The Optimist

Are you optimistic?

The Online Etymology Dictionary is my friend, confirming my quasi-informed suspicions about words and their origins such as "optimism."

When I say I am optimistic, I want to know that what I think I mean is what I am really saying. Here is their take on the word:

"1782, from Fr. optimisme (1737), from Mod.L. optimum, used by Leibnitz (in Théodicée, 1710) to mean "the greatest good," from L. optimus "the best" (see optimum). The doctrine holds that the actual world is the "best of all possible worlds," in which the creator accomplishes the most good at the cost of the least evil."  See the full article here

The greatest good, the least evil, the best of all possible worlds. These are lenses through which I choose to view life and goals which I have in every challenge, circumstance, and problem.

I am an optimist. A pessimist, by definition (pessimus = worst in Latin) looks for the worst. That being said, I think that there is another self-description that becomes an enemy of the optimum or best in our lives. It is being a minimalist.

I am not making a value judgment about art or design here. There is a value to minimalism, especially with regards to consumption and excess. I am talking about the potential of every situation. I am referring to the outlook of a person on life and growth especially with regard to the call to overcome our obstacles and to become all that we can be in life.

Two people can exist in the same milieu of circumstances, suffer the same limitations, face the same challenges, and be buffeted with equal opposition and one will succeed while the other fails. There may be any number of factors involved in these outcomes, but one thing we know given the scenario is that they are internal and volitional. In other words, they involve the choices that each person makes.

Of course there is no way to duplicate identical circumstances, but we can approximate them. Each of us is imbued with our own distinct mixes of gifts, strengths, weaknesses, genetic predispositions, family backgrounds, and belief systems, but even with those, we all have choices.

I think that one of the great deciding factors in our lives is in our choices to believe the best, the worst, or the least about where we are and where we are going. Brain science, behavioral research, and the worlds of business and performance motivation fall into line with anecdotal illustrations of the power of belief and attitude to determine what will be made of the "givens" in our lives.

These fall into alliance with the scriptures as recorded in such passages as Proverbs 23:7, " For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ..."

Optimism is not fantasizing about a desired future. It is believing in its possibility and rallying our thoughts, prayers, and actions toward the realization of that future. It is acting on what we believe in and pray for. Proverbs 28:19 (NLB) distinguishes between wishful thinking and positive thinking resulting in positive actions:

"A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty."

In order to work the field, the farmer must believe that the process can and, most likely will, bring results. In order to have any validity to his beliefs, he must do the work. The two go hand in hand and both exist with the realm of the knowledge of God's sovereignty and love.

For those who like acronyms on which to hang their rhetorical hats, here is one for the optimist:

O - Over the top thinking as opposed to under the circumstances thinking.
P - Positive about the possibilities of proactive beliefs and action.
T - Truth - The optimist is not hiding his head in the sand, but standing in the sand and seeing beyond. 
I -  Inspired and inspiring to others.
M - Makes the best of things rather than surrendering to the worst or the minimum.
I - Initiative-taking rather than waiting for things to work out.
S - Sacred values are important to the optimist who stakes everything on them.
T - Time expended and energy invested are what it costs and what is multiplied in a true optimist.

It is your choice. I get a little shaky sometimes,  I must confess, but in the  end, I always choose optimism because anything less is simply unacceptable.

 

Flip the Greatness Switch

When you dream great, worthy dreams,
you connect to a place in your heart
where you flip the switch
that turns on an attitude of expectancy
and wonder,
thus activating imagination
and motivation.
When this happens,
you engage your mind and
your feet
and your hands in the pursuit of your goals.
You rally all of your resources and,
if you will, by faith,
God's.
Greatness is yours for the believing,
receiving,
and achieving
when dreams partner with
thoughts, deeds, and
prayer.
You are ready for an explosion of
possibilities
and I am
your cheerleader!

 

Three Things to Do in a Hurry

I am in a hurry.

I do not like wasting time. Do you? Killing time seems pretty violent and not very life-affirming. How much time do you have? Not much? You cannot possibly do nothing. Breathing is something. So, how about doing something productive?

Here are three things a person can do in a hurry that are valuable in their own right and not just killing time?

THINK - That is one thing. A person can take a moment and reflect, retrospect, or connect the dots on multiple strands of thought. Not usually thought of as something we 'do," thinking actually takes some time, but can be accomplished in small bytes of time.

BLINK - That is another thing. One can close one's eyes and rest a moment. In that resting, one can meditate, cogitate, and integrate one's thinking and experiences. What is wrong with just interjecting and inflicting some margins here and there. If margins give you migraines, then migrate to the third thing you can "do."

WINK - Find someone in proximity to you and engage in a short conversation. If you must consider it networking, exchange business cards. Whatever you do, ask questions, listen, and mentally record what you learn. Talking to people is not just a space filling activity; it is life-enhancing.

If you don't care for those three suggestions, you can always just raise a STINK about how much time you are killing. I don't recommend it. I would prefer to use time to give birth to new and living ideas and relationships.

 

I do not like wasting time. Do you? Killing time seems pretty violent and not very life-affirming. How much time do you have? Not much? You cannot possibly do nothing. Breathing is something. So, how about doing something productive?

Here are three things a person can do in a hurry that are valuable in their own right and not just killing time?

THINK - That is one thing. A person can take a moment and reflect, retrospect, or connect the dots on multiple strands of thought. Not usually thought of as something we 'do," thinking actually takes some time, but can be accomplished in small bytes of time.

BLINK - That is another thing. One can close one's eyes and rest a moment. In that resting, one can meditate, cogitate, and integrate one's thinking and experiences. What is wrong with just interjecting and inflicting some margins here and there. If margins give you migraines, then migrate to the third thing you can "do."

WINK - Find someone in proximity to you and engage in a short conversation. If you must consider it networking, exchange business cards. Whatever you do, ask questions, listen, and mentally record what you learn. Talking to people is not just a space filling activity; it is life-enhancing.

If you don't care for those three suggestions, you can always just raise a STINK about how much time you are killing. I don't recommend it. I would prefer to use time to give birth to new and living ideas and relationships.

 

Say It!

 

Here is a little formula for saying what you want to say: S.A.Y.- I.T.

 

S - Search your own heart and mind for what you really want to convey.

A - Assess your audience so that you can access their attention.

Y - Yell softly. Choose high impact words. Notice how the room gets quiet to hear a whisper.

 

I - Involve multiple senses and receptors.

T - Terminate before you lose attention. It is better to stop short and leave the door open for future interaction.

The Burden of Glory

The burden of glory is in its weight.
Doxa drives us to the depths.
How deep can I plunge given this?
Hot, light air occupies 
cracks and crevices
of my soul?
I more likely float than plumb
the depths.
To do other requires the weight,
the Doxa
Word of Weight: Doxology
Glory
The heavier the glory
that weighs us down,
the deeper we go.
The burden of glory
is its weight and its weight
is its glory.

And we,
weighted down,
plumbing the depths,
SOAR

 

Today's Challenge - Your Assignment - ACT!

Perhaps you'd like for me to tell you what it is, this challenge of today - the big one, the definitive one, the one that, if you conquer it, you conquer everything.

Perhaps you want it, but you are unlikely to get it ... not from me ... not from any who tell you they can deliver it ...

Because we don't really know.

I don't know what your big challenge is today. I could boil it down a bit to some vague, pontifical essence, but that would merely cloud the specifics in a haze of philosophical esoterica.

What you are facing is here and now, pressing, and guttural. It is your tailor made challenge. There are some enduring answers, but without framing your questions, you will not be able to apply them with any finesse. 

