Misc. – Page 22 – Mark Spruill

My Week-end Plans

Jun 012010

It has been my observation (along with a little help from C.S.Lewis and The Screwtape Letters) that one of the quickest ways to make someone mad is to frustrated his plans. Such was the case with me this past week-end. I wanted to go hiking in the woods, but I did not.

I’ll spare you all the details. Suffice it to say that the list of desired accomplishments for the week-end was much longer than the week-end would allow. What I had hoped would be quick, easy projects turned into long tedious ones. I got more and more frustrated as the end of the day on Monday approached. I could see the opportunity for my hike slipping away and I still didn’t have my projects done. As late afternoon arrived, I stomped out of the house, slamming the door and yelling. Nevermind that it had been my plans to do the projects. All I could think about now was MY plan to go hiking.

My holiday . . . My projects . . . My plans . . . My time . . . I just hate it when MY stuff gets messed up.

Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? . . . Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.”
– James 4:1, 13-15 Netbible.org

HElium

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May 252010

I bought Tammy some balloons a few days before Valentines day. There were three helium filled balloons. One for Valentines, one for her birthday, and one just because I love her. Two of the balloons have long since deflated, but one is still around.

3 and 1/2 months and still floating!

Believe it or not, the just-because-I-love-you balloon is still floating. That’s close to four months now. I have never had a helium balloon last so long. I have tried to make some guesses as to why this particular balloon is still in the air. Perhaps it’s because it was a little bigger than the others. Or maybe it was filled a little fuller . . . but four month’s worth? For a dollar store balloon?

I’ll probably never know for sure the secret of why this balloon has lasted so long while so many others have faded and dropped. But if I had to guess, I would say it’s because of . . . integrity. No cracks. No tiny holes. No blemishes. No thin spots or weak points. A balloon made for holding HElium and nothing else, doing just that.

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and You set me in Your presence forever.
– Psalm 41:12

Quiet Places

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May 172010

As he walked through the parking lot on the way to the shooting range, my son placed the hearing protectors over his ears.

“It’s quiet,” he quipped. “This would be a good place to pray.”

I looked at him and smiled. It struck me kind of funny that he could stand in the parking lot, simply covering his hears, and suddenly declare himself transported to a place of prayer. It wasn’t that he was in a quiet place, it was just that he had made his place quiet. Sam was right. It’s the perfect attitude for talking with God.

Feelin’ Guilty

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May 082010

Saturday yard work guilt: Spraying Round-Up weed killer on those tough, determined blades of grass that grow right through the tiniest crack in the street or driveway. Don’t you sometimes admire their tenacity? Did you ever think maybe, if they can live there, they deserve to? Any old weed can grow in a flower bed.

Traffic Noise

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Apr 292010

Where I Am Today
A walk in a park
Full of beautiful trees
Next to a flowing river
With a bridge near by
And a busy four-lane highway.
Listening for birds, but hearing traffic noise.

Where I Want to Be
In the middle of a storm
The waves crashing
The wind screaming
Asleep on a boat
Listening for God, and hearing nothing else.

. . . And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep.
Mathew 8:24

Who Wins?

Consider This, Misc. 8 Responses »

Apr 252010

The baseball game was like none I have seen before. The home team loaned some players to the visiting team just so everyone could play. When a player hit the ball, everyone on both teams cheered. When the player in the field caught it, everyone cheered again. It was almost impossible to tell who was cheering for which team. I’m not even sure anyone knew who was winning and who was losing?

The rules were totally wacky. Three outs did not mean the other team came up to bat. That didn’t happen until everybody got a turn to hit, which of course, everybody did because three strikes did not mean a player was out. Three strikes just meant someone would set the ball up on a tee where the player could keep swinging until he or she – yes the boys and girls played together on the same team – got a hit. Once the player hit the ball, they would run to first base. The first baseman might make the play and everyone would congratulate him, but the runner was never out. He was pretty much guaranteed a chance to run the bases and make it to home plate.

Obviously, the coaches didn’t know what they were doing. They weren’t playing by the rules. They were helping the other team and cheering for everyone in the game. They were letting everyone play. Everyone was learning. Everyone was having fun, but this just wasn’t right. Where were the winners and losers? How would we know who was the best and who was the worst? How would we know who to give the trophy to?

It was one of the best baseball games I have ever been to, and it was church league T-Ball at Duluth First Baptist. I know some of the more competitive folks may be saying, “Why play the game if you aren’t going to play right and keep score?” I say, there is already too much “score keeping” going on in this world, and especially in the church. If there is any place where the mature should be helping the young; if there is any place where everyone gets in the game; if there is any place where we encourage those with three strikes to keep on swinging; it ought to be the church. Remember the goal. It’s not to beat the other team, but to get everybody across home plate.

See 1 Corinthians chapter 3

A Death and a Fire

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Apr 192010

Our cat suffered from a blood clot last night. This morning, Tammy and I took him to the vet for the final time. One last visit, to end the suffering. Once the sad deed was done, I went on to work.

The remainder of the work day was pretty normal. The trip home was not. The car lurched. The engine quit. Smoke starting filling the inside. My car was on fire.

I pulled over, coasting to a stop, got out of the car and opened the trunk. The flames were just starting to grow near the battery. I grabbed something from the trunk and fanned them out. As the smoke cleared, I could see the problem. The clamp that holds the battery in place had come loose and shorted against the positive post of the battery. With the loose clamp removed, I cranked the car and headed home to bury the cat.

We had 15 years with the cat. For that, I am thankful. The fire in the trunk could have quickly escalated into something much worse, but it didn’t. For that, I am also thankful. It is the end of a difficult day, but I am at peace because through it all, God has been with me. For that, I am very thankful.

A Sight

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Apr 122010

My son and I went for a walk yesterday and saw something unexpected. We started out walking to our church, which is only about four tenths of a mile from our house. When we got there, we decided to walk down a path on the back of the property. That path led us down a steep hill, where ultimately, we made our way into a small patch of woods. I decided to show my son something I had found once before. Continue reading »

A Good Day on the Lake

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Apr 102010

I took the day off yesterday and Sam and I went fishing. We didn’t catch any fish, but we had fun anyway. Sometimes it’s not what you do or how well you do it, but who you do it with that counts. The memory of that day is definitely a keeper.

Dark Roads

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Apr 032010

Years ago, my wife and I were traveling down a dark lonely road. We had just been to a foster parent training session and now we were taking the two lane county highway towards home. We lived in the country and it was late, so we had the road all to ourselves, or so we thought.

The night was dark and wet. A drizzly rain had set in. Just enough to keep the smooth black pavement covered in a coating of moisture. I was driving a 1976 Ford Mustang. Of all the cars I’ve ever owned, I hated this one the most. I don’t care how much gas costs, putting a 4 cylinder engine in a Mustang is just not right. It was simply a heavier, slower, Pinto. Continue reading »

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