Its summertime and I love going barefoot. The grass underfoot is God's carpet. Even the scorching heat of a blacktop road is a summertime kiss to the soles of my feet. A quick dash to the water hose and they cool instantly...only to do a quick tap dance in the puddles for a summer mud bath.
When fall comes to town I will reluctantly pull on socks and shoes. And for those first few weeks of autumn, my shoes are a bit tight. You see, my feet had all summer with no boundaries--no socks, no laces, no rigid sole to keep my feet contained. The bones and tissue have to be pulled back into place to fit into the constraints of shoes.
In Exodus, there is another man who went barefoot. His livelihood depended on his feet. He was a shepherd in the rocky regions of the Middle East. He had to protect his feet with thick sandals because his walk was through an arid, rocky wilderness.
One day he saw a light on a hillside. When he walked closer, he noticed it was a bush on fire. What was different is that the bush did not burn up. It continued to be engulfed in flames. It was mesmerizing. As he drew near a voice came from the bush that burned and called him by name. Can you imagine? Out in the middle of nowhere and a bush knows a man's name.
He walks closer, saying "Here I am Lord."
Then the voice said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)
This ended up being a pivotal point in the life of Moses. It was his call to action, but first he had to go barefoot. You see it was God who was speaking to him from that bush that didn't burn up. And for a mere man to be in the presence of God, it was considered holy ground. He had to remove his shoes, because they had been everywhere. Probably had some sheep stuff stuck to the bottom, or a bug he had squished earlier in the day. It was a sign of reverence to remove your sandals.
So what am I getting at? Well lately I feel like my spiritual shoes are too tight. I've been enjoying a new Bible study, getting fired up by my pastor's sermons, waking up with worship music in my head and just enjoying the glow from a fire that does not consume me. I'm on holy ground and I don't want to put my shoes back on.
So where does a Christian go from here? Do I purchase a bigger size in shoes? Or do I stay barefoot? For now, until God tells me what I need to do, I'll enjoy this summertime of my soul. Won't you join me? Kick off your shoes dear reader; join me as we walk on holy ground.
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" Romans 10:15
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
McCommunity
I had a friend forward an article to me from Harvard Business Publishing. It was a blog about "The Generation M Manifesto". I read it and could hear the verse, "deep calls to deep". (Psalm 42:7) Could it be that people are finally getting tired of fast food, fast relationships and fast living?
The writer says that Generation M stands for "movement" or "...mostly about a growing number of people who are acting very differently. They are doing meaningful stuff that matters the most."
Could it be that people are tired of what the world has to offer and want something more? Something deeper? Something with purpose?
How prepared are you when you cross paths with that person looking for something more? People are begging for community. No wonder there is a myspace/facebook/twitter phenomenon. But then that's just a counterfeit of true community. It's a shadow of what they really desire.
Who remembers the small town mindset where you knew when your neighbor was hitting hard times--and you did something to help without thinking twice? Who remembers when the family rolled up their sleeves and dug in when an illness struck? Or a wayward child is called back into the fold by unconditional love of relatives and friends?
Where can so many disconnected people find that community or family structure? This is one of the reasons for church. It is not a building, but a structure of hearts that hold each other up, encourage, repair a roof, cook a meal or just meet for coffee in the afternoon. It is a place where people are "doing meaningful stuff that matters the most".
If you are starved for that human tie that binds, check out your local churches. There is one just right that will introduce you to the One who created that longing in your heart.
There is a reason for that echo in your soul, He is calling across the universe and it can shake you to your core.
Beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians 3:14-17
The writer says that Generation M stands for "movement" or "...mostly about a growing number of people who are acting very differently. They are doing meaningful stuff that matters the most."
Could it be that people are tired of what the world has to offer and want something more? Something deeper? Something with purpose?
How prepared are you when you cross paths with that person looking for something more? People are begging for community. No wonder there is a myspace/facebook/twitter phenomenon. But then that's just a counterfeit of true community. It's a shadow of what they really desire.
Who remembers the small town mindset where you knew when your neighbor was hitting hard times--and you did something to help without thinking twice? Who remembers when the family rolled up their sleeves and dug in when an illness struck? Or a wayward child is called back into the fold by unconditional love of relatives and friends?
Where can so many disconnected people find that community or family structure? This is one of the reasons for church. It is not a building, but a structure of hearts that hold each other up, encourage, repair a roof, cook a meal or just meet for coffee in the afternoon. It is a place where people are "doing meaningful stuff that matters the most".
If you are starved for that human tie that binds, check out your local churches. There is one just right that will introduce you to the One who created that longing in your heart.
There is a reason for that echo in your soul, He is calling across the universe and it can shake you to your core.
Beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians 3:14-17
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
