Oceans of Opportunity

I went out surfing one day after work, just me and my lonesome. I got to the ocean, saw all the pro surfers shredding the waves in the jetty, and paddled out to the amateur hour section. It fit my bill just right, actually if we’re being completely honest, even that was a little rough for me. I claim no athletic ability in this field. After paddling out I noticed a younger surfer sitting on his board near me. I thought nothing of it after being frequently out-surfed by 12 and 13 year olds. A while passed and there were no waves, so I decided to paddle in a bit and catch them closer to shore, the young surfer was right behind me. I paddled to the right, boom he paddled to the right. So I turned to him and said, “What, the ocean isn’t big enough for you or something like that? You got a problem? Huh? Do ya, do ya, do ya?” Or a blue fish said that in a different ocean, I can’t remember. 

Anyway, I realized that I was still too far out and started to paddle way in.  As I’m paddling, I keep hearing this small sound, like a sentence over and over and so I tune in to hear what it is. This young boy was saying over and over, “I can’t”. I looked back quickly and I will probably remember this scene for a while. The little boy, completely alone and surrounded by nothing but water, was paddling as hard as he could, quietly adding his own tears to the water, whispering, “I can’t, I can’t”. My heart absolutely shattered. I stopped paddling, turned back and asked him what his name was and told him that we would paddle the rest of the way together. I wasn’t going to leave him. Turns out he was 10 years old and his mom’s friend who took him was out with the rest of the awesome surfers. Well, we paddled together for a little while and then caught some waves together. Then unbeknownst to me he rode one all the way in. So I looked around to find him and there on the shore I saw his little frame jumping up and down waving his arm in the air. I smiled, waved back, and kept surfing.

This scene stuck with me for a while. At first I was confused why I couldn’t stop thinking about it and my heart wouldn’t stop aching. Then it hit me, this is the story of evangelism for me. Let’s say the ocean is a symbol for the world we live in and the shore is a symbol of Salvation in Christ. Is it coming together now? I would say that we are called to jump into this turbulent world, face terrors, and be smashed around a bit. God never promised an easy life. But in the midst of living this life, of walking through this world I think it would be incredibly selfish of us to simply focus on ourselves, to try to find meaning for our lives in the thrill of riding wave after wave of happiness. We are meant to care about the people around us, to care about this world as whole. We as Christians are meant to reach out to those who are lost in this world, those who are paddling as hard as they can and yet look to the finish line and think, “I can’t”. Because it is in those moments when we ourselves heard the words, “But God can.” When people lose hope, we have the chance to come alongside them and live life for a while by their side and say, “look there, hope is right in front of you.” And every once in a while God blesses us with the opportunity to see those that we walked alongside standing on the shore waving back to us, knowing that they are safe in the knowledge of who they are and who they are not.

Musical Conversation

A song begins, the introduction is sweet, inspiring, and thought-provoking. It stirs our interest, draws us in more. The lyrics begin and the words pour out; the artist's heart is so evident in every line, in every note. It tells a story, the words do, the instruments chime in as if reinforcing what is explicitly said. Those lyrics are a window into the artists heart, their true loves, their passion, and their thoughts about life. We can choose to slow down and listen, to become involved in what the artist has created or we can choose to let it be a background soundtrack to our already hectic lives.

A conversation begins, its introduction is sweet, fun, and intriguing. It stirs our interest, draws us in more. Then the stories begin and the words pour out; the person's heart is so evident in every line, in every sentence. It shows a life, the stories do, the emotions and facial expressions chime in as if reinforcing what the words say. Those stories are a window into what that person really believes about who they are, their true insecurities, loves, passions and thoughts about life. We can choose to slow down and listen, to become involved in what the person is sharing or we can choose to let it be a background soundtrack to our already hectic thoughts.

I see it the same. A song and a conversation. We can choose to be involved in both the ups and the downs, to care about what is being said, or we can choose to tune it out. But know this, the more invested we are, the more we appreciate what we have. The more we care, the more we pull out, both in music and in relationship. Tell me, when is the last time we have had a conversation with someone who was so involved in our story that they NEEDED to hear the end? When was the last time we've had a conversation with someone who wanted to know why we said what we did, or what thoughts were behind our words? The world needs people who are involved, who care, who listen to our life lyrics. God has so much interest in who we are and desires to know our stories, our true heart. Who's to say that we can't love and listen to people alongside Him? Be someone who cares what others have to say and see how a simple conversation can become a perfectly constructed song.

