Here we are, tomorrow is (well, given the time I should say that today) the last day of September. It's been a fruitful and crazy month in my life. How have things been for you? This month my son Sam was baptized, we had a very cool Soul Cafe service at the church that involved Rev. Jackson Henry of Nashville, Dr. Michael Hawn, Ross Pederson, Kristin Stilley and myself, I officiated a wedding in New York, seen one of my friends lives implode in a very public way, hosted three different families from around the country in our home at various points, learned a ton of new music, attended the Dallas Stars training camp for a day, started a new children's choir program, rejoiced in my young family (life with a two and a half year old and a two month old is interesting!) and cantored the service celebrating the installation of our new bishop while still doing everything else that one does as a pastor and musician.
While all of this has been rewarding, I have to say it has left me, well, tired.
The feeling is that strange kind of tired you get that you can't shake, even after a low-key day or two.
Please don't read this as a complaint: I am thrilled to do all of these things. I just wonder sometimes about priorities and opportunity cost, and Sabbath and faithfulness. Know what I mean?
So, that leads me to these wonderful two expressions that I am hoping to incorporate as guiding statements this month.
The first expression i want to share with you I learned this weekend from the incredible Rev. Diana Holbert and it is this:
"Breathe Peace."
Isn't that lovely? I hope that I can begin to breathe peace in my own life and into the lives of others as well. If we all took a turn at that in October, the world would be transformed.
The second expression is one that I was reminded of by way of a Matisyahu song that was on Ovation TV. The phrase comes (at least my initial exposure to it) from a album by Donald Lawrence called "I Speak LIfe."
To "Speak Life." God, I want to do that! In the midst of all of the nonsense and fear and hate that we all come across in this world, as screwed up and broken as this thing is at times, what a gift it would be to Breathe Peace and Speak Life to the world.
Breathe Peace...Speak Life
I'm gonna roll with that this month, want to try it with me?
1 comment:
If I had to boil down the purpose of my life to the simplest idea, it would be to make people smile.
I do this by telling jokes that (some) people smile at. I do this by producing media that people enjoy. I do this (lately) by leading worship. And of course I do this by leading people to Christ.
If all I do in life is make people smile, I myself will die smiling.
Matthew
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