Bucket List

As we were enjoying a morning together yesterday on the golf course, a friend from Parkside who was agonizing through a bad hole told me, "Solomon must have been a golfer. This is all meaningless!"

I'll admit I've felt that frustration in more significant circumstances than just a bad day on the links. It is so difficult for me to keep an eternal perspective on life. I'd rather throw up my hands and curse every injustice or misfortune that comes my way. My cries about the meaninglessness of life are much more cynical than what I read from Solomon in Ecclesiastes.

If you haven't read Ecclesiastes lately, stop and read at least the first 3 chapters right now or listen to the podcast of last weekend's message. As dreary as he might come across, I think Solomon really got it.

I've kept a "bucket list" (in my head) for years, but Solomon is challenging me to rethink it. I'm still sky-diving before I'm 50 and climbing Kilimanjaro, but there's an urgency to pursue more significant goals; to test the wisdom of Scripture and challenge myself to go after God's ambitions instead of mine.

I've got a notion that Solomon is right. No matter whether I succeed or fail, my pursuits are pretty much meaningless. What remains to be seen in my life is what might be produced if I let God have full control and offered my full attention only to things that last. Kind of scarey to think what that could mean, but given the futility of doing it my way, well worth the risk.

So, tell me about your bucket list. How has reading Ecclesiastes affected your perspective? Got any ideas for my new bucket list?

A Chapter A Day...

This week's challenge is to read Proverbs. I had a high school Sunday School teacher who taught verse by verse through Proverbs... for 2 years. Once we finally reached the end and began to hope for something new, he said, "This has been great. Why don't we start over." Ugh.

You'd think I'd know Proverbs well, but I really wasn't paying attention in high school. Yet, Proverbs isn't hard to figure out. Straight forward. Common sense. Solomon's version of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The thing about Proverbs is I really struggle to read it chapters at a time. One wise saying starts to run into another with me. Let me suggest an easier way. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, so why not commit to reading one chapter each day for a month. It's easy to remember what chapter to read each day (What's the date?), and as my teacher told us, "a chapter a day keeps the devil away." You'll be surprised how often those truths come into play that day.

Since Proverbs is more like a random collection, you can start using today's date. It still makes sense. For me, I'd rather work on living the Word day to day than try to see how fast I can read it.

A favorite Proverb of mine is Prov. 25:24, "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." I'm lucky because I married way over my head. It just makes me laugh to think of Solomon (with 700 wives) writing this. He knew!

What's a favorite Proverb of yours?

Not What You Expected

On Sunday (6/7), I challenged everyone to read Song of Solomon this week. We're trying to get a glimpse of who King Solomon was in this new series, Chronicles of a King. If you weren't at Parkside or just want to listen again, the podcast is on our website: visitparkside.com

Have you read Song of Solomon? Not what you expected, was it? There are some real cultural hurdles to overcome when reading this (or any) book of the Bible. If I were to write a love song to my wife, I'm sure she'd appreciate fewer livestock or agricultural analogies!

I was caught by the repeated verse, "Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right." (2:7 & 3:5 & 8:4). The best things -- especially true love and intimacy -- take time but are worth waiting for. That's plenty different from the unrestrained approach in our society. Which sounds more beautiful or alluring to you?

So... what's your reaction to this book?

It's not your typical bible theme. Why do you think it is even included in the Bible?

Some say it is meant to be an allegory of the love relationship between God and Israel or Christ and the church. Does that make sense to you?