“In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”
–2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NLT)
Do you want to go somewhere out of the ordinary, but can’t find the right place? Well, if everything seems run-of-the-mill to you, then you need to come to Exotic Echoes Travel Agency. Here we provide travel packages with just a touch of the wonderful, wacky and weird things that will make your vacation memorable.
For example, take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to England. Stay in only the best hotels, and shop in London’s finest boutiques as you enjoy daily tours. See attractions like Buckingham Pallace, and while you’re there, explore the magnificent rooms that are open to the public each summer.
But why not add a little spice to your trip, and do something unique? While you’re in London, you have to visit the Herkin. I guarantee it’s something you won’t want to miss.
This skyscraper in London’s commercial district is shaped like a giant pickle. It offers fine dining, and if you’re a shopper, spend some time looking at their unique handmade items. Except for the walking, you’ll think you’ve gone to shopping heaven.
If you’re tired, why not take it easy? Sit back and relax while enjoying a tremendous view from the 41st floor. Just think of the things you could post on Facebook once you get back home. You could tell your friends how you got into a pickle on your trip!
Here’s another unique location for you to consider. The Leadenhall building, also in downtown London, is known as the Cheese Grater because of its wedge-like shape. It is near the Herkin building, so the two have been scheduled together for your traveling convenience and sightseeing pleasure.
The Cheese Grater is 50 stories tall, and it also has an amazing view. Unlike the Herkin, however, this wedge-like structure is primarily an office building. Therefore, we only offer limited tours at this time. But there’s one striking feature that you will love, especially if you’re a fan of freefalling elevator rides like Disney’s Tower of Terror.
The Cheese Grater boasts the fastest elevator in Europe. The people in the building are taken between floors at speeds of 18 mph. So if you love the sensational, you might think about going to London this year. And I’ve saved the best for last–they don’t sell tickets, so you can ride this elevator all you want!
Now, though, I would like to shift gears and explore what these buildings actually say to you and me. In one of our previous blogs, we discussed what it meant to be God’s building in a general sense. Each of us has been uniquely crafted and joined together with our brothers and sisters by God, and by His spirit. But today I would like to talk about this in a more specific sense.
To do this, however, we have to back up as we discuss what it means to walk with God. If you think about it, these two subjects are both halves of one whole.
To see what I mean, picture how you would walk with a friend as they go through different seasons of their life. Let’s allow the different buildings here speak of two different scenarios that I would like us all to walk through.
First, imagine yourself at an amusement park, where you are enjoying the day with your friend. As you stand and wait in long and tedious lines, you have a choice. You can either smile and wait patiently, or you can grumble about it. Please take your time and really think about this choice as we move on to our next vignette.
Now, you are spending time with the same friend, but the situation is quite different. Your friend has just been fired from their job, and that bad news brings you to a decision. While it may not be a conscious one, I guarantee you would think long and hard about your reaction.
It would be absurd to laugh and make jokes as you did at the amusement park, or worse yet, to get up and walk out. But isn’t that the way we often treat God?
It seems we tend to go toward one of two extremes. We may treat God like a genie and view life as one big amusement park, while making pleasure our God. However, most of us fall into the second option. When we are stuck waiting in life’s proverbial long lines, we tend to grumble and complain.
But there is a third option. We may choose to yield as we let God build. I don’t think it was any accident that Jesus lived among us as a carpenter, for God works as a builder in each of our lives. Just as a carpenter sands a piece of board until it is smooth, God works on us, taking us from one level of His glory to another until we reach our highest potential in Christ.
In contrast to the Cheese Grater and the Herkin, however, God isn’t looking for strange and unusual differences. He’s looking for distinctives which He can celebrate. He is looking for people who will abandon themselves to Him, while he leads them to the next level.
Learning to live in this way is a lifelong journey, so we all need to work together. This is done by letting the gifts He has given each one of us flow out from us, for the good of our brothers and sisters. Remembering this will help us use our gifts wisely for His glory. So walk in His spirit, and while waiting in line, let God build a magnificent structure which honors Him.
Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 101 S Kraemer BLVD, Suite 123A, Placentia, CA 92870.
Finally, you’re always welcome to join our Tuesday night Bible study. These studies are conducted by conference call, and they take place at 6:30 PM Arizona time. Our conference number is 313-209-8800. Our PIN is 8699032. We hope to talk with you soon!
If you have questions, comments or prayer requests for Timothy or Stephanie Burdick, please call 507-369-6861.