I have a small pile of notebooks that have quotes from books I have read or sermons I have heard that have stirred my heart and mind over the years. I peruse these notes occasionally during a dry season, or to set my focus as I head into a period of ministry or a difficult situation. They are great resource and at times a great comfort as I often remember the moment I read that quote, or heard that message.
Two that have most stirred my soul in the past few years are these. A sermon by Doug Banister entitled “dead at 40 and buried at 70” is one that jarred this sleepy soul awake and began this new journey I find myself on.
And then this beauty from Blaire Cook, “Life is but a brief moment in history lodged between two vast eternities. What are you going to do with your moment?”
Both of these thoughts have been the instigators in reawakening my sleepy soul, and charging my heart for what I like to refer to as the Second Act of life. What am I going to do with this brief moment I have been given? How much longer will I wait to actually do something with the time given me and with the gifts entrusted to me?
I hope to over the next few months write some reflections on living, I mean really living in the Second Act of life, that most of us know as middle age. Our culture pounds away at us with the concept of retirement that idea that our best days are behind us and a life of cruise ships and golf courses are all we have to look forward to. I am convinced that my generation, can with God’s help, rise up and effectively change this world for good as well as to speak into and enliven the generation coming up behind us.
So join me on this journey of faith and practice. Of living out God’s dreams for us in ways that defy logic and run contrary to what culture tells us.
In the words of another favorite quote is by Seth Barnes, when he told me “you still have tread on your tires”. I plan on wearing that tread out before this second act comes to a close.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure we call life, sandwiched between two great eternities.
Dave
January 26, 2016
