Pure Refreshment 1.11 -> The Plate Spinners

As a child, I remember watching a gentleman on television who had a unique talent: he was able to spin plates on the tops of wooden poles. What intrigued me was his ability to keep thirty or more plates spinning at the same time. He would rush all over the stage, spinning the plates that were beginning to wobble, frantically trying to keep the inevitable from occurring.

After his demonstration, I decided that I would give it a try. I located a broom and found a plate in the cupboard. Standing the broom vertically, I positioned the plate on top, looked around to make sure nobody was watching (they weren’t), then gave the plate a quick spin.

You can guess what happened next.

Many years later, I am astonished at how many ‘plates’ my wife Jennifer can keep spinning at the same time: elementary school teacher, mother, chauffeur, shopper, accountant, and organizer are a few. However, the last month of the school year adds additional items for her to manage. There are concepts to teach, tests to administer, decorations to take down, meetings to attend, and report cards to fill out. This can be enough to take down even the most seasoned veteran if they’re not careful.

Earlier this week, she came home from school frustrated and stressed out. We sat on the sofa and I asked her what still had to be accomplished. I immediately planned to help her out in some way, but I wasn’t sure how.

The next day, I walked downstairs and found a large cardboard box filled with assignments that needed to be graded. After selecting some background music, I grabbed the box and a pen and began marking papers. Many hours later, she returned home to find that a portion of her burden had been lifted. Seeing a smile on her face was enough for me.

The late English novelist/poet John Donne noted that “no man is an island.” 1 His comment still holds true in today’s frenetically-paced world, despite our attempts to keep others from knowing anything about our thoughts and/or feelings. Sometimes we stonewall ourselves in homes with fences on either side. Sometimes we try to keep our ‘plates’ spinning through our own power and determination. Sometimes we rush around so quickly that we have no time for anyone, including God.

Living a life of exclusivity is not the life God intended for us. We need to have others around to help, encourage, cheer, and guide us as we face life head-on. In the book of Exodus, Moses found himself in two situations where he needed some help from others:

Situation #1: After ordering Joshua to lead the Israelite army in battle against the Amalekites, he said, “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands” (Exodus 17:9 [NIV]). The next day, Joshua fought while Moses stood on the hill and raised his hands to heaven. When Moses’ arms were up, the Israelites had control of the battle. When his arms fell, the Israelites began to lose. At this point, Moses knew that in order for the battle to be won, his arms had to stay in the air. But he was getting quite tired. What would he do now?

It turned out that Aaron and Hur saw a need they could meet with a little ingenuity. They grabbed a stone and had Moses sit on it. Then each of them held up one of Moses’ arms until the sun went down. As a result, the Israelites won the battle.

Situation #2: In the next chapter, Moses sat down to judge the people of Israel and found people standing before him from daybreak to sunset. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro saw this and asked him, “Why do you do this all by yourself?”

He replied, “Well, the people come to me with all kinds of disputes. I make a judgment and at the same time teach them about God’s rules.”

Jethro was wise. I can imagine him looking directly into Moses’ eyes and saying, “This is too much for you—you can’t do this alone” (Exodus 18:18 [Msg]). His suggestion was for Moses to teach the ways of God and find others that would handle the minor issues and petty disagreements. That way, he would only have to deal with the hard cases and would have “the strength to carry out whatever God commands” (v. 23 [Msg]). Moses listened to his father-in-law and was freed from a tremendous burden.

Just as we need the assistance of others, we also have an obligation to help individuals whose ‘plates’ are threatening to fall to the floor and shatter. Sometimes these people will ask for help. Sometimes they, for any number of reasons, are scared of asking for any type of assistance. It is written, “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” 2 This assistance was a cornerstone of the first church, as the people sold their possessions and “gave to anyone as he had need.” 3 I’m sure there were many people in Jerusalem who came to believe in Jesus because of a follower whose faith was demonstrated through his/her actions.

When we help another person, we should not expect anything in return, even if money, dinner, or media coverage is offered or given. And we shouldn’t limit our help to those ‘of faith’ or those ‘of wealth’. Remember that Jesus spent considerable time with the poor and those looking for faith.

So what is God telling you? Do you need to allow someone to help you keep the ‘plates’ in your life spinning (or help you eliminate a few)? Do you need to take time to be a friend to someone who desperately needs one? How will you put the faith you claim into actions the world can see this week?

As the Lord refreshes you, may you, in turn, refresh others.

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”
—Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)

“One person can make a difference. But a person does not make a difference because he or she is one. People make a difference because they are connected.”
—Leonard Sweet4

1 Donne, John, Meditation XVII.
2 Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV)
3 Acts 2:45b (NIV)
4 Sweet, Leonard. Out of the Question…Into the Mystery. WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs
CO, 2004: 131.

