Shake it up baby

With our recent move from New Mexico to Pennsylvania, a lot of routines got turned upside down. My new job has totally different patterns from my old position. We are still trying to find the right church for our family and no matter which one it ends up being, it will be different from our old church. Together time with the family is different now. I used to exercise by playing basketball a few times each week. Now my exercise is cutting and splitting wood. As I write this, it's hard to think of anything that is exactly the same. Even the pastors I listen to on my way to and from work are different. I have to say I didn't like that at first. I was so used to the 4 or 5 regular guys I heard on my New Mexico station. These guys seemed to pale in comparison. But after awhile, I noticed that I was getting a lot more out of listening to these new pastors. They were speaking about familiar topics but presenting in ways that were different from what I was used to. Ultimately, it was a good shake up for me. I was too comfortable and didn't even know it. There is a fine line between routine and rut. And the most dangerous ruts are those we don't even know we're in. The shake up has been hard but it has been good. I would highly recommend occasionally shaking up your own routines. Maybe you always seem to read the new testament. Crack open the beginning of the bible for a change. Take a small break from your small group and visit a different one. Pick a Sunday and visit a different church. Maybe do something as simple as sitting some place different on Sunday. Whatever it is, just shake up your routine every now and then. It might reveal some ruts you didn't know about.

Have a great week.
Your brother,
Bob

In order

Where have I been? What have I been doing? I guess the short answer is "getting my house in order". In the most literal sense, we've been settling into the new house, schools, job, and routine. But in a less literal way, there are aspects of my spiritual house that I've been getting in order as well. Let me explain.

Initially, I intended to continue writing these messages during the move. But then the transition activities overwhelmed me and it just wasn't possible. I have to say, it felt good... Like some weight had been lifted... And the fact that it felt good really bugged me. I thought and reflected on it a lot. Every time someone asked me when I was going to start back up again it made me reflect even more. After all, I love to write. I love to study God's word. I love to share the things God is teaching me. So why was I enjoying, and prolonging the hiatus? Was it just a phase I would work through? Was it a spiritual attack? Slowly the answer began to dawn on me. And I think what was affecting me affects many Christians. In a nut shell, I was coming to God as an employee instead of as His child. I spent more time asking for guidance on the next message and less time enjoying Him as my heavenly father. In the process of asking for more and more to share, I was growing less. I had to re-learn what came so natural when I was a new believer. I had to re-learn the joy of just hanging out with Him.

In retrospect, I think about it in terms of my own children. I give them chores on occasion but that is only one small sliver of our relationship. If they only ever came to me as the one who hands out tasks, I would be offended. I would miss all the other aspects of our relationship. So this week let's pray about this. The question to ask is - am I acting like an employee? Are deadlines and expectations causing me to cheapen my relationship? And if you aren't falling into this trap, perhaps you know a friend or family member who is. Additionally, pray for the leaders in your church. I'm guessing they are no strangers to this struggle.

Going forward, I plan to frequently check myself to make sure I'm remembering my sonship. That means I'm going to write when I have something to share - not just because another week has gone by. I may write more frequently... I may write less. I'll leave that up to my father. I'd love to hear any thoughts you may have.

Have a great week,
Your brother,
Bob

Friends

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

As some of you know, I have been interviewing for a new position with Merck back in Pennsylvania. I just officially found out today that I got the job. The prospect of starting a new position and moving back close to family and old friends is very exciting. Yet at the same time, we are already dreading the thought of being so far from the great friends we have made in New Mexico. I will miss New Mexico for a variety of reasons but the main reason by far is the friends we have made.

This week pray about your friends. Take some time to cherish the gifts they are.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Count 'em up

At the bottom of this blog there is a little gizmo that counts page views. Every time this page or any page from the blog's archive or comments is viewed, the little counter increases by 1. I check it out every now and then to see how much traffic is coming through the site. Imagine my surprise about 10 days ago when the number shot up by 10,000 in one day. I've worked in internet metrics in the past so I was pretty sure it was artificially boosted. There are little computer programs called spiders that get sent out be search engines to categorize websites. Still, in the back of my mind, I had the thought that maybe it was real traffic through some new source. There was this mixed excitement and fear that the number of readers had just increased exponentially. Alas, when I checked the little counter on the following day, it was only up a little bit. I was then sure that the initial boost was from a spider.

Ever since then, I've found myself periodically thinking about how and why we measure things. Look around and you'll see we measure lots of stuff. We measure how fast and how far we drive. We measure our weight and height. We measure our cholesterol, our heart rate, and in some cases, our portion sizes. We measure how well we do on tests and we measure how long it takes to do certain tasks. And in the case of most businesses, we try to measure things that indicate success. Things like gross sales, profit margins, research spending, return on marketing expenditures, and a multitude of others. The problem is, often times the things that really indicate success can't be measured. The little counter at the bottom of this blog is a neat little gizmo but it doesn't mean success. Growth and changed lives mean success. I like it when my kids do well on their school tests. However, ultimately as parents we want to grow kind, well rounded, well adjusted kids and the school tests don't really measure this. I like it when my bank account gets bigger. And I've often looked at this financial measure as an indicator of success. I suppose as a measure it will point out success or failure with sticking to a budget but we too often get net worth and self worth intertwined in ways they shouldn't be. Money in my bank account doesn't mean that I am becoming more loving and kind to my neighbors.

This week, when you get a chance, give some thought to the things you measure. Are you putting too much value in some measurements that really don't matter in the long run?

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob