Sunday’s Blessing – 01/28/2024

Embrace the moments as the clock counts them off

Do not let a single one go by without being in it

Alive, aware, awake, alert, actively living the seconds

Immersed in the grace and love of God

Without shame, without regret, without doubt

Walking with the Father as He leads you

Rejoicing in the liberty brought through Christ

Empowered by the Comforter-Encourager-Teacher-Holy Spirit

This IS the day the Lord has made!

Sunday’s Blessing – 01/21/2024

May the mystery of God be revealed to you as you seek, ask, and knock.

May you experience the strength and exploits which come from knowing Him.

May the prayer of your heart be realized.

May your steps be clear and deliberate as your path is illuminated and ordered.

May you live from the peace of knowing the One who loves you most.

Perspective

Perspective has multiple meanings.

1. the art of drawing solid objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point.

2. a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

The first gives you a view of something real. The second is something you believe, whether it’s real or not.

When it comes to perspective, it is more important to receive information than to give it. So much of the internet is filled with people giving a perspective on topics ranging from recipes to politics. Many have no knowledge upon which to base their comments. Very little effort is taken by the readers to determine if the perspective given is based on anything valid. Many are simply opinions developed by imagination or information obtained from someone else.

The problem with all of this is you can also find it among Christians. Paul exhorted the Berean Church, declaring, “These were more noble … they searched the scriptures to see if these things were true.” Jesus declared, “You will know the truth, and knowing the truth will set you free.”

I enjoy reading books by people who are smarter than me. I love to learn. I love to explore new ways of looking at the same thing. As long as you maintain a perspective where God is the point of reference, you will find yourself seeing things from a good perspective, one based on truth.

I heard a story years ago about an incident with an interstate bridge on the East coast. It was a very busy commuter route, with thousands of cars traveling over it every day. The state highway department had responsibility for performing routine inspections and maintenance to keep the interstate safe.

One day, as an auto body repairman was driving over the bridge, he noticed something that just didn’t seem right. It concerned him so much that he reached out to the state DOT. They sent divers to the bridge site to inspect the foundations which were under water in the river which flowed beneath the bridge. When the divers emerged, they were shaking their heads in disbelief at what they found. The bridge was immediately closed, and repairs were ordered.

The foundations of the bridge supports were deteriorating. The bridge, even though it was still stable enough to bear the weight of the traffic going across it, was headed for catastrophic failure if nothing had been done.

Here’s point of all of this, and the topic at hand. The auto body repair man had such a keen perspective of curves and lines from his experience repairing dented car parts that he noticed the curvature of the bridge was not right. He spotted what the inspectors had failed to see. Fortunately, the engineers took the man’s concern to heart and did their due diligence to correct the issue before anyone was injured or killed.

This should be the same way you and I conduct our life. Have in place some regular “maintenance” inspections. Take proactive steps to ensure that your life remains in line and operating on the correct curvature of your trajectory though living. But keep an open mind to additional information from others who may have a different perspective than you. They may see something that is not visible from your vantage point. It could be life saving.

We all need voices into our life. We need friends who will not only encourage us and celebrate the victories with us, but also have the liberty to voice concerns which they may see in us; areas in which we may have grown complacent or have missed something on the horizon. This type of friend is rare … which makes them extremely valuable. If you ever find one, never let them go.

The Journey - Month 6

 I haven't posted about the journey lately. It's been six months since I moved into the camper. January is a rough month to be in an RV. It's cold! Actually, the newer RVs are very well insulated. As long as you have propane, you'll be ok. Fortunately, the cold usually doesn't last very long in Alabama.

Besides the weather, everything else seems to be getting more routine. Working from home is a little different. Since the space is relatively small (basically 2 rooms) you have to be diligent to separate work from leisure. This hasn't been too much of a problem for me.

With the changing temps, social contact has been minimized. I haven't made any new acquaintances lately. Most of the people I met early on have left. I'm still amazed at the number of resident campers there are. I had no idea so many people lived in RVs.

