As the vortex of another busy Summer spins freely, we find ouselves holding on with both hands, with both legs locked in to its current. Maybe we'll be able to jump free as the cooler weather of Fall slows it down. I can't help but wonder what the multitude of people driving by our houses will think today as they see our unkempt yards amongst the many well-manicured lawns. Will they consider us lazy? Will they deduct the inside looks just as bad? Will they think our lives are in shambles? For what reason will satisfy their curiosity? What truth lies behind the veil of the hurried time of Summer? Will it be because we forever pursue the American Dream of more money, better houses, better neighborhoods, and more stuff? Or is it because our time is bought at a higher price, purposed for no other reason than to follow Gods subtle nudges of encouragement to help someone else? Only from the ground can we discern how tall our grass is compared to others around us. From above, it all looks like the same patchwork of square greens and browns, bounded by the faint lines of demarkatiion we call "fences". What we are limited in horizontal sight down here, God sees all by His light from above. Nothing is hidden in the shadows created by the building of a more "successful" life.What is "living on purpose"? Maybe it's not simply responding "yes" to every whim of the requests of those in leadership positions. Filling our schedules with "another good thing" may not be the answer if it is those things that distract us from the real thing - God. If any of these things discourage us from authentically connecting with God through participating in a personal relationship with Him, then we know that our priorities are skewed and we are not living on purpose. Connecting with God is real life - the real freedom and maximized quality living He designed us for. Connecting with God permeates and dictates - it moves us to live on purpose. Sure we keep our lists of things to do for the day, but we continue to listen for God in our encounters. We remain flexible to act in response to His subtle nudging by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we will be interrupted, as Jesus was, by someone or something that was not on our planned schedule. Be ready to embrace this encounter as God's will for this day. Look for evidences of Him working, listening for His call.Living on purpose is like a running back in football that gets held up in the clutter of the closed holes on the front line. Fighting, struggling, and searching, he stays tough, and through persistence after a time, finds himself breaking free with nothing but open field ahead of him. "I'll be with you and meet you in the End Zone," God says. See you there, brothers and sisters! 