Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
Around eight or nine years ago, Portia and I went to Orlando, Florida for our annual Pastor's Convention with Foursquare. The hotel they recommended us to stay at was -- you guessed it -- a Disney World Hotel, with buses taking people to the theme park every half hour. We were ecstatic.
The thing was, we only had enough free time to visit one theme park, and if you've ever been to Disney World, you know it really takes a few days (at least!) to hit all the big spots. We had one day, so we deliberated on which park to visit: should we hit up Animal Kingdom? Sounded cool. How about Hollywood Studios? Or the EPCOT Center? What even is the EPCOT Center? Or maybe Typhoon Lagoon, a little water slide action?
We ended up deciding on the Magic Kingdom. We didn't have a ton of time or energy after the long conference, so we wanted to go to a familiar place where we could relax and enjoy the environment. And from what we were told, Magic Kingdom is almost an exact replica of the Disneyland in Anaheim that I grew up going to all the time as a kid.
The only thing was, it's NOT an exact replica. It's close, really close. But little things that I remembered and expected weren't there. Rides were different. The layout was different. Favorite food spots weren't there. Even Pirates of the Caribbean looked and felt different -- it only had ONE drop. I was thrown off. And after awhile, we got more and more annoyed at the fact that what we expected wasn't the reality.
Was anything wrong with the Magic Kingdom? Of course not. It's awesome. But my unrealistic expectation set me up to not enjoy it. The fact that it wasn't perfect caused me to miss the goodness.
We do that in a lot of areas, don't we? We bring unrealistic expectations into relationships. Into friendships. Family. Jobs. Vacations. Christmases. Even churches.
And my expectation of what it's supposed to look like -- however unrealistic that might be -- can often hinder me from enjoying the goodness that person or place or experience can actually bring.
David says to the Lord in Psalm 119:96, "Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit."
We all know: everything on the planet is broken: the weather, the economy, our bodies, our relationships, our minds. Nothing here works perfectly except God's Word. To expect perfection -- or even to have presupposed unrealistic expectations -- is to set yourself up for massive disappointment.
This doesn't mean that we ignore sin, or abuse, or mistreatment, of course. Far from it. We don't do anyone any favors by turning a blind eye to that. But discernment can be used to live in the tension of loving and being close to imperfect, sinful people and places.
Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is often evidence of immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is often a sign of complacency. Maturity is living with the tension of what you know the ideal could be and what reality is.
Parents love their kids from the start, unconditionally. They don't wait for them to grow up before they love them; they love them at every stage of their maturity. In the same way, we can love and enjoy people, places, and even personal experiences, while celebrating every stage of their growth.
Like Ephesians 4:2 says, "Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."
Amen?
Around eight or nine years ago, Portia and I went to Orlando, Florida for our annual Pastor's Convention with Foursquare. The hotel they recommended us to stay at was -- you guessed it -- a Disney World Hotel, with buses taking people to the theme park every half hour. We were ecstatic.
The thing was, we only had enough free time to visit one theme park, and if you've ever been to Disney World, you know it really takes a few days (at least!) to hit all the big spots. We had one day, so we deliberated on which park to visit: should we hit up Animal Kingdom? Sounded cool. How about Hollywood Studios? Or the EPCOT Center? What even is the EPCOT Center? Or maybe Typhoon Lagoon, a little water slide action?
We ended up deciding on the Magic Kingdom. We didn't have a ton of time or energy after the long conference, so we wanted to go to a familiar place where we could relax and enjoy the environment. And from what we were told, Magic Kingdom is almost an exact replica of the Disneyland in Anaheim that I grew up going to all the time as a kid.
The only thing was, it's NOT an exact replica. It's close, really close. But little things that I remembered and expected weren't there. Rides were different. The layout was different. Favorite food spots weren't there. Even Pirates of the Caribbean looked and felt different -- it only had ONE drop. I was thrown off. And after awhile, we got more and more annoyed at the fact that what we expected wasn't the reality.
Was anything wrong with the Magic Kingdom? Of course not. It's awesome. But my unrealistic expectation set me up to not enjoy it. The fact that it wasn't perfect caused me to miss the goodness.
We do that in a lot of areas, don't we? We bring unrealistic expectations into relationships. Into friendships. Family. Jobs. Vacations. Christmases. Even churches.
And my expectation of what it's supposed to look like -- however unrealistic that might be -- can often hinder me from enjoying the goodness that person or place or experience can actually bring.
David says to the Lord in Psalm 119:96, "Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit."
