An Everyday Kinda Question – Did Today Matter?

Did you live like your life matters? Or did you literally kill time, time you will never get back or see again. Another day of going through the motions? Survived, but not much more?

Sitting around after work listening to Fugazi left me thinking about the brevity of our time and the fleeting footprint we leave behind. How much is wishing for the past and missing the present? How much is weight from the past holding you back from trying again?









It also left me thinking about hypocrisy, the things we say and the reality of what we do. Why is that? What keeps us from seeing things through and keeping our word?

And if we’ve established that we’re not all doing what we say we’ll do, what are we doing? Where does our time go? How much of our busy schedule is busy taking care of our own desires, the wants far beyond our needs?

And for those of us who call Christ our King and declare ourselves His servants, how busy were we about the Masters work? Did you serve today? What works of faith would you offer if He called an account of your time today, time He allowed? We read the parables about the master returning unexpectedly and finding the true character of his workers, yet fail to discern the truth of those words. Most followers of Christ accept that He could return at any moment, and most would say they look forward to that day. What would He find if He were to return this hour?

How much more should we be about His work if we believe Him to be the Creator God, all knowing, all present and all powerful – the only true God? Face to face or “only” His indwelling Spirit taking account of your thoughts and actions today, should we not shudder to think of wasted time and opportunity?




Both Jesus and John the baptizer had the same message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God in near.” If only we could grasp that truth, how might it change our lives?

Breaking The Silence – The Only Thing Worth Saying

If my goal is to be a fool for Christ, why am I so worried about “getting it right”? Isn’t the point that I CAN’T – without Him? My hypocrisy has shut mouth. Praise for Him has opened it again.

 

 

When everything falls apart, when life closes in and the darkness brings despair, praise Him from whom all blessings flow. We get so distracted by life we miss the obvious stuff like His love for us.

 

 

 

God is good, and worthy of our praise.

 

 

 

Puppy The Hamster – Running For Her Life

I’ve never been particularly fond of rodents. I’m not afraid or even creeped out by them; I just don’t care for them as pest or pet. But my youngest decided that having one at her mother’s wasn’t enough, she needed a hamster at our house.









Meet “Puppy” the Teddy-bear Hamster. Yes, she named him Puppy. How adorable.

We didn’t spring for the silent wheel, so it’s SQUEEK SQUEEK SQUEEK all night long. I suppose it was cute when she first jumped on the wheel and went tearing pell-mell for nowhere only to jump off, turn a circle and hop back on for another session of tiny leg pumping fun.

Run Puppy! RUN!!

But then I got to watching her a little closer. She’s not running because it’s fun. She’s not on a health kick.

Puppy runs on her wheel for the same reason you and I do; because she’s trying to get out of her cage.









What cage are you trying to escape?

The Sword Is A Cross Used Wrongly – More Than Imagery

Use a powerful tool wrong, and things can get broken…

Which do you reach for when you face danger? What do you think about Christians raising the sword? As a nation? For protecting your family?









What does it mean to love your enemies as you follow the Prince of Peace?

Time Flies – Doing What Matters Most

I’m feeling acutely aware of how short our time on earth really is. Millions have walked these streets before I have and, if the Lord don’t come back soon, millions more will after I pass. Feeling this way, I ache for my time to mean something great for His Kingdom.

Photo by Rion Nakaya

I can’t bring anything with me from this world to the next, so, while I still feel want, I try to fight my love of material things. I treasure my family, and spend as much time as possible with them. This time is meaningful, something that carries on after me in my children and on to their children’s children. (WARNING: The bad stuff goes with them too! Be good!)

I hope to do great things for my God and His Kingdom. I ache for meaning and purpose beyond serving my own desires. Maybe this is pride. I wish I had more direction, and clearer vision. The one I have is too vague, too ambiguous: just love people. Too many days that’s a challenge, again due to my pride.









And because of that pride I wonder if I’d do better to work less on serving God and more on simply listening and obeying Him.

For now I wait, not always patiently, and try to listen.

Tom Waits demonstrates how to listen closely.

