Good evening my friends. Just sitting here in my living room listening to my 3rd grade daughter Lizzie complain about math homework. I cant really say I blame her too much. Growing up, I was never really much on school. For the most part I have no memories to speak of before my 6th grade year. And the 7th grade... well that was the 3 worst years of my life!
But I overcame my dislike of all things intellectual and crammed a 4 year degree into 7 years and I can honestly say that I am now officially educated beyond my level of intelligence. Like many young men, I found the best part of college to be the pool table in the Community buidling! And now, I sit here with my BS Degree from the Huston Tillotson School of Law and Sheet Metal work, listening to the endless whine of homework drudgery and constant questioning of why one needs so much education anyway.
The best that I can offer to encourage the reticent offspring of my youth is that failure to apply oneself to the completion of math homework will ultimately result in a worldwide shortage of rocket scientest.
Now before you begin to ponder on why we would need a interminable supply of rocket scientest please stop to consider the invaluable inventions that we now enjoy that could only have come from such educated minds. Things such as braile on the numbers of the drive up atm.... now there is a driver you better keep your eye on! Or how about the genius who genetically engineered boneless chicken, just cant picture them flopping all over the yard.
Then of course my favorite is the guy who labeled the iron we bought... Caution... do not iron clothes while on body... DUH! And I was so hoping to save some time here! Or of course my favorite is the Braniac who invented string cheese........ is it a dairy product or what?!
Of course we all know that the greatest demand for rocket scientist today is found in the laboratories of any company that manufactures coffee pots. It takes incredible intellect to create a pot that will NOT pour a cup of coffee without also pouring water or coffee all over the bar, the floor, the cabinets and your pants. Pour it slow.... you get wet. Pour it fast... you get wet.... faster. Pour it from the side of the pot.... well.. you get the picture.! That is why most coffee pots today come with a 12 cup pot... so that you can get a good 4 cups of coffee out of it while you mop up the other 8 cups of water that escaped from the pot in the transfer!
Yes I remain cynical when it comes to the reasoning and intellectual levels of our "elite rocket scientist". As for me, I think I will stick to my degree from the school of hard knocks! So come on kids... get out there and learn something! I am going to go fix me another cup of coffee and mop the kitchen one more time tonight!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Randomness, Ronnie, and Pretty Pink Pants
Well to say it has been awhile since I blogged would be a serious mistatement of an obvious fact! Like telling a Cowboy's fan that his team did not make the superbowl... well some things are just hard to admit! But the truth is I have not written in a few months! Several reasons really, incredibly busy being a good one... but also just felt I needed to step back a little.
I sit here in my living room. The only visible light is my computer screen and the girls night light on the dresser in our living room. Jack is snoring at my feet, and Reagan and Lizzie have for some reason chosen to sleep on the two couches tonight.
Outside is the steady dripping of rain as it falls from our roof to meet the ever increasing puddles of water in our yard. Although rain is a sign of blessing I am quickly reaching the point of "abundance" in this area!
Those who know me best know that I can be quite spontaneous and often quite random in my thoughts and my actions. I have spent the last few weeks finishing up a project that occupied way too much of my time. If there is a bright side to it.... I got to really know someone... no longer an aquaintence, no longer just a fellow member of the church... now no less than a treasured friend.
Over the course of the last few weeks we have learned much about ourselves. I will do my best to share some of our discoveries! First it goes without saying that we are definitely men. We act like men, we talk like men, we think like men..... and in the many hours of blood sweat and very strong dark coffe... I am sure we smell like men! The project that we men have worked on is a cabinet project for a business here in Shreveport! Biggest cabinet project I have evern undertaken.. and I am pleased with the results for the most part.
But back to my friend.... he is faithful. Wow... when I needed someone more than I thought... he was there. And after I worked us both til we could not stand up... he came back for more. Funny how faithfulness these days is so rare! He is skilled. He brought many years of experience to this project and challenged me to a higher level of professionalism and quality. He is flawed. He has walked through more than a fair share of failures, difficulties and shame.... just like me. He is tender. On the outside he has every appearance of a seasoned UFC cage fighter... but in reality he has a heart the size of a Buick Roadmaster!
