Belonging is a hard task for some of us. I have concluded that part of the difficulty is many of us are addicted to safety and predictability. Too many are risk adverse. I think people today want to avoid the risk of belonging to a group more than they are “non-belongers.”

You can take it to the bank that any relationship such as marriage or church participation are loaded with risk. and if you add the dimension of spiritual warfare you can not escape conflict and risk.

Now along with that many of us are stability adverse. We move around a lot looking for the latest and newest grand experience.

I had an interesting conversation with a lawyer in my home town. He has been part of a church for ten years. He said, “we have decided to find another church.” I am always curious about this kind of statement. So I asked, “and why is that is something going wrong.”

“No we are bored. We need movement and adventure,” he smiled as he reported on his outlook.

I have always been a risk taker most of the time. But at other times i find myself going through seasons of being risk adverse. I think my seasons of wanting security have actually been more dangerous than my risk taking adventures.

Gerhard Tersteegen

I have a friend who writes out his prayers. He never prays with his congregation or an event without writing out beautiful prayers. He isn’t brilliant. His prayers are child-like to the point of making me uncomfortable. I have been trying my hand at writing out prayers. I am considering writing and ebook of my prayers. I am just having trouble being childish.

When you get down to prayer is both childish and crucial.

I long to get the message to the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time by every available means. That’s a big assignment but its one i have taken on.

What’s your count down look like?

In between times test your metal. They build your perceptions. And the build your resolve.

I am in an in between time right now. In many ways have been for four years. But that is only 1460 days. Probably 1/20th of my life. I am trusting God and finding him in the in between time knowing they don’t last forever.

In Acts 1:7 there is a record of Jesus saying, “It is not for you to know the times or days…” Yet volumes have been written on knowing the time and dates. Living with the unknown is an act of faith. I know just enough to please God. I know he is coming back as he left. And that is all I am privileged to know.

There are many other life experience we just can’t know. The book of Revelation says that Jesus will have a name that no one knows. When one knows another’s name you have a sort of power over them. This statement of guarded knowledge is a statement that Jesus has ultimate power. And it means he will always have the element of mystery to us. We will never know all of him.

Paul twice told Timothy to take a two pronged approach to evil. Once regarding the love of money. And two lust. He told him to first flee. And then pursue.

Flee evil. Pursue God.

May try and have more strength than evil. The great leader Paul knew it was best to run from a situation of evil. Avoiding the sensuous and greedy world was the way to go when tempted.

And it isn’t enough to not do evil. Something will still fill the void. The void must be filled by pursuing and being filled with God.

How true it is.

Someone I know responded back to the statement, “Isn’t that enough?”

Truth is we all have only one life. We can’t change that. But we can see that the duration of that life goes on. We can receive eternal life from Christ (John 3:16).

Lots of people I know spend their life like they are drunken sailors. You do get one life. Invest that life well. It will pay you back well.