Preston Mitchell's Blog

First Day of School

Today is the first day of school for most kids in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  The coffee shop was buzzing this morning with moms who had dropped off their kids.  I don't blame them for acting a little crazy - like spring break in college. They were free for another year!

The first day of school was a huge day for me.  I loved school and when I drop that personal tidbit on students, they look at me like I am crazy.  But, I loved school from 1st grade through my Master's degree.  I have attended schools in Europe and in the States.  I enjoyed learning, studying, writing and researching.  I also loved the environment, especially in college.  There were classes I hated like math, but everything else came pretty easy to me. Math is one way God called me to be a Pastor.  I couldn't do it, so becoming a pastor looked pretty good to me.

I was in a store the other day walking past school supplies. I couldn't help but wander down the aisle and remember when my Mom (no Dad's in those days) and I shopped for supplies.  The only place to shop in Killeen was Gibson's - which was the forerunner of Wal Mart. Smelling Crayola crayons and Elmer's glue brought back memories of school.  A ruler, paper, folders, #2 pencils, glue, crayons, and a new lunch box were the core supplies for any kid in the 60's.  There was one shelf for supplies.  Today there are 12 isles of supplies.  It's crazy.  I also got a pair (1 pair) of tennis shoes, jeans (2 pair) and a couple of shirts to wear.  Wait, I am wearing the same thing today!  Closer to the fall, I got one heavy coat and gloves for cold weather.

There was nothing like the first day when I tugged on those jeans (Levis), buttoned the shirt (from Bealls department store), tied on the tennis shoes (Chuck high tops), strapped on the back back and grabbed the lunch box (Beatles).  I was ready for battle with the Peebles Elementary School.  Every teacher we had was 60 or older.  Now it seems that every teacher is just out of college. 

That excitement never changed.  No matter what grade level or school, the first day was the beginning of something new.  We all need to get back that excitement of the first day.  In our jobs, marriages, parenting and our faith.  God has always given us the chance to start fresh, to start over, no matter how bad we mess up.  I thank God He is the first day of school for humanity! 

Recalculating

Last week, my family took a vacation to Florida.  One of the necessary devices we carried with us was my wif'e's Garmin.  A Garmin is great to help you find your way around an unfamiliar area.  You type in an address, push go and the Garmin gives you directions via a human voice.  If you choose, for whatever reason, to go another way, the Garmin says "recalculating."  I love that word.  Isn't that what we do every day of our life?

What if we approached our lives by telling ourselves to recalculate. In other words, are we on the right path that God wants for us?  Many times, we aren't and we need to recalculate.  The role of the Holy Spirit is to help us recalculate the direction we are going and go a different way.  The Garmin used the shorter route to get us where we wanted to go.  That's what the Holy Spirit does for us. Without it, I drive blind spending a long time trying to find a location. If I don't listen to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, I am going to life lost. 

I am in a season of life where I am doing some recalculating.  We are sellling our home and downsizing, That was a tough decision but Dedo and I know it is the right one.  Our kids are leaving us, so we are recalculating our priorities.  Dedo and I are constantly recalculating our marriage because if we didn't, we would end up in a ditch.  I am thinking more and more about finances and we are recalculating the way we spend money.  I am recalculating my work at Fellowship Church.  What can I do, not do, suggest, prioritize, staffing issues, friends, etc.  After 20 years of serving in this ministry, I need to recalculate my purpose for what I do. 

I love to recalculate because when you do, more energy, creativity and passion is given.  It's like wiping the slate clean and doing God's purposes in a more efficient and relevant way.  What would you do with your life if you sat down and recalculated every day?  I bet it would be more strategic and effective than ever before.

Recalculate!