The Imagination of Creation

Being creative people by nature we are motivated from time to time to make our own creations. From the large array of raw materials in our natural world, we make things that make our lives easier and make us increase our productivity, and also things that are just wonderful nuggets for our eyes. We think, envision, design and craft. We cut and nail and glue and sand. We top off our creations with color and style. Then we display them proudly for the world to see. We feel that sense of accomplishment and joy of being a creator.

I’ve been wondering what that process was like for our eternal creator? Did he think about making us for ten million years (as if he has a calendar)? Did he make previous versions of us that weren’t quite right? Did he think the whole thing through before he started the design process? From one of the attributes about God (omniscience) I've learned, I believe that every step, every detail, every single aspect of his design and craft, were without flaw. The overriding influence of His every thought and action was based out of and driven by desire. He desired fellowship. He longed for the interaction we as human beings would give. The eternal genius behind it all was all about having an offspring. 

If you spend time, energy and enormous resources in building a project, you would be surprised and shocked to think that someone would take what you poured your very self into and basically rip up your design to shreds and throw it in the trash. If something I had labored on and sweated over became one day to be regarded as a piece of trash, I think the darkest deepest side of my own flawed humanity would make me horrifically angry mad and want retribution. 

Can you imagine with me, for one moment, what could possibly be going through God's mind each and every time an abortion is performed in our world? I shudder to think what his ultimate wrath might be one day for those who've taken his lovingly created human children and shredded them with no remorse?. This unspeakable evil will bring us ever closer to the end of time. I never want to be accused of not doing everything in my power to stop this horror.    

Justifiable Acts Against Wrong

   There are times when doing the right thing is against one’s principle of following the law  or morals. When considering the gravity or the emergency of an issue, the practice of defying authority to follow your own conscience for a higher priority becomes absolutely justifiable. 

Let’s say you arrive on the scene of a horrific car crash and see a car upside down and starting to catch on fire. Let’s say that car is immediately behind a fence with a sign that says “Posted – No Trespassing”. Do you say to yourself, “oh gosh I wish I could help this person escape certain death but I’d have to trespass to help”?

And let’s say your home is invaded one night by an intruder. You see that they are armed with a knife. They demand that you open your safe. In the process of the event your sleepy child comes out from their bedroom and the intruder immediately grabs your child and holds the knife to their throat. Are you thinking, the 10 commandments says that killing is wrong? Do you plead with the intruder or do you grab your weapon and kill the intruder?

A new movie is due out soon called Return to the Hiding Place. It is a follow up to the movie from 1975 based on the life and experience of a lady by the named Corrie ten Boom. The Nazi invaded Holland in 1940 and began rounding up and killing Jews. This new movie depicts how a group of youth fight to save  lives of countless innocent Jews, by hiding them from their certain deaths.    

Today we are faced with similar atrocities staining our world once again. Defying written law that is contrary to what we know to be true and against the scriptures that we trust can become a daily reality. We must defend the helpless, at all cost. This is especially needed when the will of the people is being ignored and thwarted. The higher principle of trusting what we are told by God over what we are told by men must not be viewed as sin or as wrong in any way.

The issue we face today in America is our own special holocaust. It is the killing of innocent babies inside, and even outside of the womb. 

Consider today what part you might be called to do to stop this modern atrocity. Speaking up is no longer enough. Taking action is required. First pray to our God that he would do our bidding for us. Pray that the depraved perpi”traitors” would come to their senses and stop. And pray for our elected leaders that they would do whatever is needed to stop the insanity. Secondly, follow the money trail and shut it off. Find out who supports these baby killing machines and stop doing business with them, and tell them why. 

Our God has apparently given our society over to having “reprobate minds”. We as individuals can repent and turn from our sin of inaction and ignorance by finally taking action against the taking of innocent lives. God have mercy on us all if we do not take up arms against this horrible stain.      

Hijacked!

Everything we were taught about morality, fairness, trust, loyalty and faith has been hijacked. Misfits, fools and tyrants do whatever they please and it’s the expected norm. They’re called “representatives”, yet they don’t represent us. We’ve been told that our views, our morals and our faith are of no value or substance. We are irrelevant. They rub it in - deeply. 

There are rocks in plain view ahead of our large ship. Captain and crew say full steam ahead, with no regard for the lighthouse or cries of the passengers. There’s only one safe harbor ahead. Life jackets and provisions are found in a strange package called the gospel of Mark. It’s still available, for now.          

Light Bulb Moment today

I had one of those light bulb moments early this morning. 

It came to me as a single word - Mission. 

What does Mission mean?

Webster defines this as: an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation, or an important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed: or sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.

For a number of years I felt like I had several missions in life. Among those were to be the provider for my family and to be the man God called me to be, for the protection and nurture of the wife  and brood he blessed me with. Another mission was to raise our kids in the "right" way. That mission was a joyous and rewarding endeavor.

A little later in my adult time I had a mission to be a leader among, and with, men of faith. That became a passion that was shared with other like minded guys who were in various stages of their lives. It was also a rewarding and fruitful experience and watch as God blessed and prospered that deepening faith experience. 

