Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Col 4:5

My buddy Adam sent that to me the other day, and said that it made him think of me.  I’m not sure why, because I certainly do not live by this, though, I probably need to.  Maybe that’s why he thought about me.

That sentence is pretty incredible, and again, is a bold order.  The part that gets me the most is “make the most of every opportunity.”

When I read that, I first thought, “Well, I do that.  I try for every promotion at work, when I see the chance to make extra money, I do it. If I see a chance to move ahead, I look into it. Heck! I even have been known to use a coupon from time to time.” That’s opportunity to me.  Typically, when we think of the word opportunity, we think work, wealth, greed….. The American Dream.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that is what Paul was trying to say. I do not think Paul was saying, “Watch how you act towards someone different from you, and always try for that promotion, and always try to make or save money when you get the chance, and ALWAYS worry about money.”

It made me realize that every second is an opportunity. Not an opportunity to get rich.  Not an opportunity to get famous.  Not an opportunity to be popular.  An opportunity to Love.  An opportunity to allow Christ’s love to shine through me.  See, people observe.  They see how I react, they see how the world is.  That’s why people are so darn bitter these days.  When people see something that is literally out of this world, they recognize it.  They will wonder what’s different.

Maybe for you, it’s not shouting, “Hey F#(* You Buddy!” when someone cuts you off.

Maybe for you, it’s not punching a wall when you’re upset.

Maybe for you, it’s smiling and saying ‘good morning’ to the person who hasn’t had their coffee.

Maybe, it’s simply not complaining about stuff.

Maybe, it’s that dime in your pocket that that dude (who you think should get off his ass and find a job) desperately needs.

Maybe it’s just a hug, to the girl, who just did something so horrible that you (and she) disagree(d) with so much, who needs your love more than she ever has before.

I could go on forever… But, what I’ve realized is that, at any given second, someone could be watching me.  At any given minute, someone could notice something unique about me.  Any given day, someone could see a living and walking Christ, for the first time, in me!

Or.  Someone could realize that this world actually IS crap, just like they thought before they watched me.

Opportunity is knocking, this time…. I’m answering.

So, I’ve heard the statement, “Twitter killed my blog.”  I have to say, it confuses me a little bit.  Twitter is killing a lot of things, including Facebook, but I don’t think it’s killing the blog.

To me, it’s opened my eyes a little bit.  I see now, everything is becoming micro or instant.  If the seemingly 3 minute laser show at Stone Mountain wasn’t a clue for me, there are hints everywhere.  The new monopoly game, designed to be played in 20 minutes and instant grits. (don’t get me started) Things are changing to fit the trend of micro, or instant. If you don’t believe me, have you been on Facebook lately?  Things are changing, and there is nothing we can do about it…. is there?

As a Christ Follower should this concern me?  Does this speak about not only what our generation is looking for, but is it a sign of what’s to come?  How do we tell people that being a Christ Follower is more than a 20 minute decision.  How do we tell people that witnessing, or sharing faith is going to take more than 140 characters? I don’t believe that His Love needs to be made (buzz word alert) ‘relevant’, but do we need to adapt to fit culture, or does the basis of what we believe show that change is part of believing, and we have to live that purposefully?  What, as the body of Christ, can we do to slow people down?  To make people not look for that instant gratification?

In a world of Twitter, 20 minute Monopoly, and instant grits, how do we show people that there is reward in anything else?  How do we show people The Way, if it will require a lifelong change?

I don’t know if any of this will make sense, I’m just thinking outloud here.

I was talking to Andrea last week,  when I told her I think this time of year screws with everyone.  At work, all of a sudden every single request or issue is a matter of life or death.  I honestly think that people let the season consume their lives.  I can probably say I’m guilty of this too.  Getting out to the stores, moving around people, and all of a sudden there is this sense of urgency in my life.  I can’t be 2 minutes late for church, I have to leave immediately, I can’t sit still.  You know the feeling?

I don’t know that this is the best way to celebrate the marked date for the birth of Christ.  I mean becoming a mob of a country from October (only getting earlier every year) all the way to January 1st.  We’re getting lost in shopping, marketing campaigns, and campaigns to “keep Christ in Christmas.”  Shortly after joining that campaign, we tackle a middle aged lady for a Tickle-Me-Elmo, then we run to the line to pay, when that little man jumps in front of us, so we proceed to curse him out.  Then we go to our over-heated homes, and every time we write the word, we put quotations around Christ.

If we are going to start a ‘Keep the Christ in Christmas Campaign’, are we doing it the right way?  Is Christ upset that people want to call it X-mas, or if people want to say “Happy Holidays”?  Personally, I think Jesus probably wouldn’t mind too much.  I don’t remember him ever really getting upset for people not giving him enough credit.  I imagine his desire for us is to love. (And I’m fairly sure tackling that middle aged lady probably isn’t what he had in mind.. no?)  So, if you are part of a keep ‘Christ’ in Christmas campaign, ask yourself, are you living it, or are you merely putting quotes around it?

Remember, the reason we celebrate this time of year is because God sent his only son to save us from our sins.  Not to put lights up, fight for the best parking space, and get our kids the biggest best gift.  Jesus was born, so 30 some odd years later he could carry MY sins on a cross, all the way to the grave, not to insure his name be engraved all over cards, t-shirts, and Facebook Groups.

So, most of you know, I’m not too terribly ‘skilled’ at code.  Some would say I’m subpar.

What I am good at is being hard headed, and not liking to lose.  When I am faced with losing, my brain stretches to unimaginable measures.  Tonight, that happened, and I was able to help a fellow blogger out with his site.

Most of you probably don’t know him, he’s just a small time blogger named Carlos Whitaker.

So, his comments were down for a while.  3 or 4 hours I think.  I helped, I solved the problem.  Once I solved the problem, I commented on his blog, and… the rest is in screenshot history.

If you can’t read that, I say, “Who’s your daddy?” and Los himself says, “Andy is.”

I’m not one to brag, but, I have fathered a man who is older than me, and far superior, (at least to technorati)

That’s pretty flippin sweet.  If this is your first time here, click around, leave comments, read away. There is some good stuff here somewhere.  If you find it, let me know!

I want to say, I love the blog community.  There are HUGE things happening in my life right now. (Mainly, I’m getting married in 3 days! but also, Andrea and I have joined a team of AMAZING bloggers over at http://www.caffeinatedfaith.com and we are doing huge things there.  More to come soon, including ways to help out charities of YOUR CHOICE.  (you’ll get something in return.)

This is truely a body of Christ, and that is what I strive to be.  The internet can be viewed as breeding grounds for a lot of negative things, and it makes my heart pump to be part of something that isn’t negative, and is actually a positive influence on peoples lives.

Can I get an AMEN?  How do you use the internet to form community?