Moments

A moment.  What makes a moment memorable?  Is it the sound of a voice or the words that are said?  Or is it perhaps, the feeling of belonging, that makes a moment?  The deep feeling that you are meant to discover this moment and share it with whomever you're with?  Whatever it is that composes a moment, it changes us.  It makes us or breaks us, it expands our horizons, and our hearts are somehow different.  People change over time because life is not just a continuous rat race, it is a series of snapshots; a series of moments that melt and reshape our very being.  When you live as though life never ceases, slows down, or you forget to capture the moment, life is a sad thing and you are to be pitied.  This world is not meant to go faster and faster in a whirlwind of busyness; even Jesus took time to spend with the children and a lone woman at a well.  He understood that those moments were precious, that those moments changed the lives of others.  You and I, we change the lives of others, both knowingly and unknowingly.  So let's make sure that those special times spent where we create a still-life, even just for a second, let's make those times matter.  Situations are merely ways in which we are able to draw closer to our Lord and learn to praise Him in both the times of growth and the times of drought.  Enjoy the good moments as well as the bad, because you'll never know all that you're missing until you enjoy where you are, in this instant.  This very second is to be forever petrified in a memory; don't miss out on the chance to delight in a moment. 

Home

Home is feet running to meet you

The sparkle of a child’s eye

A moment of bliss

Home is the innocent laughter

The precious tears

A memory of a night

Home is a word whispered in your ear

The little hands to hold

A dance seen by the King

Home is the reckless abandon

The stillness of sleep

A song unknown to the world

Home is muddled confusion

The emergencies of life

A need for patience

Home is a tall tree

The sharp blade of green

A hope in the dark

Home is a gift undeserved

The heartbeat of an age

A second chance

Home is a glowing warmth

The unending forgiveness

A Sovereign love

Home is rags in a stable

The cry of my Messiah

A Light for this world

Home is the precious Savior

The Son on a cross of wood

A lifetime of sin crucified

Home is so simple

The touch of grace

A heart thawed once again

Home is a soul at rest

The joyful thought of Heaven

A place to spend eternity

Home is with You

The one place I belong

A perfect ending

Ah, the pains of growing up...

                Little children look so happy and bouncy all of the time.  Even after a long day at school or playing outside, they still never seem to lose that little spark that makes them incredibly joyful.  What have we done as we've gotten older that's made us into the sad and lifeless beings that we've become?  We're supposed to be simple like the children and yet there's something that comes into our hearts and weighs us down so that we don't have that privilege.  We're never as teachable as children, we're never as trusting, never as loving.  There's something in the mentality of a child that we tend to lose somewhere in the realm of becoming an adult.  Or maybe instead of losing something, we just gain too much.  We gain the hurt of being screwed over too many times by those we've trusted, we gain sorrow from the deaths of those we love, we gain the burden of being independent.  Maybe we don't lose our innocence or our faith in others, maybe we just bury it deep and it becomes so intertwined with the heaviness of our decisions that we don't even notice it still exists.  It's quite possible that the things we seem to have "lost" is really just an excuse for those things that we've gained and now seem to cloud who we really are.

                Face it, very few people in this world like to be genuine.  Being genuine requires you to be vulnerable and it's rare that we like to be in that position of vulnerability.  It hurts to be open and let people see who you really are when most of those people either use you until they've had enough, or really just don't care who you are.  Once in a great while, a person will take the time to dig down deep and figure you out and then you know that you have someone worth keeping; someone worth all of your time, because they truly care about who you are and what makes you into the person that they see.  But since those times tend to be few and far between, we sometimes give up on the hope that they still exist.  And that's where we fall apart and lose the inside spark.  That's where our hearts change from the heart of an expectant and hopeful child, to the bitter and hard heart of someone we associate with maturity and strength; when this change occurs, we magically transform into an "adult".  How messed up is that?  We spend our childhood years pretending to be grown up and being pushed to be better people, but to actually become adults, we're asked to harden our hearts to some of the very things that make us the people we are.  It's no wonder that this world is going down the tubes; if everyone is fake, what do we have to believe in anymore?

