Turning 25

My birthday was last week. I'm not one for parties, cakes or piñatas, in fact I would rather spend the day with my GF, friends, family and do nothing at all. People ask me, "what's wrong with you? or "What happened to you as a child?" Sometimes I'll just get this look of confusion from people, which is hilarious. I reply simply that I'm not one for a day of focused attention. It's not me and it makes me uncomfortable...and as I was thinking about it, I started to wonder what if people treated their everyday lives like they were throwing a birthday party for someone else instead of someone throwing a party for themselves. My parents taught me at a young age that God didn't create us to serve ourselves, but others. That volunteering in the local church, community or a complete stranger changes lives and blesses both the people receiving and ourselves. Not to say that celebrating your birthday is self centered or that my parents didn't throw me parties as a kid (and try to still) but rather that in life, oftentimes the easy way out is to watch out for "Number 1." Especially in rough times. We tend to go into survival mode and no one else matters but ourselves. We hoard our time, our money/resources, our families and that's not what God calls us to do. He calls us to serve others. He calls us to serve the community. To throw on the grubbies, grab a case of QUENCH and get down to the nitty gritty of making a difference in someone else's life. Whatever that may be, if for only five minutes, a couple hours or a week at a camp, serving others because it's about people.

A couple weeks ago Pastor Jeff kicked off a new series with this very topic. It was a powerful and timely message that revealed to me areas I could be less me-centric and more we-centric. Here are a couple of points I pulled away with, but you should click on over and watch the video or listen to the podcast and be moved to SERVE.

"...in Matthew 10 it says He who receives you, receives Me..."

"...you are capable to make a difference in someone's life...you have the ability to serve..."

"...You are the one, the called that gives it away...that gives the resources away, that helps the poor, that goes out and is the hands and feet of Jesus..."

"...We exist for people, to help people..."

"...It's not always convenient to help...It's not always going to be convenient for you to be the church. But if we will just stop thinking about our position all the time and our money and our kids and our business and our life...if we will start considering serving the lives of other people, it can absolutely break something open over our own life that we cannot experience any other way..."

"...In Mark 10:34-35, Jesus coaches the disciples in this..."

"...we are equipped and have the ability to do something...SOMETHING..."

"...it's not enough just to come to church...to be great in the body of Christ is to be a servant..."