Sunday, April 13, 2008

Somewhere in the Middle

So, the Casting Crowns concert was last night. I’m not sure why, but their concerts always seem to “get” me.

I have loved Voice of Truth since High School, and they sang it last night, followed by Somewhere in the Middle, from their new album. I’ve listened to it a few times, but it became one of favorites after last night.

The last half of the song says:

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find me
 
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
 
Fearless warriors in a picket fence
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences
the God we want and the God who is
but will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle
 
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle

Most of you know that I want to be a Special Ed teacher…

Some of you know that my BHAG…Big Hairy Audacious Goal (Thanks Dr. Falwell)…is to open a Christian School with a strong Special Ed program, so that all families will have access to a Christian education, no matter what disabilities or challenges their children have.

I’ve had these goals for a while, and my mind has been so focused on them that I haven’t really been paying attention to the path God seems to be leading me down.

Last Spring Break, I was in NYC. This was my third time in The City, but it was my first mission trip. We worked at Manhattan Christian School, sleeping in the classrooms in Washington Heights (Spanish Harlem). I fell in love with that school, and Manhattan Bible Church. When you think of church in NYC, I had always imagined Catholic churches or a mega church, like Brooklyn Tabernacle, and thought I would never find a “small” Baptist church like I’m used to. But, I found one. It runs the school. I miss it.

I really feel that God wants me to go back…to teach at MCA, but it freaks me out.

I grew up here:

Not exactly the Big Apple. Growing up in a small town doesn’t prepare one to live in NYC. But, God doesn’t necessarily called the equipped…He equips those who are called.

Here are the full lyrics to Somewhere in the Middle:

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, you'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, you'll find me
 
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender
without losing all control
 
Fearless warriors in a picket fence
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences
the God we want and the God who is
but will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle
 
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
 
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find me
 
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
 
Fearless warriors in a picket fence
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences
the God we want and the God who is
but will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle
 
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle



----------------
Now playing: Casting Crowns - Somewhere In The Middle

Friday, April 4, 2008

No Excuses...

The next time you feel like God can’t use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair AND he was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once!
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer... and
Lazarus was dead!

I have no excuses…but I have the same God.