"VanDisciple"

I have to admit it. I’m a Van Halen fan. In fact I’m one of the few people that liked “Van Hagar” as much as the original line up with Diamond Dave. Anyway through the miracle of iTunes I recently purchased “Best of Both Worlds” to listen to during my morning workouts. The premise of the song, as Sammy so eloquently wails it, is that he has met a girl who looks like an angel come from heaven and he wants the best of heaven and earth. I’m sure his intentions were nobel.

I’m not sure that I want the best of both worlds in the same way that Sammy wants his (my wife is better looking than his angel anyway!) I was thinking that every Sunday the congregation says the “Lord’s Prayer” during our worship service. We like most congregations, struggle with those words being a mindless ritual and truly being a prayer from our hearts. The line that always challenges me is “thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. What does it mean for me to truly ask that God’s will would be done in earth? I used to say it with the image of a super hero shouting “SHAZAM!” and miraculously God would just make things the way he wanted. What I have found is that transformation of the world includes transformation of me. If I really...earnestly want to see god’s kingdom here on earth, it means that I have a roleas a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. It means that I have to wrestle with loving God and loving my neighbor - struggling with forgiveness that extends beyond 70 X 7 - standing up for what I believe God would call me to.

When I start to see my role in God’s kingdom I actually see more of it coming into being. I hear peoples struggles with those same things. I see how their relationships are different because of God’s grace. I ‘m finding more and more that asking for the best of both worlds is less about SHAZAM and more about my willingness to be a disciple.

Rock on!