George's Tire Shop 1

I was driving along listening to Echhart Tolle's the Power of Now...very insightful....he had just said "Own each moment in your life as though you have chosen it"…He said doing this "would transform your life". I stopped the tape and was thinking about the implications of what he had said. Accept the good things and the bad things that occur every moment of my life just as it is...as though I had chosen it. I started running this over and over through my mind...this would remove the pain of most any unpleasant experience because the pain I feel emotionally is really only from how I am defining the moment. Everything I feel...good or bad...is not about what is actually happening but about the meaning I am applying to it...I repeated this several times...own every moment in my life as though I had chosen it....wanting it to really sink in.

It was about then that I decided to turn into a convenience store...I turned to quickly and hit the sharp edge of a very small curb...but it was like running into a wall...the tire exploded...before I could react my back wheel hit the same curb and there was a second explosion. I came to a stop in the parking lot...people all around were stopped in their tracks...and there I sit in the parking lot...my first thought was "own this moment as if you had chosen it"...my next thought was..."yeah, right"...and then I did.

George's Tire Shop 2

Normally, my wife and I enjoy driving through the part of town where I had just wiped out two tires. We love the Mexican culture...their love for color...the way they dress up their shops and restaurants as a complete reflection of who they are. I can't help but get hungry as I drive past a seemingly continuous flow of homemade tortillas and tortas and big signs advertising carne asada, fajitas, and tacos. Then there are the numerous small dress shops, jammed packed curio shops, uniquely mexican grocery stores and delicious looking bakeries.

On the curious side there is this fancy dress shop that is connected to a gas station. The owner has a Cinderella-like carriage in the front next to the street with a mannequin wearing a fancy dress...a headless mannequin...you gotta love it!

But tonight was different. I was stranded and it was going to be expensive to get my vehicle running again. I went back to what I had heard right before I ran into the curb. "Choose every moment, good or bad as though you had chosen it". I began to relax and take in the world around me. I started to really look around and take in the people...those working in the nearby stores, some women walking carrying bags of groceries...I enjoyed watching the low riders with their perfectly clean cars and booming bass speakers thump their way up and down the street. I would have missed this if I had stayed angry about messing up my vehicle. If I had not chosen the moment.

George's Tire Shop 3

We were preparing to leave my car in front of the convenience store where I had taken on the curb and lost. We were going to send someone for it in the morning when we noticed a used tire shop across the street. I would not have known it was a tire shop had it not been for the huge piles of old tires out front because none of the signs that I could see were in English. There was a guy working out in front so we drove over to ask about some tires. He was young and friendly. Another man, with long hair, walked out on the porch of this older home that at some point had become a business. He just stood there looking at Marsha who was sitting in her pretty red car waiting for me.  Because her car was still part way out in the busy street and he was concerned she was going to get hit, he had her pull all the way into his driveway. With that taken care of he smiled and came over to me. I told him about my car which was right across the street and asked if he could get some tires for it the next day. George's son asked  me to go get the size off the tires. George offered to walk with me. He looked around and said something about the undesirables in this neighborhood. He had a very strong face framed by long gray hair and  a pleasant voice. He had presence...the direct and cautious way he spoke and made eye contact was a little on the fierce side. I instantly felt that I was completely safe as long as this guy was with me. As we walked he said "I think its pretty obvious you are not from this neighborhood." I laughed nervously and said "No...no I'm not." He laughed...big. 

Seventy five dollars and about 45 minutes later they had repaired the rims, by beating them into submission...it was really quite amazing to me...they put on two used tires that were better than the ones I had on the car...and I had met two very interesting people that I would have never had an opportunity to meet.

George's Tire Shop 4

I had a great experience and learned some things about George while waiting for them to replace my tires. I was able to stand close by and watch. As a matter of fact if I moved away George would call me back to see whatever he was doing. Both George and his son were very proud of their work...and George was especially proud of how he reshaped my rims with a hammer. He told me he has been at this location fixing flats since he was 18 years old. During his senior year of high school he had worked for a mainline company fixing flats and doing minor repairs. After graduation George started fixing flats in this very location because, as he says, "back then the money was in tires".

30 years later George is still in the same location...fixing flats and selling used tires. I'm impressed with anyone who does anything for 30 years! I listened as he and his son joked back and forth and I was facinated by their skillful use of the tools...how they handled two customers at the same time and never missed a beat. He told me several jokes while he was working...I liked this one..."Sir, we are as honest as the day is long...have you noticed the days are getting shorter?"

I left Georges Tire Shop inspired. I had met a man who had served his community by fixing flats...changing tires...providing an inexpensive alternative for those who might not be able to purchase new tires today...and is passing on the craft to his son. He does it with a great sense of humor...down to earth conversation....and just plain hard work... my time with them was worth the experience of hitting that curb as well as the quick departure of seventy five dollars.

For My Friend Gloria

 About six weeks ago my job came to an end. It was one of those moments which many people have experienced. One minute you are an intricate part of a fascinating work in progress and in the next your not.  However, that was not the toughest part of the day for me. The most difficult part was sitting in my office with the head of HR...a collegue...and a friend...Gloria...we call her Glo. She had the undesirable duty of standing watch as I packed my office and then escorting me from the building to my car. This part was so unexpected and carried with it a humiliation I had never experienced. She ask if she could help me carry anything...I said "If you could just carry my pride out of here."

She did not say much while I packed...the room was heavy with mixed emotions. She mostly tried to smile and direct me in what I had to do. When I finished packing I just sat there...she allowed me a moment...I was thinking...this was a walk I do not want to make. Then she said softly "You ready, Rick?". I nodded, picked up several stuffed briefcases, and we walked...her eyes full of tears...a slight quiver in her lips...she managed a professional composure as we passed the curious faces. The hallway which isn't that long seemed to have no end...but it did...we stepped out into the warm sunlight and she walked me all the way to my car. She was awesome that day as she walked  me to a place in my life that I did not want to go.

Just a few months before, this same lady walked me to another place I didn't want to go... an ambulance. After the EMT's had strapped an oxygen mask on me I proceeded to tell them that I did not want to go. I was really foggy and couldn't figure out all that was going on. As they rolled me toward the ambulance I realized that Glo was speaking to me. Her voice was reassuring and allowed me to calm down a bit. I could not see everything that was going on. I can't remember much that was said but the sound of her voice let me know that somone was with me. I later thought I had heard her voice the entire ambulance ride. But they tell me she met us at the emergency room. I have no memory of what happend for several hours. But I remember hearing her talk to doctors and nurses...I was not alone.

I think God places people in our lives for specific reasons. Looking back I see where God may have allowed Glo in my life to help me take two walks. It is truly a beautiful thing to have someone who can walk you to places in life where you don't want to go.

