Jason Taylor

Wouldn’t it be nice if life was like this picture all the time.   My dog’s have it so easy, they sleep, and play, I feed them, repeat…

I think that for me one of the hardest lessons to learn about my relationship with Jesus Christ and my christian walk is that God’s plan is not always for my comfort.  His plan is primarily for His glory.   That is love.   It’s not something that is easy to swallow at first and certainly not something that I think most people really grasp.  

Far too many folks think that a Christian or as a Christian that God, since he does in fact love us, will keep us free from trial, struggle, strife, etc.   And in some cases, yes, that does happen, but not all.  

From John Piper’s devotional Pierced by the Word, “Most people do not immediately see God’s passion for the glory of God as an act of love.  One reason for this is that we have absorbed the world’s defintion of love.  It say: You are loved when you are made much of.”

Yikes, man, that really hits to my very core.   That my relationship with Jesus would not ebb and flow in intimacy based on how comfortable or uncomfortable He’s making my life from day to day. 

“God’s love keeps us at the center….God’s love labors and suffers to break our bondage to idol of self and focus our attention on the treasure of God.”

What do you think?  Is this a hard concept for you too?  What did you grow up believing?

Jim Gillmore, author of The Experience Economy said in an interview that the first childhood book you can remember will say alot about who you are today.   His example was Stop, Look and Listen.   I’m not familiar with the book and can’t find it anywhere on the web, but in his words, he shared how his work as an author and researcher is extremely influenced by those three core practices.    

Without going to crazy with that statement, take it at face value and consider it.  Have you ever thought about the first childhood book you remember.  Not your favorite, but the first one?   They might be the same but not necessarily. 

What’s the first book that comes to mind?  Does it say anything unique about who you are today or vice versa?  what about other “firsts? “  Ever think about all the firsts you remember from your childhood?     

First Friend: Jason Black – we’re still friends today, played soccer growing up and he is now a golf coach at Rio Rancho HighSchool here in New Mexico.
First Book:  Green Eggs and Ham
First Crush: Wendy in 1st grade
First Club: Green Cat Eyes Club – girls weren’t allowed! 
First T.V. Show or cartoon: G.I. Joe; parents wouldn’t let us watch smurfs or Bugs.   I’m still bitter over that.
First Sport: Soccer
First Hobby: Rocket building with my dad.
First Comic: not sure, didn’t grow up with comics
First Hero: Superman – had the underoo’s and everything.

Copy the list below into comments and fill it in as much as you can.   Any insights?  Any other “Firsts” you’d add?

First Friend:
First Book:
First Crush:
First Club:
First T.V. Show or cartoon:
First Sport:
First Hobby:
First Comic:
First Hero:

 img Thomas Hawk

I’ve been reflecting on Proverbs this past few weeks.   Proverbs is a book in the bible, a collection of wisdom, most of which was written by Solomon, a King that lived and reigned several thousand years ago.  

Proverbs 3:1-6 says, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.”

I ran a trail marathon this past week.  I had no idea what the trail would be like, but was pleasantly surprised when I found it to be flat, for the most part straight, sans rock and root and with a very small number of obstacles like dips and potholes.   What that allowed me to do was take in the beauty around me.   Running alongside the mountains from Palmer Lake down through the forest surrounding the Air Force Academy, alongside Pikes Peak while the sun came up.  It was gorgeous. 

There’s a lot of great stuff to focus on in the text from Proverbs but my focus, my take-away today was that one of the benefits of NOT leaning on my understanding and trusting the Lord with ALL my heart, is that I get to walk a straight path.  And one of the benefits of a straight path is that you get to look up and enjoy the trip a whole lot more.

Are there areas in your life where you could use a straighter path?   How might you lean into trusting God a bit more today?

The first place I can remember going backpacking as a kid was in San Pedro Parks.   It’s a small wilderness area just about an hour and a half from my home in Albuquerque.  Up until a few years ago I even had the backpack that I had as a kid, a blue Jansport external frame, that looked very small too me but as a kid seemed huge.   We would lug water in gallon milk jubs, one in each hand.   How my father ever survived taking three young boys into the woods for even a day is beyond me.   Way to go Dad!

San Pedro Parks is where I went this weekend for my time away.  It’s a place of rich memories that encompass my whole life.   I knew I’d be able to get away and it’s rarely crowded, except for the cows.  There were lots of those and the landmines they leave behind.  

I left on Friday evening and spent all day Saturday and the morning on Sunday just enjoying the silence and the solitiude.  I didn’t know what to expect honestly.  The last time I did this, I was in a much different place emotionally and the whole trip for me was more stressful than refreshing.  This however, was phenomenal.   I read, and prayed and journaled, listened to a few podcasts, listened to the birds the bugs the brook, napped in the grass by the Rio Las Vacas, and soaked up all I could in the time I had.   Having a plan did help because it kept me from plugging in a bunch of other stuff, which I so often tend to do.  In fact, planning to refresh may sound a bit counterintutive but is a huge part of living intentionally.  

There were three areas that I felt like I was supposed to spend time focusing my thoughts and prayers on.

1. Anna
2. Friends
3. Adoption

I didn’t go into the weekend with these laid out but after I settled my heart and listened to God for a while felt like these filtered to the top as priorities for the weekend.   I won’t necessarily go into the detail on each of those but would suggest that allowing God to put whatever he wanted before me for the weekend was huge.  I’m really glad I didn’t go with an agenda.    I was also amazed at how much I did hear him speak too.   Even when you think you’re doing really well in an area, affirmation is often quickly followed by exhortation.  

Here was my number one takeaway though.

Be diligent.  Be steadfast.   Keep your hand to the plow and just keep working the plan.  

