As I brushed my teeth this morning. I’ve had this comb for several years. It stays in my overnight kit with shampoo, Rolaids, toothbrush etc. I don’t use it every day and didn’t spend much because it was just going to be used when I am out of town on a trip or as a backup at home.
It was laying there by the sink as I looked at it. Formed out of plastic, it has two colors one of which is white at each comb tip. The tines are three different lengths all the same tapered width. The handle is not flat but convex with raised squares for grip I presume. As I looked at it I realized someone or someone(s) had spent some time designing this comb, maybe some significant time to get it just right so I would use it for years and never notice how it was made. Never consider how much time or energy went into its conception and production.
Last week as I wrestled with this building process we are in I came to an appreciation of the work and energy people before me have made for me to take advantage of their labors and never notice, significant time, energy, headache, and heartache so that I would never think of it. In my eyes it just is, always has been always will be. However, nothing just came to be. I came at a price.
The best things always come at a cost. A cost to someone and yet so much of the time I take it for granted. I fail to consider the cost another has paid for me to have, work with or experience today. Science continues to discover new structures revealing what has been and yet just noticing how it is made, how it was put together and how life is designed, designed with intelligence, purpose and detail. Designed in such a way as for us to just now notice the design revealing the designer and through study begin to appreciate
The ONE who holds all things together;
The ONE who through whom all things are made and to whom all things will be redeemed;
The One whose thoughts continue our very existence;
The ONE whose plan is working everyday being revealed to those who will notice and consider what has gone before them.
Today I noticed my comb. What else will there be to see today? More to appreciate and less to take for granted. More to work at, labor towards so that others after me can take for granted just as I have up to today. More counting on God to reveal himself in the ordinary making everything glorious as David Crowder sings, as Jesus does making the ordinary extraordinary in HIS hands.
I won’t look at that comb the same way. After all it is a Comb!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away…
In honor of Ringo Starr turning 70 this week, I thought I would begin with a song. But really, yesterday a friend and I were listening to an Executive Pastor of a church in our region.
He has just written a new book and in his interview he talked about how his church leverages the social networking sites to build community among their attendees. He told a story of a need posted on a site for a computer for a women’s shelter, another individual posted they had a computer but needed to get some data from it and remove personal information, a third post came saying they were a computer undergrad and would be happy to retrieve the data and clean the computer to go to the women’s shelter, a fourth post came saying they had a printer they were not using and would donate to the women’s shelter Geoff (something-or-other) then spoke of the community that had been created. I see that. Folks who did not previously know one another worked together to solve a need, cool. But community, when we think of community is that the kind we want and really need? Consider this example; my wife is in the van on HWY 21 when the left rear tire blows out. She is able to get it to the shoulder safely and well off of the road. Two drivers stop to help. One jacks the car up and the other removes the wheel a third stops and offers additional assistance. The spare tire is on the ground and my wife is able to get home for me to fix the blown out tire. Was that community? Yes they worked together to meet a need. That is amazing, but is that community?
Recently in my Life Group one shared of intense personal struggles with several relationships. They were intensely distraught and overwhelmed with the weight of the despair and pain and the prospects of disaster in these relationships. The group listened, comforted, sympathized and prayed for this one listening for God’s voice and direction. He spoke and met their need at that moment and we hurt with them. Is that community?
I say yes!
I wondered if that same outpouring would happen on a social networking site? Would your bare your heart on Face book? I say all of this to comment on how loosely we define so many terms, community in this case, salvation in others. I recently heard someone speak like God would save anyone if they just something. I honestly sounded like they did not have to do anything and God would save them. Jesus always said follow me. That sounds like something. I have heard I believe in God so I’m alright. The evil one believes in God but he’s not alright. In this example community is caring, compassion and personal touch, people who love us and know us and care for us. That is a community that holds us accountable, pulls us up and kicks us in the pants when we need it.
That’s the community I need.
That’s the community I count on.
Where is yours?
He has just written a new book and in his interview he talked about how his church leverages the social networking sites to build community among their attendees. He told a story of a need posted on a site for a computer for a women’s shelter, another individual posted they had a computer but needed to get some data from it and remove personal information, a third post came saying they were a computer undergrad and would be happy to retrieve the data and clean the computer to go to the women’s shelter, a fourth post came saying they had a printer they were not using and would donate to the women’s shelter Geoff (something-or-other) then spoke of the community that had been created. I see that. Folks who did not previously know one another worked together to solve a need, cool. But community, when we think of community is that the kind we want and really need? Consider this example; my wife is in the van on HWY 21 when the left rear tire blows out. She is able to get it to the shoulder safely and well off of the road. Two drivers stop to help. One jacks the car up and the other removes the wheel a third stops and offers additional assistance. The spare tire is on the ground and my wife is able to get home for me to fix the blown out tire. Was that community? Yes they worked together to meet a need. That is amazing, but is that community?
Recently in my Life Group one shared of intense personal struggles with several relationships. They were intensely distraught and overwhelmed with the weight of the despair and pain and the prospects of disaster in these relationships. The group listened, comforted, sympathized and prayed for this one listening for God’s voice and direction. He spoke and met their need at that moment and we hurt with them. Is that community?
I say yes!
I wondered if that same outpouring would happen on a social networking site? Would your bare your heart on Face book? I say all of this to comment on how loosely we define so many terms, community in this case, salvation in others. I recently heard someone speak like God would save anyone if they just something. I honestly sounded like they did not have to do anything and God would save them. Jesus always said follow me. That sounds like something. I have heard I believe in God so I’m alright. The evil one believes in God but he’s not alright. In this example community is caring, compassion and personal touch, people who love us and know us and care for us. That is a community that holds us accountable, pulls us up and kicks us in the pants when we need it.
That’s the community I need.
That’s the community I count on.
Where is yours?
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