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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Dance For Joy"
March 4, 2009
You could tell something was up with him. He was smiling a lot. We
arrived in Mexicali, Mexico at 6:30 p.m. I looked across the courtyard and
Geoff was still in good humor even after a very hectic day of travel across
the country. The drive through the mountains and the meager
accommodations at the seminary were greeted with an ear to ear grin. I
knew my friend was happy to be a part of the mission experience but I
sensed there had to be something more to it.
The next morning came early. I woke to the sound of a different type of
alarm. There were four quick beeps followed by another beep and then the
sound of several very quiet clicks. I didn't pay much attention to it, I laid in
my bunk for a while and a few minutes later my bunk mates got up and I
followed suit.
When we got to breakfast I noticed that Geoff was actually dancing
around the kitchen. He looked a bit like the galloping gourmet of yesteryear
as he cooked up the eggs and bacon for our group. The smile was still there
too.
As we stood there waiting for the coffee, my other friend Martin looked at
Geoff and asked him who he was texting at 4:30 in the morning. That's
when the truth spilled out. It wasn't an alarm clock that woke us up. It was
Geoff's cell phone sending him an alert that he had a new text message. I
didn't even know he knew how to send a text message. I was wrong.
Furthermore, the smile, the dance and the good humor were the result of
Geoff's new found relationship and a signal that something good was
happening in his life.
As the week rolled on, I realized that I could tell when Geoff had been on
the phone with his friend. He walk into the room with a lilt and a little dance
in his step. I started calling him on it. It became humorous because it was
so obvious to the rest of us. One phone call or text message played a
melody that touched his heart and sent him off dancing for joy.
As I thought about this, it struck me that the same thing happens
whenever we connect with God. He loves to hear the sound of our voice.
Whenever we talk to him in prayer or spend time with him in worship,
God's heart strings begin to vibrate. The sound of our voice is a sweet
melody to him. When we come to him in adoration and gratitude, God
begins to dance with joy.
As a child I looked at prayer as a devotion to be done or a wish list to be
shared. It was something I did as an obligation that was supposed to benefit
me. As I got older I realized that prayer is so much more. It is more like a
journey down a two way street. It is a conversation with someone who
knows us intimately. It is spending time with one who loves us and will do
everything in his power to guide us in a way in which we will find a
blessing.
The truth is that the scriptures tell us that God delights in spending time
with us. His heart leaps whenever we come to him in prayer and he dances
for joy when he hears the sound of our voice. So what are you waiting for?
Make God's day. Talk to him or send him a message and you will feel his
smile as it shines back on you.
God bless! See you in church. Cal.
March 4, 2009
You could tell something was up with him. He was smiling a lot. We
arrived in Mexicali, Mexico at 6:30 p.m. I looked across the courtyard and
Geoff was still in good humor even after a very hectic day of travel across
the country. The drive through the mountains and the meager
accommodations at the seminary were greeted with an ear to ear grin. I
knew my friend was happy to be a part of the mission experience but I
sensed there had to be something more to it.
The next morning came early. I woke to the sound of a different type of
alarm. There were four quick beeps followed by another beep and then the
sound of several very quiet clicks. I didn't pay much attention to it, I laid in
my bunk for a while and a few minutes later my bunk mates got up and I
followed suit.
When we got to breakfast I noticed that Geoff was actually dancing
around the kitchen. He looked a bit like the galloping gourmet of yesteryear
as he cooked up the eggs and bacon for our group. The smile was still there
too.
As we stood there waiting for the coffee, my other friend Martin looked at
Geoff and asked him who he was texting at 4:30 in the morning. That's
when the truth spilled out. It wasn't an alarm clock that woke us up. It was
Geoff's cell phone sending him an alert that he had a new text message. I
didn't even know he knew how to send a text message. I was wrong.
Furthermore, the smile, the dance and the good humor were the result of
Geoff's new found relationship and a signal that something good was
happening in his life.
As the week rolled on, I realized that I could tell when Geoff had been on
the phone with his friend. He walk into the room with a lilt and a little dance
in his step. I started calling him on it. It became humorous because it was
so obvious to the rest of us. One phone call or text message played a
melody that touched his heart and sent him off dancing for joy.
As I thought about this, it struck me that the same thing happens
whenever we connect with God. He loves to hear the sound of our voice.
Whenever we talk to him in prayer or spend time with him in worship,
God's heart strings begin to vibrate. The sound of our voice is a sweet
melody to him. When we come to him in adoration and gratitude, God
begins to dance with joy.
As a child I looked at prayer as a devotion to be done or a wish list to be
shared. It was something I did as an obligation that was supposed to benefit
me. As I got older I realized that prayer is so much more. It is more like a
journey down a two way street. It is a conversation with someone who
knows us intimately. It is spending time with one who loves us and will do
everything in his power to guide us in a way in which we will find a
blessing.
The truth is that the scriptures tell us that God delights in spending time
with us. His heart leaps whenever we come to him in prayer and he dances
for joy when he hears the sound of our voice. So what are you waiting for?
Make God's day. Talk to him or send him a message and you will feel his
smile as it shines back on you.
God bless! See you in church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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