Carry me

Back a number of years ago, I undertook one of the toughest hiking experiences I have ever done. It was a 13-mile hike down into the Grand Canyon. The trails were steep, to stay the least, and most were quite narrow as we made the descent downward, so I knew the ascent up was gonna be a 'bugger'. I was a lot younger then, and a whole lot dumber! We packed full packs, small tent, and sleeping bags, along with lots of water because there was no fresh water at the base of the canyon. On the way down, I was too 'prideful' to admit that pack was heavier than heavy! I just took the weight upon my shoulders and plodded along. It was exhausting and my body felt the toll at the bottom of that trail. As we settled in for the night, I remembered looking over at those who were along on the hike and declaring firmly that I was hiring a mule to take my pack up to the top on the way out! Why? I learned there is value in having someone else bear my burdens at times!

Carry one another’s heavy loads. If you do, you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

I lost both toenails on my big toes just because the steepness of the descent down into that canyon, combined with significant weight I was carrying on my back as I made that descent caused significant pressure to build up as I repeatedly dug my feet in for footing. It became painfully obvious to me that I was not a 'fit' pack mule! There are a whole lot of burdens we carry in life that are just way too heavy for us to carry and/or the course upon which we are carrying them is very challenging for us. In those times, are we going to be found too 'stubborn' to admit we need help in carrying them? If you were like me all those years ago, you might be answering in the affirmative to the 'stubbornness' part! Do you know what I realized - I was as stubborn as a mule and acting like one, too!

In the last days of mom's life, I found the burden significant. The work of keeping her clean, dry, comfortable, and 'pampered' in those last couple of weeks was astronomically hard. As she became bedridden those last couple of weeks, I needed help. Do you know what my first inclination was? To just buck up and get it done. It wasn't to admit I needed the help. All these years later, I was still kind 'mulish' in my attitude. Those thoughts of "I can manage this" didn't last more than about an hour. God's still small voice kept prompting me to lay that burden down and let others help me carry it. My sister came alongside for a week, my BFF was there that last week, as was my daughter. They all helped me bathe her, change her linens, keep her dry and smelling fresh, and even helped me wash her hair.

What I appreciated most was the time it left me to just sit with her and enjoy her. I read scripture to her, sang her some songs, and just 'kept company' with mom. If I hadn't of asked for the help with those harder tasks, I wouldn't have had that time to do that. There are times when we just need to lay down our stubbornness and admit we aren't going to be able to carry our burdens alone. The sooner we realize that, the better off we will be! We aren't meant to be 'pack mules' in life - so we need to stop acting like we are! Just sayin!

Huh...so I have to listen?

Of all human activities, man's listening to God is the supreme act of his reasoning and will. 

(Pope Paul VI)

Listening to God is harder than you might think! We can 'hear' God and then we can really "HEAR" God. The first 'hearing' is just merely letting it go in one ear, consider it a little while, then lose it as fast as we received it. The latter 'HEARING' is us really being intent on ruminating on what God tells us and allowing that word he gives to begin to affect our total being - thoughts, emotions, attitude, and eventually our actions. Did you stop for a moment to consider what Pope Paul said there - listening to God is really an act of the will and our 'reasoning' power. Do you know how to always have the right answer when you need it? You learn it before you need it!

Joy is found in giving the right answer. And how good is a word spoken at the right time! (Proverbs 15:23)

The 'right answer' isn't all that far away from our intellect, nor our hearts. The attitude of listening and then applying what it is we are hearing - that is the problem! We can reason just fine - we can work out problems in our minds pretty well - but are we working them out all on our own, or are we listening to what God has as the solution (the right answer)? The 'right answer' isn't always what we can rationalize or reason through in our minds. Sometimes the right answer is something totally foreign to the way we normally think or act! God's direction in our lives needs to begin to break down the walls and really 'get through to us' in order for us to act any differently than we have been acting.

Reasoning and will are closely related, but how many times do we act without really thinking it through? If you are anything like me, it is probably quite a bit! Reasoning is a dangerous thing if it is done in a vacuum. The 'vacuum' of our own reasoning and will can get us into deep trouble at times. By its very nature, a vacuum is a space totally devoid of matter - so when we just 'get inside our own heads' and shut out the 'matter' that God wants to put in there, we are relying upon less than a 'full thought process'. Do you know the danger of a vacuum - it exerts less pressure than might be expected otherwise! When we limit our 'right answers' to what we think or feel, we are probably excluding the 'pressure' God wants to put into the situation!

Joy is found in giving the right answer - reasoning and will need to both be submissive to allowing God's input into the matter at hand. To truly listen to God, we have to submit our reasoning - what we think, how we think about something, and even what is behind our thinking on the matter. This is why 'will' is linked with reasoning - we have to submit our thinking to God and then really turn our attention toward listening. Remember where I started today - to really have the 'right answer' BEFORE you need it means you learn it before you need it! Listening to God's direction isn't always quick, but in the 'rumination' process, much is learned. Just sayin!

Take some time

The best time of year to enjoy some of the fruits of the season varies, doesn't it? The melons are juicy and sweet in summer, but almost non-existent in winter. The grapes are colorful and tasty right from the vines during summer. The strawberries boast luscious enjoyment and a sweet scent, but come fall and winter, they just don't taste the same. Fruit has a way of satisfying our senses - both internally (our taste buds) and externally (sight and smell). There is another kind of fruit we might enjoy a little better if we realized we might just "eat it" at a later time! The fruit I refer to is our words - they can be satisfying in season, not so sweet out of season, and sometimes totally non-existent!

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. (Proverbs 18:20-21)

Good talk - fruit for our souls, nourishment for our minds, and health for our bodies. Now, there is a harvest we could find benefit in! We all have experienced the times when we say something without thinking, or get caught up in responding before we really take time to listen. The end result is usually some form of words that could seem a little "bitter" and with a tendency to "repeat" on themselves! 

Truthfully, words are either poison or fruit - the choice is ours! We have a choice about the words we speak as much as the words we DON'T speak. Words have much more power than we give them credit for - like fruit fueling our bodies - words can do things like fuel our worries and ignite our frustrations!
Words produce a harvest, in season and out.

Those spoken without thought are equated to those words spoken from the mouth of a fool. "Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth." (vs. 2) Words often show just how much judgment a person exercises! A fool is one who lacks judgment - therefore, when words are spoken without prior thought, they are equated to being "foolish". Those coming from an inner place of rest and peace are often equated to being as refreshing as an artesian well in the middle of a hot desert. "Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs." (vs. 4) I had to look up what an artesian well really was because we don't have them in my neck of the woods. An artesian well is first of all covered by impermeable rock. The water that rises from this well comes forth "under pressure" - it rises to the surface because their is pressure exerted that lifts it to the surface. The water finds a path of release. It seems to defy gravity. There is no need to manually bring it to the surface, as with a traditional well. In fact, it passes through so many filters, it is very sweet when it comes forth! When we allow time for the "pressures" to give rise to the words through a path which seems impenetrable, there is an opportunity for them to pass through the filters which might just purify them a little more!

Those of us who speak first and think later often would do better with a gag in our mouths! "The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him." (vs.6) Wouldn't it be nice to have an invisible hand placed over our mouths whenever we would begin to speak something unwholesome, or cutting? Well, guess what? We have such a "gag" at our disposal - he is called the Holy Spirit! People who speak before listening produce "sourness" much like we experience when we bite into fruit that has not fully ripened. "Answering before listening is both stupid and rude." (vs. 13) We have a tendency to jump to conclusions - don't we? We want to jump in with both feet - sometimes into issues that are not our responsibility, or will not be benefited by our involvement. It is both stupid and rude to just jump in. Okay...I used the "s" word! It really speaks volumes here. It means to be mentally dull, foolish, and senseless! Words that don't have much prior thought often reflect just how "dull" we can be in our thinking. Words spoken in haste are indeed foolish - they bring out our worst, not our best. Words that are without some kind of "covering" are indeed senseless!

We choose the harvest that is produced - we choose our words. We can allow pressures to create some supernatural filters in our lives, so words take some time to get to the surface, or we can give full vent to them with the dullness and senselessness of a fool. The choice of our words determines the enjoyment (or misery) of the harvest! Just sayin!

Adrift

If you have ever just drifted on an inner tube on what you think is just 'still water', you probably realize that even the stillness of those waters had some type of 'under-current' that caused you to drift slowly away from where you began. Just because something looks 'still' doesn't mean it won't cause drift. I have learned to stay away from raging waves because the under-tow is totally evident - I would likely get carried away, sucked under, and have a hard time getting free. I haven't quite learned that same lesson about the 'still waters' I think will not be of any harm to me in life. In fact, I forget just how much 'drift' can occur when I just settle in and lose focus! There you are on that inner tube, waters are seemingly still, then you open your eyes and see just how far away from the shoreline you really are! Lose focus for even a while and drift is likely to impact your life in big ways.

Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you. Give me a spirit that obeys you so that I will keep going. (Psalm 51:12)

David wrote the 51st Psalm as a prayer of repentance - because he had lost focus. He didn't realize how small compromises amounted to even bigger ones until he noticed how far he had 'drifted from shore'. Too many times we allow subtle compromises into our lives and believe it or not, the small under-current of those compromises begins to pull us further and further away from 'shore' - from solid anchor in our lives. The joy we once experienced by being firmly anchored in Christ begins to fade, our spirit begins to shrivel up from not being infused afresh with the life-giving presence of God. Our choices begin to show the lack of connection - they are slowly changing from what we know to be right and good toward what we know could one day bring us harm.

David finds himself in that awkward place of having drifted just a bit too far from shore. Compromise has moved from the 'small things' to the 'bigger things'. His choices have not been wise - his actions have not only hurt him, but others, as well. Fully aware of where he finds himself, he does what each of us may have also done at one time or another - he compounds his drift by panicking! He panics because his sin is 'discoverable' and now he needs to cover it up, so he compounds his sin with an even bigger one. To his adultery he adds murder! Panic leads to many a wrong decision, just in case you were wondering. Panic in the middle of the lake on that inner tube and you might just find yourself capsized and swimming for safety once again!

The moment David realizes just how far he was from 'shore' in his life, he turns toward shore and begins to cry out. He doesn't attempt to make for shore all on his own accord. He calls out for help. There is a lesson in his response to finding just how far away he had gotten from 'safe anchor' in his life - the lesson of repentance. He cries out for forgiveness - he knows there is nothing he can do to deliver himself from this 'drift' - he needs God's rescue. If you have never read this Psalm, take a moment to look at how he moves from admitting how much he has drifted, how his whole life seems to be turned upside down, and how much he realizes just how much grace he needs in order to find shore again. To this he adds an acknowledgement that his joy is gone - that he realizes the joy of the Lord in his life is directly linked to the spirit that is submitted in total obedience to God. 

The drift happened. It was too late to 'take back' his sin. All he could do was cry out for help. He knew where he needed to be - back in the arms of Jesus. He knew he could not 'swim for it' on his own. He needed God's help for restoration of 'anchorage' in his life. None of us will always be perfectly anchored in life, but whenever we find our anchorage has slackened and we have allowed a little drift to occur, there is but one response to the drift - we cry out for deliverance. Just sayin!

Find your delight

Find your delight in the Lord. Then he will give you everything your heart really wants. 

(Psalm 37:4)

Do you know how this psalm begins? David begins by telling us to stop being upset because of sinful people and to stop being jealous of all those around us who are doing wrong. Do you ever find yourself caught up in the moments of comparison where you actually begin to bemoan the fact the ones doing wrong around you seem to prosper and you are just struggling to make it through? I think this can be more commonplace than we might first believe. It is hard to see people behaving poorly and seeming to just slide on by without anyone calling them on their behavior. It is hard to observe injustices overlooked. The instruction is quite simple - stop dwelling on their 'good fortune' in the midst of some pretty poorly made choices on their part. Why? The answer is found in the next verse - "Like grass, they will soon dry up. Like green plants, they will soon die." Our response should be to "trust in the Lord and do good". In the face of their evil, do good. In the midst of their hurtful behavior, do good. In the moments when things seem to be going from bad to worse, do good.

How do we 'do good' when all around us is something quite the opposite? The answer is found in David's next instruction to us - find your delight in the Lord! When we find our delight in the Lord, we don't have time, nor interest in focusing on how 'well' the sinful are doing. Instead, we find ways of binding up the wounds of those they are continually offending! Did you realize one of the primary definitions of 'delight' is to be content? Contentment doesn't come in what we see or feel as much as it comes in what we know about who is in control of the circumstances. We find pleasure in getting close to God and then we find ways to invite others into that place of closeness, thereby countering the evil done around us. We aren't getting upset - we aren't even getting even - we are rising above. God's 'ask' isn't that we just sit idly by, but rather that we find ways to turn the eyes around us toward him.

Please don't get me wrong when I share this, but I observed a man on a street corner this past weekend with a great deal of misguided passion. You see, he was attempting to 'preach' from the street corner at the local Farmer's Market, but instead of turning eyes toward heaven, he was hurling insults that weren't taken very well by those in hearing range. He actually called those of us in the crowd 'gomers' because we have been 'duped' by lies, but by referring to the crowd as inept or stupid, he was 'souring' them on ever hearing the message he desired to deliver. I am not a huge fan of 'doomsday' preaching from the street corners anyway, but this type of preaching only gives Christians a bad rap. Why? The words are hurtful, not helpful. God's greatest joy comes in seeing a life changed, lived out in beauty and grace. His hope is that we learn to share that beauty and grace with others in a way that helps them to realize they can 'rise above' this world's evil and hurtfulness, as well. Just sayin!

Leaving the Shack

Temples of God - what does that phrase mean to you? To me it means there is a special dwelling place where the presence of God dwells. As we have discussed in the past, that 'temple' is actually human beings, filled with the presence of the Most Holy God through the gift of grace provided by the sacrificial offering of His One and Only Son, dying for the sins of the world. As a young girl, I remember going through some areas as my parents would set out on a long weekend away from it all. I recall seeing both very new, modern looking homes standing right next to a very old buildings fashioned out of adobe brick, tree branches, and even a few sod roofs. I asked my dad why the new homes were built, but not lived in and do you know what he told me? Those 'new homes' weren't what the people dwelling in the land were familiar with - it was foreign to them. They chose to live where they were most comfortable. I wonder if we sometimes are like those people I observed all those years ago - too comfortable in our old 'dwelling' to move into anything new prepared for us in God's grace?

We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it. During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. Then we will not be naked. (2 Corinthians 5:1-3)

What a tragedy to have something so magnificent prepared for us only to find that we don't aren't 'comfortable' in it, so we opt for the old. God makes our hearts new, our minds freshly renewed each day, and even fills our spirit over and over again with the joy of his presence. Even when we don't feel it, he is still working on this 'new dwelling' we abide in now. To now enjoy this new 'habitation' is to choose a life absent from the infilling presence of God. Indeed, this is a tragedy of astronomical proportions! Why do we choose what is 'most comfortable' over what is actually 'most beneficial' for us? I think it is because we want to hold onto the 'inferior' because we are familiar with it. Truly 'familiar' is the enemy of God's blessing in our lives many times. God's blessings oftentimes come no so much in the 'familiar', but in the place where God stretches us to move out of that comfort zone in life.

Human hands didn't build this temple - God's hands built it. Human hands may have corrupted it, abused it, run it down, and left if pretty much in shambles, but it was built by God's hands. We don't just want rebuilt lives, patched together here and there - we want God to have the access to make his best temple out of each of us. This may mean he tears down a few walls, but likely it could mean he tears us down to the place of the foundation and creates a brand new foundation in our lives. He takes the bits and pieces of our lives and puts them back together, but better than ever before, because the foundation is right, strong, and with perfect integrity. Our lives become the dwelling place of God and he begins the work of creating within us a healthy environment. 

This is an earthly 'tent' we dwell within today, but to stay in some run-down 'old life' because we are too scared to let go of the past is to really restrict the expansiveness of God's grace within us. The 'new home' he has for each of us is of 'TEMPLE MAGNITUDE', not a tiny run-down shack or a leaking tent! God isn't finished with any of us yet, but as his 'temples' we are being continually built. God doesn't want us to 'settle' in life - he wants to give us expansive lives that are filled with his very presence. Let's not just live 'shack lives' - let's begin to live 'temple magnitude' lives! Okay?

What are your cardinal virtues?

George Washington Carver reminded us, "Where there is no vision, there is no hope." Carver was a committed scientist, always looking for ways to improve the soil that otherwise would have been depleted by years and years of planting the cotton crops of the day. His desire was to see agriculture take on the 'preservation' of the soil nutrients, planting in such a ways so as to allow the soil to 'regenerate' and be renewed. Did you know he was a Christian man? He was one of the first to proclaim that all of science is aided by the understanding of what it is to be in Christ Jesus - in other words, his faith 'enabled' him to be a good scientist. He could have been a very wealthy man, but instead he lived an average life, pouring himself into his work, his family, and the betterment of agriculture. On his grave you will find these words: He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.

Where there is no message from God, people don’t control themselves. But blessed is the one who obeys wisdom’s instruction. (Proverbs 29:18)

Vision gives us purpose - it helps to define our every step. Where there is no vision, the people perish. Where there is a partial vision, hope is ignited. Where there is a strong vision, purpose is unwavering. I think Carver had unwavering purpose. As a black man, his efforts in the arena of agricultural science were not easily accepted by others in the scientific community. He was born a slave, challenged every step of the way, yet never lost hope of that spark of vision God put there deep within him. He was a sickly child and teen, with very little hope of growing up into old age. He never let his hope be dashed, though. He fought time and time again 'against the odds' and actually lived to a ripe old age well into his late seventies. Had he not have taken a fall down the staircase in his last days, he may have even lived longer!

