Misc. – Page 10 – Mark Spruill

Easter in My Heart

Apr 202014

Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
– Luke 22:39-46 NKJV

———————————————-

For Jesus, the agony of the cross began hours before He was led away from the garden. He struggled with the stress and pain in His mind and soul, knowing what was ahead, yet He remained faithful. I have never been in such a place of mental and spiritual anguish that I sweat drops of blood, but having recently come through a trying time, I can say that I do have a new appreciation for what Jesus must have gone through the night before His physical suffering began. Now, on Easter morning, I can honestly say I am thankful for the fellowship of His suffering and most of all, the power of His resurrection, which has given me new life in Christ Jesus.

He Lives!

. . . that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings . . .

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? “He is not here, but is risen!
– Luke 24:5-6 NKJV

Travels

Misc. 1 Response »

Apr 162014

I have been working on a devotion book for some time now. It’s a collection of stuff me and my dad wrote over the years. Much of it written before we had blogs or Facebook pages. As I was going through the material tonight, I found the bit below and felt I should post it here. If the book ever gets finished, maybe it will be there too.

——————————————–

When I was a little kid, my family used to take long trips to visit my grandparents. Often times we would leave late in the afternoon and travel well into the morning hours. While my sister and I slept in the back seat, Dad was in the drivers seat, in complete control of our destiny. Sometimes I wish I could do that with God. I have so much trouble with my own selfish will, I would like to climb into the back seat of my life, go to sleep, and leave God in complete control. If I could I would push a button and give Him permission to annihilate my self, fill me with Himself and control me like a sock puppet. I think God knows that and appreciates it. But it’s not exactly what He wants. That would be too easy for me and too meaningless for Him.

Now that I am an adult and have a family of my own, my perspective is a bit different. It is now my children who sleep in the back seat as we travel along and my wife who rides along beside me. While I am grateful to have the children along, it is my wife, my true travel companion, who I most appreciate. She is there beside me, sometimes riding, sometimes driving but always sharing the common goal that is our destination.

People say ”Put God in the drivers seat. Turn the steering wheel over to God and move to the back seat.” Well I don’t think that’s what God wants at all. At best, that makes Him the car owner and me a back seat cushion. At worst, He becomes a chauffeur and me a back seat driver; yelling instructions and complaining about the direction MY life is taking. The one makes me irrelevant (The cross proves He loves me too much for that.) The other does not really put Him in control at all, for I still reserve the right to question Him if He does not follow the direction I think He should.

No, I think He wants me to stay in the driver’s seat. He has given me my life as a vehicle to serve Him. He would not have me hand over the wheel, but stay in the driver’s seat and at every turn along every mile follow His direction, every moment listening, watching, and asking for His guidance. “Do we turn here? Should I stop there? Shall I give that stranger a lift?” That is what it means for me to daily, willingly, deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him. Even from the driver’s seat, a one-time once-for-all relinquishing of my will would be too easy for me, and would leave Him with me as the faceless chauffeur. God won’t be chauffeur and He doesn’t want me to be one either. What He really wants, is a willing travel companion on a glorious journey where only he knows the way. He’s giving direction; I’m listening and following His instruction. Sometimes I may miss a turn, but if I am willing to acknowledge it and turn around, He’ll get me back on track. Following His travel plan, I will arrive at life’s destination at the right place and time. And when I do, I might even realize that a journey with God is more about the trip than the destination.

-JMS

Relating to the Moon

Misc. No Responses »

Apr 142014

Tonight, there will be a blood moon. A blood moon happens when the moon’s view of the sun is completely eclipsed by the shadow of the earth. Were it not for the faint red light refracted from the earth’s atmosphere, the moon would go dark.

The rain clouds in Atlanta will keep me from seeing the celestial event this evening, but I know how the moon feels. I have lived days dark in the shadows, waiting for the light to shine again. Hanging alone in empty space, a faint refracted glow my only hope. Thank God for the glow. The red glow of the blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son, come to earth to give light in a dark place.

Airport Square Dance

Misc. No Responses »

Mar 252014

I just spent a weekend at a hotel overlooking the busiest airport in the world. Not 200 yards away from my balcony perch, a constant flow of airplanes took off and landed on multiple parallel runways. I marveled at the technology. I marveled at the wonder of the forces that could hold thousands of tons of aluminium, steal, and human cargo in the air. And I wondered at the human controllers, somewhere in the center of it all, that kept so many planes, pilots, and passengers safely navigating such a busy, congested slice of earth.

