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.