The Plumbline

I think it was Norman Vincent Peale who reminded us it is always too soon to quit. There are a lot of things we chase after in life, sometimes quitting just short of ever achieving whatever it is we are chasing after. We chase after a lot of things in life, but I have come to the conclusion not all of them are really worth chasing. Sometimes we chase stuff which brings us grief and disappointment - not exactly the best outcome, huh? This chasin g is a part of a much deeper issue - we lack satisfaction or contentment, so we 'chase' and 'chase' and 'chase'. Contentment is a state of being "at ease" in our mind, soul, and spirit. We don't need activity because we are already at rest. Sometimes ceasing is the best remedy to chasing! Satisfaction really is that deeper sense of being grateful - fulfilled in what we have and who we are. Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you....

What is a preceptor? In many learned skills, there is a process of aligning an individual who has much experience with another who is just starting out in the skill. During a specific period of time, the preceptor 'checks off' the 'newbie' on various skills required for the work at hand. The main purpose of the preceptor is to help the newbie add line upon line, precept upon precept, skill upon skill, until they are deemed able to perform the task at hand without constant oversight. We all look for 'mentors' from time to time in our lives - whether learning a new job, or just trying to learn a new hobby. There is no greater 'mentor' relationship one can have than that which mentors another in the 'skill' of being in a committed and growing relationship with Christ. God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to tak...

Someone once quipped everyone knows exactly how to raise children except all of us that have children! It is like we needed a user manual, but the product arrived absent that manual! Mom used to say babies needed a little gauge on their tummies with an arrow that pointed to hungry, wet, tired, gassy, and just hold me because. That would have made knowing how to meet their needs much easier, wouldn't it? Now, when they turn into teenagers, the 'gauge' might need to be a little different - right? Maybe the options would be something like "Thinks he knows better than his parents", "Wants your love, but wants to look cool", or maybe even "Cannot figure this thing out and needs your help". Wouldn't it be grand if kids came with instructions and those little 'gauges' that help us figure out how to be better parents? Maybe we aren't given the 'gauge' so much, but we really are given the instructions - we just don't realize ...

Skill is defined as the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, and aptitude, to do something well - even to the point of excelling.  Some might say this individual possesses a sense of confidence as they perform their tasks - ability revealed in complete dexterity to perform the functions required.  Others might say this individual consistently exceeds expectations - not just that they "meet" them, but that they go above and beyond what the typical worker might accomplish with the same amount of effort.  Sometimes skill is a learned thing - at others, it is like an innate aptitude to "just do it". I always marvel at those who possess a skill without much effort - there aptitude revealing their ability repeatedly and with consistency.  To coin a phrase, maybe they are born with it.  Others have to work quite hard to develop the same level of skill that the individual with "innate aptitude" just seems to slip right into.  The skilled worker, re...

If you have ever taken to leaning on your own understanding, you might have just limited yourself to whatever is in your "toolbox"!  I like to do little odd jobs around the house, tackling some of the projects myself - some call it being a "do-it-yourself" kind of thing.  Yet, there are some tasks which are just outside of my "scope" because I neither possess the knowledge to perform the task, nor the tools to make the job turn out well.  If you have ever tried to hammer in a nail with the heel of your shoe, you know exactly what I mean!  You might get it into drywall, but if you hit a stud behind that drywall, it isn't going anywhere!  I have come to recognize my "toolbox" and my "skill level" are not always aligned either.  I possess a few more power tools than I really am proficient at using!  I dabble with them, but that circular saw still frightens me!  I imagine severed finger tips and it just gives me the willies!  In a spiri...