Presents or Presence?

There is someone in my life who thinks that big presents are good. They are. Especially if they are desired by the one on the receiving end, but...

What if the one on the receiving end desires something intangible even more than the tangible?

What if the one on the receiving end desires particular character qualities?

What if the one on the receiving end desires time?

Perhaps the one on the receiving end will ultimately be disappointed?

I suppose they would be if they received a tangible gift instead of what they truly desired.

I value qualities like commitment, honesty, integrity, transparency in a relationship. I willingly interact with people who exhibit these traits even if I disagree with them on serious issues.

Perceived lack of these qualities severely inhibits my willingness to interact with a person on any but the most superficial level.

I wonder...in several different places in the Bible God expresses His desire for time and character from His children rather than a tangible sacrifice or offering. Do you suppose He is disappointed?

Disappointment comes from unmet expectations.

He knows everything, being omniscient, so, His expectation can't be off.

No, I don't think He's disappointed when He doesn't get what He desires most, I think maybe He's sad.

Is it wrong for Him to expect time and character? He is, after all, the One who created us.

Then maybe He feels angry when His expectation isn't met?

I'm glad He reveals in His Word that He is 'slow to anger and abounding in love.'

I'm comforted to know He says 'My grace is sufficient for you'...

Lord God, I come boldly before Your throne of grace, to receive the mercy and find the grace I need for this day, and this circumstance, and this troubled relationship. Where would I be without You?

Feelings...

Been hearing a lot about feelings lately...how they're not the thing to make decisions by...they're not in control of your life, etc., etc. It's all true but, it doesn't make experiencing them any easier.

I've been feeling a lot of feelings lately.

It's hard not to take some things personal even when someone says, "Don't take it personal."

It's hard to feel sad and be encouraging at the same time.

It's hard not to let your old baggage influence your interpretation of your current circumstances.

It's hard when you're disappointed with someone you've trusted.

It's hard when someone you love is misunderstood.

It's hard when you're misunderstood.

It's hard when you have to sit still and wait and trust God for what is best in the long run.

It's hard sometimes.

It just is.

There's an old song...I know Whom I have believ-ed and am persuaded that He is a-ble to keep that which I've com-mitted unto Him against that Day.

Hangin' on...

Which Ocracy Do You Prefer?

Which Ocracy Do You Prefer?

I've got to weigh in on what's happening in Madison...

It's not a coincidence that the same afternoon that Scott Walker released his budget repair bill to the public that we received a phone message from the Teamsters strongly urging us to contact our representatives and tell them to vote against the bill.

I read the letter the governor sent to the state employees. It was sent to me by my state assembly representative who preferred for me to read it myself than to explain it in his own words. Collective bargaining was limited, not eliminated. There is a big difference between the two.

I hope the people who elected the senators who fled the state and still refuse to return will initiate a recall. They need come back and fulfill their responsibilities to those they represent by participating in the democratic process. Their absence has bought the attention and time we all needed to review the bill. To prolong the vote any further is unreasonable.

Please don't compare this to what is going on in the middle East. We already have a democratic process in place which is not a facade for a dictatorship.

Please don't compare this to what happened with Mercury Marine or Harley Davidson. These were individual companies dealing with business through unions representing employees. These unions do not represent the entire citizenry of the state of Wisconsin, neither have they been elected to state government. It's nice to know that the union members are willing to make some concessions but, the unions are not responsible for the state legislative process. The union members who are citizens of Wisconsin elected the state senators to represent them in Madison and these senators are responsible for the legislative process and they need to vote.

If you're going to compare it to something how about comparing it to stopping a bad habit or breaking an addiction? I remember when I quit smoking. Not fun. My body SCREAMED for a smoke! Losing weight hasn't been any easier...and I keep giving in...and where has that got me? If you don't know me, you can guess. And an addiction...that is only overcome by the grace and power of God. Well, that's all I can think about when I consider what our nation is facing all the way from Washington, to our local municipalities, to our own personal budgets. We're all going to be better off the sooner we do what needs to be done and if we don't, the consequences will continue to multiply to our detriment. Either way there will be pain and we will reap what we have sown.

Let's keep maturity and civility in sight when sharing our own perspective. A soft answer turns away wrath...and a polite and respectful tone is much easier to listen to (and much easier on the throat). Even if you don't change some one's mind, you can still add value to the process.

Click on the link to Chuck Colson's article in BreakPoint on 'ocracies' (good article) and at the bottom of his article you will find more links to other perspectives from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and NBC Chicago.

Where's the PEACE?

Refuse to allow frustration and impatience to rule. There is no evidence of faith or trust in God when we react based on our emotions.

Rise above the circumstances that have made you angry, or fearful, or caused you to doubt and establish peace in your heart by focusing on the truth in the Word. Then, you can find wisdom and direction for dealing with your...problem.

God pours out wisdom liberally (James 1:5-8) if you will set your heart and mind on trusting Him to show you the way.

In fact, reading the first three chapters of James will build your faith and sharpen your resolve in these areas.

If you discover the wise thing to do is simply to wait and trust Him to work things out in His way and in His time, the Word will again be living and active for you! Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Repeat this to yourself. Repeat it out loud. Do what it says. Peace will return.

God has established peace for us and we will be kept in it when we trust Him. (Isaiah 26:3 & 12)

Fall is my favorite season...

Am I going to enjoy it?

I post on priorities alot. That's because I need to be intentional with them because I like a full life.

I've just got to state my intention: I am going to enjoy this fall season NOW, BEFORE it is gone.

This is the verse I will meditate on to gain alignment to God's purposes in my day-to-day life:

Isaiah 33:6
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure.

I am not an island unto myself. God is real. His purposes will prevail. I will give an account to Him of my time here on earth. There are consequences to action and inaction. He loves me perfectly, is always present and active, and I can count on that.

We have a new grandson!

Our fifth grandchild, our second grandson!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Thoughts to Review and Renew

I'm in that mode again...the old year past, the new year upon us.

I just want to share one thing here this time. A poem by Sam Walter Foss written more than a century ago:

The Calf Path

One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.

Since then thee hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.

The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell-wether sheep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bell-wethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made.

And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned and bent about
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed -- do not laugh --
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked,
Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,
Then bent, and turned, and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare;
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed the zigzag calf about;
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach,
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
along the calf-paths of the mind,

And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,

And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move.
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! Many things this tale might teach --
But I am not ordained to preach.