What Was and What Is...

I recently took one of those who-are-you tests that supposedly can figure out what makes me me by answering 50 questions.  The results?  In a nutshell, and no surprise to me, I am a guy who lives and experiences the world through my senses.

It is because of this super important aspect that a big portion of my life revolves around experiencing the world through smells, sounds, tastes, and textures... but mainly smells and sounds.

Smells and sounds to me are a time machine... with the faintest smell I can be transported to a different time and place.

The first few notes of Bon Jovi's "Shot Through The Heart" immediately transports me back to 1986; a time of new schools, summer days, and good friends.

Just the mere whiff of a pine tree is enough to waken the butterflies of Christmas morning anticipation in my stomach.

The soaring strains of the Star Wars theme song invokes such strong feelings in me that it can actually change my attitude (for the better of course!).

Or the scent of rain, or the 'ping!' of a Super Nintendo boot screen, or gingerbread, or the Ghostbusters theme song, or the smell dust burning off of a dormant heater... it's all actually quite remarkable and wonderful.

If I had to put what I experience in a word we can all understand it would be:

Nostalgia.

I love that word!  That word encapsulates the feeling of "ahhhhhh" in me.  My happy place, my mental cozy spot.

But here's the rub:  I can never be nostalgic about the future.  It is impossible.

And that is why nostalgia is also dangerous for me...  Nostalgia is always rooted in the past.  Things and places and smells and sounds that have already happened.  Moments in time that have slipped into memories.

The irony of this whole thing is the fact that nostalgia is predicated on past experiences.  There can be no nostalgia without past experiences.  At what point do past experiences become nostalgia?  Can I be nostalgic while at the same time creating nostalgia?

I've decided on this: If I spend all of my energy reliving what was,  I will therefore forfeit what is.  If I let my life be consumed by my past,  I will therefore forfeit my 'now'.

"But nostalgia gives me such a good feeling."

"I don't want to not be nostalgic."

"Especially because it's who I am and makes me me."

"But I also don't want to miss out on now... what is."

After much thinking and inner dialogue... here is where I have landed:

I don't have to choose.  I can actually live in both worlds (without splitting myself into two).

If nostalgia is rooted in the memories of the past then there must be a future counterpart.

I believe the answer to that question is expectancy.

Nostalgia + Memories = Past

Expectancy + Hope = Future

As Christmas time rolls closer the nostalgic side of me is giddy with memories of Christmases gone by, of presents opened, candy canes eaten, songs sung.

Because memories of past Christmases for me are ripe with nostalgia... it feels good and cozy to mentally live in that space... but it doesn't have to end there.

With a subtle shift in the way I categorize smells and sounds, emotions and feelings I arrive at the same base 'good feeling' I associate with nostalgia.  Only this time my focus is not on the past but on the future:  time I will spend with my family, things I will eat, presents I will give, love I will show.

I now find I am filled with the expectancy and hope of future memories that will be created in the Christmas of now which will eventually morph into the nostalgia of tomorrow, to be repeated over and over again.

Nostalgia + Expectancy = Abundant Life

This Christmas go ahead and visit the Christmases of the past, those nostalgic, cozy places.  But also choose to live in the expectancy and hope of what Christ offers us every day, a personal relationship with Him.

Pastor Beau

Family Conversation Starters...

Hello parents!

This week why not start a new time of spiritual discussion around your dinner table?  Use these conversation starters to spark God Talk at dinner time.

Try it... I think you'll like it (and be surprised at what your kids think about God!)

On this journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Trapped Item needed: mouse trap Show the mouse trap. (If you have creative kids, ask one of them to think of a story about a mouse and the trap.) A mouse is a pesky little creature that eats through packages of our food and leaves nasty droppings—yuck!   Why do we set a mouse trap? (If you do) What do we put on the trap to try to catch the mouse? (Cheese; peanut butter; etc.) The mouse wants the cheese so badly that he goes after it and is CAUGHT by the trap. How is sin like a trap? (It catches us when we give in to it; it looks good, but the end result is not good; we want what we want so we give in and we can’t stop; etc.) We need to be freed from our sin.

Choices Play the Choices game. List two choices and ask kids to move to the side of the room of the choice they like.  For example—if you like pepperoni pizza go to the left, if you like cheese pizza go to the right. (Soccer/basketball; sport teams; favorite school subjects; kinds of game systems; ice cream flavors; vacation spots; hobbies; etc.) Even though sin is a trap, we have a choice on whether we give in to sin. Jesus’ death frees us from sin’s power and we can choose to do what is right.

Asking for Help We are all tempted (it is not a sin to be tempted), but when we give in to temptation and do what is wrong, we sin. Talk about what we could do when tempted and yet not give in to sin.  You want a pack of gum at the store, but don’t have any money. You are tempted to look at a friend’s test paper when you don’t know the answer. You feel angry at your mom when she wouldn't let you go to a friend’s house. Your little brother is annoying; you want to scream at him to leave you alone. You’re supposed to clean your room; instead you want to play a game.  Remember that sin is a trap. Asking for God’s help can help us say no to temptation.

Hmmmmmm...

I seem to not be as good at this blogging thing as I had hoped :)

My goal now is to post at least once a week... just to get me going.

Until next time,

Pastor Beau