Do you know the eight cardinal virtues he lived by? They speak volumes:

• Be clean both inside and out.
• Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.
• Lose, if need be, without squealing.
• Win without bragging.
• Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.
• Be too brave to lie.
• Be too generous to cheat.
• Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

I would say Mr. Carver had the right vision for life, wouldn't you? Be clean both inside and out - live with integrity and strong moral turpitude. Treat all equally, don't be puffed up with pride, and don't pout when you fail or lose. Treat others well - like you'd like to be treated. I imagine that one may have been pretty hard because his white masters on the plantations he worked didn't always treat him well. Be too brave to lie - rising above any desire to 'cover up' any action, good or bad. Carry forward that honesty and integrity into all your interactions, never finding ways to take advantage of others. Take, but not so much so as to deny another. I imagine he gave without thinking of how it would affect him - knowing that others had needs and he might be able to meet them.

We could all take a lesson about vision and purpose from Mr. Carver. Without a clear vision (like he laid out in his cardinal virtues), the people perish. What 'cardinal virtues' have you adopted in your life? Go ahead - I challenge you to actually write those out today. You might be surprised just how hard it is to put into words the 'virtues' you say you are committed to in this life. Just sayin!

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Somebody once said that doing something over and over and over again is not hard work - it more of a habit than hard work. They would be right, of course, because repeated tasks doesn't mean we are working hard. I used to have an older friend who'd respond to the question, "Are you working hard", with the quip of "Nope, hardly working". He actually prided himself on 'carrying off' the image of working hard, but in reality he was doing quite the opposite! If there is one matter that requires both 'habit' and 'hard work', it would have to be this matter of our words and actions aligning all of the time. Having both of these be deemed to be 'pleasing' to the Lord is kind of a 'crap shoot' for many of us. We get it right some of the time, but in truth, we don't get it so right the rest of the time!

Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me. (Psalm 19:14)

The words of our mouths, combined with the thoughts of our hearts don't always 'match up', do they? Sometimes they are pretty close, but at others they can be ridiculously opposed to what God would desire in either our words or our 'heart thoughts'. The more we recognize our words actually betray what is in our heart, the sooner we might attempt to hide what is in our heart by changing the words to match what we think God would want to hear. The only problem with this is that we are 'working hard' to show that we have really adopted an attitude of hardly working when it comes to our spiritual walk! We get comfortable putting out the display of 'working hard' to allow things to change in our lives, all the while knowing we are really not working hard at all to see that change occur.

The thoughts of our heart don't happen by accident - every thought is something we choose to entertain or let go. There are lots and lots of thoughts that enter my mind each day, but very few make it to the level of my heart thoughts. Why? I have no need for those other thoughts to 'hang around' or to be of influence in my life. I don't like the way they make me feel, nor do I like the way they eventually make me act! It is hard work to filter out some of those thoughts, though. If I am going to have the type of heart thoughts that are pleasing to God, I need to take on the work of dismissing the other ones that are less than honoring. I just can't appear to be working hard - I actually have to do the hard work!

The good news is that we are not 'toiling' alone in this matter of keeping our thoughts pure and 'right on' with God's thoughts. We have been given the Holy Spirit, scripture, and even each other to help us in this work. Scripture helps us check our thoughts against the 'source book', of sorts. It is like checking and rechecking the 'assembly instructions' for a highly complex project. We go to scripture to see if that thought actually 'belongs' in the assembly of our lives. Heart thoughts become the building blocks - the assembled pieces - by which we take actions and speak forth either life or death from our lives. Assembling the right pieces in the right order makes all the difference in the 'finished product', doesn't it?

We are given the Spirit of God living right inside of us, not so much so he can 'keep score' of our good thoughts and our bad ones, but so we can understand when a thought will begin to eat away at the goodness God is working to produce within us. Those gentle 'niggling' impressions aren't just there because God wants us to 'feel guilty' when we are entertaining the wrong thoughts, but because God doesn't want those thoughts to find an inroad into our heart. When a thought reaches the heart level, it becomes the basis by which we form habits and we all know how habits begin to direct our actions. With each of these 'helps' in place, God also gives us good friends to help us recognize when we are merely giving the impression of walking close to God, or are really doing the work of getting closer. Just sayin!

Know Your Target

Michelangelo reminds us: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Yup, this is so true - it isn't that we don't aim - it is that we settle for aiming low. What is your aim in life? Whatever it is, you always want to aim a little higher than your target if you ever expect to hit it. If your target is moving, you track a little in front of it because you expect that the target will move into your aim. The thing is that God doesn't give us 'moving targets' to aim at in life, so his target for us won't move into our aim - we have to adjust our aim to hit his target! The purpose of aiming is to hit something, not hope whatever it is will just happen into our aim!

My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

My eyes are on the crown - this is a clearly defined target, is it not? The first thing we have to know about aiming is that there needs to be a target. Without a clearly defined target, we will just pursue anything that moves into our view. If you have ever watched any of the special forces train for their missions, they are repeatedly practicing to hit the 'right' targets. They are presented with targets symbolizing the ones they want to hit and the ones they need to purposefully avoid. In other words, they learn to be aware of their environment at all times and they adjust their focus so as to be able clearly identify the right target in their path.

I want to win the race - we are now given a little insight into what is behind hitting the target. There is a strong desire to acquire the target. A target in our focus is not enough - it must be acquired and then achieved. In the military we spent hours on the practice ranges learning how to differentiate between the environment and our target, then to actually acquire it in our scope, and fire upon it with accuracy. Those hours of practice were not so much focused on just our aim, but also on helping us to differentiate the right target - to spot it when it seemed to 'blend in' with the environment around it. What we wanted to do was acquire it before we were stopped in our pursuit.

We need to be proficient at differentiating between the targets that distract us and those that we are really supposed to acquire. When we acquire the right ones, we take aim. We pursue that target with purpose. What target has God placed before you? Chances are that specific target is going to get you closer to achieving the main objective he has designed for your life. Ignore the right targets and you will find yourself aiming at arbitrary ones that are doing little more than confusing your life. Focus on the right one, being attuned to how it presents in your life and what it is you need to do in order to hit it - then you take aim with the intent of hitting it spot on. Just sayin!

I am not thinking straight

The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. (James Joyce)

How do people around you appear to be acting these days? If you have a circle of friends like mine, their actions are pretty consistent, loving, and kind. If you look around you today, you may observe there are a whole lot of unkind actions being taken against individuals. There seems to be a lot of anger amongst people these days - leading to actions that are just not all that good around us. Actions are the direct result of what we think about the most. If fear is your main mode of operation, chances are you are allowing your thoughts to continually dwell on things well outside of your sphere of control. If you want to know what a man is thinking - just observe his actions!

Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

It is hard to always control our actions, isn't it? It could be a direct result of how hard it actually is to control our thoughts! Thoughts have a way of getting away from us without us being any the wiser. We just let them 'drift' a little, not really paying attention, and before long we find ourselves repeatedly dwelling on things that we shouldn't be dabbling with at all. God's ask of us is that we allow him freedom to do a little 'thought control' in our lives. It isn't that he wants to brain wash us - he wants to help direct our thoughts toward the things that will bring about righteous and holy actions from our lives. 

I am an observer of people. I will sit in a room, watching people as they arrive, observing their body language, where they sit in respect to others in the room, and even their 'non-verbal' cues. In a matter of minutes I can usually begin to size up the crowd. Some people in that room may have become quite skilled at displaying the outward actions they want others to see, but trust me on this one - their inward thoughts will eventually betray their true desires and habits!

We all need a new mind because the one we have has been flawed by our sin nature. It isn't reliable! We need to remember this - God isn't going to move into areas of our thought life that we don't give him access into - he is going to wait for us to allow him in. Once he is given that access, though, we can count on him doing a little housekeeping! He isn't going to allow unclean, impure, or even "more or less harmless" thoughts dwell there any longer. He will reorder our thoughts so we see things from the correct perspective. In the process, we are likely to see a change in our actions - because rightly ordered thoughts will produce better actions from within. Just sayin!

Be a BIG Dreamer

For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

If you were to hear those words spoken over your life today, what would you imagine yourself doing with the help and power of God actually guiding you to accomplish it? I think we 'dream dreams', but we seldom see those dreams come to full fruition. We have 'big plans', but they somehow fizzle out before they ever get finished. The more dream, the harder it seems it is to see those dreams become a reality. I dream of retirement and I am getting closer to that place, but today is not the day to accomplish that dream. Just because we dream something doesn't always make that dream come true - but if God is the author of our dreams, those things are already set in motion within our lives that will help to bring that dream to fruition!

Disney used to say all our dreams could come true if we had the courage to pursue them. I don't think he was terribly wrong, but I do think there are some dreams that require a little more courage than others. The dreams God has for us - the things he has planned for us - these may require a little more courage from us than some of the other 'run-of-the-mill' dreams we could muster up in our imaginations. God's dreams are "BIG" dreams - plans for our well-being and not for trouble. How many of your dreams could you say were going to enhance your well-being? Some of my dreams when I was a kid would not have done much to enhance my life, but I still pursued a few of them. Today, I find myself much more 'selective' about the dreams I pursue - because I have learned God's dreams for my future are much more reliable than my own!

