Friday, March 17, 2006
In the Zone
I’ve heard and used the phrase “in the zone” mostly during sporting events. There was the night in 1992 when Michael Jordan hit six three-point shots in the first half of Game one of the NBA Finals. He was certainly in “the zone.”
My son Steven has been on hitting streaks where the baseball seems as big as a softball. He was certainly in “the zone” and he needs to get back in it tonight vs. Palm Bay.
I was in “a zone” the other day, a speed zone. Now before you go busting my chops about an elder speeding I was actually on the other end of “the zone.” I was “running” my 2 and a half mile route while Steven had practice. Part of my route takes me through the parking lot of Brevard Community College. As I was “sprinting” I came up on a security guard who was running a radar gun. I was praying, “Please Lord, don’t let the rent-a-cop embarrass me.” He did. As I passed him he yelled out, “7 miles per hour buddy. I need to give you a ticket for going too slow!” I wanted to yell back, “Why don’t you get your fat “bu-tra” out of that golf cart and join me in my run/walk/crawl.” I didn’t. I just smiled and kept on with my 7mph sprint! I was in “the zone” but it was a very slow zone.
I know there must be times when Greg, Randy, Brady, Keith, Steve, and John feel like they’re in “the zone” when they’re preaching. It must seem like every point is flowing off the PowerPoint presentation, scriptures are coming at ease, and all the sermon illustrations are relevant. I’ll bet during those times when you’re in “the zone,” time itself must seem to stand still for you guys while for the rest of us, it seems that you have forgotten what “time zone” you’re in. Sorry guys, just kidding. You know I love you.
Paul must have been in “the zone” when he wrote in Phil. 3:
3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing 36 Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,3:9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,3:10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the 37 fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;3:11 in 38 order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
That’s “the zone” I want to be in, the one where everything of this world seems as useless (thanks for the word and definition Greg, see his March 14th post @ http://stoogeman.blogspot.com/) as skubala!
Have a good weekend bloggers. Enjoy being in the zone.
My son Steven has been on hitting streaks where the baseball seems as big as a softball. He was certainly in “the zone” and he needs to get back in it tonight vs. Palm Bay.
I was in “a zone” the other day, a speed zone. Now before you go busting my chops about an elder speeding I was actually on the other end of “the zone.” I was “running” my 2 and a half mile route while Steven had practice. Part of my route takes me through the parking lot of Brevard Community College. As I was “sprinting” I came up on a security guard who was running a radar gun. I was praying, “Please Lord, don’t let the rent-a-cop embarrass me.” He did. As I passed him he yelled out, “7 miles per hour buddy. I need to give you a ticket for going too slow!” I wanted to yell back, “Why don’t you get your fat “bu-tra” out of that golf cart and join me in my run/walk/crawl.” I didn’t. I just smiled and kept on with my 7mph sprint! I was in “the zone” but it was a very slow zone.
I know there must be times when Greg, Randy, Brady, Keith, Steve, and John feel like they’re in “the zone” when they’re preaching. It must seem like every point is flowing off the PowerPoint presentation, scriptures are coming at ease, and all the sermon illustrations are relevant. I’ll bet during those times when you’re in “the zone,” time itself must seem to stand still for you guys while for the rest of us, it seems that you have forgotten what “time zone” you’re in. Sorry guys, just kidding. You know I love you.
Paul must have been in “the zone” when he wrote in Phil. 3:
3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing 36 Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,3:9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,3:10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the 37 fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;3:11 in 38 order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
That’s “the zone” I want to be in, the one where everything of this world seems as useless (thanks for the word and definition Greg, see his March 14th post @ http://stoogeman.blogspot.com/) as skubala!
Have a good weekend bloggers. Enjoy being in the zone.
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One of the things preaching has done for me is actually given me a method to describe the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I feel it in teaching as well, but that is more often in the flow of ideas and discussion. There have been times I've been preaching though (not every time sadly) that I KNOW the words coming out of me are not my own.
What an enormous faith-strengthener those moments are.
What an enormous faith-strengthener those moments are.
I'm often in the zone when I'm writing my sermon. But then, not always on Sunday mornings. Good preparation helps the Spirit edify the church.
You too, enjoy the weekend.
You too, enjoy the weekend.
Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE that picture of Brady? It looks like he either just completed the greatest ski run of his life or just got an injection of morphine.
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