new eyes

take a deep breath. for a split second- if you are able- look up from the screen on which you are reading these words. look at the world around you. the world will never be like that again. that is the only moment like that we are going to get.

close your eyes and open them again. imagine you've never seen this world before. imagine that you have never with your own eyes beheld anything. you have lived your entire life and never once seen the sun or a rainbow. maybe you've heard about them, but never once in your life have you been able to see them.

i was thinking today that we are bound. we have two options- do or not do. twitter or not twitter. we have been faced with choices- we cannot escape from that. i can either drink the chai sitting on my table now or not. how do i make this decision? how did i decide to make this decision? did i have a choice? even if i don't want to make a choice, i have made a choice.

there was a man who had great power. one of his friends became ill, so the man's sisters sent for the man of power. when he got the news that his friend was sick, he told those around him "his sickness does not lead to death."

after two days he started on the journey toward the sick man's home. he told them that the sick man was sleeping and he was going to wake him up. (of course he didn't mean sleeping, he was speaking euphemistically- he meant that he was dead) those with him were confused so he told them plainly that the man had died.

when he came to the tomb everyone was weeping without hope even though they said they believed the man with power could do anything. Seeing all their hopelessness, the man of great power wept.

he was moved deeply in his spirit and called for them to open the tomb (even though the man had been dead for 4 days!) and he called for the dead man to come out of the grave. the dead man walked. He came out of the grave.

The man was named Lazarus. He died. The man of power is named Jesus. He died, but the grave couldn't hold him down. You have a choice. Will you listen to Jesus' call to come out of the grave? Will you drink the chai or not?

calling

i have had several conversation with several friends about what it is that we are here to do.
a story...

a famous man from of old was out walking. he took a wrong turn and ended up in front of a fort. as he was considering different life questions a voice came out of the darkness
"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

startled our friend replied "WHAT?"

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" the voice repeated.

"HOW MUCH DO YOU GET PAID?" our friend shouted back.

confused the man to whom the voice belonged replied- "one day's wages. why?"

"I'll give you double to stand outside my door and ask me those two questions any time i come into my home or leave it."

so as you are going about life- drinking chai or whichever beverage you prefer- be honest with yourself- as the questions "Who am I? What am I doing here?"