Perfect Pitch

Back in the day when I used to play guitar (I mean 'way' back in the day), one of the continual struggles I had was keeping it in tune. I always had to begin by setting the first string with my pitch pipe and then go from there. I have known others who play piano and often comment how moving a piano will cause it to sometimes go out of tune. It is like the wood gets tweaked ever so slightly and with that 'tweak' the strings that were once spot on with pitch are now out of tune. If you have ever worked within the framework of a team having to complete some type of project together, you may have noticed just how 'out of tune' you can get with each other when one goes off doing their own thing, or someone doesn't explain the steps well enough and you just have to guess how to proceed. In a matter of time, the project that was pretty straight-forward has a few more nuances that you are challenged with just because of the subtle shifts in process design or work the team took. It is hard to remain 'in step' with each other, isn't it? To remain 'in tune' within relationship with each other takes some work, but just as with my guitar or the piano tuner, there is this need for a 'pitch' determiner in our lives. The guitar required the pitch pipe, the piano the tuning fork. In relationships, don't we wish it was as easy as plunking on a key and turning a knob to get us into 'perfect pitch'?

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3:15)

It is Christ who acts as the 'pitch setter' in our lives. If we don't forget that important fact, we are more likely to be 'in tune' within relationships! It still takes a little bit of 'tune up' to remain 'in tune', though. Just having a pitch pipe didn't keep my guitar in tune. I had to use it and make the adjustments to the strings until I heard the same pitch from the string as I was hearing from the pitch pipe. In much the same way, we need to hear Christ 'tuning us up' according to the perfect pitch he sets and then make the subtle adjustments in our lives until we are as close to that pitch as possible. Words, actions - every detail of our lives - totally and willingly submitted to the 'tuning' process God uses to bring us into that perfect pitch. 

To be 'in step' is a beautiful thing. If you have ever observed a well-rehearsed marching band, or military unit on the parade field, their movements are crisp, sharp, and 'in cadence' with each other. There is perfection in their movements. God desires we remain 'in step' with him first - allowing him to set the cadence by which we walk out our lives together, but then he sets out the expectation that we will also work hard to remain 'in step' with each other as we follow that cadence together. When two walk together in such a manner you might even say they are 'equally-yoked'. In the old days when oxen were yoked together, a wooden cross-piece was fitted around their necks. Do you know why they used two oxen instead of one? It made the burden of the work easier!

God might just be focusing so much attention on us being 'in step' with each other because when we are it makes the work easier for us. Did you realize the science behind two oxen being yoked together actually shows they don't just have 'twice' the capacity to work, but they can have as much as four times the capacity of work just by being equally yoked. Whenever the two oxen are 'unequally-yoked', one pulling against the other, or perhaps just lagging behind a little, the work they produce is significantly less than what would be produced by even one! Let our words be united - putting no division between us. Let our actions be in unison - allowing each step we take be a furtherance of our mission in this world. If the believers will begin to focus on being 'in tune' with Christ first, then allowing that 'perfect pitch' to be set within their relationships with each other, imagine the work we might actually do! Just sayin!

At the starting block again?

God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit. (Psalm 145:14)

There are times we all feel like quitting, when all we want is a fresh start, but have absolutely no way of figuring out what a 'fresh start' would really look like. Many have heard the words of Vince Lombardi, "Winners don't quit and quitters don't win." Another quote goes something along the line, "Quitters are good losers." So, we keep plugging along, hoping not to be labeled as a quitter, yet desiring nothing less than a fresh start. I think God may look at us, realize our desire to quit, that insane desire for a fresh start where others say no fresh start is possible, and then somehow begins to meet this despondency with his provision of that 'fresh start' we all desire. Robert Ingersoll once said, "Happiness is not a reward - its a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment - its a result." There are indeed times when we think we will never be "happy" - but look at the quote again. It is called a "consequence" - an outcome of something we do, or perhaps don't do in life. Most of the time the best thing we can do is to make a "fresh start" with what we have been given. We take the pieces we have left, pick them (and ourselves) back up, and move forward in obedience. Thank goodness for the "fresh starts" we get in life! If it were not for these, where would we each be? I know you and I probably would not be chatting each day via this blog were it not for many a 'fresh start' in my life!

God GIVES a hand to those down on their luck. It is a extension of his grace that "turns the tide" for each of us. No amount of self-effort is the answer to really getting the "fresh start" - it is a matter of God GIVING us the fresh-start. Whenever we think of someone "down on their luck", life in shambles and chaos abounding, we think of an individual enduring a whole lot of suffering because a whole lot of bad things are happening to that individual, and perhaps even those in their lives that are reaping the side-effects of that chaos. Look at what Ingersoll said - Suffering is not a punishment! So, what is the intended result of suffering? We may not want to hear this, but often it is to make us open to receiving! 
God didn't want us to suffer, but we made wrong choices and the consequences are there. God uses the results of our suffering to open us afresh to his GIVING touch. We are probably the MOST open to his "giving" when we are experiencing our greatest sense of need - in our suffering! We need to embrace need as an opportunity for a fresh start - for our hearts, minds, and wills to be open to the fresh touch of God. Quitters don't win and winners don't quit. A valuable idiom indeed, yet flawed! Here's the flaw - winning often begins when we finally do quit! Sometimes we can be so wrapped up in the efforts of trying to NOT quit, missing the very point God wants us to see - we need to lay it down! Don't keep holding on - in letting go, we EMPTY our hands so they can be refilled with what God intends for them to be filled with! It is only empty hands which can be filled!

A fresh start actually begins with an end to what we have been doing. When we come to an "end", God stands ready to GIVE us a "start". Vince Lombardi also said, "The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." Sometimes the best we can do with what we have is to lay it down - to let it go! When we finally yield it to God's touch, we find the very thing we possess may be the very thing which "possessed" us - consuming us in ways God never intended. This isn't the first post in recent weeks about laying down what we don't need to hold onto any longer - and I don't believe that is by mistake. God has a message for each of us - let it go - finally, completely, and with intention. Want a fresh start? It begins today by us emptying ourselves so we might be open to receive exactly what God intends to GIVE us in order to launch us into the "newness" of a fresh beginning. Just laying it down...

Make that a double-stack, please!

Is there anybody here this morning that just needs grace? Wait - I just felt that gust of wind as all our hands went up in the air simultaneously! For some of us, we think grace (mercy) is probably the thing we need most, but have no idea how much those around us also need that same grace. We all have moments when mercy is the furthest thing from our minds when it comes to what the 'other person' deserves (but remember that grace is really undeserved favor). If we were totally honest today, there are times when we neither want to extend mercy to another, nor are we actively seeking it from another! We just want to get "even" and hope no one notices our silliness (or shall I say 'foolishness'). I am so glad we don't serve a God who looks for opportunities to "get even" with us! Consider this for a moment. Just how much grace do we really need? A whole lot and then some more (oh yeah....and some more)!

God is all mercy and grace—not quick to anger, is rich in love. God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace. (Psalm 145:8-9)

There is only one thing to say to this: WOW! All God does is "suffused" with grace. I had to look that one up because it isn't a common word in my vocabulary and I found it means "overspread with" grace. Think of a big stack of pancakes, just off the griddle, piled high upon your plate. The butter dripping down the sides, the rich maple syrup flowing down in rivulets, enveloping the entire stack in luscious richness and radiant beauty. Now, that is a probably a silly picture of God's grace, but I think that picture helps us understand what it means to be 'suffused with grace'!

Don't miss the truth in the first verse - He is ALL mercy and grace. There is not just a tiny part of his being that is "graceful" or "merciful". He is totally and thoroughly (completely, wholly) mercy and grace. Some may want to question this with something form of questioning such as, "Then why do some die without being saved?" Good question, but it never negates the fact of God being ALL mercy and grace - the individual just didn't embrace that grace. Even the time he allowed the person, the extension of his grace and mercy time and time again, all point to his being ALL mercy and grace.

Did you realize that even in our 'understanding' struggle, God (who is ALL mercy and grace) points us toward the object of our faith each and every time - Jesus! We all have the opportunity to embrace our flaws/imperfections/problems, in turn embracing more and more of Jesus each day. Sometimes, we don't see God's grace and mercy in the same manner he does. We "expect" God's mercy to look one way - we want it to fit our picture of mercy. In looking back in my life, I can honestly say God's mercy and grace have seldom appeared in the same way I imagined they would! But...it never negates the fact God is ALL mercy and grace. Even in sickness, certainly in loneliness, abundantly in need, and magnificently in deliverance!

God is good to one and all. Even the time we are granted is a gift of his goodness. Each breath we take is another opportunity to experience his goodness - in his grace and his mercy. Never discount God! He is ALL mercy and grace! I am listening to the song, "Indescribable", sung by Chris Tomlin. The words echo, "Indescribable! Uncontainable! All powerful! Untameable! You are amazing God!" This indeed describes our God - 'suffusing all things' with his grace and mercy! Just sayin!

