Sleep seems to be hard to come by these days. I've never been a good sleeper, so I'm not really shocked by the recent sleepless streak. The week before last, I just didn't sleep well. I woke up around 4am every single day. This past week the little sleep was mostly my choice.
My friend, Allan celebrated his birthday back in February. When I saw that one of his favorite bands, The Black Keys was going to be semi-close by, I decided to get him tickets as a birthday gift. (And by semi-close-by I mean Pittsburgh, which is about a five hour drive from here.) We made road trip plans, took off of work, and awaited the concert. So this past Tuesday we filled a cooler with drinks, grabbed some snacks, and hit the road for Pittsburgh. It was a beautiful drive out filled with great conversation, much laughter, and good music. When we got to the arena we easily found parking and made our way to find some food. More laughter ensued as we enjoyed our dinner and people-watched those making their way down to the show. Here's a very flattering picture from dinner:
Once we got in and found our seats the opening act started within minutes. The Flaming Lips took the stage. We sat through about a song and a half before deciding to leave. There was no visible or audible talent at all. It was terrible and just plain weird. I know that people say the Flaming Lips are good, but live they suck. Not my cup of tea. So we stood outside hanging out and chatting while we waited for their set to be over. When they were finished we took our seats and waited excitedly for the real show to begin and we were NOT disappointed when it did. The Black Keys were awesome! Their sound is amazingly unique and their musicianship is just fantastic. They play with a very talented band, but when it was just the two of them playing, the sound was phenomenal! They played a good mix of their songs and I'm so thankful that Allan schooled me well in their stuff prior to going. We both really enjoyed the show and I'm so glad we made the choice to go.
The drive home wasn't as fun, but it wasn't horrible by any means. Less conversation and more music ensued through the night. By about 3:30 or 4, I lost the battle with sleep and was in and out until we got home at 4:30am. Bed by 5:30, up at 9:30.
The rest of the week was a bit of a blur. Lack of sleep and little focus has been a common theme for me this week. Jesus' response to my lackluster state of being is simply, "come." It is never, "what have you done for Me?" or "why should I do (insert something here)?" It's always just, "come." Beautiful.
This morning the sermon was on Jesus walking on the water. When a frightened Peter looked for proof that it was indeed Jesus walking on the water he said, "if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus simply says, "come." As Peter ventures out he realizes that he is now amongst the dangers of the sea. In his panic, Peter's doubt causes him to start sinking. We all know how the story ends, Jesus takes his hand and pulls him up out of the water.
During the sermon we were asked two difficult questions:
1) How is your prayer life?
2) How is your faith?
When things are going well, do you fall on your knees in worship with thanksgiving? When times are tough, do you cry out for help, "Lord, save me!" like Peter did? Are you spending intentional time in prayer, refueling your soul, meeting with the Father like Jesus so frequently did? Yesterday I spent some very intentional time praying. I'm not so good at focusing when I'm at home or really somewhere really comfortable. My very active thought life usually gets the best of me and I slip away from my prayer. When I'm in the sanctuary at church, by myself, is when I'm most focused. With so much going on in my life, in ministry, and in the lives of my dear friends and family, I just needed to stop and bring it all before the Lord. I'm also so grateful for my best friend being here and being able to spend time together in prayer.
The second question, "how is your faith?" was also thought provoking. Can you imagine the thoughts running through Peter's mind as he took that first step out of the boat? Would you be willing to do that, to just step out? What is Jesus asking you to do and are you willing to move forward in faith?
Today I'm grateful for Jesus beckoning me forward. I'm grateful for people who challenge me in my walk with Christ. I'm grateful for my church family and partners in ministry who always encourage. Jesus is so good... a fact that, thankfully, doesn't change based on my circumstances or actions.
The rest of the week was a bit of a blur. Lack of sleep and little focus has been a common theme for me this week. Jesus' response to my lackluster state of being is simply, "come." It is never, "what have you done for Me?" or "why should I do (insert something here)?" It's always just, "come." Beautiful.
This morning the sermon was on Jesus walking on the water. When a frightened Peter looked for proof that it was indeed Jesus walking on the water he said, "if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus simply says, "come." As Peter ventures out he realizes that he is now amongst the dangers of the sea. In his panic, Peter's doubt causes him to start sinking. We all know how the story ends, Jesus takes his hand and pulls him up out of the water.
During the sermon we were asked two difficult questions:
1) How is your prayer life?
2) How is your faith?
When things are going well, do you fall on your knees in worship with thanksgiving? When times are tough, do you cry out for help, "Lord, save me!" like Peter did? Are you spending intentional time in prayer, refueling your soul, meeting with the Father like Jesus so frequently did? Yesterday I spent some very intentional time praying. I'm not so good at focusing when I'm at home or really somewhere really comfortable. My very active thought life usually gets the best of me and I slip away from my prayer. When I'm in the sanctuary at church, by myself, is when I'm most focused. With so much going on in my life, in ministry, and in the lives of my dear friends and family, I just needed to stop and bring it all before the Lord. I'm also so grateful for my best friend being here and being able to spend time together in prayer.
The second question, "how is your faith?" was also thought provoking. Can you imagine the thoughts running through Peter's mind as he took that first step out of the boat? Would you be willing to do that, to just step out? What is Jesus asking you to do and are you willing to move forward in faith?
Today I'm grateful for Jesus beckoning me forward. I'm grateful for people who challenge me in my walk with Christ. I'm grateful for my church family and partners in ministry who always encourage. Jesus is so good... a fact that, thankfully, doesn't change based on my circumstances or actions.
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