I predict that you will know what to do with your challenges as you prayerfully and conscientiously consider them, address them, embrace them, and act to respond to them. I predict this because your whole life has been a preparation for this day and the challenges of this day. You possess a unique blend of human and divine resources that God has brought into your life. 

You will know what to do with those resources at the right time.

When you do, I believe you will have the courage to exercise them and that is my prayer, hope, and belief for you.

ACT

A - Attention - Pay attention to everything and listen for your orders.

C - Consider - Consider what comes to your attention and get Clarity

T - Take - Take the first step and DO SOMETHING toward the goal represented in your assignment.

Leaning Not on My Own Understanding

 

I think that people, who may not have regard for the Bible as scripture or believe in divine direction, may often practice the principle of Proverbs 3:5 without knowing that they are obeying the scripture, "Lean not on thine own understanding."

Every intelligent person I know bows in the presence of the unknowns of the universe. There is a common sense of awe at the wonder of the cosmos and the paradoxical nature of truth.

We tune our harps to what we know and set our compasses by given understanding of the polar realities and magnetic forces that govern us. We do that daily, but we also throw up our hands and surrender to the persistent gnawing of undiscovered forces and undefined principles of physics, mathematics, and even more mundane concepts that we know to be true without knowing why.

We comply and we continue to seek those universal theories of everything.

I know of no single thinking person inside or outside of the realm of faith who leans entirely on his or her own understanding ... except in areas where pride overcomes good sense.

We all take direction, follow laws we do not see the sense of, and follow orders we have not devised or whose meaning we have not discerned.

We do so because we often know that our lives are bettered in the process and we appreciate the finite nature of our own understanding. That is why we have experts who spend their whole lives studying minutia and sharing tidbits of their discoveries with the rest of us who are either generalists or specialists in other fields of intellectual or practical pursuit.

And every expert will inform us that there is more yet to discover than has been, as yet, grasped.

Somehow, in the sciences, this is seen as a great adventure.

It is, likewise, in the pursuit of spiritual discovery and the great adventure of knowing God.

We know enough to trust and so, the first part of the verse says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart."

That is a bigger leap of faith for many folks than the first affirmation. We are all on different paths and places along our journeys. This is something we must accept in each other. However, in my life, verse 6 has shown itself true, over and over again:

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

So, once I do know something, and know it with humble tentativeness, I go with what I know and wonder at the unknowns, trusting God, leaning not on my limited understanding, but acknowledging His leadership, caring guidance, and benevolent faithfulness to direct my paths.

That is what is working for me.

THE LIMITS OF MY UNDERSTANDING

To continue this theme, I have given some thought to general areas where my understanding is limited. Here are some random specifics.

• I don't understand the how bumblebees can fly. Perhaps someone has explained it to me at some time, but I have forgotten.
• I don't understand string theory - and I don't think anyone really does. I have some hints, but nothing to lean on.
• I don't understand why traffic on the freeway can come to a near standstill while gawkers slow down to observe an accident across the median strip - but I should since I am sure I must have been lured into that web at least once.
• I don't understand the transforming and transcending power of love, but I gladly participate.

That was random and incomplete. There are three areas where my understanding is also incomplete and here they are.

I do not always understand the big picture of everything.  I do not always understand the basic principles of existence.  I do not always understand the best sequence of events.

I. THE BIG PICTURE OF EVERYTHING. I don't see it fully. I believe it exists and that it must exist, but I am inside of it and can not view it from the outside. I think there are two visions that I lack and long for:

• The big picture embraces a bigger future than I can actualize. We are going somewhere. I accept that as a statement of faith, but it is also a sense we have about the universe. There is a path on which I believe I am being directed along with all of creation. I am not certain of all that destination entails and I cannot orchestrate it. So, I trust.
• The big picture embraces a bigger family than I can visualize. Somehow, all of humanity is woven into the tapestry of this purpose. I don't know how everything and everyone fits, but I believe it does.

II. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXISTENCE. I understand some of the principles. I am guided by the wisdom of the ages as it has accumulated and by the scriptures which have never failed me, but I know in part. I can see some enduring truths being played out in human experience and scientific inquiry, but I know there is more to be discovered and uncovered.

• Basic principles govern the unseen realities of our circumstances. The principles are in place. Some we know. Some we don't, but circumstances are not chance; they are logical inasmuch as we can perceive the logic. Logic is built upon logos - Word. In the beginning was the Logos. If we could truly perceive the Logos behind the principles, we might be able to predict circumstances. I cannot.
• Basic principles govern the unanticipated results of our choices. Nothing happens by chance. Choices activate principles, known and unknown. We know enough to apply to get by and by learning more, we strive to thrive. But we do not know all and some of our choices will have unintended consequences. Sometimes, as children, we were told by people older and wiser to do or not to do some behavior. We did not and could not understand the ramifications of our obedience or disobedience. We have to trust with our hearts and acknowledge in our ways the wisdom of the wiser. If I had only leaned on my own understanding in these matters, I would have been dead years ago.

III. THE BEST SEQUENCE OF EVENTS.  Things happen in order. Chaos and order are intertwined. People of faith believe that chaos is enveloped by order outside of itself. In our sphere of existence, most things have to happen in sequence. I don't always understand that sequence and cannot lean on my own understanding of it.

• Sequence often defines objectives. One of the great habits of highly effective people as taught by Steven Covey is to begin with the end in mind. We can often glimpse where something might be going by the sequence of events and behaviors we observe. And yet ... we might miss a detail or two and that is the essence of comedy.
• Sequence often determines outcomes. Without the proper sequencing, objectives may be lost and outcomes altered. This is obvious in matters within the purview of our own influence and control, but is unseen in the larger spectrum where multiplied details are unmanageable. There will always be factors beyond our ability to comprehend or quantify. They are part of the sequence of cosmic progression and people of faith affirm that they are guided by an Unseen Hand and related to an ultimate purpose.

That is why, when push comes to shove, while I value and pursue a deeper understanding of whatever I can understand, I do not ultimately lean on my own understanding and choose to: 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

 

I think that people, who may not have regard for the Bible as scripture or believe in divine direction, may often practice the principle of Proverbs 3:5 without knowing that they are obeying the scripture, "Lean not on thine own understanding."

Every intelligent person I know bows in the presence of the unknowns of the universe. There is a common sense of awe at the wonder of the cosmos and the paradoxical nature of truth.

We tune our harps to what we know and set our compasses by given understanding of the polar realities and magnetic forces that govern us. We do that daily, but we also throw up our hands and surrender to the persistent gnawing of undiscovered forces and undefined principles of physics, mathematics, and even more mundane concepts that we know to be true without knowing why.

We comply and we continue to seek those universal theories of everything.

I know of no single thinking person inside or outside of the realm of faith who leans entirely on his or her own understanding ... except in areas where pride overcomes good sense.

We all take direction, follow laws we do not see the sense of, and follow orders we have not devised or whose meaning we have not discerned.

We do so because we often know that our lives are bettered in the process and we appreciate the finite nature of our own understanding. That is why we have experts who spend their whole lives studying minutia and sharing tidbits of their discoveries with the rest of us who are either generalists or specialists in other fields of intellectual or practical pursuit.

And every expert will inform us that there is more yet to discover than has been, as yet, grasped.

Somehow, in the sciences, this is seen as a great adventure.

It is, likewise, in the pursuit of spiritual discovery and the great adventure of knowing God.

We know enough to trust and so, the first part of the verse says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart."

That is a bigger leap of faith for many folks than the first affirmation. We are all on different paths and places along our journeys. This is something we must accept in each other. However, in my life, verse 6 has shown itself true, over and over again:

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

So, once I do know something, and know it with humble tentativeness, I go with what I know and wonder at the unknowns, trusting God, leaning not on my limited understanding, but acknowledging His leadership, caring guidance, and benevolent faithfulness to direct my paths.