Hillside vs. Hilltop

On a recent rock hunting trip with my son we observed a huge house atop a very rocky hill, sitting all alone and covering just about every square inch of that hilltop. We marveled at how it must have been very costly to build, so far from town, amidst all the rocks of the desert land and without immediate access to all the regular 'utilities' that are enjoyed by us city dwellers. We imagined it cost them a pretty penny to run the water and electricity, but to stabilize the hilltop enough to ensure a house of that side didn't shift and come down in the monsoon storms of Arizona summers was another feat all by itself. There must have been a great deal of detail that went into planning for the house's build and a fairly lengthy prep process to get the land readied to receive all would become this sprawling house. Not all things built in life are going to be easy. Some 'building projects' in our lives will be to focus us high above what others can see or appreciate. These 'projects' may take a little more time because the design is important - they will cost a little bit more because the structure created must endure things others don't.  

Blessed be God, my mountain, who trains me to fight fair and well. He's the bedrock on which I stand, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight, the high crag where I run for dear life, while he lays my enemies low. (Psalm 144:1-2)

I think we often forget we have the best 'designer' of all in our corner! We have been given the Holy Spirit as our "trainer" and God has 'designed' that which we are being trained to achieve. In the building process, God is preparing us for each and every swing the enemy will take in our lives - those things that are meant to tumble down our walls of defense and cause fissures in our foundation. God did all the design work ahead of time, knowing just what 'hilltop' we'd find our lives resting upon. Notice I didn't say God prepared the 'hillside' for us - he has prepared the 'hilltop' so we'd have the very best vantage point from which to 'live life'. Waiting for the design to 'take form' is probably the hardest part of our walk with Christ. We want to see our 'hilltop experience' right now, but we forget it takes a bit to prepare the 'space' upon which God builds his truths, cements his presence, and covers us with his protection. Truth be told - 'WE' take time to adjust to the build!

We want to skim the Word of God, hoping something might just sink in, but we forget foundations aren't built haphazardly. We hope an hour in church each week will lift our spirits, but we forget consistency isn't created by intermittent moments. We turn on the worship music on the way to work hoping it will fill our minds with peace before the chaos begins, but we forget to center our minds again on his presence when the chaos starts to turn our day upside down. Then we stand there and look out at the unfinished building on the hilltop wondering when we will ever be able to dwell in that place! He's the bedrock on which we stand. The bedrock level is the lowest, most stable level of rock - simply because it is unbroken. God provides foundation for our lives, but we have to stand upon what has been provided in order to realize the safety of the bedrock. In other words, we cannot climb to the cliffs until we are sure about the bedrock below. We cannot mount the hillside and just erect a tent on the top of the hill! We need the foundation of his preparation in order to erect the 'castle' of his presence that will endure the placement of that 'building' upon that hilltop!

He's the castle in which we live. He is a place of shelter. Castles are big, have lots of room, and are really well-built places able to endure the changes and challenges of time. This is our God - really big, able to endure the changes of time, and there is lots of room in his shelter for you and me! Guess what? We don't just visit the castle - we live there! Castles aren't built in a day - they take what seems like a lifetime to build. Maybe this is why God is taking so much time to actually get us up onto that hilltop. He is preparing what will become our 'castle'. It may not seem like much work is being done to prepare that hilltop for us but God is at work! When he is working, no one and nothing can stand against him! Listen to your builder - he knows the challenges just ahead and has calculated the moves you must take to come to rest with him upon that hilltop within that castle he is preparing for each of us! Just sayin!

Christmas is not a competitive sport

Christmas is fast approaching and many will make the season all about the gifts they have to amass for the family and friends on their lists. Others will focus on the elaborate decorations and colorful lights. Some will find 'alternative' ways to have those 'ugly sweater' parties - perhaps even an 'ugly face mask' party this year in light of the pandemic. Right there in the midst of all the shopping, list checking, celebrations, and decorations, there can emerge this desire to 'keep up' with someone else. The desire to not be 'outdone' by the neighbors in the display of decorations and lights can drive some to place life and limb at risk as they climb ladders, shimmy up trees, and cross dangerously steep rooftops. The endless hours hunting for 'just the right gift' can wear the best shoppers out - even when they are shopping online this year! Whenever we try to 'keep up' or 'one up' somebody, our motives turn from celebration into competition. Have you heard the term "keeping up with the Joneses"? In a simple sense, it is the tendency we have to compare ourselves to another, then come to the conclusion the stuff the other guy has is something we ought to have, as well. In other words, we "benchmark" ourselves against others. 

You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:17)

No lusting after your neighbor's house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's. While the neighbors may not have servants, we do notice when the neighbors have a weekly housekeeper; we may not have oxen and donkey, but we do notice the cars they drive; and we may not notice how much our house needs to be painted until we see the neighbor putting a fresh coat of paint on their home. How many times have we been guilty of "setting our hearts" on what the other guy has or has achieved? The downfall of keeping up with the Joneses is that we find ourselves becoming "consumers" of things, people, position, and even power. When we are just consumers, we are never satisfied with what it is we have.  We all have the natural tendency to "compare" - another term for this tendency is to benchmark ourselves against something or someone. We do it almost without noticing. Since this is such a "natural" thing for us, we would do well to begin to evaluate just how much this has been affecting our choices.

Did you know social status once depended upon your family name? In times past, the name said it all. Do you realize you have been given a new name in Christ? Your new name now says it all! You really don't have to work to achieve status - you already have it! Today, social status is often defined by some form of consumerism - the material or tangible stuff we can accumulate. The danger with this definition of status comes in the insatiable need for more. We want more 'likes' on our social media posts, 'followers' on our websites, and 'star ratings' on our product reviews. Things wear out, newer technology comes along, sleeker automobiles drift onto the market, and trendier clothes hit the racks everyday. My head is set whirling just trying to keep up with the names of the new automobiles out on the market today! Heaven knows my wardrobe is far from trendy! Social media likes and followers - you could go insane over that one!

The underlying attitude of heart God wants us to develop and use during this holiday season is one of contentment. We are given such status by our position in Christ - not the showy kind of status - but the lasting and permanent kind. In Christ, we have all needs met, all fears conquered. We stand as victors. What good does comparing ourselves to another really amount to anyway? In fact, it does just the opposite - it sets us up for giving into the lustful attitude of heart, the wishful thinking of the mind, and the insatiable drive of the eyes. We will do well to examine our "benchmark" in life. If it is not Christ above all else, we perhaps have drifted into a little of the "keeping up with the Joneses" philosophy of our culture. We need to "re-center" our focus in order to "filter" our wants from our needs. No social status is worth compromising our position in Christ. Nor is it worth compromising our family life, our relationships, or our integrity. This commandment really is for our protection, not for limiting us. It is a reminder to "re-center" whenever our eye is on something other than Christ - we should "want for nothing" when we realize our "status" in him! Just sayin!

A back fence moment

Who doesn't love a juicy piece of gossip? The water cooler used to be the place of 'gossip-gatherers' in the work place, the back fence the ones housewives would gather at after hanging the laundry out to dry, and school playground for those a little younger. Has much changed? We may not have 'water coolers', back fences, and spend very little time on the playground anymore, but we have other ways to share those 'juicy tidbits', don't we? I think God may have placed so many warnings in scripture about speaking against another person, gossip, and the like, simply because of the tiny spark of gossip that it takes to ignite a huge fire that can damage a reputation! Truth be told, we all need to deal with the words we speak about others.

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)

"No lies about your neighbor." Seems like a simple 'rule' to live by, but just try living it out when you are caught up in the fray amongst other 'gossip-hungry' individuals. I think this rule is best understood by another simple observation - no neighbor, acquaintance, or 'friend' is THAT interesting so as to always be the object of our conversation without some form of exaggeration, speculation, or downright gossip entering into the conversation! The truth of the matter is no one knows all the facts about another's life. God's warning to us is to use the information we have in a wise manner. We don't always give the right "testimonial" about our neighbor when we only have the "facts" we garner from our limited view of the life they let us see. The words we speak may indeed set a house on fire - maybe theirs, or maybe ours!

Leviticus 19 elaborates on this "rule" a little bit further for us: "Don't spread gossip and rumors. Don't just stand by when your neighbor's life is in danger. I am God. Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt. Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God." (16-18) Easier said than done - right? To the idea of not speaking falsely against our neighbor, God adds the concept of gossip and rumors. We have shared about this in the past, but it bears repeating. Gossip is just any form of idle talk. This comes back to my statement about no one being THAT interesting so as to always have something TRUTHFUL to say about them. The idea of not secretly hating our neighbor is also part of this equation. This comes back to the teaching of my mother of all those years ago: "If you cannot say anything nice about a person, don't say anything at all." I know there are others of you who have been told these very same words.

