Letting Go - On Occasion

   Sometimes in life you just need to 'let go!'  I don't know whether I've become too antiquated (not necessarily wiser or more mature), domesticated, or sophisticated - I have found that I am less apt to just 'let go'.  

   If it's true that an antique is something of at least 100 years of age, I'm halfway there. This morning I feel more than halfway there after last night. At the last minute, I was invited to 'see' Righteous Vendetta in concert. After the event was moved from the skatepark to New Beginnings Fellowship, things got kicked off around 8PM which is an hour before my bedtime! I looked around the 'Upper Room' where the concert would be held, I saw a few people my age at the back and then a lot of people much younger than me. I do know that at some point skinny jeans are inappropriate, I am glad they are hard to find in my size - and so is the rest of humanity for that matter. That aside, the music starts and we are off to the races. 

   Growing up going to hear 'The Clash, Ramones, Blondie, or Devo on Cedar Springs Rd. in Highland Park, TX -  I am quite familiar with the crowd, even if they are more than half my age. I knew to move my head up and down to the rhythm, jump up and down at appropriate times. Something in me though said 'beware blowing out a knee at your age'... so I opted to keep it calm.

   As the concert blossomed the activity in the middle of the room was almost as appealing as the music. Being a pastor there are these 'unsaid' expectations on you - one of them is to at least 'appear' in control of ones mental and physical capacities; even if you are not. I really wanted to join in the banging about (mosh) going on, but something in me said 'you are a pastor, what would those gray haired people in back think, what would those purple hair people in front think, what would the people with no hair think, what would Brian's little children who attend our church think?

   The urge to be transformed back to a time of carefree,  organized violence in a mosh pit overwhelmed me - so there I went with Mik (our youngest son, age 26). I banged around a little. I realized quickly that my sheer mass provides a distinct advantage in such occasions - I came out alive! I had 'let go' and am living to tell about it; even if I am a little stiff this morning.

  So many times in life we fear letting go and just living life wide open. I'm not advocating one to throw off 'all' restraints, sensibilities and morality but I am saying that living for and with God requires us to 'let go' and be free. There is nothing better in life than that:

I lay my life down at the foot of the cross

As humble as I know how to be

Take this life and make a new creation out of me 

(Righteous Vendetta: For the Skeptic)

Lesson learned: let go and and experience freedom...

In Christ!

20 $1 Gold Coins vs. 30 Pieces of Silver

   Given the choice, anyday of the week, I will choose 20 $1, gold coins over 30 pieces of silver. We are probably all familiar with Judas and how he shanked (fig.) Jesus in the back. It's amazing how 3rd person betrayals take on a new light when they come to us in 1st person. But like the 30 pieces of silver, the 20 gold coins impact our lives... but in a positive way.
   A couple of weeks ago, someone in our church handed me a ziploc bag filled with twenty U.S. gold $1 coins. At the conclusion of a worship service, I was pretty drained, readying myself for a meeting, hungry... but really energized spiritually from the 'united' worship service. I laid the coins on my desk before I left the office, I gave thanks, not only for the $20 but really for the friendship expressed to me. Their monetary value (while fluctuating with the value of the U.S. currency rates) pales in comparison to the value they have for me personally.
   The things we treasure in life are pretty interesting. We throw things out while hanging onto others like they are the holy grail. It's those personal things that have the greatest worth. The complimentary house cleaning, the help putting up a fence, trimming someones' trees, writing a card, giving a hug, helping them understand Pangea... all of these things speak of relationship - these things we treasure. These things outshine the 30 pieces of silver we may have received during the course of our lives. The lesson here - count your blessings, number your days aright... You'll find plenty of gold coins and eventually you too will give them out to others as the need arises...

In Christ