That is what is working for me.

THE LIMITS OF MY UNDERSTANDING

To continue this theme, I have given some thought to general areas where my understanding is limited. Here are some random specifics.

• I don't understand the how bumblebees can fly. Perhaps someone has explained it to me at some time, but I have forgotten.
• I don't understand string theory - and I don't think anyone really does. I have some hints, but nothing to lean on.
• I don't understand why traffic on the freeway can come to a near standstill while gawkers slow down to observe an accident across the median strip - but I should since I am sure I must have been lured into that web at least once.
• I don't understand the transforming and transcending power of love, but I gladly participate.

That was random and incomplete. There are three areas where my understanding is also incomplete and here they are.

I do not always understand the big picture of everything.  I do not always understand the basic principles of existence.  I do not always understand the best sequence of events.

I. THE BIG PICTURE OF EVERYTHING. I don't see it fully. I believe it exists and that it must exist, but I am inside of it and can not view it from the outside. I think there are two visions that I lack and long for:

• The big picture embraces a bigger future than I can actualize. We are going somewhere. I accept that as a statement of faith, but it is also a sense we have about the universe. There is a path on which I believe I am being directed along with all of creation. I am not certain of all that destination entails and I cannot orchestrate it. So, I trust.
• The big picture embraces a bigger family than I can visualize. Somehow, all of humanity is woven into the tapestry of this purpose. I don't know how everything and everyone fits, but I believe it does.

II. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXISTENCE. I understand some of the principles. I am guided by the wisdom of the ages as it has accumulated and by the scriptures which have never failed me, but I know in part. I can see some enduring truths being played out in human experience and scientific inquiry, but I know there is more to be discovered and uncovered.

• Basic principles govern the unseen realities of our circumstances. The principles are in place. Some we know. Some we don't, but circumstances are not chance; they are logical inasmuch as we can perceive the logic. Logic is built upon logos - Word. In the beginning was the Logos. If we could truly perceive the Logos behind the principles, we might be able to predict circumstances. I cannot.
• Basic principles govern the unanticipated results of our choices. Nothing happens by chance. Choices activate principles, known and unknown. We know enough to apply to get by and by learning more, we strive to thrive. But we do not know all and some of our choices will have unintended consequences. Sometimes, as children, we were told by people older and wiser to do or not to do some behavior. We did not and could not understand the ramifications of our obedience or disobedience. We have to trust with our hearts and acknowledge in our ways the wisdom of the wiser. If I had only leaned on my own understanding in these matters, I would have been dead years ago.

III. THE BEST SEQUENCE OF EVENTS.  Things happen in order. Chaos and order are intertwined. People of faith believe that chaos is enveloped by order outside of itself. In our sphere of existence, most things have to happen in sequence. I don't always understand that sequence and cannot lean on my own understanding of it.

• Sequence often defines objectives. One of the great habits of highly effective people as taught by Steven Covey is to begin with the end in mind. We can often glimpse where something might be going by the sequence of events and behaviors we observe. And yet ... we might miss a detail or two and that is the essence of comedy.
• Sequence often determines outcomes. Without the proper sequencing, objectives may be lost and outcomes altered. This is obvious in matters within the purview of our own influence and control, but is unseen in the larger spectrum where multiplied details are unmanageable. There will always be factors beyond our ability to comprehend or quantify. They are part of the sequence of cosmic progression and people of faith affirm that they are guided by an Unseen Hand and related to an ultimate purpose.

That is why, when push comes to shove, while I value and pursue a deeper understanding of whatever I can understand, I do not ultimately lean on my own understanding and choose to: 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

 

To continue this theme, I have given some thought to general areas where my understanding is limited. Here are some random specifics.

• I don't understand the how bumblebees can fly. Perhaps someone has explained it to me at some time, but I have forgotten.
• I don't understand string theory - and I don't think anyone really does. I have some hints, but nothing to lean on.
• I don't understand why traffic on the freeway can come to a near standstill while gawkers slow down to observe an accident across the median strip - but I should since I am sure I must have been lured into that web at least once.
• I don't understand the transforming and transcending power of love, but I gladly participate.

That was random and incomplete. There are three areas where my understanding is also incomplete and here they are.

I do not always understand the big picture of everything.  I do not always understand the basic principles of existence.  I do not always understand the best sequence of events.

I. THE BIG PICTURE OF EVERYTHING. I don't see it fully. I believe it exists and that it must exist, but I am inside of it and can not view it from the outside. I think there are two visions that I lack and long for:

• The big picture embraces a bigger future than I can actualize. We are going somewhere. I accept that as a statement of faith, but it is also a sense we have about the universe. There is a path on which I believe I am being directed along with all of creation. I am not certain of all that destination entails and I cannot orchestrate it. So, I trust.
• The big picture embraces a bigger family than I can visualize. Somehow, all of humanity is woven into the tapestry of this purpose. I don't know how everything and everyone fits, but I believe it does.

II. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXISTENCE. I understand some of the principles. I am guided by the wisdom of the ages as it has accumulated and by the scriptures which have never failed me, but I know in part. I can see some enduring truths being played out in human experience and scientific inquiry, but I know there is more to be discovered and uncovered.

• Basic principles govern the unseen realities of our circumstances. The principles are in place. Some we know. Some we don't, but circumstances are not chance; they are logical inasmuch as we can perceive the logic. Logic is built upon logos - Word. In the beginning was the Logos. If we could truly perceive the Logos behind the principles, we might be able to predict circumstances. I cannot.
• Basic principles govern the unanticipated results of our choices. Nothing happens by chance. Choices activate principles, known and unknown. We know enough to apply to get by and by learning more, we strive to thrive. But we do not know all and some of our choices will have unintended consequences. Sometimes, as children, we were told by people older and wiser to do or not to do some behavior. We did not and could not understand the ramifications of our obedience or disobedience. We have to trust with our hearts and acknowledge in our ways the wisdom of the wiser. If I had only leaned on my own understanding in these matters, I would have been dead years ago.

III. THE BEST SEQUENCE OF EVENTS.  Things happen in order. Chaos and order are intertwined. People of faith believe that chaos is enveloped by order outside of itself. In our sphere of existence, most things have to happen in sequence. I don't always understand that sequence and cannot lean on my own understanding of it.

• Sequence often defines objectives. One of the great habits of highly effective people as taught by Steven Covey is to begin with the end in mind. We can often glimpse where something might be going by the sequence of events and behaviors we observe. And yet ... we might miss a detail or two and that is the essence of comedy.
• Sequence often determines outcomes. Without the proper sequencing, objectives may be lost and outcomes altered. This is obvious in matters within the purview of our own influence and control, but is unseen in the larger spectrum where multiplied details are unmanageable. There will always be factors beyond our ability to comprehend or quantify. They are part of the sequence of cosmic progression and people of faith affirm that they are guided by an Unseen Hand and related to an ultimate purpose.

That is why, when push comes to shove, while I value and pursue a deeper understanding of whatever I can understand, I do not ultimately lean on my own understanding and choose to: 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Prayer for a Nation's Leader

What sort of leadership do we need in our nation and world today? Here is a hint from Psalm 72. This psalm and prayer was reportedly sung by and for for Solomon, who was already King of Israel. It reveals, among other things, some qualities we might desire in a future leader of any nation. This is a prayer. We can pray it over future leaders as a template for choosing them, but also as a prayer without a specific human target, a prayer for anyone in the office of leadership. We can pray it for our present leaders as well - and that would be very good practice for the future. We can commit to pray it for anyone our nation or any nation elects as an offering to God. More so, we can pray it over ourselves as Solomon may have done, as a way of asking God to shape our own leadership in our spheres of influence.