Thanks Glo

Rescue me

I have a friend that was a Game Warden in California. He once told me how part of his job was to patrol the canals that run for many miles through the desert in the Imperial Valley. Many of the canals have concrete sides. One day he saw a small deer had slipped into the canal and could not climb up the slippery concrete. He got a rope out of his truck and proceeded to try and lasso the the desperate little deer. But every time he threw the lasso the deer would duck and move thinking his rescuer was trying to hurt him. The little animal was in panic mode and could not grasp the situation. My friend tried and tried until the little deer ducked for the last time and did not surface. It had run out of strength to peddle and simply could not keep its head above the water any longer. As it disappeared into the water, my friend sat down on the side of the canal and wept. He was not just thinking of the deer that had not understood what was going on as somone tried to rescue it but he thought of the thousands of people who resist their rescuers...parents, friends, family, concerned people... in panic mode they could not comprehend the love and help that was available...and ultimately they go under...drowned by one of the many tough issues of this life.

Should you look through the archives of my articles you will find one called...A little Heaven Today...where I wrote this line..."Dancing and drowning it all looks the same...struggle to get nowhere....it looks so insane". Many times someones dance looks a little crazy to us but so does someones efforts when they are desperately trying to survive. Instead of standing on the banks and criticising their efforts or the fact that they got themselves into this mess...instead of waiting until they have no strength left...instead of waiting until it all makes sense or trying to make sure they understand how they got into this...maybe with love in your heart, hope in your eyes and intention in your actions...and with no conditions...just throw a lasso...save somebody who is in their own clumsy way crying..."Please rescue me."
"What you have done for the least of these you have done for me."
                                                                                          Jesus

Dance, Crazy Moves, Freedom

My 21 year old daughter came up grabbed my hand and started pulling me to the dance floor. I stuttered "Uh...maybe we should wait for a slow song." Fear was rising in my chest. What happened next would not exactly be called dancing...unless just quick movements in succession is considered dancing...regardless of how awkward it looks. But whatever you call it...I did it and my daughter freed me up with her crazy moves...and I just started moving...of course the difference is she looks really good being crazy.
And you know.., as badly as I may have done...I am certain there are those that just wished someone would have grabbed them by the hand...taken them to the floor...made some crazy moves...enjoyed the freedom of being able to let go of themselves....for at least one evening.
You have heard the saying "Dance like no ones watching." Children have no such thoughts. They know nothing of the latest and greatest dance moves and they dance as if everyone is watching. They believe that everyone that looks at them is watching and thinking "Wow look at those moves." And we are thinking just that....it doesn't matter if they are completely out of sequence or can't really keep a beat....as we watch their beaming faces we think this is life at its best...freedom of all worry...no grade is being given on technique....smiles and crazy laughter are being shared...we give grand kisses on little soft cheeks that are dripping in sweat from the freedom that was produced on that dance floor.
There is someone who needs a dance...some moments of being free of themselves and the many expectations of getting everything right...take them by the hand....pull them to life's dance floor and enjoy the awkward movements...it does not matter if there is no smooth technique or if the rhythm is off...just smile and laugh with them....make some crazy moves. We will be watching...and thinking..."Wow...look at those moves."
 

A Wedding...in Black and White

 The colors the Bride chose included a lot of deep red and blue…the crowd was black and white. It appeared odd to me when I first realized that the groom’s side of the sanctuary was mostly black and the bride’s side was mostly white. I became strangely uncomfortable. I would have felt better if we had not been so separated. I wanted to believe that America is just not like that anymore...that we are not so separate. But I don’t have to look very far into my own life to see that we still have long way to go.
The Bride had taken things into consideration when she planned the reception…she had assigned seating….Okay I just thought I was uncomfortable before and wanted things more mixed. Now I am about to sit down and try to enjoy the food and festivities with a bunch of people I don’t even know…they had to feel the same way when they realized the last empty seat at their table was for…well…me…but what happened was great conversation and an entertaining evening with some wonderful people and pretty soon I began to forget the black and whiteness of this crowd.
I remember sitting back and looking at all the tables and thinking this is what God had in mind all along…His children… “Red and yellow black and white they are precious in His sight Jesus loves the little children of the world”.
However, I know there were people in this group that never imagined a day where white and black men would socialize on an equal level. But tonight they would get to know each others families, serve each other drinks, hug each others children, and watch as two young people, whose brave stand and relentless love for each other, caused our uniquely black and white worlds to collide…things will never be the same…family gatherings will be different than anyone ever imagined. An opportunity has been given for new ways of thinking to emerge…for reason to take its place over inherited faulty logic…a new way of being is available.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little as I thought of the strain that some of the adults in this room must be feeling…while the children…both black and white…seemed unaffected…they just laughed and danced…they were at a wedding…yea…food and punch and dancing…yea… for them…the children…they did not have the moment of uncomfortableness I had…the contrast in color had not affected them…and hopefully… in their future…color will have less distinction…the uniting of color and spirits will be normal life for them…maybe…if we continue to work at it… our children and grandchildren can be free of the limiting power of prejudice. It has separated us for too long…caused us to miss out on the incredible beauty of different cultures…kept us from being our best as human beings.
Maybe…When Martin Luther King said “Free at last,..Free at last…thank God Almighty we are Free at last”…maybe…he meant everyone…both black and white.

Dream Center

Today I visited the Dream Center. A church building over fifty years old
had gone almost completely empty
is now filled with people
some needed a ride to get there...provided
some needed something to eat...provided
some needed someone to be glad to see them...provided
some needed to be reminded that God has not given up on them...provided
food for the hungry
counsel for the broken
teaching for guidance
worship for the soul
music that moves the spirit
hugs...smiles...encouragement...prayers

I was moved beyond words...

