July 24th - God created me with a will but it isn't His.

The story...

That Friday trip to Ludington State Park, on on my new yellow-KLR motorcycle, was wonderful.  I rode a new route and saw things that I'd previously ignored.  It seems I was often rushing in a quest to either get to a better place or to rush home as quickly as possible. 

Wow! Ludington Pumped Storage Plant

The weather was good, the people were friendly, the waitress was extra helpful, and the state park looked just like I left it - there were nice improvements.  Yet, the highlight of my trip plan was to cast a yellow-red Daredevil spoon off of the Lake Hamlin sand dunes - I imagined catching that Northern Pike.  I planned for it, willed it, hiked there, had the stuff, and even the weather to make it happen. Yes, I was attempting to "bend" reality according to my will.  To my dismay, the area had too many boats and my secondary fishing site had two people wading in the bay!  My imagined reality wasn't going to happen.

I prayed a short prayer of thankfulness and remembered that God's will wasn't my will  Obviously, He has a different and righter plan than I could imagine.  So, I walked back to the parking lot with maybe five casts - silver, #3 Mepps spinner, no buck tail - along the way.  I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes for a few minutes.  The scene was comfortable, peaceful, and the sounds of the kids playing at the beach were joyful.  I gathered myself, picked up my rod, and sauntered along the shoreline to the dam.  There was an old man fishing below the dam who shared that he had no luck.  He wished me the best and on my third cast I caught the Pike I had hoped for - it was a joyful experience.

I do wear a big shoe...

There were always reasons for doing what I've done in my life.  I've made a series of reasonable choices, within the confines of my environment(s) and capabilities, to end up here.  Good situations sometimes resulted in increasing pride and smugness that led to downfalls while trials often resulted in a better, more capable, and thankful, me.  Yes, I'm thankful for all my life thus far.

God made us with a will to work out our life while He intervenes through His sovereign will as He wishes.  We can ignore Him and reap the consequences of a self-willed life, trying to bend reality, or trust Him and experience increasing heart-felt joy and peace.  How could our will ever come close to the will of God for our lives?

The only church in town would share God's revealed truth for both eternity and this life too.  They'd share scripture like 1 Corinthians 15 so that people might hear and believe in God's provision for us, His creatures.  What an awesome wonder to be able to humbly and rightly walk with God in Christ. 

Just for today...

"At that moment of smug self-righteousness, God decided to send me a spiritual awakening. He told me that perhaps they understood more about Him than I did.  After all, they were the ones who were happy and free, filled with peace. Perhaps I could learn something from them if I opened my mind enough to listen and opened my heart enough to risk getting involved..."  Hope for Today (p. 206)

"Plan tomorrow; Live today - Think eternity; Honestly be."   Am I a Poet?

July 4th - Will somebody sit next to me?

The story...

I sat next to a woman on a train to Milwaukee one day.  Unexpectedly, we shared much of the important parts of our lives.  Kristen let me know that she had her eye removed with hopes of eradicating the cancer in her body; yet, she recently discovered that the cancer traveled to her liver.  There was no known cure for that type of cancer.  She participated in a sort of holistic program to extend her life with the hope that a new, yet unknown solution, might materialize.

She was a positive person with much support in her life.   We discussed living in 3-month intervals; the pros and cons of hoping for a miracle; difficulties related to thinking about future plans; and the important parts of life that might make a difference into eternity.  I think that we encouraged each other and were both better off for having met and listened to each other with open hearts.  I'm glad that I chose to sit next to her.  I wrote a prayer card and placed it in my prayer box.  I hope that she lives a long fruitful life yet I'll probably never know - we shared only our first names.  I wish now we would have traded e-mail addresses.

The only church in town would likely be a place where congregates might expect conversations regarding life's challenges and eternal realities with open, honest, and humble God-trusting people.  Human wisdom and hope have limited value when interment is in view.

Just for today...

• Value each person we meet - it's a miracle that each of us is alive.
• Be open to God's leading and resist temptations to be your own little god.
• Seek to understand them - you might open an opportunity to both give and receive love.

"Body of Christ; Here today - Community built; His Way."   Am I a Poet?

June 17th - Remember the joy of floating down that river?

The story...

There's a dam and a river between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan.  The dam regulates the current flow - inner-tubbers can slowly float to lake Michigan on most summer days.  It flows faster as it narrows and slows as it widens.  As it breaks through the sandy beach, it speeds up in the narrows and  cuts deeper.  Eventually, it flows into Lake Michigan.

