What does Dr. Strange have to do with it?
My child has made me into somewhat of a Marvel movie fan. One of the young guys I work with is also a movie fan, and we had a discussion about the new Avengers trailer last night. A couple of weeks earlier, though, I told him I had this idea in my head that I needed to watch Dr. Strange again. I'd only seen it once.
As happens in my life, and totally verifiable if you search my Facebook profile, the next day I came across a story about a doctor who saved a woman's life while running a marathon. His name, of course, was Dr. Strange.
I put it off though. And then I found out it was on TV tonight, so I spent some time watching Dr. Strange. And then, I knew why I needed to watch Dr. Strange.
There were some things I needed to do. If you haven't read the sermon I just posted, please do. It was a message given to me by the Holy Spirit and I was convinced of that when I went to church today and started talking to people. Last week, well last week sucked. Bad. And in the middle of writing said sermon, I got a phone call that just broke my pea pickin' heart.
My son and his wife called me to let me know she had a miscarriage and lost the babies she was carrying.
Yes, you read that right...babies. Twins to be exact. Much too early to know the sex, but there was enough to know that there were twins.
I'm heartbroken, but the message was about how to obtain God's peace, and brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, I needed to walk that path, and fast.
There were two sermons to write. One for the Rescue Mission which I delivered on Saturday, and today's. I'm not exactly how well received the message was. I cried during the part where I shared the news about my grandchildren. Yes, cried. Yes, in front of people. But I got through it, and I noticed that I wasn't the only person who had tears in their eyes. It was so quiet in that church this morning when I was finished you could have heard a pin drop in the sanctuary.
But that's not why I shared that story. I used it as an illustration of why believers need God's peace. I need it more than most, some days, I think. And I've been in a funk since the news hit. I play it off, and sometimes I hide it better than others, but today, it hit me hard as I told my church family the bad news.
God is good to me. I had Wednesday off so i had time to mourn the loss. I have a job that requires me to pay attention to what the heck I'm doing. I told just a very few people at work what happened because I needed someone to keep an eye on me. That lasted right up until I was informed that I got to get some needed training on aircraft engine operation. I didn't have time to think about the loss my kids experienced, nor the sorrow, nor anything else but the operating limits of the engines. That's a task that requires your full concentration and attention because there are any number of things that can go wrong and sometimes, they really do. Fortunately, that sometimes was not the other night. Things went smoothly, and I thanked the crew chief for letting me get that training. I explained to him how much it helped me take my mind away from my sorrows.
Today, the folks I worship with got something I hadn't intended on. They got to hear the story of how I not only got to talk the talk, but literally walk the walk on the pathway to God's peace. Today's message about peace wasn't the happy, floofy, sugar coated peace on earth message. Today's message was raw, real, honest, and poignant. We needed God's peace. I needed God's peace and God in His mercy, helped me see how to get it.
But back to Dr. Strange. I would very much like to change one circumstance in my life. I tried once, last year. Things went faster than I wanted them to, and then in the end, not only did they not work out, but they wound up pointing me right back to the place I tried to escape from.
Dr. Strange wound up in a place to learn his new craft. And the "ancient one" told him that what was holding him back from advancing was that he needed to surrender his ego, his will, his ideas. Any of this sounding familiar to you? It caught me right where I was. I've been kinda tempted to yank the steering wheel back from God the last couple of days.
Dr. Strange got reminded too, during the movie, that it's not about him, again, by the "ancient one". And it's not about me, either. It's about God, and living for His glory is my job. That means having to let go sometimes of things I want now for what God wants that may or may not be in the immediate future.
And then, during the movie, Dr. Strange gets told by one of his associates that he needs to "get up and fight". At three o'clock today, there was an unmade bed (I always make my bed), a sink full of dishes, dirty laundry on the floor in my bedroom and bathroom, and a full laundry hamper. I kinda gave up for a minute. I got knocked down. I don't get to STAY down.
I got up and fought before I saw the movie. I cleaned the kitchen. I am in the process of laundry. I still haven't made my bed, but that will happen in the morning at this point. And after the movie, I thought to myself, "now I know why I needed to see Dr. Strange again.
When I can't hear Him, God finds a way. When I'm down, He lifts me up. I needed His peace, and I followed Paul's instructions on how to obtain it. God graciously gave. He's still giving, and by His grace, I hope to be surrendered to self, and mindful that it's about Him and not me.
