LIFE is...(What it is-Part 2)

A new year is almost upon us all. Life moves pretty fast. Take some time to let the lessons learned by others instruct you on your journey. Here is a collection of quotes from people who've had the guts enough to say truths that the rest of us know deep inside of us but we have struggled for the means of expression.
Through both humor and insight, I hope that these quotes help you better define what LIFE is, which can in turn redefine how you Live in this upcoming new year...

“Life is just one darn thing after another” Mark Twain

“And they Lived happily ever after” any old Fairy tale

“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else” Will Rogers

“You’re not the man I knew ten years ago...It’s not the years Honey, it’s the Mileage” Marion Ravenwood to Indiana Jones

“A survey stated that the average person’s greatest fear is having to give a speech in public. Somehow this ranked even higher than Death which was third on the list. So, you’re telling me that at a funeral, most people would rather be the guy in the coffin than have to stand up and give a eulogy” Jerry Seinfeld

“I had always felt Life first as a story--and if there is a story there is a story teller” G.K. Chesterton

“You could not Live or love or laugh or cry had God not given you a heart” John Eldredge

“The difference between school and Life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In Life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson” Tom Bodett

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that Life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
Bill Cosby

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon

“I fight really hard to remain unjaded—to keep believing that you can actually walk into a studio and write a song that breathes Life..I know music can’t change the world, but who says God can’t speak through a song...Life is serious, but I do think that God wants us to enjoy the things He's given us, like music” TobyMac

“The doors we open and close each day decide the Lives we Live” Flora Whittemore

“When I stand before God at the end of my Life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.” Erma Bombeck

“I think I’ve discovered the secret of Life - you just hang around until you get used to it” Charles Schulz

“You see things and say ‘why?’ but I dream things and say ‘Why not?’ ” George Bernard Shaw

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer” Jim Carrey

“to Live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else” Emily Dickinson

“There are only two tragedies in Life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it” Oscar Wilde

“A simple rule of thumb: God leads us one step at a time...with God there is no wasted time. We will be surprised by how the threads of our Lives are woven together” Gordon T. Smith

“I wonder if some of us are living such safe Lives that not only are we bored, but so are our guardian angels” Mark Batterson

“The soul Lives by that which it loves” St. John of the Cross

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” Helen Keller

“we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing...Certainty is the mark of the common-sense Life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation." Oswald Chambers

“Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your Life that count. It’s the Life in your years”
Abraham Lincoln

"When you sing, you make people vulnerable to change in their lives. You make yourself vulnerable to change in your Life. But in the end, you've got to become the change you want to see in the world." BONO

“God puts us in positions, all the time, for a reason...You can say, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ But you have to understand that it’s happening for a reason, and God is doing it to strengthen you” Drew Brees

“The most glorious reason you exist is for the proclamation of the glory of God to the ends of the world. And it's more than having a nice Life.” David Platt

“Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost him. And never assume that if it cost him his very Life, that it won’t also cost you yours” Rich Mullins

“All their Life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before” C.S. Lewis

“If you cling to your Life, you will lose it; but if you give up your Life for me, you will find it.” Jesus (Matthew 10:39)

CHRISTMAS Is... (What it is-Part 1)

Christmas time is...here. Cue the "Charlie Brown Christmas" show intro song and a smile breaks across your face and maybe, just maybe you even stop in your tracks for a moment. You hope of having a peaceful holiday that will lead you into a better new year.
But without understanding the meaning or definition of the season, your life will look no different as another holiday and year comes to a close. You may even want to scream out loud, just like good ole' Charlie Brown, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?".
Through both humor and insight, I hope that these quotes help you better define what Christmas is, which can in turn redefine how you live...

