Misc. – Page 13 – Mark Spruill

Prepared in Advance

Nov 292012

While I slept this morning, my automatic coffee maker made coffee for me. My automatic bread machine made cranberry bread for me. When my alarm automatically went off at the right time, I got up to enjoy the automatically made coffee along with the automatically made bread, while reading an automatic electronically delivered devotion.

It may have seemed automatic this morning, but that’s only because of all the preparation the night before. If one were to look only at the events of the morning, it would be easy to assume life was easy. Just get up, pour yourself some coffee, and eat the hot, ready-for-you breakfast. But it’s not that simple. The preparation the night before took effort.

That’s the hard part for me. Knowing how and when to prepare, and putting forth the effort to do something with hope and confidence of a future benefit. Any fool can pick a tomato. It takes someone with a lot more foresight and action to plant the tomato plant three months earlier.

It might be nice to be the guy who is always prepared, but I am not that guy. Sometimes I miss the chance. Sometimes I don’t see what’s coming. Sometimes, when I am very tired or very busy, I don’t do what needs to be done to be prepared for tomorrow. It is in those times especially that I realize I am not in control. I can’t prepare for everything. Even if I had the energy and willpower, I don’t have the foresight. But there is One who does.

Perhaps at times I face situations where I am unprepared so that I will learn to rely more on the One who is always prepared. He knows the future and He is willing to direct my path if I will listen and follow. He is never surprised; always prepared for what is ahead. He is in fact, preparing a place for me. I am sure that place is in Heaven. But I think there’s a good chance He’s preparing some places for me on Earth too. Places I will be next year, or next month, next week, tomorrow . . . or this afternoon.

I will try my best to be prepared. To use wisdom and good judgement, paired with courage and willpower to act in preparation for the future. But if on occasion I should happen to arrive at a place in life for which I feel totally unprepared, I pray that God will give me comfort, and remind me of His presence. I pray that He will remind me that long before I arrived, He was already there, preparing for me.

A Bit About Drills

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Nov 132012

I was working on a mount for my telescope tonight. There was measuring, cutting, sanding, and drilling involved. I don’t have an excessive amount of tools, but I do have most of what I need, and when it comes to drills, I have more than what I need.

I have two drills; an old one, and a new one. The new one works the best. It has a strong, new motor. It’s easier to use because it doesn’t require a chuck. It has a nice case where I keep it all safe and protected, the cord neatly coiled. The old one is thrown under the workbench with the cord haphazardly wrapped around it. Tonight I used the old one.

I almost always use the old one, because it’s handy. The new one is better, but it’s usually not worth the trouble to unpack it and repack it in that nice protective case. The old one is beat up, rusty, and not as strong as it used to be, but it gets used because it’s readily available.

If I had to choose which drill to be, I’d be the old one.

How Not to Remove Kudzu

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Oct 302012

There is a crooked tree in our backyard. It’s my fault. When it was very young, I transplanted it from where it ought not be, to a place where it could grow nice and tall. Then a year or two later, in an overzealous effort to free it from an evil clingy kudzu vine, I broke the top out of it, leaving it damaged. I should have been more gentle in my attempt to free it from the vine’s choking clutches. Instead, I let my temper flair. I was mad at the kudzu and determined to free the tree my way.

That was several years ago when the tree was a baby and just starting to grow. The tree is older now. Its thickening trunk and limbs are strong and free of kudzu. Even if the kudzu were to start an invasion, the tree would be able to withstand determined attempts to yank it from the branches. But it still bares the scar of the day when it was young, just starting to grow, with tender branches reaching for the heavens. In my haste and anger, I played the part of the zealot. I will always see the result in the crooked tree, and regret it. Perhaps I have a little kudzu of my own to deal with.

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
– Galations 6:1 NKJV

More Love for My Loupe

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Oct 132012

Two Tools That Help Me See

I used to think that little things didn’t bother people as they got older because they had matured. They had learned to ignore the small stuff and focus on bigger issues. Now that I am older, I know better. Older people aren’t ignoring the small stuff. They just can’t SEE the small stuff. Such was the case with me and a splinter I got in my finger the other day. I couldn’t see it, but every time I touched something with that finger, the splinter would painfully make itself known. Fortunately, I had invested in something years ago that would now help my older eyes deal with splinters.

Years ago, when I was a young guy, I bought a jeweler’s loupe at a surplus tool store. It looked like something that might be useful some day. It looked like something that every person ought to have. So I bought it. Now, 30 years later, I use it all the time. It’s one of the best investments I ever made. It helps me see things I just can’t see on my own. The older I get, the more I rely on it. And by the way, the same is true for my Bible.

There is no such thing as leftover bacon

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Sep 192012

There is no such thing as leftover bacon. I have never seen it and I am convinced it does not exist. In researching the topic, I have discussed the issue with several people. They have all agreed. Leftover bacon is a myth.

At first, this theory may appear to defy logic. Every other food is capable of producing leftovers. At our house, for example, spaghetti is particularly adept at this. English peas and rice are also very leftover prone. We once had three or four dates that sat in a small container in the back of the fridge for almost a year before I finally consumed them and put them out of their misery. But never bacon. Bacon is just too good to be left unconsumed. The demand always meets the supply.

When I die, I don’t want to be like spaghetti or English peas. I want to be like bacon. One hundred percent shared out. Every crumb given away. Every bit consumed. Nothing held back. No leftovers.