1. That the leader might be a champion of justice for all the people."

"Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!"

2. That the leader might be successful in economic leadership.

"Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!"

3. That the leader might be a defender of the cause of the poor and needy and an adversary to oppression.

"May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!"

4. That the leader might be used to create an atmosphere of reverence and respect. 

"May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!"

5. That righteousness and peace would characterize and bless the days of his or her leadership.

"May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!"

6. That the leader might be strong and a leader among the nations who respect and honor him or her willingly.

"May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!"

7. That the leader would be actively and decicively compassionate and biased toward those who are weak, needy, poor and oppressed.

"For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight."

8. That the leader would be blessed with health, prosperity, and well-being and supported by the prayers of his or her people.

"Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!"

9. That the leader would usher in a day of abundance for the land and for the cities.

"May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field!"

10. That the people would be blessed and that the leader would enjoy a good reputation among his or her own people and among the nations.

"May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!"

11. That God would receive the honor for all these things.

"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!"
"Amen and Amen!"

(Psalm 72 ESV)

If we have failed to pray this way for our present leaders, it is an indictment upon us. However, let it not cripple us for the future. Let us confess and move forward, especially now, when we know not what the future will hold and who our leaders shall be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1iV-0bu8mk

Costly Wisdom

 

"Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7b

Wisdom is a costly commodity.

We pay the price in time, heartache, experience, and study as well as money.

Yet, the wise man of old testifies to its enduring value. "It is worth all you have" is his message to those who might cheat themselves out of wisdom's riches.

It might hurt. It might bring you loss. It will cost you something, but get it. Whatever you do, get it.

In a world where we shy away from discomfort and inconvenience, we are admonished to sacrifice very visible treasures for invisible values. We do well to embrace the challenge, lean into our pain, and go for understanding.

"He who learns must suffer.
And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,
and in our own despair, against our will,
comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."
Aeschylus

"Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7b

Wisdom is a costly commodity.

We pay the price in time, heartache, experience, and study as well as money.

Yet, the wise man of old testifies to its enduring value. "It is worth all you have" is his message to those who might cheat themselves out of wisdom's riches.

It might hurt. It might bring you loss. It will cost you something, but get it. Whatever you do, get it.

In a world where we shy away from discomfort and inconvenience, we are admonished to sacrifice very visible treasures for invisible values. We do well to embrace the challenge, lean into our pain, and go for understanding.

"He who learns must suffer.
And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,
and in our own despair, against our will,
comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."
Aeschylus

Life Lessons from Dr. Seuss

 

Much that I needed to know for life, I learned from some very special children's books.

Dr. Seuss was one of those. Theodor Seuss Geisel was born March 2, 1904.

Consider these words.

"OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
THERE IS FUN TO BE DONE! THERE ARE
POINTS TO BE SCORED. THERE ARE GAMES TO BE WON."

I left home at 18 to go to college. I moved 6 hours from home. It might has well been across the world. It was a cross cultural move for me - from the Richmond with its unique cultural mix to Appalachia.

Then I moved to California.

I have yet to explore all of this state. I have been to many more. There is so much yet to explore.

But there is also the inner territories yet to find. Dr. Seuss said:

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

He brought perspective to the common insecurities of children and adults about who they were. He addressed our anxieties about being authentic.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

We have beginnings and endings, but the endings are beginnings and the beginnings are endings and on and on it goes. I do  a lot of funerals. I collect stories - stories of well over 1000 people I knew but never met. Funerals are happy-sad times because  the memories are sweet and the endings are bitter. It occurs to me that I frequently employ a principle he taught as I lead people in the celebration of the life of a loved one.

Dr. Seuss said:

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

I sometimes have tough questions with which to wrestle. I meet people every day who are embroiled in existential crises, in deep pain, and in profound despair. Questions without answers plague them. I share with them, pray with them, and mostly, listen to them, I dare not pontificate, but Seuss said, 

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

We have to figure out how to ask the right questions and we will find ourselves closer to the answers.

He encouraged us to face our troubles.

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

He encouraged us to be honest with our feelings and words.

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant.”

He encouraged us to learn.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

He warned us that life is but a vapor and is passing away - thus to embrace today today.

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”    

Theodor Geisel died, September 24, 1991. Dr. Seuss lives on.

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

 

 

Life Academy Blessing

 

We dream; we grow;
We move; we flow;
We laugh; we glow.
While here below,
We live in anticipation
Of pomp and circumstance
And graduation.
We are matriculated in the school of life
Articulated by toil and tears and strife.
We are students of all that passes
Work and play, day by day, our classes.
We are classmates with our fellow creatures.
These also are our students and our teachers.
And this is our assignment:
Absolute and total realignment.
And someday through the pain and stress of it.
We will celebrate the gain and success of it.
We dream; we grow and
by God's grace we move and flow
And laugh and glow
While here below,
We live.

Live well.
Live Long.
Prosper and overcome.
Be all that you can be.

Forgotten Servants

 

 

Your greatest effectiveness may be awaiting the moment when you are least concerned with being great or effective.

For some people, who have sacrificed fame, fortune, and the comforts of living in service, there is one last hope in this world - to be remembered.

In one reading from Chamber's, "My Utmost for His Highest," Saint Oswald pulls the props out from under that last vestige of worldly desire:

"Are you ready to be not so much as a drop in a bucket - to be so hopelessly insignificant that you are never thought of again in connection with the life you served?"

We are challenged to think of service only in relation to the One we are serving and those who, in His name, we serve.

""Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Philippians 2:17

Am I willing to be a door mat?

Am I willing to be forgotten?

Am I willing to be a drop in the bucket?

Is that not the meaning of real service? To forget oneself in the service of another? To lose oneself in a greater calling? To desire the pleasure of none but the objects of service?

Chambers raises the bar yet again and challenges us with this observation:

"Some saints cannot do menial work and remain saints because it is beneath their dignity. "

In Matthew 18:1, the disciples came to Jesus with a question that revealed that they still did not "get it."

"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Here comes the  GONG one might think, but Jesus neither rebukes nor ridicules them. Instead, He gives them an object lesson to gently teach them. He produces a small child and sets the child before them.

"Get small before God and man . Get really humble like this one. Become as insignificant as you can imagine. Lose any interest in your own importance. And welcome others who do the same. You will find that you, in doing so, are welcoming me."  (my paraphrase)

This is hard for us, but it is also liberating.

Many know this story, ironically by an unknown author, but I offer it again for perspective:

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they felt defeated, discouraged, and afraid.

As the trip began, they discovered they were on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong."

"Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us."

"Dear, you shouldn't feel that way," his wife said.

He replied "I can't help it; it just doesn't seem right."

When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival. No one noticed the missionary couple. They slipped off the ship, disappeared in the crowd, and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"

A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?"

The Lord settled it with me. I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said;

"You're not home yet."

We love to take and receive credit for our efforts, good intentions, and sacrifice. Sometimes, our lives are on display for others to take courage from us. When that happens, we need extra grace not to grab the glory. It may be that no one will notice what we have done and who we are. We need grace then, to be OK with that.

This is not our home. We are still on the journey and we are here to serve.

 

My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Stomach

It was January, 2010. I was sitting down to the tiniest plate of the softest, soupiest food I had ever assembled at a potluck.

I cannot imagine how many times I have heard and said, while staring at an insurmountably challenging plate of food, "My eyes were bigger than my stomach."

Simply put: We put too much on the plate because it looked so good --- and manageable.

So that night at my birthday-stone-soup-fund-raising-potluck bash, I found myself staring a a much smaller collection of vittles on my plate and, after a few bites, thinking, "My eyes were bigger than my stomach."

Then, before actually uttering the words, I began to chuckle.