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Dreams do come true
Baton Rouge Dream Center
http://servolution.org/hpc/?page_id=3

Searching

I recently had a great weekend eating and laying around the pool at my sister’s house.
While lying out by the pool I decided to catch up on my daily Bible reading and with my wet fingers began to turn those thin Bible pages. They of course started sticking together. I quickly learned…dry hands before reading Bible at pool…I’m really quick like that.
I had taken my hearing device (also know as a hearing aid…I just can’t use that term) out and laid it on the table before I went in for a swim and when I was ready to go in the house I grabbed all my things and headed upstairs. Once there, I realized I did not have my hearing device. So I went back down to get it from the table. It was not there. I searched all around the table and could not find it. Went back upstairs and checked all my clothing….nothing. My sister and brother-in-law both spent considerable time in the blazing hot sun searching the grass around the edge of the decking…nothing. I went to an event…came back and searched more…nothing….except frustration and disappointment. We worked hard to find that thing and we were earnest in our search but …nothing.
So I left and drove four hours to my home feeling pretty upset that I had lost a three thousand dollar ear piece and that tomorrow I would be back at working saying things like “I’m sorry can you repeat that?” What? I’m sorry what?” etc. etc.
The next morning I sat down with my cup of coffee and my Bible to start my day with my daily reading. When I opened my Bible the hearing device fell out…I was shocked relieved and very thankful. Because I had read it with wet sticky hands the device got stuck between the pages. I had even thumbed through it kind of quickly to see if it might be there. But I had not seen it.
I see a parallel to life in this story. Everything I was looking for was hidden in God’s word. A really diligent look in His word and I would have found exactly what I needed. I was just looking, diligently, in the wrong place.
No matter how diligently we search for things that will make our life better…no matter how sincerely we exert our efforts…and no matter how often we go searching or how long we search…we will not find real peace, happiness or contentment…our search can leave us feeling frustrated and disappointed with life. When in fact, all the answers, everything we are looking for has been securely tucked away in His word…just waiting to be discovered.
Look there….a quick thumb through and you will miss it… take your time...search...find...what you are looking for.

If you look for me, really search for me, you will find me”
                                                                               God

Stories

Sometimes people don’t misinterpret what you say…they just reinterpret what you said…they tell a story…about what was said or done or not done…and we people of the human race love our stories. They are not lies…not to the person telling the story anyway…they are just repeating the event in sort of a…parable…you know…like Jesus told parables…only…not really. We use stories to make us feel good…. to look good...to gain allies….Jesus stories were to illustrate truth.

There is this fear that people will not totally get how badly we have been wronged if we just repeat exactly what was said or done …. so we parableize...no that's not actually a word. Don’t get me wrong…we do have the facts to back our story…just not always in the best context… and we even add our “knowledge” of the real intent of what was said or done. We say things like “I just know”… as though we are truly mind and heart readers. And the problem with these stories is that they can bind us up...they can actually put our own life on a sort of pause......keep us ineffective until we let the story go.
Sometimes people have a story so fixed in their minds that even the facts, no matter how well presented, will not change what they are saying. They believe it…it’s a kind of faith…a substance or an evidence of things not seen.…only…not really
And we all know it’s not an easy thing to just up and decide to let go of a story we have been telling. After all , think of the personal adjustments we have had to make to keep the story alive and believable…and if we have told enough people...we have supporters…a sympathy team…believers…it would be hard to let them down now. And, not only that, but the sympathizers have been getting pretty juiced on the story themselves and have probably repeated it, with a few alterations and additions of their own.
The feelings associated with our stories are powerful and the entire process of storytelling has a tremendous emotional pay off…sympathy for sure, perhaps some superiority, and maybe even a little martyrdom. But stories...parables of partial truths...will not bring us what we are looking for…true peace….joy...lasting happiness…dreams fulfilled.
Its not that the event didn't happen to us or that the words were not spoken or that the deed was done or that something was not done. And it is certainly not that we were not hurt.  Its the story that we make up about it that is not a reliable reflection of what actually took place. We are not mind or heart readers. We don't really know why anyone does anything....but we make up great stories. And for many, holding on to their story is not serving them well in life. Play a bigger game...create a story thats worth living.
Free yourself...forgive...forget...end the story.

Snapshots

I was going through the line at Zoë’s Kitchen in Baton Rouge today when I saw a familiar face. I did one of those double takes and then I thought there is no way that could be him. But it was, Patrick Dempsey, better know as McDreamy, on the popular TV series. Grey’s Anatomy. I went over to talk to him…he was in shorts, a t-shirt, and had a little stubble…he smiled, shook my hand, and said "thank you so much" when I complimented his show.

It was the way he said thank you that I have remembered. It was as though it was the first time anyone had said that to him in awhile. But we know that he must hear it everyday. And yet, he still made the effort to make me feel like it really meant something to him…who knows maybe it still does....even after hearing it hundreds of times...One thing I know, if only for a split second, one that I am sure he has already forgotten…this mega media star, in the middle of a crowded restaurant, was totally present...with me.

Being present with people is a wonderful thing that gets lost when we are too self focused, too in need of attention for ourselves, and when we are simply not in the moment with the person right in front of us.

I don't know anything about Mr Dempsey. I don't know about his personal life. Nothing. I only have a short mental snapshot of him...and its a pretty good one. Sometimes that's all you get...just one shot to make a difference..to walk away from someone having made their day better. It made me wonder what snap shots I've been leaving lately.

Thanks Mr Dempsey

Sand Castles

Almost daily I listen as someone tells me how their life is incomplete…or worse…it’s falling apart. Peace and happiness have disappeared...again. As we talk I often discover that this is not the first time they have felt this way…it’s become a cycle. Often it is very obvious that there was no foundation to what they had established…they build and rebuild Sand Castles.

Sand Castles are amazing in beauty and easily crumble.

There is this amazing reoccurring situation where some people will do a lot of work putting together a life that looks great…they get into what looks like a great relationship, or finally land the right job… or maybe they manage to get the right house or the great car or maybe all of the above…everything that has the look of the really good life. As a matter of fact their life landscaping is so good it takes a really perceptive person to see that all this is happening without a proper foundation….then the winds of life began to blow…disappointment, unfulfilled expectations, sadness, betrayal, loss…the image they worked so hard to create begins to fade…the walls began to shake…the rain begins to fall…the sand begins to move… and the house begins to fall.

Sand Castles…are built for a moment of praise…not to withstand the coming storms.

With things or people…taking the time to do things the right way for the right reasons is never what we want to hear when we are in the “wanting” state…and we even know…deep down…that it is proven to bring a much better return. And, peace and happiness is not the same thing as feeling good today…they are the state of a mind and heart that has been cultivated and nurtured through the wanted and unwanted things of life. They are the sum of many decisions that required the rock solid foundational material of time, patience, endurance, and a trust that anything worth having in my life is probably not going to be attained quickly.

Sand castles…require hard work and a unique artistic ability…and although beautiful…they will not last.

There was a foolish man who built his house on the sand and when the rains came and the winds beat against that house his house fell. There was a wise man who built his house on a rock and when the rains came and the winds blew and beat against that house…that house stood.
Jesus

Dolly's Jolene by Lost2gether.mov

Be the Answer

Its good to search for answers...its noble to be an answer.
We say every day we are looking for an answer or waiting on an answer. And many times we are stalled in life while we look and wait for an answer. But what if today...instead of looking and waiting for answers you just decided to be one...to..be an answer. There are people everywhere looking for answers to some of life's most basic issues...Many are praying that God will send an answer...they are desperate...they really don't know what to do next...but you and I have a lot of power...we could be an answer today...for someone out of work...for a single mom...a person that has a lot of children and a limited income...the disabled...the homeless.
A few ideas...