Preschool World

You know why I love working at a preschool? I mean other then the ridiculously cute kids with foreign accents and incredible story material? I love it because it's a constant reminder to just play. When you are at a preschool, the playground is not just a playground, it's a fort, a ship, a plane, a soccer field with thousands of fans in the stadium watching you score the winning goal. Nothing is as it seems.

And as I punch my time card and walk out of the preschool for the day it sticks with me for a bit. Sidewalks become runways, planks to walk on pirate ships, or the yellow brick road leading to the lollipop kids. The academic buildings I walk by everyday becomes headquarters for spies and secretive operations. And the airplanes are carrying secret messages of grave importance. The world becomes exciting in every way shape and form. That is why I love working at a preschool, because it reminds me that the world and life is exciting, full of opportunities, full of ways to adventure and be inspired.

As that imagination begins to fade away and the everyday life begins to settle in and the routine takes its place, all i need to do is look at the people in the world. Because I know that they too were once inspired to become a conquistador by a single twig. People show me that this world is still exciting as an adult, because when my imagination fails to fill in the adventure, people step up. I get to discover others, to explore the terrain of hearts around me, and to learn about how someone else thinks. We get to serve the world and those in it. You'd be surprised how much adventure, and excitement is in that simple life choice.

Same Rules, New Meaning

So, I've been a part of this program called BGR (Boiler Gold Rush) for my entire college career (literally since day one). But this year in particular I have been incredibly involved in it and have... well,  one could say, come to breathe BGR.

Something I've been learning lately, is how to live my faith out in a place where it's not the main focus. You know, how do you stand up for something you believe in when it's not common? How do you love those around you, but not take part in all that they are doing? How do you spread God's love to those who don't believe in God? How do you serve God in places where it's not the obvious choice? Like in school, in sports, in the workplace, with friends who aren't believers. Then it hit me, God brings depth and meaning to our lives, to every part of it. He says love and then He takes you life and turns it upside down teaching you how He loves you. He tells us to be humble, and then shows you how to have the strength and confidence in who you are and who He is to do that. He says to serve the poor, and then shows you how much the poor really has and how they end up serving you. He takes the dying weed, uproots it entirely and then replants it to bring about a flower. That's what He does. We offer Him the shallow and He says, "I want everything." But then if God brings depth to the existing order of things, why do I go into these places where God's "rules" for living don't fit and assume that I have a completely different agenda, a different purpose, a different meaning then everything they're doing?

You see God uses things in this world as a conduit for His glory. He uses terms like humility, bravery, courage, love, mercy, and forgiveness to show us where He is and the world has their own definition for these terms. Well, so often I think that when I am serving God, I am bringing a new definition to the world, that I am bringing an answer that is different and right. Oh man, if only I knew earlier, that God is not telling me to "bring" the right defintion, but simply to find the depth in the old meaning, to find Him where the world is already living.

God calls us to go somewhere, see what they live for and then show to them that it is already pointing towards Him! He is adding depth where there is shallowness. He is adding meaning, where there is hopeless struggling. He doesn't tell us to create new rules, but to love through those that already exist. BGR has a passion for Purdue, for making sure that their new students are welcomed and feel comfortable and safe. I have gone into BGR loving all the things that it loves and have found that I am called to pull those exact things deeper and further. To love those in the program for who they are. Who they are beyond all the crap, beyond all the make believe and the pretend, beyond all the judgments and stereotypes. I have been called to love them in their anguish and to love them when they have done nothing to deserve or earn it. And that is me serving God in a place where people don't believe in Him.

And the Warmth Rang True Inside These Bones.

There are times in our lives when true inspiration hits. It tingles through our bones, our minds begin to run a million miles a minute, and our hearts pump blood through every part of our bodies faster and faster. It's in these times of inspiration that I am reminded of the depth that life runs. Isn't it crazy how many stories you can have accumulated in one room when you have any number of people together? Isn't it crazy that you can walk underneath the stars, take in a deep breath, and just be happy to be alive? Isn't it crazy that you can be you?

Inspiration is so often what reminds me to keep striving, it's what reminds me to keep dreaming, to keep pursuing the Lord, and to discover the stories of the people around me. 

Inspiration: it's discovering new lyrics, realizing a new Truth, dreaming in spite of fear and failure. It's contagious, passionate, and empowering.  It is seeing something that is a much greater good than anything we are capable of on our own and responding to it. It's something that pulls us out of our selfish pursuit of success and happiness and into the world that desparately needs love, vulnerability, sincerity, and acceptance. It's what calls us to be advocates and warriors and to lose sight of ourselves for once. Inspiration is every general's battle cry, every mothers whispered "good night", every stand for what's right, and every late night conversation about life. One is inspired by greatness, sure, but I believe that one is inspired to greatness as well. We act on our inspiration and we are reminded of the complexity of emotion, of spirit, of mind and of soul. Inspiration is what makes us stand out from anything else on this planet. We as humans are characterized by our inspiration. And who better to inspire than the Creator of the Universe, the one who formed inspiration and breathed it into our souls. It all points towards Him.

