SilentGap

So i’ve taken a fairly big brake from the internet (a whole 3 days) by going up to my family’s cabin in the Black Hills (pictures and video yet to be posted). There’s no internet, and well, when your up in the mountain, there’s not much else, except for a few other cabins. I arrived on a Wednesday, only to find myself waking up on Thursday to 10 inches (and then some) of snow.

It was the perfect mini-vacation (except for the fact that I could still receive text on my phone and everyone decided it would be a good idea to check up on me EVERY day to see how i was doing – you know, if I’m alive, breathing, or dead). Our families cabin is a 2 bedroom, one full bath, with kitchen, dinning, wrap around porch, sleeping cabin (sleeps 4ish), and a huge slate fireplace. The carpet is a short green shag carpet, the kind you can feel the carpet fibers slip in between your toes when you’re not wearing socks).

It was a good time, complete with 2 channels on the tv, and a dvd / vcr player. I watched, Crocodile Dundee I & II, Die Hard I, George of the Jungle, Young Guns and a few other movies, all on vcr tapes, all of them in bad shape. There were Tonka Toasters you could make yourself some toasted desert pies – but you have to be careful, the toasters themselves melt if you leave them in the fire too long (a whole storry right there that i won’t go into). And I brought my MacBook Pro along & managed to get the majority of new mock done for this blog site.

The one problem I’ve noticed when you’re doing something for your own site is that you are your own worst critic. This isn’t anything new, but this past week, it really hit home. Especially since my photoshop skills are not up to par and my creativity doesn’t like to be stretched (unless i’m playing guitar).

So, in just a week or two SilentGap will be sporting it’s new skin & the new platform will be WordPress instead of Blogger (sorry Blogger, not a fan of your features – you just not my type and you don’t do it for me. It was a good time while it lasted, but I must break it off w/ you. Take care), which I’m quite supprised that a producted owned by Google isn’t done up better, but oh well, they can’t be perfect either.

Tim Schoffelman of SilentGap

What will it take? Are we going to continue to fly by the seat of our pants?

Too many times in the church i’ve seen people, pastors, lay personnel, Christians, opt to take the shorter route to success. And and too many times i’ve seen that route (really it’s a mentality), fail. fail. fail.

How desperately we need competent people in the Body of Christ, but more importantly, how desperately we need the leadership to understand it won’t come without sacrifice in training. I’ve heard many say thing’s like, “we just need to believe that God will send us the right person who will just get it” (with IT (not to confuse IT with I.T.) being whatever the need happens to be at the time).

At first, when involved with the ministry, I heard my mentors say these things and I would get a check in my conscience about it, but i’d dismiss it and tell myself “Well, they’re anointed by God, they also must be wise” (Hmmmm – this statement can easily be misinterpreted as something other than being honest, be careful you don’t).

I would think to myself “Well, fine, let’s pray that the good Lord send us those people & not only pray but believe. However, until that time, we have a perfect opportunity to train the people God has give us”.

Well, 15 or so years have passed since I first heard this statement and i’ve seen no one come through the door that meet’s the leaderships expectations. But, I have seen many many people walk through the door of the church, wanting to be plugged in, wanting to be guided, directed, trained and equipped. Yet, the statements from the leadership have continued.

One could say, “Well, we’re still standing by faith”. And I think to myself, “If we wouldn’t of been waisting time complaining that God hasn’t sent us anyone, and instead spent that time training people, where would we be”? Well, we’d at least have a few people equipped and ready.

What conclusions can we draw from this? We, we can certainly jump to conclusions (insert movie line from Office Space – Jump to Conclusions mat), but we need something a little more concrete than conclusions.

#1. Admit we’ve dropped the ball and be honest with ourselves and with others
#2. Don’t dwell on the past but move on towards progress
#3. We could use a plan of action & a belief and hope that we’ll be led by the Lord
#4. We need the leadership to teach, train and quip, not tell, manipulate and then complain when there’s no results
#5. We need not fear failure, but embrace the lessons learned with what doesn’t work

Now, this post purposefully leaves out the practical steps, and instead is meant to bring awareness to step #1.

The issue is not that one person is dropping the ball, but rather that many are choosing to not step up to the plate. We then lie to ourselves about why we’re not stepping up, why we’re not taking responsibilities for our actions (or rather in-actions).

Even if you think I’m off my rocker, let me know. I rather be corrected and move towards the right direction, then just sit, complain and never try anything.

Scriptures: Matthew9:9-12, 35-38 && Matt 10:1 && Matt 13:1-9 && Matt 17:14-20
I’ve got more, but I figured Book of Matthew would be a good start & you can look for the rest yourself.

Tim Schoffelman of SilentGap

It’s difficult at times, to look back and force yourself to relive the memories of old. Regardless of how good or bad the memory is, you end up digging up all the emotions you felt or didn’t realize you were there.

Today I sat at my desk, staring at code, and remember thinking to myself, “Man, I can’t believe I do this for a living. I’m having the time of my life, and I’m getting paid for it”.

Too many times I think Christians buy into the fact that they are destined to live out a particular path, without any say in the matter.

I went to Bible school to enter into the field of Youth Ministry, and I was going to be in the full time filed for the rest of my life. Well, as it turns out that’s not the case, but I look at my life and I can honestly say, my relationship with God is closer today then it has ever been during all those years in youth ministry (this statement is made without taking anything away from all the youth’s lives i have been involved with in the past).

To all you Christians out there that feel hopeless to change your life around or who feel trapped – you’re not alone, and there is a different route to take in order to complete the path God has set before you. He doesn’t want you to be miserable, but he doesn’t say that you’ll live an easy life. Figure out if your life is miserable or if you’re just going through a tough time, then act accordingly. Don’t be afraid of those who oppose you, even if it’s your mentor(s). If you know it’s right in your heart, go for it, you’ll be glad you did.

Scriptures to follow in the comments section.

Tim Schoffelman of SilentGap

We all do this on some level or another. It might be in the form of a “Good Idea”, or it may take on a different shape.

Take the new Ford Mustang that just drove by. At one point, not only did the man driving it think to himself, “Hmm, I want this car”, but I’m willing to bet he also envisioned himself interacting with it in some level or another. He pictured himself it in, driving the car around, maybe thinking about the different conversations he’ll have while driving, people that will envy him, or perhaps the girls he’ll attract.

But many times, we’ll never act on the impulses or day dreams running through our own little world. And to be quite honest, it’s probably a good thing. If I were to beat the crap out of every robber that I think is about to walk into the gas station just as I was leaving, or reach the level of success I think I will by completing this one last programming task, would I really be able to handle it the way I think I could, or would the cards play differently than in the day dream?

Bottom line, we all do it, but what good does it do? Now don’t get me wrong, if we ever let our dreams die, then we might as well become one of the other 6 billion souls in this earth that won’t matter to anyone besides maybe a few (if we’re lucky). But at the point I start believing my fantasies can reach a level of reality I think it should, I’m in trouble.

Keep daring to reach for the star’s kids, but don’t forget, you’ve got to be the one to create the rocket-ship to get you there – because no one else will!

(HINT: try re-reading this entry and listening to Coldplay’s, Swallowed by the Sea on their X&Y album at the same time – it will add to the post – can listen to it here through your computer if you’d like)

1 Thessalonians 4:11 – 18

~Tim Schoffelman
http://silentgap.com