September 13th - What do I truly fear?

The story...

The surgeon showed me my spinal x-ray.  "Your spondylolisthesis between your L4 and L5 vertebrae is pinching that bundle of nerves which is causing pain in both your back and your lower extremities.  The surgery will align the two with metal rods and the impingements will be removed - of course their are risks."  My life wasn't doable, I opted for the surgery, there were complications that I suffered through, yet the eventual outcome was positive - my fears were alleviated.

spondylolisthesis - From Wikipedia

I don't characterize myself as a fearful person, yet there are things I fear.  The sum of my fears seem to fit within the following seven categories:

1. Changes within the "game of life" requiring adaptation
2. Living outside the will of God
3. Loneliness
4. Loss of loving relationships
5. Loss of security for me and those I love
6. Prison - loss of freedom
7. Rejection

The only church in town will shine the light of God's revealed Word on our reality.  The causes of our fear may remain yet solutions are attenable and available within the "Light."

Just for today...

"God grant me the wisdom to recognize the faults I am building into a wall, such a wall as cannot be penetrated even by love."  One Day at a Time (p. 257)

"Why does a dog bark? I feel terror when I'm on the receiving end of ferocious barking. I suspect that a dog barks because of his own fear. If the dog really wanted to attack, he'd dispense with the barking and lunge for me."  Hope for Today (p. 257)

September 6th - What's really important?

The story...

What's really important today?  I've done a pretty good job of resisting the need to make lists within this blog; yet, this seems like a good place to list what's really important for today - in rank order:

1. Pray and be quiet with God.
2. Love the Lord my God - Abide with my Father in a sort of continual prayer/connection.
3. Be conscience of the Holy Spirit's work as I walk humbly and patiently within the will of God.
4. Eat, breathe, and take care of my body.
5. Love my wife as I love myself.
6. Be joyful, hopeful, peaceful, and bear His fruit.
7. Love, and receive love from, my church community - the body of Christ.
8. Build up key relationships more than they've naturally declined.
9. Interact with neighbors and take opportunities to let'em know they're respected and loved.
10. Blog and continually learn.  Grow to be a better man who trusts God.
11. Read what God says.
12. Maintain and grow the assets that I'm entrusted with.

It's easy for me to see other people not acting out their age and life reality.  I hope that I continue to work out the phase of life that I'm actually in and don't short cut my life story.  I want to be a good character, within the epic story of life, who was and is faithful to his God and Father.

I hope that I remember, each day, that my story's important only because it's worked out within the will of God.  The Holy Spirit indwells me for His biding and He will be resting in the hands of God after my body breathes it's last breath.  Yet, God's promised a new everlasting body for all eternity - we only know this through His revealed Word found in the bible.  I hope that each of us stays curious regarding the spiritual reality that's just as real as our journey on earth yet eternal. 

The only church in town would grow Christ ones who live for today, plan for tomorrow, and think on eternity.  They'd learn to live in the reality that we're eternal beings who're journeying on this orb, earth, for but a few seasons.

Just for today...

"...most people spend more time planning vacations than they do thinking about what is really important in their lives . . . Am I so busy with smaller, less meaningful concerns that I run out of time for the really important considerations?"  Courage to Change (p. 250)

"Perhaps I have felt a right and an obligation to set the standards for the family and compel those around me to live up to them . . . Teach me to leave to others their inborn right to dignity and independence, as I wish to have them leave to me."  One Day at a Time (p. 250)

August 19th - Hang onto relationships loosely

The story...

It's best to hold a tennis racket and handlebars loosely - gripping too tightly over corrects and can take us where we don't wanna go quickly.  My first rides on my KLR in deep sand were out of control and scary.  What I learned about riding motorcycles in deep sand seems to apply to life too.

• Don't sit down - stay balanced on your feet
• Relax your mind and your body will follow - fight the urge to grip too hard
• Do your steering through your feet weighting the pegs.
• Maintain momentum - consistent throttle control
• When done right, it's like a dance - joyful.

If I look back twenty years, most of the people, places and things have changed.  They'd have changed no matter how hard I tried to keep them the way that I thought was best.   If I wouldn't have been open to new people, places, things, and ideas - I would've missed out on much of the joy of life.

I'm learning to hold onto relationships less tightly - they change and are best when they are freely offered and accepted.  Sometimes what I thought I wanted was not what they could actually give or accept. "Stay balanced and let them be."  They may choose to dance a similar dance as you yet not with you - that's okay.  Let them live their own life and enjoy the few close dance partners that you do have - be willing to let them go and be open to new ones too.

