Words

Corporate leaders wandered through the store thanking, hand shaking and well wishing employees a happy holidays and a congratulations for a successful year.  Among the chatter an introduction of a new employee was made and with the introduction came an explanation that this employee was in between jobs and was working here until full time employment was to be found.  I cringed.  Never would I begrudge someone from finding full time employment but I knew that soon we would be searching for yet another employee.

Days later I found out that someone else had taken that conversation much differently.  This person had taken the conversation to mean that the new employee was much better than the rest of us and had lowered himself to work here till his feet landed that perfect job.  He chose to believe there was an implication that we had chosen unworthy careers and were stuck here forever. 

Often I have heard it, said it and even written about it, words mean things.  We have to be careful! Tis very true, however, very often words don't mean things.  We often make up meanings to build up something within our souls.  We get upset, mad, bitter or create a cleverness about ourselves dragging  in ideas that were not intended. 

Why choose to read negative thoughts into harmless situations?  Do I enjoy the bitterness, hatred and spite?  Is it all really worth it?  If I become this bitter old man, people will not want to hear my opinion.  They will not want to desire in my desires or suffer in my suffering.  And they surely will not want to know my God. 

Many times I conjure up ideas about what people say and it affects my perspective of others and makes my flavor distasteful and my light go dim.

                                                                     Matthew 5:13

                                                   "You are the salt of the earth; but if
                                                    the salt loses its flavor, how shall it
                                                    be seasoned/?  It is then good for
                                                    nothing but to be thrown out and
                                                    trampled underfoot by men."
                                                                                                 NKJV


                                                                   Matthew 5:16

                                                 "Let your light so shine before men
                                                  that they my see your good works and
                                                  glorify your Father in Heaven."
                                                                                                  NKJV

I pray that in this new year our flavor will be rich and our light will shine bright.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Child

CHRISTMAS CHILD

It has been many years now since my wife and I have taken in foster children.  The kids were great but, at times, the advocacy was difficult.  At one point we had a little boy who stayed with us much longer than anticipated.  Karen worked tirelessly to protect and find a wonderful home for this little boy.  The whole process took a few years enabling me to do something I maybe should have shielded myself from....we developed a special kind of a bond.

The image never goes away.  As I would sit and read in the early morning my eyes would catch bouncing, curly hair traipsing down the stairs.  Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he would plop down next to me, wrap himself up in my arms and keep me company.  Sometimes we didn't talk, but often we chatted about "stuff".  It wasn't long now and he was gone, we had all finally settled on a good home, I didn't realize right away but this little boy had cut out a piece of my heart and taken it with him.

How much more must Christmas have felt to God?  He wrapped up His Son, set Him in a cold manger and left Him in a warped, crazy world.  God knew this baby would be mocked, ridiculed, beaten and killed.  But He also knew there was no other way to defeat man's sinful hearts. 

Oh how glad I am that God was willing to suffer the pain of separation so I could find this babe of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Humility

High school....to some the rush of nostalgia flutters through the veins.  Young crushes, athletic prowess, endless energy and built up stories of wonder.  To others there is thankfulness the nightmare ended many years ago.  To me, remembrances seem somewhat blurred...a true Scandinavian recollection, "ya, I guess it was ok."

I do remember wishing I had possessed a sense of "coolness" like some, popular, handsome, smart, athletic...traits I would have been willing to get used to.  But as I look back there were only a select few of "those" people who had the one trait which made them incredibly appealing....cluelessness.  There was no pulling back the shoulders, shoving out the chest, fluffing up the hair or looking down the nose.  They had the wonderful traits of greatness but they didn't realize it.  They would say hi to us floor watchers, help the teachers straighten up the desks and even pick up a tray someone left in the lunchroom.  They would never point and laugh.  They would smile and wave.  Though I never felt worthy of a crush on a pretty and popular "cool" girl, her smile and hello enabled me to look up once in a while in search of a new friend.  And that "all American boy", he included us minimally coordinated individuals without a second thought that a helping hand may infuse inferior germination. 