A rumor is the circulation of any portion of a report without actual confirmation of this report. In other words, it is a little observation mixed in with a little speculation. I like to think of this as us assuming the motivation of others and adding our impression of their motives to the mix of the story being told. This is a very dangerous place to be - no one really can judge the motives of another man's heart. Only God has the inside view! To this idea of not gossiping God adds the idea of not holding grudges. Can you see how one adds to the other? When we begin to speculate as to the motives of another, almost "creating" a story in our head, we come to a place of internalizing an impression of the other person that "fits" our image (but not always the reality of what that individual is or has done). Don't get me wrong - there are genuinely some miserable people in our world who create misery for many others. We are just not supposed to hold onto their misery and make it our own! 

Sometimes I think we talk about others so freely because it keeps the spotlight off of us. At other times, it is simply just idle talk - we lacked anything better to talk about at the moment. Either way, we are encouraged to consider our words carefully, speak only what is beneficial to be spoken, then remain silent on the rest. I know - - easier said than done, but oh so worth it! Just sayin!

Do You Bear Resistance Marks

I was charged with the task of cutting some soap the other day - something you might think would be insanely easy. It is this rich mixture of glycerin, oils, and the like, so shouldn't it be like cutting butter? First of all, let me assure you I am not a weak person - I have a great deal of strength in these hands and arms still. I can still wrestle the pickle jar open with best of you! The soap, on the other hand, just about did me in! No matter how much 'strength' I had in these hands, arms, and even my upper body, I just couldn't cut the loaf pan sized chunk of soap into 1/2 inch pieces. Something was awry with the soap as it set up and it made it insanely hard to cut. Do you know what we did with that soap? We let go of the idea of it being 'bars' of soap, chunked it up, put it back in the heat, and poured it into smaller silicone molds that will allow it to just 'pop out' perfectly sized! Hermann Hesse once said, "Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go." Some of us hold onto things, dreams, or beliefs long past the time we should have let them go all because we don't want to appear weak. Sometimes the greatest strength is revealed in letting go!

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. (James 4:7-10)

I don't like letting go of things that I have held dear for some time in my life - it isn't easy to just admit I need to make a clean break from them. Maybe it is because I think others will see it as a weakness to let go of whatever it is, or is it just that I am afraid to let others see me fail? There are times when pride keeps us holding onto things, ideas, beliefs, and others way beyond what is really all that good for us. We need to let go. I believe there comes a moment when we have to actually "let God work his will in us" - a time when we make a conscious choice to no longer hold onto those things. Notice I said it requires a conscious effort - if we are to let go, we actually have to make a 'mind choice' and then we have to actually put some 'effort' into the 'letting go' part. When we decided the soap bars were a crazy idea, we had to not only let go of the idea of this soap being in 'bar form', but we had to put in the effort to cut it into very small squares, melt it again, repour it into suitable molds and then go through the clean up process. 

In looking back over this event, I can recall the deep divots in the palm of my hand where I had been pressing down on the knife blade to attempt to cut through the soap. Trying to hold onto the idea of making 'cut bars' from this loaf sized chunk of soap hurt! It put pressure against me that told me it was resisting everything I was trying to do. That is how it is with stuff we need to give up, or let go of in life. The pressure it exerts in resisting us is insane, so why do we still hold onto the notion we can get something beautiful to come out of the idea, dream, belief, or relationship that has been resisting us with such force? We need to let go. To let go, we need to admit that God needs to change our 'will' toward the thing we need to let go of so badly. We need him to 'work his will' in us - to change the way we think about the matter, so we can finally make a break from it.

Some of us have already hit bottom where it comes to this 'thing' God is asking us to let go of right now. We have been toying with the idea of being free from it for some time, but we just haven't been able to make a 'final break' that results in us being free. The thing we fail to recognize is that this 'break up' with that idea, dream, or thing isn't really all our doing - God needs to help us let go. As we get down on our knees before God, we are allowing God to intervene right where intervention is needed. Whenever we assume the posture of 'letting go', God assumes the posture of lifting us above the thing we just laid down. Just sayin!

Huh? Whatcha say?

The more we get into this life here on earth, the more we realize it gets very complex very quickly. As little kids, the most complex things we had to worry about were whether we'd watch one cartoon over another, play with this toy over another, or choose to play indoors or outside. The choices we had to make were very complex at the time, but then we grew up! Now we have to figure out how to fix the broken sprinkler valve, where the best deals are on the groceries we need this week, how well we can stretch that paycheck with prices going up on everything, and who we can really count on to be there when we need help. Yes, life gets pretty complex as we grow older, but trust me on this one - we lend to the complexity of things when we forget to put God in the center of it all!

You are right and you do right, God; your decisions are right on target. You rightly instruct us in how to live ever faithful to you. My rivals nearly did me in, they persistently ignored your commandments. Your promise has been tested through and through, and I, your servant, love it dearly. I’m too young to be important, but I don’t forget what you tell me. Your righteousness is eternally right, your revelation is the only truth. Even though troubles came down on me hard, your commands always gave me delight. The way you tell me to live is always right; help me understand it so I can live to the fullest. (Psalm 119:143)

I believe God is right and he always does right. I may not understand why hurricanes happen, or why there is this pandemic right now, but I do trust that God is always right and he does right in my life. I also know there are forces at work in this world that aren't all that interested in how well I survive, or what evil intent they can unleash. Those are the forces that stand in opposition to God - they have been here since the beginning of time and if I understand scripture correctly, they will be here until God banished them to the pits of hell! Life is indeed complex - we need someone to help us navigate the complexities of life, don't we?

The truth of the matter is that we all receive a lot of 'coaching' to make 'good' or 'right' choices, but we don't always listen to the one who is trying to help us navigate this very complex world. We are being 'told' how to live, but do we always choose the correct way to live? If you are anything like me, then the answer to that one is a solid 'nope'. God doesn't change his mind - he gives us direction and it is always right. What we choose to do with his direction is a different matter entirely. We don't always listen to what we are being told. Mom and Dad tried to warn me against certain things such as not telling lies, not stealing things that weren't mine, and even how to hold a nail so you didn't smash your finger. 

Did I always do as I was told? There were indeed untruths told and things taken that bought me some time in the 'extra chores and no TV for a week' kind of mess, and I have had a few very sore thumbs to prove I don't always do as I am told! Maybe I don't want to admit it, but I am a little bit on the stubborn side - I take short-cuts, avoid things that I don't like to do, and even ignore good advice on occasion. What I will admit is that God isn't content to leave me in my 'non-listening' mode for very long. He keeps 'telling me' there are things I need to do, or other things I need to stop doing. He is just waiting for me to finally 'hear' him and obey him.

The way you tell me to live is always right - but truth be told about all of us - we need his help to understand his ways of living so we can live our lives to the fullest. We fall short of what God prepares for us simply because we don't listen with the intention of doing. When we finally realize that we need to 'pair' listening and doing, making the determination to listen to one voice and one voice only, we move into this realm of obedience. Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be rewarding? You betcha! Is it sometimes going to rub us the wrong way? At first, but then we begin to see the reasonableness of God's plans and purpose the more we get into what he asks us to do. So, listen with intention. You might just be surprised what you realize when you do! Just sayin!

Super-Hero vs. Villain

Have you ever watched one of those 'super-hero' shows where the villain is hard at work trying to destroy all things good and true, while the 'super-hero' is combatting the villain's every move? What comes across is that the villain believes in his heart that he cannot and will not be stopped. No matter what forces oppose him, he will continue to move his agenda forward. Along comes the super-hero, countering each and every villainous thing with some 'perfect' response to keep the villain from succeeding. One thing any super-hero is known for is their desire to continually 'do good' - it is that very desire that keeps them going and actually makes them unstoppable. It isn't necessarily his ability that keeps him going - it is his availability that does. How available are we when in comes to doing good? If we want to live 'super-hero' like lives, we might just want to focus on being more available to doing good in life rather than bemoaning the fact we don't always know how to do good!

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God. (I Peter 3:18)

If with heart and soul - these two interwoven in unity become pretty unstoppable forces. Heart and soul sold out to evil and self-interest makes a man or woman pretty domineering, unkind, and a force no one really wants to reckon with. Heart and soul sold out to righteousness and God's interests makes a man or woman stronger than any forces of evil, though. It isn't that we have become 'super-heroes', but that a super-hero like strength now resides within us - the power of Christ to live above the forces of evil all around us. Get heart and soul together on the same page, reading from the pages of God's plans, and you have a force that honestly has no real opposition, though many will still try to oppose it! Hearts at attention - notice the heart needs to be 'attended'. The mind and heart aren't going to remain upright and pure simply by osmosis. There is an 'attending' that must be done to keep them pure.