The memories of floating and swimming with friends invokes feelings of happiness and a sense of peacefulness.  It took a lot of work to get all of the floats, fins, life jackets, towels, goggles, books, lotion, and beach chairs to their correct position at either the start or end of the float trip.  One person had to drop the van off and run back to the start.

That lazy river might be a metaphor for life.  God has a will for our lives that flows with relative ease and purpose.  Yet we can kick hard to try to go back upstream, worry about a little bit of rain when we're already wet, venture into the shallows to check out a shiny object, or even kick to the shallows and slow way down while watching others float along.  I remember jumping out to tow a couple tubes and stepping on a fishing hook - ugh.  Yes, floating is about resting and trusting in the river's power.

The only church in town would teach about God's revealed power and provision.  Life, like the river, requires us to do our part and trust God for the rest.  Might we work out our part of the problem and detach?  Let God do the heavy lifting and directing as only He can do.

Just for today...

"... if I could subordinate my will to His.  This is a stumbling block for so many of us: we feel obliged to apply the force of our will to our problems.  No solutions can be found in this way."  One Day at a Time (p. 169)

"Floating free; Oer powered water - Being along; To Thy end."   Am I a Poet?

June 9th - What does it mean to be good?

The story...

"Rommel, you're such a good boy."  I must've heard words like that, directed toward me, but I don't recall them.  If I did, I'm not sure what those words would've meant.  They likely would've meant that I was respectful, obedient, trustworthy, helpful ...  Wait a second! That sounds like the Boy Scout law:

 "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent."

How does that compare with what God says is good?

"He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 (NASB)

The difference may be that the first one is a law, that boys are asked to strive toward, and the second requires walking humbly with God in a loving manner.  How do I work out my life humbly - walking rightly with God and loving my neighbors?  God is holy and I'm not.  I was born selfish with a heart that's like an idol factory.  Those idols were barriers between me and my relationship with God.

Message to me on a felt board as a 7 yr. old - I believed it.

As I grow older, through the seasons of life, I'm walking closer with God.  Our relationship seems to bear His fruit - scripture says fruit's born through the Spirit of Christ who indwells me as a Christ one.  Yes, I've put my faith in the Son of God and His great redemptive work.  My old nature tempts me to idolize my own fantasy, where I may waste my: precious time, relationships, financial power, and even emotions.  I'm positioned complete in Christ and without Him I'm wandering through life towards...

People within the only church in town would witness people walking humbly with God with loving hearts.  They'd witness some Christ ones resting in peace through life's trials and sufferings as they journey toward separation from their body.  They'll likely see the gap between their own reality and what God said they can be.  God, the vine dresser, growing people in Christ (John 15:1-5).

Just for today...

"'The last thing I need is to be more humble.' Hadn't I been humble all my life, putting everyone's needs ahead of my own? . . . I had confused humility with humiliation . . . humility, I discovered, is the ability to see my true relationship to God and to my fellow human beings."  Courage to Change (p. 161)

"What wonderful things could happen in my life if I could get rid of my natural impulse to justify my actions! . . . Being honest isn't easy . . . I know that self-deception multiplies my problems."  One Day at a Time (p. 161)

"'I was afraid to say what was on my mind or in my heart for fear of being ridiculed, shunned, or criticized . . .  Now I have a reputation for being direct, honest, and open . . . I can let others know how I think and feel . . . I have a right to share what is in my mind and heart."  Hope for Today (p. 161) 

"You're a good boy; Momma said - I did bad; Was she wrong?"
"She wanted better; Both her and me - Imagined truth; Just ain't real."
"God sees me good; Thru His son - Peacefully believing; Son in son."   Am I a Poet?

May 19th - Fear and Hope - Opposites

The story...

I'm sitting in a pew listening to the call to fear and worry.  "Expect to be persecuted . . . this is no longer the nation where we grew up."  "Batten down the hatches - a storm's brewing!"  This seems to be the opposite of hope in God, the Creator, and His revealed plans for His creatures.

I'm not prone to fear; yet, I've been afraid.  I don't know what it's like to face the world with expectations of doom and gloom.  Sure, I've enjoyed reasonably good health and insurance too.  More of my investments have been profitable than unprofitable.  I've never gone hungry, or been homeless, unless I placed myself in a situation where that was part of the plan.  I'm thankful that, but for the grace of God, I'm not the worrying, less hopeful, sort.

