At 6 AM I sit in a Las Vegas hotel room munching on breakfast and blogging. Downstairs, even at this hour, people are at the blackjack tables and slot machines giving money to the hotel. They’re hoping the hotel will give even more back. I believe the odds would be better if they placed the money in the offering plate.
Morning comes early; a day is given.
A child rises to live the day.
The Father is watching and waiting.
Will he talk to Me today?
Will he share “his” time?
Can we live this day together?
The Father already knows the answer,
Yet still, He listens, watches, and waits.
“Kernel panic” the message on the screen said, which in computer language means “I give up.” My server has been having issues all week so last night I finally replaced it with another one. I tried everything before giving up on that old computer but in the end, it just had to be replaced.
Sometimes I am just too hard-headed and determined for my own good. I worked on that troublesome computer for days, swapping out parts, trying one thing after another. It would run for a little bit then just when I would start to think it was fixed, it would crash again. Kernel panic. Reboot.
Perhaps I have just been working with computers too long, but sometimes I find myself in kernel panic mode. I keep trying to fix things but sooner or later it just leads to a system crash. Next thing I know, I’m in “Kernel panic” mode. Should I try another reboot?
There are occasions when it’s best to give up the old self-effort, stop trying, and accept a whole new sytem.
Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.
-Mark 6:48-51 NKJV
Sam and I played “disc golf” yesterday. For those of you who are not up on the latest sports, disc golf is like regular golf except you throw a Frisbee to a basket instead of hitting a golf ball to a hole. It’s fun, cheap, and good exercise. (I know of no disc golf course where you ride your lazy butt around in a cart.)
The course we played yesterday was in the woods. There were little cleared paths along the route. I guess if you could throw really straight, you would be fine. Sam and I are pretty new at it so we spent a lot of time in the weeds, mostly after bouncing the disc off a tree. We had fun anyway. Whenever we would hit a tree, we would just pick up the disc and throw it again. We went through all 18 baskets that way.
When we left, the trees along the course had quite a few more dents than when we started. Our discs are now sporting a few more nicks, chips and scratches too. It’s all just part of the game. With determination, perseverance, and a good attitude, we made it to every basket, finished the course, and went home happy.
That was Sunday afternoon. Today is Monday, and it still feels like I am spending a lot of time bouncing off trees . . .
The pastor challenged us this week to tell our story of how we came to know Jesus, in 100 words or less. Even for a fairly simple story like mine, to squeeze it in 100 words is harder than one might think.
In exactly 100 words . . .
I accepted Christ when I was very young. I didn’t understand it all, but I knew I was wrong, God was right, and I needed Jesus. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I tried to live right and He kept me from evil. In college, as I grew in knowledge and independence, it became harder to live right. Then I figured out I couldn’t. No amount of my effort would be enough to make me right with God. That’s when I realized how much I needed Jesus. I didn’t have Him. He has me. How could I not love Him?
Yesterday, I went to the funeral of a guy I didn’t know. It was interesting to hear about his life and his Christian walk. I think I’ll look him up when I get to Heaven.
The walnuts woke me up last night. They fall from the tree beside our house onto the roof, making a terrible racket in the process. My poor roof suffers from the pounding.
Every year I think “This is the last year I am putting up with that.” A few weeks ago I even crawled on the roof to take care of the issue, but it was already too late.
A Walnut Tree Hangs Over My House
My plan was to cut off the limbs that were hanging over the roof with a pruning saw. As I started to saw on the limb, it started to shake. Not a good scenario with a bunch of ripe walnuts hanging over my head. I briefly considered topping my bald head with a motorcycle helmet I had stashed in the garage. Perhaps an acceptable plan B, but I couldn’t deal with the thought of my neighbors driving by and seeing me standing on the roof of my house wearing an old motorcycle helment while playing dodge ball with a tree intent on pelting me with black walnuts. After a few more minutes of timid sawing and pondering the danger, I gave up and slinked off the roof. The tree trimming would have to wait until next year.
Now the walnuts are falling pretty regularly, making me flinch during the day and waking me up in the night. For some strange reason, it reminds me of Chicken Little who cried, “The sky is falling!” when he got hit on the head by an acorn. As I narrowly escaped being bonked by a black walnut, I realize Chicken Little might not have been as crazy as he first seemed.
Here’s the thing: Chicken Little wasn’t wrong about the sky, he was just wrong about the timing. One day the sky will fall. And when that day comes, I don’t want to be running around looking for a motorcycle helmet. I want to be prepared.
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place . . . “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
– Revelation 6:12-14,17 NKJV
I was blessed this morning while reading the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. I challenge you to read it from the King’s perspective. If you are like me, you may find that you can relate more to his arrogance, impetuousness, remorse, worry, self effort, attempt at faith and . . . God’s rescue. Daniel is a real hero. The king . . . is me.
Check out Daniel Chapter 6
When I was a small child, I used to play in the back yard with a friend named Benji. I don’t remember much about Benji. We moved away when I was 6. I remember even less about Benji’s dad. But there was one incident involving Benji and his father that has always stuck with me.
It happened one hot summer day in Benji’s side yard. Continue reading »
I went swimming today, perhaps for the last time this year. The day was hot and the pool water was warm, so I jumped in. I love that feeling of reckless abandon when my feet leave the deck and I am flying toward the water. I break the surface and the water envelopes me, inviting me into a different world. I am in a liquid universe where I can fly along the bottom or float at the top, moving easily in three dimensions. I may be made for the earth, but the water was made for me. All Praise to the Creator.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. . .
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
– Genesis 1:1,9,10 NKJV