The only church in town will be a good place to develop life-giving relationships.  Hopefully, the relationships will be characterized as freely offered, graceful, forgiving, and changing too.  Your relationship with God through faith in Christ is obviously the most important.  He's the foundation for the best relationships - those dances that're part of a joyful life lived out in ever-changing circumstances.

Just for today...

Worrying is using your imagination to create a future you don't want.

August 15th - Can you understand your psyche with your mind?

The story...

Last night, I experienced death in a dream - I don't remember this occurring before. The scenario, I'm riding on my cruiser motorcycle and enter into a tunnel entrance ramp onto I80.  I take a lane that ends up to be a dirt path with construction all around.  There is no way back to the lane of vehicles that are speeding along their way.  I stop due to a big ditch in front of me where other motorcycle riders are attempting to climb out to get back onto I80.  I switch lanes to the left, looking for an easier path, and notice a huge tunnel-digging machine emerging from a tunnel, under construction, behind me.  I pause and it runs over me - I feel nothing.  My mind looked for the feelings of death pains and wondered if I was dead.  It took a few seconds to remember that this was a dream and not reality. "Yes, I 'm still dreaming."  I woke up in a sort of curious state - did that vivid, participatory, dream mean something?  Do I have a latent fear that's operating behind the scene within my psyche?

Seignac, Guillaume - Cupid and Psyche

Who can understand a man's mind, soul and spirit?  God says that a man doesn't even understand his own heart.  Should I try to understand my own psyche with my own mind?  Is that even reasonable?

It's a good thing to trust God's word and bear fruit in peace.  Yes, God's word does offer the way towards peace, in the present, within the varying circumstances of life.  Praise God for how He loves His creatures.

The only church in town will preach God's revealed Word.  The people will hear about who He is, what He plans for us His creatures, and how to live a good-to-great life within His will.  God asks that we trust His Word and His provision for us, His Creatures, in Christ.

Just for today...

"Fear is the energy that activates my character defects. Sometimes my shortcomings lie dormant like a bumper car ride with the electricity turned off, and I don't even notice them."  Hope for Today (p. 228)

"How important is it? . . . I find what I might  have viewed as a disaster is really insignificant . . . I can take my disappointment or irritation at face value and refuse to dramatize it."  Courage to Change (p. 228)

"Many of our frustrations come from not making the most of ourselves and getting out of life what it has to give, ready and waiting for us to accept."  One Day at a Time (p. 228)

August 7th - Reflecting, Is now more important than then?

The story...

If we're able to reflect upon our lives in eternity, which decade might we value the most?

• 1st, Grew, trusted and dependent on my parents, learned about my capabilities.
• 2nd, Entered relationships outside my family and community - chose a career.
• 3rd, Became more interdependent and lived more outside my family circle.
• 4th, Honed my career and tried to pass my values on to my kids.
• 5th, Accepted my physical decline and limitations - tried out my imagined best life.
• 6th, Living more self aware, valuing relationships, and appreciating peace and rest.
• 7th, ?

Maybe all the reflections of my life will fill my eternal eyes or heart with feeling, understanding and love.  Personally, I am so thankful for every part of life, especially the meaningful relationships.

Marmalade - Reflections Of My Life (1969) 

The only church in town wouldn't be perfect nor best meet anyone's needs and wants.  Each person is wonderfully unique and living within their own season of life.  I can only imagine how the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ, and loving relationships might work out both there and in eternity.

Just for today...

Trust God's revealed Word - it's best and everlasting..

Appreciate and value your close relationship(s) in actuality.

Be your own best friend, treat yourself good, be patient with you, and apply this source of strength towards loving others.  That's likely where the good stuff of life can be found.

July 29th - Live a peaceful or exciting life?

The story...

People in their 60's often tell me about the exciting things they want to do with their free time that wasn't available within the last few stages of life.  Attention to their duties of life prevented them from living the "good life" that they expect to experience with that RV, second house, doting on grand children, extended vacations, bigger barn, hobby, tower building, financial investments, physical endurance feats, novel writing, life trophy...  Now, they're "free" to live the good life - self actualizing.

Why was this "good life" not available to them during the bulk of their more productive and capable years?  I expect that this question is worthy of self reflection - getting to the root cause(s).

