Slow Down!
Our friend Allan was with us Wednesday night at supper, and he brought a new friend with him - a doll that when you squeezed his hand - talked. I never did hear what the doll said, because Allan had it glued to his ear most all the time. He was laughing at whatever it said though. Yesterday when I tried to get him to tell me what the doll said, he was speaking so quickly that my ears and brain couldn't keep up. "Slow down, Allan. Speak slower", I asked, but he just kept on.
Trying to grasp what he was saying made me think about how much we miss as we rush through our lives. You're reading this on the Internet, one of the greatest blessings we've received. But the sheer volume of information and our efforts to grasp it don't always seem to coincide. With the net, TV, radio, books, newspapers, mail, and personal interaction, we are inundated with words and images, and in as much danger of drowning as a toddler on his or her first visit to the ocean. It's a rude awakening when you step back and look at the volume we try to comprehend.
Let's take yours truly for example. Your mileage may vary, don't try this at home, slightly higher west of the Rockies, and with people capable of extreme multitasking. (Had to put that in for the lawyers)
Yesterday I (based on my laptop's history) visited 133 separate domains and on some multiple pages. Most of this was in background research on sermons in Mark, and in particular on a Jewish group in the time of Jesus called the Sadducees, on Jewish understandings of the afterlife, on rabbinical disputes of the period, and on heaven in general. Some of the sites were bible.org, walkwiththerabbi.com, scripturetext.com, Itanakh.org, biblegateway.com, ministryexchange.com. A rough estimate would be 200 pages since some I skimmed and some I read completely. I read, both for personal enjoyment, personal growth, and for research on upcoming sermons and teaching, approximately 425 pages of text in books ranging from the historical nonfiction book 1776 (highly recommended BTW), To Be A Jew, commentaries on Mark (probably 4 or 5), Zondervan's Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Life In Bible Times, Jesus and His Disciples, the biography of Vance Havner, one of my favorite preachers, and Mark, Philippians and Galatians in the Bible.
When I was between books and the computer yesterday, I watched about an hour of TV, ranging from ESPN Sportscenter, the reality show Rockstar Supernova (last 20 minutes), and a snippet of the news. Part of the evening saw me catching up on world events through the blogs I read each day - about 20, and checking email. Since I moderate a local yahoo group that works on keeping stuff out of landfills by giving it away, I'll sometimes have a few of those to reply to. Then there's the Great Dane emails, the emails from pastor friends, to and from church folks, and all totalled maybe a 100 go through everyday. I try to check and answer in regular intervals, but not sit and wait for the next one. I wrote about ten pages of notes, and reread 60 or so more I had made previous to yesterday.
Uh huh... like drinking from a fire hose.
Did I learn? Oh yeah - ask me anything about the Sadduccees, first century politics, Jesus' use of logic and rhetoric, Henry Knox's role in the New York campaign during 1776, or what Tommy Lee's hair looked like during last night's program.
But here's the point.
I cannot honestly say that the majority of what I read, looked at or listened to brought me more in conformity to the likeness of God's Son - Jesus. It helped me get ready to help other people, and it provided me with information, education, and some enjoyment. But it didn't give me a sense of intimacy with Christ that had the potential of changing my actions. But something did.
What would I point to? This passage of Scripture that I read solely for the purpose of meeting with Jesus yesterday. No agenda, no sermon-seeking. I read Philippians because I want to be Jesus' disciple like Paul was.
"So that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him."
That's what thrilled me yesterday.
To think of my Lord and Savior allowing me, a sinner so easily distracted, drawn away, and so prone to failure to embrace Him in His holiness...
... and to feel His arms close tightly around me.
At that moment, just as it did again when I typed these words, everything slowed down. Just me, and Jesus.
Try it. Read His Word.
Not to make it through the Bible in a year, not to finish your Bible Study, but just to find, through His incredible Holy Spirit - A Glimpse of New Hope - in Jesus.
Grace!
