For some reason, my ‘go-to” Sunday Night Unwind soundtrack has been Hillsong lately. I’ve got iTunes cranked up, and all the Hillsong stuff I have is rocking along. Did I mention we need a chick worship leader?  🙂 Anyway, here’s what’s going on in my little insignificant corner of the universe…
- Last week started out pretty good, but ended up being the gnat bite week from H-E-double-hockey-sticks.
- From Thursday on, it seemed like one little thing after another happened. There was nothing major, but those little gnat bites get pretty annoying when they start adding up.
- Broken glasses. Busted doors. Kitty eye infections. Impromptu encounters with Cherokee County’s finest. Nasty floors. Changed locks. You get the idea….
- Top all that off with last night, when I got a decent amount of sleep, but woke up feeling as though I’d been running all night long. Is it possible to sleep without really resting?
- Today at The Crest was pretty interesting.
- We’ve been in a series called Jesus in the Present Tense, dealing with the great “I Am” statements of Jesus in John’s Gospel. Today, we took a break to promote our tribe’s annual Easter Offering for North American missions.
- Had some video vignettes of folks who are planting churches throughout North America. My most interesting “hmmmm” moment came from this guy, who came from South Africa to the United States because of his burden for dying churches and lost people. In America? Wait…aren’t Americans supposed to be “the missionaries?”
- We’re tenants now, in the property we used to own, and that – as you can imagine – is pretty awkward. And getting more so as the weeks go by. We need to get busy looking for a new place to call home. And pronto!
- I used to believe the conventional wisdom that said if you pay for something yourself, you’re more likely to take better care of it than if someone gives it you you. Apparently our new landlords and erstwhile tenants didn’t get the memo. Aren’t Army guys supposed to be clean and neat? Don’t they learn to police the area, etc.? Isn’t there such a thing as KP anymore? And whatever happened to the famous “commitment to Christian excellence in education?” (Insert your own link here. It shouldn’t be too hard to find.) And why are there bricks and concrete blocks in the refrigerator? Just wondering out loud here…
- For some reason, this line from National Lampoon’s Animal House comes to mind more often these days.
- Oh, and how about that commitment to excellence in grammar, too?
- Did I mention that the lovely and gracious Mrs. Just Charlie has Apple fever? I mean a bad case!
- If you want to help ease that condition, one of these will do the trick. And one of these. Oh, and since it’s small, how about one of these, as well? 🙂
- How do you go about making a large traditional worship space (think pews, etc.)  more intimate when it only contains  relatively few people? Our space will seat 175-200 and we have less than 50 currently. Just wondering…
- I started reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr,Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas this evening.
- I’ve been thinking about “hard things” for the past couple of days. And as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve failed at so much simply because I quit or backed off when the going got tough. It’s hard to do the right thing sometimes. It’s hard not to give up or give in. It’s hard to follow God’s lead when you’re discouraged and just going through the motions. It’s hard not to quit when it seems everything you try fails. It’s hard to keep going when it seems you’re on your own without a lot of support. It’s hard! Now at age 50-something, I’m wondering if it’s too late to strengthen those muscles.
- Speaking of muscles, my commitment to exercise and health has been one of those areas. I’m getting back to it. As tempting as it is, you can’t live on what you did six years ago.
- Same with reading and learning.
- Same with meaningful spiritual habits.
- All things being equal, however, God is still great and He is still good, and He’s not done with us yet!
Sorry for the pity party. Move along if you’re in the wrong place. If you’re where you’re supposed to be, an extra prayer or two would be appreciated.
A famous Jim Cymbala quote to bring a merciful end to tonight’s Unwind…
I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on our behalf.
Peace. Good night!
