Friday, December 3, 2010

One Month to...

The strangest thing happened yesterday. I gathered a stack of books for the children from the church library and took them home. Each had been chosen, one by one. When I got home, I was moving them from the kitchen to another location. Within the stack, I found the companion study book to Kerry and Chris Shook's One Month to Live. We had a series about this sometime last year at CUMC.

How'd that book get in there? I don't know. But, I thought how this 30 day challenge is a perfect way to go through the Advent season and remember what's important in my life. It's central idea is what would you do if you only had one month to live? I'll finish it on my birthday, just in time to ring in the New Year.

If anyone would like to join me in this challenge I have a few extra books in my office. I'll even give you a green band bracelet to remind you to "live with no regrets."

Eavesdropping

So, I'm eavesdropping on this conversation. Two little girls--neither 
of them mine-- are sitting behind me in the lounge of the Performing  Arts Factory. They're probably nine years old, and they are waiting 
for their class to begin.

The one girl has brought a beginner's Bible to their table, "let's 
read this, the stories are really timeless," she says. The first is 
about the servant going to find a wife for Rebekkah. It's a love 
story, and they excitedly take turns reading a paragraph.

Then, it's Jacob's "stairway to heaven" and Joseph being his father's 
favorite son. The two keep reading until a father comes to say that 
class is beginning.

"We were reading this," the instigator of this scene proclaims, 
running to show her dad the Bible. She is so eager to show him the 
book that she forgets to put it away. She must run back to the lounge 
again to place it on the shelf.

I wonder if the second girl had ever heard those stories, or was I 
witnessing some pint-sized evangelism at it's best.

When's the last time you were so excited by a story that you said, 
"look at this," "listen to this," or "read this with me."

When's the last time you sat beside someone and told them about this 
great love story of which we are all a part.

My prayer is that I can always be as excited as those little girls. 
That kind of enthusiasm is really timeless.