Random Thoughts...

Hello again my friends....

Tonight felt like a good night to just sit down and write out some random thoughts. The kids are in bed, Nichole is at work, its quiet here. I have two candles lit, some soft music playing, a cup of coffee on the coffee table, its been too long since I have rested in this type of stillness. I am not sure many of us even know how to do that anymore... To be silent, to let the world fade away and just be still or just be present without the world flooding in pulling us in a million different directions. When is the last time you have sat alone in the dark quietly letting your mind be at rest and letting your soul take over and who knows maybe even give God that chance to speak to you? 

As I was driving into work this morning I was listening to a program on the radio about parenting. There was a comment made that captivated my thoughts... The reality that from the time we are born God has a plan for us and the reality is that God has also given us a set amount of time to live here on earth. Now this is not a new concept to me but for some reason it hit me a little different this morning. The reality that we are given a certain number of days to walk this earth and none of us know just how many we have been given. The lady speaking had a story about how much she worried the first time her oldest could drive and said He wanted to go for ice cream with everyone except Mom and Dad. As the kids backed out of the drive way she was flooded with thoughts about what could happen to all her kids being in the same car and she had no control over the situation. How she started to panic and wanted to chase them down and tell them to turn around and go back home and they would eat ice cream at home because the thought of them getting in a car accident was almost too much to handle. Her next statement was profound as she said "Then I was reminded that it doesn't matter if they are driving in the car or sitting in the living room at home, the reality is when the time is up, the time is really up and it doesn't matter what we are doing." There I sat in my car thinking about my own kids, my own life, and just how short our time here on earth is and what we will do with that time while we are here.

I sometimes fear for my kids future as I read the headlines of todays news, as I see the content flooding in over the television screens, the overall selfish attitudes, and lack of love for our neighbors in our communities. The statistics of how many people are leaving the church and never coming back. The rapid increase of divorce, depression, drugs, and suicides. What has happened to us, to our society that we have strayed so far off the path from what our lives were intended to be? When will we see that the degrees, the money, our possessions, and our status doesn't matter? When will we teach our kids (and ourselves) that its not about what you have while you are here on earth but rather how you bless and love others with what we have been given that really matters? How do we unite as Christians and open the flood gates to the broken, the hurting, the poor, the weak, and show love to all people? The true reality is we all fit some place in there, we need each-other, but are too scared or ashamed to let people into our lives. We put on a mask and pretend like everything is ok, like we have it all together while inside we are broken and hurting. 

There is an entire generation that longs for something more, something real, something honest, something true, and to be loved unconditionally.  I think older generations are finding it harder and harder to relate to the youth of today and may not fully understand the pressures they are faced with on a daily basis. There is also a dying generation with a world full of knowledge, experiences, and life stories that need to be told but are being silenced by intimidation and fear. Kids today are intimidating, they're hard to understand, but they need you now more than ever. The masks need to come off and the walls need to come down. Its time to get vulnerable and help them understand their life matters and has a purpose. Stop being fake with them (and maybe yourself) because they are really good at calling your bluff. I think thats the primary reason so many youth are leaving the church, its because they are not seeing the generation before them live up to the call of Jesus. They don't see the love, the purpose, or the real change of the people attending church. The world is full of evil and hostility and the church needs to be the safe harbor for all to come into and be loved by a community of Jesus Disciples. A community of people who have resolved not to judge but to show love and compassion and to offer healing through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We live in a time where we can reach people faster than any generation before us, yet I believe we have never been farther apart. We have lost the meaning of Family, Love, and Community. It feels more like we just co-exist together, pass each other by, and go through the motions until the clock runs out. Never really letting people into our lives, never wanting people to know who we truly are or how we feel.

So what is my point exactly in all of this??? Maybe its just to get it out there, maybe its to get people thinking a bit deeper, or maybe there are people reading this that would actually like to start making a difference. Maybe there is a group of people willing to break the chains of today for a brighter tomorrow. Maybe there are parents and grandparents that want more for their children then what they have experienced and are willing to be vulnerable in order to make a difference. Maybe we can start to love thy neighbor as thy self. Maybe we can serve others as Jesus did. Maybe we can start to heal the broken and help those who are hurting. Maybe we can be the light in a world full of darkness.

I would find it interesting to see your comments especially if this has impacted you in any way......
Feel free to pass it along if you wish....

Until next time friends.

Love,
-Nick

----------------------------------The ground is level at the foot of the Cross-----------------------------------