Life Unplugged

In 1989 MTV's Unplugged aired its first episode with Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton. These aren't exactly household names today, but nevertheless the hit series was born. Not a completely original concept. MTV drew from the popularity of performances over the previous two decades where artists gave a more stripped down, intimate, acoustic look at their music. Artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Pete Townshend, Sting, and Phil Collins had big success with this format. MTV went on to showcase acoustic sets of music from popular artists over the last two decades. Apparently you can take away the amps, effects, electronic modification, and high tech production and still have a hit. What MTV ended up with is a more intimate, accessable look at music. Something about stripping away layers upon layers of exterior noise and production created a great connection with viewers and listeners. I'm realizing this week that we often have to "unplug" to really get to this level of honesty and intimacy in our lives. This struck me the other day as I was checking my facebook and two email accounts while texting my wife, listening to music on Pandora, singing outloud and organizing my desk. When is the last time you just unplugged and enjoyed the silence? If you cant remember when, its been too long. God wants us to experience a deep level of intimacy with him, but the question is how many layers of noise and technology does He have to break through? The irony that I'm writing this in a blog is not lost on me. Technology is not the enemy. Sometimes its just a good idea to unplug, and maybe...just maybe it will be quiet enough to hear the whispers of God.

Don't Forget to Party

Do you ever find yourself so busy "doing" life that you realize you've stopped living it? What does your list look like today? Homework, house, bills, appointments, kids, dogs (after the kids of course), gym, drop off, pick up, go to work, clock in, clock out, TB test, call grandma, do laundry, re-do laundry cause it sat for three days without being dried, groceries, and set DVR for So You Think You Can Dance. Sounds like fun right? Responsibilities abound. And let's be honest, the list is not going to start shrinking any time soon. If anything we just add on more. Should we stop doing these things? Probably not. But is there time in the day to party a little? Jesus seems to think so. I love that the first recorded puplic miricle of Jesus is at a wedding party. If we stop to think about it, the timing wasn't really all that great. Just three days earlier Jesus had called his first disciples, and they began to follow him. This would have been the perfect time to get to work. Hit the ground running so to speak. 7:00...find more disciples, 8:00...teach them how to preach, 9:00...go to the temple, 10:00...challenge the thought of the religious leaders, 11:00...study the scriptures, 12:00...explain the scriptures, 1:00...heal the sick and teach the masses, so an and so forth. If Jesus had a strategist this would seem productive. After all time is limited right? So how does Jesus begin His ministry. He parties. And he brings the disciples with him. Why? Because he chooses to live. To love. To celebrate. He chooses people over systems. He performs the miricle of turning water into wine. Not a miricle of bad to good, but of good to better. Jesus lives live. He cares about people. He takes time even though he senses urgency. Life is filled with tasks...and they're important. They need to be done. No argument there. In the midst of the list don't forget to live. Don't forget to love. Don't forget to party.

Connection

Does anyone else have a magic ice making machine on your refrigerator? It's brilliant really. You simply push the button and fresh, cold perfectly shaped ice cubes fall from the magic chute. I imagine there are mini ice-making elves with tiny little ice picks parading somewhere deep in the freezer singing sweet songs of gladness. You may have discovered as I have; however, that this magic contraption is useless if it is not connected to a water source. You can push the button as long as you want, but if the ice maker is not connected to the water source you'll get nothing. Just the sound of a motor working in vain. I admit, it may seem a bit obvious, but are there areas in our life where the motor is working hard but working in vain? John 15:5 says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing". Jesus truly is our source! Without the source what can our lives really produce? Let's agree to stop working in vain, and reconnect to the source of life...Jesus!