when i feel like Noah...

at Terra Nova this year, i had the opportunity to speak about one of my favorite characters of the Bible...Noah.

when i think of Noah, many times my mind doesn't go to the rainbow, the rain, or the flood. my mind goes to how must he have felt for 120 years as he built a boat. i think my favorite part of the whole story is found in Genesis 6:8-9, where Noah is described

BUT Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a RIGHTEOUS MAN, BLAMELESS among the people of his time, and he WALKED WITH GOD.

Without a whole lot of back story on this, Noah was the ONE person on the earth who hadn't given in to temptation and the evils of the world. THE ONLY ONE! i find myself teetering on the wrong side of that line many times. i find myself wanting to be a light in a dark place but looking around to see if it's truly dark yet. i want to be salt but wonder at times if i have lost my saltiness.

the greatest part about this story is knowing that even when i feel like i am truly the only person with a certain belief or conviction or the only one who doesn't agree with what the supposed Christian leader of the day says, i know that the Holy Spirit is there to prod me along and to remind me of the very presence of God in my LIFE.

One key part to this story is found in verse 22:

Noah did EVERYTHING God commanded him.

which meant building a boat when everyone else played. it meant succumbing to the stares and laughs of the others in his city. can you imagine how he felt pulling into the home depot for yet ANOTHER load of gopher wood? what about his wife? do you think the women at the local starbucks didn't snicker when she walked in?

i think Noah was considered crazy by many, stupid by others, and odd by most. in the end though, it didn't matter what the others thought because God was watching him the whole time. God was watching an ordinary man do something extraordinary. God was watching His man do what he was told to do.

oh God that i would be willing to build a boat in my backyard if you called me to!

new year...new job...new ???

so the new year rolled around and i found myself in the midst of doing something i totally love. i was at Terra Nova with my wife, 2 of my boys, and some of the best friends a guy could have. after the customary loud music, confetti drop, balloon pop, and general all around good time, we began the task of cleaning up.

funny how that seems like LIFE a lot. many times i find that in the times of loud, boisterous, crazy activity, the realization is that things are going to have to return to how they once were. while we were cleaning the room of confetti and other craziness at Christ Church, i thought more than once, "this will NEVER get back the way it was." the reality was however, the room eventually was cleaned (as were all of the 40+ rooms we used there) and put back into as good as new shape (and a few rooms were made to look better than they did before we arrived).

as i cleaned up, i realized that i have a tendency to live for the big moments. i LOVE the big event, the stage time, and the loud moments of celebration...many of us do. i however tend to look at the regular LIFE i live as constantly needing a change. i believe with all of my heart that my LIFE MUST change, but it can't always be the biggest and loudest on the block. i am beginning to realize sometimes God uses the everyday to prepare me for the big event.

i realize now that Christ Church would have been more than a little upset if we would have chosen to simply take our stuff and go. if we would have left our mess for someone else to clean up would have been easier--most definitely--but it also would have shown others how little we care...and i know we care a LOT about others.

so back to the clean-up. my LIFE is just like that. i need occasional times of reflection and a chance to really "think" about what's going on in LIFE. i need to come face to face with the reality that i need to put things back in order at times. it's great to have a gathering, celebration, or full-on party, but i still need to find a solid center point to which i can anchor.

the last three years have been more "free flow" than anything else. i have had a couple of jobs and even been able to grow myLIFEspeaks to something i am very proud of. now, i get to invest in people's lives on a regular basis, and see LIFE change happen...in a different setting--corporate. i'm looking forward to it, so we'll see what happens...

i love and believe in the myLIFEspeaks message with everything and God is allowing me to meet people who believe in it as well. i'm praying that God will continue to show me how my LIFE is supposed to look in the days to come. one thing is certain...keep Him as that strong center point, and don't run from the clean-up.

blessings