A word from a present-day sage, Brennan Manning...
"The music of what is happening can be heard only in the present moment, right now, right here. Now/here spells nowhere. To be fully present to whoever or whatever is immediately before us is to pitch a tent in the wilderness of Nowhere. It is an act of radical trust--trust that God can be encountered at no other time and in no other place than the present moment. Being fully present in the now is perhaps the premier skill of the spiritual life.
More often than not, I do not hear the music of what is happening now because my mind ricochets between the past and the future."
(quoted from Ruthless Trust)
To be fully alive is to be fully present in the present. Amazing, how much i focus on the past and have anxiety toward the future. In doing so, I miss out on the moments before me. I miss out on opportunities to receive compassion and extend compassion. Manning says that the primary fruit of living in the present is compassion. Wow, what a strong word. Present-tense living gives me the perspective to extend compassion to myself and then to others.
So, today I face a choice. Past-tense. Future-tense. Present-tense. What tense will my life speak in today?
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Marriage: a safe harbor??
Follow the quote below...
"We must never be naive enough to think of marriage as a safe harbor from the Fall...The deepest struggles of life will occur in the most primary relationship affected by the Fall: marriage."
--Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III
So, there is a battle taking place today for the heart of our marriages. There is someone who does not want your family and marriage to make it. Satan, the enemy who masquerades as an angel of light, is deceptively working to take us out. He does not care about us or our families...He wants what we have...we are image-bearers.
Reflecting the image of God in our marriages is one of the greatest ways to bring God glory. So, what exactly does it mean to reflect the image of God in a marriage?? something to think on...
"We must never be naive enough to think of marriage as a safe harbor from the Fall...The deepest struggles of life will occur in the most primary relationship affected by the Fall: marriage."
--Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III
So, there is a battle taking place today for the heart of our marriages. There is someone who does not want your family and marriage to make it. Satan, the enemy who masquerades as an angel of light, is deceptively working to take us out. He does not care about us or our families...He wants what we have...we are image-bearers.
Reflecting the image of God in our marriages is one of the greatest ways to bring God glory. So, what exactly does it mean to reflect the image of God in a marriage?? something to think on...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Bowling Adventure
Recently, Chris Roe and I took Caleb and Brennan on their first Bowling Adventure. It was quite an amazing time of Male Bonding. Wild At Heart can actually happen at the bowling alley...
Conversation Recap...
Last night we had another good "Conversations" evening with couples. It was a relaxing time to share and open up about marriage stuff (plus Melody made some incredible pumpkin pie!! with cool whip!!). We tackled the subject of "perseverance in marriage". What does it mean to persevere through challenging times, instead of retreating. What does biblical perseverance look like??
For those unable to attend, I wanted to post a basic framework for what we discussed...to give you an opportunity to have a "conversation" with your wife/husband/significant other...
A few quotes...--A character in Anne Tyler's novel A Patchwork Planet.-- This book's thirty year old narrator has gone through a divorce and now works at an occupation that has him relating almost exclusively with elderly people. As he observes their long-standing marriages, he comes to a profound understanding:
"I was beginning to suspect that it made no difference whether they'd married the right person. Finally, you're just with who you're with. You've signed on with her, put in half a century with her, grown to know her as well as you know yourself or even better, and she's become the right person. Or the only person, might be to the point. I wish someone had told me that earlier. I'd have hung on then; I swear I would. I never would have driven Natalie to leave me."
"Marriage is a long conversation."
--German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche
"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
2 Thessalonians 3:5
---------------------------------------------------------
A few questions to ponder...
*As you look forward...2-3 years, what would you like your marriage to look like?
*What are you currently being challenged to persevere through?
*What typically keeps you from persevering?
*If you were to persevere through your "present-tense circumstance", how would that move you toward the marriage that you really want?
For those unable to attend, I wanted to post a basic framework for what we discussed...to give you an opportunity to have a "conversation" with your wife/husband/significant other...
A few quotes...--A character in Anne Tyler's novel A Patchwork Planet.-- This book's thirty year old narrator has gone through a divorce and now works at an occupation that has him relating almost exclusively with elderly people. As he observes their long-standing marriages, he comes to a profound understanding:
"I was beginning to suspect that it made no difference whether they'd married the right person. Finally, you're just with who you're with. You've signed on with her, put in half a century with her, grown to know her as well as you know yourself or even better, and she's become the right person. Or the only person, might be to the point. I wish someone had told me that earlier. I'd have hung on then; I swear I would. I never would have driven Natalie to leave me."
"Marriage is a long conversation."
--German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche
"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
2 Thessalonians 3:5
---------------------------------------------------------
A few questions to ponder...
*As you look forward...2-3 years, what would you like your marriage to look like?
*What are you currently being challenged to persevere through?
*What typically keeps you from persevering?