All the kids are gone now. They are pursuing their own missions now. So, for the most part my fathering mission is pretty much accomplished. My provider mission and role of provider has changed to being the provider for my wife and myself. The men’s ministry mission waned in recent years, as some of my closest allies and comrades left this place for a better land.

A discussion began last evening with my bride about the frustration we feel as believers in that the population at large are very much different than we are. Our society is very much "into themselves" and searching for happiness in things and events that we personally find no joy or purpose in. We sort of feel out of touch with the mainstream. We want to be and attempt to be relevant and “part of the crowd” yet we just can’t embrace many of the activities and attitudes that make the multitudes happy nowadays.

So, as often happens early in the morning, the Holy Spirit speaks. Not with great detail but with single words like MISSION. In the "mature age" of our lives I think we need a new mission. We need something that we are jazzed about. We need to throw ourselves into something that makes a difference in the lives of other people. And we need to be on the same page as a team for this mission. At this point I have not a clue what that might look like or be? But the same spirit that injected this new word into my thoughts, will also bring something to us that will energize our batteries and give us new meaning and purpose. As we allow our spiritual gifts to be employed openly in the mighty hand of God, there will be purpose and drive and success. There will also come with that the fulfillment of knowing that what we are about is something that makes our creator smile.

I’m ready to find my new calling, whatever that might be. Stay tuned for further mission news!   

I've been remiss in my writing and posting lately. Many different things jockey for our time. Most of them are worthy things that occupy my time. But there should always be a time to stop and think and reflect and record what's going on.

I've met a ton of people in my life. Growing up I was not as outgoing as you'd think I might have been if you know me now. I guess I had the complex of being the heavy kid. And heavy or fat kids don't get the greatest of respect at times. So the tendency is to take the back seat and stay in the background as the rest of the pack excels in relationships and life in general can be the norm. Yet even us fat kids were quietly building our lives, even if nobody even realized or cared.

Fast forward to now and I think I'm pretty self assured, even though I am still the "big" guy in pack. As I've aged I've decided that it doesn't matter what I look like or how fat I might be. I've decided to be a friend even those I might not know. Doesn't always work out, but I try and find things in others to talk to them about and find out details of their lives and the things that makes them tick. I've found that I find joy in learning of other's experiences. I try and encourage others on their journey. Life is fleeting and we don't have a ton of time to live our lives to the full.

I get reflective at times. For some reason the changing of the seasons has a tendency to fuel thoughts. As the natural order of the plant world changes from life to death to life again, so our lives take on the same form. Spring has not sprung and death has become alive again. Former living things that were brown and wilted and gone are now sprouting forth with tender and green vegetation. the air is full of fresh air as the plants take a poison gas and turn it into life giving air for the human kind.

Go and enjoy and soak up God's creation and be thankful for new life. It is all around us this time of year!  

The state of America...a sad social commentary

This is a social commentary. If you're not the type that weighs out information completely before passing judgment, then you should move on, as I will be straightforward and honest and truthful here. 

Up front I’m telling you I’m an old school thinker. I’m from a generation and time that still understands and adheres to absolute truth. By absolute I mean there are (were) truths in our society at one time that were either good or bad, right or wrong, black or white. Today those historically accepted truths and moral edicts are not only frowned upon as being outdated and arcane, but anyone who accepts, promotes or even condones such traditional truths are labeled as haters and looked upon as prejudiced fools. For new generation thinkers this is one of their absolute truths (go figure?)

In the “new age” we find people who no longer look for truth because they don’t even have a definition of truth. And even if they will discuss with you what truth really is, that can change from day to day.  Mainline thinkers nowadays are only looking for supposed happiness. And that quest for personal happiness requires no morays or absolutes. Personal happiness is now defined as anything someone wants or likes to do and brings personal satisfaction. And that satisfaction comes regardless of how absurd or strange an activity or thought might seem to the general population. Those new ideas and activities that promise happiness have no real limits whatsoever in the new society and new world order. To be held back from, or asked to refrain from, something that might seem odd, strange, immoral or wrong is considered wrong in itself (another new absolute?). 

“New” thinking REQUIRES (even by law) that our general population accept activities and lifestyles that are contrary to traditional truth, and even contrary to previously accepted religious belief(s). From my own childhood education about democracy, I had one overriding takeaway - We are free to do whatever we want to do UNLESS it impinges or overrides or infringes on someone else’s personal liberty or rights. As a so called “free people” I find it hard to believe that we’ve allowed ourselves to be backed into this corner accepting things (even by law) that override our own personal liberties and personal religious values. This is not what our founders had in mind when they gave us the framework for freedom. As reminder here, one of the things that the new America was attempting to escape was religious intolerance and even oppression from the church of England. 

So America has evolved into a new “demanded tolerance” by the our new national religion. It’s called “secular humanism”.  Theologically secular humanists are actually atheists. But they will deny that and at the same time tell you that the idea of a controlling all powerful deity is absurdity. Absence of a belief in God is “a”theist –  or no god. We can be told this, but with the reasoning mind that our creator gave us, we cannot be fooled.     

I heard a news story recently about a judge in one of the Carolina states who’d been on the bench for 24+ years. He was being required by a new state law to perform marriages for gay and lesbian couples. He refused to do that based on his moral religious values. He’s stepping down from his bench because he refuses to violate his own personal and religious conviction. He was told by a state legislator that all he had to do was simply “accept what the law had now deemed as normal and just do his job”. He scoffed at that admonition. He will undoubtedly be replaced with someone who has no moral conviction.

