RW Day 3

Summary: What drives your life? Some people are driven by guilt, resentment and anger, fear, materialism or approval.  Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life, simplifies your life, focuses your life, motivates your life and prepares you for eternity.

You weren't put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.

I always think, "Will people remember me? Do I have a legacy?"  But the question I should be asking is, "What have you done for Him?"

Many of the people in my small group have mostly Christian friends.  I think I have a good number of people in my life who are not practicing Christians.  They may believe in God, they may live "good lives," but I don't think they make God the focus of their lives.   To be honest, I am like that.  People who are so pious and holy often irritate me.  They are an inspiration to others, but I find them grating at times... and I wonder if that approach works with unchurched people.  I guess I wasn't wired by God to be sweet and holy.  I think I was wired to be slightly sarcastic and cynical so that I could relate to His other children that are like me... that need Him but don't yet quite know it.  It's a hard line to walk: to see things through these jaded eyes yet still love and have faith in Him.

RW Day 2

Today's theme: You are not an accident.  God planned you.

While I can initially accept this, I doubt it when I actually think about it.  RW talks about how God planned everything and everybody, but that doesn't really address free will.  There are obviously teenagers who shouldn't be parents, yet RW is saying God planned it that way.  Did He really?  Or does He just make the best out of a questionable situation?  Did He plan for Judas to turn on Jesus?  Does that then mean Judas was screwed from the beginning?  If so, I feel sorry for that guy...  But then, I have to have faith that God will do right by all His children.

RW Day 1

I'm overloading on Rick Warren.  I downloaded "Purpose Driven Life" onto my Kindle and we're going through his "Everything is Possible With God" program in Small Group.  Today is day one for the Purpose book and yesterday we went through the first of six segments on the Everything DVD and discussion materials.  Here's what I've learned so far...

The six phases of Faith are:
Dream - God's dream requires faith
Decision - Nothing is going to happen to your dream until you wake up and put it into action
Delay - Gold will not fulfill your dream immediately. Waiting teaches us to trust God
Difficulty - God uses difficulties to work on your faith and character
Dead End - Dead ends are a part of God's plan for your life
Deliverance - the best response to a dead end is to expect God to act

I have been in search of my dream and purpose for most of my life, and it's finally sunk in that I've been thinking of it as MY dream and purpose... and not God's dream and purpose for me.  For now, I will get to know Him better.  I will make myself stop all the busy work and have actual quiet time.  Writing helps me sort through my thoughts, so this will be my journal.  For the next 40 days, I will commit to spending some time in prayer and/or working through the insights God gives me on this blogspot journal.  I will try to listen for His direction, dream and purpose for my life.  I'm sure that revealing his Dream/Purpose for me will probably take more than 40 days, but this will hopefully help me start some good habits.

It's like Penny...

Penny was my friends' 14-yr-old golden retriever who stayed with us when her owners went out of town.  The last time she stayed with us, her owners went to New York for a funeral.  Penny wasn't sick or anything, just old... And one morning she just didn't wake up...  She just went to sleep and that's how we found her the next day.  I felt bad and my co-worker said the same thing happened when he watched his parents' dog.  He and I agreed that dogs probably hold on for their owners, but feel free to "go" when they don't have the pressure of being there for the owners.  Penny stayed with us a lot and felt comfortable with us, but she probably knew we'd handle her death a little easier than her owners would.

I think people are like that too.  My mother-in-law held on for quite a bit during her last week or two.  She knew her time was coming, but I think she was worried about how we'd all be with her dying.  She got baptized on a Sunday and died the following Thursday (Thanksgiving).  We all knew it was coming and reassured her everything would be okay... Nobody would fight over property over belongings and we'd all take care of each other.

Now my friend's dad is very sick.  He has fought off death a few times in the past two months, but I get the sense that he'd like to let go.... but is afraid to devastate his wife and son.  I don't know if the parents are Christian, but my friend is probably more in the range of "believing in God but not necessarily a Christian or Jewish God."  He has asked me to pray for them and of course I always do... but I don't think I pray for what my friend wants.  My friend wants his dad to stay alive.... and I pray that his dad is relieved of pain and suffering, that they all seek God for help and direction.  I asked him if I could come to the hospital to lend them moral support, but he said now's not a good time (but he'd take a raincheck).  I know my pastor said that sometimes we just need to show up anyway, but I really don't want to step on toes either.  I'm not family and the man is in ICU.  For now, I'll wait to hear from my friend again, and continue to pray....

In a Blink of an Eye...

Thousand of people died.  Natural disasters or "Acts of God" can take out thousands at a time and turn people's worlds upside down.  While I'm worrying about how to make more money to pay off debts, many people have lost their families and homes to an earthquake, tsunami or some other crazy thing.  Makes me feel pretty petty and wasteful when I sit down and think what others have lost in Haiti, Japan, New Orleans or wherever.  I guess we really should try to live each day to its fullest and not be so self-absorbed.