                Jesus.  That’s the one thing that I have to believe in.  The one word that has power over my life, the one man who is the Son of God; the one Person to ever change the world in every single way.  People occasionally scorn me and say that I’m childlike and naive about things, but they don’t realize how much they’re complimenting me!  When I’m childlike, I’m filled with such a joy of life and a want to serve my incredible Creator!  I’d rather have a young soul in an old body, just bursting with the love of Jesus, than have a young body with an old soul, dead and withered.  So, I will become this thing we label an “adult”, but I will try and approach it with a childlike spirit and a soft heart.  Because, after all, Jesus is still here for me to believe in. :)

Italy

Sitting around the table, voices lilting up and down; the candlelight reflecting on laughing faces as the shadows dance in patterns on the wall.
"You're going to miss this", my head says.  "Shut up", I tell myself.  But over and over, all I can hear is that voice, telling me to take it all in because when I leave, I will never know the feeling of home as I know it right now.  I will be different, changed...and yet somehow the same person.  Not so naive, maybe a bit more hardened.  Still confused, still not knowing what to expect, but hopefully more full of faith than I am now.  Hopefully more fearless and less doubting than I feel currently.  Not full of wondering if traveling halfway across the world is the right thing to do; not wondering if things will be changed so much that I won't fit in anymore.

Fitting in is never something I've been good at doing.  I get along with people and I have a gift of being able to understand and feel others' pain, but I rarely feel as though I fit in.  Maybe I'm not meant to; I don't know.  There are a few places where I feel as if I belong and I guess I'm scared that a prolonged absence will change the few places I feel safe.  But growing up isn't about being safe, is it?  It's about stepping out of my realm of normalcy and trying to live life the way an adult has to.  Learning the hard way, through my own mistakes and rash decisions - figuring out what is solid ground and where my life contains quicksand.  Trying to grasp the idea that life is a vapor in the wind and the things that seem to loom over me at the moment are really irrelevant compared to what comes after this life.

Life is a learning process.  My parents always say that the minute you stop learning, that's the minute you die.  So, I'm learning.  I'm learning to love, even when it hurts to let go.  To never give up on something that seems impossible, because if it's supposed to happen, God blesses the effort.  I'm learning that every tear and every heartache and every trial is just boiling down the dross to reveal the silver.  Because we all have silver; it's just buried deeper for some of us.

So now...I welcome Italy.  I welcome the joy it will bring me, the tears I will inevitably shed, the memories I will cherish, and the relationships that will develop.  I welcome the pain of growing up, the challenges of keeping strong relationships while an ocean separates us.  I welcome it with open arms because it's going to change me in ways that will glorify my Creator.  Every single thing I go through will cause me to either fall on my knees in sadness or joy - but my knees is where I need to live my life.
So now...I think I'll go buy some knee pads.  Because I'm going to need them even more than I do right now.

Can't you sleep?

Most kids I know grew up hearing children's books read to them and in time, read them to their own siblings.  (I'll admit, I'm still a big fan and continue to peruse such "children's" books on rainy days.)  One of my favorites is by Martin Waddle and titled, "Can't you sleep, Little Bear?".  Before I rush into things, let me give you a quick synopsis of this book.

Big Bear and Little Bear live in a giant cave.  One night, Big Bear tucks Little Bear into bed, but Little Bear cannot sleep.  Little Bear says he's scared of the darkness all around him.  So Big Bear brings out a tiny lantern for Little Bear and tucks him in once more.  Little Bear's fear is voiced again and again as Big Bear attempts to quell his fears by bringing out larger and larger lanterns.  After the cave is flooded with light from the largest lantern, Little Bear should have no reason to complain of darkness, and yet he tells Big Bear that he's still scared of the darkness outside.  Thoughtfully, Big Bear picks up Little Bear and carries him outside to watch the moon rise.  Once they're bathed in the moon's light, Little Bear falls into a deep sleep, comfortable and safe in Big Bear's arms.  Cute story, right?  Now let's take it from a different perspective!

Think about you, the Christian, as Big Bear.  Picture Little Bear as the people who are lost and scared and searching.  We provide comfort and light to those who need answers.  Maybe our light starts as an itty bitty lantern, but no matter where it starts, it must lead to the moon.  As the fears and questions are voiced, our light shines brighter as we speak and glorify the One who has made us whole and justified.  Pretty soon, our light will not be able to get brighter, so we point to Christ, the brightest light that there is.  And when we bring the restless and burdened and questioning people to that point, that is when they find rest and peace and answers.