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.”
Dale Evans Rogers

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together” Alexander Smith

“Nothing makes me lose my cool like Toy Packaging. Ask the kids to leave the room for toy packaging. I have no choice the money’s spent, I’ve worked for hours to make dent. I guess it’s anger management, toy packaging” Sara Groves song “Toy Packaging”

“That’s the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people...other than me” Jerry Seinfeld

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone."
~ Taylor Caldwell

“Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money.”  ~Author Unknown

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together."
~ Garrison Keillor

“Roses are reddish, Violets are bluish. If it weren't for Christmas, We'd all be Jewish.”
~Benny Hill

“I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark.”  ~Dick Gregory

“Christmas is for children.  But it is for grown-ups too.  Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts. “ ~Lenora Mattingly Weber

“Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive."
~ Robert Lynd

“Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it.” Richard Lamm

“There has been only one Christmas -- the rest are anniversaries.” W.J. Cameron

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.”  ~Carol Nelson

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”  ~Roy L. Smith

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”  ~Burton Hillis

“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth;
that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!”  ~Charles Dickens

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day.  Don't clean it up too quickly.”  ~Andy Rooney

“Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.”  ~Eric Sevareid

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”  ~Larry Wilde

“Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times.”  ~Kate L. Bosher

“Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish.  Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself.”  ~Francis C. Farley

“Nothing's as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.”  ~Kin Hubbard

“And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him. He was a huge man in a bright red robe (bright as hollyberries) with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest. Everyone knew him because, though you see people of his sort only in Narnia, you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world—the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly. But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn’t find it quite like that. He was so big, and so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still”
C.S. Lewis NARNIA-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’.”
Luke 2:10-14 (NIV)

Merry Christmas to you and Happy New Year!

What IT Is...

First of all, if you were wondering by this title, no I'm am not trying to get in touch with my "urban" self. Cause it ain't there bro -- tru-dat.

So, anyway, for the next few blogs, I wanted to investigate the definition of a series of all-important words in our lives that I firmly believe in turn define what our lives look like...

It will be a work in progress, and will include a large amount of both humorous and insightful quotes(think "top 25" lists)from various people concerning their experiences with the subject matter in order to encourage and challenge you in your journey. The topics defined will include: Christmas, Life, Love, Story and God.
BTW, soon some of my post-Disney trip do's and dont's will also be shared. Still trying to process that whole experience. If you have taken children, you know of what I speak of...
In the mean time, watch for the first blog this week on defining: "Christmas".
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

P.S. check out this Acrostic written 2 years ago about the Loving's life so far at that point...

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=51189206003

Favorite Christmas Movies quotes

I heard it said once while I was in college, learning to appreciate what great thinkers wrote, that "he who never quotes will never be quoted".
So, for 2 reasons(to help spread Christmas cheer and in hopes of being quoted someday by others!), I share with you some of the most personal memorable quotes of some of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. Note--these are not written in a descending order but rather in random because that's how they were typed flowing out of my random thought process brain. Some movies also have more than one quote, so read carefully as you laugh or feel compelled to contemplate:

#1. "It's Christmas Eve! It's...it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer,...we smile a little easier,...we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be!"
- Scrooged

#2."Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."
- The Santa Clause

#3. "First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat an entire roll of Toll House cookie dough as fast as we can, and then to finish, we'll snuggle!" and "You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here." and last but not least, "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear."
- Elf

#4. "You see, Mrs. Walker, this is quite an opportunity for me. For the past 50 years or so I've been getting more and more worried about Christmas. Seems we're all so busy trying to beat the other fellow in making things go faster and look shinier and cost less that Christmas and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle." and "I'm not just a whimsical figure who wears a charming suit and affects a jolly demeanor. You know, I'm a symbol. I'm a symbol of the human ability to be able to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule the major part of our lives. If... you can't believe, if you can't accept anything on faith, then you're doomed for a life dominated by doubt."
- Miracle on 34th Street

#5. “You've been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would 
be like without you” AND
"Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!"
- It's a Wonderful Life

#6. "Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl” and “I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!” and of course, "Deck the harrs with boughs of horry, fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra."
- A Christmas Story

#7 “It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags...Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
- The Grinch, by Dr. Seuss.

