“Strong, Courageous, Do” – “I am with You” – “No, The Right Answer” – “Repent or Lose” – “I Ought to Know” – “I Cannot Not”
Bob the Plant is a nick name for the lead singer from Led Zeppelin. He has a song “In the Mood” that runs through my head when I am not in the mood to do something. I am between meetings, so I wanted to do something, but…
One of the most trying times when leading a group is when you want them to give a particular answer and no one does. Probably not for the last time, a few weeks ago, someone gave the “wrong” answer so I put up my arms to make an “X” and asked the next person if they had a different answer. In reality, when asking for someone’s opinion, there is no wrong answer. You cannot say “What do you think?” and then respond with “No, the Right Answer is ______.” This is the great thing about sharing your witness. You own the answer, and it is right. Own your life, own your witness, share your story.
I read the first book in the robot series from Isaac Asimov the other day. When I pulled a book case from little d’s room, I decided to put all my Asimov books on it and realized there were a few written by other authors while he still lived. I had not read all of them, so I decided to read some. There were twelve in the sequence with two main characters. Many years before, I read a subsequent book by another author in the series and was totally confused. It turns out I was reading the 16th book in a sequential series. The first time when I read the 16th book I had the feeling “I ought to know”, but I sure missed a lot. This is similar to my current read through the Bible. The last time I read it through I ran across a number of things I should have known, but they never really fit. This time, I have a much better understanding and I known a lot more that I ought to at this point.
“Repent or Lose” is a new emphasis in my thinking. I have met many people lately who thought they were Christians only to find that they had never repented and had only recently become Christians. I have always had a hesitancy to ask people if they are really Christians. I would feel weird if someone asked me. But now, I want to ask, and I want to hear the stories. But I want to hear their story, not make them feel weird. (Note I just started listening to an old Led Zeppelin song. They made good music. Why have I not found music that aligns with God and is as “good”?)
“Strong, Courageous, Do” sounds like a motto that a jingle writer would get fired for. Since I have not had language lessons since high school, maybe I can be forgiven for its awkwardness, but since no one is paying me to use it… Christians are to be strong, to be courageous, and to do, but at the same time we need to realize the strength and courage come from God and we are only doing. God tells us “I Am With You” and provides us with all we need to do to do the work He provided us to do. Too many “do”s?
My daily verse book told a story about a pastor pastoring three churches with a total of 20 weekly attenders. The phrase came when he was asked why? “I cannot not” was his response. I once had a class where only one person showed up and after it was over, I knew God had called me to that time and I was in His willing doing what He called me to do. One on one opportunities have often filled me with joy and sureness that God was with me. We must live our lives in the “I cannot not” state and be content to serve the Lord.