Some people seem to resent my vision of the "good life" - living a peaceful life humbly walking with God in the present - enjoying interactions with people, creation, and His presence.  Practicing loving the Lord my God with all my heart, mind and soul and my neighbor as myself.  That seems like a worthy overarching goal - a North Star.

I hope that people in the only church in town would be free to be honest with themselves and the reality of what God's revealed for us.  His Word says He desires to enjoy those whose hearts are His and that we can enjoy walking humbly with Him too in the midst of all life circumstances.  The pull of the actualities of people's lives into "the world" will continually challenge truths revealed in God's Word.  Yet, they'll witness the effects of "That Than Which There is No Greater."  Why not trust God and be thankful?

Just for today...

"Quiet can be achieved with complete silence, but if the silence has in it even a trace of anger or hostility, it loses all its power . . . Most angry words have no basis in logic or reason anyway, so why need they hurt me?"  One Day at a Time (p. 211)

July 15th - Honest or Complacent?

The story...

In general, most people, who know me, would characterize me as being an honest person; however, how I've worked out my "honesty" has changed throughout my life.  We all know that you don't share a poor opinion regarding the beauty of a mother's new baby.  When your spouse comes home with a radically different haircut, you don't question the sound logic of making the change or openly evaluate the "look" as being worse.  Yet, what do you say when the king's not wearing pants yet the whole community pretends to ignore the obvious truth?

Hans Christian Andersen, 1837

The opinions we form, value and defend might be part of this dilemma.  The need to think like the group to remain accepted or valued might be part of the problem.  The continual quest to be and think like the "best" might be part of the problem.  Working out our life as a sort of "random walk" might be part of the problem.  Staying complacent and sticking with, and self-justifying, our current way of behaving is likely part of the problem.

Maybe the solution contains a code of values, principles, or core tenets regarding how we live our life which don't change.  Yet, even if the code we live by is sound, how do we relate with others whose code is different, changing, or directly opposed to ours?  I expect that the answer will likely include demonstrating and expressing dignity and respect toward all humans no matter where they currently are within their life journey.  We'll all likely grow together as we express love towards each other, let our guards down some, and begin to better understand each other within closer relationships.

The only church in town will focus on the truth of God's revealed Word and extend grace to others as Christ has extended to those who trust in Him.  Honesty is an important part of every relationship.  Are you rightly related to God through Christ?

Just for today...

"Complacency simply means being sure we're right, taking it for granted that our view couldn't possibly be wrong. It means judging others by what we think is right. It blocks out understanding and kindness, and justifies qualities in ourselves that we wouldn't find tolerable in other people."  One Day at a Time (p. 197)

June 11th - Valued Relationships

The story...

Relationships in college were easy for me to develop.  We lived and ate in the same place, shared similar schedules and academic challenges, were about the same age, were invited to similar social events, drank beer together, and most of our lives had yet to be written.  I thought I was free to play and be whoever I wanted to be.

Marston Hall - The library was my favorite study place.

Many college students had enough of community living after about two years.  They wanted to be free of the forced relationship hassles and rules related to community living - they moved off campus. Personally, I didn't understand why people would want to clean a house, shovel sidewalks, buy and cook food, and work out the domestic life with a few other people.   I liked to visit houses like that but I also enjoyed returning to the dorm community.

During my Junior year, I attended the going-away parties for friends who were graduating or just leaving Ames, IA.  The party for guys seemed to be more optimistic than for the girls - parties for girls seemed to be more like a wake or a funeral.  Maybe the girls were more in tune with their feelings or had closer relationships than the guys did.  Anyway, I always planned an event that I could escape to rather than lingering at the "wakes."

Then it happened to me.  I had my own apartment in Knoxville, TN.  I had friends yet I felt isolation and loneliness.  Then a new friend invited me to a parachurch and I became connected.  I've been part of a church community ever since.  The purpose of the college community was to grow me, grow my understanding and transform me into a productive member of society who somebody wanted to hire.  The church community had aims of making me a better person rightly related to God and others too.

The only church in town would primarily preach and teach the gospel about how a man can be reconciled with God and have an ongoing relationship with Him.  They'd work out Truth into the reality of their life walk and community too.   The community life and person-to-person relationships would be good yet of secondary importance.

Just for today...

"I was unable to discuss my personal life with my mother.  Fearing her rejection, I rejected her instead . . . I realized that the opportunity to be close to her had always existed, but I hadn't been willing, until then, to take part in it."  Courage to Change (p. 163)

May 29th - Be Prepared to Do Your Duty

The story...

