DictionarySo this will be my second no photo post of the week, but I just had to get this out there before my list of things to write about gets any longer!
I am writing on the updated WordPress app and noticing the new features makes me happy, but its crazy late due to about 7 emails I just wrote and 2 phone conversations with my brother and uncle, so I'll do my best to be brief.
What I wanted to share was a story of some short ELC that happened yesterday on the flight home. When we got to Little Rock the night prior I saw a T-34 from TAW-5 and knowing that's a Pensacola bird and that I know many Lt's in flight school now, I thought of my friend Chris Troke who I use to meet with for discipleship while he was in TBS last year. I hadn't talked to Chris in a while because of a successful link-up between him and Shawn Campbell who went down there to be an instructor. But because I have this crazy obsession of calling people when I think about it; if I can at the moment, I called him and got his VM.
The next day while flying, I sent him a text to see if Chris got the message, and he said he had and to call. I told him I couldn't because I was flying (not at the controls mind you) but would try when I landed. He asked me my ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival, but by that time I had taken the controls and landed about 20 minutes later just south of Nashville.
While getting gas, I was able to call Chris and spend some great “Level 3" time maintaining the meaningful relationship we built over the past year. I shared something with him about the difference between discipleship relationships and meaningful relationships which I hadn't told anyone else yet, till I told Matt Thompson this morning; and till I'm mentioning here. The thing about meaningful relationships is that the only limit is the intentionality of both people; but the limit on discipleship relationships is the time required. You might think intentionality takes time, and it does, but that time requirement pales in comparison to the time required to disciple someone. I think of the meaningful relationships Jesus had with Nicodemus and the women He met- the one at the well, the one caught in adultery, and the one who washed his feet…
I point out the difference between the two because I think that many Christians shy away from being intentional about looking for meaning in every-day relationships at work because they don't have the time. We confuse meaning for some kind of role or responsibility in the relationship (which discipleship relationships have – and need) I hope that more Believers will simply realize that Jesus gives meaning to life, and if He is in each of you; you CAN have a meaningful relationship – one that will last until eternity and is only dependent upon your intentionality to elevate the level of communication with that person.
So here's the last part of the story (and I'm sorry this one got long as I type with my thumbs on my iPhone) As I got back in the helicopter to fly away, I responded to Chris' ETA? Text with this: “Eternity Today Applied," because that's what I believe we just did with that phone conversation… We applied our understanding that only 2 things will last for all eternity: people and God – and in our meaningful relationship both were the focus of the day!
I also reminded Chris about something I probably told him a dozen times over the past year: “Study your wife!" but I added this piece I had not mentioned before: “Treasure what you learn!" and as I thought about that this morning I added one more part: “apply that treasure to life…"
Anything we learn just stays in our head unless we ask, “what's the next step?" And of course the next step is always simply going to be — application! So how will you apply this?
Peace,
Adam