Life is Better Together!

There are certain things in life that are better together:

Chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk.
Lock and keys.
Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Netflix and your couch.
Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Table and chairs.
Fish and Chips.
Football and the Dallas Cowboys!

Last week during our Back to School Party as was reminded that Life is Better Together as 70 volunteers served together to give back to our community in a tangible way.  A church of 150 could not have accomplished what we did with out the support of the great people of Inspire Church but also our great community sponsors as well.

When life get difficult as it does at times, there can be a tendency to isolate yourself'; to hide out; to become an introvert.

But when life is at a breaking point that's the best time to do life together.  To live in community with other believers.

As we approach fall this is a great opportunity to commit to living life in community.  That doesn't mean you have to join a monastery or live in a house with 4 other families.

For you it may mean joining a Life Group or serving on a ministry team. You are not really living in community just sitting in rows on a Sunday morning.  Community takes place in circles and in the trenches.

There is unlimited potential when we choose to do life together.

What I Learned at Camp!

Last week I had an opportunity to spend a week with over 300 campers.  Kids Camp is a place where kids can be kids.  A place where they can play, develop friendships, and experience God in a life changing way.  Last week I was reminded of a few lessons that go beyond Kids Camp.

1. Things don't always go as planned.
No one planned to get a broken arm, but one boy left camp early with one.  We didn't ask for it rain on Wednesday causing the pool and other activities to be closed for an hour.  

Life has many surprises.  Some are good and others are unpleasant. How we respond is the key.  We can respond with anger and impatiently or we can respond with understanding and with God's love.

2. Life is better together.
Or leadership team was effective because we worked well together (even the Canadians). The Teal Team was the winning team becasue they worked well together too.  Well, it did help that they had more campers than the other teams.  Kids could only experience the Giant Swing as a group.  It simply couldn't be done alone.

We weren't created to live in isolation but rather we are to do life in community.  That's why circles are better than rows.  Together we can accomplish far more than we could ever dream of doing as individuals.

3. Choose your battles carefully.
I have a type A personality.  I have definetely been accused of being OCD and being a perfectionist and being over analytical.  There are some things that happened at camp that I didn't like.  I certainly got anxious when morning chapel ended late or when Cabin18 was always late for meal times.

But I had to choose my battles.  Many of the things that bugged me were just my own personal preference and didn't have any lasting effect on anyone's overall camp experience.

You may have some circumstances in your life that you need to let go of and others that you may need to fight for.  God can give you the wisdom to discern which is which.

What We Can Learn from Baseball - Even the Mariners!

I have lot of positive baseball memories.  I remember back in 1995 being in Bellevue Square watching from a Foot Locker when Edgar Martinez hit the double to score Cora and Griffey, sending the Mariners to the ALCS.

Just a few weeks later I was in my apartment listening on radio as the Braves won the World Series.  I like the Mariners but I love the Braves!

As a child I can look back to when I was eleven years old and our majors team won the championship.

I love baseball.  It's not boring or too slow.  There's so much strategy involved.  In fact, there are some great life principles that we can take from it.

Bottom of the ninth.  There's no time clock in a baseball game.  Even if you're down by 10 runs in the bottom of the ninth there still is hope.  I'm thankful that at our lowest point there is still hope.  Anything is possible for God.

It's a long season:  A MLB season consists of 162 games.  You can almost guarantee that even the best team will lose at least 50 games.  There are only a few exceptions.  A baseball season is full of losses and bad days.  Kind of like our lives.  Think about your last week, or last month, or last year.  What comes to mind?  I imagine some really good things and maybe some difficult circumstances.  Hebrews 12: says . . . 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses in the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Baseball is a team sport.  Nine guys are on a field at a team.  Everyone has to contribute.  Nelson Cruz can be dominating from the plate.  But if the bullpen stinks (aka Rodney), and the defense is terrible (pick any appropriate Mariner) then the team will still lose games.  Life is simply better together.  That's why things like Life Groups are so important for believers.  They provide support and encouragement even during  a long season and especially in the bottom of the ninth.

So the next time you are enjoying a great baseball game remember that there is always hope, to keep running the race, and that life is better together,

Go Braves!  Go Mariners!