A bit of background on that.   I tend to jump from thing to thing pretty quickly.   The past several years have been a time of INCREDIBLE, CONSTANT change and transition of some sort, usually more than one big thing at a time.   And I also tend to get bored easily, so I bring a lot of this on myself.    I felt like Jesus was just letting me know that right now, this seemingly steady season of plowing that I’m in, is good, is where He wants me right now and that I’m to be diligent.   How does this translate or apply?   Well, I’m still figuring that out but I do sense that I’m too hold off on any big changes.   I.E. going back to school, moving across the country, changing careers, etc…

My encouragment to you is to get away from it all, unplug and listen.  It’s amazing what 24 hours in the classroom of silence can do.  

When are you going to take a day away? 

Jeremiah 31:21

“Set up road markers for yourself; make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway,the road by which you went…”

Proverbs 4:18 

“But the path of righteousness is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.”

I’ve been and am continuing to be reminded of the reality of change.   Not all change seems fun.  I’m not in a season where I want to “lead” change but I will.

It is in the struggle that we grow. Everything. Everything in life is like this. Even a seed has to die to bring life.

Don Miller’s blog post found here…John Ortberg’s podcast from the first Sunday in January this year…Ragamuffin’s post…and many other small conversations I’ve heard.

We moved to Bend, OR 477 days ago on April 19^th, 2009. It’s been a great adventure and it will continue but at this point, it will continue in Albuquerque for a time. We are moving back to NM.

We grow…

I was listening to NPR yesterday and there is a company (I’m sure there are more springing up) that specializes in creating non lethal pirate defenses for commercial ships. Apparently captains don’t want to just give their crew guns. Solutions range from slippery goo that is shot at intruders to audio tones of incredible focus to a water cannon that will knock anybody in it’s path over.

How is it that the enemy always knows where the chinks are? Knows where the vulnerabilities lie or the weakness? If we know we have chinks, why don’t we put up extra defenses around them? One method of security might not work for all things.

We have an enemy, he’s a pirate of sorts. He and his entourage like to attempt to sneak on board the U.S.S. Taylor from time to time and try to wreak a little havoc on the captain. I’ve noticed that more often or not the attacks that come are against my joy. So, this short blog is just to let the enemy know that I’m onto him. I’ve got my defenses up. I’m ready for a fight and my joy is staying.

Bring it.

Ever feel like a fight?

Is it really that simple?

Here’s some food for thought as I wrestled to get this song OUT of my head.    You’re welcome by the way…I’ll bet you are humming it right now.

I usually start my day out with some type of alone time to kind of center myself and one of the things I like to do is read the bible.   I was reading in the Gospel of Luke today.   It’s one of the first 4 books of the bible and it tells a lot of first hand accounts of what Jesus said and did while he was on earth.   There’s a story in chapter 12 where he is talking specifically about this idea of worry.  [this is him speaking to his main guys]

#1:

22Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

“Therefore” is generally a reference back to something stated before.   Just before this Jesus tells this story.

#2:

16 And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? 18 And he said, I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Finally, this is a couple of lines from a letter that one of Jesus’s disciples wrote.

#3:

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So what does all this have to do with Worry?

Story 1 – The reality whether we choose to believe it or not.   We are loved, we are known, we are provided for.

Story 2 – Where most of us, including myself live day to day.  Our mantra is “relax, eat, drink, be merry…”

Story 3 – The ONLY strategy that works.  Prayer.  Petition (supplication) – WITH Thanksgiving.   The truth is I’m not happy.  Happy is an emotion and frankly it’s a tough time to be happy about much.   But I am choosing to be joyful.   I’m living with a peace about life and I’m doing it by remember and focusing on the things that I am thankful for.

Don’t worry, be happy is trite, simple statement that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Don’t worry, be happy because you are known, you are loved and you have a whole lot to be thankful for.

Can you name 10 things right now that you are thankful for?

Go share them with someone.

image by Laurie Sachs

Were you a blankey or a stuffed animal kind of kid?

What was it that settled your heart and made everything better? Think on it now…what smells, tastes and memories come to mind.  Homemade cookies?

I remember back scratches before bed and…yes…I even had a blankey.   A vivid memory for me is seeing my mom pray every  morning.   To be sure, childhood wasn’t without it’s turbulence, but all in all I remember being settled and content and these are some of the things that are a part of those memories.

I wonder if some of us might remember good things and then some of us maybe not so good things. The reality for some folks may be that they didn’t have a whole lot of real settled safe moments growing up; the turbulence was far greater than the contented times.

I was thinking about this today. What is it that settles my heart the most now that I’m grown up?  A long run in the cold mountain air, a book and a cup of coffee, time with Anna, prayer…

There are certainly plenty of reasons we need settling and contentment, no end to the number of items on the list keeping us UN-settled and DIS-content; i.e. financial upheaval, loss of a job, or a plate that’s so full of things to do we can’t see coming or going. That’s probably more true than anything else. When I sit down to pray and am so overwhelmed with things about my day that I can’t seem to get my head clear…I’m not very settled. And it’s really hard to center oneself, if you can’t unplug and rest…settled and content.

Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life, then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

I love those words. It begins with the fear of the Lord, a realization that God is “wholly other”; numinous. It means that our hearts fully sense who we are, who He is and that He is God. The fear of God is a unique mixture of fear mixed with love and hope, of reverence and obedience and trust mixed with respect and fascinating mystery.

Mysterium tremendum et fascinas

That’s how I’m beginning to find peace and contentment; the fearful and fascinating mystery of God.

A quick word on the last part of the verse so as not to be taken out of context; it doesn’t mean that trouble isn’t coming or that we won’t have to face trouble, it does means that at the CORE, there’s nothing that can truly touch us, neither life nor death – not anything – that can separate us from the love of safety of the Lord.

How do you get settled?  What quiets your heart?

Will you do it…today?