In the past two months of my life I have gone from being a fairly well paid babysitter (substitute) to coming on part time in the Church as a point person for a Jr. High Ministry. So I have traded in my amateur status to become a professional, it is a shame the Olympics were just around the corner. Since I accepted this position my nights have become restless as sleep does not come easily. I have so many ideas and thoughts and desires that I get to excited with everything and anything that will happen with Gods ministry at Central. I have also felt the exhaustion that comes with constantly casting a shared vision as well. It is a good kind of tired however.
I have come to find only one true desire as I spend time with these student’s, I pray that my children will be as hungry for the word as these students are. The student’s that have been placed at Central are some of the most amazing people I have met. They thirst for God’s word, to know how to read it, to understand what the author is saying to them and most importantly to take what they know and do something with it. The question my Pop has been asking me since I graduated school is “What are you doing with what you know?” I think he might just be trying to see if he is getting his money’s worth out of my college education. I think he has a point though. We desire to be so smart, to have all of this knowledge about the world and to sound so educated, but we sit up high on our thrones of knowledge and are just to high up to actually do anything with it. We waste what we know when we do this. They are like mist that will dissipate when the sunlight touches it.
About four months ago my Dad asked me to help move my (Uncle Andy who is my Grandpa’s brother) from one apartment to another. This was nothing new to me, once my Dad saw I was able to carry twenty pounds easily he has volunteered me to help move anyone and anything. So I went begrudgingly to move my uncle. Now this sounds like one of those stories where someone goes against their will to do a task and then finds joy it, don’t worry this story is not one of those. As we got to his apartment we had to force our way through the doorway (there was to much clutter behind it to just open it) as you walked in there was mounds of garbage as far as the eyes could see, mostly piled up in the middle of the room nearly four feet high. But surrounding this trash were stacks and stacks of books outlining every area in this one bedroom apartment, even the bathroom. All that was visible was a place to use the toilet, the shower was filled with book, and there was no kitchen visible to the human eye. It immediately made me sad, because here was all of this knowledge that was rotting. My uncle had absorbed it and held it for himself. The books reminded him of what he knew, and sadly the trash could only reminded him of what he did with it.
Several things have changed in my perspective since that time, I used to value books the same way, for people to come in and say “wow you read all of these!” It would make me feel good about myself, but even though my collection of books is very little I can’t imagine holding onto this knowledge. Because I have been fortunate enough to acquire it I must share it. Since then I have sought that once I finished a book, even after I have just gotten the main idea, if there is someone that that book could affect then I have no need for my book. I’ve already been affected by that knowledge why shouldn’t I pass it along. I think this is what each of us are called into, once we have the privilege of understanding or learning something, to share it. To let that life changing knowledge change our very perspective on life and share it with whoever will listen. Not so that they may think we are smart but just so they know there is another perspective, dream, vision, idea, etc. that is out there. We can’t let what we know end with us. It can’t be treasured by just us but shared for all to see.
Remember to take pictures because you only go around once
Cj - out