And now am elected Kentucky County Clerk refuses to issue marriage licences to same sex applicants based on her own Christian convictions . And what did a Federal judge do? He sent her to jail for contempt of court and will not release her until she relents.  

So the next time you hear someone say that America is treading on a slippery slope they are a little slow in their thinking. We’ve actually already slid all the way down into the muck and mire of darkness. But be careful. If you offer a hope of escape you will most likely be labeled, branded, scorned and ridiculed endlessly for being out of touch and lacking compassion and a hater.

I’ve known the words to the song below from my childhood and have it pretty much memorized all the way through.

Here goes….
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.   – Edward Mote 1834

I take comfort, that one day truth WILL prevail as we see the hand of God righteously tear this house down and send us our righteous King Jesus to take His earthly throne.

All about Teachers...

Here’s a big shout out to all of my teachers when I was in school, WAY back when.

Thank you for teaching me to spell. As a result I can read and learn anything that my eyes can see.

Thank you also for teaching me the fundamentals of math and science, and even making me stay late after school some days to make up things I messed up. Because of your persistence I can do simple and even complex transactions involving money. Because of you I have the basic skills to solve problems effectively and completely. There were times I hated some of what I thought were senseless exercises in geometry and algebra. But that information gave me the basics to have sense enough to figure things out on my own.

Even teachers who taught art and music also set the stage for me to have fullness in my life, as I now enjoy color and form and the sweet sound of music of all kinds.

Then there were the teachers in my church that taught me the basics of faith in a God who is my creator and provider. Teaching me about God helped me have an understanding that the whole world didn’t revolve around me but revolved around a power much higher than I and that He never changes.

Finally to my parents who taught me how to take what I had learned and take flight and helped push me out of the nest and fly on my own. My folks also taught me about passion for life and compassion for people. As a result I have the ability love people and as a result hopefully make this world a better place to live.

Love your teachers, but also learn how to be one too. Then you’ll have the capacity to carry the torch of America pride and exceptionalism to the generations after you.      

Haters. I am. Are you too?

I hate poor quality. I hate poor customer service. I hate liars and thieves. I hate having to be at work by 8 A.M. I hate Mondays. I hate that America now apologizes for exceptionalism. I hate to see our veterans get pushed aside and forgotten. I hate the media that doesn’t report the truth. I hate taxes. I hate being punished for my beliefs. I hate able bodied people who won’t work for a living. I just hate where our country has ended up and headed. On the flip side I am a lover.

I love quality products that last. I love merchants that actually like doing business with me. I love truth. I love doing the work that I do. I love each day of the week when people leave me alone and let me excel. I love the ingenuity and exceptionalism that my parents and grandparents taught me. I love the sacrifices that our veterans made for us and our freedom. I love it when journalism is not tainted and just reports what happened. I love paying my fair share of taxes that adds to and increases capitalism. I love the rewards of faith in God, who loves me and is in control. I love when I see people stand up and make it on their own financially by hard work and ingenuity. I love America and the freedoms we’ve enjoyed for at least 238 years. I love my wife and my family. I love my life.

So in the end I am more of an optimist and a lover than I am a pessimist and hater. You know, the true haters are the ones who take truth and twist it into a lie.    

The Powerful Names of God

Most Wednesdays I post to a private FB group of guys I’m part of. I summarize what I’ve gleaned from a weekly video series. The past 6 weeks or so our study has been on the Power of God’s Names by Tony Evan. There are over 80 recorded names for God. In this study we covered the names we hear the most, like Jehovah, Elohim and Jireh and several more. The Final word of the study was the name Emmanuel. Besides the name Jehovah, Emmanuel is the most recognizable name, since it is used a lot at Christmas in verse and song.     

The names of God reveal to us the many different attributes of God. Like Mighty Warrior, Everlasting Father, Healer, Redeemer, and the list goes from there. Emmanuel- means “God with Us”.  The “with us” refers to Jesus, the Christ. Each and every name for God is replicated in the person of Jesus. HE embodies each one of the names and attributes fully. He was fully God and also fully man. That’s one of the mysteries of the triune God. God is One in three and three in One. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Whatever we need or desire from God they are all embodied and avail in the God/Man Jesus.  

Philippians 2:5-11 is one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. It sums up Jesus Christ very well.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

If you desire anything from God you will find it available to you in his son Jesus. It is not rocket science or brain surgery, but it will send you to heaven and will give your brain the ability for correct thinking. That will lead to a life filled with goodness and wonder. It is very complex in nature and scope byt that's God's business. But very simple to claim him as your own. That's our business.

                                                         
The message in Philippians 2:6-11 has blessed me for 44+ years.

The Compelling Days of Easter

I have days when I am compelled to write. Writing is simply a revelation of what is going on in one’s mind. Today is one such day for me.

Driving back from lunch it dawned on me that this is Easter week. It usually slips up on me. For those of you who’ve seen what I say on here, I am someone who believes in traditional values. I lean pretty far to the right on most social and political issues and I don’t apologize for that. I’ve a passion for life and liberty and justice. I enjoy simple pleasures. I enjoy humor. I relish passionate spiritual music from another era (crazy I know). I get jazzed and motivated serving others. That’s my calling.

