Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. . .
The ambient air isn't so bad, it's the wind chill that threatens to freeze you from the inside out.
Work is slow. Apparently the cold weather is causing some to stay indoors tonight. That is good. It means that no one else is suffering.
The down side is that there isn't much for us poor dispatcher types to do. i simply can't read any longer. i am bored with it. It comes like the eye of the storm. i will read fifteen books and then *poof*, i just can't get into another book, no matter how badly i want to.
Compassion International has posted a job that i am keenly interested in. At least i think that i am. i know that i want to migrate into an employment that benefits man in a substantial way that does not also involve punishing them without the benefit of real rehabilitation.
Don't get me wrong i love what i do. i am also being cautious to not move on this because i don't like who i work for. Trying to avoid the grass is greener mind set can be tricky at times, but i think that it is important.
In other news Mushrooms Demystified came in on Friday!!!! Mushroom season is just around the corner!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God for his plentiful goodies.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Episode Two: Attack of the Clones
Of all the things to wake today. . . my wife worked a half day. Not a normal thing on a Wednesday. Usually we have the day off together, but fate conspired against us today. Not only did she work a half day this morning, but she had a meeting tonight, and i had to grab some "Z's" in the middle of the day. But there was a quick bit around lunch time when we got to pass and talk.
Small talk really, usually it is when we only have a few minutes. How's your day? What do you have planned? Are there any messages on the machine?
The timing of today was nothing short of awesome. The Mormons called. We haven't seen or heard from them in months. The callers were a new set of "missionaries", but apparently Swanson and the others left our number. So my wife told them to come on by sometime. i am excited. A little nervous about it, but excited.
Meanwhile, i am grappling with the status of my own faith. Seeing it's weakness and insufficiency. Wondering is grace big enough? Can i ever break the cycles of sin? If i don't, can i still be loved by God, and will he grant me passage into peace?
As i realize that i suck at life, i am surrounded by hurting souls. There is so much anger in the world. So much selfishness. So much disregard for the well being of others. It's the old, "All for one, and more for me" mentality.
You try to stick in a good word, or steer thinking, but you can't, only God can, and you hope that your little inserts are enough to take route down the road.
Someday we will get it right, and be cleansed. Someday we wont be so timid about righteousness, and love.
Can't wait for those days.
Small talk really, usually it is when we only have a few minutes. How's your day? What do you have planned? Are there any messages on the machine?
The timing of today was nothing short of awesome. The Mormons called. We haven't seen or heard from them in months. The callers were a new set of "missionaries", but apparently Swanson and the others left our number. So my wife told them to come on by sometime. i am excited. A little nervous about it, but excited.
Meanwhile, i am grappling with the status of my own faith. Seeing it's weakness and insufficiency. Wondering is grace big enough? Can i ever break the cycles of sin? If i don't, can i still be loved by God, and will he grant me passage into peace?
As i realize that i suck at life, i am surrounded by hurting souls. There is so much anger in the world. So much selfishness. So much disregard for the well being of others. It's the old, "All for one, and more for me" mentality.
You try to stick in a good word, or steer thinking, but you can't, only God can, and you hope that your little inserts are enough to take route down the road.
Someday we will get it right, and be cleansed. Someday we wont be so timid about righteousness, and love.
Can't wait for those days.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Post-midnight rantings.
As I sit here in my chair at work, I am overcome with a sense of loss. I hate what I have become in light of my own selfishness. The side of me that is a perfectionist who could never dream to aspire to the heights of my own standards, the part of me that has always excelled at everything and been thrust into positions of authority often before I was ready, is at complete odds, with the idealist. The side that sees and hopes for what the world could be but bucks at what the world is. My job, or my town, or my family or my life are not the bliss or perfection or bare the balance that they could and so I rebel, and fight, and neglect for the sake of making some statement that could never be understood outside of the sickened walls of my own mind.