*If you were to persevere through your "present-tense circumstance", how would that move you toward the marriage that you really want?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Shepherding the Shepherds
I just have to testify today to the amazing ways that God is using our Ministry Board to minister to me and my family. Chris, Jennifer, Melody, and I spend our time pouring into others with the desire to set hearts free. Some days are filled with lots of celebration about a soul set free...other days are quite draining, walking people through their present darkness. We do feel our calling and Encounter's calling is to shepherd people through that process.
To be honest, though, there are times that I feel alone and fatigued...i'm sure mel, jen, and chris would agree. There are weeks that I feel overwhelmed with the needs of people and the needs of our ministry. There are weeks that the financial weight gets real heavy. Ministry fatigue begins to set in. We need others to shepherd and care for us. I am learning to be more vulnerable in this area and to share needs...it is not easy for me. Every shepherd needs a shepherd.
And then our Board steps in...the last 2-3 weeks, I have been humbled by their caring for us...
*personal giving to the ministry...of prayers, time, and finances.
*one couple dropping by to just say "we love you".
*an email to say "how can i pray for you"
*a "handyman" brother's willingness to help fix the alternator in our van
*a call to say "how can i help and what's next for the ministry"
*someone dropping by to just say "we love and support you guys"
*one family's ongoing prayers and support of the work and openness to be invested in what we are doing (even through a wild job transition)
*one guy's way of saying "if you ever need anything, you know you can call me..."
*one Board member's ongoing prayers and love from a distance and maintaining connection with us
This is what it looks like to shepherd the shepherds...
To be honest, though, there are times that I feel alone and fatigued...i'm sure mel, jen, and chris would agree. There are weeks that I feel overwhelmed with the needs of people and the needs of our ministry. There are weeks that the financial weight gets real heavy. Ministry fatigue begins to set in. We need others to shepherd and care for us. I am learning to be more vulnerable in this area and to share needs...it is not easy for me. Every shepherd needs a shepherd.
And then our Board steps in...the last 2-3 weeks, I have been humbled by their caring for us...
*personal giving to the ministry...of prayers, time, and finances.
*one couple dropping by to just say "we love you".
*an email to say "how can i pray for you"
*a "handyman" brother's willingness to help fix the alternator in our van
*a call to say "how can i help and what's next for the ministry"
*someone dropping by to just say "we love and support you guys"
*one family's ongoing prayers and support of the work and openness to be invested in what we are doing (even through a wild job transition)
*one guy's way of saying "if you ever need anything, you know you can call me..."
*one Board member's ongoing prayers and love from a distance and maintaining connection with us
This is what it looks like to shepherd the shepherds...
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Last Few Weeks...
The last few weeks have been quite busy with the ministry and family life.
On the family front, Brennan has officially earned the title of "first bone broken". He broke his collar bone last week and we've been healing since. We are not sure how this happened..wrestling, football, etc. 2 Year olds...atleast Brennan...have a way of getting a little wild at times. So, however it happened...it happened. The X-ray showed the broken bone and he has been wearing a shoulder brace ever since. As of today, he is doing well and on the road of recovery. As I type he is standing here with me...giving me that "not so innocent look".
Caleb is doing fall baseball here is Chelsea and loving it. He is practicing one night a week and playing games on sunday. So far, he is slugging the ball and playing some good defense. I (Randy) am kind of assistant coaching on the team. So, we are having a great time with that. Also, Caleb is doing incredible in school...learning and soaking it in.
The last few weeks for Melody and I have been quite busy with ministry stuff. We have added a few more couples that we are working with one on one. Thinking of calling this "Compassing"...but that is for another blog for me to talk about. Anyway, we have been busy with that...quite rewarding to come alongside couples and walk with them through life challenges. We also worked with 3 couples last weekend in a Living Room Encounter. Wow is all we can say. God showed up and did some deep work in couples' lives. We stand amazed at how God is moving and using our brokenness to minister to others.
On the family front, Brennan has officially earned the title of "first bone broken". He broke his collar bone last week and we've been healing since. We are not sure how this happened..wrestling, football, etc. 2 Year olds...atleast Brennan...have a way of getting a little wild at times. So, however it happened...it happened. The X-ray showed the broken bone and he has been wearing a shoulder brace ever since. As of today, he is doing well and on the road of recovery. As I type he is standing here with me...giving me that "not so innocent look".
Caleb is doing fall baseball here is Chelsea and loving it. He is practicing one night a week and playing games on sunday. So far, he is slugging the ball and playing some good defense. I (Randy) am kind of assistant coaching on the team. So, we are having a great time with that. Also, Caleb is doing incredible in school...learning and soaking it in.
The last few weeks for Melody and I have been quite busy with ministry stuff. We have added a few more couples that we are working with one on one. Thinking of calling this "Compassing"...but that is for another blog for me to talk about. Anyway, we have been busy with that...quite rewarding to come alongside couples and walk with them through life challenges. We also worked with 3 couples last weekend in a Living Room Encounter. Wow is all we can say. God showed up and did some deep work in couples' lives. We stand amazed at how God is moving and using our brokenness to minister to others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)