But this week of the year pulls from me something that is from the depths of who I am. I know I’m a husband and a son and a father, and now I’m also a Pops. But who I really am is one who believes in the power of the cross of Christ. Yes, I realize it was a cruel and bloody event a long time ago in history that some people cringe and want to ignore. But the event of the cross was the pivotal point in all of human history. God made a bridge to himself with the horrible and brutal death of the God/man Jesus Christ. I’ve learned about him, I’ve prayed to God in his name. I’ve relied on him to carry me when I had no more strength. I’ve seen his hand and I’ve seen his heart. No human reasoning could ever change my mind about who I KNOW he is.

So as I ponder this week and the junk He was given to endure, it puts a big lump in my throat. I realize he did what he did to pay a debt for me, that I was incapable of honoring. Whatever you’re doing this week I urge you to stop and ponder the Christ who laid it down for us all. Embrace and accept him. Take the gift that is being freely offered to you, and don’t look back. If you do, you will realize and experience something called resurrection. That word means that something was dead and had new life breathed into it. You’ve heard that story. He died and went to a grave. His detractors thought they had snuffed him out. But he had new breath pumped into him a couple of days later. He stood up and walked out of his place of defeat and displayed God’s power one early morning. That is the story of Easter. I hope you see it and experience it like I have.                   

End of…the 1st Quarter Blues.

The first three months of the year are brutal indeed. Christmas and New Year parties and activities are over. No more presents to open, no more fabulous food to gorge on. And those blasted resolutions have already vaporized and we’re carrying around the telltale remains of the 4^th quarter over eating. And now those credit card bills are due and the utility bill is on top of the roof because of the winter blast.

So saying goodbye to the first three months of the year is very easy. GOODBYE and don’t let the door hit you in the butt!!

That’s the bad news. Now the good news is that tomorrow we begin a new era of bright beginnings with the official start (in my book) of spring. The days are getting longer, the cold fronts are getting less intense and the oxygen in the air is in full bloom as the plants wake up to a new world.

So for the next 2 ½ months (or so) we will be blessed with warm days and warming nights. The joy of lawn maintenance begins. It becomes harder and harder to wind down and go to sleep each night as the sunset lingers up until this 60 year olds bedtime. And this is still good news!

Getting up and going to work, and staying at work, becomes more of a task. Don’t dare go outside for a break from work during this time of year or you will come back in with a fever from the aromas. It might cause you the leave work during the day as you are “feeling ill” and need to go home and sleep it off “wink wink”. Are you still with me? This is still good news.

So pinch yourself and remember that the first quarter is over and gone by midnight and the morning will bring a new day. I am not fooling!     

James - Faith that Works Even in my Pain

Pain. We all experience it.

 

I’ve been following a book study about life’s trials. As I glean new things from this study I am reminded of things that I’ve learned in the past from personal experience about pain. New and unlearned things are objective and not yet understood fully until experienced. Learned things are events or seasons in life when we’ve experienced personally the truths that this study reveals.  

Here’s a question for you. Do you believe that God has a purpose for pain or trials that we experience in this life?

In the New Testament the book of James it tells us in chapter 1 that God wants us to bear up under trials. Trials in our lives come in many forms. Family, work, marriage, and financial issues, just to name a few all seem to find their way to our doorsteps. There are normal human responses to the various pains or pressures we are dealt. Faced with serious challenges, one of our first responses is to run or escape. Seems to be the best thing we can think of. Just run.

Secondly we often just moan and complain about our plight. For those of us who believe in the creator God, we usually file a complaint directed him. We ask him why he’s letting this event or situation happen?

A third common response to trial is to blame someone else or some other circumstance for our trial. We just can’t accept that we are stuck smack dab in the middle of trouble, when the trouble may have been brought on by our own wrong decisions. Deferring or projecting our pain onto someone else seems to ease our pain, but it then creates a bitterness in us that is projected to others.     

Humanly speaking we have these normal responses. But in the spiritual realm we can choose a supernatural response, as the book of James tells us to employ.  The passage from James tells us that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. Steadfastness is a big word for a number of things. The result of taking God’s route is that difficulty in our lives can “do its full work”. That means if we hang on, God will use the problem for our good. It seems to go against our nature. But following the advice from James will produce good is us.

 Benefits of staying the course include learning loyalty, faithfulness, commitment and dedication to completing tasks. Staying the course makes us stable and complete. I don’t know about you, but many times I don’t feel stable and far removed from being complete! The end result, James says, is that we can perfect, complete and lacking in nothing. That’s what it says! Read it.

Now for something from my own life.

I’ve had two separate and distinct seasons when I was in severe pain. Not physical pain, but emotional distress and tons of accompanying worry, fear and doubt.  These periods persisted for extended periods of time. The first was not of my own choosing and seemed to take on a life of its own that took me through very dark days. Regardless of how I tried to change or escape it, the problems just kept going and going. It seemed that my life would be changed forever and the pain would never stop. 

