Batman & the Batcave

I periodically get to write an encouraging email to my small group. I thought I would post that email here this morning.

Good Morning Everyone & Happy Tuesday!

I have been slacking on the Tuesday Today (what I call my Tuesday email when it goes out), and apologize. In the same breath of the apology, I will admit that I all too often am sure not what to say(Much like the blog that doesn't get posted too). However, I felt that God gave me a little insight over this weekend and I wanted to share it with you.

This last weekend Bella (my daughter) was gone from roughly mid day Friday until later afternoon on Saturday. I did not get home from work until about 4 on Friday, but as soon as I walked in the door I could tell there was something different. The door was locked for starters, but Brayden (my son) was alive and in control of the household. It was almost as if he had been planning this alone time with mom and dad for months, and it had finally arrived. For as soon as I walked in the door I was pounced upon by “Batman Boy” and “Batman Girl” (Brayden and Theresa{my wife}). I of course was Emperor Zurg (I know Zurg is the bad guy from Toy Story, but this was a 3 year olds fantasy, and we won’t let him watch Batman). The next 45 minutes to an hour involved us all rolling around on the floor wrestling, fighting, and chasing each other around the house.

At the end of play time, and the end of a hectic week, I plopped down on the bed. I was exhausted! However, Batman Boy was not done with me. He crawled up onto the bed, took my hand, and said, “You come play in my room?” If you have never been asked by a boy in complete Batman gear to return to his Batman lair, then you haven’t experienced life.

As I threw myself off the bed and followed him to his room I started to pray that this was going to be a quiet relaxing time in the Bat Cave (couldn’t muster much more energy and things can get crazy in the Cave). As I entered room of terror, I was escorted to the only clear area on the floor. I was told to sit, and Batman started explaining everything in his room. Batman told me about the Furious Five stickers on his window, his kung-fu training, his train tracks, the races he had been having between Bernoulli and McMissle, why Professor Zumzort was a bad guy, and so one. I was amazed!!! First off, I didn’t know Brayden had this kind of vocabulary, and secondly I was shocked that he was speaking in long drawn out sentences. It was almost as if my son had grown up over night and now we had a real relationship.

As Theresa and I reflected upon our day over dinner with Batman (still in full garb, mask and all, at the Zephyr Grill) I remarked that in Brayden’s brief 3 years, that this afternoon was the most Brayden and I had ever talked. (Don’t label me a bad parent…well not yet) Theresa retorted with “Sister always blocks him out and cuts him off.” I didn’t know if I really agreed with her, but assumed that it was the only explanation since I hadn’t had this kind of interaction with Brayden before. However, as the night ended I was left asking, “was Bella really the common denominator to revealing the true essence of Brayden?”

When Bella returned the following afternoon. I realized that she was defiantly a factor! Theresa also noticed the change. Brayden’s demeanor and atmosphere around the house instantly altered back into normal life. Brayden had gone from being the King who rules the house, to some subservient elf in the background. This of course is nor was not intentional, but Bella demands the spot light and attention.

As Theresa and I reflected upon what had to change around our household, I got to thinking about how this weekend was a great metaphor to our walk with Christ. Follow this line of questions…How much do we experience all that is Him? Are we settling for a mediocre relationship? Have we allowed something else to grab the spot light and attention? Has Christ been crowed out and moved into the background? Have we really allowed him to rule as King over our house (life)? Is the time and energy that we give Him quality time? Is it uninterrupted time that is focused solely on Him and what He has to say? How much listening is going on? (Opposed to a controlled schedule where we dictate what is going to happen, dumping our load on him, and then moving on…at least that’s the way my time can go) When was the last time that we entered into His Bat Cave and received the mystery, secretes, and revelation of the Bruce Wayne/Brayden behind the mask? Do we even slow down enough/have enough energy to pull ourselves off the bed to reply to His request to spend that time with Him?

Lots of questions! But I enjoy questions, and you should too! {the point of this blog} The questions end with my desire and prayer for us, that is we take the time to discover the God of creation. The one who has redeemed us, and the one who longs for us to be in relationship with Him.

Praying for all of you and hope that you have a great week. Look forward to continuing to share and live life together.

P.S. Be in prayer for the board tonight!

Matt

Desire & Reality

In a recent email discussion regarding a range of topics around the church today , the following questions were asked (I have expanded, critiqued, focused, and clarified the questions for this blog post)

“Could it be that the small church and the mega church will survive while the medium size (compare to middle class) ceases to exist? Much like the polarization of classes could it be that the medium church is in the largest amount of trouble? Torn in their identity, asking who they are, what are they to become? I.E. The small church is happy being small (intentionally almost), but the medium size wants everything the mega (large) church has (music, youth pastor, etc.), but can’t compete (doesn’t have the funds, people, resources to pull it off). Do medium churches fall victim to the secular worldview of becoming? (ambitious sights, views of success, unattainable goals) What does the landscape of the middle class and the medium size church (if comparable) look like?”

This email was a pile dry twigs laced with gasoline and my mouse was the match that lit that ignited the fire that is currently burning my morning up. To be fair, I am a person who loves questions and riddles. Although, I enjoy painstakingly working through problems which end in solution, I could say that I ever more enjoy chasing the rabbit down the dark rabbit hole. The rabbit hole of question upon question…seemingly with no answer, but more perplexing than the question preceding it. This is where this email left me; chasing a rabbit down a hole (the kerosene laced fire burning). However, something happened as my mind went to the racetrack. Everything disappeared…no rabbit…no fire. The intellectual academic realm of questions in the clouds met solid earth. REALITY!

Reality, that the line of questions that this email started me on, ended in the church I now attend. Without getting into the details or casting stones of judgment, I can say that we are a church that was a healthy sized medium church, which is now struggling. REALLY Struggling! Struggling with the same kind of finical mess that middle class America got itself into. Struggling with our identity. Who are we? Who are we called to be? Struggling with direction and what now? Reconciling those questions with another question; is who we are called to be, who we want to be?

At the heart of this struggling, I see a lack of contentment. We still have grandiose desires. We yearn to run with the horses, but can’t keep up with the donkeys. We want to play in the NFL, but we can’t handle EBAL (a tough high school football league). Can we come to terms with the fact that we are a small church, who has a pipe dream, of making it big? Can we realize that those are OUR desires, and not Gods? What would a healthy church desire look like?

As my post ends with questions upon questions, and I could come up with more, I am unsettled in the fact that I cannot continue to ask endless rabbit hole questions in the reality of life. The questions regarding the church will be answered. They will be answered with reality. Can we find peace and contentment in that reality? Only reality will tell.