We have had our share of laughs in the shop... looking for the tape measures that are always disappearing... and the 37 pencils that walked away... and the 2 sanders, 1 staple gun, 1 finish nailer, and 1 table saw that we wore out and tore up that had to be replaced. We also got a pretty good laugh out of the pretty pink pants that Aaron Money plays football in.... yes... I said pretty pink pants... and no I did not get a picture. Things like that you just cant put in a picture.
But of all the things I have come to learn about my friend.... is this.... he is changed. When he turned his heart to God, the change was radical! He loves the Lord... and in the last few weeks I have come to love our late nights sawing and sanding, and painting... and sharing about the goodness of God. Taking turns making the black coffee... extra strong! And he has even learned to drink it like a man... not like Aaron with all of the fancy creams, and 8 teaspoons of sugar! Strong.... and black.... and hot! Ooops... sorry I digress.
Friendships are often fleeting... and many people go through life without ever really having a true friend. I am blessed to have so many that I can call friend.... and now... thank the Lord... I have another. Ronnie... you are one of a kind. Thanks for all of your help... and I could not have done it without you!
I sit here in my living room. The only visible light is my computer screen and the girls night light on the dresser in our living room. Jack is snoring at my feet, and Reagan and Lizzie have for some reason chosen to sleep on the two couches tonight.
Outside is the steady dripping of rain as it falls from our roof to meet the ever increasing puddles of water in our yard. Although rain is a sign of blessing I am quickly reaching the point of "abundance" in this area!
Those who know me best know that I can be quite spontaneous and often quite random in my thoughts and my actions. I have spent the last few weeks finishing up a project that occupied way too much of my time. If there is a bright side to it.... I got to really know someone... no longer an aquaintence, no longer just a fellow member of the church... now no less than a treasured friend.
Over the course of the last few weeks we have learned much about ourselves. I will do my best to share some of our discoveries! First it goes without saying that we are definitely men. We act like men, we talk like men, we think like men..... and in the many hours of blood sweat and very strong dark coffe... I am sure we smell like men! The project that we men have worked on is a cabinet project for a business here in Shreveport! Biggest cabinet project I have evern undertaken.. and I am pleased with the results for the most part.
But back to my friend.... he is faithful. Wow... when I needed someone more than I thought... he was there. And after I worked us both til we could not stand up... he came back for more. Funny how faithfulness these days is so rare! He is skilled. He brought many years of experience to this project and challenged me to a higher level of professionalism and quality. He is flawed. He has walked through more than a fair share of failures, difficulties and shame.... just like me. He is tender. On the outside he has every appearance of a seasoned UFC cage fighter... but in reality he has a heart the size of a Buick Roadmaster!
We have had our share of laughs in the shop... looking for the tape measures that are always disappearing... and the 37 pencils that walked away... and the 2 sanders, 1 staple gun, 1 finish nailer, and 1 table saw that we wore out and tore up that had to be replaced. We also got a pretty good laugh out of the pretty pink pants that Aaron Money plays football in.... yes... I said pretty pink pants... and no I did not get a picture. Things like that you just cant put in a picture.
But of all the things I have come to learn about my friend.... is this.... he is changed. When he turned his heart to God, the change was radical! He loves the Lord... and in the last few weeks I have come to love our late nights sawing and sanding, and painting... and sharing about the goodness of God. Taking turns making the black coffee... extra strong! And he has even learned to drink it like a man... not like Aaron with all of the fancy creams, and 8 teaspoons of sugar! Strong.... and black.... and hot! Ooops... sorry I digress.
Friendships are often fleeting... and many people go through life without ever really having a true friend. I am blessed to have so many that I can call friend.... and now... thank the Lord... I have another. Ronnie... you are one of a kind. Thanks for all of your help... and I could not have done it without you!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Solitude
I am sitting here in a dark hotel room in Orange Beach Alabama. To say that we all needed this vacation would be an understatement! But as usual, I am up early while the family continues to sleep. I am sitting here in the quiet darkness of this room pondering the solitude.
