Feb 7, 2012

Hinge Points

Pastor Shannon at Matanuska Assembly of God said something recently in a sermon that ties in with my last couple of posts. If you are just now joining us, I started by asking what would 38 year old me say to 18 year old me if I could go back 20 years. But since time travel is still not possible (along with snarky robot butlers), a more productive question is to ask what would 58 year old me say to 38 year old me.

What I don't want to miss out on is what I call "hinge points." Pastor Shannon pointed out one of these hinge points in a very familiar Bible passage. It's the account of Joseph. He was the guy who was his father's favorite of 11 sons and was given a coat of many colors. Out of jealousy his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt where he became the manager of Potiphar's household. Because Joseph wouldn't compromise his integrity and refused Potiphar's wife's advances, she had him thrown into prison.

This is where he encounters his hinge point. In the New Living Translation, Genesis 40:6 reads like this: "When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset." He noticed that the cupbearer & the baker were upset and made a connection with them that later led to not only his release from prison, but led to him becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt, saving his family and all of Egypt from a coming famine.

A seemingly random moment where Joseph made an observation and commented on it was the first step on Joseph's journey to his destiny. You can't plan for that stuff. A college degree won't help you. It's not a matter of being in the right place at the right time. And it's only something you can recognize as being significant as you look back on it.

But I believe what it says in Psalms 37:23 ~ The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. I'm trusting in God's ability to direct my steps. As long as I'm smarter than this: (warning.... The video clip below has some girls in bikinis. Watch at your own discretion.)

Feb 4, 2012

Looking for Doc Brown ~ Part 2

In my last post I explored what 38 year old me would say to 18 year old me if I could go back 20 years. Obviously that's not possible... What is possible, and incredible productive, is to ask myself this: What would 58 year old me say to 38 year old me if he could come back 20 years?

Obviously I can't go back. And 58 year old me won't be able to either, unless science finally gets off its lazy butt & invents something useful like a time machine. Or a robot butler. Man, that would be so cool... You could give it a snarky British accent and it could bring you stuff.

Okay, forget the robot butler & time machine. What would 58 year old me say to 38 year old me? I'm sure he'd hammer home the need to get my weight down. And yes, I'm working on it. Granted I'm not putting as much effort into as I have in the past, but at least I'm doing something. I was going to mention this in it's own post, but I've cut out potato chips. For me that's a big deal. I love me some potato chips! I can down a bag in one evening easily. And despite the fact that potato chips are made out of a vegetable, they are not healthy for you.

You know... I don't have an answer for what 58 year old me would say to 38 year old me... When I was thinking about what 38 year old me would say to 18 year old me, I came up with those three things in seconds. But I'm not sure what 58 year old me would say to 38 year old me. Is there an opportunity I need to pursue? Is there a change in location or vocation that would benefit me? What do I do with this desire to be in full time ministry? Is there someone I should be investing into in?

Hindsight is 20/20 but my foresight is much less clear.