it is hard not to be selfish...

I have to admit it... one more time... I am selfish.

Obviously this is not the first time I have had to wrestle with the truth... it probably will not be the last. It is a little different this time. Usually I have to come to grips with this reality because I am being a jerk... I am upset because I am not getting my way, others are not doing what I want them to - you know the kind of thing...

Today it is different. I am selfish... but not really for myself. I am selfish for some folks I care about. This morning I got an email... it was the kind you have to read several times - that could not be... surely I did not read that right. But I did. I read it over and over and over. I made a couple of calls... got a couple more emails... Now I am in the grasp of a selfish mood.

It was unexpected. There were no warning signs. One moment is filled with the good stuff - friends, family, food, pictures, memories and laughter. The next moment is confusion, fear, paramedics, emergency room, prayers, hard work and words that are too hard to hear.

Some folks I care a great deal for are suffering terrible pain today. Last night still seems like it could not have happened - yet it did. A great lady who was a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, a teacher is now gone.

I keep reminding myself where she is - for that I am grateful. Here is the selfish part - I keep thinking about these friends who have been part of our lives for about 15 years - maybe more - are hurting. I taught these kids at camp - then the twins were in my classes at LCU. We've shared meals - crashed family reunions - worked on men's retreats together. Now they are hurting - paralyzed with pain and confusion and denial.

I am selfish - she would not want to come back - no doubt there is no better place to be than with the Father in Heaven. I am selfish for these good folks - wish they were not feeling this pain.

Today... say a prayer. This is such a public forum that I will not put their names on here - you say the prayer - God will know who they are and what they need.

Today... be sure to tell the folks in your life how much they mean to you.

Today... spend some time reflecting on your walk with the Lord - these moments teach us that there are really only a few things that matter - none compares to this - when your time/my time come - let's be ready.

on your mark... get set...

No. I am really not inviting you to join me in starting a foot race. Those of you who know me, know I am not in to running! I'm not aksing you to start a race with me... I am asking you to run the race we are already in...

No, not the race against the clock.
Not the race to get IRS stuff taken care of... in fact if it's not done now... I hope you filed and extension!
No, I am not thinking about the race towards the weekend...
Nope, not the race to finish with the most toys...
So many of those things, and things like them, keep us distracted from the race that really matters. The Hebrew writer teaches that we are running a race... and we need to run that race with endurance... we need to run that race with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Did you catch that? It is so simple... but sometimes we make it so hard. What we need... if we are really going to run this race... finish the race... receive the victor's crown... is to fix our eyes on Jesus. Paul said it this way in Colossians 3:1-4 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

SET... we need to get our eyes... our hearts and minds... up... not caught up in the here and now... in the problems and challenges... in our worries and struggles... we need to get our eyes off of those things and get them up. When we are focussed we need to set our hearts and minds there.

In many ways we are like cell phones. When we are close to the tower and the programming in the phone is right... we just work so much better. When we get away from the tower, or we get our programming messed up, life is just not working too well. When we get a long ways from the tower... there is some roaming that costs so much, and there are places when the phone will not work at all.

How clear is your signal? How close is the Lord... how close to Him are you?

Today... get set!

Right now...

Yesterday was the first time I had preached in Plains on a Sunday in 4 years. For almost 9 years we called Plains home... in many ways it still feels like home. We love the church there... lots of good folks... folks God used to bless our family in so many ways... many I have thought of... I am confident there are many more that only with the passing of more time, and then finally with the end of time, will I realize.

As I drove to Plains yesterday I remembered the first time we came to Plains. In fact we drove the same road this time. My thought then was, "I really do not want to move to Plains." How quickly a mind can be changed. I wanted to preach... REALLY wanted to preach. That was almost 15 years ago. Not many churches were looking for a minister who was all of 24. I have often wondered if they had any idea what they were getting themselves into when they asked us to move to Plains... they asked... we agreed...

As I sat in the auditorium yesterday there were so many scenes that flashed through my mind. So many great memories. As I preached... and we visited before and after... I was just overwhelmed with a deep gratitude.

Thanks to them... thanks to God... Right now, take some time... think about who and what you are thankful for. Remember where you have been... recognize where God has brought you... dream of where God will take you... and thank Him... RIGHT NOW!!!