There was a season of my life when I frequently fished on a pier that jutted out into Lake Michigan.  It was a great place to enjoy; yet, a place that begged for awareness of the expected and unexpected - to be prepared.  You might cast your lure into the air and have a sea gull swoop down and grab your hook. You might hook a 50-year-old sturgeon.  Lightening may quickly arrive and find you as the highest point in the area.  Your back cast might hook another person in the neck.  You might slip on that slime and find yourself in 38 degree water, with a gash on your forehead, anchored down with water-filled boots.  Or, that rouge wave might sweep over the pier and take all the stuff and people with it.  

It'd seem that a person who decides to fish on the pier should also follow the Boy Scout Motto:  "Be Prepared" - be in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.  Does that mean continuously turning ideas of all the "bad" unexpected things, that might occur, through your mind - like on a Rolodex?  How can you bear fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control when you're worrying about what "bad" thing might happen?  Can a person who expects doom and gloom really enjoy the life and relationships they've been given?

How would a deer make it through the day if it thought about all of the possibilities that might occur?  There's a group outside my window as I am writing this blog.  They seem thankful for the sunrise, each other, and trusting there needs will be met.  Are you thankfully trusting God's provision, enjoying the cards you're dealt, or do you expect doom and gloom and merely hope to get lucky?

Can't see 'em?  Look closer...

It makes sense to be with others who're prepared yet they're likely expecting you to help if needed too.  Within the only church in town, you'd be walking with other pilgrims through life with different capabilities, knowledge, experiences, gifts, abilities, perspectives, levels of preparedness and maturity too.  In the only church in town, problems and suffering will occur yet fruit will be born among the pain and suffering.  

Just for today...

"When we anticipate doom, we lose touch with what is happening now and see the world as a threatening place against which we must be on constant alert.  Most of our fears will never come to pass, and if they do, foreknowledge probably won't make us any better prepared."  Courage to Change (p. 150)

April 30th - Preventive Maintenance

The story...

I heard that a part on my car was likely to fail and potentially leave me stranded.  So, one Saturday I went to AutoZone to buy the replacement part and install it, in my driveway, that afternoon.   I imagined a fulfilling experience while listening to the Detroit Tigers - the repair would go the way I planned.  I could do it by myself.

"If it ain't broke don't fix it"  I turned around and met a man who'd given me this unexpected advice while waiting in the AutoZone line.  He heard me explain to the guy at the counter what I wanted and why I wanted it.  "When you loosen bolts, free it with a hammer, and take the wiring clips apart you change the system, create new problems, the unexpected happens..."  I thanked him, and the guy at the counter too, and left without the part.  I don't know if the part eventually failed, if I truly avoided the repair cost, or if  other problems might've truly been averted.

I'm so thankful that this man intervened in my life - he could have remained silent.  He also explained why he and his friends owned S10 pickups - they're a simple design, easy to understand, and easy to fix.  His friends worked together to solve their common problem - everybody needs a vehicle to get them from here to there.  He said that they got together most Saturdays to maintain their trucks and live life together too.

An S10

The group of guys, working on their S10s, was an "ecclesia."  Ecclesia is the Greek word for "a called out group of people."  The New Testament word, ecclesia, is translated as church in my Bible translation.  Does that mean that this guy and his friends were a church that met regularly and cared for each other?  How might the only church in town be better off if it were more like this group of S10 owners?  It sounds much better than working on my car by myself in my own driveway - hoping that things go well and relying on myself.

Just for today...

"When I put my experiences into words, they seem more real and  I am less likely to push them aside. As a result, I can often face problems when they are still only slight irritations and deal with them before they grow and take over."  Courage to Change (p. 121)

"On the rare occasions, I get a negative comment, I consider what I can learn and turn it over to God as something over which I have no control."  Hope for Today (p. 121)

April 22nd - Sophomore Year

The story...

I moved my stuff into a new dorm room for my Sophomore year of college.  My new room and roommate were better.  I greatly valued the dorm floor community - especially the upper classmen that I'd looked up to and learned from.  They left - I felt an ache and missed them.  Yet, there were the excitable new Freshman who were ready to be treated as "adults" yet not ready, or able, to behave that way.

I was walking to lunch and I noticed a friends new roommate's name on his door.  I thought it said his last name was "Lordy" so I made a quick joke and we all laughed about it.  This new Freshman's nickname was "Lordy" thereafter.