Buy a sack of groceries
Pay the next light bill
Manicure a lawn
Replace a damaged front door
Give a prepaid gas card
Offer to pick up this months prescriptions
Give some tired parents a night out...$50 and baby sit the kids!
Get a cell phone...for a college kid that just can't afford it.
Buy a set of tires...
Send a family that could never afford it to Disney World.

Acts of completely unreasonable love.

There are literally thousands of people with these and many other similar situations. And they are looking for answers...right now...and right now these situations loom as impossibilities...they are praying for answers...so be one..give and don't look back...expect nothing...just seize the opportunity to be an answer!

Believe in the improbable
Be a part of the impossible

A Couple of Days in ER

This week I spent two days in the emergency room and the heart center at Our Lady of the Lake because of numbness in my left hand, arm, and face. The first was on Monday.They did all the heart test. On Friday I went for an MRI. I had to get medicated to stay in that tube. I am so claustrophobic. I then went back to the office fully drugged. I wanted to just lay down somewhere and sleep for a couple of hours but then I started having pains in my chest. My good employees did not ask they just got on the phone and the next thing I knew I was in an ambulance headed back to ER and then the heart center at Our Lady of the Lake.
After a couple of days of being tested with the most expensive equipment in the world and handled by the absolute most wonderful staff in the world…we still don’t know why my face and arm are numb and tingling but we are pretty sure its not my heart. I go back to the neurologist and the cardiologist next week to see if they can discover anything. The good news is that everyone is in the 90 percentile that it is not my heart. Could have been a mild stroke but they don’t think so.
I was amazed at how many people helped to take care of me. My two Internet coordinators sounded the warning when they didn’t like what they were seeing in me…my Internet director was the one that decided to make the call to emergency. My HR Manager jumped in and directed all my personal communication with the EMS, the Doctors, my family and friends.
The owner was there, with prayers, as they were rolling me out to place me in the ambulance. I saw many faces of concern and lips that moved saying “I am praying for you.” I think heaven was bombarded with prayers and His angels were all around me.I simply had to be okay.
The text and calls came all evening and one of our GMs made it to the hospital to check on me personally. One young man went and picked up my car, brought it to the hospital and brought my personal belongings to me. I am overwhelmed at the immediacy of the response.
I have no family here in Louisiana, they did arrive later, but I never felt alone for even one minute. Since I have been out of the hospital and back home several have offered to come and stay here or to take me to their homes.
I am so moved by the people I work with. Here is the truth. I work with amazing people and given the chance they proved amazing!
I am doing great and the Dr has released me with some meds and a diet plan but I am doing well and looking forward to getting back to work with this absolutely outstanding group of people. Thanks to everyone!

Thank God for Stupid People

I have three outstanding employees that came to me by way of stupid people. That is the best explanation I can come up with.
They are outstanding in work ethics, production, intelligence, people skills, and enthusiasm. Every day they accept the rapid changes in our work environment and are instantly in gear to find ways to make the change positive and profitable. Quite simply…they “Bring It” everyday.
What is really ironic is that all three of these outstanding young people came to me from the same company. One was literally fired. She excelled and moved up rapidly…more rapidly than any employee I can remember.
Starting in an entry level position, in less than 6 months, she became the Director of two departments because of her ability to lead, incredible sharpness, tremendous communication skills, the ability to multitask, and a drive for achievement that is second to none.
Another young lady that came to us from this same company found that she was going to be fired on a Monday so she chose to leave the Saturday before giving them another long weekend of her efforts. She not only became a top performer in her department in just two months but has a tremendously kind spirit that is infectious to all of us as well as her customers.
And finally the young man that was given poor performance reviews, at the same company, is a real people’s servant. He will do anything at anytime. Just ask. He is so intelligent that he not only became proficient in his position in record time but he became proficient in two positions at the same time.
Every day I walk into these departments and I can see their fingerprints on the work and the production and the attitudes of everyone they work with. They are setting record umbers and have the people in the offices convinced that Mondays are maybe even more fun days than Fridays.
So as I watch these rejects performing the improbable…I have to stop and thank God for the stupid people who somehow totally missed who they had working for them.
As we have talked I have found that they were amazed that at our company we said things like “Thank you” at the end of a hard day or that we gave them praise when they achieved something or in some way made a difference in our day. And they have also learned that performance reviews can be an upbeat positive leaning experience.
They have also found it pleasing that people say hi to them when they come into the front door. And then all through the building and all the way to their second floor office people are actually pleased to see them and they say so…everyday.
When I was promoted to my first management position in the automobile industry my General Manager pulled me aside and said this “You see all those people out there on the showroom floor and in those offices? Never believe that they work for you. Instead, you serve them, help them succeed, let them know you appreciate them and they will make you a lot of money.”
Thank you…great job…I appreciate what you accomplished today…thanks for the great attitude today…nice job with that customer…glad you’re here…glad you’re on our team…just not that hard to say.

Thank God for the Stupid People

Withhold Nothing

Your thoughts
There are incredible thoughts that only you possess
Lying listless on the floor of your heart
Waiting to be released
Into the heart of another
The place where their depth and weight would be fully known
A place where their possibilities become realities

Your hands
They contain a truly spiritual power…touch
Touch breathes life
Release its strength…let it go
There is a face...maybe near you...that longs for its magic

Your eyes
Like the wind that lifts and moves the leaves from place to place
Your eyes
When laid to rest on another lifts and moves their spirit
From broken to delight

Release the Dance
Resist the limits
Forget the expectations
Do the improbable

Live in the extraordinary
Participate in the impossible
Be the light that is fighting to get through the cracks of another

Simply, humbly, intentionally

Release the words
Move the hands
Fix the eyes

Withhold nothing

TGIF

Suppose you had a friend that said to you "Hey, this coming Friday I am going to die. And when I do I am going to take every wrong thing that you have ever done...no...more than that...I am going to take every wrong thing that you have ever done... and... ever will do...
I will erase it from your life record...put it all on my personal record...and...when I die all your wrongs will die with me...your life record will be spotless...the price for every wrong, mistake, or sin...will be paid...in full.
That would be a really Good Friday...wouldn't it?

Only a few days separated Jesus from being hailed as King...people showering him with praise and then being hailed as heretic…deserving of nothing but death.
It makes me think of the difference between most any Sunday...where thousands join to praise Him...and then by Friday night...for some...He is no longer hailed as the hope of the world but instead...He simply becomes....inconvienent...His words forgotten…forgive…do good to those that hurt you…give to receive…serve to lead…die to live…take up your cross…daily...His words...uncomfortable...unwanted...a choice is made...His words are silenced...put to death...anything to stop those words.

