I Wonder--May 14

Recently I was sitting in my office meeting with a Brazilian missionary, Felipe Mattis. He is bringing God's word for me this week on Pentecost. Felipe has a long history with this church. So this meeting was my chance to get to know him. Needless to say, I surprised him. . . But not in how you expect. 

After about 5 minutes of small talk, Felipe mentioned the passion all Brazilians share: Soccer. It came up because he was telling me about his travel from Sao Paolo to Miami and then on to South Carolina. He was amazed a the large impact that Leo Messi was having on America. 

Little did Felipe know that soccer is a passion of mine: a deep rich passion. 

So for the next hour we spoke about soccer. We spoke about the 1994 World Cup and how Brazil beat my beloved Italy in the final match in a penalty shootout when the best player in the world (Roberto Baggio) missed the final shot. 

We talked about team USA and how they have played over the years. 

Messi came up and how he just won his first World Cup. A proud Brazilian rooted for a Argentinian because he deserved to win one. 

Finally, as a Brazilian we had to talk about the 7-1 loss to Germany in a semifinal game in 2014: a game that Brazil hosted and was favored to win. It was devastating to watch. An old soccer joke is that 'soccer is a game that 22 people chance the ball around the pitch (field) for 90 minutes, and in the end, the Germans win.' On that day that was true. The Germans dominated the match from start to finish. 7-1 in a soccer game is like Clemson losing a national semifinal game 49-7 (oh, and it was 35-0 in the first quarter if you want to push the image further). Hard to watch... 

With my Pentecost this week, and Felipe preaching, my mind was still recalling the conversation as I opened my devotional this morning and read about a German spiritual practice that I wonder about for you: meddachschlop. It means 'a little nap.' And it is a spiritual practice. 

In our lives we are so busy running and 'doing' as much as we can as fast as we can. We narrate the experience on social media and to anyone who will listen. What might happen, and what would our lives become if we followed the Germans again and scheduled a little: meddachschlop? A little time to rest and recover? 

I wonder if you could find that time, even just 15 minutes for the "little German nap?'

I Wonder--May 9

While today has been a rainy day, it has also been a day that has stuck with me. 

First thing this morning I called our Darby's Well Service for help. After speaking with Jimmy last night at our church dinner, it seemed that the pressure switch on the well was going bad (and I do not truly know what that means). The symptoms of our problem were that when we turned the spigot on in the house, the water would run, and then it would cut off suddenly. After a few moments of no water running, the water would come back on. 

I told Jimmy this, and he smiled and explained to me that most likely the pressure switch in the unit was bad and needed to be replaced. He told me I should call the office and have it replaced in the morning. 

So again, first thing in the morning that is what I did. 

Bryan and Jeremy arrived shortly before 9:30am and they got to work. Indeed the switch was bad and together they replaced it without any incident. As they worked it began to rain, then pour on us. But together the three of us had a meaningful conversation that has stuck with me all day. As they installed the switch and wired it back into place properly they told me some stories of their lives and they shared their experiences of previous times at Bethesda with me. 

Briskly walking back to my office in the rain I thought, 'thank you Lord for those few minutes to listen.'

David Brenner, in book Presence and Encounter wrote these that support how I felt after talking with Bryan and Jeremy. He said: 

"One of the surprising things about a transformational encounter is how brief it can be given the magnitude of the changes that can result."

Like I said, it was rainy. The guys worked fast and they never stopped to chat with me. They kept themselves dedicated to the task. But as we talked I felt God speaking to my heart and I wondered if God was, at the same time, talking to their hearts? 

We had a back and forth that touched me. . . I wondered if it touched them? 

Often we do not know how even the briefest of conversations changes us, perhaps be on the lookout for an even a short conversation that you might have today. It might just bless someone's day.