David
Our friend Allan was with us Wednesday night at supper, and he brought a new friend with him - a doll that when you squeezed his hand - talked. I never did hear what the doll said, because Allan had it glued to his ear most all the time. He was laughing at whatever it said though. Yesterday when I tried to get him to tell me what the doll said, he was speaking so quickly that my ears and brain couldn't keep up. "Slow down, Allan. Speak slower", I asked, but he just kept on.
Trying to grasp what he was saying made me think about how much we miss as we rush through our lives. You're reading this on the Internet, one of the greatest blessings we've received. But the sheer volume of information and our efforts to grasp it don't always seem to coincide. With the net, TV, radio, books, newspapers, mail, and personal interaction, we are inundated with words and images, and in as much danger of drowning as a toddler on his or her first visit to the ocean. It's a rude awakening when you step back and look at the volume we try to comprehend.
Let's take yours truly for example. Your mileage may vary, don't try this at home, slightly higher west of the Rockies, and with people capable of extreme multitasking. (Had to put that in for the lawyers)
Yesterday I (based on my laptop's history) visited 133 separate domains and on some multiple pages. Most of this was in background research on sermons in Mark, and in particular on a Jewish group in the time of Jesus called the Sadducees, on Jewish understandings of the afterlife, on rabbinical disputes of the period, and on heaven in general. Some of the sites were bible.org, walkwiththerabbi.com, scripturetext.com, Itanakh.org, biblegateway.com, ministryexchange.com. A rough estimate would be 200 pages since some I skimmed and some I read completely. I read, both for personal enjoyment, personal growth, and for research on upcoming sermons and teaching, approximately 425 pages of text in books ranging from the historical nonfiction book 1776 (highly recommended BTW), To Be A Jew, commentaries on Mark (probably 4 or 5), Zondervan's Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Life In Bible Times, Jesus and His Disciples, the biography of Vance Havner, one of my favorite preachers, and Mark, Philippians and Galatians in the Bible.
When I was between books and the computer yesterday, I watched about an hour of TV, ranging from ESPN Sportscenter, the reality show Rockstar Supernova (last 20 minutes), and a snippet of the news. Part of the evening saw me catching up on world events through the blogs I read each day - about 20, and checking email. Since I moderate a local yahoo group that works on keeping stuff out of landfills by giving it away, I'll sometimes have a few of those to reply to. Then there's the Great Dane emails, the emails from pastor friends, to and from church folks, and all totalled maybe a 100 go through everyday. I try to check and answer in regular intervals, but not sit and wait for the next one. I wrote about ten pages of notes, and reread 60 or so more I had made previous to yesterday.
Uh huh... like drinking from a fire hose.
Did I learn? Oh yeah - ask me anything about the Sadduccees, first century politics, Jesus' use of logic and rhetoric, Henry Knox's role in the New York campaign during 1776, or what Tommy Lee's hair looked like during last night's program.
But here's the point.
I cannot honestly say that the majority of what I read, looked at or listened to brought me more in conformity to the likeness of God's Son - Jesus. It helped me get ready to help other people, and it provided me with information, education, and some enjoyment. But it didn't give me a sense of intimacy with Christ that had the potential of changing my actions. But something did.
What would I point to? This passage of Scripture that I read solely for the purpose of meeting with Jesus yesterday. No agenda, no sermon-seeking. I read Philippians because I want to be Jesus' disciple like Paul was.
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.
10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. The Message Phil. 3"So that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him."
That's what thrilled me yesterday.
To think of my Lord and Savior allowing me, a sinner so easily distracted, drawn away, and so prone to failure to embrace Him in His holiness...
... and to feel His arms close tightly around me.
At that moment, just as it did again when I typed these words, everything slowed down. Just me, and Jesus.
Try it. Read His Word.
Not to make it through the Bible in a year, not to finish your Bible Study, but just to find, through His incredible Holy Spirit - A Glimpse of New Hope - in Jesus.
Grace!
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.livejourna
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
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