Is humility somewhat like this pretty, gifted and kind girl who would dare not place herself on a pedestal higher than anyone else?  Or the ruggedly, smart and handsome athletic boy who would include any and all into his band of friends, maybe he has some aspects of this coveted humility.  It's not what they do that interests me however, it's how it all takes place.  They are not conscience that they do such things, it doesn't cross their minds that they are who they are.

Humility, it seems to hang out on the precipice of life.  If I feel I approach humility it's too easy to tip over and think myself humble thus ridding the trait.  To be humble is all unknowing.  The inkling of such a thought abolishes the presumption. 

Humility is not the thought of putting others first or the action of doing for others, it's more than that.  It's the complete lack of understanding that I may be humble, not caring if I'm humble and not even thinking to put others first. 

Is it possible for me to be such?  I think it's not something I "be"...maybe it's something I am, something I allow.  It's impossible to "be" or create myself as such by want or desire.  If I allow God's holiness to wash over and through me, than I realize this humility is not possible...thus making it more possible.  God seems to have a way of ironing out the irony to keep me from messing up.  If I would ever have the chance to approach humility, I would never know because I would be humble.

Humility also seems to have a set of standards or rightness that is understood.  At times, in the past, I had thought humility was weak and could be pushed around or put aside, but Christ showed me different.  He butted in line and went to the cross for me.  He took the sword...the thorns....the grave.  He despises my sin greatly, punishes me justly and loves me severely all in His humble effort to drag me back to what's good for me.

When I consider myself humble I am teetering on this cliff of disaster.  May God wash me with the unconscious desire to follow Him in the fog of humility and the clarity of certainty that He is worthy and I am not.

Purpose

                                                                   
                                                                     

                                                                       Proverbs 16:2
                                                  
                                                      All a man's ways seem innocent
                                                                          to him,
                                                          but motives are weighed
                                                                     by the Lord.

                                                                     Proverbs 19:21

                                                            Many are the plans in a
                                                                    man's heart,
                                                          but it is the Lord's purpose
                                                                     that prevails.


Life isn't a round-a-bout allowing us to go around in a circle turning in and out whenever we please.  Our course is a narrow, straight path focusing in on the direction God has purposed for us.  We must not spend our time studying God's Word to see what we can get away with.  We must study to see how we can best please our Savior. 

Why do we always get out in front of ourselves?  It doesn't matter if we are government, unions, employers, employees, parents or even spouses, if it is possible to control, we push it till conflict and chaos ensues.  We ruin everything we have.  We want control, we reach for chaos, we get both, we want neither.

As a politician, do I strive for freedom so my people can make decisions, or do I make decisions so my people must strive for freedom?  As a union leader, do I breed loyalty and appreciation in my members, or do I cause irritation and angst developing a thankless heart and a lazy spirit?  As an employer, do I understand my workers are the sweat of my success and reward them justly, or do I flaunt my power to take captive their willing spirit for my advantage?  As an employee, am I thankful and willing to go above and beyond to help my employer become successful, or am I despondent and ungrateful making my presence pitiful?  As a parent, do I encourage and teach my children to be upright in word and deed, or do I send the message of discord through my practice and perfection?  As a spouse, do I understand my mate is there for my betterment not for my control? 

What is my motive?  Is my purpose in line with that of my God? 

No matter how smart I feel, no matter what path I choose, whether I ignorantly misstep, rebelliously ruin or passionately follow, Gods purpose will prevail.

                                                     
                                                      ~As life moves on and our
                                                        pride becomes battered
                                                               our heart will grow softer
                                                               our dependence will grow stronger
                                                               our God will grow greater~  

Regret

Where has time gone? I grew up near a small town, some 30 miles west of Minneapolis.  Thirty-three acres of hobby farm allowed much room for my dog and me to scamper about.  At the back end of this property lay a meandering muddy river filled with prize Bullheads.  Trailing this river toward town, a mile or so, brings us to my good friend.  There's his home just off the river ready to take yet another spring barrage of water and debris.

