The Juggling Act

Do you ever feel as if you are juggling too many things at once? If you shout out 'YES', then you are in good company. Many people I speak to feel as if they are holding too many balls in the air and that some are about to fall. The question is: Which ones do we allow to fall? 

I am not able to really juggle to save my life, but I do juggle too many things, priorities, appointments, people, meetings to know that we all have a limit. When this happens, we end up grasping for the ones that seem the most fragile or important to us. 

I have found this bit of wisdom helpful in reflecting on this:

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls...are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered." - James Patterson

Joshua 24 - “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Living in Grace

D3LM3

What good is it?

There is something special about LENT. I truly believe that being intentional about our preparation for Easter makes a massive difference in our spiritual lives and I wonder if you feel the same way? 

Over the course of the next 6 weeks, I am going to be reflecting on a number of questions that Jesus asks his followers. One would be surprised at home many questions Jesus actually asks of us and each one of them is equally profound.

At our Ash Wednesday service, I reminded us of the question that Jesus posed to his followers (in Mark 8:36):

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"

This deeply challenging question slowly opens up our hearts to divulge where we are spending all our time and energy at the moment. What is getting us up in the morning? 

Am I spending my life in pursuit of "things" at the expense of nurturing my spiritual life? 

If I aim to gain the world and stand on top of the mountain with my arms in triumphant victory, who else will be standing alongside me?

Where is God in my plans and life at the moment?

If you would like to listen to a short audio Bible Study on this question, you are welcome to listen on this link.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

He who pays the piper....

The old idiom states, "He who pays the piper, calls the tune."

It seems to originate from old English days when the Lord of Castle would pay for a piper to come and play for the court and the people. Obviously if he was paying the cost of the piper, then the lord would have the authority to call out which tunes he wanted played.

A modern variety of this idiom could be, "He would pays the salary, demands the work" Or "She would owns the house, chooses the curtains."

In the context of what is happening in our country at the moment, I wonder just who is calling the tune? We have some idea as to who is paying the piper, but it seems as if there are too many voices calling the tunes.

But, before we become complacent ourselves, we also need to evaluate who we are 'paying' the most homage to. If we are paying the most to our work, careers, relationships, finances, material possession etc, then they will be the ones who call the tune. Life is just like that!

Jesus said it a little differently, but it applies to us nonetheless.

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

As we move into the period of LENT I invite us all to re-evaluate the spiritual priorities in our lives.

Who or what are we putting first?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A mere hand breadth

The reading at our men's group (at McCafe) this morning was from Psalm 39. There are a number of challenging verses in this Psalm, but the two that stood out for me were verse 4 -5:

"Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere hand breadth;
the span of my years
is nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath." - Psalm 39:4-5

If you have a moment, take a look at the palm of your hand. Trace a line from one side to the other - It is not too wide, is it? The Psalmist suggests that our lives are but a mere hand breadth - here one day and then gone the next. It is a sobering thought.

Now, do the same thing again - trace a line across your palm. Where would you estimate your life to be along that line? Is it close to the end of your hand? I find that simply doing this exercise helps me to comprehend how brief my life will be and that I need to make the most of life God has given me.

May your 'handbreath' be a blessing to God and others.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Solomon on work

"So I turned in despair from hard work. It was not the answer to my search for satisfaction in this life..." - Ecclesiastes 2:20

We would be surprised at how many people think that 'working harder' is the answer to all their problems. They think that the more hours they put into work, the more rewarded and blessed they will feel. However, as we all find out eventually, it is not the answer - it never will be.

Please don't get me wrong, work IS important. God created us to work and we can glorify Him when we work well and when we use our gifts to the best of our abilities, BUT work should never become our God. As soon as we make work number One, then we have turned our eyes away from God and others who are important.

Solomon realised his work would never be the Final answer - it could never satisfy him completely.

May you honour God through your work today, but let's not make work our God.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Devote yourself...

 
Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God - 1 Chronicles 22:19

We devote a lot of ourselves to many things:

Careers
Relationships
Being good parents
Hobbies
Sports
Music
And so on...

The challenge is always to 'devote' ourselves fully to God. Of course, this is not to the exclusion of the others, but rather putting God first in our lives. I think that the more I devote myself to God then the more I will want the 'other things' to reflect God's character. Wouldn't it be great to have evidence of God in my career, relationships, parenthood, hobbies, sport, music etc?

So here is a similar exercise: make a mental list of all the things that occupy your time. How much of God is reflected in what you do?

.....Just asking!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

First things first

"If there's any one secret of effectiveness, it's concentration. Effective executives do first things first and they do one thing at a time." - Peter F. Drucker

Effective Christians do first things first...

"First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!" - Luke 9:60 (Msg)

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:33-34

Do the first things first today. God bless you.

Living in Grace,

D3LM3 

P.S. - There are no photo's attached as there is a problem with website at the moment. Sorry.

When I run...

Today has been one of those days where I have felt that I have been "running" from one thing to the next. I am sure we can all relate to days like this!? I know that sometimes they happen more often than we would like them to, but it is not always easy to slow 'Life' down.

Anyway, here is the thing - whilst, I have been "running" today I have had the words from Eric Liddell (the guy from Chariots of Fire) going through my mind. When asked about his Athletics and why he takes part in these events, he replied: "When I run, I feel God's pleasure."

He was speaking about Athletics, but I was struck by a different slant on his words -"When I am running around doing ministry, do I feel God's pleasure?" Ouch, that is a tough one. Being 'busy' is sometimes our way of making ourselves feel important. My prayer is that when I am 'running' all over the place that I would be doing it for a Godly purpose and not just to fill my own ego-tank.

Peace be with you.

Running in Grace,
D3LM3

P.S. Check out more on Eric Liddell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Liddell