Priorities

Stephen Covey is “an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant and author… of the international bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century” (http://www.stephencovey.com/). Although I’ve not read any of his books, some key questions about the priorities of our lives from his book, First Things First were highlighted in a sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah. First, what is the one activity that I know if I did superbly well and consistently would have significant positive results in my personal/professional life? Second, what is the one activity that I know if I did superbly well and consistently would have significant positive results on the people around me? Third, if I know what it is, why am I not doing it?

For me, the answer to the last question is, “Because life gets in the way.” Don’t you find that to be true? We know what we should be doing to make our lives different and more effective for God’s kingdom, but it seems like our days are filled with events that scream for our attention and leave little time and energy to concentrate on the things that matter.

God is doing some good things in our lives, even when it’s difficult to see His hand at work. He has promised we can have through Jesus, “life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). I want to prioritize my life to have life to the full. Even at its full, though, this life is “but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12) in this far country, and the fatigue and frustration it sometimes brings should direct the eyes of our hearts to the satisfaction and fulfillment we will find when we’re home.

The Mysterious Love of God

The following is inspired by a discussion on September 2 at Immanuel Reformed Presbyterian's evening worship on The Shorter Catechism Q.20:

O, the mysterious love of God
That He would choose a man like me
To glorify His wondrous Name
For everyone to see
My weaknesses, they’re obvious
To any passer-by
My secret sins more grievous
They make me wonder why
A holy God, untouched by sin
Would want to lavish on me
Not only His love
But also Himself
And unreservedly
O, the mysterious love of God.

What's in a Name...

I write monthly for my church's newsletter, called "The Bridge Builder." This is an article from the March 2006 issue explaining why I chose to name my column "The Far Country." I liked the theme so much I carried it over to my blog. I hope sharing it sheds some light on the title in your browser whenever and however often it points to my small corner of the "Web we've weaved."

I like music. Toby McKeehan (the artist formerly of dc Talk fame now known as "tobyMac" [no relation to the artist formerly known as Prince and is now known as Prince again]) stated, “Music takes words to a place where words themselves cannot go”. Music touches our souls with beauty and inspiration in unparalleled ways.

I picked up a CD this week [March 2006] that has me wandering a bit dreamily: “The Far Country” by Andrew Peterson. Its title and theme are based on a quote from Christian mystic Meister Eckhart (ca.1300 A.D.), “God is at home. We are in the far country.” In my wife's and my search for the place where we can realize what God has placed in our hearts for our family, we are consistently challenged with the awareness that while we can and should live the full Jesus-life here, there will always be what Peterson pens as the “ache for what is lost, as we wait for the holy God”. We Christ-followers are truly not home, until “we see Him as He is, for we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2).
In my third month of writing this article, I’ve finally settled on a name for my humble musings in our monthly publication: “Life in the Far Country”. I like its significance because I wholeheartedly believe in living the “abundant life” Jesus promised in John 10 along with the fact that we, as the Body of Christ in the world, are a testimony of life to that dying world; and yet we needn’t look too far to remember that we are not home…we are “longing for a better country – a heavenly one” (Heb.11:16). May God be pleased to continue to form Jesus in us on our journey together to our home – our journey together to Him.