee that they had on their list.

Before we left the shop this morning, we prayed for the change in plan and for who God might bring to us. We prayed for the man from Bhutan who took another job and asked God to bless him where he would be working. We released all this to God and felt the peace and freedom that comes from trusting completely in Him.

From the day that we met, Lauren, an IRC employment specialist, had wished we could hire a specific young man from the Congo. He just seemed a natural fit except he had already taken a job with PWP, a plastics manufacturing company here in Abilene. The IRC highly discourages moving an employee once he or she has been placed. They need to build up a good employment history and jumping from job to job does not look good.

But this morning, as Lauren was looking for another person to send our way, our friend from the Congo calls the IRC. He is upset and does not know what to do. PWP is moving to a machine based system rather than a human labor based system and employee hours are being cut. He is a good employee and loyal to his employer, but he needs to support his family and needs more than what they are now going to provide.

So a change in jobs is a possibility for him now.

And we have an opening that did not get filled.

1+1=2

It is as simple as that.

We met today and he began working for God’s Care. It is like this change came out of nowhere and yet it is the best plan that could have happened. Lets connectg the dots…

I blogged a while back about my transition into God’s Care and how I believe God has moved me away from the role of Pastor and into the role of priest. My life does not revolve around grass and leaves and plants, but they are the means to an end. My life of ministry is made possible by the work I do mowing lawns. Much like the apostle Paul who traveled making tents in order to support his missionary journeys.

My partner, Brian, also works as a pastor with the Mission church and travels on missionary journeys to Brazil twice a year. Brian is really good at what he does with God’s Care. I would say he is one of the best you could find. But this job is just a job. A way to support his family so that he can do the work God has called him to do.

And this young man who was brought to us today has lived in the Congo, Burundi, and Kenya working as a pastor. He looks for opportunities to reach out and minister to the African people who have resettled here in Abilene. He has a love for God and a calling to be used by God to minister to his sheep. But he knows he has a growing family to support and needs to earn an income.

Brian and I felt as if we were looking in a mirror. All three of us have come from completely different backgrounds and have different people we feel called to love and minister to, but our hearts are identical. 

And God called an audible in the plan to put us together at this time, in this place, for a specific reason.

Thank you Lord for guiding our paths. For closing some doors and opening others. Thank you for loving us so much that you would alter the course of our world in order to intentionally put things together as only you know how to do. May we see your handiwork in times like these and give you praise.