That attracted some attention -- a grown man chuckling to himself while staring at a miniature hot wing which I knew was a bigger challenge than I could face.

You see, I had recently had a major reduction in the size of my working stomach - a gastric bypass surgery.

I was chuckling at the thought, "My goodness, my eyes really ARE bigger than my stomach now ... without question. Lay them on the table beside each other and that is the reality."

So I shared the insight and others joined me in the chuckle which gave me permission for a long and hard belly laugh.

It is a good thing my incisions had already healed.

Be careful lest the excuses of yesterday become the reality of today  ... or ...

Don't put more on your plate than you can swallow... or ...

Don't let your appetites rule your choices ... or ...

Choose your own application ... or ...

Just enjoy the laugh.

 

Wrong Door - Wrong Store

I had a pretty good lesson in humility and pride a few years ago. It was a moment of internal embarrassment and readjustment in my thinking.

It was one of those outdoor shopping centers with a Best Buy and an Office Depot spaced with several other stores in between. I was comparing prices on laptops and calculating insurance reimbursements in light of a recent burglary. It was the upside of getting ripped off.

But that is not the story.

I had taken note of the order of the stores from the parking lot and calculated that I could get a nice walk in just by moving between them and within them.  I left Best Buys and began to walk toward Office Depot when a man crossed my path looking a bit dazed and confused and heading toward the Target Store.

When he was unable to open the door because he was attempting to enter through the exit, I mentally prepared to point at the entrance to help him out. I may or may not have actually pointed. I am a little fuzzy on this point because the real work was going on inside me. There was a flash of smugness and superiority. "I can read signs."

That was short lived.

At the next shop, I entered through the correct door - without a hitch. How proud of myself, I was. "I can read signs." I looked around and, in a moment of bewilderment, observed racks of clothes.

"Why are they selling clothes at Office Depot?"

They were not. They were selling clothes at T.J. Maxx.

Tom Sims, the great sign reader-adherer, had entered the wrong store while basking in the glory of in his ability to use the right door.

 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." - I Corinthians 10:12 (Read it in THE MESSAGE .

So, which was worse, the wrong store or the wrong door?

Somehow, as I chuckled inside at my own fallibility and silly pride, I knew I would have to confess this in my blog and hang it out like dirty laundry for all the world to see.

I made this confession shortly after it happened over 6 years ago and I make it again because I was recently feeling a big smug about something else … shortly before an egg landed on my face and started dripping.

There was also some mention of a speck in your brother's eye and a plank in one’s own as I recall.

What is the moral and application of this? I think that with my track record, I would better let you figure that out yourself.

 

I find this guy very gifted and delightfully vulnerable.

Live loose; live light; live large!

 

There is something very right and something somewhat wrong about this scenario: When a crisis occurs in the world, there is an urge to pack up and go, or to at least to write a very big check. Many share that urge. But we are constrained by time commitments, lack of preparation, and enormous personal debt.

My life and priorities keep changing. It all started when I prepared to turn 50, then 55, then 60 and now, looking toward 62.  I am thinking I need to make an effort to live loose, live light, and live large.

Living loose means to take life as it comes and to be able to join Isaiah in his declaration, "Here I am; send me."

If we live loose, we plan and implement our plans, but we do not become so attached to our plans that they take precedence over our purpose for living. Strategies are vital to our goals, but they change. They must not rule us. Calendars represent commitments to be honored, but there must be some flexibility built into our rigid lives.

Living loose means living in a state of readiness to respond to God's call through the suffering of the world.

Living loose may mean having a passport ready at all times. I don't have that. It may mean having contingencies plans and back up prepared for our routine commitments.

Mostly it is an attitude.

I need to live light. Too often we are guided by our limitations. We have created many of those limitations through compulsive spending, mismanagement of credit, consumer greed, and appetites out of control. I have wasted thousands of dollars for which I have little to show.

What do we really need? What is interfering with our ability to give when a need arises?

How can we lighten our loads and live simpler, more rewarding and satisfying lives?

Not only debt, but possessions and expectations of comfort and pleasure can tie us down.

So can mismanaged health and wellness. We are often just too out of shape to be ready to respond. I, for one, abused my body through years of eating too much of the wrong food and failure to push myself beyond my comfort level in exercise.

These are seemingly innocent sins, but they effect our availability.

In the past, I have not lived light. Yet, in recent years, I have been experiencing an emptying of myself before God. It has been obvious on the physical level, but it has informed my soul and my spirit.

The sad consequence of the past, however, is that barring a miracle, I could not financially, physically, or professionally get on a plane tomorrow and fly to anywhere in the world where a crisis might erupt.

Neither do I have the money in the bank to write a big check. I will write a check, but it will not be what I could have written if I had lived more wisely and lightly.

There are skills I ought to require, but there is the ever-present excuse: When can I find the time?

Where does anyone find time? We make time.

Living large means we take the world into our hearts and let it expand us beyond ourselves. It means growing toward a God-sized concern for the pain of humanity. It means weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. It means thinking globally and eternally.

Living large means loving our neighbors as ourselves.

We love ourselves. We pamper ourselves, indulge ourselves, and fatten ourselves. In the process, we destroy ourselves for usefulness. We need to find a new way of loving ourselves that embraces the whole world. We need to transform our love of self into something that feeds a new self, a servant self, a more fulfilled and joyful self that is available to God and others.

As we change ourselves and love ourselves that way, we can love and change the world.

Live loose; live light; live large!

10 Strategies for Making the Most of Every Day

We start each day with hope. At least I do and most positive people I know do the same. There is an occasional "dreaded" day, but it is the exception and is usually combated by positive self-talk and prayer. The rule is that we begin our mornings expecting to exploit our effectiveness and embrace our opportunities. Our "to-do" lists are full and our hearts are ready to meet our challenges until something happens. We don't finish our first task in the time we have allotted. We are now behind.

Then there is another glitch ... and another ...

And we begin to lose hope and heart.

How do we make the most of our days ...

Here are some suggestions. Since the sound of my thinking is sometimes "mmmmmmmm," I will use "m"s to gather my thoughts.

Marginalize - Build margins into your life and into your calendar. Don't overcrowd your day. We just don't allow enough space for the unexpected and serendipitous interruptions of "aha moments" into our time. Allow space in your planner and in your life to wander, wonder, and discover.

Maximize - Accomplish more than one task at a time. Consolidate trips. Listen to books in your car. Think efficiency in your planning. Take work to the coffee shop. Focus on the moment you are experiencing so that you accomplish more in less time. Prepare to use 5-15 minute slots effectively by having some basic tools ready to use and with you. Learn to use time wisely.

Minimize - Be ruthless in eliminating the time and task demands that will not advance your mission, purpose and goals. Set a specific amount of time for tiny and minimally consequential tasks each day. Do what must be done first first. Then, when the time is over, move on and take the list back up tomorrow.

Manage - Take charge of your own schedule. Politely excuse yourself from many good things that are not centered on where you are currently going in accordance with your mission. Give your time to people, but do so with wisdom and set appropriate boundaries. Invest your life where it will bear fruit. Your time is the only space in which you can live your life. Manage it.

Mature - You won't get this all at once. Grow a little in it every day. Keep a journal of what you are learning. Keep track of what is effective and ineffective and learn from yourself.

Minister - It is a word that means "serve." PLAN to serve people some every day. Build service into your schedule. Organize your time so that you have time to do things for others that will not benefit you in any predictable or tangible way.

Master - Master some skills that you will use frequently. Some things you do well take less time because you have eliminated your learning curve. Also, discover who or what masters you so that you will always have a compass to help you decide the direction you will take each day and all your days.

Move - Movement in life is essential. Apply grace as you proceed through the day and move things around in your schedule. Life takes unexpected turns. Have a planner with enough space to scratch through some things and insert new ideas and plans.

