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Today began at 537 am. This is all fine and good except it was 130
when I went to sleep and today was my one shot at sleeping in this
week.. But at 537 my phone rang, it was Tom Fogarty. Actually I
called him last light at 1246 suggesting some Bible reading and coffee
in farmington hills at 6. Why? I hate the thought of wasting my
mornings and especially my Monday mornings. So I deliberately decided
to challenge my will this morning, plus, I figured it might led to
something interesting. My first thought was, to be quite honest, “Who
wants to get out of bed?” This led to my first words this morning. I
whispered “not it,” laughed and then got out of bed.
Laughing was a great way to wake up, I have to tell you. Tomorrow when
I have to be at starbucks at 415, I hope I can laugh my way up ( to
consciousness, that is)
P.s. 2samuel14:14
“But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a
banished person may not remain estranged from Him.”
That verse is just incredible. Think! He devises was so bring back the
banished. I have been praying for a few banished people who think
nothing can fix their pain. He is devising ways even as I blog this.
How incredible.
Andy
Sent from my iPhone
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Amos, don’t miss Hamtramck DisneyLand to much.
Click the photo for close-up.
Andy
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I must confess it was about noon on Tuesday, in the midst of my 11-10 shift at Cafe Cortina, that I began to think about working at Starbucks this morning at 6:15AM. Yes, I know, It caught me by surprise too. I didn’t mean to, I promise. I was charging my iPhone and glanced at the home screen, only to think about my schedule for the week. Then an orange highlighted schedule, hanging dauntingly, menacingly even, behind the wall at 12&75 Starbucks flashed into my head. Ah. 6:15-10:45.
So I shrugged it off and continued the shift, praying through the day and seeking victory. I finished the shift, drove home and before I knew it my 5 alarms were going off as I woke up with the timed shower drill in full effect. Racing out of the house and cruise set to 70, I made it to work with 2 minutes to spare!
Except.
I didn’t work today. I gave my shift to my good buddy Ryan Thero, due to a recent promotion at Cafe Cortina. Perfect, Absolutely perfect! God just gave me an opportunity to really READ, Listen, and journal. So I did. For 2.5 hours. I can’t describe how absolutely amazing it was. My mind was fully there, not yet moved into the multitask, task-driven day ahead. And 3 pages written, espresso, coffee, liter of water from my REI Nalgene, beautful-glowing-striking sunrise, and a heart and mind filled with power from on High I realized God’s plan for this began working at least 18 hours ago.
How great is it that God creates opportunities to spend time with me? How profound! How incredible!
If I am watching, he creates moments all the time, maybe it’s 5, 10, 20 minutes. Maybe it’s an hour or a day. Maybe it’s a door to a new discipline of watching and praying, reading and listening.
What window did God open for you today?
Did you take it?
Will I take Them the rest of the day? Will I take them tomorrow?
Andy
“But waking up is hard to do….ooh”
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Driving to work yesterday, the cool breeze rushing over my vehicle,
the sound of the gasoline being fed into my trailblazer (the phantom)
and escaping from my 21 gallon tank every 15 miles, and the scenic
I-696 during pre-rush hour inspired me. What if during every commute
to and from work I memorized one verse? I mean really know it. Pray it
over the cars next to me, shout it twenty times for all to hear. Chew
it, pray it in. What if there were 3 Christians every day who did the
same? How would that change me? How would that change my commute? 1
verse. That’s all. Easy. Guess what? That’s two verses per shift, 10
per week, 520 per year. More importantly, how will that change my
thoughts and mind for battle at work? How much more will I be in the
position to hear God?
Got 3 down so far?
Can you put “wheels” to this?
Andy
Sent from my iPhones
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I think I am getting used to blogging with my iphone, and anticipate
doing it much more as the spring takes us into summer. Recently, I
have had many questions and few answers. The same old debate for
anyone “Making tents” and living for ministry; “How on earth can I
support myself, and be completely, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly
involved with full time ministry and succeed at both?” I know I will
live the rest of these human days working to complete the Great
Commission. Acts 20:24 personally shouts on my head and I know my
destiny is calling. So here I am, convinced my calling is there and
seeing part of my destiny in the adventurous fields of Hamtramck Mi. I
love this town. Yet, recently, I have been working so much, my heart
has been breaking for the relief from the pressures that come from
bills and the like. It has been incredibly challenging. I have been
asking God about the purpose in all of this and asking Him to clarify
in me everything that must be cleared up. This has led me to David’s
life again and have been reading through the well that is his story .