My second season of trial and pain was of my own doing. I just plainly took a wrong path. I wiggled, squirmed and tried everything I could to remove myself from the situation. But it seemed the more I tried to escape, again it only got worse. This trial lasted for an extended period of time too. My own devices and plans to change and escape did not work. God had to pry my fingers from this trial so that I could finally rest in his provision and grace.

Peace can be found in obedience. God gave us a book of instructions. But many times we just don’t take the time to find the answers already provided for us. We can have more fulfilling and complete lives when we turn to the book of the ages for help in times of need.

Life is hard, but God is good. He has a perfect plan for us, if we will only allow him to work. We must learn to remove our hands from the wheel and let our God drive and direct us. Seems only fitting that the God who created us, could be able and willing to lead us to a life of fulfillment and joy. Living like this is another example of Living Life to the Full.    

April 30, 2013

Number two in the blog series for the Alaska trip. 9 days until we leave for Seattle. 11 days before sailing. Trying to glean as much info as possible from CC and FB posters. FB people are asleep! Can’t seem to get them to interact. When looking at profiles, they just aren’t FB posters at all for the most part. But the CC folks are a lively bunch so far.

Rethinking the dining option for 6 p.m. seating in traditional (private) seating. Many opinions on this subject about doing early or late seating. Early seems to be the most popular since it is full at this time. So I think we will stay with what we got based on my original research.

So, 98% of all details set. 99% of all buying done. A few small items left to do. Working on last minute items and issues, like how much cash to take with us. The costs can get a little scary as they build up. Very good that we got an early start on this and got things early and good prices and confirmed and paid for, with the exception of the car rental. Getting excited for sure. 

 

Trip of a Lifetime - Coming soon!

   I think we’ve all envisioned what it might be like to travel and experience places we’ve never been before. We fantasize about going to Europe, Australia, or Bora Bora, just to mention a few of the dream locations in the world. We’ve all had friends, relatives or co-workers who report back the fun they've had at locations where as they were bowled over with awe from their trip. My own kids have been and seen things in their young lives that I’ve only read or wondered about. From the great wall in China, to the outback in the great down under, to Europe and back. And even in the Americas my kids have traveled to places that make my own life seem boring.    

  As we age, our mind’s dreams of going to such locations grows farther and farther as our priorities change and as the old body just doesn’t have the same spring in the step of earlier years. I’ve always loved to travel. It never mattered what the destination was. Just leaving the comfort of normalcy for a weekender has always recharged my batteries. Always has. And hopefully always will.

   With my bride of 40 years we’ve been a few places when we’ve had the chance, that have provided wonderful and lasting memories. Our travels have taken us to and from Canada both in Ottawa for us both and Saskatchewan for my better half. On our joint trip we came back via Niagara Falls (you have to see it to believe it). We’ve taken time in both northern and southern California and we've seen some incredible sights. A few years back we had the opportunity to travel to the northeast, all the way to Maine. It included the wonderful drive through Tennessee, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and on through the Big Apple. It culminated in old New England. And the return down the Appalachian Trail was wonderful.  We've had shorter trips within our own little country, known as Texas.  From the tip top of the Panhandle down to the tip of Brownsville. And even from the southeast shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the dry and dusty El Paso. So even within the confines of the U.S. we’ve really been able to eat a good tasty slice of Americana pie.

   So it was with a great deal of amazement last fall that our sneaky kids brought us all together for a Sunday dinner where they presented us with a copy of a large check in an amount beyond belief for a cruise! We were shocked with the size of the gift and how they had been saving for years. The gift is to celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary, that happens later this year. The kids were thinking we might do Europe, Hawaii or some other exotic location, but my very first thought was it HAD to be Alaska!

   The great state of Alaska is still considered a pioneer and pristine destination. It seems to be the only place in North America (and maybe the world) that is virtually untouched by the blight of man. The only experience I have with the 50^th state is second hand knowledge from a friend who traveled there as a teenager and from my step dad who traveled there and stayed several weeks camping alone. He had the time of his life. The difficult adventure getting there and back was half of the adventure for him.

   We’ve all seen the photos, travel videos, documentaries, and even quirky sitcoms and dramas with the backdrop of beautiful Alaskan. The views are magnificent, even in photos. Ever been on vacation somewhere and snapped what you thought was an award winning photos only to have your viewers say nice. Nice? The photos and experience to me was WOW and I get a “nice” from someone that didn't go. They just weren’t “there” and don’t really understand so they? That scenario is probably played out with most vacation photos for everyone. I tend to think after seeing a number of YouTube videos that those really do capture more closely the sights and sounds of the adventure. The missing components from a sensory standpoint is actual sights, actual sounds, and actually feeling whatever weather elements and scents only captured while “really” being there. 

So very soon (less than 3 weeks) we will be embarking on something wonderful. I'll try and share as much of it with you, that I humanly can.

Charting Unknown Waters

OK. I just started my journey into the unknown. The uncharted waters of life in my sixties began yesterday. I guess I must have thought that yesterday I would have somehow “felt older” or that my memory would suddenly disappear into the abyss or something else drastic might happen. Well I’m still here today and alive and relatively well (for my age!).