We couldn't put up with it any longer we had to fix the "dilemmas" of nature and society.  The secret club began.  A bunch of fourth and fifth grade boys were about to right all wrong.  Oaths were stated and dues were collected, nature was our first battle.  Spring had sprung and our beautiful river was laden with all kinds of "stuff" carried from its long journey.  Washing machines, tires, doors, almost anything that water could push was trying to sneak by.

The wary sleuth's wasted no time.  Our pockets filled with due collections, we rallied the troops to the hardware store.  Ropes, cables, hooks and anything else used in river dredging was whisked from the shelves.  Unfortunately, the helpful hardware man had to put most of it back because we could only afford a short piece of cable and a hook.  No worry, much greater wrongs had been righted with much less.  We were off!

Toasters, chairs and car doors were among the debris collected from the river and deposited on the shore.  The idea was fabulous, the procedure was inefficient. Not only did my friends family have to put up with the unsightly garbage on the shore the rest of the year, the garbage would be washed down the river in the next spring flood.  We were eight or nine, what did we know? 

Now that the problems of the environment had been solved we moved on to the humanitarian challenges of the day.  My friend and I would ride our bikes around town looking for things to do and see.  An old man on an old porch would often catch our eye.  This poor man was not very friendly, responsive or sober. He would be our new project.

Back we went to the secrecy of our club room to plan our strategy.  This plan would be flawless.  There was no room for mistakes this time, we were dealing with a person.  The plan was set, we checked out our stash of money and headed for Mayer Grocery.  There was no way this would fail....Twinkies and root beer, no one could resist our friendship.  The conversation was awkward at best, the treats were criticized but our visits were not discouraged.  Soon this old man with no name faded from the porch and I have no recollection of his final chapter.  I'm afraid our follow-up capabilities had not yet matured. 

This partner in care, my good friend, had not yet given his heart to this God I now call mine, however, he was interested.  Around this time of figuring out our responsibility in society our church sponsored a movie, we called it a film of course, which depicted the love and concern of a God who created this conscience my friend and I were developing.  I invited my buddy to come take a look and off we went.  After the movie my friend was moved both by the message and the call to salvation.  He asked me to go up front with him.  I froze, feeling people may think I was a rebellious rascal who fell back on his earlier decision...I didn't go with him....he didn't go either. 

Failures were mounting quickly.  We changed schools and this new place offered a much higher class clientele of which I could not compete...my good friend and I drifted apart.  As time went on through high school and college I tried to resurrect the experience to him through letters and prayers but to no avail.  May I have banished my friend from heaven because I was "chicken" to go up front with him? 

Time is short, change happens quickly.  A soft heart may harden before another chance is available.  Don't put Christ aside for the giving or the taking, it's not worth the regret.

Old Fashioned

A few years ago, my mother-in-law was shopping at a grocery store in Upper Michigan.  As usual, she was chatting with the store clerks, making everyone feel comfortable.  Gordon Food Service (GFS), is a very customer friendly store and will gladly order any special items for you, slice meats and cheeses and fulfill most any other request you have.  A grill out was in the making so the proper items were being sought out.  My mother-in-law brought a rather large chunk of cheese to the teenage boy at the slicing counter and she proceeded to say one of those "take back" sentences.

                "If you could cut the cheese, I'll go take a look at your buns."

Maybe sooner than almost immediately, she realized her comment and giggled off to aisle 6 to check out the buns.  The teenage boy sliced up the cheese and made certain his back was up against the wall.

Do I often say things I wish I hadn't?  Do words come out less profound or not so eloquent as I had hoped?  Are my expressions, ideas and phrases out of date?  I understand these questions are very easy to answer, hence the muse of my blog. 

