Searching for Strength

Not having any fun...

As I was looking at my calendar last Sunday, I thought this week was going to be fairly normal.  I had completed most of the planning for a few of the bigger events coming up, and my schedule looked fairly open.  However, by Tuesday I could tell it was going to be another busy week. J Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem...  In fact, it would be a surprise if things didn’t come up.  The real problem arose when my 5 month old baby came down with a virus.  It’s always miserable watching a child fight an illness, but I kept hoping things would get better.  Eventually, we took him to the urgent care, then back to his doctor, then nebulizer treatments, then steroids, and then who knows what else.  I hate being in a place where I am unable to fix anything.  It seems like no matter what we try, we still have a very unhappy baby! 

In the midst of all of this, I was reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians: 

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Some days we feel blessed.  Other days we let fear, imperfection, and failure win.  However, the Bible tells us not to get lost in these feelings.  The Love of Christ will always be with us.  Are we remembering to share what truly matters?  Are we remembering to listen to God’s Love? 

  

Personally, I love having control.  I love to fix problems as they arise, and I love to feel like I have made a difference.  However, there are moments in life when we don’t have control.  Our health falls apart, money slips away, and babies get sick… We don’t get to control these things.  Instead the Bible tells us to believe that Christ is with us.  We are told to have faith that God is working, even if life isn’t... 

Today, I know that I don’t have control, but I do believe God is working.  I may be imperfect, but I can still love... and I can still hold that sick baby.  In many ways, there is nothing greater we can offer than love!

Blessings!

Brian

Love! Chaos! And Disneyland!

This has been a very busy season!  After Advent, Christmas, and a quick trip at the end of the year to build a house in Mexico, it almost seems strange to have things calm down a bit.  Last week, my family and I had a chance to go on a quick vacation to Southern California.  We saw some friends, went to the beach, and we took our kids to the magical land of the mouse for a day. J We had never been to Disneyland as a family before, and our 3 year old could not contain his excitement!

Ready for Adventure!

Just preparing to go to Disney was a process!  (I felt like I was gearing up for a winter expedition on Everest or something…) We knew it was going to rain all day, so we brought rain jackets, ponchos, sweaters, and we zip locked all our electronics.  We had spare clothes, a double stroller, waterproof boots, and enough food and snacks to feed an army… I think we knew we were bringing way too much, but with the price of the tickets we didn’t want to take any chances! 

Our 3 year old was amazed at the whole experience!  He couldn’t stop running from one place to another, and on the way to our very first ride, he ran himself straight into a metal pole!  (I guess next time we should remember to add helmets to our list of Disney gear…) We didn’t notice how bad it was until we got onto “A Small World After All,” and we saw blood dripping down his face!

If you look close you can see the gash on his
left eyebrow... :)

After we made it to the nurse’s station, we had to laugh.  There is no way to prepare for everything!  His first ride on “A Small World,” and he comes out looking like a bloody mess!  We did wind up having a great day.  However, it was interesting to note as we look back on this trip, and the busy season that preceded it, the greatest memories were formed from the people we met and the love we shared.  Yes, there were moments of unpredictability and chaos, but if we are taking time to love each other, I believe we are opening our eyes to God’s Kingdom.

You never know when chaos will show up!

As we look back at our lives, we can always choose to see chaos.  We can find things that didn’t work out right.  However we can also choose to see the miracles and blessings that took place.  We have a choice not to be defined by the chaos.  We can choose love.  Today I hope you take step back from the business of your life, and I hope you can take some time to appreciate the love that surrounds you. 

Blessings!

Brian

It's that season!

Earlier this week, my son and I were in the front yard talking with the neighbors.  After a while, they asked if we wanted to come inside and take a look at their Christmas decorations.  Now personally, I can hardly believe it’s November, and I really hadn’t thought about decorations.  However, when we walked into their home, it felt like Christmas!  Their house made me feel like I was walking into a winter wonderland! 

After we walked away, my little boy couldn’t stop asking if we could put up our decorations… He was enlivened by the whole experience… jumping up and down, talking a mile a minute, and running ahead to tell mommy about everything. 

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is really an incredible thing.  There are far too many times in my life when I think I’ve seen everything.  It is wonderful to experience a different perspective of joy.  Compared to our neighbors, our decorations are pretty mangled.  The tree, the wreaths, and all the lights had been shoved into odd corners of the garage, but they still filled us with joy!  Everyday our child lights up in a new way, and I am so thankful I get to experience it!

I think we all need to take time to experience the world through the eyes of a child.  I hope you can all take a little time this week to really cherish the season and the meaning behind it all.  I pray you could all see the blessings before you!

Peace!

Brian

Remembering Veteran's Day

Ten years ago I spent the summer as an Intern Chaplin in the Veterans Hospital in Minneapolis MN.  I was only there for a short period of time, but I look back on those moments as some of my most transformative in my entire life.  It was the first time that I sat with a family as their loved one passed away.  It was the first time I saw people broken by pain... whether that pain was physical, mental, or spiritual.  It was also one of the first times that individuals looked to me as a spiritual leader.  There were people who shared some of their deepest vulnerabilities and moments of loss with me.  In so many ways, I was not ready for all of this, but I felt blessed that God was working anyway.