And so here I sit, completely overwhelmed at my own foolishness. I hate that I am in a situation that is so unbearably inferior to what it could and should be. We should be helping people but we are not. We should be encouraging health, and personal responsibility, but we are not. It should be all for one, with servant’s hearts we should consider the needs of the others, while neglecting our own, only to be nourished by the others that consider our needs before their own. I am not giving my all, and I feel the fool to face my own incompetence. Yet, I can not in good conscious give that part of myself because there is so much that lends to an environment of self promotion and feeds the political gluttony of others.
Therein lays the root problem. I am a hypocrite. In frustration I concede, and abdicate myself to my own selfish desires.
I dream of an attainable society, a culture where we promote each other. We possess, but we possess only because others provide, and others possess only because we provide. This is a community that is governed by an economy of equality. There are no rich or poor. People don’t use their gifts or talents or goods to get ahead, but to provide lovingly for everyone. No one seeks for their own good, but for the good of the whole.
I dream of a society that is self sufficient and ecologically viable. We do not take more than we need. We take possession of the land and master it, but do not destroy it. We can look at technology and use it, but can turn it aside, when we see that balance with creation outweighs convenience.
We tend to the widows and the orphans. We fill the needs of the down trodden and teach them to provide for themselves. We trust that God will provide for our needs and do not horde out of fear. Walking through life, we absorb the beauty of each moment and cherish it in our minds and continue to the next moment not clinging to what is behind us, but submerging ourselves in the moment that we live in.
We hold ourselves accountable to one another and when necessary we hold one another accountable. No nation governs us, so we are not filled with any geographical, ethnic or racial pride. We look to the future, and do not fear death as though death is the end of all things. We embrace what is both inevitable and natural. We accept that life is not flesh. Life does not rot as flesh rots. We do not fear aging, but celebrate it, cherish it, learn from it, and use it as tool. Our elderly are not a burden but a blessing, just as our children are a blessing. Families tend to their members and communities tend to families. People are not discarded when they are deemed useless, or as baggage. The middle carries both extremes, the young and the old, and celebrates the joys and wisdom that come with both.
Magistrates are servants, and leaders are humble. Government is not declared by popularity but by obedience to wisdom, and no one person assumes absolute power, for no man is infallible. . .all people live in peace. Not perfection for now, for perfection comes later, but they live in peace.
And so here I sit, completely overwhelmed at my own foolishness. I hate that I am in a situation that is so unbearably inferior to what it could and should be. We should be helping people but we are not. We should be encouraging health, and personal responsibility, but we are not. It should be all for one, with servant’s hearts we should consider the needs of the others, while neglecting our own, only to be nourished by the others that consider our needs before their own. I am not giving my all, and I feel the fool to face my own incompetence. Yet, I can not in good conscious give that part of myself because there is so much that lends to an environment of self promotion and feeds the political gluttony of others.
Therein lays the root problem. I am a hypocrite. In frustration I concede, and abdicate myself to my own selfish desires.
I dream of an attainable society, a culture where we promote each other. We possess, but we possess only because others provide, and others possess only because we provide. This is a community that is governed by an economy of equality. There are no rich or poor. People don’t use their gifts or talents or goods to get ahead, but to provide lovingly for everyone. No one seeks for their own good, but for the good of the whole.
I dream of a society that is self sufficient and ecologically viable. We do not take more than we need. We take possession of the land and master it, but do not destroy it. We can look at technology and use it, but can turn it aside, when we see that balance with creation outweighs convenience.
We tend to the widows and the orphans. We fill the needs of the down trodden and teach them to provide for themselves. We trust that God will provide for our needs and do not horde out of fear. Walking through life, we absorb the beauty of each moment and cherish it in our minds and continue to the next moment not clinging to what is behind us, but submerging ourselves in the moment that we live in.
We hold ourselves accountable to one another and when necessary we hold one another accountable. No nation governs us, so we are not filled with any geographical, ethnic or racial pride. We look to the future, and do not fear death as though death is the end of all things. We embrace what is both inevitable and natural. We accept that life is not flesh. Life does not rot as flesh rots. We do not fear aging, but celebrate it, cherish it, learn from it, and use it as tool. Our elderly are not a burden but a blessing, just as our children are a blessing. Families tend to their members and communities tend to families. People are not discarded when they are deemed useless, or as baggage. The middle carries both extremes, the young and the old, and celebrates the joys and wisdom that come with both.
