I fell asleep last night listening to this talk by John Piper. I would encourage you to take a few minutes today to read it or listen to it. I'll warn you, though, it might just change our lives.
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/RecentlyAdded/1858_Dont_Waste_Your_Life/
I wanted to go find out about his book (Don't Waste Your Life) because we watched the memorial of our friend, Tennyson McCarty, last night by video. (www.tennysonmccarty.com) Tennyson is probably the best example of someone I've known personally who has really lived this out. His life really is astounding to me. Tennyson had the energy and talents of ten people: he was a fierce college athelete, an intellectual student, had a magnetic personality, and was good-looking. He could have done anything with his life and been very wealthy and accomplished. When an injury kept him from going to the NFL, he chose to go to seminary at Fuller and eventually started a ministry travelling to college campuses all over the world. He was an illusionist and would draw large crowds with his tricks in order to show people that is was really deception. Just like many things in this world are deception--but there is One who came to reveal the Truth! He always carried a deck of cards with him and would use it to draw people in to conversations about God whether he was on an airplane, in Starbucks, or at his high school reunion. He was kind, generous, humble and was always "prepared to give an answer for the hope that lay within him." He was so bold and, yet, so sacrificial. I was amazed at the number of comments on his website by people whose lives have been radically changed through his influence. He did not waste this life on things that do not matter! He accomplished more in 32 years than 98% of us do in a lifetime. What will you and I do with this life?
Deep within I fear that I've been seduced and have become sedated by the comforts of this culture. It's hard to escape it. I know that being a mother to my children in an incredible ministry, but I don't want to waste the fleeting time I have to influence them, either. What will I do with this life? What will I do with today? Life is fragile. We aren't guaranteed tomorrow.
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Hi Ashley! I'm happy that you brought this up because the comforts-of-our-culture issue is one I think about all the time. Worrying about this and also about not living to my full potential has been a big point of struggle for me for most of my life and recently I've decided to really be honest with God about it, and I feel him responding, and I feel freedom from that struggle in a lot of ways. People who follow Jesus are called to be in the world and not of it, but no one seems to really know what exactly that looks like. I think Christian culture wants to define what that looks like in many ways that the Bible doesn't specify. I think that a big part of any relationship is the give-and-pull; the struggle. I started to feel I entered into a deeper relationship with Jesus when I started to struggle with him more. I would tell him "I really like this music but it's not 'Christian' music, per se! What do I do?" or "I love this movie and I feel guilty for it because it has certain 'bad' elements! Help me!" Etc. etc. etc., it never ends. And I heard him telling me "Love me above all else because I love you so very much." So I am feeling freedom to enjoy things, little bitty material things, superficial things, and not anguish over them quite like I did but actively be conversing with Jesus all day as because I love him and we have a relationship. Ironically, I think that my fear of having idols can turn into an idol, and has been an idol for me at times. I know Jesus and I have a deeper relationship because I struggle with him, like Jacob wrestled the angel (who was God) or when David is hollering at God in despair in the Psalms. All I can do is tell him what I struggle with and ask him to guide me. He doesn't give me specifics on so many of the little things, which I don't like because it is human nature to want definitions I have freedom to be myself and I feel him delighting in that, rather than me worriedly adhering to "mandates" that have been determined by the Christian culture I was immersed in when I was growing up. And I feel released from "living to my potential" because if I am clinging to God and know how desperately I need him, that is all he asks of us.
I hope this makes some sense, and I hope it's okay I am leaving another huge long post at your blog. :) I just wanted to tell you I think about this a great deal also and where I am with it. xo
I just read my post, embarrassingly long, and I left out a period after "definitions." haha
From Scott:
The Lonely Road...
There is a place that few dare to walk
A few faded foot prints with no one to talk
This road washed with tears has lines on the ground
There are no roaring crowds and barely a sound
The ones that have ventured down this lonely path
Have followed their hearts without turning back
A voice from eternity echoes a cry
Come follow me, come and die
The lines in the road were drawn by a cross
Drug by a few that counted that cost
The stones on this road have words that are etched
Keep going, keep fighting, you’re not there yet!
The clouds in the sky are an ominous sight
There appear to be faces on the left and the right
If you listen closely there’s a distant sound you might hear
Keep coming, keep walking, you’re almost here
From Kristin:
Ashley, Jesse ordered about 500 of these books (Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper) to give away last year to his patients. I’ll give you a copy.
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