Recently, the family and I went to vacation in North Carolina. We stayed with some great friends for the week, and we chose various activities to participate in. One of the activities that we picked out to participate in as a family was the Museum of Life and Science. We wanted to do some some things to incorporate our son into the vacation, since it was his vacation too. And we figured that a museum in which was very hands-on would entertain Jake to some degree. It was a fantastic experience and we all ended up having a blast. One of the more interesting moments was the butterfly house which was full of most beautiful and colorful creatures I have ever seen.
At the butterfly house there was a long walk way that went diagonally from one side to the other. As you inched along down this walkway you would progress closer and closer to the main entry to the butterfly house. Through the walkway, there were items strategically placed in order to catch your eye. There would be huge replicas of different butterflies that were nothing more then painted plastic, which still made them no less then beautiful. When you finally entered in the building you found yourself in a lobby type area where you are introduced to various interesting facts about butterflies. The lobby then narrows into a glorified hallway full of different butterflies that were once living, but preserved to the extent that if it were not for the fact these butterflies didn't move, they appeared to be just like an alive butterfly.
I'll never forget my son Jake as he walked though this room. His eyes were as wide as sky-scrappers are as tall. He would look at each butterfly preservation with such awe. At one point, in the only way Jake can do, he exclaimed "WHOAAaaaa". I shared his enthusiasm, I really did. Any parent knows when your child is so excited about something, no matter what it is, you can't help but be excited right along with him. And yet at the same time, I wanted to usher Jake along the hallway to let him see the real stuff. You see, at the end of the hall way you then could enter in the actual area where hundreds of alive and full colored butterflies would be showcased for our amusement.
As pleasurable and interesting the preserved butterflies were, I understood that this moment only served as a teaser, and that what we were observing would pale in comparison to what was to come. As I continued to usher Jake closer and closer to the entryway I noticed considerable hesitation on behalf of Jake. I didn't know if he was caught up in the moment or not. I do know that Jake probably had no idea of what was to come, and it was my job to usher in the new world to show him the greatness that was just steps away.
This all reminds me of Jesus when he says, "...but I came to give life—life in all its fullness." Sometimes religion seems satisfied with preservation rather then any alternative. Like Jake we are consumed by the moment, and as interesting and beautiful this moment may seem to be, we may find ourselves very much blind to the possibilities just a few more steps away. This 'full' life that Jesus offers is not just about about a very distant future that is full of bliss that happens after we take our last breath. There is something to be had with this moment and this life. Teaming up with God and his mission for this world is what Jesus invites us to participate in. Purposeful living invites a 'fullness' that only Jesus can offer.
Sometimes I think religion and church fakes us out by convincing us that we have captured this 'life to the full' by participating in good morality and going to organized church functions every chance we get. We are caught in the hallway of preservation, when the entryway to 'fullness' is just ahead of us. Are we willing to enter the 'butterfly house'? And what does it exactly mean to live life to the full? I may not know this yet, but I want to mention two ideas that I want all to embrace.
1. Let us be willing to not be satisfied with preservation alone. Sure, there are glimpses of beauty and accomplishment, but Jesus had promised us more if we just stop being satisfied with what what we have now.
2. Let us trust Jesus and His promise and began to walk toward the entryway into the life of 'fullness'.
-Dan Jones
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Man-cation and Conversion
As I dropped off my family to the airport, I realized that my life for the next couple weeks would be interesting. Meghan and Jacob were going to spend the week with my in-laws in Mass. This left me two weeks to celebrate my Man-Cation (If you haven't figured it out that is "vacation" but since I am a Man...well hopefully you can connect the dots.)
I already had made a tentative schedule. My plan was to watch as much of the Bond films (including the extras) as I possibly could. My food situation was going to be fulfilling in not such a good way. My menu has shaped up to be fairly unhealthy. After two pizzas, several outing to McDonalds, soda, and a daily dose of cereal at awkward times, I am beginning to feel the results. That aside, it has been a week of a whole lot of nothing. On Friday night, I went to bed at 1:00 am, and woke up at 2:30 pm the next day! I have not slept that much since the good 'ol' days of college.
The house is a little crazy too! The dishes still need to be done, the bathroom needs cleaned. my laundry needs to be folded. Just last night, I realized I needed to do something soon to maintain a happy second week to this man-cation.
I have noticed something else very interesting. It seems that my behavior has slowly changed, as the days go by, since the man-cation started. If there were a couple more weeks of man-cation, I am convinced that I would turn into a bachelor in all its glory. (If you knew me in college, this is not a good thing.) I will leave the specific changes to the imagination. The point is that, for the good for my family, I need to change back into a responsible human being before the week is over.