Lately, I have been made privy to different bloggers who humorously depict characteristics and mannerisms of people trying to live for their God.  Over the years my focus of Christlikeness has, most possibly, developed these characteristics, opening the door to this sarcastic bloggery.  My pursuance of God may cause irritation to many people.  I most likely use goofy words, bad spelling and grammar combined with idiosyncrasies that seem weird and old fashioned.  I do wish I was up to date, interesting, funny and full of new wisdom fulfilling mans desire to follow Christ.  However, it seems, I have not been blessed with overly scintillating bits of information.  But, hopefully, my writing may be taken as heartfelt and not be looked at as buffoonery.  My desire is constantly being updated but my techniques may be somewhat behind the times.  Church speak, being cautious and sensitive leads to criticism because it seems overly zealous, out of date and accusatory.  The reality, however, is a true desire to be the best I can for my Savior.

Criticism may be in order and a little "lightning up" may be the course for those of us who button our shirts too high or our skirts too low.  But understand, the desire for a sense of purity is not all bad.  You may feel I am forcing my carefulness on you because I do or don't do things, when the truth is, I struggle with my ability to be less than I should.

I follow my Christ in the world I am part of and try not to be too stogy.  Some, although, may feel a cold castle in the mountains would better suit me.  If you could somehow adjust your view to avoid my "codgery" and focus in on the few things that may affect you positively, I would be pleased for you to catch some of the love I have for my God.    

Labor Day

I have a brother who is a very successful business man.  He has come to a stage in his  business that most successful entrepreneurs probably come.  This is a stage of transition from "hands in everything" to "hands off most things".  Though I don't know personally, I can imagine that the passage from knowing every intricate detail of your business to trusting other people with these details could be daunting.  The feeling of lost control haunts us all.

He has coped quite well, it seems, and he actually seems less stressed.  I certainly hope this perception is correct.  Through this success and transition, he continues to reach out and share a joy of "work".  My brother has an intrinsic ability to trust people for who they are, not what they have become.  He has this wonderful dedication to family, friends and family friends.  He not only has a soft heart but a deep sense of responsibility to help.  He trusts that people have the ability, but sometimes they just need a little tweaking in the desire category.  If you have ever been long on need and short on a chance, this man would be the employer for you.

There is one criteria attached to working for this brother of mine...you must do just that...work.  He doesn't like to pay people for sleeping in or acting out.  This doesn't seem to be too unruly since it is a "job". 

He knows this employer "stuff" is somewhat of a risk, therefore, he doesn't leave this chance to chance.  He must perform maintenance  along the way creating as much character in these employees as possible.  He teaches them difficult traits such as; if you start at 8:00 am, you start at 8:00 am.  Or maybe that most people feel sick in the morning if one stays out and parties all night.   He helps with solution oriented decisions like; if you work early don't party late.  He shows that better decisions are better for you.  Once he helps them make their sense common he has a very good chance to have a very good employee who not only appreciates their employer but their labor as well. 

Are times as hard as they feel?  Are problems as big as we make them?  Are people as irritating as they seem?  I think our mind develops more stress than our life.  We miss out on the joys of our labor because we get hung up on the expectation of our desires. 

I deliver groceries to a dear old lady.  Her house is in shambles, her family lives far away and her health is not good.  She comes to her door and meets me in her wheelchair as she shakes uncontrollably.  Her labor of the day is to make it to the door and welcome me.  Her joy is intense, her smile is insatiable, she has infected me with her thankfulness.  Does my joy and appreciation for my labor infect people or will I celebrate this holiday with a criticism that my steak was grilled a bit too long?

We all have some labor to attend to.  Are you a CEO?  Do you flip burgers?  Do you dedicate your life to caring for your family?  Labor is a good thing!  Not only does it give us something to do, but it allows us a chance to infuse our thankfulness into the world.

                                            Happy Labor Day!