I'm truly thankful with great hope for the future.  I appreciate the eternal life perspective that I was taught and worked into my reality by faith - faith in the Holy One who redeems His creatures so that they're found in Him through Christ.  I think that my inner-man, heart, is secure yet storms and trials will come...  This post seems like a long string of "I" statements.  I'd rather be in a place where "I" focused more on others and the communities that we actually live in.

Manhood - by Thomas Cole

The only church in town would be a group that's sustained by hope within the promises and upheld Hand of God.  Yes, Alan Jackson would be welcome to sing of the power in the blood of the Christ in the only church in town.

Just for today...

"The future - even as close as tomorrow - is a closed book.  We cannot know what it holds, and the more we look for disaster, the more we invite it . . . This is something only God knows..." One Day at a Time (p. 140)

"Wasn't I comparing my insides to other people's outsides . . . If I compare, I lose.  Maybe I'll come out feeling better than somebody this time, but next time I'm bound to feel worse."  Courage to Change (p. 140)

"They've got that; I'm this way - We don't fit; This they say."
"We're all moving; A path we're sold - Ready or not; Truth be told!"    Am I a Poet?

May 3rd - Freedom to Flourish

The story...

A co-worker and I were commuting to-and-from Grand Rapids, MI as part of a continuing education curriculum designed to help us become better managers and leaders.  We were struggling to accept the lessons learned from a video we saw that night.  The video showed a "boss" who had multiple employees come into his office while he was setting plans for a golf outing.  Each of his reports would let him know of their problem(s) and how they were proceeding.  He acknowledged their planned actions, thanked them, and returned to planning his outing with his feet up on the desk.  It seemed like he was a disengaged, laissez-faire, manager.  Yet, the video suggested that good leadership might look like that - capable leaders and mangers performing their role in a sort of symphony together.  How could this be?   Shouldn't the boss give them advise, check on the progress of their work and pitch in to help?  You know, true servant leadership?

My fellow student and I both served support roles for multiple manufacturing facilities.  So, we challenged ourselves to decide which operation had the most capable leaders within the organization.  We were somewhat shocked when we realized that the leader of the best organization did behave much like the leader portrayed in the video - neither of us really thought he was a good leader.  Yet, his organization was like a farm team who developed good leaders and managers for the organization - they played a manufacturing symphony together.  We both learned a valuable lesson.

Freedom to work it out and grow

What would leadership look like within the only church in town?  I expect that they'd allow congregates the freedom to work out their own life and faith.  They'd be available, good listeners, offer related truth revealed by God, yet be slow to give advice as to how or what they should do.  They'd allow each person to grow with freedom to flourish as gifted. 

Just for today...

"Sometimes it is more loving to allow someone else to experience the natural consequences of their actions, even when it is painful for us both."  Courage for Change (p. 124)

"Searched for Love; Mom and Dad - Friend and Brother; Left me sad."
"Looked for Girl; Two or Three - They can't do; Love for me?"
"Illusive kindness; Flits away - Be that friend; Love you say?"   Am I a Poet?

April 27th - Paddling Together

The story...

You're in a group that's planned to last about a year.  You get to know each other well with only a couple of months left.  When a deeper question arises, the group respectfully ponders it.  The guy who used to blurt out the answer feels comfortable with the silence.  The guy who didn't know what to say, and feared sharing, is quietly and peacefully pondering it too.  When a group member speaks up, the group listens and more naturally values the thoughts expressed from his inner man.  The sense of community feels great - we're growing together.  "One person says, lets all stay with each other next year too."  I'm currently enjoying my seventh year in a group like this.  I greatly value each of the seven groups and every member - I'm a better person because of our common life investments. 

One of my group members was different then me; yet, we shared a common life struggle and the suffering that went along with it.  We've met for years and have both grown together - walking through life side-by-side.  I greatly value our friendship and our faith seems to have grown together too.  It's kind of like we're walking together like Christian and Faithful walked throughout Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan, 1678).

Years ago, my best friend and I enjoyed a trip to the Boundary Waters on the border of Minnesota and Ontario.   We planned the trip with other's help, we geared up at the Canoe Outfitter and learned how to react to bear encounters as a group.  Yet, when we pushed off from the dock - we were on our own with only a map to guide us.  Pilgrims in a new territory that promised adventure, beauty, suffering, and protein from the fish we hoped to catch.  The portages were strenuous.  The four bear encounters were terrifying.  Watching moose navigate through anything was humbling.  The first morning dip of the paddle was serene.  Relying on each other was bonding. The trip was really hard and good.  We often wondered and anticipated "what's around the bend?"  Strangely, we don't think that we'd do it again yet greatly value the experience.