I came across this quote the other day and wanted to share it with you: "The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do." (Sarah Ban Breathnach) Dreamers who do - this conjures up the idea of 'putting feet to our dreams'. In other words, we take action. Too many times we know God has placed within us a 'plan' or a 'purpose' - we can feel it and sense it with each intake of breath - yet we don't act upon those plans or step our into that purpose. Dreamers who do are more than 'fanciful believers' - they are committed to the plan and know each step they take brings them closer and closer to the fulfillment of the dream. 

Dream big - there is nothing wrong with that. Give those dreams to God and ask him to sort them out for you - helping you to see which ones are the ones he knows will enhance our well-being and keep us out of trouble in life. Big dreams in the hands of an even BIGGER God have a way of changing the world! Just sayin!

Doing it by rote

Billy Graham reminded us, "It is not the body's posture, but the heart's attitude that counts when we pray." How many of us focus so much on the 'way' we do something and forget all about the 'why' behind it? I think we might just do this a little more than we suspect as evidenced by us doing things 'by rote'. We do hundreds of things each day, simply by rote. Do you think through the steps of brushing your teeth, donning your socks, or even making the coffee? Probably not...they have become 'rote' tasks you just do without even putting much thought into them. If you really think about it, there are probably a lot of 'spiritual things' we can do totally by rote if we aren't careful. Some will pile into the cars on Sunday mornings - make their way to their local church building - all by rote. There was no real 'preparation' to participate in that worship service - they were there because it was Sunday and that is what they do on Sunday. Rote is a good thing with repetitive tasks such as brushing one's teeth and making the coffee, but it can be a 'not so good thing' when we begin to worship or pray simply by rote.

Watch and pray so that you will not be tempted. Man’s spirit is willing, but the body does not have the power to do it.” (Matthew 26:41)

Jesus tells his disciples to 'watch and pray' - because he knows where a lack of watchfulness exists, temptation will find an inroad. Watchfulness involves all the senses, not just the eyes. There is a vigilance in the attention and an alertness that isn't always there when we aren't 'on watch' in our lives. To be vigilant is to be keenly aware there are threats just waiting in the shadows. Danger is just around the corner. I used to watch that old show on TV called "Lost In Space" and I recall the robot who always said, "Danger, Will Robinson" to alert the young boy to some danger just lurking around the corner. That robot was always 'vigilant' and 'aware'. God doesn't want robots, but he does want us to pay that close of attention to the dangers all around us. Prayer involves being watchful, alert, vigilant, and even a little bit wary at times. Wary because we need to be 'on guard' for the enemy of our souls. That enemy doesn't carry a pitchfork and have a pointy red tail, my friends. That enemy comes in the form of just about anything that attracts our attention away from God, or allows us to simply 'serve by rote' in life.

Remember, Jesus told us to 'watch and pray', but he also reminded us that our own body does not have the power to be at this level of alertness or vigilance all on our own. We need the presence of God in the form of his Holy Spirit with us each moment of the day. In order to avoid the drift into 'rote' practices of 'worship' and 'prayer' that are devoid of the heart's dedication and attentiveness, we need to have that still small voice of God alerting us. Man's spirit is indeed willing to do a lot of things, but our hearts oftentimes don't have that same willingness and fortitude that we need in order to do things for the right reasons and in the right ways. Rote becomes our enemy whenever it is the 'norm' for how we approach God in prayer. I know Jesus taught his disciples what we now call the "Lord's Prayer", but it was not so much a prayer we could say by 'rote' as much as it was an outline of the reasons we pray. We are to pray for each other, forgiving any offenses that have occurred. We are to lay out our physical needs, trusting God to provide for those needs. To merely say the words of this prayer is not enough - the heart must be open to what God will say in return and it must be yielded to what God may ask of us. 

The heart is God's connection point - but if our lives lean too much toward doing things 'by rote' in our spiritual lives, the connection isn't going to be there. The heart isn't connected through 'rote' actions - it is connected by fresh, vital and living interaction. Just sayin!

Closet Christian?

The Temple of God in the Old Testament became the place where God could meet personally with his people. Today, the 'temple' is not a building - it is his people. Instead of one locale for his presence to inhabit, there are millions and millions of temples - his people. His presence inhabits his people and in turn, his presence is free to explore the world through us! God's temple needs to be seen - to be an impact on the world. Light isn't meant to be hidden, my friends - it is meant to illuminate - to expose and show the beauty around it.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. (Luke 11:33)

Prayer is one means of us bringing light to the world, but it isn't enough. God isn't asking for his church to be 'shy' about their faith - we are to be bold in our prayers. The presence of God inhabits his temples - when we become visible, his hope is presented to the world. Before long, people will begin to be impressed upon your heart - people you are supposed to be praying for. When those times come, begin to pray and believe for God's power to shine forth from his 'temple' in order for the needs of that individual to begin to be met.

One of the greatest things the 'temples' of God can do is to begin to love a very unlovely world. Sometimes we would rather just 'pull in' and not be 'in the world'. God never asks for us to be 'of the world', but he does encourage us to be 'in the world'. Why? We are the living, breathing temples of his presence - we bring his presence into those places where we have a sphere of influence. Believe it or not, we might just be bringing his light into places where we don't even know we have that sphere of influence. You never really know the power of living as a light in this world, but God knows!

A changed heart - a new life - is the result of people being able to experience the presence of God. Why did Jesus ask his disciples to take the gospel message to the furthermost parts of the earth - to all people everywhere? He knew the way people connect with him is by being able to experience his presence. We are inhabited by that very presence - we are the means by which the world begins to experience the truth and reality of God. To hide our light under a bowl is silly. To be 'closet Christians' is really selfish - because God has changed our lives so that we may begin to bring that light to others. Just sayin!

It isn't a criticism

I don't know about you, but there are times when I get good advice and I just don't pay attention to it. If I don't pay heed to what is shared it usually results in some type of 'disaster' for me. Someone once told me you had to add extra flour to a cake mix at high altitudes and change the baking time/temp. Did I remember to listen to that advice when I was at higher altitudes? Nope...and the brownies were pretty doggone runny! Did I discard them? Nope...just used a spoon to eat them! Advice is good to hear, but if it isn't heeded, it isn't anything more than 'words in the air'. 

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:20-21)

I have to be honest here - listening to advice is a whole lot easier for me than accepting discipline! When discipline comes my way, I kind of want to turn the other way and just run. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to discipline because I beat myself up over things I haven't exactly done right for a long time. Why? Maybe it is because I really don't want to need to receive 'discipline' in my life and when I do, I kind of get a little too focused on the pride part of accepting discipline. You see, if I willingly accept discipline, I am admitting I was wrong - that hurts my pride. When my pride gets hurt, I tend to rehearse the issue for a while because I don't like that 'feeling'.

I don't think I am alone in this because I have heard enough other people tell me they take discipline kind of hard, as well. It isn't that we don't want to change something what is 'wrong behavior' in our lives, we just don't like the idea that it took receiving some form of 'discipline' to actually get us to focus on the behavior. Our desire is to not even need discipline! The thing is that discipline is part of life and is actually part of how we change. It isn't going to evade us forever because there are just some things in life that we need more than 'advice' about in order to change - we sometimes need a good nudge by God to get us moving in the right direction.

Whenever discipline comes our way, pride will attempt to raise up a little defensive reaction to it. This is human nature. The first time your parent told you 'no' may have been the first form of discipline you received. You probably don't remember the tears you shed when you were denied the cookie, toy, or even the desire to be held in her arms for every nap you ever took. It took a lot of courage on your parent's part to deny you the cookie - they knew there would be an outburst! You would resist the discipline and they knew what was forthcoming. If your parent was like mine, they didn't 'give in' because you resisted, though. They were disciplined in their discipline!

God is much like that - we resist the discipline, but he is disciplined in his discipline. He isn't going to let up until we understand that what he intends to do is something far greater than our own plans would have accomplished in our lives. His discipline isn't harsh - it is loving. His carefulness to target areas where we need more than 'good advice' in our lives isn't criticism - it is compassionate and graceful love. Just sayin!

We set out

I came across a quote from the journals of Christopher Columbus the other day and it struck me as a very simple way of proclaiming the truth about what happens when a man or woman decides to follow Christ. He said, "Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World." I know very well he was speaking of leaving one shoreline in search of another, but change up just one word in that and you have a pretty cool picture - "Following the light of the SON, we left the old world."

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We set out for a 'new world' when we choose to follow Christ, don't we? Old has passed away, new begins and the journey before us is filled with hope, but maybe just a hint of reservation is mixed in with that hope, isn't it? We aren't sure about the journey, so we kind of 'hold back'. If you are like me, it didn't take you long to realize your 'reservations' about serving Christ weren't going to last very long. In fact, the longer I walked with him, the greater my hopes became of discovering the 'new' he had prepared for me to discover!

All those years back, when the men, women, and children who chose to take that journey with Columbus were setting foot onto those vessels bound for a 'new world', do you think they did so without fear? Not likely. They were leaving homeland, family, relationships, and there were probably some others who were leaving a 'bad past' behind in hopes of finding a new future ahead of them. Our 'homeland' isn't this earth, my friend. When we come into relationship with Christ it might just surprise each of us to realize how 'little' this earth has a hold on us anymore. 

