Obey Him with glad reckless joy.

Its Ragtime tech week.

For those of you who have no idea what that its: In the world of theatre it is the most stressful, sleep depriving, scrambling, frustrating, hot and sweaty... week before opening night.

When I find myself in a place where people are beginning to whine and complain about the current circumstances, something in my wants to rise up and fight the pessimism. But not with guns and hand-to-hand mortal combat, no, but with sparklers and bubbles. Yes. I want to fight with optimism.

In times like these when all of life seems like one frustrating, hopeless, mess I have a secret joy that lives within. I know that we have been faithful to pursue God throughout the whole process, and that if we continue to "look up" (as my director likes to say) we will find peace. And when I ask God to keep me optimistic, to give me hope, he delivers.

"But choosing joy over bitterness doesn't mean slapping a silly grin on your face." Notes writer Kara Scwab in an online article--Choosing Joy-- "And it's not about being bubbly, perky or giggly. Let's face it, sometimes happy people can be a bit annoying. Joy goes much deeper than any facial expression. And it's more intense and real than fleeting happiness. In his play Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare understands this solemn quality of joy, writing, "Silence is the perfectest herald of joy." How perfectly said."

Later in the article, she notes: "When I really looked at the Bible to see what it said about joy, the more I came to believe that joy is a decision of the will. Happiness may be something you feel. But joy is something you do. Throughout the Bible I saw action phrases like "shout for joy," "sing for joy" and "cry for joy."


This week is going to be full of opportunities to sink into pessimism. Zippers may snap and blocking may change, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And I'm going to fight for joy. My scriptural reminder? 1 Peter 1:3-8:

"³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."


(To read the full article mentioned above, check out boundless.org.)

Love

The past few weeks, we have been discussing the attributes of the Fruits of The Spirit. Its been a personal goal of mine that each week I search for quotes and scripture that help me to better understand these things.

Some time ago, I read this quote by Mr. Rogers. (Yes, our friendly neighbor Mr. Rogers.)

"Deep within us—no matter who we are—there lives a feeling of wanting to be lovable, of wanting to be the kind of person that others like to be with. And the greatest thing we can do is let people know that they are loved and capable of loving.”

Sometimes I struggle with "showing love" to others. Its one of those things that I have the greatest intentions to do, but expressing it is hard for me. Showing love to others really is an investment. If you want to deepen your relationships, you've got to be willing to step out of your routine knowing that the impact you will be making is so much greater than it would have been if you had spent that extra hour on facebook, or slept in till noon, or sat quietly in the back of the class...

Being Single with Intentionality

Danielle sent in this really great article (from Relevant) full of encouragement about how to spend your/my/our "singlehood." What do you think about the article? How do you spend your time as a single? Do you feel you could accomplish the same things if you were/are in a relationship?

Being Single with Intentionality

Glow-in-the-dark Putt-Putt, laser tag, make-your-own ice cream sundaes and skee ball. A teenager’s dream, right? The funny thing is, these activities are not a part of a teenybopper’s weekend schedule—they are actual events I have attended as an adult in singles’ ministry. While I have been reluctantly traipsing through dark, musty rooms clutching a laser gun, some of my married friends have been hosting dinner parties, having cookouts and building face-to-face community. Although I might have left with a Chinese yo-yo bought with my skee ball winnings, my married friends left with a deeper sense of belonging.

Because I’m single, is it assumed that I automatically enjoy perpetual icebreakers? Am I not ready to graduate to the land of sophistication and supper clubs, or is this just the fate of a woman who has failed in the dating department? Somehow, these self-deprecating ideas don’t mesh with what I know to be true about the way God loves me. So, how then, does a single person navigate through this season, finding appropriate amounts of community while not subjecting themselves to feeling as though they are stuck in the land of lock-ins? My answer to this has been intentionality.

I have been diligent about being intentional with this time that I have been given. As Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 7:7, “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.” Paul is saying that single folks have a gift and like any gift, it needs to be used for the glory of the One who created them for that very purpose. Think outside of the box on this one.

While meeting someone for coffee and having deep, God-centered conversation could be the way you choose to use your time, don’t believe that it is the only way to do life with others. If you are an athlete, work out with someone regularly and be a constant source of friendship for them. Are you an artist? Take art lessons and get into the lives of the other people in the art community- people that you might not otherwise have gotten to know. Use your gift of free time as a single to do just what Paul suggests, “spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him”.

Although I live to cross things off of my daily “to do” list, resolution making and goal setting have never been things that come naturally to me. They are too long term and require too much accountability and discipline. While that is true, goal setting also gives this cautious soul the courage to do something that once seemed daunting. It challenges me to seek out my passions- things that might fall by the wayside because of other seemingly more important things like church sanctioned activities. Make the secular sacred through your intentionality and to God be the glory!

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