Have you ever had one of those weeks when everything went crazy?
Have you ever looked at an area in your home and wondered how it got to it’s hectic and cluttered state?
I think both of those emotions and environments are related. I had a friend once tell me when her prayer life was off her house looked like a disaster area. Clutter is one of my own personal brown M&M’s. When I start to see clutter in certain areas…I know things are off. My desk at home is one of those places. The backseat of my truck is another.
This week has been wild. That is all I will say.
When I noticed the state of my home office I started taking a mental inventory. I have dropped the ball in several things this week. I haven’t blogged or followed my rhythm of a long read of scripture. I had several other projects that I usually work on in the evenings I have neglected. My motorcycle, the usual instant place of reflection, has stayed parked all week. I haven’t been satisfied with the amount of time I can devote to prayer.
I had let my priorities drop in the middle of things. I had lost my center.
Clutter took over.
Not literal reality TV hording clutter, but distractive clutter. It takes over silently and steals you away from what YOU MUST be doing. God did not make us to hustle non stop. We were made to orbit around the idea of sabbath. And I have fallen into the sin of Israel and ceased to create my own personal jubilee years amidst my weeks and days.
So this is a confession and a call to confess.
Realize the alarms around you that might be screaming “RELAX, BREATHE AND STOP!!!!”
I would encourage you to make a list of what you consider to be life giving. Prioritize that list and realize what you can do daily, weekly and monthly. Think of the things which draw you closer to God, give you more knowledge of the holy. When we truly understand the importance of them we begin to realize we simply are to busy to not be doing them. When we start slipping into the lie they aren’t necessary is when we should realize we haven’t been doing them enough.
Focus on what brings you closer to who God made you to be.
I have a little thing I call my movie conscience. It also applies to television shows. When I feel someone is about to make a complete fool of themselves, or if things are going to get really awkward, I have to leave the room. I have never been able to watch many episodes of “The Office” because of my movie conscience. Pretty much any Ben Stiller movie is off the table.
There are few conversations that can cause the awkwardness in church like the money conversation. Let me admit/apologize something to you off the bat. Traditionally most churches (preachers) do a bad job at it. I’m sorry.
So we are going to just call out the awkwardness and have the first honest conversation this week in worship. I will clue you in on this though…we aren’t the primary actors when it comes to conversations of abundance and giving. We are focusing our worship this week around Ephesians 1:3-11, and 17-20
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
See you in worship this Sunday!
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Have you ever found yourself stuck in the past? Have you wondered where the presence of God exists in time? The best way for us to practice the presence is to find it in the present.
*What is a sermon preview? Sermon previews are released on Friday’s. They are to give YOU a short glimpse of what the conversation is going to be like on Sunday morning. On Monday, the preview is updated with some discussion questions, scripture guide and an mp3 of the sermon. I do these for 2 reasons. The first is so God can continue working in your life throughout the week. The second is for you to share this with a friend. I invite and encourage you to share the preview on Facebook/Twitter and through email.
Chad Brooks is a United Methodist Pastor serving in Louisiana. Married to Meredith, he is currently starting a new church in northeast Louisiana. Host of the Productive Pastor Podcast and lover of motorcycles, Chad would love to find Bigfoot one day.
Chad Brooks is a United Methodist Pastor serving in Louisiana. Married to Meredith, he is currently starting a new church in northeast Louisiana. Host of the Productive Pastor Podcast and lover of motorcycles, Chad would love to find Bigfoot one day.