If I were a pastor yesterday, I wouldn’t have talked about patriotism. I don’t know why, but the idea of propping up patriotism with the Bible seems a bit like “seeing” Elvis in a potato chip. You might want to see it, but that doesn’t mean its there.
So, if I were a pastor on the 4th it seems to me the message to our people would go something like this:
We have graciously and sovereignly been given so much simply by being born here. It is a gift to be thankful for. And a gift not to squander on ourselves, but to give back. If the people of God are a people called out for His possession then we must honor the one who has given us our very life. We do this by serving one another and the world around us. We are blessed to be a blessing.
It reminds me of a verse* I have been thinking about lately… Galatians 5:13 // For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
(*This is also probably strengthening my anti-fireworks stance. If we haven’t talked about this, ask me sometime.)
thought #1 –
In our country we protect our freedom. In a week we will celebrate the very fact that we are free in this place. We light off fireworks and have a party. If someone tried to infringe upon our freedom we would kill to protect it. We are interested in maintaing our lifestyle, to the point of death.
thought #2 –
Phillipians 2:5-8
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
It seems to me there is a difference in what the point of death was in #1 and #2.
This whole health care business has me fairly discouraged about the church’s involvement in politics and their fear and axiousness about one particular political ideology versuses another. It’s concerning and a bit paralyzing to be honest.
So today I will listen to a brilliant man preach about a more brilliant man. I encourage you to go find this podcast.
With things like twitter and changing jobs 3 times in 13 months I havent been talking about things that matter on here very often. I love the design and the functionality of the blog that my bro, Mike Edwards, came up with… and will begin to use it a bit more! That’s my intention anyway.
With that said… here is a piece of my story from the past year.
About a year ago a friend of mine hooked me onto Gary Vaynerchuk* of Wine Library TV fame. My growing interest in wine made this introduction pretty significant for me and I began watching everything GV had been up to. Over this same year GV had been blowing up as a Web 2.0 guy and a very sought after speaker. He signed a huge book deal and began working on his first business book. “Crush It!” is due to come out pretty soon and GV will do just that with his first business book release. He really is quite incredible. His thoughts on business just like his thoughts on wine are very refreshing in our culture and he obviously has very pertinent things to speak into the world on both subjects.
Instead of trying to sum up his thoughts, take a look at a few minutes from this video to get a taste.
Funny too, huh?
Now, over the past year of watching him countless business ideas came to mind and even more about how to maximize and help different organizations I was working for or a part of. And, to be honest, it turned out to be quite a distraction. A distraction from the things that matter.
GV screams hustle. Work hard. Make it your life. “Cash in on your Passion.” There is money out there, and with enough hustle you can have it. Listen, I think Gary is amazing at this. He really does care about people, certainly his family, and wants to help people do what he has done.
All of this screaming has left me repeatedly questioning my “passion” – what do I want to do most? And, to tell you the truth, it all seems so minor compared to following Jesus with everything I got. Every dollar, every minute, every thought, every conversation, every dinner with my wife… eventually with my kids. I know articulating what following Jesus looks like is a detailed endeavor, but simply put… my only passion is living as a citizen of a different Kingdom following the orders of a different King.
So, how do I get paid for that? How do I cash in on that passion? Right. That is where GV and I will probably have to separate and travel different paths.
GV talks about legacy, not currency. I don’t believe in legacy. My legacy is one of worship. And when you worship a different King in a different Kingdom, you don’t wind up with a legacy. And, if you do… you probably didn’t want one.
So, what will that look like for me? Here are a few ideas.
- Spend everything I have on providing for my family.
- Hustle to be a good neighbor.
- Work hard to ‘one another’ my family in the Body.
- Make sure to submit everything to the Lordship of Christ, who has given me more of a legacy than I could ever attain on my own. The legacy of being a Son. An heir in the Kingdom.
So, there are a few thoughts. I will probably have to follow this up with a few thoughts on the idea of ‘hobbies’ in the context of the american dream. We’ll see. Either way… its good to be back.
Question! – It would be easy to follow this up with, what is your passion? But, I won’t. Instead, what are things that most easily distract you from the things that should be most important to you?
Thanks for reading, leave a comment!
*Chances are GV will actually read this. Because the dude really does hustle! If he does… I want him to know I have the upmost respect for his work ethic and desire to help people and provide for his family. I can’t imagine what that passion would look like if harnessed and focussed on a different Kingdom and a different King. Not taken away from Wine and Business but instead rooted in faith and focussed on helping reunite the people he comes across with their Father.
Welcome to the blog. I am a follower of Jesus and a husband to Lindsey. We live in West Toledo. Every once in a while I share my thoughts on married life, music, film, my experiments in home-brewing and our desire to see the Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.
If we haven’t talked about this, ask me sometime.)