It is amazing how change can creep in over time without one noticing any change at all. Being in the Christian heritage, we talk about this process a lot, especially in the context of sin. Casting Crowns penned the lyrics to "Slow Fade" which speaks about this;
"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade"
It's so easy to see change as a painstakingly slow process in this context. Many times we do not just wake up in a lifestyle of sin. Rather is starts slowly and over time it overtakes our lifestyle. Even though many of us in our Christian heritage see this, is it possible we can see "conversion" in the same way?
In the modern world, conversion was the answer to a proposition. It was difficult to see that it may be more of a process. "Converts" were the result of good preaching, and a conviction by the modern standards. I am not suggesting that this does not happen today. This is not my point at all. What I am suggesting however, is that more and more people are skeptical of the modern way. Easy and and pat answers for life's toughest questions are becoming less relevant. Authenticity and purposeful living are becoming more and more convincing to the world around us. Conversion has been looked at in many ways as an event. Is is possible for this "changes" to creep in through the Holy Spirit as we choose to follow in the ways of Jesus? I do know this. Not all of us had the "Damascus" experience. It is only of late in my life that I am truly learning how to follow Jesus in today's world. And to be honest, I am a far cry away from a polished product, nor do I think I ever will be one. Yet, my "conversion" occurred over 13 years ago.
Invitation and alter calls were the way to go at one time. I do wonder how effective this will be in the future. My gut tells me that shared experiences and life with relevant purpose will allow others to join in and try this out. Through this process, perhaps conversion takes place.
This concept of slow change should not be foreign to us. As my man-cation experience shows, I believe we all have times where this makes sense. Casting Crowns shares this same process in "slow fade", and I think we can all agree that sin can creep into our lives over time and change our lifestyles. I am only asking that we may look at the conversion as something similar. Let us not limit the Spirit's work in hearts as just an event. I think it may be possible that we will see conversion as an ongoing process more and more as the world around us is drastically changing.
-dj
I already had made a tentative schedule. My plan was to watch as much of the Bond films (including the extras) as I possibly could. My food situation was going to be fulfilling in not such a good way. My menu has shaped up to be fairly unhealthy. After two pizzas, several outing to McDonalds, soda, and a daily dose of cereal at awkward times, I am beginning to feel the results. That aside, it has been a week of a whole lot of nothing. On Friday night, I went to bed at 1:00 am, and woke up at 2:30 pm the next day! I have not slept that much since the good 'ol' days of college.
The house is a little crazy too! The dishes still need to be done, the bathroom needs cleaned. my laundry needs to be folded. Just last night, I realized I needed to do something soon to maintain a happy second week to this man-cation.
I have noticed something else very interesting. It seems that my behavior has slowly changed, as the days go by, since the man-cation started. If there were a couple more weeks of man-cation, I am convinced that I would turn into a bachelor in all its glory. (If you knew me in college, this is not a good thing.) I will leave the specific changes to the imagination. The point is that, for the good for my family, I need to change back into a responsible human being before the week is over.
It is amazing how change can creep in over time without one noticing any change at all. Being in the Christian heritage, we talk about this process a lot, especially in the context of sin. Casting Crowns penned the lyrics to "Slow Fade" which speaks about this;
"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade"
It's so easy to see change as a painstakingly slow process in this context. Many times we do not just wake up in a lifestyle of sin. Rather is starts slowly and over time it overtakes our lifestyle. Even though many of us in our Christian heritage see this, is it possible we can see "conversion" in the same way?
In the modern world, conversion was the answer to a proposition. It was difficult to see that it may be more of a process. "Converts" were the result of good preaching, and a conviction by the modern standards. I am not suggesting that this does not happen today. This is not my point at all. What I am suggesting however, is that more and more people are skeptical of the modern way. Easy and and pat answers for life's toughest questions are becoming less relevant. Authenticity and purposeful living are becoming more and more convincing to the world around us. Conversion has been looked at in many ways as an event. Is is possible for this "changes" to creep in through the Holy Spirit as we choose to follow in the ways of Jesus? I do know this. Not all of us had the "Damascus" experience. It is only of late in my life that I am truly learning how to follow Jesus in today's world. And to be honest, I am a far cry away from a polished product, nor do I think I ever will be one. Yet, my "conversion" occurred over 13 years ago.
Invitation and alter calls were the way to go at one time. I do wonder how effective this will be in the future. My gut tells me that shared experiences and life with relevant purpose will allow others to join in and try this out. Through this process, perhaps conversion takes place.
This concept of slow change should not be foreign to us. As my man-cation experience shows, I believe we all have times where this makes sense. Casting Crowns shares this same process in "slow fade", and I think we can all agree that sin can creep into our lives over time and change our lifestyles. I am only asking that we may look at the conversion as something similar. Let us not limit the Spirit's work in hearts as just an event. I think it may be possible that we will see conversion as an ongoing process more and more as the world around us is drastically changing.
-dj
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