Following the light of the SON - we set out. We leave behind the old, and take on the course of entering into the new. This is indeed a solidly biblical picture of what it is like to know and walk with Christ. We may not recognize how 'brave' we are when we take that first step down that path, but let me assure you of this - no one enters this relationship with Christ by osmosis or some magical 'poof'. We all have to take the first step. There will be lots of 'first steps' as we 'follow the Son', but let me assure you of this - the reward that awaits us at the end of the journey far outweighs the little bit of 'bravery' we need to muster with each of those 'first steps'. Just sayin!

Prepared for the 'what'

Charles Swindoll posed the idea that "life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it", because he proposes reaction can be controlled or 'governed'. I imagine God sits around sometimes just watching some of our reactions to some of the things in life that shouldn't have thrown us into a tizzy, but there we are - in a pickle and sour as all get out because of what is going on in our lives. Life doesn't have to elicit reactions from us - we offer them quite freely, don't we? We are moved by the oddest things, shut down by others, and completely oblivious at times to things that should have cause us some sort of reaction. In my day to day work, I plan the action so we don't have to be so 'reactive'. It is called being 'proactive' - knowing how we will 'act' before there is ever a need for a reaction.

Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing. If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking. (James 1:4-5)

All of God's plans for us involve some sort of 'action'. Even taking no action is actually an 'action' on our part. It is hard to learn how to take the correct actions all of the time, but the more we listen to God's voice, learn his ways as shown to us in the Word of God, and just contemplate our own actions BEFORE we take them, we will find our actions become more consistent and correct. I think that is what Swindoll had in mind when he posed that idea of us focusing not so much on the 'what' as on the 'how' in life. Life happens, but how we respond to it is determined beforehand. Yes, you may think you 'reacted' in that very moment when something happened, but in truth, you 'reacted' based upon something you already learned somewhere in your past.

Learn well "HOW" to wait - did you catch that in our passage today? The 'how' is under consideration, not the 'what'. If we don't know 'how', what are we to do? We are to ask God for the wisdom to know the 'how' when we are faced with the 'what'. Now, that may seem elementary to some, but trust me on this one, we'd have less trouble with some of our 'reactions' in life if we had spent a little time up front with God learning how to respond when those things came our way! I had no clue that I would not be able to get to food or water yesterday when I started the day, but something inside of me told me to put a couple of bottles of water, some fruit, cheese, and almonds into a small lunch bag in the den. I listened and do you know what - when everything inside the kitchen was sealed in plastic for the painter to begin the task of spraying the paint, I didn't have to panic!

In essence, I listened to a 'small voice' inside of me that actually helped me be prepared - proactive. This morning I still have no access to the kitchen, but I still have fruit, cheese, and nuts! I am set! This is just a simple illustration of not being caught off-guard by the 'what' because God had prepared me with the 'how' already. God is very likely working out some 'how' steps in your life today, but you have no idea 'what' you will need those steps for in your day. You just know he is asking you to 'learn well' the 'how' so you will be ready for the 'whatever' that comes. Just sayin!

Are they reversible?

William Lloyd Garrison, a journalist from the 19th century asked, "Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependent upon popular opinion?" Mr. Garrison actually died in 1879, way before any of the present issues arose in government, health, and cultural climate. Yet, he may have had a little insight into human nature when he posed that question, for humankind has always tried to make wrong right since the beginning of time. It is the 'spin' that mankind puts on an issue that 'converts' it from wrong to make it seem a little closer to right. That 'spin' has been around since the Garden of Eden!

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to good teaching. (Proverbs 12:15) 

While the question Garrison posed during the time he worked to free slaves in America is important, there is a lesson to be found in it for all of us today. Are 'right' and 'wrong' actually able to be switched - dependent upon the whim of whoever is the loudest or most 'heard' voice? I think society as a whole is frequently in danger of 'accepting' what appears right without any real investigation into a matter - because we trust our media to educate us rather than allowing God to lead us into truth.

There are always going to be 'sides' in a matter - it is human nature to create an opinion on a matter. We form these opinions based upon a set of morals we have 'believed' and a certain element of 'faith'. Our morals actually act as the 'rules of conduct' by which we make choices in life. If these 'rules of conduct' are closely aligned with scripture, we usually find ourselves making 'right' choices. When we allow our 'morals' to be swayed away from scripture, subtly allowing compromises to enter into our beliefs, we in danger of forming opinions that are not capable of producing the same upright results in our lives.

The 'sides' don't always appear as they did in the old western movies - the evil villain wearing a black hat and the good wearing a white one. If they did, it would be easier to spot the ones to avoid, wouldn't it? The 'work' that goes into uncovering the 'sides' in life is hard, but if we are to avoid compromising our moral standards, we must do the work. Herein is the rub - we want to choose well, but we don't really want to expend the effort to ensure those standards are always upheld.

Many will read this and think I am merely writing this because the elections are upon us. Yes, they are and our 'work' at uncovering the truth about each candidate is important, but I write this with a more global perspective in mind. Our choices each and everyday will affect not only ourselves, but others around us. Each compromise provides an opportunity for someone else to view our actions and ask if it is okay to make the same compromises in their own. We actually present the opportunity for someone to form an 'opinion' based upon our actions. 

I think this is why God reminds us to not be prone to just do whatever seems right in our own eyes - to not be swayed by opinion, but to be upheld by truth. Truth must win out each and every time in our choices, but if it doesn't - that is where grace enters in. Grace doesn't allow us to live 'within' the compromises, though. It challenges us to turn from them and allow the right moral principles to become the ones that guide our steps once again. Right will never be wrong and wrong will never be right. Just sayin!

The luxury of giving

One must be poor to know the luxury of giving. (George Eliot)

The luxury of giving - have you ever thought of giving as a 'luxury'? I like how Eliot frames this thought because it points to the extreme need and the appreciation of what is given when it is received. You do realize there is nothing good or noble about giving if there is no real need for what you are giving, don't you? You could give away free trash cans till the cows come home, but if there were no cans or boxes in the pantry to fill the trash cans when emptied to fill a hungry stomach, those trash cans would merely be dust catchers. There is indeed a 'need' - but the need is different from what we are giving, making what is given pretty senseless in the end. For giving to be 'spot on', there must be an awareness of the need - just like when God saw the need for our forgiveness and didn't think twice about providing exactly what was needed to meet that need - his Son.

Those who go to him for help are happy, and they are never disgraced. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear God, and he saves them. (Psalm 34:5-7)

Those who go to him - this suggests that the way to have our need met is to actually take it to the one who is going to be able to meet that need. I would not call a brick-layer to fix my garage door opener anymore than I would go to a mechanic to reset a broken bone. The need must be 'matched' with the one capable of meeting the need, right? We 'go to him' and in turn, he responds with what we need the very most - grace. The thing about grace is that it comes in all kinds of forms. Today it could look like a box of groceries to fill your empty stomach, but tomorrow it could look like the touch upon your soul that bolsters your spirit and gives you the courage to step out into new experiences. Grace doesn't have just one 'form'. It comes to us, but first we go to him for it. 

There is a conversation about our need - we sometimes forget that acknowledging our need is the first step in getting the help to actually do what needs to be done. I shared that I am in the place of redoing a few things around the house. These projects have been astronomically large - larger than I really wanted to undertake on my own. To say the least, moving all the furniture to get the walls painted is hard enough, but then putting everything back in its place, cleaning up all the 'over-spray dust' left by the paint spraying, this is way more than I can handle alone. So, I reached out to my kids and grandkids to help. Do you know what? They helped me make short order of the 'tearing down' part of the job and I am confident they will help me make short order of the 'putting together' part of this job, as well. Why did they come? I acknowledged my need. There was a day I would have been too stubborn to do that, you know - but I am no longer afraid to ask. 

What changed? I think it is the realization that my need and my pride oftentimes are in direct conflict with each other. I need something, but my pride keeps me from asking. How about you? Do you ever have that conflict - afraid to ask because you don't want someone to know how deep your need really is? It took me a long time to get past my pride in life - to ask for help when I needed it - to fully appreciate the 'luxury' of giving and the 'blessing' of receiving. Yesterday, my BFF brought me enchiladas, rice, and an apple-cinnamon muffin. I could have nuked something for my meal, but with all the chaos in the house, she knew I needed that hot meal and that I needed it right when she brought it. Do you know what? The 'luxury' of giving is a blessing. The 'need' we have isn't going to be met if we never acknowledge it. Allow others the 'luxury' of giving - your life will be blessed when you do. Just sayin!

You MUST

MUST is a pretty strong word, isn't it? It is one of those four-letter words we are allowed to speak - no moms ever washing out a youngster's mouth for having said 'must'. It is a strong word because it allows for no 'wiggle-room'. "You must complete this task" carries a much different meaning than "If you are able, you must do this", doesn't it? The former allows no wiggle-room, while the later puts a condition on our having to complete the task. With God, there is very little 'wiggle room' in his instructions to us - the 'must' isn't usually paired with any other condition than a choice to be obedient. If that is the case, then if God tells us we 'must pray at all times as the Holy Spirit leads us to pray', then does that mean we are supposed to be on our knees 24/7? I don't think that is what God had in mind when he stipulated that 'must' in scripture. Instead, I believe he was asking us to be sensitive to the needs of others, praying for each other as the Spirit leads us to, and then being attentive to the moments when God lays something on our heart that we may not even know about, but that requires our prayers nonetheless. An example of the latter would be one of those moments when you just feel compelled to pray for a situation, but you don't know the people involved or the reason you are praying - you are just compelled to lift the circumstances up to God for his intervention.