I think this is where we go wrong so many times in life - we simply stop paying attention. We lose our focus because something distracts us. Remembering that the heart is made up of our mind, will, and emotions, no wonder God reminds us to keep our heart at attention. The mind can be swayed when it is not 'on guard' to keep out stuff that isn't honorable and pure. The will can be convinced something isn't all that important when our mind isn't focused on what is very important for us. The emotions will play upon our mind and influence our will whenever they are allowed to lead the way. Attend to your heart - pay attention to where it is taking you in your thought life. Listen to what it is telling you to do and where it is saying it is okay to go. Compare that leading with the Word of God and you will oftentimes find you are being led down paths you are warned to stay away from!

Doing good isn't a result of some unconscious trait. It is a result of deliberately choosing to remain alert, attentive to the will of God, and thoughts 'checked' against God's Word each and every time we are about to make a decision. Heart and soul - mind, will, emotions - soul being almost a synonymous term for heart. Be attentive to where you are being led. No 'villain' really becomes a 'villain' unless there is a willingness of the heart to move in that dishonorable direction in life. No 'super-hero' really just happens upon becoming a 'super-hero' - there is a calling, a purpose, and a direction in life. Much like there is with the child of God - a calling to live uprightly, a purpose to be about the Father's work, and a direction in life that leads us into the throne room of God time and time again - worshiping at his feet, feeling his touch, understanding his leading. I think this world has way more super-heroes that could stand up against a few more villains if we'd just pay a little more deliberate attention to our heart and soul. Just sayin!

A little house-cleaning needed

Have you ever stopped to consider how hard it is to get your body to do what your spirit is telling you to do? You likely will find that the way to your "body" is not so much through your "spirit", but rather through your "mind". What you believe in your mind, you see acted out in your body. What you commit to in your mind, you usually see commitment toward in your body. What you focus on long enough in your mind will eventually become a primary part of your life. Most of the time, we try to get our body to dictate what our spirit should do, but it should the other way around. Your spirit should be the one dictating to the body since you get to your body through you mind. If you want to really change the way you are making choices in life, you need to ensure the spirit is working on the mind, not your body!

“Still, if you set your heart on God and reach out to him, if you scrub your hands of sin and refuse to entertain evil in your home, you’ll be able to face the world unashamed and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless. You’ll forget your troubles; they’ll be like old, faded photographs. Your world will be washed in sunshine, every shadow dispersed by dayspring. Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again; you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy. Expansive, without a care in the world, you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.” (Job 11:13-19)

In life, there are really two choices - either we walk in the path God sets out for us, or we choose to dictate our own plans and walk in our own stubborn ways. To really make any inroads in a spiritual sense, we have to commit our minds and bodies to doing what our spirit tells us. If our spirit is united with Christ's, it will not steer us wrong! One of the hardest things to learn in life is that there really is no "neutral" ground in our walk. There is no real way to be neutral in our thoughts, our actions, or our emotions. You may say you are remaining neutral, but you always have an opinion or are bent one way or the other. No one is entirely neutral. To be neutral is to not be aligned with either side. It is saying I won't listen to my body and I won't listen to my spirit. So, in essence, you are saying "I will choose to be dead"! A car in neutral goes nowhere - unless it is put in neutral on a slope - then it just heads toward the first thing that presents a barrier and will stop it. The collision of the car against the first really hard surface doesn't do much for the car, does it? Life in "neutral" is kind of like that - we might coast for a while, but at the end of the coasting, there is a collision of some sorts.

Set your heart toward God. What better place to "land" our emotions than on the rock of God's unchanging character. Our emotions are up and down. We need stability in life if we are to be able to get this "mind-body-spirit" thing all put together correctly. Reach out to him. Again, this Christian walk is not a life in "neutral" - there is some action required from us. Reaching is with the purpose of seizing. You "stretch" a little when you "reach" like Job is implying here. There is some exertion beyond what you "normally" do or think. Get right with God. Scrubbing your hands and setting your house in order is really a way of saying get rid of the junk that does little more than add clutter to your life. Sin clutters almost every part of our lives until we allow God to clean house! Even the best "house-cleaning" by God requires some obedience on our part to allow him access, leave the stuff he puts in the rubbish pile right there, and to desire to keep a clean house long term!

The results: The old life becomes like old faded photographs. As time passes, you can barely make out the features like you used to! Why? The image of the old is no longer what you are today. This is the hard part for most of us that hold onto things for way too long. Some old photographs need to be totally discarded because they no longer are a part of who we are today. Why do we hold onto the old ways of thinking, allowing them to influence the actions of our body today? It is usually because we have not made a clean break with the "old image" we have of our sin. If we want to be truly free from our past, moving forward, mind/body/spirit in tune with each other, we need to make a break from our old ways of thinking and doing. We might just need to do some 'house-cleaning' in our lives. Just sayin!

Plant a tree

I came across a little bit of truth that made me ponder a bit. You see, most of us have a very hard time understanding faith - we cannot really explain it, although we try to put it into words, those words somehow just fail to adequately explain how it is we live our lives in Christ Jesus. Here are the words I'd like you to contemplate just a little this morning:

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. (D. Elton Trueblood)

I'd have to say Trueblood not only hit the 'faith' nail on the head, but he also described how it is that Christ calls us to live our lives. If you have ever planted a tree from seed, watched it take root, then begin to fill out a little bit, you are encouraged, aren't you? You know it is well underway toward becoming a full-grown tree - but you realize you may never really sit under those outstretched boughs and actually feel the comfort of the shade and rest found there. It didn't stop you from planting it, though. Somehow we take the steps to plant what we may only begin to enjoy, but which will provide much more enjoyment for those who come after us. Our faith is like that - we take that tiny seed of faith, plant it, nurture it, and begin to watch it grow. Then one day we may experience some tiny result of that growth, but the real result of that seed is not really known to us. 

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Trueblood also observed that "faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation". Chew on that one for a moment. Repeat it to yourself a few times. Even stop to read it out loud to yourself. Why? Faith is trust without reservation - sometimes our 'reservations' need to be spoken out loud. Somehow in the speaking 'out loud' of what it is we are struggling to trust fully, we see how utterly foolish our lack of trust really is. We see our reservations begin to take a backseat to our faith and before long, we have unloaded those reservations on a street corner somewhere to find a ride with somebody else! What is it you are struggling to trust God with today? Maybe it is a matter having to do with your health. Speak it out loud. Let him hear those words of reservation. In so doing, God will begin to help you see where there is a seed of hope, even in the midst of those words of reservation. He will show you where to plant that seed - where it will take hold and grow - then where it will become a great 'tree' of faith that others will be able to enjoy long into the future.

Perhaps you are struggling with a question about your ability to walk in obedience in a matter God has pinpointed in your life. Speak it out loud. Go ahead - let those reservations be known to God. They won't catch him by surprise. Now, let him weed out the reservations, find that tiny seed of faith, and then get it planted. You won't see growth the moment you plant the seed, but the more you nurture the seed, the more it will take root. Just sayin!

More, More, More - a close second to Me, Me, Me

It is that time of year when kids everywhere begin to write out their wish lists for Christmas. At first, the new bike or gaming system is all they want, then the list begins to grow and grow and grow. We actually encourage our kids to 'complete' this wish list task by writing a letter to Santa. As the list grows, so does the discontent - the more we want the more discontent we become with what we have. Discontent can produce positive outcomes in life - such as when we are no longer content just barely being able to button our jeans and we begin a concerted effort to avoid the cookies and put in a little more exercise everyday. Discontent can also have a very negative outcome when it drives us to compare what we have with what another has, then begin to complain about what we don't have in this life. What makes the difference between the positive and negative outcome with discontentment? I believe it is where we turn with our discontent - turn in the right direction toward God and his graces in our lives and the outcome will be much more positive than if we turn inward and just focus on our wants.

Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. (I John 2:15-16)

Wanting your own way - does that sound familiar to anyone? As itty-bitty kids we begin to form this discontent with not getting our own way. We want to be held, so we cry until someone picks us up. We want to be fed, so we whine and whimper until someone breaks out the biscuits. We want dry bottoms, so we cry out as though our lungs were about to explode until someone replaces the wet diaper with a dry one, applying some soothing ointment to boot. As we get older, we still want our own way - it is just that we have gotten a little more 'discreet' in how we maneuver our wants into the conversation or the moment. When God asks us to do something that we don't want to do, how do we react to his request? Sometimes we ignore it, hoping he will forget he asked. At others, we outright refuse, putting us on some pretty shaky ground because of our rebellion. Either way, wanting our own way will not serve us well.