On Palm Sunday we remember when Jesus road a donkey into the city of Jerusalem. The people laid palm leaves in front of Him and shouted hosanna. The stories of His miracles were being told and retold. Many thought that He was going to be their earthly king…they thought He would use His amazing powers to take over Jerusalem…to free them from Roman rule.

As what He was really about began to be realized...the excitement wore off...the party died down. He had not taken over the city but instead had been taken prisoner. He was not bringing down the Roman government…He was submitting to them…His words began to ring in their ears…forgive…do good to those that hurt you…give to receive…serve to lead…die to live…take up our cross…daily…this was not the kind of king they wanted…so they chose...silence those words…death.

While we celebrate this Holy week…His grand entrance…His ultimate death and resurrection…it’s a good time to rethink this...because …in a strange, powerful, relentless, and yet humble way....He is still arriving everyday...you will not see Him on a donkey...riding into your city...you will...instead...hear His footsteps as they approach the door of your heart...you will...remember the things He has said...forgive...do good to those that hurt you...give to receive...serve to lead...die to live...you will…make a choice...to take up your cross...or...to pick up some nails.

Blessings $1.08

day,
Often…On my way into work in the mornings…I cruise through McDonalds…to grab a sausage biscuit…that’s all I order…lots of mornings…when I pull up to the window to get my order the sweetest lady is there…she is small…really dark skin shows off her big smile... and with tiny but capable hands… she reaches out through the window…hands me my bag…and says…I put one butter in there…I say thank you…even though I stopped asking for the butter a couple of months ago… she does not forget…and then she says…have a blessed day.
I did not see her for a few days and when I saw her again I ask… where have you been…she said oh sometimes I have to do other things…I said... Well... I guess that’s okay but when your not here...I don’t have anyone to bless my day…she was so taken back…her eyes uncertain...like she had abandon me or something...and then she smiled and said in a big voice… ahhh honey… you have a blessed day. Honestly…some mornings… I am not even hungry… I just go there to get my day blessed…it only cost me $1.08.

He is older…huge shoulders…he has a set of guns as they say…he looks up and smiles and says good morning…there’s light in his eyes…I suppose at one time he ruled the gym…benched pressed hundreds of pounds…the envy of many…now at four in the morning he’s mopping the floor …taking out the trash…. at the gym… he moves pretty slow…but there is something alive about him…he makes a point to look directly at me…ask me how I’m doing when I arrive and when I leave an hour later he is smiling…nodding his head...like I really accomplished something…he says...you have a good day…everytime...I don’t even know his name but everyday I feel like someone cares about how I feel.

I have a young lady at work that greets me everyday by saying Good morning Mr. Rick…its warm and full of love and life and makes me feel…important…there is another young lady that smiles so big and she can’t help but give a wink…she makes me smile…it’s a cool wink…like… you are so okay with me…another calls me every morning in my office… and… on speaker phone I hear Hey!!!!! And then a little laugh…she makes me laugh…works every time…then there is a guy that says… every morning…How’s my old buddy Rick…we have known each other almost a year…all through the morning I get friendly nods…handshakes… and high fives… my days start great...with fun, interesting, and beautiful people.
I don’t know... but I think my $1.08 is paying off…

Easter

Lies told
Insults hurled
Hair pulled
Thorns shoved
Hear the lashes across His back

Hammer down
Cross up
Spear thrust
Agony
Hear the lashes across His back

Bitter wine
Son forsaken
Darkness falls
Hell is shaken
Hear the lashes across His back

Spirit stirs
Stone rolls
Tomb empty
Risen
Hear the lashes across His back

God loved
Gave His son
Price is paid
Sacrifice made
Hear the lashes across His back

Easter weekend
God remembers
Heavy price
His son surrendered
Hear the lashes across His back

What are you doing this Easter?

What is Happiness

I am listening to one of those funny guys that do a little news while they are taking shots at everyone in the world that is involved in politics. Or, actually, anyone that has stepped out in the open arena of life and is trying to make a difference. These intelligent and humorous fellows have a pulpit, so to speak, that we give them simply because of their unique ability to make us laugh at the decisions of those in public service.

However when history is written …about all the people these comedians have made a living cracking jokes about…they, the comics, will not be recorded in it…they will not even be mentioned…because as far as I can tell not many have ever done much to actually improve our world. They are not really seeking truth…they are merely seeking laughter and good ratings and great financial reward.

Sitting on a stage and railing…stone throwing...is not doing...they are not doers...they are talkers…these comics are there to make us laugh and they are getting very rich by merely espousing their opinions in a humorous way…so we watch…we give them a strange credibility….and we do it simply because they…can… make us laugh.

As I am listening to this obvious talent for thinking and conversation, I began to compare its value to a conversation I had today with a young business associate. This person was not throwing stones at anyone but instead had set their mind to working on some of life’s serious and complex issues. After talking for a few minutes… they ask …What is happiness? I did not have an automatic answer… I wanted to tell them something profound…maybe even a little humorous…like the guy on this show…wrap it up in one nice sentence and say “Here it is…here is the answer you have been looking for all your life.” But…I couldn’t…I could sense the weight of the question…it was loaded with other concerns like “How do we know… for sure… what will make us happy?” “How can I know I am making decisions that will bring happiness?” This person was not looking not for a punch line or a famous quote…but for applicable truth…that could be applied today…right now. Real answers…something the comic was not offering.

But here are a few thoughts to consider. Maybe a happy life is not one that has the answers but is one that truly lives through the mix of good things and hard things that life presents to us…one that thrives in the middle of the storm and celebrates the sunny days…one that is hit hard…but refuses to fall…one that touches others along the way…one that is willing to do what they think is right…regardless of popular opinion…even funny ones…they choose to live life to its fullest…to bring meaning to every day…they make bad decisions and then make better ones…they fall in disgrace and rebound in faith.

Sometimes we think happiness can only be found in another person…and there is no doubt that life is better when you have a hand that you can hold…a shoulder on which you can cry…but…maybe… even more important…and maybe...where true happiness exist… is in seizing the opportunity to be the hand that can be held or the willing shoulder that accepts the tears.

The comedian is wrapping up his show now…he has saved a few of his hardest hitting criticisms …wrapped in some of his best punch lines… for some of our world leaders…those uncommon folks who are actually making a difference ...this...a snapshot of what we see played out everyday. The critics and the doers.

