We All Want What We Ain't Got

It was shaping-up to be one of "those" rides home.  Traffic was even more challenging than ever- there's something about a soft rain that brings out the crazies. Music- that's what this commute needs- a little music!

I didn't last long on the "christian" station.  I didn't think their jokes were nearly as funny as they did.

I turned to the oldies station- and quickly moved-on when I recognized the song as one of my favorites in high school... on the oldies station!

I tried talk radio for a coupe of minutes... I didn't like what they were saying and, more importantly, didn't like how it was being said.

Come on country music- help me out here! I tuned-in just in time to catch Jake Owen's lament:

We all want what we ain't got, out favorite doors are always locked.
On a higher hill with a taller top, we all want what we ain't got.
We ain't happy where we are, there's greener grass in the neighbor's yard.
A bigger house and a faster car, we ain't happy where we are.

Maybe this should be in the hymnal- an ode to contentment!  Contentment, a thoroughly biblical approach to life that we don't hear much about these days.  Owen's song is set in the context of lost love- I guess the hound dog was still in the bed of the pick-up parked under the pine tree.  Too often we find ourselves unhappy with who we are, what we're doing, what we have... and if we're not careful we can lose it all while looking for something "higher," "taller," "greener," "bigger," or "faster."

Contentment begins with gratitude.  We can start by simply giving thanks to "the Giver of every good and perfect gift." A daily dose of gratitude can calm our restless minds, bring peace to our troubled hearts, and contentment to our abundantly blessed souls.

Putting Christmas Away

Christmas is an exciting time of the year.  There's something about the transformation of space that makes the season a "whole life" experience.

By now most of us have started packing away the ornaments, wreaths, and collectibles that make it "Christmas" in our homes. Multiple trips up to the attic, down to the basement, or off to the dump have removed any evidence of the holiday.  Soon it will look as if Christmas never happened.

Yet, the message of Christmas is that in Christ, God is "with us."  That is a presence and promise that never goes away.

Maybe we should keep one ornament on a shelf to remind us of the beauty of the season.  Or set aside an angel to remind us of the message of the season. Or, maybe a small manger to remind us that though we have put Christmas away, it is always "with us."

Home!

It was great to be "home" Sunday as we celebrated our first service in our new facility.  I've paced the building almost daily for the last several months- walking "rooms" before they were rooms. It was a building- a beautiful, growing building but Sunday it became "home." Much like a house is just a house until it has a family- then it becomes home, so our building was just a collection of construction materials until it had a church to call it "home."

As a home it welcomed members and guests, visitors from the neighborhood and friends who came to share the special day. Each face, each smile told a story and together our stories bore witness to the Great Story as we worshiped. From the sounding of the shofar to the last notes of Shout to the Lord we celebrated the presence of God in God's house.

I guess I was surprised at how quickly it felt like home.  Maybe it was the familiar faces and the shared lives. We have a future now and our future is here.  There must be some truth to the old adage that "home is where the heart is." And our hearts are here, with one another, in a new place, on our way to the next stage in God's grand journey.

It is good to be home!

It's a "10"

On my way to the office this morning a  local radio meteorologist pronounced that today would be a "10" on his ratings meter. Seasonally appropriate temperatures, clear skies, and no precipitation were his rubric for an outstanding day.

At the next red light my mind remembered another way to forecast a day, "this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." The psalmist didn't know if the day was going to be a "10" or a "2"- all he knew was that it was a gift from God.

Because the day was a gift it wouldn't matter whether it was a "10" or a "2", he would be glad in it. If enemies attacked, God would protect. If friends deserted him, God would be present.  If strength failed, God would sustain. If resources dissipated, God would provide.

The honking horn of an impatient fellow-traveler brought me back to "this day" and thoughts of an unfinished building, a meeting I needed to prepare for, a call I didn't really want to make, and the unexpected death of an uncle. My "10" was quickly becoming a "2."

Yet, "this is the day the Lord has made" and because he will protect, be present, sustain, and provide, "I will be glad in it."