Wanting everything for ourselves - that began in the crib and oftentimes it continued into our adulthood. No one took our toys - no one interrupted what we wanted to have in our possession. From our toys to our time - it is ours and no one will take it away from us. Have you ever stopped at the end of a day and looked back at how much you thought you'd do and just what you actually got done? Someone interrupted your day and you didn't use that time the way you wanted it to be used. They made a drain on your day. We cannot control time any better than we can control the weather. We want it all for ourselves, but God specifically puts others in our path because he wants us to give of what is ours so the lives of those others will be made better in the process. We cannot always have everything - including time - for ourselves any more than we can have our own way.

Wanting to appear important - notice it says 'appear' important because importance is an illusion. It is evasive. It changes from day to day. What was important today will not be as important tomorrow. In the end, wanting to appear important is just a pathetic way of admitting we find our self-worth or 'value' in how others see us - the impression they have of us. If we focus less on wanting our own way, as well as wanting everything for ourselves, the 'value' others will see in us will be far greater anyway. Maybe this is why God puts those two first in this passage - because if we deal with those correctly, then we won't be as concerned with this one. We will be positive examples of his love and grace - the things that give us the 'reality' of being 'valued' individuals in this world. 

Wanting, wanting, wanting - it isolates us from God. It sends us on a trajectory that will eventually have us spinning out of control in this world. If we desire to do what God wants and asks us to do, we will find a deeper satisfaction in life. We will live fuller lives and be less concerned with how we 'appear' and more concerned with how much others see of Christ in us. Just sayin!

Pressure leaves a mark

“Whenever this happens, my heart stops— I’m stunned, I can’t catch my breath. Listen to it! Listen to his thunder, the rolling, rumbling thunder of his voice. He lets loose his lightnings from horizon to horizon, lighting up the earth from pole to pole. In their wake, the thunder echoes his voice, powerful and majestic. He lets out all the stops, he holds nothing back. No one can mistake that voice— His word thundering so wondrously, his mighty acts staggering our understanding. He orders the snow, ‘Blanket the earth!’ and the rain, ‘Soak the whole countryside!’ No one can escape the weather—it’s there. And no one can escape from God. Wild animals take shelter, crawling into their dens, When blizzards roar out of the north and freezing rain crusts the land. It’s God’s breath that forms the ice, it’s God’s breath that turns lakes and rivers solid. And yes, it’s God who fills clouds with rainwater and hurls lightning from them every which way. He puts them through their paces—first this way, then that— commands them to do what he says all over the world. Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark. (Job 37:5-6)

Rainstorms in my neck of the woods are rare and when they finally come, I just love to listen to the falling of the rain, but rainstorms in my area are usually accompanied by high winds and lots of lightning. They call them monsoons and they come with a fury. I love the smell of the rain, but wish it didn't come with destructive force. I love the freshness a strong wind brings, but I don't like the downed limbs and the piled leaves. Yet, in spite of what I wished would be different, it is all a blessing from God. It is how rain comes to the Arizona desert - fast and furious. Will I curse his blessing? Nope. Would I have wished for something slightly less furious and a little more tranquil - sure - but I can never forget - when storms come, regardless of how they arrive, they are God's way of making a mark in our lives!

God 'makes marks' in lives - not always in the manner in which we'd like him to make his mark. If you have leaned against anything for a while, then removed your leg or arm from that resting spot, you might have noticed it left an impression. Those impressions aren't permanent, though - they will pass as the elasticity of your flesh begins to go back to a normal appearance. God's marks have a way of being a whole lot more 'permanent' than the one left by the impression of what we observed when the 'pressure' was off that spot where we were leaning. The thing these two might just have in common is that they are oftentimes the result of some form of pressure. Think about the weather - even it is a result of some form of 'pressure'.

We cannot see God's influence in our lives apart from the pressure it takes to create that 'mark'. Job had been under 'extreme pressure' - having lost family members, been an outcast in his community because he was covered with boils or sores on his body, and even felt the rejection of close friends who judged him as 'having done something wrong'. The pressure just didn't seem to let up for him. Yet, at the end of it all he remarked: "Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, God makes his mark." I choose to believe it is God's extravagant love that is the impetus behind the pressure we feel in life - the pressure that will reveal the mark of God within us. How about you? Feeling any pressure right now? It could be God is about to 'mark out' something in you that hadn't previously been marked as his. The pressure we feel is about to make that mark known. So, don't resist the pressure - remember it is his extreme love that is applying that pressure. It is our extreme obedience that will embrace it! Just sayin!

Be on God's side

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. (Abraham Lincoln)

I have never really understood how a nation can be so divided when it is has been given so much in terms of freedom, liberty, and foundation, yet we see this division all the time. There seems to be this great need to 'pick sides' and then remain firmly committed to the 'side' you picked. In school, I remember not so much 'picking sides' as being 'picked for a side'. There would be someone appointed as the 'team captain' and then the two captains would stand there and 'pick' their players one by one - taking turns so as to be 'fair' in the choosing. What you dreaded most was being amongst the last to be picked - because that really meant they didn't view you as worth much on the team. What this world refers to as 'sides' has existed since the beginning of time - it may have looked different in the Garden of Eden, but between the serpent and God (the two team 'captains') sides were being chosen!

You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you. (John 15:16)

Notice that Jesus does not ask if God will be on our side - he asks us to be on his. He did the choosing - as the 'team captain', he selected us. Let me also assure you he didn't view us as the 'bottom of the barrel' picks, either! From the beginning of time, even before we were a twinkle in our daddy's eye, we were chosen as his. As with Lincoln, I say the most important thing to keep in mind is not that God is on our side, because he already is, but to remain faithfully on God's side until we each breathe our last breath on this earth. If we focus on God first in all things, then we can be assured God will always bring about the plans that are 'right' for our lives. 

I don't care what 'side' you pick in an election anymore than I are what color shirt you put on today. If you are comfortable in your choice, knowing God is behind you in your choice, then it is the right choice for you to make. I don't care what 'side' you pick when selecting whether you will drive a Ford or Dodge truck - if it gets you there, you like the ride, and you find the price point acceptable for the choice you make, so be it. There are choices we make each and every day - from the clothes we wear to the toothpaste we use when we scrub our teeth. In essence, every 'choice' is really us choosing 'sides'. There is but one 'choice' that we make that actually matters - the choice to embrace God as he has embraced us, or the choice to reject his embrace.

We aren't to forget that we are chosen - we didn't do the choosing. We choose whether to remain faithful to the 'side' we were chosen into, though. We can apply ourselves to getting to know God well, or we can just be 'bench-warmers' in the pews. This is where the 'side' makes all the difference. Remember the words of Christ - if you are not for me, you are against me (Luke 11:23). If you are not gathering, you are scattering - if you are not 'on my side', you are really against me. God calls us to take the 'right side' in any and all matters - that being the 'side' that chooses to serve him faithfully regardless of all the 'matters' going on around us. Just sayin!

Moments come, moments go

Moments come and moments go - we walk in and out of harm's way - moments of safety and moments of harm. What we do to prepare before the moment comes determines how we will face the moment when it does. We desire protection, but do you know what brings protection into our lives quicker than anything else? Being prepared! When I go out into the desert, I take water - more than I will likely need, but sufficient to be prepared for the extreme heat. When I take a hot pan from the oven, I reach for the pot holders - I know the heat will burn me, so I 'insulate' against it. When I get into the car, I buckle up - preparing for the worst, but trusting I will not need their 'tug' of safety. Moments come and moments go - what we do with this moment today may be what helps us prepare for the moments that are about to come.

Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!” Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in;
you made my life large with strength. (Psalm 138:1-3)

I take water into the desert - because nothing can sap me of my energies and sound thinking quicker than heat dehydrating my body. We need living water to reinfuse our souls and spirits equally as much, if not more than we need that water for our bodies. We may not even notice how the moments of life have turned from 'tolerable' to 'too hot for comfort'. The heat is turned up slowly and slowly, our spirits and souls taking the toll because we have not prepared to drink deeply of the living water that can refresh both. Christ is that living water - we need to drink him in daily - but we also need to be prepared to drink him in the 'in-between' moments when we just need to 'replenish' and 'refresh' our spirits. 

I anticipate the heat - knowing full well it will bring harm into my life if there is nothing to insulate me from the scorching effects it produces. For us to be burned, we have to be close enough to the source of the heat to actually begin to feel it. Sometimes we need to be close to the heat - it is where we are supposed to be - in order to 'take from the heat' that which does not belong in it. When the pie crust is lightly brown I want to remove it from the heat of the oven. It doesn't belong there now and I need to remove it from the ever increasing scorch of the heat produced within that oven. There are moments in life when we are called upon to reach out a hand to rescue from the fire those who have no way of escape without our help. Be prepared to insulate yourself from the extreme heat by taking time now to ensure all you need as a defense against that heat is in place in your life.

