Conversations With God...or Not

Did she seriously just hang up on me again?*

Yesterday, I visited Oakland City Church, a new plant started by one of First Pres' brightest lights and best preachers, Josh McPaul.  Before I made it to the right building, I let myself into the wrong building, which turned out to be the residence of two scowling tattooed gentlemen who may or may not have been of the Norteño persuasion but who were regardless surprisingly forgiving of my trespassing in their home and kindly directed me to the church.

Josh's co-pastor Larry Austin told me it was a blessing that I made it and I have to agree.

Josh's sermon on the first chapter of Mark had me giggling, tearing up and filling all the whitespace of my bulletin with pencil scrawl.  He asked a question that really got me thinking: What do we do when our agenda and God's agenda don't line up?  Like, at all?  As in, what God wants us to do is not at all what we want to do, in any way? How, Josh asked, does that conversation go?

With me, that conversation usually does a little something like this:  "Uh, yeah, God?  What? I'm sorry.  KSSHHHHH Can you hear me? KKKKSSSSSSHHHHH I think we have a bad connection.  Yeah, I'll call you back later, OK?"

I mean, they don't all go like that.  Some go more like, "What?  Oh, no, she don't live here no more.  Yeah.  Wrong number.  No speak English."

In other words, that conversation is just not happening.  No, I prefer to just bury my head in the sand and attempt to carry on with my own little agenda as God gently shuts it down phase by phase and wake up one day to find my plans are in ruins and then shriek "Why?!"

Maybe there's a more constructive way to do this.  Next time my agenda doesn't line up with God's, I promise not to hang up.

*Jim Caviezel photo from Teves Design Studio