First Things First and Cute Kids

Last night I looked at our assemblage of Vacation Bible School graduates and I thought, "cute kids."

They really were - donned with their cowboy hats, encouraged by an impressive staff of workers, and admired by parents and siblings.  By the time it was my turn to fulfill my only responsibility of the entire week, to give a five minute wrap message, they were wiggling beyond their ability to contain themselves.

I had to think fast. What was the first and most important thing I could say at that moment and very quickly? I remembered something that their wiggles brought to the forefront of my mind. I remembered and it spoke to where I have been living with a combination of exhilaration and frustration.

First things first.

My life has been about some pretty major ministry projects these last few weeks - really since early June. As a result, I have gotten far behind in my writing, blogging, and correspondence. I have about a week left in the planned frenzy and then I can settle back into something that somewhat resembles a routine. I will be leaving shortly for the small city of Earlimart to conduct a block party and food distribution. It is the thing of the moment and I am leaning into it. Camp, Vacation Bible School (just being there), and "Feeding Those Who feed Us" projects have dominated my time, energy, and focus.

First things first.

It is not how I want to live my life every week. I am ready for some serious study and writing, some concentrated quiet and some "think time."

Our grandkids will arrive Monday night unless there is some precipitating crisis that necessitates early arrival. It will be 3 and a half days of kid focus with cute kids that I dearly love and they will be the first things on my schedule. I love being around when they wake up in the morning and I enjoy reading our six year old a bedtime story at night. last week, he read one to me and it was full of expression and inflection. Cute kid. First things first.

People often call and open with, "Are you busy?" I chuckle and snort, "Of course I'm busy. I am always busy. Busy is good. What do you want me to be? idle?"

Then I quickly add, "But I always have time for you and I need a break."

At least I think that.

First things first - the moment and the movement of God in the moment.

I have several businesses and they have fallen into neglect. I have a number of serious long term projects and books in the making, but they are on hold. When it comes to a choice between making money and hearing God for my next sermon, I am going to prepare my sermon. I am not complaining. Like Jesus said about the poor, the businesses and projects will always be with us. We must always be working toward our goals and focusing on our vision, but we do so at our own rhythm and we  sense the rhythm of God in our lives and go with his flow putting first things first.

Cute Kids! What is that all about and how does that relate?

As I looked over the hats of those kids last night and thought those two words, a story from the life of Jesus came bouncing into my consciousness. He was teaching, probably a well considered, but spontaneous lesson on living when the children of  the villages  started  jumping in his lap, pleading for tickles, and giggling over the questions of the grown up seekers. Jesus may have appeared to be distracted, but he went on teaching as he played with the children. They were no doubt yanking on His beard, asking Him silly questions, and vying for His attention - which He gave them, eventually turning all His focus to them.

They saw things in Jesus that the grownups failed to see. The adults reveled in intellectual discourse. The children had come to a grace party.

At least that is the way I see it playing out until the disciples decided that someone had to do something and they started breaking up the party.

After all, the Master had important things to do, vital lessons to teach, and adults upon whom to focus. Besides all of that, it was beneath the dignity of the rabbi to be tormented by little kids. Sure they were cute kids, but first things first.

First things first indeed.

The problem was that the disciples had not yet learned what things came first, but they were about to be taught.

FIRST - Cute Kids Are the Core of the Kingdom!

"Don't stop them! Let them come to me!" Jesus demanded, "This is what my Kingdom is all about. They are what constitute the Kingdom of God. If you want to be part of my Kingdom, you must become like them!"

Yes, they are cute, but they are also CORE.

Yes, they are kids, but they are also KINGDOM kids.

They are CUTE because they are:

• Cuddly
• Unpolluted
• Tempestuous
• Energetic

They are CORE because of some qualities that they alone can teach us, which reside in us in some sort of repressed state waiting be be released by grace:

• Curious about the mysteries of life, including the vast and wonderful mysteries of God.
• Open to what is fresh, new, awesome, and undiscovered - open to God.
• Responsive to God's love, grace, and "tickles," whereby He directs us into new adventures and calls us to grow beyond who and what we are now.
• Energized by expectancy and expressive of the love and wonder that they experience as they discover God in new ways.

This is the stuff of the kingdom, the cute part and the core part. Our calling is to live on tiptoe, to welcome interruptions, and to go with God's flow. If that means that we sometimes feel out of control and off-course, so be it. It comes with the call and it calls forth the kid in all of us.

To those who are so gracious, faithful, and kind in reading my small offerings, I apologize for my absence, but I will soon be back here at the Dream Factory. For now, I've just been putting some first things first.