All material copyright 2006 J. Alan Sharrer. No part of this message may be reproduced—other than the forwarding of the original, unaltered message—without express written permission.

Pure Refreshment 1.10 -> The Law of the Flash

When I was growing up, my family went on trips that offered something educational. One year we visited Philadelphia and the Liberty Bell. On another occasion, we drove to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.

On every trip, we took pictures.

Lots of pictures.

Many of these photos now reside in family albums and scrapbooks where we can look back and remember special memories from those trips. One of those was from a trip to Washington DC. Inside the album, there is a picture of the Washington Monument I took. At first glance, it looks as if a solar eclipse has occurred, since the monument and all objects in the photo are black. However, there is a special story about how the picture came to be. Our family was walking towards the Capitol building when I noticed that the sun was low enough in the sky that I might be able to take a cool picture. I lined up the monument so that the sun was completely behind it, then snapped the shot. It came out much better then I anticipated.

Every photograph has a story to tell. However, it doesn’t always tell the whole story. For example, photos can’t always tell the stories surrounding a picture—why it was taken or the events that happened before and afterwards. That responsibility falls to those who were in attendance at the time. Photo albums, then, are significant because they remind us to remember those moments and share them with people we hold dear.

It’s what I call the Law of the Flash: God takes the pictures of our life so we can share them with others. In essence, those “frozen moments” are akin to signposts that are placed along the path of one’s life journey. This is a good thing. The prophet Jeremiah notes: “Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take” (Jeremiah 31:21 [NIV]).

God has created a distinctive photo album for each of his people, filled with various photographs he has taken along the way. Sometimes the pictures are of good times and wonderful memories, such as when a person comes to know Jesus personally as Forgiver and Leader. Sometimes the photos are of difficult times where a person had to rely on him completely. Still other shots are of situations and moments that do not seem to have a reason for being in the album. But since God is the photographer of our lives, he knows why, and when the time is appropriate, he will reveal the reason (and the story) behind the picture. After all, he wants the best for his people and knows that everything in one’s life happens for a reason (cf. Romans 8:28).

For example, when I open the photo album God’s created about my life, there are some rather interesting pictures inside. One is a photo of a hotel in Florence SC with a lit “Vacancy” sign. The reason for the picture involves my family and a hurricane. When Hurricane Hugo set its sights on the South Carolina coast in September 1989, we stopped at the hotel to ride out the storm. My father went inside, only to return a few minutes later and inform us that the last room had just been taken. Our trip eventually landed us at my aunt’s house near Augusta GA, but the picture’s significance was demonstrated a few days later as we drove by the hotel again on the freeway. My mother looked out the window and gasped, “There’s a reason why we didn’t stay there.” I turned and saw that there was no hotel left. During the hurricane, a tornado had destroyed the place. It was a not-too-subtle reminder of God’s protection for our family.

There are other photos inside, each with their own unique story that needs to be shared. A shot of a 70,000 pound crane destroying my car on the way to graduate school (my ‘official’ transition from college to real life). A photo of the San Francisco skyline, seen through the windows of a chapel (my commitment to serving God in whatever capacity he desires). An older picture of a hotel room, with two students and a youth director present (when I became a follower of Jesus). My wedding photo is in there too, as well as a picture of the best birthday present I’ve ever received—my daughter.

As God reveals the story behind the pictures of one’s life, it is not simply enough to keep that knowledge to oneself. Just as a photo album is meant for being shared with others, our treasury should be shared with each person we come into contact with. That way, one can learn the meaning behind why a person resembles Jesus in their words and actions.

Keep in mind that God also has a photo album for those who do not know him. He longs to reveal it to them, but they have to believe in Jesus first in order to truly begin understanding; otherwise, they end up creating stories that may not necessarily go with God’s photos in their album.

So what does your photo album look like? Are there pictures inside that you have no idea why God’s included them? What stories can you tell through your album? Is there anyone in particular you need to share your photos with?

Think about those questions today, and keep in mind the Law of the Flash.
And as the Lord refreshes you, may you, in turn, refresh others.

“Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake,
but for your name’s sake, show your glory.
Do it on account of your merciful love,
do it on account of your faithful ways.”
--Psalm 115:1-2 (Message)

“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.”
--Frederick Buechner 1

1 Buechner, Frederick. Now and Then. Harper SanFrancisco, San Francisco CA, 1983: 87.

All material copyright 2006 J. Alan Sharrer. No part of this message may be reproduced—other than the forwarding of the original, unaltered message—without express written permission.

