Clearly, I am an idiot. It comes as little surprise to anyone who knows me well. :) In venting yesterday about my current state of mind regarding our kids and how to have any meaningful time in a small group setting, I fear my words might have been misunderstood. I just want to say publicly, in no way was I making light of any desire or idea to do something meaningful in those small group times. In fact, what I was trying to say is how much I agonize over the fact that it seems impossible to do such things. It was a Calgon Take Me Away moment that seems to have backfired a bit. I enjoyed reading all of your comments. Good words and good advice. I am sure there will be more blog-worthy stuff in the coming weeks about the direction we'll take with these things.
This morning I am doing the staff devotional on the first chapter of Proverbs. It's been good to read. The importance of seeking wisdom is critical to our spiritual health. The words in Proverbs the first chapter are pretty pointed, actually. Knowledge, in and of itself, is useful to a point. However, Proverbs tells us that the beginning of knowledge--first and foremost--is the fear and honor of the Lord. It's only through that relationship that knowledge will really take the transforming power it's meant to have in our lives. "Fools despise knowledge and discipline." I think when we get it aligned under relationship, knowledge and discipline fall in line a whole lot easier. There's a desire to know God, to know how to live how He wants. There's a stronger urge to discipline ourselves to spend time with Him, to re-shape our lives according to His will and purpose. The book of Proverbs is about worship in action. Making wise decisions. Following God with intention. It's the Holy Spirit who draws us in and helps us make those changes. It's by His voice that we are taught, soothed, comforted, prodded, and nurtured. As we embrace the Holy Spirit, the Word comes to life in new and exciting ways! Here's a verse from William How (1823-1897) that I would like to close with this morning.
O Word of God incarnate
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky;
We praise You for the radiance
That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps,
Sines on from age to age.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
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4 comments:
Now, stop. I'm supposed to be the self-deprecating one. You aren't an idiot. Lifegroups and parenting have always been a challenge for us as well. The only way to get past that is to quit having babies, it seems ...
I've been there, buddy. One of my favorite moments in our small group last year (we call them "Impact Groups" here) was when my five-year old son walked from the kids' play room through the middle of our den (where our group meets) right into the adjacent bathroom and went potty -- loudly as little boys love to do -- with the door wide open. Such moments really set the tone for meaningful sharing and group self-disclosure, don't you think?
On the other hand, all of those kiddos help send the signal that there's no pretense here!
Hang in there.
It is so easy to forget that whole part about discipline. We will never reach true Wisdom without it and yet we tend to buck against it so hard. A study of Proverbs at least twice a year is needful for me.
You clearly ARE NOT an idiot! /enter Forrest Gump/ And that's all I got to say 'bout that!
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