Well, I survived another day. It was a little rough at work--it's been like that lately. Things aren't going well for the business, and I think that weighs on me fairly heavily. Other than that, I've been thinking a lot about where to go in life from this point forward. I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed. The no-brainer option seems to be in computers, so I've been spending my life with my nose buried in an HTML handbook when I'm not working elsewhere. Whee, fun. My problem is, that with no degrees or certification, my knowledge isn't worth much in a competitive workforce. More and more I'm convinced that brains don't really get you anywhere--they help a lot, though. I guess some of us were born when the stars weren't aligned quite right or something. Oh well.

"To be present is to arrive as one is and open up to the other."--Sacred Space We talk about being in God's presence, but how often are we present with God? I know for me, when I go into His presence, so often I come with my shields up. I suppose it's because I'm afraid of what I'll see. The thing is, I know that God has no desire to hurt me or wound me. Why do I hide? You know, I can tell when someone's glad to see me and when they're just giving me lip service. Can't you? I'll bet God can, too.

Today's passage: Luke 12:39-42. Be ready. In the conservative Evangelical tradition I come from, this passage has typically been interpreted in light of being ready for the rapture, when we who believe will be caught up in the clouds with our Savior. I remember as a child being scared to death that the rapture had happened, and I had missed it. What a way to live. But I wonder if that was really Jesus' point here. To me, it seems to be more of a call to be ready...doing the Master's business. Being ready means being busy doing what he's called us to do. For me, the challenge is figuring out how that fits into my "new life." I'm beginning to think that, perhaps, my days as a formal clergyman are numbered...but that doesn't excuse me from being about my Master's business, ready when he comes. When he does come for me, however he comes, my desire is not to be found "with my heart ready." My desire is to be caught in the act of being intentional about his calling on my life.

Now, the big question is, what is his calling for me? It's not fair going through a mid-life crisis at 26.

One thing is certain, I need to do the Gospel. And I'm not talking about street witnessing or passing out tracts, or even necessarily preaching and leading worship. I'm talking about "doing" it. John Wimber said it best when he said that we are to be "doin' the stuff!"