#8. "Charlie Brown: 'Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?'
Linus Van Pelt: 'Lights, please...
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men...That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."
- A Charlie Brown Christmas

#9. “Okay, this is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?"
- HOME ALONE

#10. "We're kicking off our fun old fashion family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols...What we're looking for today is the Griswold family Christmas tree." and "Well I'm gonna park the cars and get check the luggage, and well, I'll be outside for the season"
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

#11 “Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart
- Polar Express

#12 "Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" and
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
- A Christmas Carol

Merry Christmas to you. Go watch a great Christmas movie and "Snuggle" up with your friends and family!

BACK To The Future...Whoa, this is Heavy!

MOMENTS in TIME define who we are in the PRESENT and who we become in the FUTURE. Strange that something so little can equally be so big. When was the last TIME you have thought BACK through your PAST and those Moments that have defined who you are today? Think about the people in those situations, for better or for worse, who played a major role in that TIME of your life. Now, think about when was the last TIME you lived purposefully in the moment, not only for yourself, but for those around you in order to help define their FUTURE...

Today, October 26th is the anniversary of the day that fictional movie character Marty McFly from “Back to the Future” goes back in TIME in the year 1985. Here we are today 25 years later.
Yes, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic today thinking BACK about the films impact.
Not only did it have cool special effects for even our day and TIME, way cool actors, great music from across the decades, tons and I mean tons of some of the best one liners found all in one film, but BTTF also contained some great life lessons.

One of those ever-present lessons in the films is the power of a moment. For instance, in 1985, Marty McFly’s parents discuss to the family at suppertime, for what is apparently the hundredth TIME they have heard, about the day they met and how they fell in love. This of course turns out to be crucial plot information once Marty accidentally goes back in the PAST to that fateful same week in 1955 altering some of those Moments.
Similarly, in a scene early in the film, Marty has this conversation with his high school principal:
“Mr. Strickland - ‘I noticed your band is on the roster for the dance auditions after school today. Why even bother, McFly? You don't have a chance, you're too much like your old man. No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!’
Marty McFly - ‘Yeah, well, history is gonna change’.”

In the PAST, Albert Einstein once said “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts”. Also, the Psalmist wrote a Prayer to the Lord, “So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom (Psalms 90:12)”. And in the same vein of thought, Charles Spurgeon once wrote that "the place of our habitation is fixed, and we are wrong to remove from it out of whim or caprice, but seek to serve the Lord in it, by being a blessing to those among whom we reside...It is when we are in His work that we may reckon upon His smile".

So, today in this Moment in TIME, I simply encourage you to think BACK on your life’s journey so far. The FUTURE and your FUTURE is in the Lord’s hands and yet He allows you in those simple and profound Moments to make choices. Pay attention to the details. Be grateful for all things that have shaped you in the PAST defining yourself in the PRESENT. I could never begin to express enough thanks to all my varying Family members, Teachers, and Friends who through childhood, teen years, College experience and on into the Marriage with raising children & Ministry years (Poplarville & Starkville) that have shaped my life thus far. Look for the trace of grace in your journey. And in your being thankful, share your lessons learned from the PAST to others in your PRESENT helping to positively shape the FUTURE. That’s the Power of Love!

...And if for some strange reason you weren’t a big Fan of the BTTF films or even this little devotional, I would say in response that both will stand the test of TIME. Or to quote Marty McFly after his big guitar solo, “I guess you guys aren't ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it.”

