Thursday, July 24, 2008

Getaway

I left earlier this week for a 2 and a half day prayer retreat. I got a hotel room and spent time at the public library in Kearney, a church, the hotel breakfast room and my hotel room to study, journal, and pray. I didn't have one moment that was revolutionary or anything. But the time away and alone was good. It was great to be quiet before God and focus on him.

I won't be able to do retreats like that often, but who says retreats have to be miles away and for days? Jesus would often sneak away from the crowds and his disciples, but never for long distances. Retreat and solitude is necessary and possible for everyone. The real question is whether you want to make it happen. Being alone with God is very vulnerable and it's easy to be afraid of what God might reveal to you. But the reward is certainly worth the risk.

As my getaway was coming to an end, I clearly didn't want it to. It wasn't long enough. But I will be grateful for the time I had, and use this experience as motivation to "sneak away" much sooner.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

I would love to cancel this appointment

Yesterday, following my lunch with other Pastors at Qudoba, I found myself in my car in the parking lot brushing my teeth. Not my normal routine. But since I was headed to the dentist, I thought it was the right thing to do.

Upon arriving I was ushered into the first chair available and was welcomed by a familiar face - the tarter pic weilding dental assistant. She asked how I was doing and I groaned, "ok." She sarcastically remarked how enthusiastic I sounded to which I responded, "to be honest, I don't like coming here." Her reply was meant to be thought provoking as she reminded me that there were plenty of places that are worse. I calmly responded with a matter of fact statement, "I have not been to those places yet."

This lighthearted discussion about my disdain for the dentist office helped me get my feelings off my chest a little bit but didn't stop the assistant from going to work on my teeth. I usually start a countdown during the appointment, counting off each tooth she finishes, but this visit was different. I decided to go about things differently.

I stopped focusing on the many things that bothered me - the corny music playing, the boring artwork on the wall, the off-tune humming of the assistant, and so on - and decided to pray and think about better things. I thanked God for the fact that I live in a place where I can have someone clean my teeth. I prayed for some requests that were on my mind. And I thought about more pleasant things in my life.

Not surprisingly, my visit didn't seem to last as much as the others. It was at miserable as usual. This had me thinking about Paul's words to the Philippians in chapter 4. "Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything give thanks." In everything! That includes trips to the dentist. Is "everything" possible? Not sure, but I think its worth a try.

By the way, I get to try this strategy again in two weeks as I have to get a filling. I am going to start giving thanks in advance.