I'm spending more time writing lately. That is a goal for the new year. I'd like to finish at least one of the writing projects I have started. There are several in the works. The primary one I want to finish is "The Road Back from Nowhere." I started it back in 2022 when COVID broke out.

There are a few writing projects which I started years ago and would like to get back to at some point. One is a book on Baptism. Another is one of my favorite titles: Managed Expectations. I'm also working on "The Names of God II" in hopes of getting 365 names, which could then be turned into a daily devotional.

Beyond writing, I hope to find a new outlet for music. I had the privilege of singing in a Christmas choir. It was very enjoyable. I love the dynamic of choral music. I've also considered auditioning for a musical. We shall see.

I'm recovering from foot surgery. It was a much longer recuperation than expected. It took me off my exercise routine. It's been difficult getting back in the routine, but I'm working on it. Coming off daylight saving time made it harder to get to the gym early. I will get back there soon.

I found out another grandchild is on the way. This time it's a boy! The first male grand. I'm pretty excited.

Sunday’s Blessing – 01/14/2024

Pursue dreams, but be grounded in discipline

Reach for goals, but hold fast to God

Visualize your future, but maintain your focus

Live with purpose, but never lose passion

Look for adventure, but always remain alert

Seek to be vulnerable, but only with those who value you

Laugh easily

Love deeply

Believe in faith

Reflect Jesus’ face

Simply “be” to God’s glory

Winter - a poem

The coldness of winter brings sadness and drear

Chilled by the bitter wind of the sun’s withdrawal

Makes everything somewhat of a burden

Trudging through the weather-beaten days

Only to find dark nights, sometimes alone

This annual occurrence does not come as a surprise

For it happens once with every revolution around our star

Yet somehow we feel it as an intrusion in our life

Something undesired and hopefully avoided

Until we are once again in its frigid grip

We rejoice at the first sign of springtime’s warming

Elated by the vision of budding plants and trees

The return of birdsongs in the air around us

Knowing we have made it though the death season

Returning to new life with an optimistic burning within

But what of this winter season in which we languish

Surely there must be a purpose for a full quarter of our time

Let us not waste this precious commodity of minutes and hours

Days and months must be spent with intention and purpose

Lest we waste this wonderland of death and dying

Instead of lament what if we rejoice in the waiting

Put aside the doom of lethargy expressed by so many

Find the motivation to embrace the learning opportunity

To see the vital part of life’s cycle and experience

Willfully pressing into these moments as precious

Many things in nature goes through a form of death

So that they can live more fully when made alive again

The caterpillar to butterfly, the planted seed, to name a few

So to, the human who finds a way to die to self

And allow God to become life among the waste

Without a death there is no rebirth to spur us on to growth

Without a yielding of our members to someone more able

We can never achieve the heights, depths, lengths, and breadths

To fulfill the purpose we have in this lifetime

And become the very essence of God

Creation - a poem

In the bleak midwinter

When snowfall blankets the ground

It turns even the most unsightly things 

Into beautiful art all ‘round

The snow hasn’t changed a thing

Only hidden it from view

The ugliness is still beneath

Nothing has been made new

When the white beauty melts

All beneath is now revealed

The unsightly is seen again

No longer by beauty concealed

To truly make a work of art

A fundamental change must occur

The beginning state is of no import

Its inner beauty will not deter

The beauty is in the eye

Only the artist sees it

It’s not so much a creation

More a matter of transit

Such is the case with you and I

When God’s hand is applied

He transforms us from earth dust

To something beautiful inside

The soul of man is the real person

Not the meager exterior

Beauty is still just in the eye

To see you must look more

Don’t judge the person by what appears

It’s only the human earth-suit

The real treasure is what’s inside

Which requires an honest pursuit

Take time to find out what’s inside

Before making your decision

A quick judgement will risk the loss

Of a diamond crafted with precision

Sunday’s Blessing – 01/07/2024

May today be filled with awe of the Creator

May every tick of the clock expose a new facet of God’s character

May every sound remind you of His voice crying out through His creation

May every heartbeat remind you of your purpose

May every thought be of the goodness, mercy, and grace of the Father

May you be immersed in the unfathomable love of Jesus