Something struck me the other day… “Whatever Saul asked David to do,
David did successfully.” (1 Samuel 18:5) Connected to my life right
now, and context or not, I couldn’t help but think about what David
must have been thinking in each of the off beat moments in the courts
of Saul. The daily “King things” that David would see and hear,
knowing he wasn’t yet at his ultimate purpose. He simply was
successful with whatever he did. Working for Starbucks, Cafe Cortina,
looking to pour all my time into ministry at Real church and trying
to keep clean laundry has been crazy. I feel unsuccessful in several
key areas, so I have begun to seek out His stronghold for what must
happen. Two days ago I was given a promotion at one of the arguably 10
best Italian restaurants in the country. Being a waiter will cut my
hours in half that I must work to pay my bills and have guarenteed off
Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays… Pretty amazing. Oh yeah, I have
been working there only 4 weeks or so. Crazy. What does this all mean?
The lesson isn’t in the situation ( much or little ) phil 4:11 . It’s
learning how to live as Jesus says we can in each situation. That is
what I will do.
Andy
Sent from my iPhone
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“Once you label me, you negate me,” a philosopher and friend once said. It’s true, especially in this century, that label hardly tell us anything about each other; and the way that our generation runs from being labeled and that being its own label is really besides the point.
I am American.
Today I sit here with the WORLD literally right outside my window. (Hamtramck) I am reading Google News as General Petraeus (the General of our army in Iraq (MNF-I), and second highest army ranking) is speaking to a senate panel about a timetable for pulling out our troops of Iraq. He is warning them against pulling out too many troops, too quickly. This is not a blog about the war.
History is being written today.
I am American.
Yesterday I was sitting with two friend at work (Cafe Cortina) they are both Albanian. One fled to italy because of persecution, then to move here, and the other moved here to marry and seek a better life. She is currently seeking U.S. Naturalization. So there we sat, two of us speaking italian, two speaking albanian, and all three of us speaking English. What does this have to do with anything, you ask? Maybe nothing. But maybe something deep.
In this generation we run from any label, stereotype, or preconceived notion that would potentially give anyone a clue about us. Why? Maybe we don’t really want people to know us, or be whoever we want to be, or just be “me” whoever that is.
But you know what?
I am American.
I was born in the United States of America. I have a U.S. Passport.
This doesn’t define me. HOWEVER. This links me to the history of America in the world.
Wherever I go in the World, I will be known as an American.
What does that mean?
I am responsible to understand the role of America in history. I must relate to people and be sensitive to the fact that every nation has a story and that by understanding their story I can relate to the struggle. It will help me share the story of Jesus. Isn’t it interesting the role of nationality and culture in relation to the gospels? Luke 10, John 4 are just two that come to mind.
More than every I am learning that every event that I was taught in school relating to a nation in the world (take WWII for instance) now has faces tied to it. It’s not ok to simply understand that “we beat up the bad guys and dropped a bomb” but that every country and in turn every person was affected.
To the Albanian friends at work and the world class German chef, the Italians that I spent time with in Coldigioco, and my italian friends here and abroad. To my Bosnian neighbors, the Yemenese owners of the market I go to, the Polish woman we love so deeply that comes to REAL Church and the Bengaladeshi friends who live next to the church. To the pakistani customers I served at the restaurant, the yugoslavian landlords, the russian man down the street who knew no english as I passed him in the evening and so I told him “Dobry vyecher” (good morning)( It’s all I knew). To the Iraqi man in the fruit business and the Iranian girl I trained who didn’t want to work. To the Canadian pastor, the Mexican bartender, the Nigerian security guard and the Lyberian children who carried their christmas presents on their head. To my Korean brother in the fight of faith and the Puerto Ricans who taught me how to pray. To the Armenian “Big Joe”, the Australians staying at “Happy Days Hostel” in Rome, The long lost Costa Rican friend Ileana, and the Greek waiter recommending “Easter Soup”. To Israeli Rabbi, raised in Detroit now in Israel, to the friends from Laos who served great Thai food, the list goes on.
… I want you to see Jesus in my life, and I will do everything I can to share my life with you.
Get it?
Andy
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I know some heroes. In disguises they support themsleves to be
miraculously ordinary, allowing God to do the extraordinary through
them. No one truly understands them, even each other. Yet, they are
the heroes on my mind this morning. They inspire me. Through all
circumstances they continue to stand out at starbucks, chili’s, ford,
rice bowls, panera, eagle communication, and hanley. They fight, and
refuse to give up. They have taken ground and yet don’t revel in it.
They strain to keep moving and reach for more. Jesus is their common
thread. They would never know they are heroes. Maybe that is why they
are.
Andy
Sent from my iPhone
