Expiration Date

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: They say there is a line between faith and foolishness. The other day I had to have milk in my coffee, and just because the expiration date was a week earlier, what could go wrong? Well after enjoying my cup of coffee cottage cheese, I realized some things just have to be used. Faith is the same. Even though faith is not something we work up on our own, but is a response to what God has already done, we need to act on it. When I look at my life, it’s the times that I step out in faith that actually creates more faith. Hardly a new revelation, but one I’m always shying away from.

Why does God so like this faith thing? I think it’s because relationships have shelf lives. If friendship is made up of shared experiences, we need to keep creating fresh experiences in our relationships. It is true some friends are low maintenace and can be peacefully “out of our sight” in our daily routines and “reconnected” after months like we just talked with them. But every relationship needs to be cared for because they are living, breathing things just like the people who make them up. God is no different. Faith means that we are taking His hand and learning fresh new things with our Heavenly Father. I hope to step out this week and discover a brand new thing with God. I know I’ve learned not to push dairy expiration dates too long.

Back to the Basics

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: “You know someone’s wit by their answers. You know their wisdom by their questions.” As I’ve always said, I really do like this aging thing. (Other than looking and feeling horrible, its quite fascinating!) One of the grand joys in life is finding old prayer journals and day timers. I found one the other day from my seminary days and as an intern at Bel Air in 1978. We had just had an all-staff “brown bag” and Rev. Donn  had asked us what it meant to be God’s man or woman serving in L. A. I found I was asking how to balance going to graduate school, not married a year yet, interning at Bel Air, as well as being house “maids” in Pasadena. This all before the days of Twitter, the Internet, or even cable TV! But the question continues to ring in my heart the same. How do we slow it down enough to hear the voice of God. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone who was “deliciously” bored. The management of my time is still the best barometer of my yieldness to the Spirit of God. This season of Pentecost I’m going back to the basics of simply letting Christ be the Lord of my time . . . and life. Keep up the strategic planning of leadership, but keeping that “ear to heaven” very attuned. Pray for me.