A lot Can Happen in Three Weeks

My last blog was 19 days ago...since then I've:

--been to Minneapolis twice (880 mile round trip, once in the Camaro, once in the Subaru)
--led 7 Bible studies, preached three times
--taught 35 7-8th Grade youth confirmation 3 times
--mowed my grass
--watched the Vikings lose 2 games, and win 1
--gave my lunch money to a homeless man
--become even more addicted to the show "Fast 'N Loud"
--had three good meals, and untold number of bacon and tomato sandwiches
--seen my two daughters each celebrate a birthday (granted the youngest was via Facebook)

When you put that in a list, that seems like a lot. But it didn't seem too bad when I was doing it. Why is that?
Why can we be fine doing a lot things without seemingly to have any rhyme or reason to the things we do? What do you see when you look at that list? Do you see the Camaro?  Good choice.

Do you see Minneapolis?  A nice place to visit. (having lived there for 31 of my 50 years, I just like to visit these days.)

Maybe you thought of this:  You know who you are...

For me, when I look at that list, it's a bunch of faces and people. I remember my daughters; the colleague I had a meeting with, (Dr. Dan Anderson, a great missiologist); the woman whose face was the poster for what a jalapeno does to your tongue; my wife, Chris Alexander, who makes watching these guys so fun  (One of the greatest gifts I've received from my marriage is that I have someone to watch TV with, and my wife is the best at making fun of all the stupid stuff I watch. Like "Fast 'N Loud. Her specialty is Vikings football.) The people at worship, at Bible studies, the kids in my Confirmation group...that's what I see when I look at that list.

I think that's why it doesn't seem so bad or busy when I'm doing all that stuff. I do that stuff with people, and for people, and to help people...except the Vikings. That seems to me what God wants us to be about.

You know, as far as we know, Jesus never had a job. According to most stories, all he did was mooch meals off folks, talk a lot, pray a little, and every now and then heal someone. But he doesn't seem to ever have gotten paid anything. The man all Christians claim is the most important man in the history of the world just hung out with people, doing whatever he needed to do. My question is: for those of us who think He was so important, why don't we just hang out with our friends? If that's what you do--great. But if you don't do that--why--exactly--do you think He's important?

For me, he showed me what's important in all the things I do--it's the people I am with when I do them.

May your tables be full, and your conversations be true.