Lordy was different from any person I'd known.  He was raised without the boundaries of a moral code that I was use to.  He did what he wanted to do.  His good looks, fun personality, lack of boundaries, and interest in almost everyone, led him into destructive "radical" patterns - his future seemed risky at best. 

For example, he'd read trade journals, that my dad gave me, rather than studying for tomorrow's exam - I didn't read the trade journals.  He rode home laying on the roof of a car, gazing at the stars, to feel something new.  He experienced deep short-term relationships with the girls that most guys dreamed of just being noticed by.  He tried things that were illegal without concern of risk.  He seemed to be a shooting star that'd burn out too soon.  I'm told that he later became an evangelist - a preacher!

"That Than Which there is No Greater" is in control and His will will be worked out whether we like it or not.  The story of Jonah and his call for the big city of Nineveh to turn from evil, so that God would relent from His planned destruction, is a great example.  Jonah didn't want God to save any from this enemy city.  Yet, God directed Jonah to proclaim that He would save them and He did - He saved all of them.  Why wouldn't God do the same thing for Jonah's people in Israel?  God's ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts.

The only church in town would be God's called out group of people.  They'd listen to God's revealed Word, believe it, and trust Him.

Just for today...

Consider reading the book of Jonah.  And, following up with Matthew 12:38-41.  Whoa!

"... we neither love nor hate those in whom we have no interest  . . . Love has a chance to flower in a shared life; hate is love twisted and warped by disillusionment and despair."  One Day at a Time (p. 113)

"We decide to place our will and our life in the hands of God.  We let go of burdens that were never ours to carry.  And we begin to treat ourselves more kindly and more realistically."  Courage to Change (p. 113)

April 15th - Tax Day

The story...

The Holland State Park improvement plan was approved in 2010.  It happened whether we liked it or not.  I liked the park the way it was; yet, I like it better now.

One of the changes was the removal of a large number of cotton wood trees in the old parking lot.  I met a woman, while visiting the park, that expressed great anguish and anger over the thought of these trees being cut down.  She claimed that she was working diligently to stop this horrible change from happening.  She seemed physically drained by the dread of the impending change - it happened anyway.

I'm so thankful that I respected leadership's decision and their plan.  I didn't comment much about their decisions and weathered the disruptive steps of the improvement process.  There was much unexpected goodness in those changes - for me and others too.

Politicians who implement their vision for the future, sold during the campaign, are alright with me.  Certainly, they need to work with, and through, others to bring ideas into fruition.  Then we, the represented, can evaluate the results - good, marginal, or bad.   Then, in an iterative way, we build better government and communities too.

Many people complain about paying their taxes - not me.  I stand thankful for my freedom, safety, justice, property rights, care for the poor, shared facilities, parks, road system, public transportation, and all those who serve our communities.

The only church in town would treat their community leaders with respect.  (NASB, Romans 13:1-7)

Just for today...

"All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."(NASB, Ephesians 4:31-32)

March 5th - Wring Out the Value

The story...

The scene from long-long ago, I'm sitting at a conference table with a man from Hong Kong.  He's explaining plans for a new high-rise office building to replace their existing building.  I'm attentive - I'd heard stories about the "buzz" that characterized Hong Kong - I wanted to experience it too.  He explained that the building was being replaced to improve area traffic flow.  Large buildings are obviously expensive so this surprised me.  Why would they do such a thing?  They were replacing it for the benefit of the whole community.  Then I ask: "How old is the existing building?"  His answer shocked me: "It's seven or eight years old."   

I was reminded of the Hong Kong story when enjoying ice sculptures that were shown in the heart of my home town. They'd already begun to melt.  They also offered value to me and the community who chose to observe them.  Yet their expected life span was counted in hours.

How long might the only church in town last?  Buildings and their "value added" come and go.  Yet, I hope that the people who congregate there will "wring out" all of the value they can until...

Just of today... 

"I used to believe thinking was the highest function of human beings . . . I now realize loving is our supreme function..."  Hope for Today (p.65)

A wise friend offered me the following good advice: When a thought takes hold of your mind and shows signs of becoming obsessive thinking, stop, allow four minutes to reflect on what's true about it and then decide if something truly needs to be done on your part.  If not, continue on living. 

"Let go of the things you don't need to open up room for your strengths, skills, and feelings to become more fully part of your life."   Courage to Change (p. 65)

March 1st - A knot that binds

The story...