The Real Debate – Which Leader Do You Choose?

God has shown us what His power looks like. It’s loving and peaceful. It serves others to the point of self-sacrifice.

The world has also shown us what it’s power looks like. It wears riot gear or body armor. It promotes itself to the point of trampling others.

Don’t simply choose the lesser of two evils. Make your choice clear and choose to follow the Sacrificial Lamb of God.







James 4:4 (NLT) You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

A Thousand False Starts – Endless New Beginnings

I see my hypocrisy best in others. I see their faults, and – when I’m lucky – catch a glimpse of me in the mirror. The hard part is staying aware that it’s all the same shit – that their faults aren’t worse than mine, just different. Pride tends to let me excuse my own.

I’m furious with a friend right now. I care about this person, which is why their deception hurts as deeply as it does. Naturally, I feel my anger is just. I have reason to be angry.

Until I stop and look at the bigger picture. Until I even up the ledger with my own debts, faults and weakness. Then I don’t have quite as much maneuvering room for my slick and shiny prosecution. Reminds me of that passage about pointing out a speck in a brothers eye while a log sticks out of my own. (Mt 7:1-5)

Now I have to consider forgiveness. I don’t want to do that. My anger is far too justified…except that I need to be forgiven too. Maybe not now, but trust me, I’ll need it soon enough. If I haven’t screwed up yet, the day ain’t done.

That same passage talks about how God judges us the same way we judge others. I better slow down and look at that again, maybe even pray about what that means. Taken at face value, I’d say that a whole lot of people are crying “Lord, Lord” but aren’t doing the work of our Father in Heaven. (Mt 7:21-23)

I’d also say that I better be forgiving.

First Report From Trinidad – Sanctuary For Children Founder Lee Greer

Working on updating pictures and video, but the first report on the trip is written by the team leader and Sanctuary for Children founder Lee Greer. Read the story here!

On A More Personal Note – Thank You

A number of you, my friends, family and followers (and boy do I use THAT term loosely!!) have generously donated enough for my plane ticket to Trinidad. Thank you. Your kindness demonstrates a willingness to put your cash where your heart is. For entrusting me to be faithful with your donation, I again thank you.

We’re still praying about whether my wife and oldest daughter should go on this trip. Talk about last-minute! Things have been hard in our house. Lots of questions, not a lot of answer recently. I’ve doubted my ability to hear the Holy Spirit and looked for sin that might prevent my hearing His voice. I’m left to assume that the Lord has a plan and it’s bigger than us. This desert could be used to increase our faith if we choose to let Him work in us that way.

2 Peter 1:3-8
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s time for me to buy tickets, please pray that I listen well for the Lords answer regarding Jenifer and Abby.

Grace and peace from Him be yours.

Watch the video for Sanctuary For Children HERE

Preventing Theft – The First Cross

The other day my family in Christ met and sat in the sun at a craft fair to sell some of our homemade goods and art. One brother added his photographs to the inventory. Another his writing, and his wife some hand sewn items. I added a few crosses and a couple stacks of CD’s from bands I’ve recorded with or worked with.

Exit Letter “…and so it goes.”

We set up around 8:00 this morning, and left early when we packed up shortly after 2:00. It cost $20 to be there, and our three families spent about $40 on food and drinks. Total sales? $5. but it prevented a crime.

This market was more yard-sale than craft fair. The clientele wasn’t knocking down our doors. This one fellow wandered by, did a small double take and picked up a cross. He said it was good, and asked how much I wanted. I told him I was accepting donations, and asked what it was worth to him.

I spent the $5 on a hotdog, small bag of Doritos Spicy, a bottle of water and a Swedish Fish candy flavored Italian Ice.

But the guy came back by. He told me that he had occasion to be in a local Catholic hospital regularly, and they had a cross very similar to the one I was selling. He loved that cross. He’d been looking for one everywhere. He kept meaning to ask the nuns where it came from, or to do more than simply covet it, but he admitted that he even considered just taking it.

Instead he bought me lunch. That’s an amazingly fair trade.