How many grooves does a record have? C’mon, in our CD world, you surely haven’t forgotten the old vinyl platters, have you? How many grooves does a record have? One. That’s it. A single groove starts at the outer edge of the record and continues, unbroken (hopefully) until it reaches the center.

I’m sure some of our guests up here at “Inside Out” have never heard the word “groovy”. It’s been many years since that term has been in general use. My dictionary defines the word “groovy” as a slang term meaning “very pleasing; wonderful”. Perhaps the term originated because someone got lost in the ambience of the sounds coming off the groove of a particular record and coined the term. I really don’t know.

The opening words to the song, “Feelin’ Groovy” are, “Slow down, you’re movin’ too fast”. Those are simple, powerful words. How many times have we been encouraged to “slow down and smell the roses” or “relax” or whatever.

Nearly everybody I know is just plain too busy — by their own confession. Whether or not the reasons for all this “busy”ness are valid might be good material for a future writing project. Nearly everybody I know feels frustrated and guilty because their “busy”ness keeps them from forming new friendships or deepening existing friendships — building bridges. It’s pretty easy to confuse the quantity of our lives with its quality.

One of the casualties in the battle for our precious time is the opportunities we pass up to share Jesus with folks. It takes time to chat with those whom the Lord brings across our path. If we don’t recognize the little opportunities that come our way…if we don’t take the time to follow up, we miss one of the great experiences of life.

Let me illustrate with two stories. Both of these incidents occurred on the same day about two hours apart. I went by my favorite camera shop to pick up some pictures. A rather scruffy-looking young man was obviously quite proud of his pictures (one proud, aspiring photographer can always spot another proud, aspiring photographer). I asked if he’d show me what he had. Well, it was not a real bright request as it turned out. He’d gone hunting the day before and shot a wild boar. The picture was bloody and gross — even to me! However, to him it might as well have been an Ansel Adams!

He asked if I’d ever eaten wild pig that had been roasted over an outdoor fire. We walked out of the store together and visited by our trucks for quite awhile. Well, I now have an invitation to drop by his bar-b-que in a few days. I’ll probably go. Will this young man come to know Jesus? Only God knows! At least the door has been opened. There will be an opportunity to have further contact. Yes, it took a little time to look at his pictures and visit with him. Did I have other rather pressing things to get to? Yes. How do I feel about this “interruption”? If you know the melody, join with me and sing, “feelin’ groovy”. Just follow the bouncing ball!

The second opportunity came at a neighborhood convenience store. One of the young men who works there has attracted my attention on previous visits. He’s tall, a wee bit gangly – wears worn blue jeans and clean tee shirts. As I gave him my money, he asked me what my CB radio handle was (my CB handle, for the record, is “Chunky Monkey”). His handle was “The Poet”. No one else came in. He began telling me about his interests and accomplishments. He loves to write poetry. Two of his poems have been used in a light opera in which his girlfriend sings. He composes songs and loves to play keyboards.

None of this was apparent on my previous trips to the store. Why? Perhaps I was just too busy…in a hurry…movin’ too fast! Will I speak with him again sometime soon? Yes! Why? I want to find out if he knows Jesus. If he does, we can have some neat fellowship. If he doesn’t, maybe I can make the introduction. Either way, I’m in line for a blessing.

What are the Life Lessons in this for me?

• Rushing through life can rob us of some of the beautiful moments we could experience.
• Missing these moments can not only affect the quality of our lives, but also the very destiny of other folks.
• Slowing down ain’t easy. Everything in our society pushes us to rush, hurry, get done quickly, etc.
• Finally, is it likely that Jesus would have come across all the fascinating people He did and ministered to them so patiently and extensively if He’d traveled by car or plane? Nope. He walked. This allowed him to see and absorb all things to which he was exposed.

I used to hunt quail with a veterinarian who lived across the street. His prized gun was an antique muzzle loader. After each shot, we had to stop and wait while Little Doc reloaded his shotgun. It took a lot more time to cover the same ground as faster hunters with semi-automatic shotguns. Turns out that the best way to hunt quail is slowly with lots of pauses! We always got lots of quail. I don’t hunt anything anymore. I also move through life at a more measured pace. I deliberately look for those little serendipitous moments when God brings me across the path of a searching soul!

Next Inside Out          Gallery              Previous Inside Out