Yeah, life can be a bit like that...

I'm not sure why. I suppose the reasons are about as diverse as we are as people. It feels pretty common, though.

I just got home from a great conference for youth workers where I was encouraged by some of the premiere leaders in Christian student ministry. It was 5 days of great teaching, moving worship with David Crowder and Chris Tomlin, super time with other youth pastors. I come home to my family--the people I love more than anything--and it's like someone turned on the FUNK switch. This is not the good "Sly & the Family Stone" kind of funk. This is the the kind that is moody, depressive, and uncool. I'm grumpy with my son, the kids are crying about the littlest things...

It shouldn't oughta be this way.

I don't know if this is spiritual warfare (it is real, you know), or if this is just the rhythm of lives intersecting, kids being kids, that kind of thing.

I do know that I won't stay on this downward slope. I am making a choice to be joyful, to focus on the great things God is doing and the promises he has made to his children. It sounds trite, but it's most assuredly true: God is good. And that's the bottom line.

OK, so I don't happen to feel/think like Karen Carpenter (in so many ways). The Carpenters had a hit song that included the line: Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Not this guy!

I apologize for a few days of blog silence. Computer died...I don't think I had any radical or revolutionary thoughts, though.

But back to the rain. I like it. It's good for the earth, and that's ultimately good for us. When I was in college, Kim and I would go for long walks in the rain, splashing through puddles, getting soaked and laughing all the time. Rain washes my truck (thanks, God!). It's like God's own sprinkler system! I just planted grass in my backyard, and the rain is watering that grass right now. I like the sound of rainfall. I enjoy watching the drops splash down, each one creating a little explosion of water as it makes it's mark on the earth.

The Bible speaks of times of refreshing that will come from the Lord. Read it for yourself, if you like. That's not talking specifically about rain, but I think that rain is a great picture of how God refreshes. He uses other people, places, and things (Hey, a noun is a person, place, or thing--Please tell me you remember SchoolHouse Rock...Rain refreshes the land, gets water into the soil, makes us come out of the fields and put down our scythe, take some time to relax and enjoy the fruit of our labor. Well, you know what I mean.

I am serious about being refreshed by God. He wants us to slow down, to enjoy each other, to make room for him to move in our lives. Our society prides itself on busyness. I lose track of how many people I hear each week talking about the load of work they have to do and their crazy schedules. I think we all need a rain out so that we can slow down. (You want a rainout? I can get you a rainout.--who said it?)

OK, I'm going to take some time to connect with God. Enjoy the rainfall.