Overabundance

Here I am at the outset of the most ambitious goal I've ever set for myself. I'm going to ride my bicycle from Baltimore, MD to San Francisco, CA to raise funds and awareness for The ALS Association. And right here at the outset, before you get a chance to think too highly of me, I'm going to share something to point you to what's truly amazing.

Have you ever had a moment where you were expecting something but ended up getting far, far more of it than you thought you would? I know Peter sure did. At the end of John's word-portrait of Jesus, we find the fisherman Peter and his friends out fishing. They've spent the entire night out on the lake without getting any significant catches and are pulling into the harbor conceding defeat when a guy on the seashore yells out "Have you caught anything?" Annoyed, they reply "No." The man calls back "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some fish." When they obey, the amount of fish they drag in makes it too heavy to pull all the way into the boat. Without any further ado, John says "It's the Lord!" What makes John so sure? He doesn't even add the clause "I think..." So certain is he that he just says "It is the Lord!" He knows because giving far more than is necessary is kind of Jesus' signature move. At the very beginning of John's story (at the wedding in Cana) Jesus created far more wine than was necessary to keep a party afloat. When he fed the multitudes, they gathered in entire baskets of food that people were too full to finish eating. Jesus just loves giving an almost absurd amount to meet a small need. The disciples suddenly went from having no fish to speak of to having too many for the small ship's crew to pull in. "It is the Lord!"

I had an "It is the Lord!" moment tonight. In fact, this whole week has pretty much been an "It is the Lord!" kind of week. Two weeks ago, I hadn't even thought of this trip. If you'd have told me that I would soon be working on this major project and that I'd have taken in the resources that I've taken in I'd have laughed you out of town! Tonight I was given permission to make an announcement about this project for the 3rd shift associates at their meeting. I was *hoping* to maybe get 5 or 10 bucks. I made my pitch and told them that if they'd like to make a contribution, I'd be sitting at a table with chocolate chip cookies for them to buy. Moments later, I was $41.25 closer to my goal! I couldn't believe it! Some people didn't want cookies but instead just gave money. One guy gave $20! I've had "It is the Lord!" moments in the past but my faith is so small that I forget about them and when the status quo rolls around again I expect only the barest response from the Lord. Most of the time, my conception of Jesus is that he'll give grace that's just enough and no more and you've almost got to pry it from his stiff fingers. It's moments like tonight that I remember that this is not what Jesus is like at all. He loves giving. Giving is like his hobby! It's the thing that makes him excited! He literally loves it! At the briefest request, he literally pours far more than I need out! This is the God I serve and HE is far more astounding than any bike trip I'm going to be going on!