I learned a lot from each one of those veterans.  In fact, I’m sure I grew much more from them than the other way around.  They were generous, patient, and I received an incredible amount of love that still affects me today. 

Every year, as we remember Veteran’s Day, I think about my time at the VA.  My entire experience there was powerful, but more than anything else, I keep coming back to all the conversations I was blessed to have.  I was called to be present through joys and sorrows, and there was really something sacred about that.  This week, I am so grateful for the service of every veteran, and I hope and pray we can all spend some time cherishing the freedom, the people, and the love we have in our lives.

Blessings!

Brian

Hope and Halloween

What do you love about the holidays?  Is it the people, the atmosphere, the energy, the food? What really draws you in?  Personally, I don’t think there is just one thing.  It’s a combination.  When people come together in hope, wonderful things happen.  The holidays offer a magnificent opportunity to see this. 

However, I am guilty of becoming kind of judgmental about holidays like Halloween.  You see, I am one of those crazy parents who spends way too much time worrying if my kid is eating too much candy.  (I am probably giving my child a complex by trying to ration everything… and I know I’m giving myself one!)  I also think I’m just kind of a scaredy cat, and I don’t like creepy nature of the all costumes and decorations!  J

The Super heroes in our house!

Whatever the reason, I was putting a lot of stress into how my 3 year old was going to celebrate Halloween.  In the end, I decided if people were coming together in hope, I didn’t want to stand in the way of that.  It’s fun to dress up, laugh, and eat too much candy!  However, my favorite part of the night was watching my 3 year old get super excited when trick or treaters came to our door.  He couldn’t wait to hand out candy! (He even wanted to give them the candy from his own bucket!)  We literally had to hold him back from walking all the way down the street to give away candy!  It was a beautiful moment to share… (Next year the candy complex will probably have set in and he will hoard it all, but this year was fun!) We found some really special time together as a family, and I was reminded of all the surprising ways that hope can show up.

Happy Halloween everybody!

I pray that all of you can find hope this season!  May you know God’s Blessings and receive God’s Grace!

Peace!

Brian

Fear or Love?

How much does fear control you? 

This can be an easy question to dismiss if everything is going well, but it can be a very dark question if we are really honest with ourselves.  

There is a psychological condition sometimes called “Steve Blass Disease.”  This disorder is named after a baseball player who was physically at the top of his game.  He had just been named an all-star and everything seemed to be going great… until his mind started playing tricks on him.  He started throwing wild pitches, and he eventually lost the ability to play.  It fascinated people, because there was nothing materially wrong with him.  He simply started to doubt that he could pitch anymore… and his doubt became reality.  Over the years, a number of different people, coming from very different walks of life, have been documented with something very similar.  Personally, I know I am victim to this fear as well… I will trip myself up on the simplest tasks and the more I think about it, the more I seem to fall apart. 

Watching someone with talent self-destruct is painful to watch....

This is a pitcher named Rick Ankiel in the year 2000

Fear can be our worst enemy.  It obsesses over our imperfections and failures, and it is blind to the opportunities around us.  In our scripture passage today, Jesus will encounter a man whose fear is controlling him.  He is worrying about everything he needs to do, and he misses out on Christ’s lesson that the Kingdom of God has already been freely given to us.

How many times do our fears, worries, and doubts prevent us from witnessing God’s blessings?  Today, my prayer for all of us is to purposefully let go of fear and take a moment to breathe in the blessings around us.  Some days this might be easy, other days this may be very hard.  However, Christ is offering the Kingdom of God every day.  I hope we can open our eyes and see it!

Blessings!

Brian

Relationships

Who are the most important people in your life?  What makes these people important?  What makes a relationship valuable?  What makes a relationship destructive?

These are all questions that our scripture text is dealing with this week.  The Bible reminds us that our bonds with other people are difficult, and it takes a considerable amount of work to allow them to flourish…

I remember several years ago, when I had a different job, I had a boss that I really struggled with.  If I said one thing, it seemed like he would always take the opposite point of view.  I remember I had a co-worker who couldn’t take it.  She quit within the first month.  It was a stressful time.  I decided I did not want to leave the job, and although the problems never went away, I did notice that something was happening.  My boss did have real gifts and knowledge that he was willing to pass along… (If I was willing to open my heart to it.)  There were also times I royally messed up, and to my astonishment, he offered me a significant amount of grace.  He allowed me to be honest, and for that I’m grateful.  It wasn’t perfect, but I learned a lot from this man, and I learned a lot about who I was from these moments.  I am so thankful I didn’t give up when it was hard.  Instead, it was the struggle that made this relationship so valuable…

I wonder if there are any relationships you have that came effortlessly.  In my life, effort brings meaning.  I hope we all can consider how our relationships are causing us to grow.  Where are they leading you?  What are they teaching you about sacrifice?  How are they offering you new life?

Blessings!

PB