New Eyes

The past few days have afforded me the opportunity to see things from a new or fresh perspective.  Here are the two anecdotes...

One happened on Friday night when we returned home from our vacation to Boone, NC.  As the twelve hour drive came to a close, and we started hitting some of the familiar streets of Winter Park and our neighborhood, I found myself seeing the area with new eyes.  I really like our area.  Granted, there are no mountains, and a few months of the year it is crazy hot, but all in all I like it.  I like that being away brings a refreshed perspective.  I like winding back to our neighborhood.  I see more character here than I sometimes realize.  It's a pretty cool place.  It gets me excited about church planting here.  The area has much to offer and much potential.  I've also recently re-discovered an old college band cd that offers the following line in one of their songs:
        Sure there are many places much prettier than this
        With mountain streams and glaciers

        But I've got the sun, the moon, and the stars
        And the one thing I know...He put me here.

Not a bad way to view things.

The second moment happened yesterday at CrossPointe.  Chan was preaching on faithfulness and the idea that it is closely related to integrity.  To have integrity is to be undivided.  Not compartmentalized.  To be whole.  For whatever reason, as we got ready to take communion (which we do every week at CrossPointe--big fan of that), these thoughts returned as I looked upon the broken pieces of bread.  There in that basket of broken bread was this wonderfully counter-intuitive and subversive message...through the broken body of Jesus I am made whole.  I can live an undivided, whole life.  I am invited in.  Somehow, in some way I don't completely understand, Jesus is broken and I get healed and put back together again.  In that moment all seemed right in the world. 

I am thankful that God gives these moments.  I know the feelings and the perspective won't always be there, but I am glad when they do occur.