Most of us believe that life is some kind of linear journey from birth to death - point A to point B. In one way that is true. Paul spoke of finishing his race. We are called to be sojourners, looking for a Heavenly City which is to come.

But our world is so bent on success, goals, getting ahead, investing, etc., that most of us - even believers - miss a very important truth; Life is in the Moments.

I understand that there are two words for time in the New Testament: Chronos and Kairos. Chronos, from where we derive the word “chronology”, is linear time. Clocks. Point A to Point B. Calendars. “The clock is running.”

Kairos is the moment that the Eternal slices right into our linear time and is present -and time stops. God speaks. History is changed. It is when the Eternal invades the linear and we know we are not - nor ever have been - alone.

We do so much to avoid the inevitable conclusion of our linear prison. Men and women have affairs to turn back the clock and “recapture” their adolescence. Stars and fading socialites fill their faces with Botox, scare the gray away with dyes, try to stay “cool” with kids half their age.

…all to avoid the inevitable. Our linear time has an end. So much of all we do is whistling in the dark, ignoring our fear of what the end will be.

The scriptures are clear about linear time: “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”(Psalm 90:12)

I have so many snapshots of the Eternal invading my linear life. There was a warm southwest afternoon in 1976 when I first moved to El Paso when we fellowshipped and sang all afternoon at Madeline Park, watching billowy white thunderclouds lazily gathering, feeling the balmy breeze..walking down a pecan tree lined road with a best friend, feeling the veneer between heaven and earth was so thin that we could almost touch the wings of angels…and we turned a corner, and the Eternal moment was tangibly gone…

…The one and only time I was “drunk” in the Spirit, sitting in a corner of a house fellowship, awash in worship, overcome by a love and Presence so strong that I could only sit in the corner and grin, not even able to get up on my own…

…the moment, two months before my father died, as he sat and held my hand on the couch in the dying dusk, telling me how much he loved me, that I had been like an angel to him…

No, I no longer count my linear days by achievements, speaking tours or invitations. I count them by these Eternal moments, when time stops and God joins the moment to speak, to love, to engage my life in friendship and Grace.

I felt Him there in the Thanksgiving day two years ago when my young friend Jesse, without a place to go that day, spent the day with me at Denny's, then in the park where we made “leaf angels” in the crunchy Mulberry carpet…

…I felt Him with me in St Louis in September with my friends Tony, Mary Jo & Claire, laughing so hard I hurt…reminded of the preciousness of true friends in battle…

I felt him in the embrace of my adopted 3 year old grandson as I was leaving last week, and he would not let me go, snuggling into my neck like an eternal blanket of Father's love.

Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. Kairos invaded Chronos - a moment they had anticipated, waited for - and they missed it. Why?

They were too busy running religious affairs. Their pride resisted Messiah's humble form. He simply wasn't what they expected - or wanted. So they resented the beauty of His story of the lilies, because it confronted their greed and accumulation. They were shocked at His embracing of children, because their intellectual elitism did not bow to lesser minds. They despised His lavish forgiveness of the prostitute and the tax gatherer because they worked so hard to be perfect - and better than the gentile dogs and filthy sinners.

For this, He wept. They missed the moment because of their selfish, prideful expectations of what their Messiah should look like and what He should do. But, as one writer said, He comes in some distressing disguises.

But what about us? God intersects our linear life - every day. But we're too busy to see Him, too stressed to listen for Him, too numb to feel Him when He comes.

Many believers have stopped expecting Him altogether because He does not come when we expected. “Lord, if You had been there, my brother would not have died.” “We thought that He was the one who was to come.” “Are you He, or should we look for another?”

Two disciples on the road to Emmaus; they were so overcome with grief and disappointment, so preoccupied with thoughts of their now uncertain future, they did not even recognize Jesus when He joined them. But in the simple joy and comfort of breaking bread with their newfound friend, they saw Jesus - and realized He had been there all the time! Life IS in the moments! But we must be looking, hearing, expecting Him in the simple, the distressful, the painful, the ordinary moments of every day.

What about you, dear friend? Has your quest for more, fear for tomorrow, regret over the past dulled your hearing? Has your frenzied Martha-like serving and drive to “do more for God” denied you what really matters - sitting at His feet, just listening, just being with the Savior?

For many, it is the struggle with dashed hopes, broken dreams, personal failure and feeling God is not who we thought, did not answer our prayer as we wanted or needed. And some give up hope for Him to ever come through again.

To you, He says, “Blessed are they who are not offended in Me.” Disappointments, betrayals, shattered dreams, sudden devastating losses…they come to ALL. The pivotal moment comes when we say, “Father, YOU are in this moment. Even THIS You will turn for good.” And then you will see Him there - the Kairos intersecting the Chronos - weaving even THIS into His loving plan.

Friends, my life has been a wild rollercoaster of great opportunities, dashed dreams, caring friends, brutal betrayal, awesome promise and crushed hopes and plans. I have been blessed with precious ministry in extraordinary places, and faced exile from all I knew and loved. In five years, I have seen nearly all of my mentors, family and many loved friends gone to be with Jesus.

Am I offended? Offended that my life never reached stellar heights, never saw publication, never spoke to tens of thousands of kids? At times I was disappointed. Heartbroken, in fact. At times I felt the losses would never end.

But through it all, I can say that God gave me little of what I wanted, ALL that I needed, and more than I ever dared to ask for. What else does anyone need, really?

But I am learning to live in the adventure of the every day moments He is near - in every precious page of scripture taken in - in every time of worship at church - but also in tonight's spectacular sunset after a day of refreshing rain - in a call from my loved cousin or brother - in the privilege of a good cup of coffee in the early morning crisp air.

In the rush of serving and living, dear one, don't miss the embrace of your mate, the laughter of your children, the awesome freedom to worship we have, and a thousand other moments when He is Present - because those moments pass and they may never come again. Every day is a gift wrapped in grace to be opened by the child of heart who knows all good gifts come from His hand, and He longs for the joy of being there to see you open them.