As with most of my life I look for ways to bring to summation what takes me 1000's of words into a few words, just so I can say a 1000 more words about those words. But in short, my life has really come down to 6 words. They are found tucked into Matthew 10 as Jesus is sending out the 12. Funny how we see things a new for the first time sometimes. As I came back to these six words again last night with a group of college students I looked past the little picture and saw a bigger image.
As much as I love chapter and verse divisions in the bible sometimes they hinder us from seeing the gospel story as a story, but often veiwing like a collection of stories. At the end of Matthew 9 Jesus looks out and sees Israel as helpless and harassed, sheep without a shepherd. Then immediately after that in the story Jesus sends out the 12 with these six words tucked in: "freely you have received, freely give."
Simple, short, to the point, but filled with so much. These six words make you and me responsible for what we have been given - time, talent, treasure, wisdom, knowledge. Every teaching, devotion, sermon, revelation that has been given. We have the responsibility to give that away.
Those six words have shaped, developed and been buried inside my heart. So the challenge for us is this: what are you giving away?
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesdays with Morrie
I just recently finished the book "Tuesdays with Morrie". It is a riveting book about a college professor dying of ALS and his final Tuesdays spent with a former student. In the last weeks of his life Morrie shares the lessons of life with Mitch Tuesday after Tuesday.
Mitch called Morrie "Coach". This reminds me of what I feel the calling of my life. It is simply wrapped up in six words "freely you have recieved, freely give". Coach in my life was a man named William. Despite our differences he invested his life into mine. It took me several years of self-centered me focus to realize that all the lessons William passed on to me, where not for me or at least me alone.
At the end of the book Morrie tells Mitch how we never die but that our words and lessons we have passed on live on with those we have coached. I often hear the echoes of William in my life. Just the same as those I have coached probably hear the echoes of my lessons in their life.
To all my kids -- the one lesson that threads every other lesson together is simply this "give away what you have been given". Become someones coach...
"we are Tuesday people" said Morrie. Funny Timmy, Robby, and I are Tuesday people.
Mitch called Morrie "Coach". This reminds me of what I feel the calling of my life. It is simply wrapped up in six words "freely you have recieved, freely give". Coach in my life was a man named William. Despite our differences he invested his life into mine. It took me several years of self-centered me focus to realize that all the lessons William passed on to me, where not for me or at least me alone.
At the end of the book Morrie tells Mitch how we never die but that our words and lessons we have passed on live on with those we have coached. I often hear the echoes of William in my life. Just the same as those I have coached probably hear the echoes of my lessons in their life.
To all my kids -- the one lesson that threads every other lesson together is simply this "give away what you have been given". Become someones coach...
"we are Tuesday people" said Morrie. Funny Timmy, Robby, and I are Tuesday people.
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