Mid-course Correction(s)

Growing up in the '60's and '70's, I was a NASA fanatic...a Space Program nut. If I could have lived next door to anyone, it would have been Neil Armstrong, my hero. If at all possible, I would not miss the launch of a Gemini or Apollo spacecraft. As a matter of fact, the day before Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon, our television set went out.

You've got to be kidding me...Unbelieveable...Panic City

That was a Saturday afternoon. No TV repairman could get it fixed by the next day Sunday, the first moonwalk day. So Dad went out and rented a television just for me and my passion.

From all of those years of interest I learned a little about the 'trip to the moon'. Following the tricky maneuver of docking the command module(CM) with the lunar module(LEM), the spacecrafts were on their way to the moon with three astronauts. Several scheduled times on their journey mid-course corrections were carried out. The path of the spacecraft was adjusted by firing rockets on the CM to ensure proper orbit around the moon. If these corrections were not done or done incorrectly, the spacecraft could either miss the gravitational pull of the moon to ensure orbit or slam directly into the moon.

Important, huh!

Mid-course corrections in our spiritual journey are crucial, too! Can you recall your last one?


Allow me to share a mid-course correction that God and the Holy Spirit are continuing to adjust on my spiritual journey. This time last year the Benevolence Team(BT) of which I am a member got the opportunity to share with our church family what we were all about. Being four years in, we decided to give a synopsis of where we had been, what we were currently doing, and where we saw the Spirit leading us. The preparation and especially the study for this presentation was one of the greatest blessings God has given me. Our studies included two areas: what Scripture says and the examples of the early Christians. Whether it was from Scripture or from history, the truth that kept 'jumping off the pages' and 'hitting us between the eyes' was this:

Benevolence is not a program: it is a LIFESTYLE...(let it soak in)

With the greatest of humility and with the help of God's Spirit we attempted to convey this truth to our listeners that night.
I once heard someone say, "It is easier to associate than it is to participate".

Now the challenge that I find in my life is this: Lee, it would be easier to contribute some money to a program and allow someone else to distribute that money to those in need than it is for you to keep money available to help those in need who you personally come in contact with day by day.

Two or three times over the past year, the Spirit has profoundly and emphatically reminded me of the truth "that benevolence is a lifestyle". He periodically has to make that correction in my thinking. And I am so thankful for that, because like the astronauts I do not want the miss the goal of the journey.

Tired From What?

This past Saturday was an interesting day. The sub-floor in the master bathroom needed some work. After thirty-some years the plywood had begun to weaken, so small cracks and holes had begun to appear in the vinyl tile. The tiles had been pulled weeks before. It was now time to do some replacing of that 3/4" plywood. With tools in hand, around noon the prying, cutting, tearing, and pulling began. There was also the trashing, the measuring, the cleaning, and the trip to Home Depot. The sub-floor was resupported, the distances were remeasured, more cleaning, and finally, the plywood was cut(pretty close to size) and laid in place. Now, almost twelve hours later, everything being nailed into place could wait until Sunday afternoon.

As the back of my head hit the top of the pillow, there was an acknowledgement of soreness, of weariness, of exhaustion. Yet, in a way, it was a great feeling, because something had been accomplished today. However, the Spirit would not leave it simply at that. There would be more learning today than just how to replace plywood sub-floor. "Lee, when was the last time you felt this exhausted from doing Kingdom work?" WOW!

A guilt-ladened question?

No...by no means...I did not take it that way! But a question that examines the very depths of my heart, and it prompted other questions, "What I am willing or not willing to do in the Kingdom?" "Do I pick and choose how or where I will serve?" "Are there certain opportunities that I purposefully avoid because...?" WOW! WOW! WOW!

Thank you God for allowing your Spirit to examine me and my motives in this way,

Thinking kingdom