Muster - Gather other people to assist you in the days you cannot accomplish at all or accomplish alone. Delegate where that is in your power and enlist when your only power is influence. In order to do this, you'll need to cultivate good relationships daily. People are willing to help friends. So make friends.

Meet and Meditate - Start every day with a meeting. If you meet with God, which I recommend, prioritize that meeting. Prioritize it; don't categorize it or compartmentalize it. Let it envelope everything else in your life. If you are not there in your practice or belief, at least meet with yourself. Focus first on "being" issues, but bring your calendar to the meeting. Sometime, before it is done, go over it with God, your Higher Power, or yourself. Do it devotionally and openly and don't rush the time.

One could go on all day, but then one might start wasting time. What are your strategies?

Wear Your Own Armor

 

David would not and could not wear Saul's armor to battle Goliath. He was not Saul. He was not Saul's size. He needed his own garb and his own weapons. When we realize that we are unique, fearfully and wonderfully made people, we will come to be free to be ourselves. We won't try to fit into someone else's armor or style.

We will celebrate our own personalities and unique voices for sharing the message that has been seared into our hearts. We will abandon the need to use boiler plate strategies, jargon, and methodologies. We will awaken to the reality that no one else and be who we are nor do what we can do. We are gifted in our own ways and our giftedness becomes part of God's gift to the world.

Here is what you can know about your own armor:

A - It is AUTHENTIC to who you are. It fits you because there is nothing contrived about it. You do not have to fit into it; it fits on you.

R - It is REALISTIC to your assignment and the battles you must face. You do not need to carry baggage through life fore which you have no use, but what you need, you truly do need.

M - It is MALLEABLE . It can be hammered and reshaped as you are reshaped without breaking or cracking. While you are uniquely you, you are also in process and changing. The equipment you have, your gifts, strengths, and insights can grow with you.

O  - It is ORIGINAL. There has never been nor never shall be another person equipped quite like you or called exactly like you to the specific time, place, and assignment to which you are called. You are an original and your mixture of gifts and strengths is original as well.

R - It is REQUIRED. You do not have this armor to put on display, store away among your treasures, or gaze upon. You have what you have to put into use for the service of God and humanity.

Don't try to be exactly like someone else. Do not covet the gifts of another or their armor. Do not vie for the assignments of other people and do not neglect your own. Finally, do not leave your armor at home. It is custom made for you and you are custom made for your assignment.

Fair Shakes and Residual Growth

 

Is there a relationship between the size of a milkshake and long term business success? The question made me think about fair shakes and residual growth.

On a night, sometime in the past, at an unnamed restaurant named for some guy named Benny or Lenny or Kenny - something like that, I had a very disappointing experience.

I am a D****'s fan and this group I was with had been going to that same spot at the same time for eight years. We knew most of them the employees.

Recently, they had hired a new manager and the first order of business was to require our favorite waitress to stop wearing her signature flower in her hair.

How do you spell "rinky-dink?"

This woman was one of the reasons we kept going. She is D's for us and that flower was her identity. It was her smile. It was her way of describing her sunny outlook on life. That was disappointing.

Then, we were served by a very sweet, enthusiastic waitress who bounced in once or twice and had to receive some very distressing news of our unhappiness with one issue: we only received half of a milkshake!

Apparently, this was the training that the new, "progressive" management had initiated - no individual expression, standardization of everything, and half a milkshake for the same price as the old product where we received "seconds" in the metal container.

I am not a complainer and I left the sweet girl (who didn't refill the all-you-can-drink drinks or bring us our bill) a nice tip. It was not her fault. It may not even be this manager's fault. It may be no one's fault - but it does make a pretty good subject for a blog on how not to succeed in business over the long haul.

Not to succeed is to forfeit residual growth and income.

We went back - a time or two, to give it a fair shake and eventually, I got a fair shake. Therefore, I kept giving them my business, but it was touch and go for a few moments in time.

It is about culture. Some businesses and managers create cultures of excellence. Some do not.

There are many businesses that bend over backwards to make the customer feel happy and part of a community.

Here is the question: Are you in whatever you are in for the long haul? If so, you are interested in happy people who keep coming back ... and in residual income. Whether you represent a church, a network marketing system, a brick and mortar business, or some other endeavor, the secret to customer satisfaction is first, giving your customer a fair shake and then, going well beyond that to the point of surprise and delight.

I am not surprised to see that the Bible weighs in on this:

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. – Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, (NASB ©1995) - Colossians 3:23

I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. (NASB ©1995) - Nehemiah 5:16

Deserts Green

For every river flowing free

There is a desert with a tree.

Unknown waters make it green,

Mighty rivers, never seen.

Deep within the dry, parched earth,

Roots run deep beneath the dearth.

Though the sky suspends its rain,

Sun beats down its scorching pain ,

Though none other blooms in sight,

Nothing robs it of its might.

It knows sources only few

Have known, afresh and new .

It has found the secret place,

Cooling streams, refreshing grace.

God speaks from that one lonesome tree

"Come to the stream, come unto me." 

God's sentinel in deserts grim.

Drink from the stream that flows from Him. 

© 1991, 2006, Thomas B. Sims, All Rights Reserved

 

 

Do you ever hate truth?

Here is a truth I hate to admit: We seem to have a large segment of the population who either hate it, prefer to tame it, or are rather immune to it.

Two people cite the same sources and draw different conclusions, which strangely mirror their views from before they were exposed to the information to which they are responding.

Filters funnel our facts to facilitate the furtherance of our fiction.

Sometimes I hate truth ...

    sometimes ...

But only the way a kid hates his parents for a flash of a moment when they yank his chain and put a lid on his poor choices. The hate is really love lashing out at the boundaries.

Example: I don't want to go online and look at my bank balance ... mainly because it tells me the truth and I am not sure I want to know it ...

But I need to know it if I am going to do anything about it.

Sometimes I can't do anything now, so I don't want to look. Yet, still I need to know.

It is the shock that I really want to avoid.

But the shock does not last forever and the information goes into a pot on low heat and eventually will combine with other ingredients and produce a creative stew of possibilities.

That will only happen if I am willing to look at the truth.

That is why I just checked my online bank statement.

Ouch! I need to turn up the heat a notch. 

I really don't hate truth at all. I love truth ... I think.

God of truth, Open our eyes to truth.

Open our hearts to wisdom.

Open our minds to instruction.

Direct our deepest desires toward You.

Help us to be honest with you, with ourselves, and others.

Shape us as we reject the temptation to shape our perceptions to fit our preconceptions.

Grant us the grace to receive the world as it is and the determination to make whatever changes are necessary

... in ourselves first ...

... and within our spheres of influence.

Amen.

 

Where, What, Who

 

Jesus inserts a probe into the deep places of our hearts whenever he asks searching questions. Even the most practical interrogatives cause a pause that is sharp enough to penetrate our motives, thoughts, and fears.

He asks the questions we are ultimately asking ourselves but find difficult to face.

Luke 8 records three of them:

"Where is your faith?" (v 25) - What do you really believe? How profoundly do you believe it? How does what you believe drive you, define you, and shape you? Is your faith transferable between the changing circumstances of your life? Is it immune to revision when it is challenged or stretched by hardship? Just because the boat you are in is riding the storm and death is a possibility, does not mean that any enduring and ultimate truth has changed - only your questions. His remains the same: Where is your faith?

Jesus asked this question of his friends who were suffering through storms outside of themselves.

"What is your name?" (v 30) - Is it "Legion" because you are many and are tormented by discordant and destructive voices within your soul?  Do you know your name - your authentic name? Do you really know who you are - the 'you' you were meant to be, full of wonder, potential, and joyous grace?  Have you come to peace with yourself as one who is beloved of God and called to a life of purpose or are you living among the tombs, flailing and beating yourself without mercy?

