Messiah

Handel's Messiah has become a Christmas tradition for those who love music. Last night I had the privilege of hearing my wife sing the alto solos with the Roanoke Symphony. It was a stunning performance. I was so proud of my wife and moved by her ability to interpret Handel's score and the scriptures he set.

Even though I had an audience member humming some semblance of a tenor line on my left and a couple talking incessantly to my right, I was still able to lose myself in a wonderful moment of Christmas preparation. I could have easily been distracted by my surroundings, but the beauty of what I was experiencing was more powerful. I stayed the course.

Life is strikingly similar to my experience of this masterwork. There are always things around us that have the ability to distract us from experiencing God's presence in our lives. We can allow them to pull us away from him or we can transcend them. Our celebration of Christmas is fraught with such tension.

May this Christmas be filled with wonderful moments of preparation and may our preparation not keep us from experiencing Christ in our lives. If you tune out the whiny tenor and the annoying couple, you will witness something that touches you so closely to your core that you are moved to tears

Different Perspectives

This past week I was afforded the opportunity to go flying with my two oldest children. It was their first flight and to say they were excited would be an understatement. Since I have flown many times, I was not as awestruck by certain things. I heard them say over the headset..."Look at those people. They are so small. It looks like an ant village." I was struck by the fact that the distance between the airport (one hour away) and our home by plane was incredibly short. We were flying over our church, their school and our home in a matter of minutes. It broadened us all to see things from a different perspective.

How often in life we perceive difficulties to be larger than life. In fact, the passage of time and the gift of hindsight often allow us to see how minuscule they really are. Likewise, the older we get the faster time seems to pass. Milestones come and go in what seems a matter of minutes. Perhaps a change in perspective might allow us to live in the moment more often handing our troubles over to God faster.

It seems strange to me that all that I hold dear in this life will in fact pass like the blink of an eye. At the same time I am comforted that the same properties of time govern those whom I hold dear. In no time we will all be in the presence of God. If life on this earth (which is tarnished by the presence of our sin and selfishness) can produce so many breathtaking experiences of sheer joy, how awesome eternity with our God will be.

Perhaps I should fly with my children more often!

Children's Quotes

The other evening, Sara (our youngest) was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a bird. She settled down quite easily even though the bird continued it's call well into the morning. When she awakened I asked if she would make the sound that she had heard. She looked at me as though this was a ridiculous question and said...

"I can't.....I don't have wings."

I'm Back

Everyone,

After quite the hiatus, I am blogging again. I simply needed some time to get to know Trinity Ecumenical Parish. All of my time and energy has been channeled to that end over the past months. I have streamlined my activities on various committees and boards and now have a more manageable schedule that does not detract from my God given duties as father and husband. Sooo... there will be more to come.