The window air conditioner set to a temperature of eternal deep freeze, sounds like a 1954 steam locomotive laboring uphill. I suppose producing air temperatures in the Sub- Siberian range while in the hot humid environment of the gulf can be quite difficult on the inner workings of an air conditioner!
Peering out of my window I can see the gentle waters of the gulf caressing the white sands of the beach as the sun makes it predictable yet dependable rise above the horizon slowly displacing the darkness with its warm and welcome peace. It is at times like this that I feel the solitude.
I have never felt more alive, and yet more alone that I do right now. Do not get me wrong, I am not lonely, just alone. Across the room my beautiful wife of 26 years is sleeping blissfully. Located somewhere in the middle of this dark room, my 9 yr. old daughter and my 17 yr. old daughter share a bed and have no doubt fought all night for utter control and domination of such a small piece of temporary rented real estate. And I sit here, at peace.
The economy is uncertain and I am at peace. Iran is defying the sanctions of the world and developing nuclear material and I am at peace. The sanctity of marriage as we have known it was struck a serious blow this week and I am at peace. Somewhere in the world, someone else is sitting in darkness… pondering the value of life… and yet I sit here in peace.
Where does such peace come from? It is not from a reasoned intellect or superior understanding of world events. It does not come from medicated sedation or drug induced mellowness. No, my peace comes from a higher source of being.
Psalms 46:10 says “be still and know that I am God…”. To be still in today’s fast paced, over scheduled, media rich society can be difficult. It is next to impossible to find a quiet place anymore. And yet, as I sit here in solitude, alone, and yet not alone and I feel God close.
Take time today to hear from God. Turn off the radio. Instead of the mindless time in front of the tv, sit on the porch and hear, and know God.
The window air conditioner set to a temperature of eternal deep freeze, sounds like a 1954 steam locomotive laboring uphill. I suppose producing air temperatures in the Sub- Siberian range while in the hot humid environment of the gulf can be quite difficult on the inner workings of an air conditioner!
Peering out of my window I can see the gentle waters of the gulf caressing the white sands of the beach as the sun makes it predictable yet dependable rise above the horizon slowly displacing the darkness with its warm and welcome peace. It is at times like this that I feel the solitude.
I have never felt more alive, and yet more alone that I do right now. Do not get me wrong, I am not lonely, just alone. Across the room my beautiful wife of 26 years is sleeping blissfully. Located somewhere in the middle of this dark room, my 9 yr. old daughter and my 17 yr. old daughter share a bed and have no doubt fought all night for utter control and domination of such a small piece of temporary rented real estate. And I sit here, at peace.
The economy is uncertain and I am at peace. Iran is defying the sanctions of the world and developing nuclear material and I am at peace. The sanctity of marriage as we have known it was struck a serious blow this week and I am at peace. Somewhere in the world, someone else is sitting in darkness… pondering the value of life… and yet I sit here in peace.
Where does such peace come from? It is not from a reasoned intellect or superior understanding of world events. It does not come from medicated sedation or drug induced mellowness. No, my peace comes from a higher source of being.
Psalms 46:10 says “be still and know that I am God…”. To be still in today’s fast paced, over scheduled, media rich society can be difficult. It is next to impossible to find a quiet place anymore. And yet, as I sit here in solitude, alone, and yet not alone and I feel God close.
Take time today to hear from God. Turn off the radio. Instead of the mindless time in front of the tv, sit on the porch and hear, and know God.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friends
It has been several weeks since I found the time to write! Wow... I did not realize how busy I have been. Needless to say, being busy is not always a blessing! But as ridicuous as it has been lately, I am thankful for all that God has brought me through and is taking me to!
I have been fortunate for the majority of my life to have been blessed with many friends. I am sure to some extent my abundance of friends is mostly due to my shy and diminuiative nature... NOT! I have always been pretty much a people person and much prefer crowds to solitude. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I long for the quietness of a solitary deer stand high above the forest floor overlooking a stand of white oaks, but most of the time I prefer the fellowship and comoradare of genuine friendship.
