Just a Second

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Jun 302015
 

Who said you can’t turn back time?  Whoever it was, they were wrong, because it happens today.  Although our atomic clocks are very accurate, it would seem no one bothered to tell the Earth, so it has been spinning along at its own pace, ignoring the fact that there must be exactly 24 man-defined hours in a day.  Since we can’t speed up the rotation of the Earth, scientists have reluctantly agreed to acquiesce to the Earth’s “deviant” behavior.  The atomic clocks will have to adjust. Today will officially be 24 hours and one second long.

For those of us in the Eastern time zone, we get our extra second at 7:59:59 PM tonight.  This will be great news for those who wish they had more time.  Personally, I’m not yet sure how I’m going to spend my extra second, but it will probably not be that different from all the rest.  Besides, I have a whole lifetime of seconds.  Why would I live this one any different?

Delicate Miracles

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Jun 232015
 

The quail eggs won’t hatch and the mood is somber.  With each passing day, hope is transformed into hopelessness.  The somber mood, like a dense fog, hangs over the corner of the kitchen counter where the precious eggs rest in the incubator.

Tammy was so excited when the eggs arrived.  She has been faithfully maintaining the temperature, turning the eggs and caring for the future quail offspring with more diligence than even the mother quail herself might have provided. But the eggs won’t hatch.

Quail eggs in an incubator

Quail eggs in an incubator

She started with nine eggs. Two were cracked, some weren’t fertilized, and a few did not develop. Only two looked like they might make it. One even briefly pecked at the shell, but then died in the egg. It was sad. Little bird lives that could have been, one ever so close, but never made it.

I have learned a few things through this experience. Of course the most obvious lesson of all is that, when life does happen, it really must be a miracle. Also, seeing her care for these eggs and the life within, I have come to realize how precious Tammy’s nurturing, loving spirit is to me. And seeing Tammy’s care really highlights the fact that mother birds are absolutely amazing. They have to be some of the most selfless creatures on the planet. It’s no wonder our Father used them as an example of His care for us, His delicate miracles.

As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign One, and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty king – I say this about the Lord , my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust – he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague. He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.
– Psalm 91:1-4 NET

How precious is your loyal love, O God! The human race finds shelter under your wings.
– Psalm 36:7 NET

Playgrounds

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Jun 012015
 
A Nice Playground

A Nice Playground

I went to the park the other day to spend a little quiet time during my lunch hour. While I was there, I took a look at the playground. It was a beautifully maintained playground, filled with swings and slides, and a few of the fun things that a society obsessed with keeping everyone safe will still allow. I saw the sign announcing the appropriate age range for the grounds, and felt a small twinge of envy.  The swings, slides, monkey bars and climbing poles all called to some deeply hidden and long ago repressed sense of simple adventure.  The question popped in my mind, “Why do kids play on playgrounds?”   The simple answer is, “Because they are fun.”  Who doesn’t like to swing every now and then? Even adults have porch swings.  Which makes me think of another question.  “Why don’t adults play on playgrounds?”  The simple answer to that one is, we’ve learned to obey the signs that say “For children 12 and under.”

And that made me wonder, “Who’s making the rules and why do I follow them?”  It’s one of the foundational questions of life I suppose.  I think it applies to more than playgrounds, though it probably does have some bearing on how much fun we get out of life.

Bible Updates

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May 082015
 

As the grey in my beard takes control of my brain, I am beginning to think like old people.  You know, that generation with the reputation for abhorring change.  I’m beginning to understand the aversion.  It’s because they are often on the wrong side of the deal.  When you are young, change means getting a stronger body, getting smarter, more freedom, new opportunities, newer stuff . . .   But when you get old, then the changes start happening in reverse.  Your body changes for the worse.  Change means losing muscle and gaining wrinkles.  Your mind starts taking little holidays without you. The kids whom you taught to drive now demand you give up your license and your keys. The ocean of opportunities that surrounded you as a young person is a drying mud puddle.  No wonder old people look on change with suspicion.  It often treats them very badly.  I’m still refusing to admit I’m old, and I try to embrace change whenever I can but even little changes sometimes make ME wince.

A new version of a version?

A new version of a version?

