Waiting

I’m waiting on my retro Nolan Ryan jersey to arrive in the mail. If it’s anything close to the picture on the ebay listing, then I will be thrilled.

I feel like I spend a lot of my life waiting. It’s exhausting at times and scary at times but always worth whatever time it takes.

I remember when I found out that Mafiaoza’s was coming to The Factory in Franklin. It felt like forever. I drove by several times and it seemed like nothing was happening. Then boom, one day there it was, all filled with customers and glorious pizza.

Most of us will spend most of our lives waiting on one thing or another, whether that be a spouse or a career or a place to live.

I still don’t believe that waiting is sitting idly by, like waiting for the phone to ring.

I believe waiting involves action.

That action is mainly preparing yourself to receive what it is that you’re waiting for.

The Bible says that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. Again, it’s not an idle and passive kind of waiting, but one that involves surrender and constantly being vigilant to the voice of God.

As my pastor has said more than once, when God calls you, you won’t have time to get ready. You’ll have to be ready. And waiting is the process of being made ready to answer God’s call when it comes.

Waiting is hard. The temptation is always there to give up or to take matters into your own hands to achieve your own desired outcome. Sometimes, the bravest part of waiting is simply showing up and not giving up for one more day, one more hour, one more minute.

Good things come to those who wait, not passively and idly, but with expectation and readiness.

 

Pumpkinfest 2013: My Take and Other Thoughts Thrown in for Free

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I had a great time at Pumpkinfest 2013 in downtown Franklin. I even got in a bit of exercise, parking in The Factory and walking the rest of the way.

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I stopped in at all my favorite haunts (get it? haunts on a Halloween celebration?) including McCreary’s Irish Pub, Frothy Monkey, Sweet CeCe’s, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. It was great.

It was crowded, to say the least, They had Main Street blocked off from 1st Ave all the way to 5th Ave. There were lots of families with little kids dressed up in costumes. Even a few dogs had costumes. I’m sure while the owners were all like “How cute he looks” or “How adorable he looks,” the dogs were all probably thinking, “Kill me now. Please.”

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There were booths everywhere. Crafts, food, music. You name it. It was there.

I’m sure the people who work there are glad that these festivals only happen every so often. Every place was packed out the entire time I was there. That had to make for a long work day, especially on a Saturday.

I try to be as positive and encouraging a customer as I can. I know it sounds like a K-Love commercial, but it’s true. I’ve done enough time in retail to know that people are used to rude and ungracious customers. I think part of being like Jesus is to make people feel as good about themselves as possible. To help them see all they could be. Plus, that one encouraging word could mean the difference between a completely crappy day and a somewhat good day.

I love seeing my friends in downtown Franklin. They always make me feel at home there, especially at McCreary’s. I know just about all the servers there and even pray for them regularly by name.

I’d like to be the person people remember fondly, but I’m praying that even if they don’t remember me at all, I’ve shown them Jesus in such a way that they never forget HIM. After all, it won’t matter about who knew me in the end, but it will mean everything as to whether people know Jesus or not.

I can’t wait until the Christmas Dickens in the Square festival.

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