I learned to tie many knots as a Boy Scout - even the life-saving Bowline knot.  You can actually practice tying the bowline with one hand like you might want to if you're hanging from a cliff holding onto the end of your rope.  I practiced this over and over and became rather adept at it for a few days; then, I forgot it.  I likely wouldn't be able to recall that knot method if I find myself precariously hanging from the end of my rope and needing to tie that life-saving non-slip knot - like that's gonna happen.

There's one knot that's imbedded in my memory as a habit that doesn't seem to be erasable.  My dad taught me this knot to tie on my fishing lures.  The emotional pains and feelings related to losing a favorite lure, or possibly the biggest fish of the day, motivated me to learn the method and do it "right."  I tie that knot the same way my dad taught me.  First, you spin seven times - not six or eight.  You can find alternative fishing line knots on YouTube.  They claim to be stronger or simpler to tie.  Am I going to change?  Strangely, no.

There're times when I need to tie a knot, with fishing line, that's not a slip knot.  For example, like when tying an invisible line to prop up an object or to form a safety line to prevent the object from falling from a top shelf.  

Can you see the line?

Who do I call when I'm in need of a specialty knot?  I dial up YouTube and learn from a person who most graciously took the time to share their knowledge with all who want to know.  Thank you YouTubers!

How might the fishing line and knot knowledge relate to the only church in town?   The supporting roles are often hard to see and often require specialized knowledge that may be learned throughout a lifetime. 

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for the supporting role(s) that you provide within your communities.  I expect that we all know and feel it when we're using our talents and gifts in the way that's uniquely ours.  I'm so thankful to be found safely in Christ and that the Spirit of Christ can perform great works even through me.   

Just for today...

"Disappointment, bitterness, and resentment are ties that bind, and until we release these feelings to God, we remain bound to the past."  Hope for Today (p. 61)

"Humility prepares us for the realization of God's will for us; it shows us the benefits we gain from doing away with self-will."  One Day at a Time (p. 61)

"If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are."  Zen proverb

February 28th - A ripe old age

The story...

"Abraham breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people." (Genesis 25:8 NASB). What does it mean to die at a ripe old age?

Katherine Kyle wrote a helpful article that listed seven signs that a banana is ripe and healthy to eat: 

1. brown spots
2. soft when squeezed  
3. no green on the stem
4. snaps off stem easily
5. easy to peel with no resistance
6. no sound when peeling
7. doesn't leave film on teeth

So, what are the signs that a person dies at a ripe old age?  I expect they'd be considered ripe if they fully worked out their life as their Creator willed.  Maybe they've used up their gifts and resources toward fulfilling their purpose - bearing fruit along the way?

How would people work out their life within the only church in town?  First they'd have an ongoing relationship with God through prayer and mediation.  Then, I expect that the community would offer, and encourage, the application of each members gifts in accordance with the will of God.  They'd  need to know, teach and affirm the knowable will of God.  Then, I expect we'd see the fruits of God's Spirit being worked out along the way.  Like the spots on the banana we'd sense: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Faithfulness and Self Control within the people as they worked out their lives together.

What a joy it would be to know that I died at a "ripe old age."  Who would merely opt to die at an old age?

Just for today...

How might I best apply what's available to me within the next hour?  Pondering that thought seems good yet a first step of action seems better.   If you're down - walk alongside an encourager in truth.

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 not such a good idea either.  Three months later, I was helping a guy, who bought them from me, 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.  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 for me 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

February 19th - But he doesn't know the territory

The story...

PBS television shows, shot in olde England as the backdrop, are compelling for me.  The language, vernacular, customs, figures of speech, and even the side of the car with the steering wheel are different yet similar to what I'm used to. I think I'd feel comfortable there but attentive and curious about the differences.  It'd be great to to tour London and even slog through those really-old hiking trails west of London for a week or so.  I'm told those old trails pass through castles, Roman ruins, and farmer's fields too.  I'm learning about the territory yet I don't even claim to know the territory.  Even if I complete a trip, I won't know the territory as well as someone who actually lives their life out there.  The idea reminds me of a song from the 1962 film "The Music Man" that was set in River City, Iowa - "but he doesn't know the territory."  

