"this week the trend" or "my barnabai"

reading Ezra 7:10 today in t.t.b.t.t.y. by john stott was a culmination of a least a week of lessons/thoughts. i would love for that to be the summation of my life: to have set my heart to studying, doing and teaching the Law of the Lord!

to reach a goal, however, requires individual steps in the interim. mom always talks about wishing that she could just think and be somewhere, but the reality is that traveling takes time and effort. along that journey, i think that it is important for us to have pauls and timothys and barnabai (or barnabases, if you prefer). these would be ones who are more mature who can help train, mentor and encourage us, those for whom we are playing that role, and those who are our companions progressing at relatively the same level.

God has surely blessed me with pauls too numerous to list - godly men, not only from the united states, but all over the world whose live have impacted mine. men from whom i have been able to sponge wisdom. i am also grateful for books that have allowed me to learn at the feet of men of other generations.

the Lord continually makes timothys readily available, and by His grace, i am learning how to be more effective in pouring into their lives.

the hard one for me sometimes (because youth ministry has me spending much of my time with teenagers) is the role of barnabas - "the son of encouragement" who grows along with me. it is easy to wallow in that "i am all alone" attitude or to soldier on as a "lone ranger."

this past week, i have been reminded of the need to be intentional about developing these kind of relationships ("to have a friend, you've got to be a friend"), and the Lord has been overwhelmingly faithful in showing me just how many opportunities there are around me.

so thank You Lord for the board of deacons (may we grow together in the ministry of mercy). thank You for wednesday lunches. thank You for the pkn and friends to spill my guts to. thank You for a brother in Christ who messaged me with a doctrinal question out of the blue to make me think. thank You for 3 hour lunches at the hot dog shop talking about God stuff. thank You for a brother who is growing up and getting married and seeking to develop a greater depth of relationship. thank You for a friend to work out with and to hold hands with afterward and pray in the ymca parking lot (a masculine arm wrestling type hand hold - see illustration below). thank You for a friend to save me a seat at the high school choir concert. thank You for a new book coming at just the right time. thank You for Psalm 108 being sung to the tune of "rise up, o men of God." O Lord, keep my eyes open for these opportunities!

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
to serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
and end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
her strength unequal to her task;
rise up, and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
rise up, O men of God!

THIS NOT