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.