During the busiest times, there were multiple planes taking off and landing every minute. They were lined up at the terminal. They were lined up on the taxi way. They were lined up for take-off. They were even lined up in the air. Like some giant orchestrated aeronautical square dance, where all the dancers keep moving almost constantly and nobody gets out of step. To do so could mean catastrophic death.

The stress on the pilots must be great. But the air traffic controllers must have absolute nerves of steal. How could anyone want that job? How could a person stand the pressure? Perhaps because it’s not a person. It’s many people. Each controller responsible for just his piece of the ground or sky. Each pilot responsible for one plane. Each tuned to the proper radio frequency. Each talking, listening, directing, and obeying without question or argument. Each doing only the part he is called to do. It’s the only way to keep the stress from becoming debilitating. It’s the only way to keep the passengers safe. It’s the only way to make Atlanta’s gigantic aeronautical square dance function.

I wonder, what miraculous things might we see, if we could apply these principals to our homes, our churches, and our lives?

The Last Night in Haiti

Misc. No Responses »

Mar 052014

The last night in Haiti is always so full of a mix of emotions. It’s sad to say goodbye to my Haitian friends and family, yet I look forward to the reuniting ahead. I always have things I wish I had done better or different. Yet I am also happy about things that went better than I expected. God always shows Himself in surprising and amazing ways.

Only He knows the true outcome of this trip. Still, a big part of me so wants to know. Perhaps when I get to Heaven, I will know. Maybe there is a place in Heaven, already prepared, where me and my Haitian brothers will sit, reminisce, and praise God for the time He spent with us on the Haiti Youth Retreat, 2014.

The Weight of Beauty

Misc. 1 Response »

Feb 132014

Our apple tree covered in snow

The view out my window this morning is beautiful. Last night while I slept warm in my bed, yesterday’s day of freezing rain, ice, and sleet gave way to a sprinkling of snow. The ice on the trees provided a perfect place for the snow to rest. Now every limb of our apple tree is enrobed in perfect white. As I stare at the site, my eyes feast on a rare and wonderful winter celebration. But the tree . . . the tree feels only a cold and heavy burden.

Deflated Santas

Misc. 2 Responses »

Jan 012014

Deflated Santas

I went for a walk down my street this morning. It’s January 1st, the first day of the year. Christmas and the New Years Eve parties are over, so all the Christmas lights were off. Some of the yard decorations were knocked over. Decorations had fallen off the trees. And those big blow-up Santa’s were now just a flattened heap of red and white vinyl. Deflated Santas, with nothing to fill them and no power to hold them up, they will be stuffed back in the attic for the next 11 months.

My New Year’s Resolution: Not to be a deflated Santa.

Building Material

Misc. No Responses »

Dec 212013

Marshall and I met for lunch last Thursday. It was the normal meeting, at the same place, at the usual time. But as I stepped up to the counter to order my food, I noticed something a little unusual. The guy next to me was evidently ordering for several of his coworkers. He had a list of items to order. A number 1, a number 4 with extra pickles, two number 3s . . . it was all written down . . . on a 1″ X 4″ section of wood. I smiled.

As I watched this guy read his order off a section of lumber, I thought about the times I had used a piece of wood like a piece of paper, then I began to think about this guy. One can learn a lot about a person just by the tools they use. Judging by the material this guy used for a notepad, I could make some pretty good assumptions about what he has been up to. He is probably a carpenter, working on some project with others. Lunch time came along, so he grabbed the material he was so intimately used to using, and scribbled the needed information on it. It was a short piece of wood, so that means there was probably a saw nearby. The crew had been measuring and cutting. There’s a good chance he even used a carpenter’s pencil to write down the order.

The incident struck a chord with me because I can relate. I’ve been there. Done that. I’ve just never brought my wooden “notepad” into Chick-fil-A and laid it so carefully on the counter like this guy did. The way this guy handled the wood, placed it neatly on the counter, straightened it, touched it gently as he read from it, I could tell he loved his craft, and cherished the rough, natural, unfinished material he worked with. He would not have used a piece of paper to take the order even if he had it handy. The wood was a part of him. It was the stuff he used to build his dreams.