I was empty. I'm not. I'm sad and I suppose that will go away in time. But I don't get to stay in a hole. This walk is a forward march and we're not staying in despair.
There are other things to do.
As happens in my life, and totally verifiable if you search my Facebook profile, the next day I came across a story about a doctor who saved a woman's life while running a marathon. His name, of course, was Dr. Strange.
I put it off though. And then I found out it was on TV tonight, so I spent some time watching Dr. Strange. And then, I knew why I needed to watch Dr. Strange.
There were some things I needed to do. If you haven't read the sermon I just posted, please do. It was a message given to me by the Holy Spirit and I was convinced of that when I went to church today and started talking to people. Last week, well last week sucked. Bad. And in the middle of writing said sermon, I got a phone call that just broke my pea pickin' heart.
My son and his wife called me to let me know she had a miscarriage and lost the babies she was carrying.
Yes, you read that right...babies. Twins to be exact. Much too early to know the sex, but there was enough to know that there were twins.
I'm heartbroken, but the message was about how to obtain God's peace, and brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, I needed to walk that path, and fast.
There were two sermons to write. One for the Rescue Mission which I delivered on Saturday, and today's. I'm not exactly how well received the message was. I cried during the part where I shared the news about my grandchildren. Yes, cried. Yes, in front of people. But I got through it, and I noticed that I wasn't the only person who had tears in their eyes. It was so quiet in that church this morning when I was finished you could have heard a pin drop in the sanctuary.
But that's not why I shared that story. I used it as an illustration of why believers need God's peace. I need it more than most, some days, I think. And I've been in a funk since the news hit. I play it off, and sometimes I hide it better than others, but today, it hit me hard as I told my church family the bad news.
God is good to me. I had Wednesday off so i had time to mourn the loss. I have a job that requires me to pay attention to what the heck I'm doing. I told just a very few people at work what happened because I needed someone to keep an eye on me. That lasted right up until I was informed that I got to get some needed training on aircraft engine operation. I didn't have time to think about the loss my kids experienced, nor the sorrow, nor anything else but the operating limits of the engines. That's a task that requires your full concentration and attention because there are any number of things that can go wrong and sometimes, they really do. Fortunately, that sometimes was not the other night. Things went smoothly, and I thanked the crew chief for letting me get that training. I explained to him how much it helped me take my mind away from my sorrows.
Today, the folks I worship with got something I hadn't intended on. They got to hear the story of how I not only got to talk the talk, but literally walk the walk on the pathway to God's peace. Today's message about peace wasn't the happy, floofy, sugar coated peace on earth message. Today's message was raw, real, honest, and poignant. We needed God's peace. I needed God's peace and God in His mercy, helped me see how to get it.
But back to Dr. Strange. I would very much like to change one circumstance in my life. I tried once, last year. Things went faster than I wanted them to, and then in the end, not only did they not work out, but they wound up pointing me right back to the place I tried to escape from.
Dr. Strange wound up in a place to learn his new craft. And the "ancient one" told him that what was holding him back from advancing was that he needed to surrender his ego, his will, his ideas. Any of this sounding familiar to you? It caught me right where I was. I've been kinda tempted to yank the steering wheel back from God the last couple of days.
Dr. Strange got reminded too, during the movie, that it's not about him, again, by the "ancient one". And it's not about me, either. It's about God, and living for His glory is my job. That means having to let go sometimes of things I want now for what God wants that may or may not be in the immediate future.
And then, during the movie, Dr. Strange gets told by one of his associates that he needs to "get up and fight". At three o'clock today, there was an unmade bed (I always make my bed), a sink full of dishes, dirty laundry on the floor in my bedroom and bathroom, and a full laundry hamper. I kinda gave up for a minute. I got knocked down. I don't get to STAY down.
I got up and fought before I saw the movie. I cleaned the kitchen. I am in the process of laundry. I still haven't made my bed, but that will happen in the morning at this point. And after the movie, I thought to myself, "now I know why I needed to see Dr. Strange again.
When I can't hear Him, God finds a way. When I'm down, He lifts me up. I needed His peace, and I followed Paul's instructions on how to obtain it. God graciously gave. He's still giving, and by His grace, I hope to be surrendered to self, and mindful that it's about Him and not me.
I was empty. I'm not. I'm sad and I suppose that will go away in time. But I don't get to stay in a hole. This walk is a forward march and we're not staying in despair.
There are other things to do.
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