You must pray at all times as the Holy Spirit leads you to pray. Pray for the things that are needed. You must watch and keep on praying. Remember to pray for all Christians. (Ephesians 6:18)

How have you been led to pray lately? I have been troubled by all the criticism on each side of the political debates - disappointed by all the attention given to the mud-slinging and the little bit of attention actually given toward the issues that plague our land right now. So, I guess I pray for God's wisdom and his 'governance' because I know that God can turn the head of the rulers of the land as easily as he can cause the flood waters to recede. I have been troubled by all the senseless loss of life at the hand of men and women given to violence in my own city. You didn't hear much about shootings and gang activity, drug deals gone wrong, and similar affairs much twenty to thirty years ago in our area, but today it is kind of 'common-place'. The fact that it has become 'common-place' moves me to pray. We are all led to pray for different things at different times, but the important thing to remember is that when we are obedient to lift our voices to heaven, God is moved. Now, don't get me wrong - God can and does move without our prayers, but I think God asks us to pray because he is asking us to begin to sense things the way he senses them - to see things from his perspective and then to talk with him about the needs that exist.

This is really what prayer is all about anyway -  talking with him about the needs that exist. Prayer involves watchfulness - being attuned to the things around you in the lives of those in your circle of influence, as well as a more 'global' perspective of things way beyond your 'sphere' of influence. Politics is beyond my 'sphere' of influence - except through prayer. Gang violence is beyond my 'sphere' of influence - except through prayer. My friend's or family's need for a new place to live, the healing of someone's illness, or the ability to find a job - these are closer to my circle of influence. I know these people and I can pray regularly for them. I don't know the gang members, nor the people involved in political campaigns. I can pray for them - and I must - but when I pray for those in my 'sphere' of influence, I am praying a little differently. It is with knowledge of their needs most of the time. Even when I don't know their specific need, I know them well enough to pray for them to have that need met in such a way that they will know God has intervened on their behalf. We all are urged - commanded - to pray. Pray like your life depended on those times of talking with God, because if your life doesn't, another's may. Just sayin!

Deal with the clutter

Do not talk much about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day will bring. (Proverbs 27:1)

I used to spend a whole lot of time daydreaming about something 'way in the future' that I would want to accomplish or a place I'd like to visit. The problem with 'way in the future' daydreaming is that we don't always know our future, nor are we even guaranteed that future! Put all your eggs in that proverbial 'future' basket and you might just never accomplish much! I have learned over the years that life is not assured to us tomorrow, nor is the health or ability to accomplish that 'future task'. I have taken care of strapping young men left in persistent vegetative states because of some freak accident. As I glance on the frailty of their bodies in those hospital beds and wheelchairs, I recount the truth that our days are never guaranteed. I have stood by while life drained from the bodies of those fighting cancer with every last ounce of willpower they could muster, only to see them come to the reality their dreams of healing may never be realized. It is crushing, to say the least. What we choose to do with today is what makes the difference, my friend, not so much what we dream about for all those 'tomorrows' we hope to see at some point.

Rather than daydreaming about the things I would like to accomplish tomorrow, I am choosing to focus on what it is I can accomplish today. In fact, when someone asks me what my plans are, I really cannot answer that definitively. Yes, I still want to hit my favorite fishing hole way more than I do, or send time with the kids, or craft some project in the shop. I don't count on those opportunities - but grab them up when they come. What has happened to change my perspective? I have chosen to live the best life I can live today - because that is all I am given. If I am given a new day, then I will live that day as well as I am able to live it, but I don't put off for the future those things that I am able to do today. As I write this today, I am sitting with all the furniture pushed into the middle of each room, nothing on the walls, everything off the soffits, and in a general state of 'chaos'. Why? The painters start the task of refreshing my home tomorrow. It is a task I had to put off while caring for mom's end of life needs, but today is the day. This is the time. 

In the process, do you know what I am doing - I am actively purging things from my life that are merely 'clutter'. Why? The clutter just complicates life. It gets in the way, gathers all kind of 'debris' and then it isn't healthy for us any longer. Life has a way of getting pretty complicated, allowing things to just become 'common-place' and taking us space in our lives. If we only allow things into our lives that 'add to' our lives, then we will deal with less complications and believe it or not, we will have 'more space' for the things that matter. That may seem a little simplistic, but it is true. My next week's for is cut out for me as I go through things, reassembling all the furnishings and rehanging pictures. Yet, I am looking forward to it because everything will be fresh and clean again! It will be almost "new" because I have decluttered so much.

I wonder what we are putting off 'dealing with' in our lives today that we are counting on doing 'tomorrow'. It could be dealing with a riff in a relationship, or taking on a big task we know will create some 'chaos' in our lives. Whatever it is, begin today to deal with what you can accomplish today - don't leave off for tomorrow what you can take care of today. Keep the 'clutter' of life from taking up space in your life and you might just be surprised how little 'debris' there will be that will attach itself! Just sayin!

It is a 'process' thing

Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. (Winston Churchill)

How many of us are like Churchill - liking it when we actually learn something new, but really dreading the whole bit about being taught that lesson? It is nice to discover something new, but it is a little more difficult for us to accept when that discovery comes with a bit of hard work, isn't it? I used to ace tests, but recently had the opportunity to sit with my eldest grandson who is struggling with Algebra II in high school. I did pretty well in this subject back about 50 years ago! Today, it is like I am having to relearn all the principles again in order to remember how to solve those equations and it is HARD work! I don't know about you, but when something is that 'hard' in life, I tend to resist it a little. When life lessons are 'hard', it is not uncommon for us to want to just bury our heads in the sand, or run from them completely. The 'process' of being taught is what we resist, not the lesson.

My son, if you receive my sayings and store up my teachings within you, make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding. If you cry out to know right from wrong, and lift your voice for understanding; if you look for her as silver, and look for her as hidden riches; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find what is known of God. For the Lord gives wisdom. Much learning and understanding come from His mouth. (Proverbs 2:1-6)

If you have hung around with me now for any time at all, you know I am a 'process' person. In other words, I see things in terms of the 'steps' we have to take to accomplish what needs to be done. That isn't a problem if my 'steps' all line up with the 'process' as God has designed it! It becomes a problem when I want to add or take away steps in the process - because then it changes the entire process and the lesson being taught may actually produce a different 'learning' than God prepared for us. If you don't believe me, think about the last time you were 'disobedient' in some sense. It may have been when you knew you should have kept your mouth shut, but you just couldn't. You found yourself jumping in and perhaps you stumbled along a while, words just 'falling' out of your mouth. When it was all 'said and done', you had some 'mop up' work to do. What lesson was learned? Perhaps you learned the 'mop up' is harder than just not saying anything at all!

The plan is for obedience. The actions required are 'systematic' - there is a process to obedience. We listen and then respond appropriately. Just like with the algebra equation - I cannot just jump in and say 'x' equals this or that. I have to understand the 'process' of which parts of the equation get solved and in what order they are solved. Obedience in my daily walk isn't much different. I need to understand which parts of today's issues are mine to 'solve' and which ones are not. If I add in the ones that aren't mine, the equation gets messy! Obedience or 'learning' requires a listening ear, but it also requires a submissive heart and mind. To always want my own way - solving problems by my own methods - will only complicate my life and yours!

The process is not always well-defined from the beginning. Sometimes we need to step back and just wait for the process to reveal itself a bit. Yet, even when the process is somewhat clear, we aren't to just rush that process - we need the wisdom of God to see how the rest of the process will be revealed and worked into what he has begun within us. If we are intent on following our own processes, we will frequently miss the 'simpler lessons' God brings in life. We have a tendency to 'complicate' our processes. If you don't believe me, try writing out how it is your car actually starts each day! To put is simply, I have the key fob close enough to the ignition switch, my foot on the brake, and my finger depressing the ignition switch. Is that the entire process? Absolutely not! There are lots and lots of other 'working parts' to this process, but we don't always see or understand them fully. We 'trust' them to work together, don't we?

Why is it that we have a hard time trusting God to 'work together' the processes of our lives? I think it comes from us not being willing to learn 'according to the process' he designs. We figure our plan mixed with his might just make things easier or quicker. I have to ask - how's that been working for you? For me, not so well! Instead of trusting God to reveal his plan, I charge ahead. God doesn't always want us to just 'hang around' while he puts all the pieces together in our lives, but he doesn't want us messing with the process either! Obedience is a 'process thing', equally as much as disobedience is a 'failure to follow the process' thing! Just sayin!

