Author: Scott Strand

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Oops, I did it again

No, I am not a Brittney fan, but the reality is that I did do it again. What did I do? Well, actually it’s what I haven’t been doing. I have been doing a lot, reading through Genesis, reading for my up coming classes, working on the house, working at work, coaching, etc.. What I haven’t been doing is listening. More specifically, I haven’t been listening to/for God.

The first four months of this year were great times of intimate connection with God. I was taking the time, sometimes a lot of time simply to listening to God. Letting Him drift through my thoughts, guiding my studies, showing me direction. Once I got my marching orders off I ran, forgetting to stay in communication with my God. Its not that I feel lost, I know the direction God wants me to move, the shape my new course of study, and my current ministry. What I miss is the close relationship, my connection with the God of the universe. This all seeing, all knowing, all everything God who cares about me, who knows me, who wants to connect with me. What an awesome God we serve.

Take some time this week, put down your papers, your books (yes even your Bible), set aside the business of life and as the psalmist wrote “Be still and know the I am God.” Take the time and reconnect.

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Why do I do what I do?

On Wednesdays I work with a group of men and was asked the question last night, “Why do I do what I do (with regards to working with them)?” Why do I get involved in the lives of others? It is in community where faith is strengthened, passions deepened, gifts used, and blessings received.

I love to hear the stories of others, their life’s journey, their ah-ha moments, their struggles. You see as we all share we all are blessed, we all can grow, we all can experience those ah-ha moments. Look at the Bible, it is now a dull dry list of do this, don’t do that. No, rather it is a collection of stories meant to draw us into a closer relationship with God, to shape and mold us, to make us the person God wants us to be.

Why do I do what I do, because I am called to love God and love others so that is what I do.

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Randomness

Is God in control of all things? Yes! Does God control all things? I don’t know. What is the difference in these two questions? The first states that God is in control, but the second asks whether God chooses to control everything. When a tornado strikes a community did God control its movements for what ever reason or was the path the tornado took simply a random path. Stepping back one step was the storm itself ordained by God or was it the result of the random mixing of the proper atmospheric conditions.

Randomness or God’s will? Wrong place, wrong time or trials and testing?

The world it seems is seeing its share of disasters, typhoons in Southeast Asia, earthquakes in China, wild fires in the Western US, drought, floods, tornados, tsunamis. The list goes on and on and on. Are these disasters a result of the randomness of various climatic, tectonic, or human factors? The question that arises is where is God in this? Maybe a better question is what are we as Christ-followers doing to relieve the suffering that is going on around us? Perhaps the reason “why” is not as important as the question “How are we (am I) going to respond.

It’s all right to say I don’t know why, but it’s not all right to say I don’t care or I don’t want to be bothered with it.

Remember also that when disaster strikes it may take a long time to get back to ”normal.“ So after the initial trauma is over don’t forget about the people affected by the disaster.