We all know: everything on the planet is broken: the weather, the economy, our bodies, our relationships, our minds. Nothing here works perfectly except God's Word. To expect perfection -- or even to have presupposed unrealistic expectations -- is to set yourself up for massive disappointment.
This doesn't mean that we ignore sin, or abuse, or mistreatment, of course. Far from it. We don't do anyone any favors by turning a blind eye to that. But discernment can be used to live in the tension of loving and being close to imperfect, sinful people and places.
Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is often evidence of immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is often a sign of complacency. Maturity is living with the tension of what you know the ideal could be and what reality is.
Parents love their kids from the start, unconditionally. They don't wait for them to grow up before they love them; they love them at every stage of their maturity. In the same way, we can love and enjoy people, places, and even personal experiences, while celebrating every stage of their growth.
Like Ephesians 4:2 says, "Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."
Amen?
__________________________________________________
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES:
April 8-9: The Altar Men's Conference
Join the Meadows Men at this awesome local conference, right here in our own back yard -- at the Thomas & Mack Center! Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, Matt Redman, Maverick City Music, John Bevere, and many more will be leading thousands of men into a time of worship and prayer.
Click HERE for more info and to register. Tickets are $49 (scholarships are available!) Follow the links to buy ticket(s) AND to let us know you are coming. A team member will contact you via text/email to discuss details as we get closer to the conference dates.
Sunday, April 17: EASTER SUNDAY!
RESURRECTION Sunday is coming! To make sure we have plenty of space, we will have THREE (3!) services this year:
8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM
All three services will have full Kids Church and nursery, as well as our world-famous donuts. And oh yeah, we'll sing praises and preach the Gospel!
Sunday, April 24: Family Sunday + Baptisms/Dedications + TACOS!
Yeah, you read that right. The last Sunday of April, we'll have all ages together in the Sanctuary for a special family service: we'll worship, we'll celebrate baptisms, dedicate some babies, we'll take communion, and then we'll head outside to eat the best street tacos in town.
Want to get baptized? Click HERE.
Want to dedicate your baby? Click HERE.
Want to eat tacos? Show up!
April 8-9: The Altar Men's Conference
Join the Meadows Men at this awesome local conference, right here in our own back yard -- at the Thomas & Mack Center! Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, Matt Redman, Maverick City Music, John Bevere, and many more will be leading thousands of men into a time of worship and prayer.
Click HERE for more info and to register. Tickets are $49 (scholarships are available!) Follow the links to buy ticket(s) AND to let us know you are coming. A team member will contact you via text/email to discuss details as we get closer to the conference dates.
Sunday, April 17: EASTER SUNDAY!
RESURRECTION Sunday is coming! To make sure we have plenty of space, we will have THREE (3!) services this year:
8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM
All three services will have full Kids Church and nursery, as well as our world-famous donuts. And oh yeah, we'll sing praises and preach the Gospel!
Sunday, April 24: Family Sunday + Baptisms/Dedications + TACOS!
Yeah, you read that right. The last Sunday of April, we'll have all ages together in the Sanctuary for a special family service: we'll worship, we'll celebrate baptisms, dedicate some babies, we'll take communion, and then we'll head outside to eat the best street tacos in town.
Want to get baptized? Click HERE.
Want to dedicate your baby? Click HERE.
Want to eat tacos? Show up!
__________________________________________________
Every week at Meadows:
- Prayer Gathering on Mondays at 10 AM
- MYG and Connect on Wednesdays at 7 PM
- Prayer Gathering on Mondays at 10 AM
- MYG and Connect on Wednesdays at 7 PM
__________________________________________________
This Sunday, we'll start a new series leading up to Easter Sunday: FIRST RESPONDERS: Three Resurrection Experiences.
For the next three Sundays, up to and including Easter Sunday, we'll take a close look at the life of each of the first three individuals to come to the empty tomb on that epic Sunday morning: Mary Magdalene, John, and Peter.
Each of them had a different Sunday morning experience, and each had a completely different background story that led up to it. And Jesus, being who He is, relates to each of them individually and specifically, the same way He does with us.
Join us this Sunday for Part 1 - Mary Magdalene.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ronnie
For the next three Sundays, up to and including Easter Sunday, we'll take a close look at the life of each of the first three individuals to come to the empty tomb on that epic Sunday morning: Mary Magdalene, John, and Peter.
Each of them had a different Sunday morning experience, and each had a completely different background story that led up to it. And Jesus, being who He is, relates to each of them individually and specifically, the same way He does with us.
Join us this Sunday for Part 1 - Mary Magdalene.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ronnie
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