1 John 1:8-10

"If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God."

I'm not sure if I ever deny that I screw up... but there are times I ignore it. I somehow think if I pretend I didn't mess up then it didn't happen. I think it might keep me from feeling shame. In actuality, the shame comes from carrying around the burden of sin in my life that God purposely designed Jesus to carry on the cross. He longs to take it off me, so why should I keep pretending it's not there?

God's voice gets lost in my refusal to let go of pain and give it to Him.

On a connecting note... I can't stand when people get bored with the cross. As if saying, "Yeah, yeah, I get it... but what else is there?" Don't get me wrong, I love learning about the depths of God, but I'll never leave the feet of the cross.

Old Pictures

There are subtle truths about pictures... you never look the same as you remember. Whenever I take pictures I tend to think I look weird. However, if a year or two goes by, I always look back and go, "Wow, that wasn't so bad." This is either a sign that I am getting uglier or that sometimes you need to step away from the memory to appreciate it.

So a word to the wise... Find ways to preserve memories, because they remind us of where we have been... and where we've been determines the fate of where we are headed.

Caving In

I realized in my attempt to save money by not having the internet at home, I managed to ignore writing my blog. I caved in and now have internet, so my writings should be a little more consistent.

My thoughts for the day come from a quote I found in my Grandfather's old photo album:
"Handle the hardest job first each day... easy ones are pleasures."

There's something to say about the weight of the larger challenges in life. If we manage to tackle whatever dark cloud is hanging over us, everything else seems easy, and possibly enjoyable.

Projects

A few months ago we bought our first home in Charleston, South Carolina. When we moved in I immediately noticed a few projects I wanted to get working on. The more projects we take on the more ideas pop inside my head. What is it about a project that can focus our mind?

I think projects get us excited because we see progress and the end result. There's a start, a finish, and a time to appreciate what we've accomplished.

What makes our walk with God so difficult is that it has all the characteristics of a real relationship. In relationships there is a start, but there never seems to be a finish. If there is a finish, it involves a breaking of that relationship. Since we never intend to break our relationship with God, we are never done.

That's a hard thought. I mean, it's nice to know God's never done with us, because He knows how much work we need. But it's hard work knowing that everyday we need to put in time with God, no matter what kind of mood we're in, so that we can keep pressing forward.

Paul talks about running a race (1 Corinthians 9). I can only imagine the finish line is when we die and are brought to heaven. I guess that makes sense, but if that's the case, this is one long marathon.

So what's my point?

My point today is simple... run the race like it's a marathon. Don't get burned out or lose hope. Too often it seems people fail to understand that in a marathon it is not the person who flies out of the gate ahead of everyone else who wins (or even finishes), but the people who know how to pace themselves. In addition, marathon runners often stick together, because everyone needs other people to help them keep their own pace.

We aren't followers of Christ for a season, for a few years, or while our children are growing up and need "moral fiber". We follow Christ until we take our last breath, whenever that may be. Only then can we look back upon our finished work and appreciate all God has done with us.

Wes

People

Sometimes people can distract us from, well, everything. Even in the "normal" rhythm of life, other people's problems can somehow infect us, no matter how strong the barrier we put up. What's even worse is when two people, having equally frustrating days, collide to create a cataclysmic social problem. Sometimes we're one of those people, sometimes we're not. Either way, humanity is so incredibly flawed and messed up, that I wonder how we function together at all. We all have egocentric, self-filling motives in this life, mixed in with a little bit of grace. Sometimes we manage to get out of the way long enough for God to work, so it is only a further testament to his compassion and mercy that he is able to use us in a world where we can't seem to stop stumbling over our own two feet.

I sound frustrated because I am frustrated. What's funny is I have no direct target, except us. Oh, I'm in the middle of that boat as well... Sometimes I feel like the captain of stupidity leading it.

How can WE get out of the way? Seriously. God wants so badly to show up in our world, to pull us out of the mess we have made, but we're too busy telling Him, "Just hold a minute," while we worry about things that don't matter.

This past 10 days or so have been a reminder of that.

Why do we do the things we do?

Why do we wake up in the morning?

What are we living for?

Rhythm

Our faith is living, active, and restless. It reminds me of music... and I love music. God only knows who I would be without the feel of six strings in my hand or the release of my voice in song. But music only works when everything arrives together in unison. There has to be a constant; something that everything else looks to for rhythm. In a band, it's the drummer. In an orchestra, it's the conductor. In our faith it's the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit beats inside of us with a deep, slow, rhythm, guiding the wayward parts of our heart back in sync with the movement he longs for us to follow. When we submit our hearts to the Holy Spirit we grow in our knowledge of the power God has put inside us all to rise above the pit of despair we often believe we deserve to live in. That power, when engaged, reveals the world as God sees it, propelling us beyond the view of the world we often get trapped in.

We must intentionally recognize that the Holy Spirit is active inside of us. We must feed it with prayer, the reading of God's Word, and with spiritual disciplines that strip away everything else that hides God's voice.

Simple

Technology is such a bitter-sweet thing. Without it my wife (and maybe daughter) would not be alive... so right there it has its uses. And the microwave? Enough said. Still there are moments when I am overwhelmed by it all. I'll be on my computer, watching television, music in the background, and wonder why it's hard to communicate to my wife.

Sometimes I wish it were all gone. I don't really mean it, but I do wish it were limited. When I'm forced to be without a computer and television, my appreciation for music skyrockets... and because music makes me think, my relationship with God opens up some more. My relationships with people also seem to improve.

I guess what I'm really wondering is other than the necessities (medical, military, etc.), has it improved our lives? If the measure of improvement was either happiness OR our relationship with God, then I'm willing to say... no. It hasn't improved anything. Yes, people can be reached around the world in ways we never could dream, and that is tribute to those who use technology well. Still, most of us become so congested with it, that I don't understand its value.

I encourage people I mentor to practice solitude. I encourage people to turn off their cell phones when they can, turn off their iPods, and be without it all for a time. Silence has become far too scary, our need to be in immediate connection an unnecessary addiction, and lost in it all is knowing who we are stripped down to the core.

Go live in a foreign country without those things and you will know exactly what I mean... and you'd probably thank me for it.