Magistrates are servants, and leaders are humble. Government is not declared by popularity but by obedience to wisdom, and no one person assumes absolute power, for no man is infallible. . .all people live in peace. Not perfection for now, for perfection comes later, but they live in peace.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
N.D.D.
Finally they have created a disorder that i completely agree with - N.D.D.
Nature Deficit Disorder
According to those who have coined this phrase, it is an unhealthy mindset caused by the lack of sufficient time out in nature.
It is becoming more and more prevalent too. i was talking with an old friend who can hardly remember anything of her childhood that didn't involve her and her brother playing outside. Whether it was in a tree house, or a in the woods, or at the lake. She shared that she has very few memories of the inside of her house.
i didn't grow up in nearly so rural an area as she, but i did grow up on the outskirts of suburbia. There were lots of forests around. i remember building tree forts, and catching frogs and snakes, and watching deer, and staring up at the night sky. i remember growing and weeding and harvetsting the garden with my mother, and transplanting weeds that became my garden.
Seldom were we indoors. We had an Atari 2600, but i remember not using it all that often. Instead we (my siblings and i) would hop on our bikes and go for a ride, or walk to the next neighborhood over to play. We rode distances without adults that would seem unimaginable today. Not because they were far, but because such activities are deemed unsafe.
Todays generation, as far as my experience has presented(and i can speak from experience being the father of a five year old), are far more interested in staying indoors. They are more versed in navigating the internet than they are their own backyards. Video games have replaced running through mud puddles, and climbing trees.
i hope that parents see this, or something like it and are brought back to thier childhood. i hope that we all take our kids out more this spring and summer than we stay inside. Heck, half the fun of having kids is having the excuse to play like one again!!
Live youthfully. We are only as old as we feel! Feel young
Nature Deficit Disorder
According to those who have coined this phrase, it is an unhealthy mindset caused by the lack of sufficient time out in nature.
It is becoming more and more prevalent too. i was talking with an old friend who can hardly remember anything of her childhood that didn't involve her and her brother playing outside. Whether it was in a tree house, or a in the woods, or at the lake. She shared that she has very few memories of the inside of her house.
i didn't grow up in nearly so rural an area as she, but i did grow up on the outskirts of suburbia. There were lots of forests around. i remember building tree forts, and catching frogs and snakes, and watching deer, and staring up at the night sky. i remember growing and weeding and harvetsting the garden with my mother, and transplanting weeds that became my garden.
Seldom were we indoors. We had an Atari 2600, but i remember not using it all that often. Instead we (my siblings and i) would hop on our bikes and go for a ride, or walk to the next neighborhood over to play. We rode distances without adults that would seem unimaginable today. Not because they were far, but because such activities are deemed unsafe.
Todays generation, as far as my experience has presented(and i can speak from experience being the father of a five year old), are far more interested in staying indoors. They are more versed in navigating the internet than they are their own backyards. Video games have replaced running through mud puddles, and climbing trees.
i hope that parents see this, or something like it and are brought back to thier childhood. i hope that we all take our kids out more this spring and summer than we stay inside. Heck, half the fun of having kids is having the excuse to play like one again!!
Live youthfully. We are only as old as we feel! Feel young
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Why does there always have to be a title?
i like to day dream. i like to dream at night to, especially in the morning just before i wake up. Although, i am always bummed out in the mornings when i wake up while dreaming. Lately i have had some weeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrddddddddddddd dreams. Kung-fu fighting, Malls, having my toes nibbled on by sharks, dive boats with license plates. . . They are odd, but fun.
my day dreams are usually a bit more realistic, although far fetched. i like to day dream about what i would do if i could acquire more land, or money to obtain said land, or add onto the house, so others could likve with us.
Sometimes i think it is better to dream that to achieve those dreams. i can't tell you how badly i want to have more room in the house for more people and families to come in. Or how more land would be fantastic so we could do more, like grow more food for the needy or something. . .