Perhaps it is due to the experience of my ever increasing age, but more and more I am learning that things are not always as they seem. Take friends for instance. I have used the term "friend" very loosely for most of my life. If I knew someone by name and saw them fairly regularly, then I considered them a friend. In keeping with that definition, I currently have and have had many many friends. I noticed the other day on my Facebook page that my "friend" count has grown to over 850. I never realized I had so many "friends"!
But to define a "friend" so loosely only serves to diminish the value of those who are much more than just a casual aquaintance. I suppose we could break our friend groups up into "casual friends", "fun friends", "school friends", "work friends", "friends you dont mind taking advantage of when you need to move something heavy friends", "friends who will always tell you what you wanted to hear but never really tell you the truth for fear of not being your friend anymore friend", and well I guess you get the picture.
In my past I have had many friendships. People that I would have moved mountains for, fought for, and I believe I would have died for. But life throws us curves sometimes. These curves can come from self inflicted wounds or just from the unforseen difficulties of life. It is in these times that friends are not only tested, they are defined. I too walked through a very difficult time a few years ago. I found myself in a state of mind and understanding that I never though I would. I emerged from this trial, stronger, more determined, and my mind and heart in the right place.... focused on God.
I survived this time due to the love and companionship of my wife, and a very few dear friends. The truth of the matter is this, I did not lose a single friend during this time, I just found out who they are. I came to realize that I had invested much of my life and energies into earning the love and friendship of some who would not be able to return that level of committment.
A little over a year ago I began to pray for God to send me 10 men. Men who would become so much a part of my life and ministry here, that our thoughts and desires would be one, and our friendships would be real. I no longer have the time or energy to nurse and foster friendships that are not real, and truthful, and eternally focused. In the last 6 months, God has brought 8 men into my life, and I have come to value their friendship and council greatly. At first glance, some of these men may not register very high on your typical "friend" scale. They have past issues. They have past failures. They have past regrets. But I have never been blessed by a greater circle of friends!
Take a moment to appreciate your true friends. Tell them you love them... and that you are there for them... and that you value them. True friends will be there... no matter what.
Love,Honor,Serve
Pastor Eugene
I have been fortunate for the majority of my life to have been blessed with many friends. I am sure to some extent my abundance of friends is mostly due to my shy and diminuiative nature... NOT! I have always been pretty much a people person and much prefer crowds to solitude. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I long for the quietness of a solitary deer stand high above the forest floor overlooking a stand of white oaks, but most of the time I prefer the fellowship and comoradare of genuine friendship.
Perhaps it is due to the experience of my ever increasing age, but more and more I am learning that things are not always as they seem. Take friends for instance. I have used the term "friend" very loosely for most of my life. If I knew someone by name and saw them fairly regularly, then I considered them a friend. In keeping with that definition, I currently have and have had many many friends. I noticed the other day on my Facebook page that my "friend" count has grown to over 850. I never realized I had so many "friends"!
But to define a "friend" so loosely only serves to diminish the value of those who are much more than just a casual aquaintance. I suppose we could break our friend groups up into "casual friends", "fun friends", "school friends", "work friends", "friends you dont mind taking advantage of when you need to move something heavy friends", "friends who will always tell you what you wanted to hear but never really tell you the truth for fear of not being your friend anymore friend", and well I guess you get the picture.
In my past I have had many friendships. People that I would have moved mountains for, fought for, and I believe I would have died for. But life throws us curves sometimes. These curves can come from self inflicted wounds or just from the unforseen difficulties of life. It is in these times that friends are not only tested, they are defined. I too walked through a very difficult time a few years ago. I found myself in a state of mind and understanding that I never though I would. I emerged from this trial, stronger, more determined, and my mind and heart in the right place.... focused on God.
I survived this time due to the love and companionship of my wife, and a very few dear friends. The truth of the matter is this, I did not lose a single friend during this time, I just found out who they are. I came to realize that I had invested much of my life and energies into earning the love and friendship of some who would not be able to return that level of committment.