Jesus asked this question of a man whose storms were within him, who had not known a moment of peace for years.

"Who touched me?" (v 45) - You cannot remain anonymous to Jesus. He wants you to hear the question and know that He knows that power has gone out of Him to you whenever you reach to touch the hem of His garment. Do you think He does not notice you, that He does not care, that you cannot reach Him? A woman whose body had failed her for a long, long time was desperate enough to hope for healing. Later a group of mourners would reach out for one last tidbit of hope for a little girl who had slipped into the grip of death. To the woman, He would say, "Your faith has made you well." To the little girl, He would say, "Little girl, arise."

Who touched me? That is the question of knowing of His knowledge. It is the question that opens our eyes to the reality that in our loneliest circumstances, we are never truly alone.

Some storms attack our bodies and ours alone and isolate us. Jesus see, hears, feels, and knows.

These are the questions that are posed to us today? In some ways, they are all about the first. If we know where our faith is, we can know who we are and that we have touched Him who has the power to still the storms or see us through.

Jesus inserts a probe into the deep places of our hearts whenever he asks searching questions. Even the most practical interrogatives cause a pause that is sharp enough to penetrate our motives, thoughts, and fears.

He asks the questions we are ultimately asking ourselves but find difficult to face.

Luke 8 records three of them:

"Where is your faith?" (v 25) - What do you really believe? How profoundly do you believe it? How does what you believe drive you, define you, and shape you? Is your faith transferable between the changing circumstances of your life? Is it immune to revision when it is challenged or stretched by hardship? Just because the boat you are in is riding the storm and death is a possibility, does not mean that any enduring and ultimate truth has changed - only your questions. His remains the same: Where is your faith?

Jesus asked this question of his friends who were suffering through storms outside of themselves.

"What is your name?" (v 30) - Is it "Legion" because you are many and are tormented by discordant and destructive voices within your soul?  Do you know your name - your authentic name? Do you really know who you are - the 'you' you were meant to be, full of wonder, potential, and joyous grace?  Have you come to peace with yourself as one who is beloved of God and called to a life of purpose or are you living among the tombs, flailing and beating yourself without mercy?

Jesus asked this question of a man whose storms were within him, who had not known a moment of peace for years.

"Who touched me?" (v 45) - You cannot remain anonymous to Jesus. He wants you to hear the question and know that He knows that power has gone out of Him to you whenever you reach to touch the hem of His garment. Do you think He does not notice you, that He does not care, that you cannot reach Him? A woman whose body had failed her for a long, long time was desperate enough to hope for healing. Later a group of mourners would reach out for one last tidbit of hope for a little girl who had slipped into the grip of death. To the woman, He would say, "Your faith has made you well." To the little girl, He would say, "Little girl, arise."

Who touched me? That is the question of knowing of His knowledge. It is the question that opens our eyes to the reality that in our loneliest circumstances, we are never truly alone.

Some storms attack our bodies and ours alone and isolate us. Jesus see, hears, feels, and knows.

These are the questions that are posed to us today? In some ways, they are all about the first. If we know where our faith is, we can know who we are and that we have touched Him who has the power to still the storms or see us through.

Scribbles About Whether the Weather Is or Is Not ...

Some years ago, I asked, "what is up with the weather?"

At the time, it was raining, but it was not the season for rain.

These days, in California, we will take rain any time.

We deal with "systems" and other factors that are producing "in-climate" conditions around the country. Maybe all bets about that subject are off with climate change. Take a trip down memory lane to allow the point to be made.

Is there a connection meteorology and geopolitical economics?

Probably not. It is just a gentle reminder that we control very little in our environments and must be ready for anything. That is not to let us off the hook for our poor stewardship or out-of-control "consumption-ism. "

Speaking of change, yes, change...

Change is constant ... one of the few constants. If we choose to be adaptable from the strong point of unalterable centers, we will stand the test of time.

Back when it was raining at the "wrong time," I scribbled ...

It never rains in California in June ... yet ... it is wet.
We don't get thunder storms ... violates the norms.
Nevertheless, it is wet.
Nevertheless, the sky roared and exploded with light.
They must not be right ...
They who say never ...
For never is a long forever.

I have lived long enough to know that we can't afford to get used to anything or settled on any hard and fast norms or expectations that how things were is how they will always be.

May your day be filled with unexpected surprises of the wonderful kind and may every challenge be met with grace and confidence.

Where Do I Fit?

 

Do you like jigsaw puzzles like I like puzzles?

Good. You're on.

I play them on my computer and on my smart phone. 

I even played them when they were made of cardboard. Remember then?

I can play them and think about something else.

They train my brain and are good for my hand-eye coordination.

I choose a picture and scramble it. I decide how many pieces and what sort of shapes I want to work with.

I can look back at the big picture any time.

Sometimes I don't. I get stuck in the moment.

I usually start with the frame unless I see some pattern getting in my face wanting to come together.

When that happens, I accommodate the moment.

There is usually a button I can push and the puzzle will solve itself. I don't like that.

I'd rather struggle with it, walk away, come back, struggle, walk away, come back ... as long as it takes ...

Whatever it takes.

It is my puzzle. I am not competing against anyone.

Of course, it is someone else' picture, someone else's vision, and a random scramble, but I have a role.

Now, I am asking about another puzzle and my role.

It's not just my picture and vision and certainly not my scramble. I can't choose the numbers, sizes, or shapes of the pieces.

I am not sure what my role is. I have come late to the table ... or early ... I am not sure.

I see things shaping up, but that is sometimes when the puzzle gets really perplexing.

We leave the really difficult pieces for last ... not like the very end where it starts coming together ... not like the beginning ...

When some things are really obvious.

Now, this could go here or there or there ... or we wonder ...

Does it even fit at all?

Do I fit at all?

Wait! It's not about me. I am in the puzzle, but I am not the center of it ...

Nor am I the artist ... nor the sole solver.

I am the piece with the most jagged edges, the strange colors, the faded, thumb prints, and enough scratches and worn places to create

Confusion and

Ambiguity.

But I am not released because ...

If I don't fit in, the puzzle cannot be complete and if ...

If I do not participate in fitting in the pieces I must arrange ...

The puzzle cannot be complete. 

So, it is a good thing I like puzzles because ... 

The Puzzle Maker is not letting me off the hook for this.

 

I an unexpected moment of wonder, it will mysteriously all come together.

Do It Now

 

Today is now.

Now it is today.

Tomorrow is not yet, but when it is, will be today.

Then today will be yesterday.

And we will start over.

So, if you are going to do anything at all, do it today.

For each today will pass away until they are all used up.

What is not done today will never get done.

Do It Now!

You Have Today

 

You have today to do, to be, to experience, and to share whatever it is that burns within you heart to do, be, experience, and share.

You have today, and while it may not be enough for you, it is what you have for as long as it lasts.

You have already begun today as you read these words. You have stepped into the stream of life in the division of time that we name as individual days and you have begun to participate in this one day that is absolutely unique, It has never been before and never will be again.

You have it and, if you are like me, you have already wasted part of it.

You will probably waste a bit more, but just thinking about how precious the day really is, you have also already begun to consider how you will make the best of it. You are plotting a course for  what you will accomplish and how you will enrich other people because, having considered the remote possibility that this is your only day, you want it to be significant.

You have today - at least part of it because you are already in it. If it should be cut short, you will have lived this day. If you make it to the end, you will have tomorrow. Within one short second of completing a day, we have another.

This is not rocket science. Nor is it breaking news, but it is very, very important.

