Caught in the middle

Kay and I attended c|life church yesterday. We went primarily to contact several friends who attend there. OK, I know I’m not supposed to go to church for social life, but to worship God, for my spiritual life. I get it. But we’re in the Dallas area to visit with several of our ministry partners. So, see!! We’re supposed to go to church to see people! We are all so busy that Kay and I have found it best to meet our partners during their normal activities.

Last Saturday, I helped a ministry partner/friend lay wood flooring for a few hours. I like doing stuff like that. And Kay and I might be doing that in a year or two. And I got to visit with partners and friends. Worked really well!!!

Back to c|life. Yes, we did get to visit with several friends. So that part worked well. But we had the added bonus of a great worship time, and a powerful message by co-pastor David Griffin. His topic was Jonah and his roundabout trip to Nineveh. His title was Overthrown. His premise was that we need to allow God to overthrow our lives. Jonah allowed himself to be overthrown, over the side of the ship, as part of his repentance from running the wrong way. The king of Nineveh allowed himself and his entire kingdom to be overthrown by righteousness as part of his repentence for running the wrong way.

This morning, driving to a 7 am breakfast appointment with a fantastic ministry partner, I listened to Casting Crowns singing Somewhere in the Middle. It echoes the cry of my heart. It’s about my heart’s desire to see my small plans overthrown by God’s amazing plans.

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

Are we caught in the middle

It reminds me of a couple of posts I wrote before here and here.

The focus was a little different, but pretty similar. Life is messy in the middle. And too often, I make choices that leave me floundering in the middle.

In Lord of the Rings 2 The Two Towers, Sam tells Frodo, “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really matter. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you don’t want to know the end … because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was with so much bad happening? … I think Mr. Frodo that I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back. Only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something.”

Sometimes I’m a fearless warrior behind a picket fence. I wrap reckless abandon with common sense. I want deep water faith, but I want it in the shallow end where I can touch the bottom every now and then just in case things don’t work out like I thought they would trusting God.

Today, I choose to trade my dreams for today for His dreams for today. I commit to holding on to him and his plans. Today, I commit to making choices outside the middle.