The contrast of these two conversations is stark… the comedian spent 30 minutes taking shots at others…getting paid millions…the young business associate spent a day working on becoming a more valuable and useful person…getting paid by the hour.

Maybe the question is not… what is happiness… but instead…what brings happiness…or better yet…who brings happiness…someone who makes us laugh at others…or…the person who held another’s hand…the person who accepted the tears on their shoulder…the person who is not just looking for love but is looking for ways to give it away. Maybe…true happiness is not a good laugh or even something to attain…but instead…maybe…happiness… in its purest form…is when… you create it in others.

“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Jesus

Holding Hands With God

The receptionist was pretty...hair, makeup, jewelry, clothes…she had paid attention to detail…been very intentional about her choices… accomplished her goal…pretty.
Everyone has been there…could be any office anywhere…and all too often the pretty disappears when pretty turns to arrogance…maybe a raised eyebrow says you are bothering me…a certain look says you don’t belong here…a tone of voice says your not really welcome…arrogance…its not pretty on anyone.

However, that is not what happened to day. As I waited at her desk we began to talk… she told me how she is in nursing school…as she talked about this chosen mission in life… her eyes got even brighter…her smile genuine…her demeanor accepting…no arrogance…pleasant…comfortable…friendliness...is pretty on anyone.

Within just a few minutes of talking with her I was reminded of something…It’s not a matter of if you can be amazing today…it’s just a matter of if you will choose to be. She had chosen to be amazing and a couple of things she told me have been stirring around in my mind and challenging my heart.

She told how when she first got started on this mission that she was assigned to a nursing home and how one of her greatest fears was that she would have to “wipe the butt of an old man”. As soon as the words come out of her mouth I felt two things at once….the mental anguish of being that old man and the incredible gift that some people have to be able to do such a thing.

Then she smiled and began to describe how she fell in love with the elderly…how the old men would look at her with such helplessness in their eyes and say…”I have never had to have a woman bath me before.” Then in her reassuring and compassionate voice she would convince them that she was okay with this and that they were going to be okay.

I have not been able to stop thinking of these men…helpless in the hands of a young lady… proud men who had held their own new born children in strong and capable hands….men who had worked their entire lives to care for their families…men that could still remember what it felt like… to have moments of victory…to be admired…to have someone say that they were handsome…even beautiful…they remember doing hard things…things that mattered…they remember times in their life when they would wake up with such purpose…and now... they sit helpless in a chair while someone else baths them…spirits crushed…and then… with a voice that carries no arrogance…it has the lovely tone of caring…eyes that are bright and full of acceptance…the men hear that they are still okay…they just need a little help to day…that’s all…and she breathes dignity back into their spirit.

While she continued to tell me about her experiences…I noticed that her entire countenance softened as she remembered a special lady...one that she had come to love...who was living in that same home …the lady could not remember anyone from day to day…but anytime the lady spotted her...she would watch as the old tired face would break into a smile…then she would go to the elderly ladies room and sit by her bed...she would gently take the ladies little hand and hold it in hers….sometimes they talked… but many times…no words were spoken…they would just sit in silence...and just hold hands.

As she was telling me this…I took another good look at this attractive and immaculately dressed young lady…she had gone from pretty...to absolutely gorgeous in about ten minutes time…because…while arrogance looks good on no one…love in action is beyond description…there are no words.

The bible says that love conquers all things…with love being something we do and not something we say…this young lady was the love of God reaching out to those men who could no longer care for themselves…in the toughest moments of their lives…she was there…actively washing away their feelings of dread and insignificance.

And I believe it was the love of God…the light of God… in the young nurse in training that the elderly lady could see…she could not remember yesterday but she could see that light as it entered her room…the light pierced through the darkness that was closing in on her mind…and when she reached out her hand to this light…she found…warmth… peace…assurance…maybe even purpose…as she held the hand of God.

“I will never leave you or forsake you”
God

Hugging God

One busy day as I stopped at a McDonalds for lunch I saw that a homeless man was sitting at the entrance…as I approached the door he ask if I would give him some change…I said “No, but I will buy you lunch if you want?” To my surprise he jumped up from the ground and followed me into the completely packed out restaurant. I ask what he wanted and he said…in a voice that was just a little too loud… “I’ll just have whatever you’re having.” I placed our order and when it arrived I handed him his tray and turned to walk away…and then I heard him say “Aren’t you gonna eat with me?”

Now you have to understand this man had the smell of days old booze and urine. His long beard had a few things tucked in it. I did not look closely because I was afraid to actually figure out what was in there. And his breath traveled with a force of its own. But what could I say…if nothing else the entire restaurant, while I am sure they were wishing he would leave, seemed to go silent while awaiting my answer…I said “Well sure.”

We found a place and he began to talk…a little too loudly. He started telling me a story about his mother and how she had finally taken his guitar away from him…I could not surmise if he meant recently or if this was some incident from earlier in his life. He sort of rambled on with other stories…pretty much the same stories that you here from many people like this that have been lost in the shuffle of life…they once had it together…something happened…never could put things back together…and here they are.

Somewhere along the line I stopped trying to decide if he was telling the truth…I stopped trying to makes sense of his story…I stopped worrying about all the things he should be doing or not doing...he should get a job or he should stop drinking or he should at least get a bath...instead I managed to turn off all my "shoulds" and just listen.

He would look me right in the eyes as if we were old friends…like we had talked many times…I tried hard to stay with him in the conversation so I could nod or laugh or sigh appropriately. And since every time I tried to take a bite of my burger the smell of his breath would hit me in the face I became a good listener with nothing else to distract me.

After awhile I told him I had to go back to work…he looked disappointed…he thanked me for the lunch…I got up to go and in his little to loud voice he said…. “Hey” I turned and looked at him… and he asked “Can I ask you one more thing?” I said “Sure”. What followed would affect me for the rest of my life… he continued... “I know this is kinda weird…but…could...could you…give me a hug?” Now, at the height of lunch hour, there is a stunned silence in the restaurant…the place is still…it took a moment for my mind to absorb what he had just ask.. then, somewhat awkwardly, I reached down...put my arms around him...placed my face next to his...I forgot about the smell…the filth…what might be in his beard......he pulled me close...and held on….and on...it was a moment...one I cannot describe with words. Finally, as I pulled away I looked directly at him…tears were streaming down his face…running over his beard…he sat...almost helplessly in his chair...just looking up at me….and then he said this "You know…sometimes… I…I… need….I just need somebody to hug me.” And the world seem to stop.

As I think back on that day it occurs to me that I have never done anything more God-like in my entire life…I never saw that man again. Which was unusual because the homeless characters seem to stake out places for awhile….but this was different…that man was there more for me...not me for him... I had supernaturally stepped into the smell...the filth ...the confusion...and there...in a most unlikely moment...I hugged God.