Days tend to slip away and as they slip, they fall into an abyss of neglect and despair. We look back and wonder where they went and wish that we could recapture them and redeem all of our lost opportunities.

We cannot - except in the sense that what we accomplish today can bring meaning to yesterday. We can slowly transform what is lost into something of meaning and hope. It has some of the benefits of time travel without all the messy risk.

TODAY is:

T - Temporal, temporary, and tempestuous. It is fleeting, but it is also unpredictable and partially unknown. All we know for sure is that it will end and that it will move in some way toward our intentions while having a mind of its own and a tendency  to surprise us.

O - Our Opportunity to do something about our lives, enrich the lives of others, reinterpret the past, and reinvent the future. It is one of a kind and it is pregnant with possibilities.

D - Definite. We definitely have today, right now to do something. Perhaps this is an incentive to avoid procrastination of that thing that is burning in our hearts. Make the D into a DO and DO the thing that you know you Desire and need to do, that thing that relates to your Dream, that which your fear has prevented until right now.

A - About Attitude. I use the word "attitude" repeatedly in my acronyms, not because I can't think of any other A words, but because it is so crucial to everything about today, tomorrow, and the future. It determines our course; it drives our dreams; it infects our motives; it orients our thinking; it makes us or breaks us. We must see TODAY with an attitude of joy, wonder, optimism, and responsibility as we embrace its power for good.

Y - YOURS! It is yours. What will you do with it?

May your today be wonderful and may you have many, many tomorrows. You do have today.

Tom Sims

• The Dream Factory

 

Go For It

 

 

 

 

 

Pat Williams advises us to go for it. to see a vision and then to act.. I don't know what your it is, but if it is worthy, then ... Go for it!

  

.

 

Here is the breakdown:

 

GO

G - Get ready to dream. Clear your mind of impossibility thinking and faithlessness. Negativity must go. Position yourself to dream.

O - Open your mind. Open your heart. Open yourself to God, to others, to the possibility of possibilities.Free yourself to imagine what has never been.

 

FOR

F - Face your challenges and stare them down. Acknowledge your weaknesses and take command of your life. Face the facts, but don't let the facts freeze in time. There is nothing that does not change except God Himself.

O - Overcome. Decide that you will be an overcomer. You will never live, "under the circumstances." You will be the cream that rises to the top of life.

R - Retreat and Reflect. Get alone with your thoughts and prayers. Find a place and give yourself time to flesh out a dream. Let it run wild. Write it down. You can sort it out later. Don't let anything restrict your thinking. Postpone practical considerations.

 

IT

I - It. The word can mean almost anything and you decide what IT is. What is the it of it? What is the core of your dream. Is it greater than your own pleasure and fulfillment? Will it better the world for others. Will it bring honor to God? Will it lift people? Will it extend beyond your lifetime? Consider it and if your it is too small, go back to the retreat and expand it.

T - Tell others. Don't keep it to yourself. Risk humiliation and ridicule. If you tell enough people, you can expect some of that, but you will also find allies. Reject the negative responses and keep listening for the encouragement that will come. By telling others of your dream, you are making a commitment to it. You are climbing out on a limb where you MUST perform.

Not, fight for your dreams because in doing so, you will be fighting for your life!

Here is to your dreams!

Wake-Walking

I am wake-walking through a garden of dreams, eyes open, heart pounding, life-affirming.

I am dreaming within a dream of dreams yet to be.

My heart is full of emptiness being filled and refilled.

My life is an adventure where impossibilities unfold into realities.

I am wake-walking. Nothing is asleep within me.

Wake-walking and wondering what the next unfolding will bring.

Wake walking and willing to awaken anew to a deeper dream.

Blessed.

I am wake-walking through a garden of dreams, eyes open, heart pounding, life-affirming.

I am dreaming within a dream of dreams yet to be.

My heart is full of emptiness being filled and refilled.

My life is an adventure where impossibilities unfold into realities.

I am wake-walking. Nothing is asleep within me.

Wake-walking and wondering what the next unfolding will bring.

Wake walking and willing to awaken anew to a deeper dream.

Blessed.

The Slow and Steady Rise

"Men think highly of those who rise rapidly in the world; whereas nothing rises quicker than dust, straw, and feathers."  - attributed to Augustus Hare and to Lord Byron

There is a slow rise and a rapid rise. To these we must add, there may be no rise.

Fluff floats and then gloats in its meteoric success, but may not sustain under stress and testing.

Fame can make its name through crisis, accident, or blame when opportunities are seized.

But it is the long haul, the consistent call, the persistent hope and labor languishing in the heat of many days that produces steady growth in character and success.

Those who stay and stabilize their work for others to continue, stand and climb.

Those who rise quickly, must quickly act to build a foundation in the empty space beneath their feet, lest their decent be as rapid as their rise.

With far less fanfare and flair, others build their foundations step by step and step on the next step as they move toward their objectives.

As their circumstances change, they may not be aware that the greatest changes are within them. As they grow, their work grows.

Ask a Stupid Question

 

Cartoon Credit

After you ever asked or been asked a stupid question?

Some years ago, a noted blogger offered to answer questions all day long, even the "stupid" ones. That prompted me to think about stupid questions. What constitutes them? How does the asking of them often nullify their stupidity?

There is an old adage that the only stupid question is the one we do not ask. That is true sometimes, but there really are stupid questions that are asked.

"Stupid" has this etymology:

Etymology:

"Middle French stupide, from Latin stupidus, from stupēre to be numb, be astonished"

The relationship between exercising stupidity and being in a stupor is profound.

1 : a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense or sensibility<a drunken stupor> 2 : a state of extreme apathy or torpor resulting often from stress or shock

Therefore, a stupid question is one that is numb, disengaged, apathetic, or drunken.

To break it down with an acronym, a stupid question has these characteristics:

S - Surface - It is exemplified by the student who, after a moving lecture of the meaning of life, raises his hand and, as the professor prepares of an insightful and probing question asks, "Is this going to be on the final?"

T - Trivial - With the opportunity to probe some pretty profound principles of perpetual truth, we focus on insignificant details. Another professor, Dr. Charles Tyer, once lectured us from a classroom overlooking a bucolic mountain view. He asked us if we were focused on the view or on the fly specks on the window. Trivial questions miss the view for the fly specks.

U - Unconsidered - Any question worth asking someone else is worth asking oneself first. The ask if (a) you could not find the answer within yourself, (b) you want a second opinion, or (c) you sense that there are any number of answers and approaches to the question and you wish to enter into dialogue over it. Once you have wrestled a while with a question, it is no longer stupid.

P - Perfunctory - A perfunctory question is one you are using to accomplish something other than the quest for truth. It is an obligatory question like the one at the blood donation center when they ask if you have had marital relations with a non-human primate in the last 12 months. It is the question where you state your name for the record. It is merely functional and automatic. Anyone can ask it given a script.

I - Inflammatory - An inflammatory question is asked when you know that the answer is going to embarrass,indict, inflame, or discredit the person giving the answer. In online forums,people who asked such questions used to be called "flamers." They were just trying to start fires. There was no value placed on the quest for truth.

D - Disengaged - This is the essence of stupidity in every area of life. As Forest Gump's mother said, "Stupid is as stupid does." That is why Gump was never stupid in spite of his lower than average intelligence quotient. In spite of the challenges he faced, when he set out to do something, he fully engaged in the process. When he asked a question, he really wanted to know the answer. He looked beneath the surface of things. He thought about life and the big questions. Gump was, as his drill sergeant said, "brilliant," because he was fully engaged.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. No question that digs beneath the surface a bit, ignores the fly specks, is given some thought, comes from your own heart and mind, seeks real answers, and is fully engaged can ever be a stupid question. ASK!