Last weekend I heard a very good message from Jentezen Franklin (who I highly recommend hearing… he has a church “Free Chapel” in Gainseville, GA and Irvine, CA). He enjoys using catch phrases to bring home his points and one of them was, “God can turn setbacks into setups.”
It struck a chord in me and I had full intentions of writing a commentary on it. You know… an impressive little piece of writing where everyone will go “oooh… ahhh”. Well, come Monday morning, I get a nice big wake up call from the Man upstairs to put my sorry butt back in its place. You guessed it; a setback that saw me seeing red. Now, Greg, go ahead and practice what you were going to preach.
After lifting my head humbly out from between my legs I think it better to just share my personal take on this setback/setup subject and leave it at that. I know, intellectually, that God has a plan and a purpose far greater than my poor myopic mind can perceive. We all live in the here and now while God exists on a completely different plane….one which is not limited or defined by time. Time is for our benefit, not for God’s necessity.
I need to remember God is ultimately in control whether I want Him to be or not. Circumstances can go every which way and cause elation or turmoil. The bigger picture, however, is unchanging and I need to rely on this truth and pray like the dickens for continued insight, guidance, and awareness of what God’s design truly is for my life.
This setback can, and will, pass with time and I’m certain I will look back at some point and realize, “Yup. You sure threw me for a loop, God… but now I get it.”
Greg Morton
© July 28, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Contentment
Recently I was informed that the Christian day school—where I attended for seven years (many, many moons ago)—began a program to enlarge their 7th and 8th grade classrooms plus build an additional room. Their program was entitled “Capture the Vision” and for some odd reason (not too uncommon for my brain…) I had this compulsion to write a song about it. It ended up being a re-write of the famous Rocky anthem “Eye of the Tiger”. I uploaded it into my website so if you’re inclined or just curious to hear it you can click the Google Page – Music & Insights link.
It also got me to thinking… do I ever really “capture the vision”? Do I even have a vision? Do I ever recognize what God’s vision is? Who knew that such a benign act of music would inflame such questions to life. Well, now that I’ve thought them, I guess I need to address them.
Just to preface, I need to tell you that I heard a message last Sunday about how we should be content with what we have and where we are in life. In fact, so the message went, we “must” be content if we are to actually receive additional blessings in life, whether they be spiritual gifts, material things, money, etc. The contention is that if we aren’t content with what we have now we can not be trusted to having more. It makes sense….but it sure hurts to hear it; especially for someone who is aaalllwaaays wanting more.
The first dilemma I run into is actually defining the differences in how you or I may approach this concept. Does being content preclude you from having hopes, dreams or wishes? Is having a vision just another flavor of the same desires we all have? I hope not (no pun intended). I truly hope that I can have plans and wishes for the future of my family and myself without betraying the “being content with what you have” dogma. It’s a tough concept to wrap my brain around and an even tougher rule to apply to my life.
I believe it all boils down to attitude. Contentment certainly is that and there may not actually be a conflict of interest if you feel content yet still have your dreams. Your attitude is probably entering the “danger zone” if your hopes and goals begin to dominate your life; you begin to shun your current obligations in the pursuit of the bigger and better. I imagine expectations also play a big part in all this as well. If you begin to expect things; feel like you “deserve” things; believe you’ve been victimized or have just been plain unlucky in life. These are the things that can shape our attitude in the wrong direction.
I, for one, will always have goals and dreams. But I do believe I will be more attentive to take pause when it comes to my attitude concerning them. Contentment is a tough sell… especially in this Americanized, capitalistic, competitive society we live in. Thank goodness we can transcend these issues by taking them directly to our Father in heaven. He not only accepts them from us, He commands us to do it.
Pheeewww! For a second there I was starting to actually get worked up over this.
Greg A. Morton
© July 2, 2008
It also got me to thinking… do I ever really “capture the vision”? Do I even have a vision? Do I ever recognize what God’s vision is? Who knew that such a benign act of music would inflame such questions to life. Well, now that I’ve thought them, I guess I need to address them.
Just to preface, I need to tell you that I heard a message last Sunday about how we should be content with what we have and where we are in life. In fact, so the message went, we “must” be content if we are to actually receive additional blessings in life, whether they be spiritual gifts, material things, money, etc. The contention is that if we aren’t content with what we have now we can not be trusted to having more. It makes sense….but it sure hurts to hear it; especially for someone who is aaalllwaaays wanting more.
The first dilemma I run into is actually defining the differences in how you or I may approach this concept. Does being content preclude you from having hopes, dreams or wishes? Is having a vision just another flavor of the same desires we all have? I hope not (no pun intended). I truly hope that I can have plans and wishes for the future of my family and myself without betraying the “being content with what you have” dogma. It’s a tough concept to wrap my brain around and an even tougher rule to apply to my life.
I believe it all boils down to attitude. Contentment certainly is that and there may not actually be a conflict of interest if you feel content yet still have your dreams. Your attitude is probably entering the “danger zone” if your hopes and goals begin to dominate your life; you begin to shun your current obligations in the pursuit of the bigger and better. I imagine expectations also play a big part in all this as well. If you begin to expect things; feel like you “deserve” things; believe you’ve been victimized or have just been plain unlucky in life. These are the things that can shape our attitude in the wrong direction.
I, for one, will always have goals and dreams. But I do believe I will be more attentive to take pause when it comes to my attitude concerning them. Contentment is a tough sell… especially in this Americanized, capitalistic, competitive society we live in. Thank goodness we can transcend these issues by taking them directly to our Father in heaven. He not only accepts them from us, He commands us to do it.
Pheeewww! For a second there I was starting to actually get worked up over this.
Greg A. Morton
© July 2, 2008
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