I’m really enjoying life these days. In some ways I’m coasting down life’s highway. But in other regards I am still squeezing out from my resources of memory and experience to eek out a survival in the corporate world. Most days it is still an adventure for me. And other days it seems to have the word “drudgery” attached. But all in all, I’m still having the time of my life and getting the job done in the best way that I can.

I treat my own job and duties with the same sense of drive and determination as if it were my own personal business to care for. And it really is. Perhaps it's just me, or my generation, or my upbringing. I am hoping it is not just a generational thing that will someday be gone forever. Having this type of mindset should really be the norm and not the exception. Some day I really do hope that someone else will pick up my mantle and carry forward with the same sense of pride and care that I’ve come to enjoy and expect from myself. My faith has played a crucial role. 

Sometimes we sell short the generations behind us as being uncaring or lazy. As with any generation I’m sure there is some of that at play. But I see a bright future in the midst of some shaky and dark things in this world when I see innovators and those that are "up and coming". Our followers will certainly face new and different challenges in every aspect of life. But I look forward to seeing if what my generation modeled will be repeated or built upon, in new and exciting ways of innovation.

As I begin the fall of my life, my calendar and some days my body still screams that it really spring time. Away with the dead of winter. With anticipation we watch the explosion of newness in everything around us as the plants wake up and start singing. And with the new chorus comes color and beauty and tons more oxygen to fill our lungs again. The whole process is refreshing. Seasonal change is one of the wonders of life (and death). It’s a stark reminder that out of death can spring forth new life.

So even though my driver license now says I’m older, I refuse to fall prey to the dullness and negativity of getting old. I choose to be happy and fulfilled and complete. And out of my own “deadness” I look for new and green and colorful life as I travel toward the winter of my days.  

Trying to Understand the Liberal View

I'm trying to understand!

My upbringing in Dallas, Texas was smack dab in the middle of the so-called bible belt of the United States. The Bible belt was and is a microcosm with a diverse mix of cultural values that have been embraced for a number of generations in the south.

My wonderful parents instilled in me a basic understanding of right and wrong. Also instilled in me was a basic respect for authority at every level. I knew instinctively that I would always be subservient to someone, and many times that would be applied to my relationship with an employer or other authority over me that controlled some part of my life. I would be lying if I didn’t say some of the required submission to authority didn’t stick well in my craw and I mumbled about it every chance I could, at times. But the facts remain that I was and still am subject to the authority of greater powers than myself.
     

I think about a lot of different issues just in the course of any day. During our most recent election cycle I was deep in the mire of keeping abreast of every event or newsworthy tidbit related to the election. I listened to a lot of facts about both sides and sifted through the facts and disseminated fact from fiction the best I could, and as carefully as I could.
 

Although the candidate on the “right” side of the debate was not my first choice, I resigned myself to the realization that he was the better choice of the candidates we were given to vote for. My guy was not as conservative as I would have liked him to be, but he had faith and family values and virtues that I admire and embrace in my own life. But the rest is now history and we know the outcome didn’t appease the conservative voting block of the nation, of which I count myself a part of.

As I've surveyed what's happened in the past few years I’ve learned some invaluable lessons that I didn’t think I would ever be faced to learn. Like the fact that our society has changed. And in my own opinion these changes have happened in rapid succession in recent history, perhaps over the past 10 years. Having lived through the many changes of the 1960’s and the social revolution that took place then, I compare what’s happened in the past several years to the 60’s in some ways, yet in a deeper more drastic and dramatic way.

Until the past decade I didn’t really think of myself as a true conservative, until I realized what a large difference there is in my own values contrasted to the “new” way of thinking about everything. And, dang it, I find myself really as far right as you might be able to swing. This thinking is really deep seated and very dogmatic.
 

I’ve tried to think about and embrace, in some way, the thinking of those who have turned the apple cart up on its side to include morality, trustworthiness, and the overall view of fiscal matters at every level. I know that in every generation some of the accepted practices and beliefs are altered, toned down or even flat ignored and changed. Some of this is a generational cycle that bucks the norm, but at some point that pendulum swings back in the other direction, at least to some degree.

But from what I’ve observed (and this is open to debate) I think our society has been and continues to make significant changes to what I call the "liberal way". What troubles me greatly is the fact that there no longer appears to be middle ground. No serious debate occurs between both sides with any negotiable outcome, left or right. It seems that when the majority view (or voting block) leans to the left, there is a complete and utter ignoring of any alternative view or proposition toward the right. In previous generations this was called "stonewalling". But stonewalling happened so as to prove a point, so that middle ground could be achieved.


The atmosphere of our current age (liberalism) is that "they" will change things to "their" way of thinking and will not compromise or take any part in the "right’s" positions or view. They will not even consider them, whatsoever. If this is really true, we have a serious problem in our society that is not easily remedied. From the view of the right, it appears that we are on a collision course and even though every red flag, bell, whistle or other warning signal is being used, the course of our destinies will not be changed. It is utterly and ignorance of truth.
 

That is what I see. I would hope that this is only my view of things, but I’m afraid that we are perilously close to a full collapse in our society on every level. Unless the powers in control do not come to some place of discussion and serious debate and concession we will be forced to take a road that will not be a fun or smooth ride. Considering the great and many strides we’ve made as a people in every form of our society might be greatly diminished or destroyed. What Americans love and expect could be gone.