I buckle up - hoping I will never need to be saved by the application of those belts against my body, but knowing there will come times when they will hold me tightly when I need it most. Seat belts aren't restrictive - they enhance the protection we receive when we need it most. God often tugs at our hearts, not in a restrictive way, but at moments when a 'collision' is likely to take us out. That 'restrictive' tug is there because God has prepared a way of escape when we need it most. The 'belt' of God's protection isn't hard to understand - it is the belt of truth - truth woven into every fiber of our being ahead of time - as prepared warriors ready for the moment when the attack will come. We defend because we are prepared - we are alerted to the attack by the tug upon our hearts.

Moments come and moments go - be prepared for them when they do! Just sayin!

Committed to the Wait

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. (Thomas Aquinas)

Faith is somewhat of a hard concept for many of us to understand because it is 'elusive' and kind of linked quite closely to 'hope'. As a matter of fact, some would define faith as hope - the believe something will happen in a particular way or at a specific time. Take faith to mean there is a great confidence in something or someone and you are pretty close to what most people define as faith, but there are others that will assure you it is belief in something or someone that is not always based upon proof. They will ask if I can prove there is a God and I have to ask them if they can prove there is not a God of the universe. Even the belief there is no God is faith is something or someone other than God - such as self, the 'mystical' force that must be with you, or the like. Faith isn't a 'thing' - it is a commitment of heart and mind. We may not know totally why we are as committed as we are, but we know there is evidence our trust isn't unfounded. We see it in our own lives and in the lives of those around us who also have made this 'commitment' of heart and mind.

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. (Romans 5:1-2)

I like to fish, but I don't count on catching fish each time I go out to the river or lake. Why? It is the luck of being in the right place at the right time when the fish are specifically looking to eat that helps me catch fish - not much else really matters. I could have a cheap rod, or the most expensive. I could just have a length of fishing line and a hook. Regardless of how I am 'equipped' to fish, I am still 'hoping' for a nibble that ends up in a fish on the end of the line. Fishing is a 'faith' thing! I have to commit to the long haul of casting in, waiting sometimes a long, long time, and then hopefully I feel that tug. You know what - living with Christ is a lot like fishing - we have to cast in, hunker down for the long haul, and wait for the 'tug' that tells us we are spot on in the right place at the right time with the right things in hand for the moment we are experiencing. 

There are times when the 'tug' we feel is really our hearts or minds responding in faith to something God is asking us to do. We take the first step, 'cast in' as it were, and then we wait. The hard part between any open door and us passing through it wasn't that the door needed to be opened, but that we had to wait for it to be opened! Think about the pattern Christ laid out when he said we knock and the door will be opened. Knocking doesn't always result in an immediate opening of the door, does it? I have often knocked on my daughter's door and had to wait for the cats to be herded into the corner, the deadbolt turned, the doorknob lock disengaged, then the process of unlocking the security door ensues. All the while what am I doing? Waiting in hopes of getting inside so I can embrace my grandsons and put a hug around my daughter's neck. 

The doors we open are different from the ones God opens, though. Some of the doors he opens in our lives require us to wait, while others are flung open. The doors of salvation are flung open at the first knock. The door to do something or acquire something I may desire to do may require a little knocking and then waiting for the opening of that door. I am knocking on the door right now for something with God, but that door doesn't seem to be opening. Have I lost faith it will open. Nope. Why? I have come to appreciate that I need to 'cast in', honker down, and sometimes just wait. While I wait, what do I do? I look and listen. As I sit by the riverbank and wait for that tug on my line, do you know what I am doing? I am looking all around, watching the birds, appreciating the ants crawling along, and even marveling at the wild horses that come to the water's edge to drink. I am observing, taking in, and fully appreciating being right where I am. 

God opens doors for us, but in the time between the knocking and the opening, don't despair. Appreciate the wait - observe the things put there all around you to see sometimes for the very first time, or actually notice even though they have been there forever! Just sayin!

Not just barely free

I have to admit - at times I keep score. Not so much in your life, but in mine. I keep score of the things I do that are right steps toward a healthier lifestyle. I keep score of the steps I take in a day by wearing a smart watch. These are pretty 'harmless' things to keep score of in our lives, but when we start to 'keep score' of times we fail to take the right steps, we are doing just the opposite of what Christ does on our behalf. God doesn't 'chalk one up' on our 'account of misdeeds' just because we make a bad choice. We don't earn merits and demerits in some 'heavenly accounting system'. Prayer, going to church, reading our Bible - good actions, but they don't 'even out' the score when we do dumb stuff! In fact, it isn't about evening out any score - it is about all the demerits going away because God only sees the side of us that reflects the 'merits' of Christ!

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

The good news we are looking at today is this idea of living more than 'just barely free'. I once read the story of how the circus trained the large elephants to 'stay' where they were supposed to stay. At first, they drove long stakes into the ground and secured the back leg of the elephant to the stake with a length of chain. It allowed the elephant to maneuver just so much, then it would feel the tug to not go any further. In time, the more the elephant got used to the 'distance' they could go while secured to the chain, the less the elephant resisted or pulled against the chain. As time went on, the chains became unnecessary because the elephant learned the 'distance' he was allowed to maneuver and he stayed put.

I kind of look at God's plan for our lives as kind of 'restrictive' at first. As new Christians, we look at all the 'rules' it seems we are supposed to live by - some 'rules' such as go to church, read your Bible, have a 'quiet time' with Jesus every day aren't particularly onerous 'rules' per se, but then there are the ones we struggle with a little bit more that present a little bit of a 'tug' that 'restricts' us somewhat. They kind of rub us the wrong way at first. I could elaborate on a lot of those things people consider God's 'rules', but I will just look at a couple to make this point. 

The 'rule' to turn the other cheek comes to mind - one that is harder to do in the moment when all we want to do is defend ourselves or retaliate. Why are we told to turn the other cheek? It represents the grace of God - when least deserved, totally unearned, grace is given. The 'rule' to 'forgive seventy times seven' is not just designed to 'keep the peace' in relationship. It is exemplary of the unconditional love of God. These are more than 'rules' - at first, they are like the 'chain' that holds the elephant - harder for us than we might like it to be. The more we allow those 'rules' to guide our actions, the less we notice there is even a 'rule' being kept. It becomes our way of life. 

We don't live 'bound' in Christ, even when we find ourselves 'keeping the rules'. We have learned the value of remaining within the 'boundaries' set by those 'rules'. The distance we can go without getting outside of those rules isn't what matters, it is that we remain securely in the place of safety those 'rules' create for us. The elephant doesn't notice he is no longer chained - he just enjoys being safe where he is placed and lives to the fullest right where he stands. Maybe we need to take a lesson from the elephant today - live more than 'just barely free' constantly chafing against the 'rules' - learn to appreciate those rules are just there for our safety and provision. Just sayin!

It is never too late

It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel. (Henry B. Eyring)

I want Mr. Eyring's words to speak to us today. It is never too late - to repent, to forgive, to thank someone, to serve, to life up another. I know a great many struggle with the idea they have gone too far, done too much, been too bad in their judgment  - it is too late in their eyes to seek or find forgiveness. Nothing could be further from the truth - grace wins each and every time.

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. (Romans 5:20-21)

Sin didn't - that is historical - in the past. Sin doesn't - that is here and now - the present. Sin doesn't have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace - that is then, now, and in the future! All the enemy of our souls can do is 'threaten us' with death - but even death isn't him winning - because in death, we are with Christ in eternal life. Sin has no hold - so stop thinking you are 'beyond' forgiveness. 

Sin doesn't want us to let go of the grudges we hold so closely in our hearts. It wants us to keep holding on, to not relinquish control. That is exactly what forgiveness does, my friends - it relinquishes our right and desire to control another. In truth, we don't control them - that lack of forgiveness on our part is us being controlled by our bitterness and unwillingness to let go of the wrongs done to us. 

Sin didn't want us to repent and seek forgiveness - it liked having the upper hand in our lives. God's hand is stronger than any sin or control it might try to exert in us. There is nothing too hard for God - breaking those bonds to sin is his business - letting go of them is ours. There is nothing too hard to break free of, but if we hold on for dear life to what has sucked the life from us, we are holding onto the wrong things.

When it's sin versus grace - grace wins hands down - not once, but every time! That individual may not 'deserve' forgiveness, but we don't 'deserve' the grace we have received in Christ Jesus, either. That thing we hold onto because it seems to hard to let go of isn't any match when it comes face-to-face with Jesus and his matchless grace. 

Who do we need for forgive? Let go...it isn't that person we are controlling - we are being controlled by that memory of the 'injustice' done to us. Who do we need to thank? Let's get to it...those words of thanks could be the beginning of something great in that individual's life - for those words could be the spark of life they need right now. What do we need to lay down - to repent and seek forgiveness for in our own lives? It is easier to see the speck in our brother's eye than the log in our own sometimes, but until we lay down the log, we aren't any good at helping anyone else with the speck they are burdened with right now. Just sayin!