Let's be faithful to step out and be the tiny spark that can lead to the bright Light - the power of Christ is with us, so what can stop us?!  Step out in faith, even when you're weary this week, for great is your reward in heaven.

<3 Mik

Communion

When I think of communion, I must confess that my first thought is of grape juice and broken up crackers.  To a non-Christian, communion must seem like a completely stupid and meaningless thing that we do every so often, just because we get hungry in church.  Oh, how little truth there is in that thought!  Communion has nothing to do with grape juice and crackers, but so much to do with the Man who sacrificed Himself so that we can live with a hope and a joy that can never be smothered.

Communion is normally something that passes pretty much in the same manner every time; the elements get passed around, the pastor takes a passage from 1 Corinthians, there's a prayer, and then you drink the grape juice and eat the broken cracker.  End of story, right?  Not so today!  I was on the point of zoning out when my pastor said something that I've never contemplated before.  I tried to put it in my own words; here's what struck me today.  When we take communion, we not only declare our faith to those around us, but also to the spiritual realm; to principalities - angels and demons alike.  And I thought about it and realized woah, this is interesting!  So, what he's saying is that when we take communion and strengthen our relationship with our Savior, we're being spiritually marked.  And I got this picture in my head of all of us sitting in our chairs and above us, on one side, angels.  And on the other side, were demons; neither group doing anything but looking down, and as I followed their gaze, I saw they they were looking down at our heads and there were markings on the tops of our heads.  I can't explain to you exactly what the markings looked like or what they were made of, but they were a deep maroon color and they were only over the heads of those who have a personal relationship with Christ.

It never occurred to me that we might have marks on us.  It makes sense to me now, but I confess that I haven't thought it over before today.  It actually fills me with awe, to realize that everything we do is marking us; not just in this realm, but also in a realm that we can barely catch a glimpse of.  It gives me something to consider and wonder about and it also gives me reasons to alter some of my would-be actions.  How about you? 

<3 Mik

Christ

I was at work yesterday and I suddenly had to get this out.  I'm preaching to myself mostly, but I thought I'd share it with y'all.

The funny thing about coworkers is that you can laugh, roll your eyes, crack jokes, work together...and never once discuss a serious matter.  Sure, you can make an impact on their lives by being different, but it's rare that you ever have time to sit down and discuss important issues.  Issues about life and death and whether this life is all there is. The only things that really matter in this life are completely overlooked or pushed aside for "later".  Will we ever realize the things we shy away from are the very things we need to bring into the open?  This life is not all there is; Heaven and Hell are not storybook places.  Our souls, after we die, will go to spend eternity in the place we ourselves have determined for them.  The debate, "Do people who've never heard of Jesus go to hell?" isn't something I'm going to discuss right now.  But let me tell you this; if we know the truth, and never speak about it, it is not anyone's fault but ours.  And in the whole scheme of life, wouldn't you rather you took a stand for what you believe, rather than being just another ant in the anthill? 
Jesus Christ was never silent about what was right and true, so why are we?  Christians are supposed to be "little Christs", but if we're not emulating Christ, we might as well be labeled, "Satanians".  As Christ Himself said, "He who is not with Me is against me".  Let's get it together and stop handling others' spiritual conditions as though they were second place.  This is our fight; this is where we make a stand.  Open your mouth - if you're obeying our Lord and Savior and answering your call as a follower, He will bless it.  Every word that you speak for His glory, He will use.  Maybe it's not the way you thought it should go, maybe it happens the exact way you pictured; regardless of all that, God has a magnificent plan and even if you can't see it, He has used and continues to use your words to glorify Himself. 
We all make mistakes; not one of us is guilt free.  But the breathtaking beauty of God's grace is that it covers all of our sin.  If you are a drug addict, or a pastor's kid, your sins are equally forgiven.  The choice to follow Jesus and seek Him with every fiber of your being means that every sin you have committed is washed away in the flood of His lovingkindness and grace.  Oh, the joy and peace it brings me to know I am counted blameless in God's eyes!  The doubts I have in my foolish moments are but shadows that I myself have created.  The expanse of God's love far exceeds any doubt I could ever have.  I live because of His grace.  Many times have I been near physical death, and many times He has seen me and rescued me.  I don't deserve to live, I don't know why He found it fit to save me, but I do know that I have a purpose.  The Lord Jesus has redeemed my soul, so it is only fitting for me to give Him my life.  Jesus, I love you.

<3 Mik