This Maine canoe outfitter says "Your Adventure Starts Here."

The only church in town will offer relationship opportunities at various levels - different relationships for different people within their season of life.   The full congregation, groups, friendships, close friendships, and most importantly their relationship walking humbly with God in Christ. The last affords the opportunity to make the first four types fruit bearing and worthy.

Just for today...

"Self-esteem grows when I love and accept myself as I am.  I block my own well-being each time I base my self-worth on what I do or what others think of me."  Courage to Change (p. 118)

 "When I heard the recording, I was immediately flooded with fear and apprehension . . . I pray that I may not fall into the error of anticipating trouble . . . If it should come, let me meet it with equanimity and love."  Hope for Today (p. 118)

"Pull from bow, Steer from stern - Tandem power; Travels far."   Am I a Poet?

March 14th - A Journey of Faith

The story...

Pastor Pete said: "If you aren't 100% sure of your salvation then you've got the big problem to deal with."   He proclaimed messages like that frequently and it bothered me.  Why?  I'm a conversationalist who asked about and heard a variety of conceptions of God.  I remember believing in the gospel, during a Baptist outreach, when I was about seven.  However, I also rationally understood how the whole construct might've been worked out to help people deal with their fear of pain and death.  Wouldn't the fear of chaos motivate men to create a religion to appease and control the masses?

I'm not sure what the process was, but one day I fully believed and stopped entertaining doubts - began more humbly and honestly walking with God in a more "right' relationship.  It could be my personal version of what happened inside Abraham in Genesis 15.  I'm not sure whether it was an act of my will, powered by the Spirit of God, an experiment, or something worked out in prayer.  I do know that I now fully believe God's Word as opposed to rationally considering and evaluating each idea before "I" make "my" decision.  I hope that my current faith is becoming more like the faith of Abraham - God's friend.

I struggled to find a picture that might best relate to faith.  I chose this bolt head that helped secure the bed of my old truck to it's rusty frame.  If you've worked on old cars, you've learned that you'll find a way to get that seized bolt out even when it appears that there is "no way."  Fretting or thoughts of quitting don't help.  I was so thankful that I was able to grind this hard-to-reach bolt off - I keep it as a reminder to trust the process and to remember past victories.

How might the only church in town work out their faith together and individually?  They will: preach, teach, praise, worship, commune, eat, serve, love, help, build, listen, share, care, and trust in the will and hand of God.  The faith journey may start in a moment like Don and Betty seemed to have at their son's camp.  Their sin and the consequences are easy for the viewer to see; yet, they don't appear to really know what's going on.  There is a curse, the law of sin and death, working it's way out in people who were created for something better.

Just for today...

"If we do finally ask for God's help, we must do so with absolute confidence. It is fruitless to take back into our own hands the problem which our powerlessness forced us to turn over to Him." One Day at a Time (p. 74)

"It stands to reason that a change in us will be a force for good that will help the entire family." Courage to Change (p. 74)

"Swimmer's speed; Through deep - Ladened mind; Washed clean."  Am I a Poet?

March 9th - Did I run a good race?

The story...

It's the 22nd mile of the October 17th, 1999, Detroit Marathon.  A man, dressed in black and red, stood outside a bar with a table of clear cups that appeared to contain beer and wine.  He offered all runners the opportunity to quit the struggle and rest - "take it easy."  The guy who I was running with stopped and left me.  I'm nut sure of the moment he left; but, I do remember the deep-felt sense of discouragement - left on my own.  We were sharing a common goal, a pact of sorts, that we committed to along our journey.  My family cheered for me before Belle Isle and I expected them at the finish line - I longed to finish.  

The last game played in Tiger Stadium was September 27th, 1999.  The race finished with a lap around the bags and a final step onto home plate.  I heard my family, all Tiger fans, yelling for me as I stepped on the first bag - the emotion was overwhelming and wonderful.  I just barely qualified for the Boston Marathon that day and actually ran that great race in the spring of 2000.

Wow ... did that really happen?