Your Friend in TIME,
Matt Loving

*For fun, make sure you check out this website www.bttfmovie.com
*****************************************************************
Some personal “fun-Facts” connecting me with the BTTF trilogy:
DATE - On October 26th 1985 my Parents took me to see the film Back to the Future, the same day in the film that Marty goes back in time. My Dad and I have reminded each other about that bit of trivia through the years and just talked about it this PAST weekend. That winter my Parents also moved my brother, Alan, and I from Memphis, TN to Brandon, MS(go BHS Dogs!) by which the Lord put in motion many vital Moments and people that have shaped who we are today.
DANCE - In BTTF, the quirky named “Enchantment under the sea” dance is where Marty’s parents must attend and fall in Love, or Marty will be HISTORY(also where He plays the big guitar solo to the song ‘Johnny B Goode’). In my PAST, my wife, Jenny, and I went to our first dance through Mississippi College(go Choctaws!) in April 1993. That dance also had a quirky name called “Company B” featuring music from the PAST. The rest for us is our History together ever since...
MUSIC - Whether in the 1980’s in the film (when I was a kid and middle schooler) or the 1950’s (when my Dad was a kid), Music is also considered to be a ‘character‘ in BTTF because of it’s prominent role in important Moments. Music has always been a big influence in my life. One example is the date that Jenny and I officially began dating Back in 1993 was also the night we attended a Dc Talk & Michael W. Smith concert together in Jackson, MS--I will refrain from posting that pic of us together per Jenny’s request, even though it will always be one of my personal fav’s of us together...Coincidentally, in the PRESENT year 2010 we took our 3 oldest children to see their first concert, TobyMac(formerly in the group DcTalk), in the same location and same month as our first one!
MINISTRY - In 2005, I designed a youth ministry Bible study series for the Crosspoint Youth entitled “Back to the Future-a study on the book of Revelation” utilizing scenes from the entire trilogy to coincide with lessons from Youth Specialties “Creative Lessons in Revelation” series. This PAST January our ‘Disciple-Now’ Retreat theme was ‘Totally Awesome 80’s’ which had a coinciding logo entitled ‘Back to the D-Now’, using a similar logo to the BTTF movie logo.

“Walk On” - Isabelle Learns to WALK - Fall 2010

Jenny and I have both worked towards this and waited for it to come - our youngest child, Isabelle, has finally decided to walk during the month of September.
At the first MSU football game tailgate, she was content to sit, eat and play in one spot.
The past 2 weekends, at the MSU vs. Georgia & the Alcorn State games tailgating, things were completely different as we observed her making her way around to greet everyone. Maybe she was just showing off. Maybe she was just vying for free food. Most likely, it was an equal combination of both.
Nevertheless, this video attached is a short compilation of the summer to fall 2010 journey for Isabelle learning to walk on... of course it includes the classic U2 song “Walk On”.

Additionally, J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote in his ever-popular story Lord of the Rings lyrics to a song about the paths of life we will walk on. It read as follows:

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

And on a final note, the apostle Paul once recorded in the Scripture passage of Ephesians 2:10 that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”. Yes, this article has been yet another shameless method to brag on one of my children. But, let me ask you this question: compared to my families joy over Isabelle, how much more does the Heavenly Father rejoice in seeing you learn to walk in the ways that He has gone before you to prepare and created you to walk in? The Road goes ever on and on...

An Arrrow Pointing To Heaven

"I grew up hearing everyone tell me 'God loves you'. I would say big deal, God loves everybody. That don't make me special! That just proves that God ain't got no taste. And, I don't think He does. Thank God! Because He takes the junk of our lives and makes the most beautiful art." - Rich Mullins

The website article listed below is a commentary on the life of the late Rich Mullins, musician and minister of the most unlikely kind. The author does an amazing job of introducing the reader or, if you're like me, reminding the reader about the simple and profound impact of Rich Mullins life. Be changed...

http://www.saturdaynothing.com/index.php/saturdaynothing/article/tasting_art_the_story_of_rich_mullins

"Miracle Drug"

This Sunday Christian churches across America will host a “Compassion Sunday”. Many other churches will host this at a later date, but at CROSSPOINT, where I currently serve, we will be hosting one, putting a Biblical spotlight on this much needed issue.
As I personally prepare to share about the ministry of Compassion International, several things have been on my heart and mind.

