Ch-ch-ch-changes

OK, call me strange. But I love change. I not only embrace it as a part of life, I go looking for it. I look for it like a hunter on a safari. When I get close to it, my heartbeat increases, I start to perspire, and get really stoked about "the kill", er, I mean change, that is about to happen.

As a lover of change, it probably comes as no surprise that I get anxious and disturbed when I am around people who have no desire to change. Are you serious? You want things to remain the same? How ludicrous. And then I remember my first line, "I am strange."

Several wise people, who are far more renowned than I, have some poignant thoughts on change. For instance...

The famous thinker, Anonymous, once said, "Change or die!" OK, now that was to the point.

Robert C. Gallagher (never heard of him) shares: "Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." Wow, that's original.

Some philosopher named Anatoli France (also unknown before now) reflected: "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." Now that's one to get your head around.

But it was Harry Emerson Fosdick (yep, heard of him) who said: "Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it." Harry, you're the man!

Let's be clear, change for change's sake is usually bad news. In other words, wanting to change just because I am uncomfortable or have grown tired with the old, is probably not a wise approach to life. But having this deep sense of desire and a vision for what can be, when you know it is God-breathed, well...that's something special and exciting.

Some people fear change, not because they are narrow or shallow, but because the present, even though it's not all good, is at least known. The future? Well, who knows what's around that next corner?

As I find myself smack-dab (wondering where that expression came from) in the middle of an organization that is trying to get their head and heart around the change that is ahead of us, I pray that I can be a steady, trusted, and prepared agent of change, knowing that God is the real Director of this wonderful symphony called life.

Thanks Mr. Bowie for reminding us, "Ch-ch-ch-changes, this place is strange (earth)." And maybe so am I.

A New Best-Seller

Some have referred to life as seasons. We pass from one season to another, finally entering the winter of life, where we step over to meet Jesus face to face.

While that idea has some validity and works well at funerals, I actually prefer to look at life as a novel. God is the Author and we are the characters. Some of the chapters are sad, others joyous, some confusing, some scary. There are twists and turns, unexpected sub-plots, and some shocking endings. Some endings are nice, soft, and make us feel good. Others end in tragedies and unexpected endings.

If life is a novel, and we are the characters, what chapter are you on? The warm and fuzzy or the jagged and painful chapters? Are you pleased where the Author has placed you in the story? If you could, would you suggest a new direction to the Author? Instead of the dope, would you rather be the hero? Yea, me too.

The storyline in our novel is changing. We are moving from a wonderful church near some of our family, to another church a little further away. We are moving from the known to the unknown. It is not a plot line that we chose, but one that we have embraced nonetheless. Why? Because we trust the Author. Let's face it, if our story went as we planned, there is no way it would ever be a best-seller. But in the hands of the Master Author, it is edge-of-your-seat, can't put down material. Well, at least it is to us.

I am thankful for this latest chapter. It's been amazing. I am thankful for all the "characters" that God has written into this part of the story. And yet I cannot wait for this next chapter. New twists and turns, new characters. New adventures. And a story I can't wait to see unfold as I trust the Master Author. Amen!