The race story reminds me of that final scene in the movie Saving Private Ryan.  Ryan says to his wife: "'Tell me I've lived a good life.' and 'Tell me I'm a good man.'"  I believe my finish time at Boston was precise to the second.  What's the measure of a good life?  Everybody's life is clearly different. Scripture says that our Creator has a will that's partially worked out through his creatures.  His creatures certainly are free-willed and seem to all have a difficult time truly loving God, their neighbors, and even themselves.

The only church in town would proclaim and teach the revealed Words of God.  It's a wonderful and mystical reality living safe within Christ, and the Spirit of Christ in us - the good life worked out together.   Might the daily measure(s) of the quality of a Christian life be:  1.  Did I love the LORD my God with all my heart, strength and mind?  2:  Did I love me for who I am in Christ?  3.  Did I love my neighbor as myself?

Just for today...

"Today I will remember that uncertainty is not a fault but an opportunity. Everything I do and everything that crosses my path - people, situations, ideas - all have the potential to contribute to my growth and understanding."  Courage to Change (p. 69)

"Finish seems far; Pacing with him - Loved ones cheer; I fly away."   Am I a Poet?

March 4th - Otherwise

The story...

We owned a book of poetry - beneath the living-room table. The book was titled "Time's River - The Voyage of Life in Art and Poetry."  Kate Farrell selected the art and the poems - they were published by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1999.  The book's organized as four phases of life:  Childhood;  Young Adulthood;  Maturity;  and Old Age.  I viewed these life phases in a series of paintings during a tour of the Smithsonian Museum in 1982.  When contemplating those life paintings, I can relate to the character depicted in those paintings.  I wonder: "am I solidly in the third or fourth phase?"  Am I experiencing the right stuff?

Please enjoy "Otherwise" written by Jane Kenyon in 1947.

I got out of bed on two strong legs. It might have been otherwise.

I ate cereal, sweet milk, ripe, flawless peach. It might have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill to the birch wood. It might have been otherwise.

At noon I lay down with my mate. It might have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together at a table with silver candlesticks. It might have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed in a room with paintings on the walls, and planned another day just like this day.

But one day, I know, it will be otherwise.

How does this poem relate to the only church in town?  My life is both my own and part of my communities.  Those communities seem to shape and form me.  They're likely a key part of what I take with me when I separate from this life.  Hebrews 4:15 confirms that Jesus the Christ's life on earth is important to Him; so, I expect ours will be important to us in eternity too.  I hope to continually grow my faith and more naturally love God with all my heart, strength, and mind.  I'm learning to love me and my neighbor too.  Yet, one day it will be otherwise.  Thank you Jane for sharing a "good" piece of your life with us today.

Just for today...

"This day is a beautiful room that's never been seen before. Let me cherish the seconds, minutes, and hours I spend here. Help me to think before I speak and pray before I act." Courage to Change (p.64)

"Right now; We're gifted - God's here; Breathe deeply."  Am I a Poet?

February 25th - That albums left on the turntable

The story...

I left home, off to college, with hopes of: independence, knowledge, career, friends and true love.  I was fortunate to meet a friend who became my roommate for two semesters.   Stereo systems and music were important then.  Strangely, we left only one of two albums on our turntable during those days.  His favorite song and my favorite song.  I actually bought a second copy of Rust Never Sleeps - the first one wore out.

Maybe the songs were favorites because they triggered dormant emotions or the messaging rang true.  I can feel some of those same emotions as I type and listen to My My, Hey Hey. "It's better to burn out than to fade away or rust" resonated within my soul.  It feels good to be honestly in touch with my soul.

How does experiencing the reality of our emotions and soul work out in the only church in town?  Scripture says that the power of God is alive with His who walk humbly with Him.  God given love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control reflect a great condition to "be."  I expect that the church functions as well as God indwells each soul.

Just for today...

✌

Hey, hey, my, my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey, hey, my, my

Out of the blue and into the black
You pay for this, but they give you that
And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black

The king is gone but he's not forgotten (Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten? (Johnny Rotten, Rotten Johnny)
It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps
The king is gone but he's not forgotten

Hey, hey, my, my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye

February 21st - Friendship

The story...

I didn't choose to be a Jim Carrey fan - maybe I just am one by nature.  "When Nature Calls" is Jim's movie that I'm reminded of most often.   The scene where he learns to communicate with the Chief and his son makes me laugh every time I think of it.  I don't expect that they'd likely end up as close friends; yet, the movie reminds me of the awkward moments that may be the beginnings of friendship.  I assume that Jim Carrey fans can be friends with non-Jim Carrey fans; yet, it's more likely that close friends share much in common.