1) Compassion Definition -
compassion [kəmˈpæʃən]n:
a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it
[from Old French, from Late Latin compassiō fellow feeling, from compatī to suffer with, from Latin com- with + patī to bear, suffer]

2) "Miracle Drug" lyrics -

“...The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I’ve had enough of romantic love
I’d give it up, yeah, Id give it up
For a miracle, a miracle drug, a miracle drug

God I need your help tonight -

Beneath the noise, Below the din
I hear a voice Its whispering...
In science and in medicine
I was a stranger, You took me in

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I’ve had enough of romantic love
Id give it up, yeah, Id give it up
For a miracle, miracle drug. Miracle, miracle drug”

by U2 2004 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXT8QeOxHFc&feature=related


3) SCRIPTURES to Study: Proverbs 28:27; Isaiah 3:13-26; Jeremiah 5:26-29; Amos 2:6-7/4:1-3/8:3-10; Matthew 25:41; Luke 6:24-26; James 1:27/2:14-26/5:1-6; 1 John 3:11-24

When the people of God study the truth of God’s Word coupled with seeing the need around them in the world, they will respond with the compassion of Christ!
So, to help you know where to begin on your part in the story, check out these amazing compassionate organizations listed below...

WEBSITES to get you started:
www.samaritanspurse.org
www.worldvision.org
www.compassion.com
www.salvationarmyusa.org
www.operationworld.org
www.bloodwatermission.com
www.mochaclub.org
www.one.org/us

And of course, please check out your towns Local food pantries, soup kitchens, Foster care programs, Mentoring children in local schools...

BOOKS:
Operation World by Patrick Johnstone
Jesus Freaks: stories of those who gave their lives for Christ by Dc Talk
City on our Knees by TobyMac
On the Move by Bono
Radical by David Platt

School days, school days. Dear old golden rule days. ...

Well, it has been a little over a month since my 3 older children returned to the Classroom and as much as they "love" their school, the poem below seems to already sum up their honest mindset. Hope it makes you laugh, remember your days in school, and reminds you to make the most of every moment of each day you are given, especially taking time to play and laugh with your kids...

Sick by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

“LOST" Life Lessons

from my Journal -- May 25th 2010

What is LIFE really all about? The answer often gets LOST in our busyness.

This question has been on my heart due to my brain being immersed in finishing reading David Platt’s new book RADICAL, finishing watching the series finale of 2 of my current favorite TV shows that are ending after many years on TV, LOST and 24, the proposed Staff Restructure(and then not)in the church I currently work in, and the fact that today is Jenny and I’s 14th year Wedding Anniversary. The LOST series finale in particular, similar to the ending of the final book of the NARNIA series, really got me thinking about the importance of the people in our lives. These relationships at the conclusion of this show outweighed the “hidden meanings” of all the things they had been through. Also, the character that finally opens a door for the reunited friends to enter into together forever outside of a church is aptly named ‘Christian Shepherd’.

Simply put, through the lens of prayer and the filter of one specific passage of Scripture(LUKE 11:13), the Lord stilled me with the reality that I have found myself living for accomplishing “to do lists” instead of loving Him and others.
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

We all struggle with this mentality of practical busyness but especially in our American culture. There is this unspoken pressure of getting to the next thing or that you must be pursuing what is ‘out there’, a type of ‘other than’ life. This mentality quite often leaves the people in your life in the dust.
So, recently I found myself driving home from work being at complete peace in this truth. Simultaneously, I found myself confessing to the Lord that I realized in my life over the past few years I have sinned greatly according to this principle. The one thing He waits to give us that we need the most, namely Himself(Holy Spirit), is what is usually pursued last.
LUKE 11:13 revealed for me that I had been loving another besides Him and the people in my life by pursuing an elusive ‘other than’ life. Whoa, right?

The ‘other than‘ that I realized I have loved is the pursuit of WHAT I DO with my life and What I GET from life.

For at least 3 years, Jenny and I, family members, and other friends have had had serious conversations together as to WHAT I should be doing with my life OTHER THAN being a Student Pastor and how to prepare for that time. I have taken the GRE and have researched working on a doctorate. I have applied to teach at junior colleges in hopes to get experience teaching college students, so that someday out there, along with earning a Doctorate, I could be a university or seminary teacher. And perhaps, somewhere along the way, fulfill another dream to write a book or two.
The steps taken toward being a professional college teacher have failed several ways so far. The beginning of the long process for writing a book may come to light this Fall, but it may not. Even if it does not, what will I “do” then? Does that mean all else in my life is for naught?