He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
-Math 10:39

How to Get What You Want

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Sep 062012

“Buy her a diamond, get a free hunting rifle.” It’s what the sign said as it advertised a new sales campaign for a prominent local jeweler. It sounded crazy at first. Then I realized the true message on the sign. The real message was “Use someone else as a means to get something for yourself.” People do that all the time. How could that be crazy? That jeweler will probably sell a boat load of diamonds this hunting season.

An Encounter With a Worm

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Aug 182012

A few days ago, I saved a worm’s life. He was wriggling like mad on the sidewalk, hopelessly removed from the comfort, safety, and security of the nearest dirt. He must have crawled out there during a rain storm, got lost, and since he had no fingers with which to work his GPS, was doomed to wriggle around the concrete until exhausted and dried up.

Lucky for him, I came along and noticed his plight. As I plucked him from the sidewalk, he screamed “Don’t eat me!” I tried to assure him I was not an Early Bird, nor did I have similar culinary taste. He was not convinced and therefore continued to wriggle frantically, trying to escape the discomfort of my pinching fingers. It did not matter. I tossed him to the dirt and continued on my way. I saved a worms life.

I am sure if you were to discuss the incident with the worm, you would get an entirely different account of the events that occurred. But then, he is a worm. And I am a human being. Our difference in perspective and capacity for understanding is vast. Incomparable really. Kinda like God and me. Only God cares for me enough to die for me. I would NOT go that far for a worm.

Exploring Mars and Finding God

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Aug 092012

I admit it. I am a science geek. So, it is no wonder that I have been watching the progress of NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover mission with great interest. I’ve been checking web sites, watching videos, reading news and comments, and studying the earliest little grainy pictures.

A picture from Mars

Just a couple of days ago, I read a comment that was posted under a video of the Mars rover landing. Most comments were very positive, praising NASA for a successful landing and an exciting mission. However, one particular comment, negative in tone, caught my eye. It was complaining about all the money that was being spent on exploring Mars when ” . . . all we need to know can already be found in the Bible.” I think the comment was both sad, and wrong.

How could one book possibly contain all we need to know about an infinite God and His unfathomable expansive creation? Sure, the Bible contains what we need to know about God, salvation, and foundational truth. But it can’t contain everything we can know, because there is always more to know. I am grateful for a medical doctor who reads the Bible, but I hope his knowledge also includes some details about the human body that have been discovered since the Bible was written. On this hot summer day, I am thankful the chemists and physicists felt the need to understand atoms, molecules, and the principals of heat, cold, expansion and contraction. Without that knowledge, no one would have invented my air conditioner. The Bible is more than a book. It is the foundation of knowledge and truth about our Creator. However, the Bible itself says “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork .”

There is so much more to know. So much more to be discovered. I say, let us explore. I am not afraid of what we may find. Those with a godless world view may use the discoveries to invent theories, trying to erase their subjection to an all powerful God. Where they are determined to find no god but themselves, they will see with clouded eyes, exactly what the are looking for, finding emptiness and meaninglessness in the process.

Those of us who eagerly accept there is something greater than ourselves, will find evidence of His existence throughout the universe. Just as an artist endows a painting with a small bit of himself in every brush stroke, so our omnipotent creator has left His “DNA” throughout his creation. The wonders of creation reveal the mysteries of the creator. It’s out there. He’s out there. Let’s go exploring.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead . . .
– Romans 1:20

Just in Case I’m Ever Asked . . .

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Jul 282012

Recently, Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A caused a major stir simply because he made it known that he supports the traditional view of marriage. Some people are outraged, some cities are saying he is not welcome to put a store in their community. Hate speech as well as encouraging support is spewed all over the Internet. All because a successful, well known enterprise took a stand on something. Something anyone who knew anything about Chick-fil-A and it’s founder could have already guessed. But because they are so well known and popular, people act like it’s a big deal. I thank God for the courage of Dan Cathy. It’s made me consider what I should do.

On the very off chance that I should ever be wildly successful or incredibly popular, I have decided to make my views known now. Perhaps that will keep them from becoming a big deal later. If I ever write a best seller, no one will be able to say it ( or I ) was popular only because people didn’t know what I was REALLY like and what I REALLY believe. So, let it be known here and now:

I believe Jesus is the only Way to God. He is the Truth, and the Life!

I believe the Bible is God’s word to us.

I believe I am called to love and forgive everyone, even when it is not easy. I also believe sin is sin. Wrong is wrong. Doesn’t matter if it’s not politically correct or if it’s inconvenient for me or my chosen lifestyle . . . or yours. To be more specific, I believe abortion is the taking of a human life. I believe the homosexual lifestyle is wrong. Sex before marriage is wrong. Lying, cheating, stealing are wrong. Lust is wrong. Gossip is wrong. Cowardice is wrong. Selfishness is wrong. And a whole lot of other things are wrong. . . some of which I do on occasion, because I also believe, I am not perfect. And neither is anyone else.

That’s why we all need Jesus.

Mark

What Can Cause A Fire?

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Jul 202012

Fire trucks rumbled into our parking lot with lights flashing. Half a dozen men, all dressed in bulky fire suits, jumped out of the trucks and rushed inside. There was smoke in the office, evidence of fire, and the firemen were there to help.

They examined the ceiling near an emergency light and found the source of the problem. There were some hot wires and a burned out battery in the emergency light fixture. The fixture was there to provide light in case of an emergency power outage. Ironically, it had shorted out and nearly caused a fire . . . and an emergency power outage. The thing meant to help and protect, had hurt.

Sometimes, life is just that way. Thank God for firemen, willing to come to the rescue.

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