Pure Refreshment 1.09 -> A Word From Bueller

One evening my family went to the grand opening of a store in our hometown to purchase a new appliance. I was ecstatic. For the first time, we were going to have something that nobody on our street had. Mom and Dad looked at the models on display, debated their cost, and finally decided on the question that would affect my life to this day:

“VHS or Beta?”

Nearly five hundred dollars later, we were the proud owners of a new video cassette recorder (VCR), complete with clock that blinked 12:00 incessantly, multicolored buttons, and wireless remote control. That night, the first video I watched was The Last Starfighter. It was an incredible experience.

Today, I still enjoy watching movies. Old-time flicks like Arsenic and Old Lace. Science fiction films like The Abyss. Movies with great stories like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Comedies like Muppets from Space. Even cartoons such as Monsters Inc. serve to fascinate me. And sometimes what seems to be a silly film can turn out to have a very poignant message.

Take, for example, the comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In the film, Ferris fakes a cold to get out of school so he can spend an adventure-filled day with his friends Cameron and Sloane. Add in a jealous sister, a determined principal, and an attempt to pull off the whole ruse without the parents knowing, and you have the plot. While the film is hilarious, Ferris makes a very important statement. So important, in fact, that he mentions it twice—once at the beginning of the movie and once at the end: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Have we lost the ability to slow down in life? It seems that with each passing year, it becomes more and more difficult to slow down. Our jobs demand more and more from us. There are appointments to make, deadlines to meet, kids’ soccer games to attend, and emails to catch up on. Consider that people today sleep 2 ½ fewer hours each night than people did 100 years ago. 1

I’m just as guilty as anyone else. When I get going, my RPMs rev up to 15000+ and do not stop until I fall asleep at night. To slow down is to risk missing something. How ironic that is when compared to Ferris Bueller’s earlier statement!

Yet we must always keep in mind that the enemy of authentic faith is busyness. We have to find a way to slow down or risk catastrophic consequences in our physical, mental, social, and spiritual lives. You can’t repair a race car going 200 miles per hour. So why do we think we can “be still and know God” (Psalm 46:10 [NIV]) when we cannot find the time to take a lunch break? It’s in the slow times that the Lord can speak to us in important and meaningful ways.

We must be willing to seek God out, and truly know him, not just know about him. Even while he was teaching and healing vast numbers of people, Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16 [NIV]). This was one of the ways that Christ slowed down—by recognizing his earthly limits and allowing God to recharge him out of the spotlight.

In addition to slowing down, we must also be willing to listen. Take the prophet Elijah for example. After taking out a bunch of the prophets of Baal in a little mountainside challenge, Jezebel sent Elijah a note saying that he was going to be killed—and quickly. He ran for his life and fled to a cave near Mount Horeb with the help of an angel of God. This is where God found him and asked, “What are you doing here?” After Elijah recounted the story to the Lord, God told him, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by” (1 Kings 19:11a [NIV]). And in that hiding place, something noteworthy happened.

There was a powerful wind that ripped the mountains apart. But it wasn’t God.

There was an earthquake. But it wasn’t God.

There was a fire. But it wasn’t God.

There was a “gentle and quiet whisper [Message].” Only then did Elijah come out from hiding.

How difficult it is to hear that when we’re constantly running full throttle! With that said, we need to build into our lives time to slow down, listen to the Lord, and respond to him as appropriate. When you don’t make time for God, you cannot accomplish the things he desires for you to do. He has plans for your life—take time to learn what they are (see Jeremiah 29:11-13).

I know how life can assault you with its artillery of meetings, responsibilities, and emergencies. But I also know the importance of slowing down and allowing God to perform a change in my life. Am I there yet? Not completely. Part of the delay in this edition came from stressing about an issue and ending up with a migraine headache that put me in the doctor’s office. But God is doing something special in my life, and I know he will do the same in yours.

So, what about you? Is your life stuck in 6^th gear with no human way to get back to 1^st? Do you need to s—l—o—w d—o—w—n? Today, may you think about what Ferris Bueller had to say. May you hear that gentle whisper Elijah did and come out to meet the Lord. And as you meet with him, may he refresh you so that you can, in turn, refresh others.

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
—Psalm 61:1-2 (NIV)

“You can’t become an authentic Christian on a diet of constant activity, even if the activity is all church related.”
—Bill Hybels 2

1 Swenson, Robert. Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. NavPress, Colorado Springs CO: 114.

2 Hybels, Bill. Too Busy Not to Pray. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove IL: 132.

All material copyright 2006 J. Alan Sharrer. No part of this message may be reproduced—other than the forwarding of the original, unaltered message—without express written permission.

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