Jesus promises us Himself. To be loved by Him and we in turn grow in love for Him as we walk with Him. And always, that journey He gracefully calls us into, will equally revolve around a journey with other people. He wants us to let ourselves be loved by and to learn to love. The point then is the Journey, not the places along the way, the destination, or our career paths.

Francis Chan puts it this way in his book, Forgotten God, “...we forget that we were never promised a twenty-year plan of action; instead, God promises multiple times in Scripture never to leave us or forsake us. God wants us to listen to his Spirit on a daily basis, and even throughout the day, as difficult and stretching moments arise, and in the midst of the mundane...
Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true life...” (pgs 120/122)

Additionally, Oswald Chambers explained about this struggle between focusing on the Journey or a destination, by saying:
“God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider, if you were not living the life of faith. But if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and allow God to make your choice for you. This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice...
Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did to Abram, ‘. . . walk before Me. . .’( Genesis 17:1 )"
“...We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.”
from My Utmost For His Highest MAY 25th & JULY 28th

So, what I have had ingrained into my heart over the past day and a half is the simple but life changing truth that we all desperately need to get LOST in living out:

Life is not about WHAT we Do OR What we Get.
Life is about WHO we let Love us and WHO WE Love in return--that is all we can take with us when this life ends.
Most importantly, the WHO is found in allowing Jesus Himself to love us and we in return growing in love for Him. We must then daily give ourselves to Him and His leading in the midst of all our frail human relationships being loved by others and loving them in return(1 JOHN 4:7-12).

“And now these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is LOVE” 1 Corinthians 13:13
See www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbPqVw6HTfE&feature=related (Lost season 6 final scene - Ending video)

DREAM

"You and I have an average of about seventy or eighty years on this earth. During these years we are bombarded with the temporary. Make money. Get stuff. Be comfortable. Live well. Have fun. In the middle of it all, we get blinded to the eternal. But it’s there. You and I stand on the porch of eternity. Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us. When that day comes, we are convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American Dream. We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world. Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship. Are you ready to live for that dream? Let’s not waver any longer…"

quote from pastor and author of book RADICAL , David Platt

“I’m going to camp and I’m bringing a ...” by M.E. Loving

There is a game that has been around since who knows when that kids play when they go to or are at camp. It’s the “I’m going to camp and I’m bringing a...” game. The way the word works is that you fill in the blank with specific word that follows a rule, for example: has to have double consonant or the words have to start with letters in ABC order as each person takes their turn. The catch is the person who starts the game decides on the type of word allowed to complete the sentence but no one else knows. The players find their brain in overdrive attempting to guess the right items to ‘bring to camp’ and to figure out the unspoken rule of the game as to what makes the item fit the sentence!
The fun & frustrating part about this game I think is twofold: the guessing and the finally knowing while trying to get others to figure it out, as well as being the one who starts the game allowing the players to work through a solution.
Recently, I had the privilege to go as a chaperone to M4 Children’s Camp through our church’s childrens ministries. We played this game several times during our time there. This was the 3rd year that my son Carson and I attended and it rocked! Shameless plug--if you are looking for a super high quality Christian summer camp that doesn’t break your bank account, that is short, but that delivers Biblical truth in a multifaceted high energy format check out www.m4camps.com.
And by the way, I am not very skilled at the guessing part of the game. Instead, I fully enjoy being the game starter. The reason is that you get to see how people think and act while helping them along the way.

