The Desire to Know (Part 2)

Our desire to know can be all consuming. Perhaps British playwright Ben Jonson truly meant to warn us and not just entertain when he first penned "care will kill a cat" in 1599. The point drives the question. The point being we are far too consumed with knowledge we do not possess. The question then is "what motivates your desire to know?" Is it concern for others, fear, anger, jealousy etc.? The long and the short of it is that we should reconcile what we know about ourselves and temper our desire to know with the sober realities of our true self. Yet we are human. Humanity desires to push forward into something else, launch into the unknown or press the boundaries of the known world into the unknown. By nature we are discoverers. Something about us has shaped us in that way. Something within us beckons and pricks the creativity within. There is something within the fabric of our being that nudges us toward becoming, something, else.

The Desire to Know (Part 1)

Many times I come across situations where I my utmost desire is to know what lurks around the corner. I’m not sure if this is a failure to trust people or if I have hidden insecurities deep in the recesses of my soul. It is in those times I seek to find an anchor or firm thing to hold on to. It is not a secret; fear nudges these emotions much like a mother bird nudges her nestling out of the nest. Fear lurks deep within us waiting for the opportunity to thrust variant feelings into our faces so as to create a smokescreen for itself throwing us off its trail. It amazes me to see how quickly my feelings convert from fear to control. It is almost as if I have left my desire for the knowledge of whatever situation left me feeling troubled and have given in to the impulse of control in order to assuage the fear of the unknown within me. What are we so afraid of? To embrace the unknown yields a far better return than to cling to the known gripped by fear. To be Continued…

Leadership

Every time I think of leadership I picture someone who is up front delegating tasks out to people, has a charismatic personality and communicates well. Today I learned that sometimes the leaders is the one who is willing to stand up for what they believe while laying their pride down all for the sake of the vision. Leaders have to be people who are willing to see beyond themselves in order to lead people forward. They will build for the sake of the vision and not for their own sake. Leadership must be sacrificial in order for it to be transformational.

Encouragment

The Lord brings encouragement in many different places. Have you ever experienced that? Sometimes I think we believe it has to be through believers or from the bible. The truth is God can use anything to encourage his people and at times it can come from the most unlikely place. I was encouraged today by someone who called me to express love and concern who doesn’t know and love the Lord. It was a sweet/bitter moment. Sweet in that I felt encouraged, bitter in that I felt sorrow for their choice to reject the truth of Jesus Christ. My hope is those of us who call themselves Christ followers will continue to be testimonies of the God who loves, guides, transforms and saves.

Promises

There have been many times in my life where I wished I could find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Partly because I enjoy nice things and enjoy the idea of enough money to take care of my needs. Then I realize I've taken my eyes off of the rainbow. It's beautiful, simple, and complex at the same time. It's a reminder to me of all that is true, beautiful, and virtuous. It's also a reminder to me of the promise of a God who is concerned with us and desires to see become all we were intended to be. Are you living in that promise?

Beautiful Sounds

Have you ever encountered beautiful sounds? Like that of a symphony or single violin. It could be the playful laughter of three children or one baby giggling. Where do they come from? Why do the sounds touch us? How are we so connected to them? These beautiful sounds remind us we part of something bigger than we can imagine. When we hear something beautiful we distinguish it from all others by calling it "heavenly" or "extraordinary". The beautiful sounds in our life remind us of a transcendence we cannot comprehend, calling us, lulling us to sleep at night, comforting us in the midst of chaos. What are the beautiful sounds in your life?

Thats My King

This video says it all.