Before you head off into this last weekend of August, here are three things that I have read and been thinking about his week. Hope they are as helpful and challenging to you as they have been for me. Have a great weekend!
#1
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator. But among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
W. H. Auden
People who not only make me laugh but that I can laugh with and alongside is my common denominator. Laughter is, in my opinion, a God given balm for life and an accelerator for happiness and joy. Laughter tears down walls and can build bridges. Edwin Friedman in his book A Failure of Nerve suggests that any organization (family, church, etc) which cannot laugh together has allowed anxiety to take over and fear to win out. Laughter, like gratitude, can be a barometer for the health of relationships.
#2
Are you more devoted to the idea of what Jesus wants than to (Jesus) himself?
My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers
I have been reading Chambers preparing to begin writing devotions for 2024 and he hits the nail squarely for me most days. The above quote has been one of several I’ve been wrestling with this week. It is easy for pastors, and everyone else for that matter, to get so busy doing the “work” that we forget the relationship. We can be more excited about the mission than the mission-giver. Sitting quietly in his presence. Waiting patiently for his word. Persevering in the silence. These are all signs for me that I am desiring Jesus more than what Jesus can do for me.
#3
What is God’s vocation on my life, there are really two critical questions. The first: Who am I? And the second: Am I willing to live in humble acceptance of the call of God?
Courage and Calling by Gordon T. Smith
Humble acceptance. What if God needs us to toil in obscurity, to give without thanks, or to plant without seeing harvest? What if God’s desire and our great need is to become less so that he can become more not only in our life but in the lives of those around us?
todd nelson 