The Music Man - 1962

Professor Harold Hill is the lead character who sells the small town on the idea of the "think" system for playing musical instruments. He's a flim-flam man that bilks the town out of money for new band instruments and uniforms - he had no ability to teach them to play them.  He teaches them to hum the "Minuet in G" as part of a thinking process that will supposedly lead them to play their shiny instruments without instruction.  In reality, he's stalling until he receives the money and jumps on the train out of town.  The librarian is the only person in town who actually understands music.  She's torn between the reality of the flim-flam man and the wonderful imagined reality that the town's bought into - they're happier and more hopeful following the charlatan.  She also falls in love with both the vision and the man too - to err is human.

How will the only church in town escape the trap of trusting in the charismatic pastor rather than our God which the text they'll own is all about?  To be merely satisfied with knowing about while remaining deceived within a mutually accepted and self-centered condition.  The Word of God speaks of the reality, in Christ, that bears genuine God-given fruit.  Once heard, believed, and experienced; they'll be tapped into the vine that produces the kind of fruit that the whole community will be blessed through.  Why would a man trust man rather than his Creator?

Just for today...

"None of us sees the world as it is but as we are, as our frame of reference, or maps, define the territory."  Stephen Covey

"The only way to release ourselves from the hold of those dark demons is to break the isolation and bring them into the light by sharing with others who understand."  Hope for Today (p. 50)

February 11th - Wisdom

 The story...

About thirty years ago, I heard a definition of wisdom that rang true to me.  It's still the best definition that I've heard - I've passed it on hundreds of times.  Wisdom is knowing where to go and how to get there.  We might all benefit by pondering this definition for awhile.  We need both the first and second parts of the definition for it to help us distinguish between a wise and an unwise path.

Isaiah 6 recount's Isaiah's experience within the throne room of God.  Meeting God would surely be a good place to start when envisioning where we're going - towards the one Who created us and spoke the Truth for evaluating the quality of our lives.  The Nicene Creed, written in 325AD, gives the church a good starting place for agreeing on how we get there.  Collectively, a church may behave wisely - a continual process for each individual and a synergetic process for the community within the power of the Spirit of God.  

I'm thankful to have a congregation of Barred owls whose family has lived with us in the woods for at least 30 years.  They do have good qualities and I would classify them as wise - I like them a lot and they seem friendly.

Barred Owl

Just for today...

"I needed love before I even knew what it was.  By loving others, I learn to treat myself well." Courage to Change (p. 42)

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, 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 are 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 24th - Do you look at your car manual - is it the right manual?

The story...

The car manuals that I received with my Subaru are at least 3" thick.  I rarely look at the manuals yet have a few times - they're helpful.  Normally, I'll go to a search engine to find: my windshield wiper lengths, the right light bulb, or how to replace the cabin air filter.  Yet, sometimes I need to learn about the car and I'm not really sure what to ask.  Then, I go to the manual to learn about the car - often I'm surprised of what I didn't know.

Once upon a time,  I purchased a new dishwasher and installed it myself.  I actually gathered the family and we took turns reading the manual.  We actually learned what all the buttons did and how to most efficiently and effectively load the dishwasher.  It was such an odd thing to do as a family that most of us still remember the day we learned about the dishwasher.  I still load the dishwasher the same way that we learned that day.

Are we so self reliant that we don't need to learn from anyone else - even the designers and manufacturers of the products that we purchased to serve us?  Our bodies didn't come with a manual and much of the stuff inside me remains a mystery to me.  I don't even know the vocabulary for most of my inner parts let alone how they actually function and interact.  It seems that some of us don't like to be taught anything unless we're forced to.

This is my 357th daily post to this blog.  When printed, it will likely be as thick as my Subaru manuals.  What'll I do with the completed book?  Will I continue to edit or add to it?  Will it sit on a table at my memorial service unread?  Is my manual so different than everyone else's that it won't be applicable?  The writing process and results have certainly been helpful and joyful for me - it's helped me to be more grounded in reality.

The only church in town will study and apply the manual for living out a good and righteous life.  I've learned that the manual writers were directed to write according to the Creator's wishes.  He wishes that we know enough about Him and what's going on inside of us to seek, trust and obey Him.  Why?  So that we can be free of the entanglements of sin, bear fruit, enjoy loving relationships, and live out a right relationship with God throughout our days under the sun; "now and forevermore."

Just for today...

"I will dare to be myself . . . I will be honest with myself as I do so - I will not pretend to feel what I do not feel or to want what I do not want . . . I can only learn to love myself if I am willing to learn who I am."  Courage to Change (p. 24)