A little over a year ago I began to pray for God to send me 10 men. Men who would become so much a part of my life and ministry here, that our thoughts and desires would be one, and our friendships would be real. I no longer have the time or energy to nurse and foster friendships that are not real, and truthful, and eternally focused. In the last 6 months, God has brought 8 men into my life, and I have come to value their friendship and council greatly. At first glance, some of these men may not register very high on your typical "friend" scale. They have past issues. They have past failures. They have past regrets. But I have never been blessed by a greater circle of friends!
Take a moment to appreciate your true friends. Tell them you love them... and that you are there for them... and that you value them. True friends will be there... no matter what.
Love,Honor,Serve
Pastor Eugene
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Its the Little Things
Tonight I find myself once again in that strange place between utter exhaustion and endless jubilation. I am happy with all that is going on in the church and in my life, and yet I am tired! There is also a little sadness due to the fact that my lovely family departed for Tennessee today, without me! I have a remodeling project going on with a great Credit Union in Springhill Louisiana that requires my full attention!
So, tonight I return from Bible Study to an empty house. Well... not exactly empty. I do have Jack the garbage eating, toilet water drinking constant companion of faithfulness. (You can read more about Jack in a previous blog entry). Jack is soundly snoring away on his pretty pink princess barbie bed.
I have just begun to appreciate the quietness that will be my house this week. No Pixar movie playing on the TV for the 2000th time. No sound of little girls giggling in the shower together. No sound of my lovely wife scolding Jack who somehow seems oblivious to it while he joyfully eats from the trash can. No sound. Nothing. Utter quiet. Well... Jack is still here snoring. But you get the picture.
It is amazing what you can hear, when there is nothing to be heard. In the stillness of absolute silence, it is possible to hear the faintest of whispers from the heart of God. Yes, I believe that God speaks to us in many ways, but there is something about that still, small, quiet, voice that can only be heard when the "noise" of this life is silenced.
No cell phone. No TV. No radio, or music. Nothing. Just my empty ears and God's full heart. It is in this moment that I find myself longing for conversation with Him. I hear God reminding me how blessed I am. How wonderful my family is, how awesome my kids are. Then, as if I could possibly need a reminder, I see a note. Not a big note. Not a long letter. Just a simple note in the loving hand writing of a 9 yr. old.
"Dear Daddy,
I am going to miss you very much! I will take a lot of pictures for you! We will call you everyday! Love you. Reagan"
It is those little things... those tiny little notes that we receive that truly mean the most. Like a symphony played in perfect tempo and composition, so is God's voice and loving presence when we need Him most. Most of us never stop long enough to hear the music that life is playing for us. God, who we tend to not think about until we need something or have a trial of sorts, wants to tell us how much He misses us, how much He longs to spend time with us, and how much He loves us.
The next time you have more than a few seconds to spare. Turn off the TV. Silence the cell phone. Turn off the radio. Close your eyes for a few minutes... and listen to the orchestra of life as God the majestro speaks to your heart.
Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene
So, tonight I return from Bible Study to an empty house. Well... not exactly empty. I do have Jack the garbage eating, toilet water drinking constant companion of faithfulness. (You can read more about Jack in a previous blog entry). Jack is soundly snoring away on his pretty pink princess barbie bed.
I have just begun to appreciate the quietness that will be my house this week. No Pixar movie playing on the TV for the 2000th time. No sound of little girls giggling in the shower together. No sound of my lovely wife scolding Jack who somehow seems oblivious to it while he joyfully eats from the trash can. No sound. Nothing. Utter quiet. Well... Jack is still here snoring. But you get the picture.
It is amazing what you can hear, when there is nothing to be heard. In the stillness of absolute silence, it is possible to hear the faintest of whispers from the heart of God. Yes, I believe that God speaks to us in many ways, but there is something about that still, small, quiet, voice that can only be heard when the "noise" of this life is silenced.
No cell phone. No TV. No radio, or music. Nothing. Just my empty ears and God's full heart. It is in this moment that I find myself longing for conversation with Him. I hear God reminding me how blessed I am. How wonderful my family is, how awesome my kids are. Then, as if I could possibly need a reminder, I see a note. Not a big note. Not a long letter. Just a simple note in the loving hand writing of a 9 yr. old.
