monday musings

well, syatp is officially over and while part of me is seriously relieved the other part is sorely disappointed. this after all is the most hectic but also the most anticipated part of our year here at sdm. in a way we dread it and in a way we are sorry to see it end. i especially have struggled this year as in the midst of the upswing of syatp i decided to return to school. that the late nights working and studying have taken a toll on my son is patently obvious and that has made it all the more difficult.

i did have a realization though at the 'saw you at the pole' after rally... the pres. of our co. was speaking about people in history who were not afraid to be the ONE that stood up for something. then he relayed an event at a college he had been speaking at that really got me thinking. apparently he finished speaking the last night of the conference and dismissed everyone, before one person could get up to leave ONE girl stood up and challenged the rest to not be average, to stand up for something... in the end, the students stayed in prayer into the early hours of the morning despite being told repeatedly that they should leave. i thought to myself, 'i wish i could be a part of something like that'.

when billy finished speaking he gave invitation for people to accept Christ. all heads were bowed and he prayed. he then asked that those who had prayed with him would lift up their heads and look at him while the rest remained bowed. i was standing in the back and could observe several heads popping up all over in the crowd of about 800. the number of heads is not important of course. had only one head risen i think i should have had the same experience. in that moment God spoke to me deep in my being and said, 'you are.'

i immediately repented myself of constantly wishing for somewhere over the rainbow and resolved to focus more on the right now. right now is a powerful place if we can but seize hold of it. great deeds are not done in the future tense... they are done right now and often by the seemingly mundane. what will be is a dream, what is real is now. how many of us so often refuse the work of today, the mundane, boring, often thankless work of now in favor of dreams of tomorrow. i tell you truly, we shall never see those dreams revealed to the world by shirking the dirty work of today.

my somewhat senile grandfather in law posed this question to me the other day...'what have you done for God and country lately?' my reply was quick, i paid my taxes and my tithes, which i believe is what he was looking for. but seriously, today i'll ask myself and you a similar question... 'what have you done for the kingdom lately?' 'what work have you done recently to see your dreams realized?' i must confess that as for myself i have lately been doing little on either regard.