Ecclesiastes 3:11

Years ago, I met God. And I met him through Jesus Christ. He saved me by dying for me. And it was beautiful, tragic. He was a work of art; or better he was the Artist that fashioned the most beautiful pieces I've ever viewed in my life. And then soon after I met him, I fell in love with him. And it was passionate, it was transcendent, untouchable.

I have made the staple of my life out to be the sum of a verse in Ecclesiastes:

He has set eternity in the hearts of men.

Or better, as the King James Version puts it:

He hath set the world in their heart.

I am a huge fan of John Eldredge. I don't know if you've heard of him or not; he is an extremely popular Christian writer. From what I can gather, he's kinda like a mountain man. Long beard, lives out west, probably has bear traps set in his front yard. He is a man in every sense of the word. And if you are unfamiliar with the terms man and the more generic term dude, one is a term used to describe a guy who if dropped out of a helicopter in the middle of the Sonoran Desert will be more than able to fashion his own shelter and live off of insect meat and digging his own wells. The other is used to describe the kind of guy you have over for pizza to play X-Box with. Jack Black would be considered a dude. He probably could kick it at your place on a Friday night and down a pepperoni pizza, but if he ever had to face real world conditions, like the desert or the forest, he would probably get eaten by a bear. John Eldredge on the other hand is a man. And for me, he made it okay to love God with all my heart.

I think one of the popular things to do today in church is to "put down" the preconception that people have of God and church/community groups/etcetera as traditionally being "boring" and how their groups aren't because they are in pursuit of life to the fullest with God/community that is fulfilling/serving the homeless/etcetera. And maybe we are on the same page here as I write; maybe it really is just really hard to put the pursuit of God into words. But God has literally set eternity in our hearts. There's a verse in 1 Corinthians that says, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind conceived the things which God has prepared for those who love him. Eldredge commented on this verse in relation to Ecc 3:11 and he practically said, This does not mean we should not try to dream of what God has for us, just that we cannot ever out dream God. I think one of the most popular themes in church today is serving. Which is a great cause. We need to let our love of God flow out from us into showing people that Jesus does love them by serving them. But the First Great Commandment, was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

So, my wife hooked me on Dancing with the Stars this season. I love it! Wow, never thought I would say something like that. I'm a huge Evan Lysacek fan (win it all next week!!!!). I also never thought I would find something in that show that drew my heart. On week 7, he and his partner did a Argentine Tango. My goodness, it was really good. It was incredible. The best dance I have ever seen performed. As I watched it, I could not help but think, Will me and God dance like that at our Wedding, the Wedding of the Lamb? God set eternity in our hearts, I might not be able to dream of what dancing with Jesus will be like, but I really want to!

Pursuing God has to be loving God with everything we have, everything in our hearts. It can't be just words, ethereal and all as they can be sometimes. If God has prepared a perfect world with us and our loved ones, a world where we come alive as the gods and goddesses that he intended us to be (John 10:34, Psalm 82:7), then we must respond to his perfect love with one that he is our everything, in every way. He is God, perfect, beautiful, amazing. He is truly the One who takes our breath away by stealing our hearts. He is a Lover, a Father, our Best Friend, He is incredible. And He is our Heaven and Hope.