Happy New Beginning!

Have I mentioned that New Years Eve/Day is my favorite holiday? That may seem weird compared to all the great holidays like Christmas or Easter or Presidents Day...yeah. But this holiday brings to mind the way I'm living compared to the way I want to live and the hope of a new beginning. I'm not talking simply about gaining more muscle or loosing a few pounds but more about deep longings of the heart. For instance, "Is my life making a real difference in the quality of this world?", "Am I really living in such a way that my life will have really counted for things that are eternal?", "Am I becoming the kind of person that naturally does the kinds of things Jesus did?". And I find myself asking questions of God like, "How did you work in my life this past year?" and giving thanks for it. And others, "What things do you still want to change in me?", "In what ways do you want me to trust in you more?", "What dreams do you have for my city that you want to include me in?". This one I love to dream about, "What do you have planned for my future and how do you want me to be intentional with my year so that I am prepared?". That one keeps me going these days. I can see what may be coming in the future where I am able to serve God in my "sweet spot" where I am most gifted and affective alongside my bride and deep spirited friends. That helps me to be intentional with my time and opportunities in the present. God is good.

Happy Reflecting,

ps. the pic is of my Uncle and I on our birthday in Oct. He's my Dad's twin so having the same DNA he is technically my Dad as well but going by the law and also by the birds and...um...the...you know...bees...well...um...yeah...

O Come O Come Emmanuel!

Just a little something to give your Christmas a different perspective...

Isaiah 9:6-7
"For to us a child is born, to us a child is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace/Wholeness. Of the increase of his government/reign and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty (The Lord of the Angel Armies) will accomplish this."

Mary's Song
Luke 1:51-53
"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty."

So what is she singing about the very first Christmas?
She's singing about how EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW! God has entered the world in a way never seen before and now there's real hope that all can be different and aligned with the way God wants them.

Where do you need God to move in your life? Where have you lost hope?

Celebrate our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Shalom/Wholeness/Completeness today.

T.U.M.R

Trees for Underspirited Muncie Residents

Apparently there is an organization who's mission statement is, "Brightening Muncie...One Tree At A Time."
And apparently they saw a need to brighten our Christmas Spirit by dropping off a Christmas tree to our Christmas Tree-less porch.

The deliverer rang the doorbell and took off with out identifying themselves. Have a look at the note that was attached!
What a great Christmas treat that has definitely "brightened" our living room and spirits!

life as ministry, work as mission, play as worship

The Shema was repeated everyday by the people of Israel "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." It's found in Dueteronomy 6:4. We usually use this statement to prove the pure nature of our God. Our God is pure in the unity of His Godhead but according to "The Shaping of Things to Come" by Hirsch and Frost this Shemawas introduced at a time when gods were plentiful. God of the field, god of the sky, god of the stream, god of fertility etc. And this statement was an attack on the heathen religious polytheism (many gods) rather than just a statement about theology. It was a call for the Israelites to live their lives under the Lordship of One God. It was PRACTICAL not just theological.
The call is to live under the God who is the God of every sphere of life. Where Polytheists can compartmentalize their gods the people of God cannot but live their whole lives out under the Lordship of one God. God of our politics, God of our finances, God of our family life, God of our office work, God of all our life. "It frees us to see life as ministry, work as mission, and play as worship. If all are embraced under the impulse of the unification of life under God, then life itself becomes missional worship."

Snow

"I hate snow, I hate snow!" Those words didn't come out of my mouth today. Though they did come out of my buddy Danny's. You're insane man!

I've been so happy today because of the Snow. Here's some reason I think this is so.
Hope: Things are visibly different outside than they were yesterday. What else could be different?
Quiet: It's not as noisy outside after it snows. The snow soaks up all the echoes. It feels like things are less chaotic. It's peaceful.
Clean: Things that are ugly are covered up. They now appear crisp, clean and pure. Surely similar to how our Creator sees us after being washed by the cleansing blood of Jesus.
Bright: No interior lights needed if you open the shades today! the light is just reflected off everything. cars, streets, ground, roofs, window sills, trees, fenses, hats, shoes...you get the point. And I wonder if this reflection of such bright light that brings me such joy will be exponentially outdone when in heaven God radiates with such brilliant light that we don't even need a sun!

Danny there may be a snow like affect in Heaven buddy! You know it's too hot in Hell for it.

Happy,
Ben

Amazing Grace

I watched Amazing Grace for the first time today. I have been deeply moved by the passion, courage, perseverence and singleness of mind in William Wilberforce. He didn't waste his life. He had a conviction about how the world should be. He had a gift of speaking and singing that he leveraged unto that conviction. When he was loosing sight of the dream he had a wife that breathed on the lingering spark and inspired him to carry on, a true helpmeet.

Jen and I just last night were directed to John 15. We imagined a life that produced fruits of all different kinds from every action and pursuit it put effort towards. This life when presented before God would arrive with all the fruit it produced. The fruit that was motivated by a love for God and a love for other people, that added to the furthering of God's everlasting Kingdom, that would be "at home" with God forever would remain when tested by the presence of God. But the fruit that represented the pursuit of selfish gain, popularity in the eye's of man, passive comfort, indifferent laziness and prideful disobedience would be burned up and disappear. The life would then be standing there before God with the realization of how it was wasted or how it was leveraged for the eternal purposes of God. The most intense moment and most important moment it will ever experience.

We don't want to waste our lives. In John 15 Jesus says we must remain in him to bear fruit that will last. Remain all day long, every day long, our whole life long. The comforts of the world can be bypassed when I think of the reality of life eternal. Suffering can be endured when I know the fruit will be the kind that lasts forever. We want to stand before Jesus and the kingdom and know that our lives were poured out and counted for part of the beauty that we now see!