For me, close friendships have been illusive and I greatly value those that I have.  C.S. Lewis, in his book The Four Loves, wrote a great summary of what friendship is and he valued the few close friends he had.  Pursuing a relationship for our own sake is bound to fail.  Relationship success seems more likely when we will what's good for the other person, share much in common, and walk side-by-side together in an honest sort of way.

J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

Chapter one of Thomas Merton's book "No man is an Island" offers further understanding of the qualities of a good-friend relationships and our role within them.  Since these relationships are important, yet unnecessary, it seems that we should value those we have and be alert to close friendship opportunities.

Within the only church in town, I hope that every person would have at least one close friend.  Jesus, in his humanity, is documented as having at least three close friends - one being His closest.  I've often heard that people are most happy and engaged in the workplace when they have a best friend.  Might the same be true within the only church in town?

Just for today...

"May God preserve me from the love of a friend who will never dare to rebuke me.  May He preserve me from the friend who seeks to do nothing but change and correct me."  No Man is an Island - Merton (p. 10)

"I understand him; He gets me - We climb together; Eyes locked on the prize."  Am I a Poet?

February 20th - Am I on a random walk?

The story...

There was a time when I searched Ebay to discover things that might sooth my unsettled inner man.  I liked the bidding process, the low personal investment, and the quest to win the prize.  One day, I found some "things" that seemed like a good fit.  A school was selling the motorcycles they used to train new riders. "Wow, this would be great, I could fix them up myself and share my passion for motorcycles with others."   I was more than a bit unsettled when we loaded them into the back of my truck.  The motorcycles should have been easy to rebuild but I had to face the reality that I was no motorcycle mechanic.  And, training others to ride on my motorcycles turned out to be a bad idea too.  Three months later, I helped a guy load them onto his truck - he seemed to have similar naïve notions.

How do I know if what I plan and do is within the will of God?  Am I behaving as if I'm on a random walk?  I expect that my walk along side others, within the only church in town, would be more purposeful and fruitful.  No matter what my "self" tries to tell me, I'm just not right walking on my own self-directed path. When I do so, my eyes are focused on me rather than others - that's not a satisfying way to be.

Just for today...

"I told myself I was homely, thoughtless, lazy, stupid.  I would never say those things to a friend.  I realized that until I started treating myself like a valued friend, I would be standing in the way of my own recovery."  Courage to Change (p. 51)

Micah 6:8

"I want it; I get it - It bores me; It goes away."  Am I a Poet?

February 1st - Imagining the Only Church in Town

The story ... 

Sixth grade was the year that I felt most secure. The school had a sort of code/ethos that I understood. The teachers did a pretty good job of controlling it. The environment and behavior fit the stated and unstated code. The principal enforced the rules.

Most sixth graders knew that they better guard themselves from the hurt inflicted by other "Selfs" or they'd suffer - If they didn't learn how by sixth grade then they certainly learned it when they moved on to middle school. It's easier when you think and act like the group - do groupthink. For me, academics came easy and I was able to work in an around the rules to safely be more like the "true" me - our class was the oldest and most capable within the whole school - we were sixth graders.

The building that was once my sixth grade home

There were so many questions that I assumed that my parents, teachers, or pastor could answer - if I could just ask, sit still and learn.  For me, disillusionment began in Junior High School. They didn't have all the answers and I felt on my own.

I imagine the only church in town spending less time talking about the doctrines that “we” believe and more time focusing on what scripture teaches us about Him, me, and us.  There would be groups of people, within the community, that'd work out their faith together – groups that could be a bit less guarded and open among the safety of their friends. 

Just for today ... 

"They be who they are - yet I want them just so. When each grows his way - me and we are okayer." Am I a Poet?

January 27th - Our journey from third base to home plate.

The story...

I've often thought about my progression through life as if on a baseball diamond.  0-22 gets me to first base; 23-45 gets me to second base; 46-70 gets me to 3rd base; and 71-?? gets me home.  Much of my behavior seems to want to delay stepping on third base.  I'm working hard to improve my flexibility,  mobility, strength, mind, and activity to delay stepping on that bag - why?

Someone, who I loved, recently stepped onto home plate and they're gone now.  My memories remain; but, they're gone.  They'd even lost much of their memory before they stepped onto home plate.  What's there to look forward to on that straight path from 3rd to home plate?