A little waste recycling needed

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. 

(Will Rogers)

How true is that statement? We all amass 'experience' as we move through life, some of it more 'worthy' of proclaiming than others. Certainly some of our judgment has been 'flawed' on occasion, yet there are even good things that come out of our bad judgment. The fourth police car has just passed my house bound for a residence at the end of the street, along with a fire truck and ambulance. Curiosity would make we want to find out what is going on - good judgment would tell me to trust the local authorities to do their job and pray for whatever is happening at the moment. Good judgment isn't learned by giving into every moment of 'curiosity' we have toward a matter, is it? In fact, there are times when we have to deny our curiosity because it is bound to lead us down a path we shouldn't be traveling!

A leader of good judgment gives stability; an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste. (Proverbs 29:4)

Some will immediately deny they are 'leaders' in any sense of the word, but even if you are not presently thinking of yourself as a leader, let me assure you that someone is following your example. Obviously that makes each of us 'leaders' in some sense of the word. How important it is for us to lead well - with good judgment so there will be a stable example for them to follow! Poor judgment indeed leaves little more than a trail of waste, but even 'waste' has some value to the ones who have learned to 'recycle' it! God would hope we'd be consistent in our use of good judgment, minimizing the need for 'waste recycling', but he is also a realist and knows our propensity toward not always using good judgment!

For some, bad judgment seems to be the 'norm' - it has become so commonplace in their lives that when 'good judgment' happens, it is an oddity! I am so grateful that the periods of my life marked by one bad judgment right after another were actually able to be redeemed. How about you? Has God done the work of 'recycling' the waste of all those bad decisions in your life? Think about it - what has he done to turn what others would label as 'waste' in your life into something that would now be labeled as 'beautiful' and 'holy'? We want to focus on the fact that 'waste' came out of those decisions, but God wants us to see that the pile of waste is nothing more than 'fertilizer' for the growth he is now bringing forth.

Yes, we all want stability in our lives. Certainly we want to lead well and never lead another astray, but we know the reality of our moments of indecision and weakness - we will exercise bad judgment at times. Rather than beating ourselves up over those moments, why not let God use them as a means to help us develop better judgment for the next time we face similar moments of indecision or weakness? He might be using that 'waste pile' in your rear-view mirror as a reminder of all that has changed in your life. He could also be reminding each of us of just how powerful it is to have 'pre-decided' to make certain good judgments when faced with decisions and weaknesses. Just sayin!

Scrap Pile Growing?

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. (George Bernard Shaw)

How are you doing on that 'mistake' count? I could fill journals! Mistakes are a part of life - good or bad judgment is the only thing that contributes to mistake making - right timing combined with bad judgment can make for an equally messed up outcome. There are lots and lots of checks and balances that are in play every day to keep us from 'messing up', but you and I both know we don't always follow the rules or maintain a perfect balance! Mistakes aren't always bad, though. Yes, they can be costly, but the 'expense' of making a mistake is actually one way of saying we just had an investment made into our 'learning'!

For a good man may fall seven times and get back up again, but the wicked will stumble around and fall into misfortune. (Proverbs 24:17)

Scripture doesn't tell us a good man won't fall (fail) - it reminds us of the power within us that helps us get back up again and again. For those of us that fall pretty often, let me just lay it all out there. We fall down, God helps us get back up, we fall down again, and he still helps us get back up. God never tires of helping us up, but he would get pretty tired of us just plain quitting! Sometimes we think we will just fail again, so we quit instead of being subject to failure ever again. I am learning woodworking skills and I have a large pile of wood 'mistakes' that have been both time-consuming and costly. Have I given up? Nope! Why? I want to master this!

We need to have that "I want to master this" kind of attitude toward those things we label as mistakes or failures. Our mistakes don't master us - we master them, but that requires us getting back up and doing it over and over again until we get it right. Let me be clear here - God doesn't celebrate our mistakes, but he doesn't leave us to wallow in them, either. He reaches out his hand, helps us back up, dusts us off, and then helps us take the first steps toward 'mastering' whatever it is all over again. Why? He understands the power of grace. He has done more than just provide the 'means' by which we can have grace, he provides the constant learning that comes each time grace is extended.

A good man falls - not once - but repeatedly. Don't overlook those words because they will give you encouragement if you let them. We will fall. We have the choice as to whether we will get back up again, though. We can wallow or we can rise. What you choose to do with each mistake is really going to determine the outcome of the mistake. I choose to make mine learning opportunities. Yes, I have lots of 'scrap' in the woodpile, but I can always find a project to make from the 'scrap'! God has a way of turning our 'scrap' into something beautiful. So, why not trust him to help you up and get you started on the right path again? Just askin?

Better Than a John Deere

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. (Charles Spurgeon)

If you have wondered about the value of the present 'trial' you are enduring, you might just wrap your words around Spurgeon's thoughts today. They 'dig up the soil' of our lives - revealing to us exactly what we are made of. Sometimes we discover the soil is pretty much 'infertile' - rocky, hardened, and just plain 'uninhabitable'. At others we may find that soil to be easily turned, full of all that will give and bring life, and able to bear much fruit. Do you know something? It is the same soil! It is just that the latter has been 'worked' a little bit more by the hands of the one who knows exactly how to bring forth life and fruit from our lives.

Dear ones, don’t be surprised when you experience your trial by fire. It is not something strange and unusual, but it is something you should rejoice in. (I Peter 3:12-13)

I am looking at the condition of some of my raised beds right now and noticing just how much the soil within them needs a good 'turning'. It needs to be aerated again, turned over so the roots of the plants can penetrate the soil more easily, and the leaves that have landed on top of that soil can be turned into the soil so they can begin to decay and provide nourishment for the plants. It isn't that I don't know 'what' to do to make them grow better - it is that I don't always take the time to do it! The same holds true in my own life. It isn't that I don't know what God is after in my life - it is that I don't give him my time or attention long enough for him to actually do it!

There is no excuse for some of our 'infertile soil' in life - it is simply that we have allowed it to become neglected. No wonder God will use some form of trial to begin the turning process - to begin to stimulate growth in those areas where it has become stagnant, or even non-existent. I don't imagine the soil in the farmer's acres look fondly upon the passage of the disc harrow attached to the tractor he maneuvers throughout those acres. That 'harrow' has but one purpose - to chop up the weeds and left-over crop remnants, while breaking up the soil. Yet, I know the acres are likely to be more displeased with the use of the plow! Why? It digs deeper, cutting into the soil, and exposing what is hidden.

God uses some trials as plows, while others are just like the harrow. Some will cut deep, expose much, and get at the 'root' of what holds back growth in our lives. Others will simply rejuvenate the soil of our lives so that we are ready for the fresh work of growth God wants to bring forth. I don't know why we resist trials so much, but I know we wouldn't if we fully understood the purpose behind each one. I have learned one thing - God uses the right implements at the right time to produce the right results the soil of my life most desperately needs. How about you? Have you learned to fully appreciate the 'implements' God uses to rejuvenate your life? If not, today could be the place where you begin to allow God to dig up, turn under, and refresh your life again. Just sayin!

God's proving ground

Out of difficulties grow miracles. (Jean de la Bruyere)

Miracles still happen, but when we don't find ourselves on the receiving end of a miracle, how do we respond? There will be times when we celebrate nonetheless - because we know God is still in control of the circumstances. There may also be times when we begin to realize we have hardened our hearts toward God because we didn't receive the miracle we sought. At others, we may see something that resembles a miracle and walk away totally unaffected by it. How can there be so many responses to God's presence in the midst of his people? I think it all comes down to the condition of the heart. The more we are hardened to the grace and love of God, the less likely we will be to recognize his presence in the small or large miracles we observe all around us.

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw the stick down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake. Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and people who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done. Each one threw down his walking stick. Each stick turned into a snake. But Aaron’s walking stick swallowed theirs up. In spite of that, Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said. (Exodus 7:10-13)

Pharaoh no doubt saw the various miracles of God right in front of him - each one of them bigger than the other. Each one mimicked by his 'magicians', telling me that this world has a way of attempting to 'crash God's party'. The thing we cannot fail to see is that God's miracles were not just to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelite people free from their slavery in his nation, but they were faith-bolstering evidence that God was with his people even when the situation didn't seem to give evidence of his presence! Each miracle Aaron and Moses performed at the instruction of God was mimicked by the magicians of Pharaoh - God promising to 'multiply the signs and amazing things he would do in Egypt' (vs. 3). In spite of all the evidence of God's presence and power - Pharaoh wouldn't submit to the plan of God.