There is another game that Christians find themselves playing quite often sometimes willingly, other times forcefully due to life’s circumstances. It’s the “I’m going to figure out ‘God’s will’ for my life” game. We think the way it works is that God has one career for us and surely He must show us so we can get on with life. Or other times, we think God is waiting to give us the solution to a problem and is just simply letting us guess away. In the meantime, we get more frustrated while He sits on the answer. Even though many Christians would never voice that they really think God is some type of cosmic Game Host messing with our lives, our attitudes and lifestyles often reflect that this belief is deep within us.
In the New Testament scriptures, Christ himself clearly explains that to be His follower you are to die to self. Our complete identity is to stem from being alive in Him. Also, all throughout scripture we see God calling men and women to follow Him with no other gain in mind than knowing God personally and making Him known to others relationally and globally. The details of how that will happen are not of utmost importance even though our human nature and especially our American climb-the-ladder-of-success culture says so. God is not sitting back messing with us waiting for us to figure out His ‘will’ for our lives as can be done in the previously mentioned game. But He does lovingly reveal to us the path He has for us only in increments so our affections can remain on Him for our good and His glory. Regardless of your vocationally abilities( different God-given skills and passions) often misused as the word “calling”, it is God’s plan or “will” or even “calling” that every Christ follower know Him and make Him known. According to the Biblical principles in Psalm 119:105 and Ephesians 2:10, God in His lovingkindness is in so many ways the one who has started the game and invited you into the game allowing you to work through a solution. He goes in advance for us preparing the road ahead of us. Simultaneously, He lights the way just in front of us and around us because that is all we need to know.

Pastor & Author Mark Batterson explains this struggle in his book In a Pit with a Lion on A Snowy Day by stating that:
“God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go...now here’s the catch: sometimes His itinerary entails coming face to face with a lion in a pit on a snowy day. But when you find yourself in those challenging circumstances, you need to know that God is ordering your footsteps. You can have a sense of destiny because you know that God has considered every contingency in your life, and He always has your best interest at heart. and that sense of destiny, rooted in the sovereignty of God, helps you pray the unthinkable and attempt the impossible”.

And by the way, I am convinced that God fully enjoys it when his children struggle to figure out and follow Him. In this process we get to know him more intimately while He helps us along the way. He is a loving expert and proved it through Christ.

===============================================================
See also these Scripture passages for further understanding & application:
Genesis 13:8-18 ; 2 Samuel 23:20-23 ; Proverbs 16:9 ; Matthew 10:37-39 ; Luke 9:23-25 ; Acts 17:24-28 ; Galatians 2:20 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

See also these recommended books for for further understanding & application on God’s “Calling” for your life:
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller ; Courage & Calling: embracing your God-given potential by Gordon T. Smith ; Radical:taking back your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt ; Crossroads: navigating your calling & career by Colin Creel

Timeless Truths from TOY STORY 3 - by M.E. Loving

*spolier alert--Toy Story 3 major plot discussed.

Here's a recent devotional I wrote that needed to be shared...
This devotional is for any person of any age whatever season of life you are in the middle of, have just walked through, or are about to begin..



1) God’s plan for you is that you make the most of each Season of life you are in:

In the Story of Toy Story 3, the boy Andy is shown transitioning in life from time spent as a child quickly fading into his time preparing to leave to go to College. That is a reality for so many of us as we look back on our lives and we say, ‘where has the time gone?’.
Our oldest child, Carson, just turned 9 this past week, which coincidentally was also the occasion for us to take him and his friends to see the latest Toy Story movie. If you are a Parent at any stage and have watched this film, there are several scenes where Andy and his Mom struggle with his preparations to leave home and it is very touching. Andy himself even struggles with leaving his boyhood memories behind because he realizes just how special his life has been. It was simultaneously touching for me to be celebrating my son’s 9th birthday guiding him through his boyhood to another year of life ahead. Yet, I realize that this season for him, and my wife and I, will come and go just as fast as the scenes on the silver screen. So, we as parents have to teach him at every turn of life about the Lord and have to also allow him the freedom to discover personally how to see the Lord in each season of his journey.

After thinking back through this films story, one of the timeless truths that seemed to keep surfacing was this: to make the most of our time. Whatever season of life we are in, whether we perceive it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or even indifferent at the time, is always a gift from God for his purposes. All too often in life’s journey we live with the approach that if we can just get through to a particular destination life will be even better. Children take this approach incessantly about waiting for Christmas, or birthday’s, or for summer vacation. Parents do this about several stages with their children, especially adolescence. College students do this about their years of education looking forward to getting that “perfect job”. This mindset unfortunately causes us to miss God’s gifts of Himself along the way, which is the real joy of the journey. The prophet Isaiah once explained this timeless truth by sharing these words: “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’" (Isaiah 30:20-21).