"Dear Daddy,
I am going to miss you very much! I will take a lot of pictures for you! We will call you everyday! Love you. Reagan"
It is those little things... those tiny little notes that we receive that truly mean the most. Like a symphony played in perfect tempo and composition, so is God's voice and loving presence when we need Him most. Most of us never stop long enough to hear the music that life is playing for us. God, who we tend to not think about until we need something or have a trial of sorts, wants to tell us how much He misses us, how much He longs to spend time with us, and how much He loves us.
The next time you have more than a few seconds to spare. Turn off the TV. Silence the cell phone. Turn off the radio. Close your eyes for a few minutes... and listen to the orchestra of life as God the majestro speaks to your heart.
Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Too Old to be So Young
Ok...so I have come to the painful conclusion that I am not the vibrant, invincible high energy youth that I used to be! I quizzed my more intelligent friends on facebook today about the old saying... "something is lost on youth!" There were many interesting answers but the correct one was "youth is wasted on the young."
Oh how I long for the days when I could roof houses all day long, hang out with my friends all evening and still get up the next day and do it all again. I suppose it is as close to being a superhero as I will ever get. Now my days are filled with crawling out of bed having felt like I just got in it. Listening to my knees grind and pop more than a high school pep squad techno dance routine. Putting my years of experience to work at the revered pace of a polka dance at the Senior Center and still going home so tired I cant fix my own coffee, or wash the dishes, or help with the chores. Ok... so that may be stretching it a little but you get the ideal. Yes, it would be easy for me to understand that youth truly is wasted on the young.
But last night was enlightening if not downright intimidating! We had the incredible Go Ministries team (www.goministries.net) at the church. Now for the unprepared let me just give you a quick tutorial. Imagine if you would.... taking a room full of 8 year old boys, giving them each 2 dozen Southern Maid donuts and a 6 pack of Red Bull and standing back to watch what happens next. If you could harness the energy produced by such an experiment you could power all of North America for 3 weeks! But even that amount of energy pails in comparison to the Holy Spirit infused exhibition of pure, unbridled energy that the Go Ministries team brought, shared, and imparted at New Life Center last night.
It was in this high energy environment of youth worshiping before God that I had this thought.... "youth is wasted on the young." But then, it hit me. Youth is not "wasted" on the young, it is God's investment in the young! You see, God knows what he is doing.... and HE chose to give the endless energy and vitality of youth... to the youth. But why? I realized last night why God chose to give youth the energy and the strength to worship with abandon... and dance before the Lord as if they do not have a care in the world.
The reason God gave them this ability is because He knows that they WILL dance and they WILL jump and they WILL worship before Him! Unfortunately, we old folks become to "refined" and dignified to just let it all go. It is sad to even admit that so many of my generation will in fact look down on the youth and consider them foolish and unspiritual. The truth of the matter is that many of these young people are much deeper in the spirit than we have been in many years!
My prayer is that God gives me the insight to see the depth of love that He has for them, and that they have for Him. I pray that I never get so old that I cannot just let go..... or so cold that I cannot just let God! May I humble myself in my own eyes and worship as if no one was looking, sing as if only ONE can hear and dance as if I have just been raised from the dead... because in reality... isn't that what being a believer is all about!
Oh how I long for the days when I could roof houses all day long, hang out with my friends all evening and still get up the next day and do it all again. I suppose it is as close to being a superhero as I will ever get. Now my days are filled with crawling out of bed having felt like I just got in it. Listening to my knees grind and pop more than a high school pep squad techno dance routine. Putting my years of experience to work at the revered pace of a polka dance at the Senior Center and still going home so tired I cant fix my own coffee, or wash the dishes, or help with the chores. Ok... so that may be stretching it a little but you get the ideal. Yes, it would be easy for me to understand that youth truly is wasted on the young.
