Have you ever experienced isolation before? I think about Jonah in the belly of the fish. This man experienced a crushing isolation that comes from rebellion against God’s will. He had the idea that running in the opposite direction of the one God wanted would be better and less resistant for his life. This caused rejection by his community on his ships crew. The fish sure liked his rebellious attitude because he swallowed him whole and now he sits isolated in the belly of this giant fish. What a meal for the fish and what a sour smell Jonah had to endure. Death now grasps Jonah in its hands; He is cut off from the very source of life; oxygen is not stored in the belly of a fish so time is of the essence in his mind. God’s compassion for the people of Nineveh really annoyed Jonah and he ran off to be by himself. What is sad is that the leafy plant even abandoned Jonah. Now that’s what you call an outcast.
While sitting here thinking of Jonah I realize something, there is different types of isolation. As is sit here writing I have isolated myself from everything around me. Some people need peace and quiet; I need a little jazz or soft worship music to dray my senses to a writer’s world of peace. I put on my headphones and turn on the music while I visit my writer’s world. However I do realize that this type of isolation is self imposed and by my own vocation. I realize that my writing style differs from most. Most writers need a state of quietness and a place where nobody resides. My mind tends to wonder in the opposite direction and this is probably due to the ADD in my life. Either way this isolation can be a place of solitude for a lot of Christians.
The isolation that I am in right now is not the same as the one that Jonah is experiencing in his life. Mine is not generated by a rebellious attitude against God. I am submitting to what I feel God is directing me to do, and that is to write this first book so that it might inspire a deeper and more relative connection with God for others. I know because I have been in that state of loneliness that Jonah experienced. Of course being a youth pastor, I am surrounded by people all the time. Ministry is a people business, and when you are in people business sometimes helping others sometimes you feel left out about your needs. I would never change it because I am being obedient to God and He takes care of everything in my time of solitude with Him. Rebellion cuts us off from God who is our only true companion. No matter what we’re doing or who we’re with if we stand outside the will of God we are isolated and in the world of loneliness.

Jonah 2

Coffee Stains

I consider myself a coffee junkie. I’d rather not call it an addiction because that seems a bit un-Christian like. So in order to please the crowd I call myself a Java Junkie. One thing any coffee connoisseur will tell you is the many stains they have encountered over the years. I like to look at the table after one has finished their hot choice of Java. One thing that you see almost every time is a light coffee stain or ring left on the table, counter, book, and maybe even the very paper that is decorated with their writing. Somehow the java always manages to escape the cup it’s poured in, and creates a path down the side onto whatever is in its path from the bottom of the cup. For some of us it is even our favorite shirt. These coffee stains can produce unique patterns and if you look at one long enough you might even find an animal of choice or even a sculpture that captivates your eyes and mind for a while. Our Christian life is like a coffee stain sometimes. We always manage to have some type of stain and to some people it just captivates others and we begin to draw conclusions about their lives. The funny thing is, is that while we are drawn to the lives and sins of others that stain their lives we are spilling our own coffee somewhere and our stains begin to take their own shape. Come on we’ve all done it. While sipping on your hot java something catches your attention and there it goes down your chin and onto your shirt. We collectively look around to see if anybody notices that we have a hole in our lip and we slowly wipe the dribble off our chin and try to clean the shirt and table before it stains. This is why God sent his son Jesus Christ to this earth for us. To clean up or coffee stains from the past. We have to do a better job of not spilling the coffee and focusing on Christ. He will wash our stains away as white as snow. So the next time you see someone drinking some coffee and they leave a stain behind. Maybe you can look beneath your own cup!

Isaiah 1:18-20

Towering Light of Life

One of my childhood favorite things to see is lighthouses. I have always loved the towering castles of light. It wasn’t the light that shined that drew my first attention, but the contrast of lines that twisted up these towering man-made architectural beauties. Some came in different sizes, shapes and colors and filled the sky with wonder. Seagulls would find their place to rest and sculpt their own nests while protecting them from the elements of Mother Nature. I can remember my first trip to the top of the light house in Cape Hatteras, all 268 steps of it. I was young and in shape but it still took its early toll on me at about 134 steps. I thought that these steps would never end. It is the tallest light house in the nation standing 208 feet tall overlooking the Atlantic coast. The beacon from the light can be seen some 20-miles out to sea and has warned sailors for more than 100 years of the treacherous Diamond Shoals, the shallow sandbars which extend some 14 miles out into the ocean off Cape Hatteras. For many years the light houses have been used to symbolize God and his light. As a child I could never put these two together. I always said I can’t see God’s light but I can see the light of the light house. As I got older and much wiser I realized the impact of Jesus Christ in my life His word and how He can be the light that leads us through the storms, and the difficult times. I tried many times to weather the storms in my life without Him and I always seemed to run aground. Sailing through life began to get harder and harder. If we let Christ be our light, He will warn us before the rocks cause us to stumble. He will protect us from the bad elements of life. His word is our direct light to keep us out of the trouble we could face when we try to conquer the sea of life alone.
John 8:12