Likewise, John Wesley also was quoted as saying this about making the most of every season of our life : “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

See also these Scripture passages for further understanding & application
Genesis 50:19-20; Esther 4:14; Psalms 90:12; Matthew 6:25-34; Ephesians 5:15-17

2) God blesses you with Grace in order to be a blessing to others:

Also, in the story of Toy Story 3, the famous Toy ‘Woody’ makes a tough decision for him and the other toys. Woody leaves a note for Andy to give them all away to a nearby young girl in the neighborhood named Bonnie. As tough as this is for both Woody and Andy, Andy goes to the young girls home to bring his toys to her. But, here is where the even deeper lesson surfaces. Andy doesn’t just give the toys to the little girl. He decides to introduce her to the toys one at a time telling tall tales of what they are each capable of according to his childhood memories. Then, Andy stays for awhile to play with her and the toys one last time as the movie prepares for it’s ending scenes. So, in essence, Andy realizes the greatest joy in life is only found in giving away to another what has given you joy in life.

As the film came to a dramatic closing very different than the previous 2 films, the second timeless truth that stood out to me in glaring 3-d was this: that we are blessed in order to be a blessing to others. In particular, Christians have the Gospel in order to give the Gospel away to others. Quite often in our lives we don’t realize this timeless truth because we are so busy living thinking only of what we or only those closest to us need. Jesus himself directly addressed this truth by commanding that we make Disciples of Him(Matthew 28: 18-20) and also meet the basic needs of others(Matthew 25:34-40).

Normally, when a season of life ends, it often causes us to be reflective and appreciative for where and what we have just journeyed through. Sometimes such drastic change can cause us to become too introspective rendering us into a semi-depression. The challenge then is to take what we have learned and put it into practice, especially for the benefit of other people that God has placed within our sphere of influence. Furthermore, we must constantly be willing to let go of anything (attitudes, actions, & acquisitions) in our lives that competes for the Lord’s rightful throne. As we learn to do this, the Holy Spirit of God will then perfectly meet you where you are and your life can then echo Nehemiah’s words by proclaiming “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10b).

A.W. Tozer once wrote in his classic book The Pursuit of God the following prayer: “Father, I want to know thee, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from thee the terror of the parting. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long...so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival”

See also these Scripture passages for further understanding & application
Genesis 12:2-3; Daniel 3:28-29; Psalms 67:1-2; John 13:1-5; Acts 2:42-47/4:32-37; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5; Galatians 5:13-14




"Great Expectations" : Sermon by Matt @ Crosspoint, April 2010

The link listed below is a Sermon that I had the priviledge of sharing in April of 2010 at Crosspoint church in Starkville, where my family and I have now served for 5 years as the Youth & College Pastor.
It is a funny but serious look at adjusting our Expectations in life to be Biblical. The Audio includes a few of our current College students and their sharing about Summer missions involvement. My narrative that morning included my now infamous story of attending a U2 concert in Atlanta in the Fall of 2009(see the Photo) and running out of gas in the early morning hours during my drive home.

ENJOY and be challenged to adjust your expectations to be GREAT...

http://www.discovercrosspoint.org/sermons/cp20100418.mp3

"Loving's Leanings" intro and site title

To any of you whom I have had the privilege to share any part of life's journey with so far, you know that the Biblical truth of PROVERBS 3:5-6 has been the theme of my life. It especially began once my wife and I began walking the road together oh, so many years ago..."the Road goes ever on and on..."

This site will be used to share some of the funny & some of the more serious lessons learned from following Christ while traveling as a Husband, Father to four children, and serving as a Minister of the Gospel. .May you grow in your learning to Lean on the Lord in your journey as well

To keep up with my regularly updated Family news, Ministry news, or Favorite Pop-culture happenings shared visit my Facebook page at "Matt Jenny Loving" profile page.