Think through and decide you own convictions. Give future generations a chance to carry on our precious liberties. Speak the truth to those you know and car about. Stand up and be counted. Vote in every election and vote for people who share your values and convictions. Don't waiver and give up. Stand strong and be counted.      

Destination - Unknown?

Destination – Unknown?

Ever think about the many ways that we get to where we are going? In our country we have the Appalachian Trail, the Chisholm Trail, Route 66, and many State and Interstate Highways that cris-cross virtually square mile of the country. These are normally well known highways and byways and most of them are clearly marked from one end to the other.

Some of the paths we take in our journeys are not even marked in any way. Some of them are way back in the woods somewhere and you might be the only one that knows the path without getting lost. But your previous experience leads you back out every time.

Sometimes we take paths without any knowledge of which way to go. Sometimes our trips may be made in stormy weather or in the dark of night. Many times we think we know the way, but we get lost and have to back track to find another way to go. Or we have to stop and ask for directions from someone who knows how to get there.

Many of our travels involve using a map, a GPS unit or even a navigation system on our phones to lead us to our exact destination. Without these tools most of us haven’t a clue about which direction to travel.

While getting ready for work this morning I thought about my own life. And I thought to myself, do I really know where I’m going and how I can get there? Not sure if this was a wake up call about my life or just another random crazy thought. But I am questioning myself now with this idea. Do I really have a planned destination? And if I do, do I possess the tools and directions in order to get there?

As we live out our lives, we can get so wrapped up in the daily grind of things that we may overlook basic planning of any kind. And if we don’t know where we’re even headed, we surely can’t get there can we? So may be the case in your own life.

What kind of man or woman do we aspire to be? Do we want to emulate a parent or some other admired person from your past? Becoming who we want to be requires, at least, a little planning. Without planning life may take you to destinations you don’t want to go. 

I challenge myself and anyone reading this to do a little self evaluation today. See if you are headed where you want to be. Want to be a better Dad or Mom? Want to aspire to something good or great? Want to be the top salesperson? Decide who you are today. Plan out your route. Make the necessary course corrections to lead you out of darkness or storm. Ask others for help in your journey. Don’t be afraid to admit you’ve lost your way or that you don’t have a map or guide for directions.

Others before us have traveled many roads. It is wise to lean on the experiences (and failures) of others to help us on our own journeys.

Finally, being a person of faith, I would be remiss without telling you that our God has a plan and purpose for your life and wants to give us the destination location and directions on how to get there. He can lead you on your journey. He’s already given us directions and the guide. He’s taken others before us on their respective journeys. Some have gotten lost on their way and had to back track too. Some of them even knew the way to go and took a different path. Those successes and failures are recorded for our benefit in the book we call the Bible.

The Bible may seem like an ancient and outdated map to you. But as you open it and read and meditate on it, the author can and will show you where you want to end up in your journey. And he will surely make sure you have ample directions and signs pointing you in the right direction.

Be a sojourner. Ask for help along the way. Watch out for unplanned detours. On your journey be sure and stop and take time to plan and evaluate from time to time to make sure you are going the right way.

I sincerely hope you find your destination.    

On the Precipice of Change -

On the Precipice of Change –

     As we ponder our future this week we try and envision what our world might look like 6 months from now and beyond, we can’t help but think back about when life was more idyllic. When we were a people of wonder and hope and had dreams for our kids and grandkids that surpassed our own lives growing up in the 50’s and 60’s and 70’s.     

     As a free people we just hope in the vision of a future that is bigger and better that that of previous times. I’ve personally witnessed an erosion of the American dream in the past number of years as society has changed and watched as values have changed. Change is always a needed thing if we are to be innovators and idea people, but some of the changes that have taken place have taken a toll on those of us who baby boomers as we’ve watched with interest in how American business has evolved into a purely profit machine that could care less in the people who make it happen, namely it’s workforce.

    How many people do you know who have had a diminished standard of living in the past 10 years? Who is it in your family that has experienced being “down sized” without a job and left to fend for themselves in a sour economy? We all know someone whose had to deal with aging and at the same time see whatever nest egg they had evaporate just trying to keep the lights on. And the back side of that is that they there has been no “light at the end of the tunnel” in many respects.

    As Americans we have a proud heritage of independence and resolve. We’ve always taken the lemons we’ve been given and made not only lemonade, but we’ve taken those sour fruits and made things like Super Duper Frothy Delicious Lemon Fruit Ta-Ta or some similar concoction. That’s just who we are as a people. We are innovators and entrepreneurs at our core. That’s why we’ve been the best at what we do. We know what’s good and what works.  That’s why immigrants flock here, isn’t it. They want a piece of the large wonderful pie that we call America. Can’t blame them, can you?

    I am hoping for change. And the change I’m hoping for is that we can once again be released as a people to innovate once again. That through collective creative genius we can unleash Americans to re-build America. And when we do that we all get a piece of the action.

    So as we look forward, I hope that we all realize that we really can re-fire the engines of America. If we as a people will untie the hands of business and let capitalism and innovation do what it does best, we will see a spirit of cooperation and excitement that we’ve not experienced in a long time. Don’t you think it’s high time we got back to the American we all knew and loved? Wouldn’t you like to be excited again about the future our great nation? America has been asleep, not dead. It’s been imprisoned, but not with a life sentence.  

