Finding spiritual margin in the busy DC lifestyle means that we have to be creative by using spare minutes and moments to listen, reflect, pray or even read.

Life gets so crazy and hectic that it’s hard to escape. I’ve experienced living here in the DC area. For years I worked in the accounting profession often putting in 12 hour days - or even longer - during tax season. Life became something like this: get up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and do it all over again. Life seemed to get somewhat normal after April 15th but there was always the corporate tax deadlines or extension deadlines on other dates. Working hard is not the issue. It’s realizing that when we work hard like that we have to find ways to create margin in our lives. Margin is simply spending time to refresh and renew our soul in healthy, positive ways. Spiritual margin means making sure that we get time regular time away with God in silence and solitude. It’s hard - I know. But it’s a must.

When it comes to passing on life with God to others, if there’s no internal motivation then it won’t happen. For example, passion for God comes and goes. Passion is often stirred up by external factors. A great example is the “foxhole conversion” of a soldier in desperate trouble. Often, soon after his passionate cry to God for help and the crisis subsides, he’s back to life without God.

When we lose our passion of the moment, we not only lose our desire for God but we also may lose our desire to help others experience life the way Jesus intended. There has to be something more that grips our inner being if we’re going to help others follow Christ too.

Living life with God can’t be something that happens through external motivation. For example, if you just do “xyz” then you’ll experience life with God. It doesn’t last. On the other hand, if God truly captures our hearts and inner most being then our motivation for life with God comes from within - not without. Then, and only then, can genuine, lasting spiritual change occur.

This past Sunday was really something. Lots of kids came from the Sports Camp. Mike and the Upcounty Kids Team put together a great time for the kids there too. Some new people came to check things out. As we get ready to go weekly, our hope and desire is to create a guest-friendly place for everyone - kids too!