Give and it will be given to you...
Jesus

The Rhythm of Your Heart

I just read a note from a young man that is a missionary in China. As I read his words…his passion for reaching people in the most remote parts of the world…his heart beat…the rhythm of his heart… reached all the way to me. I recognized it immediately…it was the rhythm of God’s heart…his passion for each of us…how he pursues us…with His strong and sure hands…how he reaches for us…I’ve felt it before…its familiar…warm…safe…awesome.

It does not matter where we are in this world or what has happened in our lives…no amount of sin or wrongs or bad decisions can keep Him away…He is passionately reaching for us…His heart beats a steady rhythm in passion for us…if you listen…closely…quietly…you can hear it…faint at first…then you realize you can actually feel it…its closer…listen…its becoming more distinct…and then in an awareness that will make you smile…you realize its your heart…beating to His rhythm…amazing…

My daughter Sunny once told me that her heart beats after mine and that her children would carry that same beat as she passed it on to them… the thought was so tender…it overwhelmed me…what an undeserved wonder…I think of it often.

It’s the same with God when we open up and allow Him to be a part of our lives….our hearts begin to beat at His rhythm…and then as we reveal Him to others…and they allow Him in…the rhythm of their heart begins to merge into His and on and on it goes…and the closer He gets…the purer the rhythm…can you hear it…want too?

Fresh Paint

Have you ever entered a day having had the walls of your mind freshly painted with a thick layer of criticism…or doubt about the roads you’ve chosen…or worse…judgmental words from someone you had trusted with really knowing you.

Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of “if” other human beings are going to seize the opportunity to paint the walls of your mind with negative stuff…it’s just a matter of “when”. And it’s not a matter of “if” it’s going to hurt…it’s a matter of how much.

And, if given time…this paint will dry and become part of how you define yourself. So the question becomes; how long are you going to wait until you repaint? How long are you going to walk around with those dreary walls in your mind? How long will you live less than a full life because of another’s bad paint work?

When you see that the gloomy colors of negativity or defeatism have been painted on the walls of your mind…don’t wait…start painting…. repaint with the truth about you…and do it quickly…use the broad strokes optimism, belief and faith…use brilliant colors that better define who you really are…creative, inspiring, helpful, caring, truthful, patient…whatever is really true about you. Display on those walls the individual one of a kind you…one of God’s very unique designs…a truly spectacular creation.

Jesus summed things up very simply “As a man thinks in His heart so is he”. He did not say “whatever people say is who you are”…He said as you choose to think…as you choose to believe in your heart …choose to believe the truth…you are great…awesome…the world is better because you are here…paint that on the walls of your mind…and that is who you will be. Nothing like…Fresh Paint!

God at Mardigras

I attended my first Mardigras last night. It defies a definitive description. It is the most complete party you have ever attended…with 300,000 to 400,000 people.
I have always seen little snapshots of the parades….but the number of days, the number of parades, the number of people involve to make it happen and the number attending…all escaped me.
I doubt seriously I could write anything about Mardigras that has not been written many times over. So I am not going to go there. Instead I want you to visit a few scenes that stuck with me.

Scene One
I was struck by a group of people that thought a good way to tell the world about the love of Jesus would be to show up on Bourbon Street and scream unintelligibly into a microphone. I can say that the tone was angry…not loving. The comments just did not seem like anything Jesus would say…as a matter of fact there is no record of him ever yelling into a crowd of people in the city. The only time, the one time ,that is recorded where he appeared to be genuinely angry was not at the people in the city…but at people in the church who had turned the temple into a market place instead of a house of prayer. That day was a defining moment for those that knew the truth and attended the temple but had severely missed the point of being there.

Scene Two
I saw another group that was gathered in huddles. They sang a song….then stretched out their hands toward everyone as they walked by and simply prayed. They prayed that the people passing by would get to know who Jesus could really be in their lives. Better… much better… but it was soon backing to speaking very ineffectively into a very loud and boisterous crowd.

Scene Three
A very pleasant and smiling young lady walking with her friends…she says a cheerful “Hi” to everyone. She congratulates the very cold and very tired faced people that had stayed along the parade line, in lawn chairs, for the entire freezing cold day and night. They had done this just so they could save a place for their families to get a great view of the next parade. When she greeted them, each cold face would break into a smile and they felt, if just for a moment, a sense of pride…someone had noticed their effort… then I watched as she stopped to speak to a man who was scrubbing the sidewalk in front of a business…she told him that he was doing a very good job…her smile breaks through the drudgery of his work day... although very brief…it was a moment of peace…you could feel it…my guess is that her words landed right in his heart and they stayed with him through his entire day.

I thought of a verse of scripture that perfectly fit what I was witnessing with this young lady “Where sin abounds…grace much more abounds”. No screaming, no judgment, no sarcasm, no criticisms…just a genuinely sweet spirit… smiles…encouraging words…love in action…grace in action…that’s the Jesus I know.

Final Scene
Next year…a Call to Action for those that want to change the world by sharing the love of God.

Show up in full force at Mardigras. ..And instead of using a microphone as a weapon…come bearing the fruits of the spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness gentleness, and self control…
And instead of misunderstood prayer huddles…come having already spent time in prayer for the safety and peace of all those attending…and try this:

If it’s cold…hand out hot chocolate and encouraging words…
The cups should say something like;

A Warm Welcome to Mardigras…You are loved more than chocolate!
John3:16

If it’s hot...hand out bottles of water and encouraging words…
The bottles could say something like;

Welcome to Mardigras…A free drink on us!
John7:37

“I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…”
“Whenever you did one of these things to someone…
You did it to me”
Jesus

Choosing to Risk the Darkness

Valleys…they are inevitable.
Jesus once said “In this world you will have trouble.”

I meet so many people that are walking through a dark period in their life. And often, words of hope or encouragement fall on the dry lands of disappointment and even the parched ground of despair. It does not matter how many people have been there before you…it does not matter how many giants have been slain…when its you in the valley…you have to work, struggle, fight, and bleed…as though it’s the first time this sort of thing has ever occurred.

I drive across the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge every morning on my way into Baton Rouge. It crosses 18 miles of wetlands, a mixture of swamp, lakes, and waterways. Every morning the scene changes a little depending on how high the sun has risen, if there is fog, clouds, rain, or a crystal clear day. Each sight is an unbelievable way to start the day.