This spring is looking promising. From friends from the Hof may try and come up for a time of encouragement. These times are always good. They are always refreshing.
my day dreams are usually a bit more realistic, although far fetched. i like to day dream about what i would do if i could acquire more land, or money to obtain said land, or add onto the house, so others could likve with us.
Sometimes i think it is better to dream that to achieve those dreams. i can't tell you how badly i want to have more room in the house for more people and families to come in. Or how more land would be fantastic so we could do more, like grow more food for the needy or something. . .
This spring is looking promising. From friends from the Hof may try and come up for a time of encouragement. These times are always good. They are always refreshing.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
It's beginning to look a lot like. . . June????
Global warming? You bet! and i am not sure, but somewhere in the belly of my dark side i like it!
50 some odd degrees today. . .the first full week of January. What the heck. The only real downfall that i see is that there is still too large a threat of frost and snow ahead to plant the garden.
i do like the snow, but being a California born boy, i miss the mild year round atmosphere. But it's cool, because i love the four seasons (five if you include mud season).
The boys are sick today. The oldest is feeling better, and was quite spunky today. The middle he did some of the neatest digestional pyrotechnics i have ever seen! Poor kid. But it's good for me. i love to snuggle with the boys, and the only time the middle one sits still is when he isn't feeling well. Adelyn rolled over for the first time today. You might say that there has been a lot of happenings in the Russell household these past few days.
And so on a totally unrelated subject, i am beginning to see the signs. Well, at least i think that they are signs. It would seem that everything in the universe is pointing to one all encompassing theme in my life. That is that i am not where i should be. This is not to say that i am unhappy as a father to wonderfully cute kids, and married to the world's most patient woman, or that i have accomplished so many things before i hit thirty.
But all of these things have been good, and fulfilling and what not, but i am left questioning, "Is this the best?"
In the bigger picture, God's, bigger picture, is all that i am tied up in, have i limited God. It's like everywhere i look there are indicators show that i am wearing an anchor.
What does this mean?
i have no idea. But change is brewing.
50 some odd degrees today. . .the first full week of January. What the heck. The only real downfall that i see is that there is still too large a threat of frost and snow ahead to plant the garden.
i do like the snow, but being a California born boy, i miss the mild year round atmosphere. But it's cool, because i love the four seasons (five if you include mud season).
The boys are sick today. The oldest is feeling better, and was quite spunky today. The middle he did some of the neatest digestional pyrotechnics i have ever seen! Poor kid. But it's good for me. i love to snuggle with the boys, and the only time the middle one sits still is when he isn't feeling well. Adelyn rolled over for the first time today. You might say that there has been a lot of happenings in the Russell household these past few days.
And so on a totally unrelated subject, i am beginning to see the signs. Well, at least i think that they are signs. It would seem that everything in the universe is pointing to one all encompassing theme in my life. That is that i am not where i should be. This is not to say that i am unhappy as a father to wonderfully cute kids, and married to the world's most patient woman, or that i have accomplished so many things before i hit thirty.
But all of these things have been good, and fulfilling and what not, but i am left questioning, "Is this the best?"
In the bigger picture, God's, bigger picture, is all that i am tied up in, have i limited God. It's like everywhere i look there are indicators show that i am wearing an anchor.
What does this mean?
i have no idea. But change is brewing.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
When will we ever learn?
Today Saddam met Allah. Hopefully God is merciful and forgiving.
Somehow i am not really sad. Oddly i am surprised, but somehow not sad. Perhaps that is the saddest part of this whole ordeal. The irony is that i am reading a book that examines Jesus' sermon on the mount, and its implications on our lives as disciples of Jesus.
What a painfully hard thing it would be to tell the relatives of those that Saddam ordered executed that they also sin by rejoicing over his death. That they supported the execution.
Shame on we disciples of Christ if we rejoice over his death, and yet say that we walk in the Light of God's law. For if we do this, it is not God's law that we teach, but America's law, and the two are very different.
While Saddam was alive, his actions condemned him. The more he lived, draped in evil, the more he had to account for.
But now, we, and the Iraqi people have condemned him, and some Christians, added to that for which we will be accountable.
But how can this be? He was an evil man, you say.
i don't dispute that. But if we claim to follow God's law, but do not follow Jesus' teaching, then what God do we follow?
