Surprising Joy in Service

In last week's Wednesday night meeting Mike encapsulated our discussion with one big chunk of wisdom.  It is so cool when God just kind of gives you a piece of wisdom.  Mike said first there is trust, and then love and finally service.

It reminds me of some of Wayne Jacobsen's and Paul Young's writings.  Wayne Jacobsen says that you can only trust someone to the level that you are convinced they love you.  William Paul Young, the author of The Shack, also speaks about this relationship between trust and love.  His “Papa” figure describes a parallel between humans and birds.  Just as birds are meant to fly, so humans are meant to live in love relationships; first with God and then with others.

So I'm not sure what comes first-love or trust.  And maybe it doesn't matter.  Love and trust seem to go hand in hand and contribute to one another.

Lately I've been battling a lot with anxiety and depression, and I've been doing a lot of scripture reading which reinforces in my heart how much God loves me.  But I will confess that I have been struggling quite a bit with my own worth and ability to contribute to others.

Amazingly over the last month I've been somewhat caught off guard when short periods of pure joy come my way.  I can think of two times in particular where I was able to leave all my troubles behind me.  And it was cooking!  One recent Saturday I volunteered to cook dinner for the whole family.  I went shopping, recruited help from kids and prepared a main course, a side dish, and a delicious dessert.  The same thing happened today and I've prepared two desserts.  I am taking two separate dessert dishes to a couple's small group that my wife and I participate in.  And I'm leaving one dessert behind for the children and my father-in-law at home.

Mike's words of wisdom came back to my memory as I was laying down for a short nap.  I got so excited that I forgot about my nap, and decided to post this entry.  When you do things God's way, life works!  Service!  The perfect expression of love.  By initiating, I was affirming trust in myself.  Wanting to bring a nice dessert to our group tonight is an act of loving service.

Trust.  Love.  Service.

God is good.

What makes for a good Men's group

This past Wednesday's meeting was a great time.

One member brought forward a question about how to handle communication when someone "sees" a need or a weakness or potential pitfall in someone else's life.  We had some lively discussion, and it was fun to participate in a "free for all" of communication.  In the discussion, we explored how group dynamics are created, and many perspectives were voiced.  Some groups are formed and later fall apart.  Others form and things click and stay together for years.  Some groups require a lot of hard work to form cohesion, while in other groups, the personality mix or whatever just let it happen.

Then, of course, there is God's grace.  God sometimes surprises us and friendships take off and are blessings for a lifetime.  God's grace also works as we trust and implement His principles.

Mike Burnett proposed success for a group this way ... "Trust, love, and then service."  I can't remember all that Mike said, but those three thoughts pretty well sum it up.

Surprising Grace

In the New Year's post, Mike said, "His love remains almost unrecognizable to us.  Until one day when we tire, we stop searching, running, and opening every door to catch our second wind.  And then we discover much to our amazement that we have been inhaling the sweet breeze of His grace as on the first day of spring."

I found a new partner in my "journey" today.  My dog, Duke.  He's "been here" all along but like the spring breeze Mike mentions I didn't realize what a valuable companion he could be.  He's a great listener, great at tail wagging affirmation, and accepts anything I have to offer.

So for today anyway, Duke was God's gift of grace.  An unexpected and undeserved favor.

Happy New Year from Mike Burnett

Today is a great day to start the new year, by realizing that by grace - a gift to you - you are by birth a free man.  This is the only thing in this world that cannot be purchased by your money, work, good looks, or church affiliation.  There is nothing you can do to earn this gift.  Freedom is GRACE  given by our Father, God.

It's funny- we pray and hope for years for God to rescue us from the hell we ourselves made our home in.  And when he does, somehow we miss it.  His love remains almost unrecognizable to us.  Until one day when we tire, we stop searching, running, and opening every door to catch our second wind.  And then we discover much to our amazement that we have been inhaling the sweet breeze of His grace as on the first day of spring.  We are free!

People may break a man's will to continue the arduous climb through life.  And Christ, when asked, WILL break a man's natural instinct to continue to be “a lone wolf”.  But our Father God will never break a man's heart.

Just because we perceive that we are hurt, does not mean we are broken.  We have been made perfect from the start.

How do I know?  Because the Bible told me so.  That's how.  It's a proven fact that perfection (You and me) can never be added to or subtracted from.  Thank God He knew what he was doing when He made us.

Facing Adversity 2

We have met twice now in the past month to dive into the issues revolving around facing adversity.  Every other Wednesday night a group of men meet to discuss obstacles we are facing in our lives.  It's more than just "support" though.  We have fun.  There is nothing like a group of men spending good times together.

I occasionally look around at a restaurant and notice groups of men having fun together.  Teen-agers after a game or practice, older men meeting for breakfast, fathers and sons, or guys laughing together at a bar.  There have been times that I have felt like an excluded onlooker, but more and more I am realizing I may be in some of those groups others watch.  It's a blessing for me.  A lifelong dream fulfilled.

Interested in joining us?  My email is charliem1962@yahoo.com.  Contact me for details.