Anyone who know’s me well know’s that I am proud of my southern heritage. Growing up in rural GA my favorite tv shows were things like “Dukes of Hazzard” or “Hee Haw” One thing you tend to hear a lot about in the south is a varied telling of “The War Between the States” (that would be “The Cival War” for all you yankee’s 🙂 ) I was watching a “Band of Brothers” marathon on the History channel and they began advertising a special that should play Sunday evening about General Sherman’s march to Savannah. I said something to my Daddy about that is a dangerous subject around here. See if you aren’t from the south you don’t fully understand the level of resintment that pervaids the south about “The War” (Yes, there are still people who refer to it this way. ) Now, I have come to the point of I have my views on all this (and this surely isn’t the forum for that discussion), but it was 150 years ago, get over it. (Please be aware that statement could get me shot. 🙂 )
This morning I was sitting in what I consider my “home” church. Cornerstone Church is the church where I really started giving God more control in my life. I have been there since 1994 and have seen a lot of change go through the church. As I was there I began thinking about how it just isn’t the same church (even since I moved to Indiana 2 years ago) and while this isn’t a bad thing, I began wishing things were like they used to be. I wished that God would move in the assembly like he used to. Then I began thinking, “Wait a minute, how many times did God do things the same way more than once. He spoke to his people in so many ways, a talking donkey, a burning bush, in the belly of a whale, and the list could go on. Look at Jesus’ mircles, one time he spat on the ground and made mud and rubbed it onto some dude’s eyes, then he would just tell someone to get up and walk, or I remember some story about someone who couldn’t walk and he forgave their sin’s and told them to walk.
I started wondering how many times I’ve missed what God is saying or doing by wishing something was like it used to be. While at Cornerstone, I made some pretty deep relationship. We were a group of people who really had little else in common other than a love for Jesus and the fact that we went to the same church. God began calling us to different parts of the country roughly around the same time. How many relationships have I missed because I’ve been sulking because those relationships are as accessable as they once were. Or how many times have I missed something great because I’ve yet to give up a hurt.
How many times in the Church have we missed what God is doing because he’s never done that here before, or because we are still holding on to the love of a former pastor. Maybe someone wronged us in the past and we are still angry. I want to relate it to someone who misses out on a great love because they can’t let go of that old girlfriend (or boyfriend) who has long since moved on.
BE HERE AND NOW!!! BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE I AM. This is what I felt like God was saying. So when I’m 3 months into the trip and missing everything that is “normal” Stay focused on the here and now. I began thinking of a quote, I’m not sure is this is original but there is a speaker named Adrian Depres who I once heard say, ” Where ever you are, be all there!”