 

The Field

On my way to work today I ran into a piece of sidewalk. That seems like a weird sentence, but honestly that's the best way I could describe it. I was walking across a grassy field one second and the next, my bare little foot was slamming into a piece of concrete better known as sidewalk. It came out of no where like the monster in the black lagoon. I mean, in seriousness, this piece of sidewalk literally led to nowhere. It spit you out in a grassy field. So, like every human being I took a picture from an artsy angle and kept walking.

As I was walking I kept thinking about that piece of sidewalk and how perfectly it described my life right now. This year wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be. My plans and visions for my life is not the reality of what my life really is. I feel like I had this concrete plan, this paved path that I knew my life was going to be and as I was strolling along, something happened and it just disappeared. And now I am standing in a grassy field in complete confusion and seeming chaos. I see myself rooted in place, looking in the distance not knowing what to expect anymore, not knowing where to go from here, and not knowing exactly what God is up to. So many of us are standing in so much confusion, standing in so much uncharted terrain, standing in so much unknown and are so scared. What do I do next? What direction is my life really heading? What do I even want?

And it's in these times that we feel God grows silent. We feel like God takes our sidewalk out from underneath us and then stops talking. It's almost like the more desperate we are, the more God pulls back. Can I make an observation? Have you ever noticed that when something unexpected happens to you, you react? Well, duh, but think about it, you react with whatever you know and are experienced with, which is why I will never surprise a black belt. But, why would it be different emotionally? What if when we are surprised with something we weren't expecting emotionally, we react with what we know? When we are cast into troubled times we hadn't planned out, then we default to finding happiness in whatever way we can. And all too often, that means going away from God and trying to find it on our own. The more we search for satisfaction and completeness away from God, the harder it is to discern His Voice calling us back.

If you're standing in a field right now, looking back at the sidewalk that just ended, then know I am right there with you. If you are watching as expectations you had crumble and are left unmet, then I am right there with you. And if you are feeling like God's voice is much quieter then it's been before then I understand where you are coming from. I want to challenge us to stop searching for the answers and start searching for the questions. How can I still serve You? How can I find happiness and rest in You when everything around me is chaos? How do I let go of my control and expectations? These are just some of the questions that I've had to learn to even ask.

That is my prayer. That we will learn how to ask questions, that we will be patient, let go of control, grow in trust, and become okay with the unknown and uncharted. It is when we step off of our paved walkway, that we find the freedom of a field to run and play in. 

Tales of a Simple Song

A single guitar sounds through the noise. It strums a simple beat over and over again. It plays so long that it is no longer heard, but credited to the rest of the noise around, tuned out and labeled white noise.

A drum beats, slow at first and quiet. It finds its voice and grows louder, beginning to synchronize with the long-lasting guitar beat. Together they continue, complimenting each other in a simple rythym.

As the two go on, a foot in the crowd taps, up and down, up and down. One soul touched, one ear pleased with the efforts of a drum and a guitar.

A bass chimes in, occasionally and meaningfully. It emphasizes certain notes, it contrasts the guitar in its light air and builds depth to the beat that has lasted so long.

People turn as they walk by, they slow, they listen to a few notes that play. They have noticed that the notes, the beat, the song being composed is not for them. The song is played because it has to. The instruments play together because that is what they were made for. They were molded for this reason and with every last effort in their bodies, they will play.

A violin begins to speak, telling a story surrounded in melancholy and hope. It plays on its own, yet somehow is exactly what the song needed. As it speaks, the notes are traced like a scarf flowing in the wind, whipping to and fro and yet beautiful in its graceful moves.

Another guitar joins and its strings are picked carefully. Sounds come from the guitar that are chosen with purpose from unlikely places and fits in unlikely ways into the song, into the ever-growing story.

And now the crowd stands enthralled by the song that has been built into this glorious beauty. They feel like they are seeing something private, yet somehow addressed directly and specifically to them. As they listen they become invested in the crescendos and in the decrescendos. They must hear more, they must listen further into this story that is pulling on them. The song, it becomes a call to live, to be more, to see deeper and to be braver then they would have dared before.

And then a voice speaks for the first time in the song and it says, "Welcome to church."