Speak, for your servant is listening.

Rio De Janeiro Coastline as seen from the MAC

 ¹ The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
 ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.
   Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
 ⁶ Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
 ⁸ A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
 ¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
   Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel: 1-10

I was thinking about this verse today and I thought I'd write about it.  Lately I have felt like Samuel.  I hear God's call, and yet I do not know how to answer it.  When I move towards that call, things seem bright and easy.  When I move away from it, things seem dark and difficult.

I have heard that depression is anger turned inwards.  We become depressed because we are angry with ourselves.  When we are depressed, we do things that upset us even more.  It can be something as simple as being lazy and sleeping all day.  Then we look back on that wasted time, or those mistakes and we grow angrier with ourselves.  There are drugs and therapy that can help with those things, but the realization that you're doing this yourself isn't always enough to solve the problem.  You can't "snap out of it".  And yet people who have not been depressed cannot understand.

I think God understands, and that is why he calls us.  Not just so that we can do good, but so that we can feel good.  He forgives us our sins, big and little and he points us in a direction where we can say, "I feel happy about what I did today."

I hear the call, and yet I am still working on being still and just listening.

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Delightful Service

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

So today's verse comes from Princess Belle. Chelsea LeValley who I watched play Belle this past weekend, had the above verse in her cast Bio. It struck me as very appropriate for a Princess, someone who is a role model to little girls and young women alike. :)

Recently I've been talking a lot with people about the purpose of their lives. "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" "What is God's plan for me?" "How can I feel fulfilled?" The answer is simple, and yet it is a lifelong journey.

What is God's plan for you? He wants you to share the good news. He wants you to tell everyone about Jesus. That is God's plan for you. "But how?" you ask. Well that's where it gets a bit tricky. That's also where today's verse comes in handy.

What does it mean to delight in the Lord? God gives us all gifts. When I am asked, "What does God want me to do Doug?" My reply is, "What do you like to do?" God gives us gifts. The things that we really like to do are the things we're good at, and those are related to the gifts God gives us. So the question, "What should I do?" can be answered, "Whatever God made you to do!"

Of course, it's not always as easy as that. When I asked someone the other day what they liked to do, the answer was soccer. How do you turn that into a lifelong way to serve? I don't know. I'm still working on that one. However how you act on and off the field is a chance for you to witness. You never know who you might inspire and not even know it.

The other thing you can do is listen to the people around you. Part of the process for becoming a pastor is to have the internal call that God gives you be affirmed by an external call. That means people have to think you'd make a good pastor. When someone tells you you're good at something, even if you have trouble accepting the compliment, file it away. External call is God's way of helping to affirm that we're on the right path.

So take a look at what God is calling you to do, and if it doesn't make sense you know where to find me. :)

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Psalm 139

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

It's been a while since I've posted, and even longer since I have posted with reliability. Over the past few months I have been thinking and praying about my call. I have been asking, "What does God want me to do?" It has been a time of confusion and darkness. I have felt as if I can't see where I'm supposed to go, and so I've stopped moving forwards - mainly because I've lost my bearings and I'm not sure where to go.

However what I've found is I haven't lost my way in my day to day life. I still know where I'm going and what I'm doing on the small scale, and I enjoy it. Today's passage was recommended to me by my friend Meggie. She suggested that I read it, pray about it and reflect upon it as I work on figuring out my call. I printed the passage out and carry it around in the back of my planner. It reminds me that God is here, He knows and He is patiently waiting for me to get where I need to be. But I don't have to lose hope in the meantime, because no matter where I am in my life, He will use me while I'm there.

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Set the World on Fire

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Mark 2:14 (NIV)

Today's verse is one I came across in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer talks about how in the above verse, Jesus calls Levi and Levi responds. He doesn't come to God asking to serve. He doesn't think about it, or do it on his own terms. He just answers the call.

To continue with the musical theme for this week, I have a song by Britt Nicole called Set the World on Fire. The song is about wanting to serve. The song reminds me of the hymn, Here I Am Lord, but it's a song about answering the call Jesus has given to us.

Jesus calls us. We answer. It's as simple as that.

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

[CHORUS]
I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father's hands

[CHORUS]

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Nothing I cannot do

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There's nothing I can't do
Nothing I can't do

I'm gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Following Isn't Always Fun

And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Matthew 5:40 (NIV)

I had an experience this past week which made this passage active in my life. Some money was stolen at work that I was responsible for while it was in someone else's care. I took responsibility for it, and I paid the money back. I realized that I had not only given my tunic in the form of my reputation and trustworthiness at work, but I also gave my cloak as well in the form of paying back the money that someone else stole.

What I realized is that Jesus never says, "and be happy about it." I have been really upset about this. Something David Drebes said in his sermon at the vocations conference last week was, "It's not always fun to follow Jesus." Gathering with other Christians at events and during church is one of the rewards - the fun things - that we get to do as Christians. It's not all easy though. Sometimes it's downright tough.

So today I ask you to pray for me as I work through my own feelings from this experience. I also ask you to pray for whoever took the money; because while we are supposed to pray for our enemies, that doesn't mean we can't ask for help in doing it.

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

God is Calling

¹¹If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:11 (NIV)

Today's verse is about service. As I am spending my week contemplating how I want to serve - and more importantly - how God wants me to serve, I invite you to do likewise. Some of you are going off to your first year of college. You get to create new identities - be someone different. Who are you going to be? Is church going to be a part of your life? What can you do to make that happen, and not just be lip service that is soon forgotten?

Some of you are going back to high school. You have to deal with the same old stuff you did last year. People know you. It's hard to be different - whether that's change in yourself or standing out from the crowd. How are you going to take Christ into your life when you go back to school?

Some of you are entering the workforce. You will be experiencing the harshness of life. You will be dealing with new people. Some will be jaded, hurt and mean. They will try to crush your dreams. How will you handle them? How will you keep your spirits up?

Some of you, like me, will have the same life you did yesterday. Things haven't changed. Have you? What will you do to show God's love to those around you? Will you forget about church and youth events and the things that seem so far away now that you're back in the real world?

If someone asks, will you talk about your faith?

Will you seek out fellow Christians this year in an effort to grow in your faith?

Will you serve those around you through God's strength, and not your own?

I don't have answers to these questions. I am not you.

God is calling. What will you do?

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com