But last night was enlightening if not downright intimidating! We had the incredible Go Ministries team (www.goministries.net) at the church. Now for the unprepared let me just give you a quick tutorial. Imagine if you would.... taking a room full of 8 year old boys, giving them each 2 dozen Southern Maid donuts and a 6 pack of Red Bull and standing back to watch what happens next. If you could harness the energy produced by such an experiment you could power all of North America for 3 weeks! But even that amount of energy pails in comparison to the Holy Spirit infused exhibition of pure, unbridled energy that the Go Ministries team brought, shared, and imparted at New Life Center last night.
It was in this high energy environment of youth worshiping before God that I had this thought.... "youth is wasted on the young." But then, it hit me. Youth is not "wasted" on the young, it is God's investment in the young! You see, God knows what he is doing.... and HE chose to give the endless energy and vitality of youth... to the youth. But why? I realized last night why God chose to give youth the energy and the strength to worship with abandon... and dance before the Lord as if they do not have a care in the world.
The reason God gave them this ability is because He knows that they WILL dance and they WILL jump and they WILL worship before Him! Unfortunately, we old folks become to "refined" and dignified to just let it all go. It is sad to even admit that so many of my generation will in fact look down on the youth and consider them foolish and unspiritual. The truth of the matter is that many of these young people are much deeper in the spirit than we have been in many years!
My prayer is that God gives me the insight to see the depth of love that He has for them, and that they have for Him. I pray that I never get so old that I cannot just let go..... or so cold that I cannot just let God! May I humble myself in my own eyes and worship as if no one was looking, sing as if only ONE can hear and dance as if I have just been raised from the dead... because in reality... isn't that what being a believer is all about!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Eyes Wide Open
It is 2:35a.m. and I find myself firmly entrenched in the midnight war, one side longing for the land of blissful dreamy sleep where I am a pro bassfishing, millionaire hunk, and the opposing side determined to prove to this old man that he CAN still function on only 3 hours of sleep in a day! It is at moments like these that I think of the craziest things!
For instance, I was just thinking about how butter sounds so much like the location it will soon permanently reside forever in, after being reincarnated as fat cells. Anyway... such craziness of random thought brought me to remember something my darling Lizzie dropped on us two nights ago.
We were sitting in the living room having just completed the nightly Battle Royal of getting everyone showered, hair combed, teeth brushed, homework finished and argument settled about the necessity of going to school tomorrow.... when Lizzie says "Mommy, I wish we did not have to blink, that way we would not miss anything!" This coming from the child that has never successfully kept her eyes open for a single family picture! I have gotten pretty good at photoshopping eyes on to her face!
After a few moments of laughter by everyone present, I began to ponder the thought. How long is a typical blink, and how many times do we blink in a day? I am sure that plenty of my hard earned tax dollars have been spent by some California graduated, tree hugging liberal to accurately determine this very thing. But to be honest... WHO CARES! Well, aside from Lizzie I would think the list of interested blinkologist would be a pretty elite group.
Anyway, after allowing myself to calm down from the thoughts of wasted government spending and fruitless studies of the Human Eye Covering Kinetic Yielding Excitement Action (that is HECK YEA we all blink for short) I began to think about what we really do MISS in the span of a single blink.
There are many things that can happen in such a short span of time that you would hate to miss, if you knew they were happening! Things such as a distant shooting star, the fleeting glance of a potential new friend, the flight of the hummingbird, or the rising cost of our national debt. Yes, all of these things happen faster than a set of rims disappearing at a Puff Daddy concert!
But then a sobering thought hit me as well. Someday, in the span of a single blink, our world, our lives, and our thoughts will change. 1 Corinthans 15:52 says "...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Immediately. Without warning. No more time to procrastinate. No more time to labor in vain. No more excuses.
In the span of a single blink, everything we have labored for, lived for, and longed for will be changed and we will either bow in admiration to the Bridegroom we have waited for, or we will bow in fear before the maker of the universe who will judge all of creation! It is a sobering thought to think about.
So I suppose there will be many who will someday agree with Lizzie.... and wish that there was no blink, because when last they blinked.... they missed eternity!
Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene
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