Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Padre State Of Mind
I'm sure you have heard the song, "I left my heart in San Francisco." It's a classic. I can almost hear Tony Bennett singing it right now. Obviously, Tony and the original writer, I think his name was George Cory, really enjoyed their time in that beautiful city.
As I write this Blog, Beth and I are flying home from South Padre Island. We've just enjoyed a great week together, away from the craziness of our typical schedules, away from the cold weather in the St. Louis area, and away from our girls. Yes, as much as we love them, we needed a little time away from them. And, four hours by plane seemed just about right. We love South Padre! We love the beach, the local feel, the condo and the way time seems to slow down. And, it never fails that we make new friends when we are there. This time was no exception. Don't worry, I'm not going to start singing, "I left my heart in South Padre." But, let me share a little bit about our Wednesday afternoon.
We went to eat lunch at a Cafe on the beach at one o'clock and six hours later we left to go back to our condo. Six hours, I couldn't believe it. I looked at Beth and said, "I never expected to spend our whole day there and I sure didn't expect to have a church service."Yes, you read it--I said "church service." God's word states, "His presence is wherever two or three people are gathered in His name." Beth and I firmly believe that our lives belong to the Lord. We believe that "in Him, we live and move, and have our being." We believe that we carry the presence of Christ in us wherever we go. Only God knew the conversations He was preparing for us to have at the Cafe on the beach.We visited with a friend who is of Jewish descent--he was more than willing to "talk the Torah" with us. We were able to ask him some questions from the book of Isaiah that point toward Jesus as the Messiah. We spent a couple of hours with a young man who has chosen the homosexual lifestyle.
Once our Jewish friend told him I was a pastor--suddenly, he wanted to talk about the Bible, homosexuality, heterosexuality, and life after death, grace, church and so much more. Then, the waiter finished his shift and asked if he could sit at our table. He wanted to talk about rebellion and forgiveness, and religion compared to spirituality. The day was amazing! God gave us divine opportunities to simply share about our faith in Christ. I wasn't wearing my tie during vacation--to be honest, I don't wear one at home.
You see the only difference from this week compared to most is that we were willing to slow down. It's not just "South Padre." It's the "Padre State of Mind." When you are willing to slow down and have conversation--you bump into God's divine appointments for your life. I'm not leaving my heart in South Padre; rather, I am bringing the "Padre State of Mind" home with me.
I've missed too many divine appointments because I didn't slow down and have a real conversation. God has so many more divine encounters prepared for me and if I'm moving too quickly I will walk right by them. And, so will you! We are getting ready to land and the vacation is just about over. In about 20 minutes, I'm going to be kissing and hugging my daughters. I brought my heart home with me--so much of it is given to them! :)
And, with this new state of mind--I'm looking forward to the casual conversations that will become divine opportunities for God to use me to make a difference...a real difference! Peace
As I write this Blog, Beth and I are flying home from South Padre Island. We've just enjoyed a great week together, away from the craziness of our typical schedules, away from the cold weather in the St. Louis area, and away from our girls. Yes, as much as we love them, we needed a little time away from them. And, four hours by plane seemed just about right. We love South Padre! We love the beach, the local feel, the condo and the way time seems to slow down. And, it never fails that we make new friends when we are there. This time was no exception. Don't worry, I'm not going to start singing, "I left my heart in South Padre." But, let me share a little bit about our Wednesday afternoon.
We went to eat lunch at a Cafe on the beach at one o'clock and six hours later we left to go back to our condo. Six hours, I couldn't believe it. I looked at Beth and said, "I never expected to spend our whole day there and I sure didn't expect to have a church service."Yes, you read it--I said "church service." God's word states, "His presence is wherever two or three people are gathered in His name." Beth and I firmly believe that our lives belong to the Lord. We believe that "in Him, we live and move, and have our being." We believe that we carry the presence of Christ in us wherever we go. Only God knew the conversations He was preparing for us to have at the Cafe on the beach.We visited with a friend who is of Jewish descent--he was more than willing to "talk the Torah" with us. We were able to ask him some questions from the book of Isaiah that point toward Jesus as the Messiah. We spent a couple of hours with a young man who has chosen the homosexual lifestyle.
Once our Jewish friend told him I was a pastor--suddenly, he wanted to talk about the Bible, homosexuality, heterosexuality, and life after death, grace, church and so much more. Then, the waiter finished his shift and asked if he could sit at our table. He wanted to talk about rebellion and forgiveness, and religion compared to spirituality. The day was amazing! God gave us divine opportunities to simply share about our faith in Christ. I wasn't wearing my tie during vacation--to be honest, I don't wear one at home.
You see the only difference from this week compared to most is that we were willing to slow down. It's not just "South Padre." It's the "Padre State of Mind." When you are willing to slow down and have conversation--you bump into God's divine appointments for your life. I'm not leaving my heart in South Padre; rather, I am bringing the "Padre State of Mind" home with me.
I've missed too many divine appointments because I didn't slow down and have a real conversation. God has so many more divine encounters prepared for me and if I'm moving too quickly I will walk right by them. And, so will you! We are getting ready to land and the vacation is just about over. In about 20 minutes, I'm going to be kissing and hugging my daughters. I brought my heart home with me--so much of it is given to them! :)
And, with this new state of mind--I'm looking forward to the casual conversations that will become divine opportunities for God to use me to make a difference...a real difference! Peace
Labels: Appointments, Chapel, Divine, Faith, Padre, South
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