I've been told that I should avoid lists within this blog; yet, I'm again compelled to list the most important parts of life that I look forward to during that final stretch.  Here're my top 12 in alphabetical order:

• Accepting love from care givers and offering love too.
• Enjoying the meal God's set before me rather than merely discussing or learning about it.
• Fellowshipping with God in Christ more continuously.
• Focusing my mind and heart on actualities rather than fiction.
• Interacting peacefully - forgiving and apologizing as needed.
• Investing in good living and God honoring initiatives.
• Loving the Lord my God with all my heart mind and soul and loving my neighbor as myself.
• Meeting the present reality with thankfulness.
• Moving my aching body where God and I will.
• Offering my hope, life lessons, and assets to others.
• Praising God.
• Remembering the faithfulness of God.

Let's keep the end in mind.

Just for today...

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith..."  2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB)

January 26th - BRAGG had the secrets for living the "good" life???

The story...

In the 1980's, my grandmother shared a guide that she found helpful and supportive of the good life that she planned to work out in her latter years.  She may've been questioning the reliability of the author's advise when she shared it with me - I remember being more than a tad skeptical.  I do know that she walked to the mailbox, about a mile round trip every day, to stay in the necessary shape to live alone in her farm house.  I expect that she wanted to pass on her passion and commitment for staying physically well and active throughout life - she gave me her underlined copy with her name written in the front - I doubt she bought another copy.

Paul C. Bragg - Life Extension Specialist

Paul C. Bragg claimed he had the secrets for living the good healthy life yet his credentials and claims are suspect.  His reality doesn't seem to warrant being the object of a man or woman's faith.

The only church in town will introduce you to their Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ - the Messiah.  He has the the credentials and the power of resurrection - a restored relationship with God that will last forever.  I hope that He is, or will be, the object of your faith.

Just for today...

"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."  Romans 8:14-17 (NASB)

December 21st - Being kind and honest with you

The story...

Three nights ago, I dreamed that I purchased a new really-small cell phone.  Two nights ago, I dreamed that I was attempting to curl a 25lb dumbbell while sitting in a lazy-boy chair - I wasn't able to lift it beyond 90 degrees.  I was surprised to see a large bundle of blood veins protruding from my arm and snagged onto something on the floor.  Last night, I experienced multiple dreams of adventure that included my college-aged siblings and a new job in an old building where I'd discovered a new tea that I'd mixed up in a blue-Rubbermaid container. 

In my waking hours, I'm concerned about changes in the lumbar region of my lower spine - the limitations are affecting my life and the medical system's ability to restore me to my previous physical capability is questionable.  Whatever course my spinal changes lead me, I hope that I remain peacefully grounded in the reality of my situation and that I don't need to look to my subconscious mind to discover what's going on.  Yes, I will to be honest and humble with my condition as I walk the next part of my life journey.  I've heard we are humblest when we live most closely to the truth - in the "Light."

Is being honest and accepting, while staying grounded within current reality, part of being kind to me?  Is a position of strength and peace found where I can see, understand, accept, and continue my journey down the right and good path towards the Celestial City while trusting God?  Yes, that was a reference to John Bunyan's allegory - Pilgrim's Progress.

Some really good books... I've more time and life-space to read.

The only church in town will tend to be an honest, kind, and loving sort of place.  Congregant's most important needs will be met as relationships are worked out - with God and others too.  The church will be big enough that people will have opportunities to walk their life path with friends who they can relate to, and grow with, in an honest and kind sort of way.

 

Just for today...

"Somewhere in my past I got the message that to think of myself first was wrong, that it was my duty to care for everyone else. As a consequence, I was never ready to take care of myself and so became a burden to those around me . . . In fact, improving myself is the only real action available to me . . . Why should others bother to follow my example if I can't take care of my own affairs? . . . To give advice to others is to intrude; to give advice to myself is to grow."   Courage to Change (p. 356)

October 6th - Life gets better or worse - traveling together in the Light?

The story...

Sometimes, the group member who wants their idea of the "best" can restrain a group from moving forward towards real growth.  Yes, I was that idealist that often critiqued the motives and adequacy of significant change proposals - wanting the very best, knowing that change was necessary; yet, putting on the brakes while trying to persuade others to see, know and feel as I did.  I expect that my input  to the group was needed yet my insistence on my "higher ways" blocked my ears, mind and heart.  I wish that I'd sought to understand different viewpoints, ideas, and perspectives before attempting to "sell" my ideal version of "the" best way forward - the "right" way to go.

