Friday, May 29, 2015

Motel 6 by John Ortberg

Let’s say you spend a week at Motel 6. How likely would it be for you to take all your money and spend it decorating your motel room? How probable is it that you would clean out your bank account to purchase van Goghs or paintings of Elvis on velvet or whatever it is your taste runs to?

This is Motel 6. Your ‘room’ — your home and furniture and clothes and possessions — will last the equivalent of a few seconds compared to the eternity that will be occupied by your soul. It’s not bad to stay in a place and enjoy it while you’re there. But Jesus says don’t store up treasure in Motel 6. It’s not home. You’re only going to be here a little while. If you’re going to stay up nights dreaming, dream about something better than how to upgrade your motel room.

Friday, May 22, 2015

The autumn leaves crunch under my feet as I make my way past the front gate of the park. Off in the distance I see an oak tree. Crunch crunch.

What is it about dry leaves that make me feel so satisifed the moment I step on them? Crunch.

I wrap my scarf around my neck tighter, this late fall breeze carries a hint of winter. If you didn't have you face fully exposed to it, you almost couldn't feel it. But even so, if you take a deep gulp of air in, you can feel part of your lips becoming dry as the air loses it's humidity transitioning into the cold.

It's that time of day you can look directly into the sun because it's setting. It doesn't shine as brightly, but it's still full of color and light and beautiful. I enjoy this time of day. To my right, the playground is empty. Shouldn't there be some kids out here, playing after school? A swing is set in motion by the late autumn wind. The oak tree is closer to me now, and I can see the etchings on the bark.

The wind comes by again, stronger this time, and I feel the cold right through my scarf. I imagine the dry grass around me that will be full of dandelions and greenery, come next year. It's funny how when it's fall, you want spring. But when it's spring, you can't wait for fall. It's like we are programmed as humans to want the thing we don't have at the moment.

But right now the thing I want most is here, now. To walk around this abandoned park with a fresh set of dry leaves for my boots to step on.
Crunch.