It is my earnest hope and prayer that life will once again resemble the America I once knew. And I hope that starts before it is too late to change.

Left Turns. Ever made one?

LEFT TURNS

Right turns when driving are fairly easy, aren't they? Most states allow a right turn on red light, if no other traffic is coming. Some times there are arrows that allow right turns. But for the most part in America we could all agree that turning right is fairly simple.

Left turns however are another matter entirely. My most poignant remembrance of a left turn was when I was a little bit younger (OK, a lot younger!). I met regularly with two older men on Saturday mornings for coffee, encouragement and prayer. The route to our meeting place required a left turn at an intersection. One particular morning when at the signal light and turning left, I proceeded to make my turn at the end of the light’s cycle.

On the other side of the intersection another driver was coming through the intersection, also at the “end” of the cycle going straight. That morning we met without a handshake. It was a small disaster. The other driver T-Boned me on the passenger side of my car. I had my driver’s window down at the time and the impact flung my eyeglasses into the street and we run over later. The right side window exploded and some of the flying glass now resided in my face.

After the spinning stopped I surveyed the scene and realized my little car was done, Caput, totaled and basically a nice new U shape.

I made my meeting that day after a brief discussion with the other driver, the police, paramedics and a few other "concerned" citizens that were worried about us clearing the intersection. My meeting guys saw the blood and the no glasses on my face and said, “What the heck happened?” “I said, well I was just making a left turn, when………”

I survived that crash. My car didn’t. Had my pregnant wife been with me in the passenger seat that morning most likely she or my unborn son might not be with us today. It was that bad of a collision.

How can out life be changed so quickly and drastically with a simple left turn?

As I look back on that day and survey the many days of my life since that time, I can tell you I’ve had and seen many other “Left Turns” in my and countless other lives. Can you recall those times when your world changed in an instant? Was it a phone call? Was it a birth or death you witnessed? Was it coming home to an empty house unexpectedly? Or maybe it was that day you were called into the boss’s office for some bad news?

My bride and I were discussing just last night how many of our friends, co-workers and others we've known of the past couple of years who’ve had some drastic and even fatal left turns. Often without any warning, we’ve seen settled lives get toppled in an instant. Is it that we are just getting older and everyone around us is too, or does it seem that problems for all of us are mounting up like pending storms?

Regardless of why, we will ALL have LEFT turn(s) in our lives. It is just part of the human experience. How, oh how, do we prepare for such events and drastic changes? I think we can’t. We just have to live our lives in such a way that we keep our “bags packed” to some degree. Bags packed thinking also means we need a level of faith and trust in our creator God that He is the one that is ultimately in control of our lives. If you don’t believe this to be true, I surely wish you would consider seriously trusting Him for your own destiny. He’s the one whose set my life back on the road after many, many left turns. He is working out his will in our lives and HE is good ALL the time!    

Clearing the Cobwebs - Seinfeld Style

Clearing the Cobwebs - Seinfeld Style

Ever feel like your mind is a jumbled mess, sort of like a desk with much paper in disarray? Being an ADD type person I can live with a messy desk. I can put my hands on just about anything I need with no Post-It Note or color sticker tab attached. I can locate one page in a three piles of fifty. In my drawer I can locate an obscure item in the midst of a total mess. But my mind is a different matter. I get so many things floating or flying around in the 7 inch hat rack known as my head, that there are times I have to just force myself to sit down and write (type). Today is one such day. Time to arrange my thoughts, release some frustrations, take a stand, clean out the recesses of my gray matter, whether it matters or not.  

Seeing other people blog about subjects ranging from Apples to Food to Faith to Zoology, makes me see that there truly is a place for Seinfeld like writing. Seinfeld was the master of making a long running popular show about nothing. And it worked.

Although I am very busy at this time of year (decade) I seem to thrive on always being a little bit behind and with 40 tasks up in the air at the same time. But I just can’t seem to get that dang belt rack hung in closet at home. It’s been at least three weekends since I promised my wife and myself I’d hang it. Whoops. Hasn’t happened yet. Just can’t seem to get back around to it? I guess she needs to “write me up” or put me on probation from Blue Bell for a while until I get those small tasks done.

I can tackle projects involving millions of dollars (literally) but can’t seem to move that old bicycle from the back yard to a better place. Being the unorganized person that I am Excel has been a godsend lifesaver helping me organize a wee part of my life. Who would have thunk it? I guess it must help because I can add colors to the cells and set up large fonts in BOLD and I can even highlight different columns with the spectrum of the rainbow.

And gadgets seem to help me too. If I see a new product or gizmo and can plug them in or set them up, that seems to help a boring day seem much brighter. I guess us ADD’ers have to have color and variety to give us a buzz?! Go figure?   

While I’ve been typing I see that I am up to 139 unopened emails at this time. So I supposed my project list has just been boosted to orbit (again). Let’s see, where was I before I started writing? Oh I remember I was on my way to get coffee or was that Friday? Oh well I’ll just go get a coke since it is almost noon.

OK, my mind is clear again. I feel much better. Feeling a bit like Cozmo Kramer today.