My Bible keeps getting updated.  Not the printed one.  The one on my phone.  It’s like every few days the program wants to “auto-update” and at least once a month or so, it tells me my downloaded version of the Bible needs to be updated.  For some reason, that bothers me.  Am I crazy?  I mean, why do they keep having to update it?  Is God sending out revisions somewhere and I’m missing the news?  With all the changes going on in the world, it would be nice to know there is something that is not changeable, not negotiable, and solidly entrenched in truth.  A foundation that’s solid and immovable.  If not the Bible, then what?

A club has bylaws.  An organization has a charter.  A republic has a constitution.  What does a life have if not The Word of God? Everything else may change, but don’t change that on me.  You may pretend its truth changes to fit your lifestyle if it makes you feel better about the way you are living or what you have decided to believe is true.  You may embrace what culture, the media, and your friends tell you.  But if you do, you will be clutching something that is constantly moving, constantly shifting, constantly changing.  That’s no way to steady a life.

As I see it, there are two basic types of people.  Those who determine to conform their life to The Word of God, and those who determine to conform the word of God to their life.  One way helps you stand.  The other is sure to let you fall.

“For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
   – Malachi 3:6

How to be blameless and pure

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May 042015
 

My challenge for the day is to go a whole day without grumbling or arguing.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,  so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world . . .

Philippians 2:14-15 NET

Life’s Adventures

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Mar 262015
 
image

A Sign Along the Trail

 

I recently returned from a weekend of hiking and camping with my dad.  We saw cool sights.  We walked until our feet and knees were screaming “No more!”  We came home dirty and tired and sore, and with memories that will last forever.

image

Dad and Me Taking a Break at The Stone Door

 

I could tell you every detail of where we went, what we saw, and what we did.  I could try to explain the experiences we shared, the hardships we faced, and the joy of the journey.  But you will not truly understand until you try it yourself.

A journey with God is that way too.  Don’t sit on the sideline.  Get out there and walk with Him.

Intimacy

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Feb 132015
 

Lately, I have been thinking about intimacy.  I can’t say whether or not everyone longs for it, but I believe at least most people do.

When we hear of intimacy we often think of sex. That can be a part of it, but it is not its essence.  Real intimacy is that private bond two share when nobody else is around.  Nobody else is involved. Just me and one other.  The closeness of which nobody else can be a part.  One is alone, three’s a crowd, but two can be intimate.

Sometimes I long for intimacy. I want intimacy from true love. Love can provide intimacy to another because it loves. And love can provide intimacy to another because it wants to be loved. The best intimacy is both. I don’t think true intimacy can exist long without both parties providing both.

I don’t want my wife just to give intimacy to me because she loves me. I want her to desire intimacy from me because she loves me.

God does both. Imagine that.

Promised Land

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Dec 292014
 

So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long do you intend to put off occupying the land the Lord God of your ancestors has given you?
    – Joshua 18:3 NET

I read this the other day and it keeps coming back to me.  I wonder how much “promised land” there is in my life, just waiting for me to march in and enjoy the blessings?

 Posted by at 7:00 am

Hands

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Dec 062014
 

Do you know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and you’ve been laying on your arm so that it cuts off the circulation to your hand?  Your hand loses its feeling for a few seconds.  You grab it with your other hand and it feels totally bizarre, like you just took hold of someone else’s hand.  It feels like you are holding hands with a stranger all the while you are grasping your own hand.  Then the tingle comes, the feeling rushes back, and things return to normal.  Your hand feels like your hand again. Things are back the way they should be. It’s familiar, and comfortable.

There are other familiar hands in my life. After more than 30 years of marriage, my wife’s hand is very familiar to me. We probably hold hands much more often than the average married couple. We always have. Sometimes, when we are laying side by side in the early morning, I will reach over, grasp her hand, and give it a gentle squeeze that says “I love you. You are so precious to me.”

If, on some future sad day, God chooses to allow death to separate us and I am left, I think one of the things I will miss most is holding Tamera’s hand. Hands are special. Mouths tell of love. Feet take us to love. But hands . . . hands are what make love active. Hands show love in the most real and concrete ways. Hands make love happen.

Oh God, help me to have loving hands. And please, Heavenly Father, may I learn to recognize your hand in my life. Let me feel that gentle squeeze of the nail scarred hand that says “I love you. You are so precious to me.”

 Posted by at 11:10 am
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