It isn't useless

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless. (Thomas A. Edison)

Some actually said 'not so nice stuff' about Edison. In fact, if Edison had listened to what others labeled as his limitations in life, we'd have been deprived of many a great invention. Did you know he didn't start communicating until he was nearly three and a half years old? When he finally did start, do you know what he did? He started asking how everything he touched or saw worked! He had a mind that was curious to understand the inner workings of things - from the simple to the very complex. His constant curiosity did not endear him to his school teachers, though. In fact, they thought his constant questions were hard to manage and they actually said he had an 'addled' brain! I guess 'addled' may be another word for 'genius'! At the age of twelve, he undertook the task of reading almost every book in the public library! Why? He wanted to learn - he hungered for knowledge - his mind was seldom at rest. I wonder how many of us have a hunger to learn like he did? Maybe not all the scientific stuff, with the intent of helping us figure out how things work, but in the spiritual sense - trying to 'figure out' how things work as a child of God?

The fear of man brings a trap, but he who trusts in the Lord will be honored. (Proverbs 29:25)

The fear of man is kind of like one of those 'limiting influences' in life that would do nothing more than shut down our discovery of things God has planned for us. Man might want to say we haven't done what was planned for us to do - but remember that God doesn't see any of us as useless just because we haven't done what was planned for us! He sees us as capable of getting with the plan again! I am one of those 'why' kind of people in this world. I ask 'why' a whole lot - my mind just works that way, I guess. I don't think this is a bad thing, but others may find it annoying because they are just content to not understand the 'why' behind things in their lives. There is nothing wrong with asking 'why' - but if I let your shut down my discovery by your criticisms of my curiously hungry heart and mind, I am falling prey to your 'trap' to keep me from experiencing all that God has planned for me.

Most things we 'plan' don't work out exactly as the plan called for, do they? We get reasonably close at times, but there were quirks and bumps along the way that we didn't count on when we 'planned' to do something or see something operate a certain way. I do a whole lot of planning, but very little actual 'implementation' of the plan - not because they weren't good plans, but because others swayed me into believing the plan was flawed. Whenever we listen more to what others say than we listen to the voice of God in our lives, we run the risk of missing out on the implementation of some pretty awesome plans. Each of those plans could be a great moment of 'discovery' in our lives, but when we fail to ever experience the plan, we are shutting down God's work in us. Listening to the voices that tell us we 'cannot' or 'will not' succeed with the plan is nothing more than falling into the trap of defeat. 

Some are defeated even before they take the first step into the plan! They have listened for so long to the voices of others telling them their plans are not right, or dumb. They are 'shut down' even before they 'start up'. Trust in the Lord to develop the plan and then continue to trust in him to bring about the fruition of that plan! Stop listening to what others are telling you won't work, or isn't within your ability. I doubt Edison ever knew he could invent the telegraph, much less the telephone or the light bulb. He never let the 'limitations' others put on him, or the criticism of his plans get him to a place where he stopped trying. In fact, those criticisms may have done more to fuel his creativity than shut it down! God has plans for you - great plans - stop listening to the voices that tell you otherwise! Even the 'failed plans' aren't really failures - they are launching points for the next phase of work. Just sayin!

And that has made all the difference...

Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost)

You haven't traveled my road anymore than I have traveled yours. Our roads may have intersected here and there, but the road we each travel is uniquely our own. At each major intersection in life, we make a choice - we choose one path or the other - we don't travel them both. Perhaps we follow in the footsteps of someone who has traveled portions of that path before, finding our view of the path just slightly different. As similar as my BFF and I are, as we take a road trip, or enjoy a stroll along a forest trail, we 'take in' our surroundings in different ways. I will remark about one thing I saw, only to find she didn't see it at all and vice-versa. Why did we not experience the path the same? We are unique - our eyes and hearts are open, but we might just find we are taking in life in just a little different manner as we travel paths that seem very similar!

It is God Who covers me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. And He sets me on my high places. He teaches me how to fight, so that I can use a bow of brass. You have also given me the covering that saves me. Your right hand holds me up. And Your care has made me great. You make the road wide for my steps, and my feet have not tripped. (Psalm 18:32-36)

Our path will be the 'perfect' one for us when God is the one who directs it. When we are directed by God, regardless of the path we travel, there will be this 'covering' over us - something not quite 'tangible', but it there and we know it. His strength will bolster us for the journey, but his watchful eye will also help us to avoid the pitfalls. More importantly, his tender touch will guide us to 'take in' what it is we are not to miss along the journey - so we are 'seeing things' exactly as he sees them. I think this is probably one of the most reassuring things I have learned about walking with God in my life's path - that he is helping me to not miss the stuff he wants me to experience along the way.

The covering of God along our path goes way beyond keeping us safe - it keeps us focused and in tune with our path. Have you ever heard someone say to you, "Look", only to turn your head just in time to catch some majestic thing such as an eagle in flight, the gentle bounce of a fawn tagging along behind their mother through the forest trail, or the gentle movement of the fish just beneath the surface of the crystal clear creek? As quickly as your turned to 'take notice' of what you were called to 'look upon', you were engulfed in the moment of that discovery. God's covering over us is what helps us with our moments of discovery, my friends. He isn't just saying, "Look", because there is something beautiful to behold, but because in 'looking' we are discovering something about him.

It may be that we discover how much care he has taken to create things of beauty around us, but it could also be that we discover just how deep the hurt of someone's heart really is. When he tells us to 'look', he might just be showing us something about that moment that has opened a door for us to speak words of comfort into that hurting place in another's life. When God is with us on the pathway of life, the moments of discovery are innumerable. Some will be moments of discovery that uncover something within us that needs to be discovered afresh or anew. At others, there will be discovery of truth, light, and even wisdom. Regardless of the discovery, it has been uniquely prepared for us by the one who guides our path - God himself. At the intersections of life, don't hurriedly choose one or the other - consult with the one who has prepared the path. You never know what 'discovery' will happen when you do! Just sayin!

I pray this for you

And this is my prayer: I pray that your love will grow more and more. I pray that you will have better understanding and be wise in all things. I pray that you will know what is the very best. I pray that you will be true and without blame until the day Christ comes again. (Philippians 1:9-10)

I pray that your love will grow - we all need our love to grow just a little bit each day, don't we? How awesome would it be to know someone in your life was praying for your love to grow today? Well, consider this a little prayer from me to you - may your love grow! What does 'growing' love look like? I think it might take on the form of not always talking, but realizing you might just need to listen a little bit more. It could even mean you shut off the TV and just observe the environment around you, who is filling it, and what they are filling it with at this very moment. It could also look like that moment when you just realize someone needs a touch, a hug, or a kind smile to bolster their weariness over life's challenges. May your love grow in little ways today. Your love doesn't have to grow by leaps and bounds - it is the little things that mount up to bigger things!

I pray that you will have better understanding and be wise in all things - if you are like me, you can get confounded by things that come your way and almost come to a stand-still because you don't know what to do next. Over the past couple of years, my work with taking care of mom in her last days, while working full-time meant I left some of the household maintenance undone. The exterior needed painting and I couldn't do it myself. I found some painters and now it is done. The master bathroom was in desperate need of updating, fixtures and plumbing valves needed replacing, and the shower stall had to be torn out. That task seemed daunting to me - finding a contractor, getting all the materials, and then going through the demo and remodel work. It is now done and what a joy it is to have it all finished. These don't seem to be very 'spiritual' things, do they? Yet, their sheer magnitude was weighing on my mind, taxing my soul with unwanted burden. To finally take the steps to get this all done is hard, but God granted the wisdom, brought the understand on what needed to be done, helped me find the contractors, and even got me some good bargains to boot! I pray for God to bring you better understanding and wisdom in those areas of your life where things are 'weighing' upon you - removing those barriers and helping you to take steps forward that need to be taken in your life.

I pray that you will know what is the very best - not just the 'almost the best' in your life, but the VERY BEST. I think we settle for a lot that isn't the very best for us - just because we don't think we will ever find 'better'. I have two grandsons. Do I want them to find just 'any old wife' because 'any old wife' will do? Absolutely not! I want them to find the VERY BEST in life - not just in their choice of wife if they choose to marry, but in their choice of career, friendships, hobbies, etc. I am not the only grandmother who feels that way, I am sure. We grandparents are quiet protective of our offspring's offspring, aren't we? It is easy to pray for the 'very best' in another's life, but what about our own? Do we find ourselves settling for 'second best' or 'almost the best'? If so, I am praying we will break out of that mindset and begin to pursue the things God has provided as the 'VERY BEST' for us!

I pray that you will be true and without blame - a pretty strong prayer, huh? True - meaning that there won't be much need for adjustment in life - because we are pretty 'true' or 'level' in our thinking, actions, and attitudes. Without blame - because life will throw all kinds of things at us, trying to make the 'blame' stick on us. Others will want to find fault with our life decisions - even when they aren't all that perfect, it isn't their role in our lives to 'find fault'. If God points out an area where we are not 'true' or 'level', that is one thing. It isn't up to any of us to 'find fault' with the 'levelness' of another's life. We can pray for them, be good examples in their lives, and even offer them advice when it is sought. It isn't our job to constantly be getting out the 'level' to see if they are 'true'! Just sayin!

Are you a light runner?

