Thoughts from Traveling Light - Part 2

Over the Easter weekend, we dove into Chapter 2 of Traveling Light (The Middle C of Life). We had to cut it short, because Church Street was absolutely PACKED for both Easter services, so spaces were at a premium. But it was well worth it — what amazing and powerful services! Here were a few highlights from our discussion.

• Lucado makes a nice point to open things up: "Psalm 23 uses 115 words to describe the first 2: "The Lord." Nice. He's saying that from the start of this great Psalm, David is telling us to get the real deal — God himself — not some cheap man-made imitation.

• These man-made gods of our own making are always inferior - the god of convenience, the god of pleasure, the god of money, the god of (fill in the blank). They may distract or entertain for a season, but they never satisfy. Only God fills in that blank.

• The chapter title (The Middle C of Life) is a reference to a musical reference. Middle C is the same note today as it was 2,000 years ago. Sounds the same today as it did when Beehtoven played it. Styles change. Tastes change. The instruments that play the note can change. But Middle C is Middle C. The same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Lucado says that God is our Middle C. The North Star that gives us a guide to chart our personal path. A constant source of love, grace and forgiveness in an everchanging world. Which is something that always sounds sweet to these ears.

Thoughts from Traveling Light - Part 1

I started a study of Traveling Light by Max Lucado this past weekend in my Sunday School class. The book is one of my favorites - a look at how God wants us to release the burdens we were never intended to bear. It uses the ever-popular Psalm 23 as a guide for how to do this. The first class opened up a ton of great discussion and insights, and I thought I'd share some of these points along the way here on the blog. Of course, I'll never capture it all as well as Max, so if you're looking for an inspiring, timely read, pick up a copy today. (Wow, can you tell I work in advertising...)

Points from Traveling Light - Week 1
• We all know what a drag it is to be "overpacked." Trying to get through an airport or run a 5k when you're carrying too much gear is zero fun. Yet every day, many of us wake up and take on too much luggage. Luggage we were never meant to carry. As Max puts it "A duffel bag of worry. A suitcase of guilt. A bag of discontent and bitterness." Every morning, God wants us "to check our bags." Some things only He is able to carry.

• For me, a big key to traveling light is monitoring what I feed my brain with every day. I'm a web/pop culture junky, so I really have to work on the stream of negative news/sensationalistic/voueyeristic information that is always just a mouse click away. Garbage in/Garbage out as the saying goes...

• When things are tough, remember it's darkest just before the sun rises. This thought wasn't from the book but arose from our discussion. As people shared the pain they suffered going through divorces/losing jobs/etc. a common thread was how, through God's grace, they were able to emerge from these incredibly difficult experiences as stronger people with deeper faith. Not fun, but a great reminder that God has promised not to put on us more than we are able to bear. All things though Christ who strengthens me...