Cadence Part II

It seems when someone else does something there are two reactions, the first is the big deal reaction. As in, big deal I could do that, or so what I did that, or even better yet who cares. The second reaction is the you gotta be kidding me reaction. As in, you did what?!?! Why would you ever do something like that? You must be crazy.

Back to the frogs. Through Ben's sermon I sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit, it was not the first time I had sensed this particular leading, it was though, the first time I acted on it. I was working in a job that regularly required me to work 50 to 60+ hours per week. The quality of all my relationships was at a low. Relationally I had no cadence. God, yep once a week on Sunday, strong spiritual discipline, check. My wife, 30 minutes in the morning while I was getting ready to leave, and another 30 to 40 minutes at night as we drifted off to sleep, good spouse, check. My sons, have you ever heard the expression "parenting by phone"? I hope you never do,good father, check. My job, good money and all that went with it, were my frogs. God, my wife, and my sons, in that order, the most treasured people in my life, my reason for living, and I had no time for them. God said let me shift gears for you.

Two days later I left my job. I don't think it was a big deal, and I don't think I was crazy, all I did was say yes to God, he started shifting and I kept my cadence up. If others thought I was crazy, well that was for them to deal with. God, my wife, and sons now received the best of me, not what was left of me. For the first time in a long time I was in a position where I could say yes to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. I was asked to help in the children's ministry, I said yes. Later I was asked to attend winter camp with the kids, I said yes. The following year I was asked again I said yes. And so I entered a time in my life where I was able to make myself available to God, he kept shifting those gears and I kept working on my cadence and saying yes.

The end of a bike race is called the sprint, the cyclist pour every ounce of remaining energy into the last 300 yards in a desperate attempt to be the first to cross the line. It's pretty cool, if you win you get to stand on top of the podium. Neat stuff if your a cyclist. As I kept saying yes, opportunities to say yes kept happening. In '04 I was asked to go on the Jr. high mission trip, I said yes, with out realizing what I was saying yes to. One Sunday in July I, a father of two boys, found myself in a van of seven screaming seventh grade girls. God was shifting, I just kept pedaling. That week God gave me the chance to discuss salvation, baptism, his plans for all of us and the importance of saying yes. The end of that week, we were standing waist deep in the Rock river baptizing four of the girls. The following year I said yes, and found myself waist deep in Lake Superior, five students were baptized. God was shifting, I kept pedaling and discovered God wanted me in the sprint.
End Part II