We all probably know someone who runs those amber lights, or much worse, takes a red one or two from time to time. What do they do just before running those lights? You would be right if you said they punch the gas pedal down a little to speed up the vehicle, but I think there is one other thing they do that you might not have noticed. They take a quick look in the rear-view mirror, at the side street cars waiting in line, and if there are no cops or traffic cameras in either view, they fly on through! They are looking to see if they will get caught - if their 'sin' will get noticed by anyone who can do something about it. 

Everyone who sins hates the Light. He stays away from the Light because his sin would be found out. The man who does what is right comes to the Light. What he does will be seen because he has done what God wanted him to do. (John 3:20-21)

Truth be told, the fear of being caught far outweighs the desire to maintain safety at that moment. There isn't much time to react, so a cursory glance is about all they can muster up when approaching that stale amber or red light. The issue with giving life a 'cursory glance' is that we often miss stuff that we should have been able to see. Life requires more than a cursory glance to see if we will 'get caught' by some 'infraction' or lapse in good judgment. It requires us to pay attention to our decisions - even well in advance of when we make them!

All of us face some form of 'intersection' in our day to day life. We all have those moments when we can stop and be safe, or just charge on through without much thought toward the consequences of avoiding the light we are given. An amber  light is 'given' to us to help us to be safe - to bring ourselves to a stop well in advance of having to make a rash decision as to how to respond. When we position ourselves to be moving toward the light of Christ in all matters in our lives, we are less likely to be concerned with 'getting caught' at one of those 'intersections' that present themselves as 'light running' moments. 

Doing what God wants us to do means we pay attention to the 'color' of the lights in our lives. We have the solid green light that God gives for some actions, while there are others that appear as the 'amber' ones do on the intersection lights. What are those amber lights for in our lives? They are to cause us to slow down, to consider our actions, to pay closer attention, and to get an otherwise out of control situation under control one again. If we move when we get the 'green light', slow down when we get the 'amber' ones, and firmly stop when we get the 'red' ones, we will be a whole lot better off in the long run! Just sayin!

Not just a 'make-do' repair

It was Ernest Hemingway who reminded us, "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." What are the 'broken places' of your life? Go ahead - for a moment or two - just ponder that one and begin to call those 'broken places' by name. You have them and you likely have attached some sort of 'name' to those broken places - like divorce, death, or defeat. You defined those broken places by an event or some outcome in life. Now, look again at those broken places and describe some of the strength that has come out of that place. What name does that strength bear? It was likely easier for us to put a name to our 'broken places' than it was to put a name to the strength that was worked into us because we were broken. We remember what 'broke us', but we oftentimes don't recall all that has happened in our lives that help to mend those broken places into even stronger ones.

A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God. You won’t despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed. (Psalm 51:17)

Chances are that you can describe a strength of character that has come out of those broken places in your life -  a strength of character that is far outside whatever your 'natural response' would have been to those circumstances. What is character anyway? I think God would describe it as those things that we eventually put into our lives that some call 'habits'. When character has been developed, the results are 'reproducible' time and time again. Where God has turned broken places into a place that reflects his strong, moral character within a man or woman, the resulting action is this ability to 'reproduce' with consistency that right response to life's challenges. Instead of the 'broken place' dominating our lives, it becomes a springboard that launches us into new actions.

Sometimes we are guilty of allowing the broken places to shut us down - to cause us to just march in place for a while. Instead of becoming a springboard, they become wallow pits! To be free of the pit is our goal, but our heart is content to just wallow for a while. That is the problem with broken places - they can lure us into the wallow pit. You know who lives right next door to the broken place? That neighbor is the 'feel sorry for me' family! My BFF and I took a ride through a very old mining community this week. As we made our way through the old neighborhoods, one thing stood out to me. The clapboard and adobe buildings still stood and many were still with families in residence. Some were bolstered in very unsightly ways, but they still stood.

What did the bolsters do for those homes. They allowed all the broken places to just be 'shored up' a little so they home was in a 'make-do' kind of state of repair. The thing about God is that he isn't a 'make-do' kind of God. When he sets to repairing the broken places of our lives, we sometimes he is busy tearing down those places a little bit, exposing just how much damage has been done. Then he sets about to build us up stronger than we were before. This is why God asks us to bring our broken spirit to him - as a sacrifice laid completely on the altar. He wants to make those places stronger - not just 'healed'. He wants us to live in such a way that we don't need the bolsters - because the walls of our emotions, spirit, and mind are all whole again. Just sayin!

Walk with the wise - become wise

Do you have anyone in your life that really 'believes' in you? There are all kinds of people in our lives, but those that really believe in us are a blessing way beyond what we might imagine. When we have others who believe in us, they encourage us, give us direction, help us avoid harmful things, and even learn new things. I don't know about you, but I need encouraging people in my life because life is filled with all kinds of people and things that have the primary aim of discouraging me. We all need direction from time to time because we don't always know which way to go on our own. We also don't see the stuff that can bring us harm when we are too doggone close to it, but when another is there to help us see it they can keep us from going any closer. We want a group of people in our lives that believe in us - nothing will help us grow as much as being surrounded by people we admire, respect, and trust.

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

A companion of fools suffers harm - that is scripture, my friends. I am not accusing any of us being fools, but I will let you in on a little secret here - we don't always surround ourselves with wise people! Sometimes we allow fools to become the ones who bring the greatest influence in our lives. To be truthful here, we 'allow' or 'deny' access to our lives, but if we are constantly surrounding ourselves with the wrong individuals (those who scripture would classify as foolish), we will soon see their influence in our lives. If nothing else, we will struggle to remain faithful to what we know is right. We have the right to 'deny' access to the fool's influence in our lives, but it is hard to deny their influence if we just keep hanging around with them all the time!

You want to have others who will actually 'walk' with you. That means they might determine the pace on occasion, but they don't determine the direction for our lives. God is the only one who should be one who determines the direction our lives will take. The close friends we have who 'walk' with us in life are those who also recognize the direction God is giving us and encourages us to stay faithful to that course. The right companions in life will help us avoid the foolishness of taking any other direction than that which God has given us. How are your companions adding up today in terms of helping you follow God's direction in life? 

Probably one of the most important parts of being surrounded by the 'right' people in our lives is that they will make an investment in what they know God is doing in and through us. They pour into our lives and in turn, they help bring forth the wonder God has prepared within us that can actually touch the lives of others. We want people who will invest in us and in turn, we will invest in them. A godly friend will not be 'stingy' in the investment they make in our lives - they will give willingly, above and beyond, without thought as to what they may 'receive' in return. Choose your friends - your companions in life - wisely. They make all the difference in how you will walk! Just sayin!

My bestie

I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends. 

(Walt Whitman)

Yup, I no doubt deserved each and every enemy I have made in life - that is for sure. What I don't understand is how many friends I have with as foolish as I have treated some people at times! I think we all have 'those moments' when we do less than a stellar job of treating others well. If it is a lifestyle, no doubt you have more enemies than you have friends! If it is an occasional 'one-off' kind of moment, no doubt those who call you friend have already forgiven that 'one-off' moment. Friendship requires some work if it is to endure the hardships of time and the challenges of those 'one-off' days. What we invest into a relationship today may not show any real 'yield' until we most likely need it somewhere into the future.

There are persons for companionship, but then there are friends who are more loyal than family. (Proverbs 18:24)

In life we have lots and lots of acquaintances, but very few true friends we can actually call our 'loyal friends - those who are perhaps even more loyal than our own family members. I don't know that we 'do' anything that actually counts as 'deserving' such a loyal friend, but I know God is faithful to give us such blessings because he knows how desperately we need them. It may be we have friends in our lives that simply just 'fill a void' - like those we hang out with on occasion just because we need something fun to do. It could be we have friends who come in and out of our lives on various occasions, not really all that frequently, but we certainly treasure our time with them. But...the loyalty of your bestie - that BFF - that one you just 'click' with - nothing beats it!

Why do you suppose God brings about these deeper relationships in our lives? I believe it is because he knows the other individual will act as that 'honing stone' in our lives - as scripture reminds us it is iron that sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). As we 'rub shoulders' long enough, we begin to challenge each other to deal with things in our lives that actually create the 'harsh edges' in us. A true friend will help us hone those harsh edges, not because they are there to point them out, but because God has put them there to help us see ourselves as we could not see ourselves alone. Have you ever had a conversation with God about why he put a particular individual in your life? I have! Each time I ask him, he is faithful to reveal to me how that individual is helping me to grow.

I don't know about you, but I honestly don't believe we could do nothing to 'deserve' the besties we have been given - they are a pure gift from God - a treasure we should cherish. Over the course of my life, I have come to realize that God doesn't do things 'half-way'. When he places people into our lives, it is because he knows specifically what that individual will 'bring out', 'pull out', or 'push out' of our lives just by being there. There are things our 'besties' will bring out - good things, things we might not otherwise have realized were within us. There are other things our 'besties' will pull or push out of us - things we have kept hidden, out of reach, or tucked away from everyone. When these are pulled or pushed out, it isn't to 'expose' us, but to either help us open up and be healed, or to let it finally go. Today, why don't you just take a moment to just thank God for that 'bestie' in your life. They are his blessing to you! Just sayin!