Decisions Have Descendants, Part 2
I don’t normally post twice in one day but I’m still recuperating from ACFW’s annual conference [Three words: A. Maze. Ing. Will blog more about it later this week hopefully], so COTT’s post just went up. And this post has been in the works for two weeks…
Yes. I took notes during service again. Both in my ‘these are sermon notes’ notebook and in my other notebook. This is the blog post that came out of them. Keep in mind some of it was written a week and a half ago ;).
I didn’t scribble blog notes last week [9/11]. But I should have. We’ll see if I can remember enough and I’m sure there’ll be more to add today [9/18].
Decisions have descendants.
What we are today is because of decisions we made yesterday. ~Pastor Gary
Decisions are seeds… Today is harvest time. ~Unknown
I have a smart pastor. I’ve known this for a very long time. He just reiterates it every week :D. And this series is no exception.
There are no SUDs [seemingly unimportant decisions]. Everything reproduces after it’s own kind. Even decisions.
These two men are often cited as an example. One a scourge on society as were his descendants. The other a beautiful example of a city on a hill.
There area number of websites out there which dispute this account – particularly that of Max Jukes’ descendants. And the Vice President in Jonathan Edwards’ line was Aaron Burr [not the most shining example of a VP ever…]. And the study appears to look at ONLY the good in Edwards’ line and ONLY the bad in Jukes’ line, but the point remains.
Pastor Gary lists 10 times when we shouldn’t make decisions. I’ve made decisions at most of the times he mentioned, like everyone else, I’m sure. But a couple stuck out.
#2 When you are devastated, depressed, overwhelmed, confused or afraid – like the 10 spies in Num. 13:31-14:4 or King Saul in I Samuel 28:5-20.
Gary talked about the promises of God to the Israelites but FEAR overrode their God-judgement. As I prepare[d] for ACFW, I pray[ed] that I would be able to walk in the promise God has for me. It could be to meet an author who will become a great friend. It could be to meet an agent who signs me before the end of the year. Or one who signs me by the end of the decade. An editor who is so excited about Suburban Straightjacket and wants a full to read on the plane home [so exceptionally unlikely as to be ridiculous – and in fact didn’t happen]. Or an editor who [rightly?] says “You’re not ready”.
In Luke 9: 54-56, when the people wouldn’t receive Jesus, Jesus had a plan. The disciples wanted to call down fire. Jesus said “Let’s move on.”
If the editor/agent thing doesn’t work out, then it’s time to move on.
And it’s God’s prerogative to say “Yeah, I promised that. But NOT NOW.”
And we’re back out of my notes ;).
I’ll get to the third of Gary’s points [which, by the way, solved a nice plot point for me in book 2, ROLEMODEL ROMEO] sometime soon.
Until then, I know God prepared me for the conference. It was incredible. And God arranged some of the most amazing meetings for me – in classrooms, in elevators, in the hallway or the book store, at the registration desk [which is where Candace Calvert was the first person I met outside of my car mate Cynthia Herron – and where Mary Connealy insisted on a hug the next morning and where I met Ruth Logan Herne for another big hug – AND BEFORE PEPPER [my long lost twin] MET HER! 😀 and all were just as excited to see me as I was to see them! Or almost ;)] and many other places.