Nick’s Walk

On Monday, I had my post-surgical doctor visit. I had many questions, but they could all be summarized as “Is this as good as it gets?” Even just a week post op, things are better. I can stand without pain. But there is still pain. It was a foolish question. I am more frequently than not, foolish. The question was foolish, not because my doctor is great, but he’s no prophet. But because the answer to “Is this as good as it gets.” is always, “No. It’s going to get much better.” It always amuses me when someone sighs with satisfaction and says “It doesn’t get much better than this.” Those words represent a sad philosophy that could be restated as, “This is as good as it gets,” or maybe, “it’s never going to get better.” Here I was exhibiting what I know is a sad philosophy The truth is, in God, there is always more. The present is always just a foretaste of some more glorious future. No matter how things may seem, good or bad, it’s going to get better. That’s a wonderful promise whether we are slogging through a valley of life, dancing on a mountain […]

I’ve had my i-pad for a couple of weeks. I love it. I sleep with it. Okay that last one needs an explanation. I use it in bed and sometimes I fall asleep and it’s still in the bed. You can do lots of cool things with it. You can watch movies, read books and magazines, play games. And, yes, it is an incredible help in my legal practice, and in my role as “webmaster” for my church. Well, you just have to try it for yourself. It’s very intuitive. My three year old great grand child just picks it up and starts doing amazing things with it.  In watching her play with it, I realized that she was doing things more efficiently than I was. Shortly after that I stumbled upon the User Guide. For you ipad-ers, it’s a favorite on Safari, the web browser.  More amazing, I read it. I’m the type that throws away instruction manuals with the packing when I get something new. So manual reading isn’t my forte’. The darn thing has a manual and I read it and now refer to it often. I view myself as an emerging i-pad expert, but self-delusion […]

I heard from God yesterday. It’s amazing He was able to get through to me. He didn’t email, text or contact me through Facebook. Yet He was able to reach me nonetheless. It happened this way. I had to make an announcement at church Sunday morning regarding the upcoming Kairos weekend. I was up early on Sunday, researching, drafting handouts, burning up my printer. I stopped for a couple of minutes to relax. In the early morning quiet,  I felt the strong “feeling” that I needed to make the same announcement at Pastor Doucet’s teaching which occurs before the worship service. You will notice that not only did God not contact me electronically, He didn’t speak to me audibly. Often hearing from God is only a “feeling.” But it is confirmed by results. At the 9 o’clock hour, as the teaching began, I sat in the back and heard Pastor continue a discussion on the Glory of God. Suddenly I knew why I was there. I was to offer lab work for the classroom work. Attendance at the Kairos closing would allow those who were studying about the Glory of God, actually see the Glory of God in the […]

Around these parts, I have a reputation as a Florida Gator fan. A brave thing to be in South Louisiana where most folks bleed purple and gold. Many would have a hard time believing that I once proudly wore a t-shirt that read “Happiness is Gainesville, Florida, in your rear view mirror. ” I had just finished 27 months at University of Florida Law School. I was ready to get on with real life and not in a mood to look back. My eyes were firmly fixed on the future. Life is not always like that. We can we spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror. If we consider the qualities of rear view mirrors versus front windshields we might learn something. Autos and humans are designed for facing and moving forward. Safety requires only an occasional glance to the rear. God created us as to be future focused creatures. With God, all the good stuff is ahead. He gives us the gift of excited expectation. We can never say we have seen the most beauty we will ever see or had the best of life. That’s always ahead. With God there is always more. It’s […]

Practically everyone on Facebook is complaining. Significant changes appeared on the world’s most popular website on Thursday. It’s clear that most folks prefer the old and familiar to the new and innovative. Most Facebookers assumed that Facebook was just messing with them . . . Change for change sake. In fact, the internet changed forever yesterday. Some will “like” the changes, and why not. They will be able to watch media with friends and have their personal history compiled and displayed. They will know what their friends are watching, doing and saying online in real time. Some will hate having that much known about them. Facebook friends will “know” each other like never before. Privacy and intimacy will never be the same. If you think I exaggerate, Wait and see. Two great perceived needs of man are about to collide: the need to be known and the fear of being truly known. We want to be known and loved. We think we won’t be loved if we are truly known so we filter what others know about us. Facebook intends to change all that. Just think how you would feel if everything you did was known to everyone. Facebook […]

We can all benefit from a little perspective. I’m recovering from knee surgery, but some are struggling back from knee replacements or cardiac bypasses. Others are losing fights against killer diseases. My temporary inconveniences are insignificant. I’m keeping my eye on my bank balance and the calendar, hoping October 1 comes before a negative balance. But others are paying for houses that are worth less than they owe. Some are jobless. Others don’t know how they will feed their kids today. It’s not a new thought that there’s always someone worse off; but it’s a constant struggle to keep that in mind. The Faithbuilders page on our church website includes a number of videos that help me keep my head straight. See if they work for you. If you have some other Faithbuilders, I would love to add them. Maybe we can build up each others faith. Be blessed, Nick

One of the top ten phrases tweeted today was “GOD LOVES YOU.” it seems most of those were directed at Troy Davis, who is scheduled to be executed tonight. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles voted Sept. 20 to move forward with Davis’ execution, despite allegations that there is no physical evidence tying him to the 1989 killing of Mark Allen MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah police officer. Since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses who testified against Davis have recanted their testimonies. His execution was temporarily stayed as I was preparing to post this. I haven’t followed the case and don’t know enough about it to have an opinion on Troy’s guilt or innocence. There are some truths emerging from this story. 1. God does love Troy Davis whether he is a murderer or not. 2. The message of God’s love is important and it’s good to see it “in the news.”3. There is so much more that people need to know about God: His holiness, justice, and His wonderful plan of salvation. 4. We need to be talking about the God that we know, with our friends, family, everyone, on and off line. 5. It’s easy […]

“The Father really knows best. I’m praying and believing that my season as “the man with the cane” is waning and a new and “better” season is in the wind. No matter. He is still God and the best is always ahead.” How soon we forget. If the above seems familiar, it’s because I said it a couple of days ago in this blog. I thought it was pretty deep and wise. Yesterday, upon hearing that my procedure did not come out perfectly, I was discouraged, perhaps despondent. It is easy to claim faith and trust. It is more difficult to walk it out. It turns out I will likely need to have my knee replaced at some point in the unknown future. I had hoped to avoid that, but it may not be possible. That is in no way the worst news anyone could ever receive. In fact, it isn’t close to the worse news I ever received. Yet it was enough to set me back, if only temporarily. That was yesterday. Today I talked with my doctor. I feel 100 percent better. Life is good. We really are fickle creatures, aren’t we? If you’ve slipped today or […]