The most telling things that reveal a great deal about Pharaoh are of the things God records about his extremely poor attitude of heart. "He will not listen...", "He became stubborn...", "He refuses to let the people go...", and "Even the miracles didn't change his mind..." - all telling statements of the hardness of his heart toward the truth. A heart hardened to truth, repeatedly rejecting the grace and power of God, will eventually just get harder and harder. Is there a way back from this hardness? It is a question I know we have all considered at one point or another. Can a man or woman so hardened to the grace of God be 'softened'? I believe in miracles, my friend! I believe God is able to change even the hardest of hearts.

Miracles oftentimes grow out of difficulties - out of those hardest places in our lives. We may not realize God is setting up the perfect display of his power and love, but in that moment of the 'miracle breakthrough', we see God soften even the hardest of hearts to his move upon their lives. Moses and 

Aaron didn't like that they had to repeatedly return to the courts of Pharaoh. They knew his heart was so hardened toward God's desires for his people. They knew they would be repeatedly challenged. It was a difficult situation, but they also knew they had the presence of God with them all the way. Difficulties are just God's 'proving ground' for the evidence of his grace and power to be demonstrated in ways we never imagined possible! Just sayin!

The dreaded 'recliner coma'

Do you ever have a hard time staying awake when you finally kick back in that recliner or favorite spot on the couch? It is like some mystical thing happens while you are watching TV or reading your book. Slowly, but ever so slowly, your eyes get heavier and heavier, until there is no resisting the urge to just close them for what you believe will be 'just a moment'. Then...without notice...you are snoozing away! The worst part about it is that it is only 6:30 p.m.! The sun has just set behind the hillside and the darkness has crept in - and somehow your body interprets that as it is time for a little slumber! If I happen to drift into one of these 'recliner comas' at that hour of the night, I am usually not able to get to sleep at my regular bedtime because my body will have found rest and 'recovery' after about 30 minutes! As hard as it may be to get up from the recliner and take a few laps around the house, it is what helps me to maintain alertness and to avoid the dreaded early evening 'recliner coma'. 

Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world. (I Peter 5:8-9) 

I used to think it was just 'old people' who suffered from the attack of the 'recliner coma', but I have come to realize it affects my younger children, so I am reassured that it is not an 'old people' thing! All kidding aside, there is a danger in allowing 'slumber' to come into our lives where alertness is really required. The more we fight 'slumber' from the place of 'rest', the harder it is to resist, isn't it? That is why I have to get out of the chair and walk a few paths around the house. I am forcing myself out of the place of 'rest' so that I can again make my body alert. There are times I think God is asking us to rise up out of our places of rest in order to again regain a full and consistent alertness about us in our spiritual lives. We could try to regain our alertness from our place of rest, but it isn't always possible until we 'rise up' and take the steps necessary to get the juices flowing again!

Do you know what happens when I don't maintain my spiritual alertness? I give into temptations, finding it a whole lot easier to compromise than to resist. As important as rest is to our bodies, it is equally as important to our spirit. But...God never intended for his kids to just 'rest' - we are called to do battle and battle requires us to be alert - on the watch - paying close attention - free and ready to move as movement may be required. I have an electric recliner, so to get up from it requires me to be patient while the footrest returns to the retracted position. If you need to respond quickly to something, you almost have to hurl yourself over the end of the footrest - not making for very solid footing as you move into action. Maybe there is a lesson there - in our ease and rest we don't always have the quickness to respond with the steadiest of 'standing' to life's 'urgent needs'. 

I don't think it is by accident that God reminds us to stay alert and to be on the watch. On occasion, we need to stand, take a few laps, get our bearings and footing solid beneath us, and then refocus our 'guard'. It is okay to enjoy the rest God brings into our life, but it isn't the best place to resist temptation. Resistance is by definition a place of opposition - we are withstanding some force moving against us. There will always be opposition in life - it is the nature of living on this earth. We don't resist by remaining at rest, though. We resist by allowing the energies within us to come to life - providing the force moving against us some form of opposition to that movement. As important as rest is, resistance is equally as important. Just sayin!

The familiar sound

As I learned of the loss of yet another of the people I have admired in my life, I am reminded this morning of the moments we create each and every day. We have so much opportunity to do good, choosing to be a blessing in the lives of others, but do we always embrace those opportunities? I know I reference our choices so often, but we need to understand just how much each and every one of them matter. There really are NO insignificant choices in life. In fact, each one is noticed - each one is weighed in the balance of right or wrong. Those choices - those moments we create by the choices we make - they are our legacy. What is the legacy you will leave behind when you leave this earth?

A good person leaves what they own to their children and grandchildren. But a sinner’s wealth is stored up for those who do right. (Proverbs 13:22)

Some believe an inheritance is merely the 'goods' someone leaves behind when they exit this earth. I think it is much, much more. Our 'inheritance' - that which we leave behind - there isn't a 'value' to it that can be calculated in dollars and cents. In fact, our legacy is more than our bank accounts, status achieved in life, or even our collections of stuff we amass in life. Our legacy is made up of daily choices - moments created when we are with each other, doing things for others, loving with our hands and hearts. Lets be honest here - we let moments pass us by - we ALL do this. We never know what moment will be the one someone will hold onto long after we are gone, though. That moment we allowed to pass us by - would it have made a difference in the life of someone we leave behind? 

I read a post this morning by someone in one of my woodworking social media groups. His father was lost in a house fire, but do you know what this man sifted through the rubble of that house to find? His father's keys. Why? The doors were all gone, the vehicles all lost, everything seemingly left in a burnt pile of black char. Those keys were this man's memory of every day with his dad - the familiar 'jingle' of those keys on his dad's belt were what he remembered because he knew his dad was never without his keys. Rain or shine, going out or staying in, those keys were firmly attached to his belt. Those keys will always be that man's connection to his dad - memories will flood back into his mind as he holds those keys and hears that familiar 'jingle' of those charred keys.

The moment you stop to listen to your grandson tell you about his day at school - you are making a memory. The moment you don't reach into your wallet to buy that child something, but encourage him to work for it, to use his creative energies to achieve his goal of getting that thing he wants - those are memories that may not be realized as a 'transition point' in that child's life, but years from now, he will appreciate you encouraging him. The moment you sit across your desk, encouraging a young new 'lay person' in the ministry to pursue their passion, letting them know you see God's hand on their lives, and that you have confidence in their choice to pursue their calling - you are leaving a legacy. 

The choices we make leave a 'mark'. That 'mark' is our legacy. I don't always make right choices, but I am choosing to leave a legacy that I pray will be remembered as one that was worth more than silver or gold in this world. How about you? What is the legacy your are leaving as evidenced by the choices you are making today? It isn't too late to change the 'value' of your legacy, my friends. Just sayin!

Got any quirks?

A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a friend loves the man himself. (James Boswell)

Agreeable qualities? What specifically are 'agreeable' qualities? I believe most of us possess these qualities, but maybe don't put a specific 'name' to them. Things like listening to the heart behind the words and then meeting the needs of the one speaking those words might be considered an 'agreeable quality', but what other qualities would you put on that list if you were asked? Would you ever stop to consider being able to bring up a 'disagreeable' subject in a loving way without really creating an atmosphere of disagreement as an 'agreeable' quality? I would. A good friend is able to do more than just bring out the 'good' stuff in you - they are able to bring out the stuff that you know is there, but haven't been willing to deal with!

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:17)

In the Amplified Bible, this passage actually reads: As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion]. In other words, being a friend with 'agreeable qualities' means that you won't be afraid to influence the life of another - to bring out into discussion the things that otherwise would have been left untouched by others too afraid or too selfish to take the time to discover in each other. I like how the Expanded Bible translates this passage: As iron sharpens iron, so people ·can improve each other [sharpen their friends]. We actually improve each other when we allow this freedom of discussion to occur.

Don't overlook what Boswell pointed out - a friend loves the man himself. If you count me as your friend, you love more than the things we do together - you love me, complete with my quirks and my qualities. Too many times we do little more in relationship than another our qualities! If you want to be a good friend to another, you won't be afraid of others seeing your quirks. In counseling terms, this is called being transparent. Good friends have a way of peeling back the layers until the individuals are free to be exactly who they are - free of 'cover-ups' and 'facades'. 

The 'man himself' is not always all that easy to love, is he? What we are - the complete package of quirks and qualities - is sometimes a little hard to appreciate, much less love. You probably have family members you say are kind of 'quirky' - you call them 'dysfunctional'. You might also have acquaintances you call a little bit too 'high maintenance'. Regardless of how you apply the label here, what you are saying is that their qualities are easy to live with - their quirks are not! A good friend is able to do more than appreciate the qualities - they are able to appreciate even the quirks of an individual. I don't know about you, but I want people in my life that appreciate both and help me work through the things that are a little 'quirky' in  my life. Just sayin!