A friend of mine, Henry Hudson, claimed to read Pilgrim's Progress every year.  I'm about to finish the book once again - each time it's more meaningful as I imagine the reality that this allegory paints.  Oh... that I might rely on and more fully trust God as I turn each corner.

The only church in town will know that we're all on a journey.  It's a mistake to camp too long in one place along the way.  As the story of "life" progresses, God prunes those who are His so that they produce, and enjoy, more fruit together.  That kind of fruit is shared and witnesses to their source.  Fruit born and enjoyed, shines His Light into the dark crannies of our lives - things do look differently in the Light.

Just for today...

"Opportunities for spiritual growth, as well as new character defects, pop up like weeds in a newly-mown lawn . . . My problem was my spiritual pride and arrogance, not my situation. The need to be right was robbing me of my serenity in all kinds of situations."   Courage to Change (p. 280)

September 28th - What might I've learned if I was a monk?

The story...

I read a quote from Thomas Merton's book that surprised me - it rang true to my previous learnings, knowledge, experiences, and possibly my spirit too.  I suspected these things were true; yet, I hadn't put the pieces together before.  "No Man Is an Island," was an impactful book that helped my better understand life's journey.  Thomas seemed to've put the important pieces of life together before I was born.  I'm so thankful that he shared his life walk with God in a way that I could receive, understand, apply to me, and to live out more fully too.

I read another book that summarized Merton's life up to the point of his entering the life of a monk in central Indiana.  I hope that we all seek to better understand who we are as we work out our life story.  Seems like part of a good life is sharing and growing alongside other fellow sojourners.  I expect that we'll learn we need each other.

The only church in town will be a place where we can meet others who want to work out their life in the reality of God's revealed Word.  We can share our lives together and become a more complete whole -  a community.

Just for today...

"... when we are strong we are always much greater than the things that happen to us, and the soul of a man who has found himself is like a deep sea in which there may be many fish: but they never come up out of the sea, and not one of them is big enough to trouble its placid surface. His "being" is far greater than anything he feels or does."  

"The deep secrecy of my own being is often hidden from me by my own estimate of what I am. My idea of what I am is falsified by my admiration for what I do . . . We all seek to imitate one another's imagined greatness.  If I do not know who I am, it is because I think I am the sort of person everyone around me wants to be."

Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island (p. 125)

September 22nd - Pilgrim's Progress - The 1678 Christian Life Allegory

The story...

"If you're in a frustrating exchange with another person - drop the tug-of-war rope."  I remember hearing about this "tool" from another person who described it as one she used on her journey to being more okay with herself.  She was at a point of feeling worthy of being loved and able to more fully love others too.  "Dropping the rope" seemed easy to do so I "tried it on" for a few days - the results were real good.  I shared my exuberance for the "tool" application, at our next meeting, and was ready to "try on" more live-giving ways of living from these new friends who'd traveled a similar road.  As we listened and shared, our lives began to grow together - we seemed to be walking side-by-side as fellow sojourners towards the "Celestial City" - enjoying each other's company along the way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The Pilgrims Progress

The only church in town will offer, those who might read Pilgrim's Progress, to better understanding of our life journey towards that celestial city.  The church will offer fellow pilgrims God's revelation about Himself, faith, hope, peace, joy, our future, and sustenance for our most adventurous journey.

Just for today...

"It's a wonderful opportunity to practice giving unconditional love and support by simply listening.  Many of us hear stories that are similar to our own; others can often identify with the feelings that are expressed. Perhaps we will be reminded of where we have been and how far we have come."  Courage to Change (p. 266)

"Worrying about trifles saps my spiritual energy which I could certainly put to better use. Am I willing to waste my life in this way? . . . I will not be made uneasy by what others do, whether they intend to hurt me or not. I will not clutter up my thoughts with resentment; it would not profit me, worse it would hurt me."  One Day at a Time (p. 266)

"Sometimes I'm afraid I'll have to separate from my family members to maintain my quest for healthy living, especially when they deny and justify their unacceptable behavior . . . I am slowly learning that trying to change someone else's behavior to suit my needs is an exercise in futility and frustration. Truly profound power and peace lie in the ability to change my behavior to suit my needs . . . I can accept people as they are."  Hope for Today (p. 266)