A Stone's Throw

Watching the Inauguration of President Barack Obama brings back some very fond memories of mine of the wonderful city of Washington D.C.

My first memory of Washington, DC was when I was a young boy on vacation with my parents. We happened to be there in the Nation’s Capital over the Independence Day holiday week. Being a young boy, I heard that there was an awesome fireworks display on the National Mall that just had to be attended–in person. They would shoot the fireworks from off of barges on the Potomac River over the Washington Monument . . . an awesome sight for sure. My mom and dad were suckers for their young son and gave in to my begging to attend the event in person!

We left the campground where we were staying in College Park, Maryland and rode the subway all the way in to the National Mall station. Upon exiting the subway, we walked into the middle of the largest crowd I had ever been a part of in my young life. There were also as many porta potties as the eye could see lining the entire length of the mall on both sides. We laid out our blanket and waited for the festivities to begin later that evening.

It was one of the most amazing nights of my life! Watching the huge crowds today have brought a flood of memories to that week in DC.

My second memory of Washington, DC was much more recently, but still a family memory. This time, our family was all there in DC, my brother Rick included. We were there for his retirement ceremony from the Navy. His ceremony was at the Jefferson Memorial–really cool deal for sure! We stayed with one of Jenny’s college classmates, Judith Norton outside of Baltimore. She is in the United States Army Field Band and Soldier’s Chorus–a professional music group that performs all over the world, but specifically in the DC area at all of the major events, such as the Inauguration today. We were able to hang out with my brother and his family as well as Judith, which was really cool. We were only a family of 3 at that point . . . but Tucker would soon be with us later that year.

It struck me then, and me now the beauty and shear genius of our founding fathers. Democracy is an amazing thing for certain! Where else but America can you have a complete change of leadership without force? Without struggle? Without “ever skipping a beat?” I mean, these guys ride in the same vehicle to almost every event for the whole day!! Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that limousine! The man swearing in Obama today, Chief Justice Roberts, is swearing in a man that did not vote for him to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. It is told that there was shear hatred between Chief Justice Warren and then President Nixon. It is all about the balance of power and the change of that power in a peaceful–almost poetic way. There is something extremely powerful about a peaceful transfer of power. Democracy is a beautiful thing indeed.

I think today there was another memory made for me. I am proud to be an American!

I have been to DRIVE two different times at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. That conference has been a huge turning point each time in my own life and ministry. I have learned a ton of things about church leadership from Andy Stanley and the Northpoint folks over the years.

They have just recently announced a new conference for people who can’t make it to the DRIVE conference in GA. DRIVE-IN is a series of online web events on several days this spring starting this Wednesday, January 21st at 9 a.m. EST. Click HERE for more details.

It can be a really cool thing for our church to get all on the same page about how to create a church for people who don’t like church–in our culture! Jump in, log on, and drive-in.

Go ahead and sing along the old Bangles song with me!  Don’t you just love the 80s?  They don’t make cheesy goodness like that anymore!  Who knew that Prince, or “The Artist formerly know as,” or simply “The Artist” wrote that gem of a song?

Ok, to the heart of the post . . . It seems as though I am really, really busy, but I can’t seem to get ANYTHING done!  Do you ever feel that way?  We had a great staff meeting yesterday morning, but the day seemed to get away and before I knew it, it was time for Life Group at our house.

We had an AWESOME Life Group.  I absolutely love hanging out with our new found friends and study the Bible and hang out together!  We are really starting to gel and “click,” which is really cool.  We are studying “Discovering God’s Will”–an Andy Stanley/Northpoint study.  Man, what a great study so far.  Some highlight statements that really spoke to me from this week:

“The problem with knowing God’s will is not God’s unwillingness to speak; the problem is our unwillingness to follow through. Discovering God’s Will by Andy Stanley & Reggie Joiner, 21

“God does not give us direction for our consideration; He gives us His direction for participation.”

“God is more interested in your discovering Him than His will.”

“In the process of trying to know His will, we get to know Him.”

The message was built around Proverbs 3:5-6–

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

I think this verse is very appropriate for my Tuesday that I had today . . .

Have you ever noticed how we seem to tell God “how it’s going to be?”  You know the deal.  We basically expect God to get on board with what we are doing.  When He does something we don’t want, weren’t expecting, or makes us uncomfortable; and we get all bent out of shape.  We tend to work harder, plan more thoroughly…work YOUR plan and ask God to bless YOUR plans.

God doesn’t work that way!  He wants us to wait on Him.  He wants more than anything a relationship with us that is real and personal.  He wants us to be so close to Him, that of course we would know what to do in order to do His will.

I am learning that the more plans I put together, the more they will not go so hot.  When I seek God and work on my relationship with Him, then I set to planning. . . that is when the my plans will become His plans.  When I am so atuned to His heart, that His heart becomes mine.

When things are seeming to “go your way.”  Maybe it is a perspective change?  Maybe it is a change in who is making the plans.  As Experiencing God says, “God is always at work around you.”  You need to find out what He is doing and do it.