Recently, on a particularly spectacular morning, as I looked out over the lake…a golden glow over the hundreds of trees growing right up out of the waters… those waters a mirror reflecting the sun… absolutely no movement…awesome. I began to think about how those trees have withstood powerful winds and the beatings of much rain…still stand…relentless in living…roots driving deep in defiance…we “shall not be moved”. I thought of brave people that I know that are just like those trees. Life has presented them with incredible storms…plenty of reasons to quit…but they are still standing

And then my eyes ran over the many coves and inlets that invite you in…the tributaries that disappear into the darkness of thousands of hovering trees. Though they have been explored many times…should I get in a boat myself and glide back into those areas I would discover many awesome wonders that had just been waiting for me to experience for myself. And some people…people of courage have climbed into a boat that leads them head on into life…they have traveled the deep dark waters…and discovered life in a way that only a true participant can.

The things is this…it does not matter if you are traveling a road that others have already traveled…it only matters how you travel it…how you experience and work with its pain…the things you discover…for yourself… in the dark hidden places.

Life is not about the escape of pain…its about carrying the load that has been handed to you…the very best that you can…its not about if or when or how many times you fall…its about taking the next step…choosing to continue your very own exploration into… for what is to you…the unknown.

The Beatles sang… “There is nothing you can sing that can’t be sung…there is nothing you can do that can’t be done”. And several thousand years before them a king named Solomon penned these words… “There is nothing new under the sun”. Life is not about “new”. There is only one Mt Everest…it is not new…but it is waiting to be truly known, for the first time, by the next brave climber. Life is about the negotiating of the oldest of time weathered trails…waiting to be discovered for the first time by the next brave person…the one who will risk everything to truly live.

So you have taken some chances…with love that didn’t work out…with business that failed…with a dream that has yet to be realized…You are to be commended for getting in the boat…for refusing to just settle for surface experiences. Your bruises…your brokenness…your bleeding…a testament to living…to reaching…to having the courage to dream…to live with passion…refusing to settle for a surface only experience

Right after Jesus said ‘you will have trouble” he said this "But take heart I have overcome the world”. He has overcome the way the world judges a life…even the way we evaluate ourselves…he has visited all the darkest places…loneliness, rejection, being misunderstood…and survived…he knows the value of your efforts…he understands the sense of loss and hopelessness that sometimes comes…He said He wants to give you life and not just life but” life abundantly” but to experience this abundance is to get in the boat...take a trip into the areas of life that demand courage...risk.

Get back in the boat…negotiate the turns…experience life for all that it is…pain, joy, sorrow, peace, trouble, hope, discovery, loss, mountains, valleys…and…“though I walk through the valley of death…I will fear no evil…for He is with me”. Valleys are inevitable…courage is not…your boat is waiting...

God At The End Of My Driveway

I went for a walk looking for God…I found Him…at the end of my driveway. I love to take off walking when I am in the middle of one of life’s little complexities. I like to walk…cracked sidewalks…rocky trails…blacktop roads…areas with some character…some age…like around an old school…abandon buildings…over bridges.

Walking around football and baseball stadiums allows my mind to create hundreds of scenarios of games won and lost…dreams realized…and dreams slipping away…stadium seats where lovers meet…they sit close…knees brushing against each other…vibrations of romance…where a man sits alone…watching…as his child performs…his gut tense…praying they will not fail…life has momentum in stadium seats.

I like to walk down my driveway. It’s really long, as the house sets about two thirds of the way from the road on four and a half beautiful acres…lots of trees hanging over…the lawn is sweeping and inviting. On a clear night the stars seem almost reachable…millions of them blinking…a sliver of the moon stands almost heroic among them as it takes a slice out of the dark blue surroundings…amazing…some of Gods best work.

Recently, on one of these gorgeous nights, I was out on my deck…pondering…looking at the stars…my spirit was unsettled…talking to God…issues unresolved…I took off down the driveway…as I walked I began to realize that I was actually looking for God…I wanted to talk to Him…I laughed out loud and realized most of my walks in my life had been just that…looking for God…His intervention…His answers…His way…His confirmation…or just His presence.

I made it to the end of the driveway and stopped…I was looking up through the branches of the big trees…dark sky…bright stars…I am almost certain one of them winked at me…it was then I noticed that everything was very still and almost no sound…it was also cold…really cold…I was looking and listening…determined not to make a sound…and then I felt a light wind move over my head…it startled me a little…it had been so still…and then I sensed…felt... knew…He was there…I talked to Him...I know He listened…awesome.
Well, of course He was always there…He is everywhere all the time…its me…my many distractions that keep me from realizing what is always true…

“I will never leave you or forsake you” and “If you seek me…you will find me”
God
I found God…at the end of my driveway.

Luxurious Lounging

I have started the New Year with a bang. Since I got off work about 6 pm on New Years Eve, I have been involved in what I am calling Luxurious Lounging…sleeping, football, a little reading, a little writing, easily prepared foods, and good, but cheap, wine. I intentionally made no New Years resolutions. That would have produced unwanted stress. All that mapping out the next year stuff would have to wait. So I took on the words of Scarlett in Gone with the Wind and made them my own…”I’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

However, I do enter the year with some familiar wishes.
Work out consistently
Eat better
Use time wisely
All polar opposites of what I did my very first weekend.

I am thankful that I was able to have three days of Luxuriously Lounging. In some ways I feel bad that I did very little that was productive. I certainly have things that needed to be done and I could have visited with family, read more; written more, contacted more people on Face Book or I could have even exercised. And yes there a many social projects in which I could have been involved….the world needs help in so many ways. When I first realized that I had three whole days off I thought of doing all those things. But…I did not…a little selfish maybe…but…well…you just have to try it.

It was cold and windy outside so I did not even spend that much time on my beautiful deck. For the most part, I stayed inside wearing comfortable sweat pants and a big sweat shirt and sometimes wrapping up in a warm blanket. It gets really cold in my little cottage on the bayou. I did receive a few annoying text from employees that actually took time out of their New Years Day to complain about some things at work. I’m usually a pretty good listener but this weekend I was pretty bent on being non productive so they got very little response. I was not being rude but I was being selfish with my luxurious lounging!

I did bust out with martinis on Saturday afternoon where I officially toasted the New Year and I did make the early service for church on Sunday where I cleared things up with God for laying around for three days. Those two things required the most effort of my weekend. One required a vicious shaking of the drink and the other required a shower. Other than that…well I think you get the picture…

I know there are countless ways to use your New Years weekends more productively and its generally a good time to share with others…but for this New Year’s weekend...I think it was productive lounging complimented by some light meditation…God and I did discuss His plan for me for 2010…but I broke no sweat…I experienced no stress…I’m rested…my head is clear…I’m ready for 2010 and all the good things it is filled with. I am ready to do battle with its enemies and work through its struggles. In the words of Bob Seger…Turn the page…here’s to Luxurious Lounging.