Category: The Spiritual

I remember seeing, at least once, a sign upon entering a small community, “Home of 5000 nice people and I old grouch.” It took me up to the last morning in Branson to find one, perhaps two old grouches. I was buying ice and gassing up the truck. When I went to check out the bill was $4.07. I had a ton of change in my truck but none on my person. I looked hopefully at the Add a Penny – Take a Penny display. There were at least ten pennies there. “No sir.” The cashier warned. That’s take a penny, not seven pennies.” Although it seemed reasonable that there be a limit on taking pennies, seven didn’t seem to me to be it. She gave me my change and I put the pennies I received into the jar. “Maybe you can be more generous to the next person whose a bit short,” I said. She just grunted. I had found my old grouch. I returned to the truck and then to the condo. I then took the car for gassing up to the same place. I took dozens of pennies out of my penny place in the truck. […]

Wouldn’t we be so much happier if life met our expectations? Is it that life is meant to be this disappointing or is it that our expectations could use a bit of adjustment? Is it that we are unrealistic about life? Do we spend too  much time watching “reality” television. Do we live in romance or adventure novels that have no resemblance to life? Do we expect our spouses to compete with fictional characters? Do we idealize “personalities” and wail in disappointment when our own lives don’t measure up. The Duggar family didn’t meet up with  “expectations” for  some, Christians and Christian bashers alike. For some, their family tragedy is an opportunity to celebrate the “fall” of too-good-to-be-true Christian lives. For others, there is a strange comfort in knowing personal family failings aren’t unique. Perhaps, we mourn that the ideal family we thought we knew, is far from perfect. What did Jesus teach us to expect? Certainly not perfection,  either in our conduct or in our lives. We should expect those we admire to fall and to see the same in the mirror. We should expect trouble, even persecution. We should expect things to be new every morning, and pretty […]

“Vacation” is an interesting word. The root is “vacate” or to empty. The word originated in the era in which the well-to-do would “vacate” their normal residences during the “season” and move to seaside or mountain second homes. They were said to be “on vacation” or “vacationers.” The usage eventually spread to the masses, you and me. It seems not only our normal residences are emptied during vacation. The vacation process is an emptying of the day-to-day junk that seems determined to fill our lives. I know with smart phones and tablets it’s hard to leave all of our usual lives behind, but we still try to empty out as much junk as possible. When the junk is all cleared away, what’s left? Looking at the vacant faces of many of my fellow vacationers, I have to think, “not much.” What if we empty ourselves of the junk and there is nothing left, no substance, nothing to hang on to or be proud of? What should be left when the junk is cleared? I like what Casting Crowns sings in their song “Thrive.” “We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives It’s time for us […]

Success in the Christian walk is dependent on fueling our faith, fighting fear and framing our feelings. The problem is that we get it all mixed up. We fuel our fear, frame our faith and fight our feelings. Some days we frame our fear, fight our faith and fuel our feelings. Well, you get the picture. It’s a good thing to remind ourselves what we should be doing. Fueling our faith.  I don’t see how anyone makes it without faith. Many try. All fail. It doesn’t take a bunch of faith to make it. If we will just fuel faith, really great things can happen. You fuel faith like you fuel a fire. You feed it. You throw everything into it. Troubles? Into the fire of faith. Doubts? Toss them in. Challenges? Just make the fire bigger. Faith is about recognizing what’s really true. God is true. His provision is real. His love is truly alive. Fighting our fear.  We all fear. We don’t all admit it but we do. Jesus told us not to. Fear not. Fight it. Recognize it as soon as it show up. Identify it for what it is and turn from it. Just as […]

This morning early I began my pre-trip preparations. My wife, her sister and I are taking our grandson Nicky and granddaughter Samantha to Branson. It’s the kind of trip Rose and I have planned for years. It may be our only best shot of doing it. Nicky’s thirteen. Vacations with grand parents may not be high on his bucket list much longer. Sammy’s not far behind. Packing emphasized something I knew but perhaps didn’t fully realize. The most important items that I dare not forget are not my underwear, socks or even my medication. The most important things to never forget are my electronics. I like to say “electrons” to show off my Navy electronics training. I’ll bring my iPhone, my iPad and my MacBook Pro. (You would think I could get some payback from Apple for this blog.) The kids will likely forget underwear and toothbrushes. Phones will not be forgotten. My wife will claim to be electron free, but the thought of her without her iPad is too frightening for me to consider. After 45 years of marriage there aren’t that many conversations we haven’t had. A quiet evening at home now includes just us (and our electrons). […]

I was sitting in the car watching people arrive and leave the Wal-Mart. I am not a Wal-Mart people watcher by nature or trade. My wife was in the store and I was waiting for her. I have to admit there were some pretty strange sights moving in and out of the big box store. Some seemed in a hurry just to get in and out. Others acted as if they were on the adventure of a life time; maybe they were. I know it’s been popular to make jokes about Wal-Mart People and to post not very faltering pictures of them on the internet. I admit that I was tempted to snap a few pics of the folks I saw flowing in and out. But I saw some special things. Young couples obviously in love. Older couples making a date out of a trip to Wal-Mart. Young women with baskets piled high and a worried look that the food and supplies budget for the month might be busted. Some folks came in and left very alone. Taking their time, making the trip take up as much of their lonely day as possible. Wal-Mart people can be amusing and […]

Are you sometimes so busy with things to do that  you do nothing? I get like that. My head starts swimming. I feel my heart start beating hard. I’ll start to go one way, then stop and turn around. I find myself in a room and don’t remember why I’m there. I know I have much to do. I have to just keep on moving, and thinking, and worrying and panicking. . . and accomplishing nothing. I’m starting to learn that if I’ll turn to the Lord in times like these, He will do one of two things, sometimes both. 1. He’ll send an angel. I’m reminded of Megan Reaux’s post on Facebook. With just hours to go before the flight back to Africa and ministry, that “so busy” feeling has to be taking over. God sent her an angel to help. I was concerned about getting my Covenant Spotlight mags out this weekend with so much going on. God sent an angel or two to help. Now, I just have Milton and Maurice to deal with. “Milton and Maurice” sounds like a singing duo. 2. He’ll guide your path.  Just ask. If He doesn’t send help, He may just […]