This morning, as I write about the carpenter, I can’t help but think about my Heavenly Father, and the rough, natural, unfinished material He uses to build His Kingdom. How 2,000 years ago, He wrote a Message using that material. Flesh and blood. The message of Christmas. A God who loves us so much that we are a part of Him, and the stuff He uses to build His dreams.

Release the Clutch

Misc. No Responses »

Nov 122013

My typical drive to work involves a left turn from a neighborhood side street unto a busy, two lane highway. Several factors make this a bit of a challenge. There is a hill on the left, which prevents me from seeing very far down the road. There are trees on the right, which require me to pull way out toward the highway in order to see around them. There is no traffic light, and at 8 o’clock on a weekday morning, an almost constant line of traffic. This could make for a very harrowing experience except for one thing. I am used to it.

This morning was a typical morning. Lots of traffic and a difficult situation. I waited for a small gap coming from the right, looked left and saw the Southeast Freight-line tractor-trailer flying over the hill, then popped out the clutch and floored it. I squeezed in the gap with wheels spinning, just as the huge truck zipped past me.

As I cruised down the road, I began to think just how insane life can get without me even noticing it. I thought about the early days of learning to drive a vehicle with a standard shift and a clutch. How scary it could be having to stop and start on a hill, or pull out in front of oncoming traffic. I thought about my son Sam, who is just learning to drive a standard shift and will not pull out if there is anything in sight at all. Why? Because he knows there is a chance he will stall right in the middle of the road. He has not yet learned the delicate technique of releasing the clutch with his left foot while adding gas with his right. I have done it for so long that I do it now without even thinking. But this morning after I pulled out in front of that big truck, I did think.

I thought about what could have happened if my foot slipped. I thought about what would have happened if the engine stalled. I have been conditioned to take the risk, depending on the performance of my car and my own skill. Today I realized that might be a bad thing. I have little doubt that my car and my skill are not as reliable as my actions have been conditioned to suggest. Unfortunately, I believe similar conditions exist in other areas of my life as well. Anytime I become accustomed to relying on my self, I’m in trouble.

Value Meal

Misc. 5 Responses »

Oct 192013

Coke or Water?

Have you ever ordered the value meal without the drink? I mean, walk into a Krystal or McDonalds and order the “Number 1” but when they ask what you want to drink, just choose water. Not bottled water. Not sparkling water. Just tap water. Water you could get for free. It may seem silly, but it’s hard for me to do. Water is what I want. Water is the most healthy choice. But I paid for a “Number 1” meal and that often includes a free or almost free Coke . . . a Coke which is actually more valuable . . . a Coke that actually costs the restaurant to provide to me. I want my Coke because that’s what I paid for. Ordering the combo meal and selecting water to drink is like getting the all-you-can-eat buffet and then getting just half a plate of salad. I did it the other day and walked away feeling like I had won some kind of internal battle.

I’ve tried to figure out why this bugs me, and I think it relates to a feeling of missed opportunity and a sense of value influenced by the world. I had an opportunity to get something most people would consider more valuable than water, and I passed it up. I could have had nice, tasty, fizzy, exciting option “A” but instead, I chose plain old common option “B”. I did it because option “B” was what was best for me. And besides that, I wasn’t even that enthused about getting sugary, calorie filled option “A”.

This whole episode has got me wondering about other options in my life. How many other “option As” am I living with simply because it’s what the world values most? Choices for careers, possessions, attitudes, how I spend my time . . . The world has a way of defining the “most valuable” option for us, but is it what we really want? Is it what would be best for us? Is it what will make us most happy and fulfilled in the long run? I am reevaluating my choices these days. With God’s help, I want to choose wisely. I want to choose the things that have value, not because everyone else seems to think so, but because God thinks so. Choosing based on the world’s value proposition instead of God’s would be the real missed opportunity.

So, if you know me and sometimes wonder why I choose “option B” when the world would have said “option A” is better, please consider one thing. Value, like beauty, is often times in the eye of the beholder. Or perhaps, it’s a little farther down. Maybe value truly resides, in the heart.

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
– Collossians 2:16-17 NKJV

Older Entries Newer Entries