random thoughts... My name is Aaron, sometimes called Max because it's my middle name. I recently married a beautiful woman who just so happens to be the love of my life.

I have the awesome, wonderful privilege to work in my church office. I’m the Intern Worship Leader (this year, at least). I’ve been an un-paid volunteer for a year, part-time paid volunteer for another year, and the assistant to the Music Director for a few months. It’s been fun. I love being able to work full-time for the church. I’ve worked other jobs in between and this is my favorite.

Because I work with the music, I get to be included in the weekly “message meeting” with the Senior Pastor (or whoever’s speaking that weekend) and other people. It’s the Creative Team meeting, so to speak. We talk about the previous weekend, try to figure out God’s direction for this next weekend, etc. It’s a lot of fun. It’s in these meetings that I sometimes get really great insight from the other people involved. I like being a part of that. It makes me think, it stretches me, and it grows me.

FYI, I do sort of the same thing with blogs. I’ll read other blogs to see what’s going on in people’s lives because I just like knowing stuff about people. But I also do it because sometimes those blogs inspire me, teach me something, stretch my mind, or cause me to see things in a new light. I then turn around and use those little gems of wisdom in the Creative Team meeting. I’m not plagiarizing, I promise. I’m simply taking the experience I had and sharing it with others…right? Right.

For instance, yesterday, as I read Stacy From Louisville’s blog, it moved me. It also gave me a scripture reference, Matthew 25:34-40, and we all know that reading the Bible in other people’s blogs is almost as good as reading it from an actual Bible. It made me think of how I think, or don’t think for that matter, of the people outside my circle, outside my little bubble I call my world. So many times I’ve set them aside. I say “hi” and smile and nod as I walk to my apartment without stopping to see how their day was. I tell myself, some people don’t like to be “interrogated. I don’t want to invade someone’s privacy.” But really, I don’t want to put myself out there like that; it scares me.

Previously, Matt and Joanna also both talked about reading hard things in the scriptures. At first, in only reading what Matt wrote, I took from what he said as much as I could. I didn’t honestly think I’d ever AVOIDED scripture before. But then I read Joanna’s blog about it. She said much the same thing but in a way that made it a bit more clear for me. I immediately thought of quite a few verses in Proverbs that irked me.

Then, in the meeting yesterday, my pastor had this verse up on his computer screen:

Proverbs 1:20-33 (The Message)
Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts. At the town center she makes her speech. In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand. At the busiest corner she calls out:

"Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance? Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism? Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn? About face! I can revise your life. Look, I'm ready to pour out my spirit on you; I'm ready to tell you all I know. As it is, I've called, but you've turned a deaf ear; I've reached out to you, but you've ignored me.

"Since you laugh at my counsel and make a joke of my advice, how can I take you seriously? I'll turn the tables and joke about your troubles! What if the roof falls in, and your whole life goes to pieces? What if catastrophe strikes and there's nothing to show for your life but rubble and ashes? You'll need me then. You'll call for me, but don't expect an answer. No matter how hard you look, you won't find me.

"Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God, because you wouldn't take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you, well, you've made your bed—now lie in it; you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it? Don't you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder. First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you're in good hands."

Okay, he didn’t have the WHOLE section up there, but it was way too good to not put it in. That caught me off guard. Go back and read the third paragraph. In the midst of His call, God tells us that there will be a time when He will stop calling, when he will stop pursuing; a time when He will no longer listen for your voice. That scared me. I immediately remembered the people Stacy was talking about. I then thought of my family, friends, and other people I know who aren’t saved. It almost broke my heart to think of this. I had tears in my eyes. I didn’t have much time to dwell on this though; we were in the middle of a meeting, you know.

But it made me think, there will be a day for many things in this life. A day for tears, joy, fear, comfort, love, hate, and the list goes on. There will be a day when God’s infinite amount of love and mercy is cut off from you. The Bible talks about people who harden their hearts so much to God that He finally gives them over to their wicked desires.

Personally, I’d like to believe that nobody is beyond saving. I’d love to think that there are people out there that, no matter how far gone, God can change their hearts. But it’s not true. There are people who have heard God’s voice, who have heard His call, but they’ve hardened their hearts, closed their minds, and shouted so loud and so long that God’s heart is turned from them. People do this all the time. If all someone did all day was go against everything I said, I’d imagine I’d be pretty upset by the end of the day. But God, who’s infinitely more patient and gracious than I am, how long does that take before God, in His perfect justice, turns and leaves the person be?

When I read that verse, it was then my heart cried for those people and for their potential to be cut off from God. It makes me want to be braver, more compassionate and loving.