July 2, 2008
10:15 AM

Today I am enjoying some time up in our mountains in my tent trailer.  I just spent the last hour lying in a hammock reading Psalm 145 and praying through each verse.  I admit that I dozed off once and a while and I enjoyed it.  Peace and rest, solitude – wow, these things have been non-existent lately.

There’s a cool breeze and it is quiet.  I don’t remember the last time I’ve ever been alone for an extended period of time.  I tend to enjoy my life – the chaos of four children (yes, four!  You’ll have to check out my Adoption Blog) and the challenge of keeping up with the busy social schedule of my ENFP wife.  Of course being a pastor of a large church and living in town with most of our relatives makes it all the more busy.  Somehow, I like it and like the challenge of listening to God in the midst of all the stuff that really is my life. God has placed all of these people around me and I delight in them and in the things that he has called me to do.  While I value the time to get away, the Christian life must be lived in the day-to-day, moment-by-moment reality of activity.  The challenge is how to listen to God and grow in my relationship with him.  Basically, the challenge is two-fold.  First, I must make God a part of every area of my life.  Second, I must make some space for him alone.  Both are a challenge in this day and age, and probably have been throughout all time.

I’m going to spend the bulk of my time preparing a talk on Psalm 145 that I will call “145 Worship.”  Mark Brown and Rick Langer are going to preach a message on that passage and then I am going to conclude with a challenge for us as a Trinity Church worshiping community.