MADMINISTER.COM

I am turning 30 years old.

Now, brace yourself... it doesn't feel as old as it sounds. When I was a teenager, I used to think, "Man, when I turn 30, I will be old. That's old. 30 years is a long time. It's 3 decades. Man, that's ancient." However, now, being within a month of turning 30, I've started waxing philosophical and evaluating where I am at with turning 30 and I am reevaluating my thoughts on the matter. Premier is the fact that 30 feels nowhere near as old" as I thought it would. Except when I get up to go jogging for my church's Boot Camp program.

I am not at a place where I am necessarily regretting getting "old-er"... being 30 has definite advantages. I'm on a career path and have some money... not a lot, but enough to be able to do some cool stuff. I have life experience to draw from. Again, not a lot, but enough to have some idea of what wisdom can be: not saying I have it, but I am saying that I can at least see where I need it most. I have completed and achieved some things... but nowhere near what I had envisioned as a teenager. It doesn't really bother me, that much, though, because I realize that I had some naive dreams as a teenager, probably more naive than most, and so looking back on them, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that some of them didn't come to pass by this particular birthday.

There are some things, though, that have begun to creep into my thoughts on a more and more frequent basis, though. As I near 30, I have begun taking stock in some things that - while realistic - I will have to work extremely hard at and in at least one case, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that must pursue with a vengence.

I have, on numerous occasions, taught and read through a bible passage in which a parable is told of three servants who are given the responsibility of being stewards over their master's wealth. The specific amount of money each is assigned varies, but one thing stays the same; each is given at least one "talent." Now, a talent was a specific measurement of money in the culture and time period of the parable's telling and it was the highest possible amount that could be named. An incredible sum. Almost a blank check, if you will. The three servants each are given a different number of talents and then turned loose. Two of the servants put their talents to use and double their master's wealth. One of them, however, hides his and does nothing with it.

When the master returns, the two who put their master's wealth to use are rewarded and invited into fellowship with their master. However, the servant who simply hides his talent is sent out into the cold and is rebuked harshly by his master.

By now, most of you have probably picked up on this and know where this is headed. Bottom line? I don't want to be that guy who simply sits on his "talent" and gets chewed out by his Master. I firmly believe that each of us has been given some share of our Master's wealth (ie: talents, abilities, resources, etc) and once we are entrusted with them, it then becomes our responsibility to put them to use. It is important that I note the true ownership of the wealth... it is not mine, I am simply the steward, the trustee. It is my Master's. I am a temporary steward of my talents, abilities and whatnot and my belief is that one day, I will be held accountable for what I do with what I've been given.

I would not ever presume to tell someone else this in regard to their own life... this is a very personal conviction of my own. I am not even claiming to espouse solid biblical hermeneutics in this blog. Just offering a few random thoughts based on my own personal spiritual journey.

Back to the matter at hand. I have begun to re-shift my internal gears back towards my writing. I have always been very interested in writing, telling stories, creating. It's been something I have been fascinated with, primarily because my mother took the time during our summers to cart myself, my brother and sister to the downtown branch of the Houston Public Library and - initially - force us to read stacks of books for hours at a time. As time went on, I came to unearth my own love of reading, of story-telling, and of how artfully life could be conveyed through the written word. It even rivaled my love of the cinematic story-telling (which is a whole other blog).

And so, as I move towards 30, and as I keep in mind my own spiritual journey and the aforementioned parable, I am continually impressed with a deep, surging sense of urgency. I must begin to utilize the gifts I have been given... if I truly want to fully develop them and make the most out of them. I could just bury my desire to write in letters to students and parents or emails to prospects and such, in curriculum-writing and developing, but the reality is that I feel I need to begin exercising some long-forgotten mental and creative muscles. I need to write. And I need to write because I am approaching 30 and 30 is closer to halfway than not of an average human life-span. And I need to write because no day is guaranteed to us and we are prompted by a very wise man to make the most of every opportunity because the days are "evil." No day is promised. And I don't think I want to waste any more days as maybe I had done at different points in my younger years. So, in writing this blog, I continue to expand outlets for working out some long-dormant muscles. Please excuse the shoddy - at best - craftsmanship of this blog. Some muscles are flabby from lack of use. Some are sore from this little burst of exercise right here. And some have a long way to go before I can finish that novel I have begun working on again.

30 is coming soon... and I sure want to make sure I am moving full steam ahead when I get ready to hit 40. Because standing on the brink of turning 30 years old, 40 years old sure looks "old." And I would certainly hate to be in the same place with my writing at 40 years old as I am on the cusp of turning 30.