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"Forgive us our debts (sins), as we also have forgiven our debtors (those who have sinned against us)."
". . .everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man. . . "
These aren't my words. They aren't Paul's words. These are Jesus own words. God's words!
i am not here to justify the actions of an evil man, but i am here to make sure that our own actions are consistent with the good news of life that we share.
Be at peace friends.
Somehow i am not really sad. Oddly i am surprised, but somehow not sad. Perhaps that is the saddest part of this whole ordeal. The irony is that i am reading a book that examines Jesus' sermon on the mount, and its implications on our lives as disciples of Jesus.
What a painfully hard thing it would be to tell the relatives of those that Saddam ordered executed that they also sin by rejoicing over his death. That they supported the execution.
Shame on we disciples of Christ if we rejoice over his death, and yet say that we walk in the Light of God's law. For if we do this, it is not God's law that we teach, but America's law, and the two are very different.
While Saddam was alive, his actions condemned him. The more he lived, draped in evil, the more he had to account for.
But now, we, and the Iraqi people have condemned him, and some Christians, added to that for which we will be accountable.
But how can this be? He was an evil man, you say.
i don't dispute that. But if we claim to follow God's law, but do not follow Jesus' teaching, then what God do we follow?
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"Forgive us our debts (sins), as we also have forgiven our debtors (those who have sinned against us)."
". . .everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man. . . "
These aren't my words. They aren't Paul's words. These are Jesus own words. God's words!
i am not here to justify the actions of an evil man, but i am here to make sure that our own actions are consistent with the good news of life that we share.
Be at peace friends.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children.
Often i wondered about that concept.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
And elsewhere he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Never before tonight was this point driven home in such a poignant matter as tonight. My eldest son James, who is five, suffers from "i can only focus on the coolest thing at the moment, thank you" disorder. If you tell him to do something, if you let him side track for even a nanosecond, the previous instruction or thought is gone forever.
Tonight, i was running out of time before i had to leave for work, and i was trying to get the house in order for mommy, who was coming home from work. If this transition is not smooth, it can really wreck the mood for the rest of my wife's evening.
James, who has the week off for Christmas, and i had been pretty busy today running about, and he had asked to take one of my Audubon society books with us while we were out. When we returned home, he left it on the dinning room table instead of returning it to the book shelf.
i had asked him to return the book to the shelf as i was getting ready to leave. Unfortunately he had developed a strong interest in one of his brother's toys and immediately forgotten that i had asked him about the book.
Long story short, this has been an ongoing issue and i lost my temper and sent him to his room. i admit that i was a jerk and could have handled the situation a lot better. i used tones in explaining the situation to my wife that were not nice, and James had been present and heard them.
Before leaving i went and spoke with him and explained my perspective of the situation, and apologized for my short comings, and we talked about the need to listen and pay attention.
He amazes me. He went from really sad, to forgiving me and giggling and playing with me at the speed of thought.
No grudge, no conditions for forgiveness, no second thought, no trepidation about our relationship and how it may be different because of my behaviour. He was just back to plain ol' happy silly James. It was truly awesome, and it made me think of these verses, even as i am starting to re-examine the sermon on the mount, and how to put it into life.
Thank God for little ones. Thank God for God!
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
And elsewhere he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Never before tonight was this point driven home in such a poignant matter as tonight. My eldest son James, who is five, suffers from "i can only focus on the coolest thing at the moment, thank you" disorder. If you tell him to do something, if you let him side track for even a nanosecond, the previous instruction or thought is gone forever.
Tonight, i was running out of time before i had to leave for work, and i was trying to get the house in order for mommy, who was coming home from work. If this transition is not smooth, it can really wreck the mood for the rest of my wife's evening.
James, who has the week off for Christmas, and i had been pretty busy today running about, and he had asked to take one of my Audubon society books with us while we were out. When we returned home, he left it on the dinning room table instead of returning it to the book shelf.
i had asked him to return the book to the shelf as i was getting ready to leave. Unfortunately he had developed a strong interest in one of his brother's toys and immediately forgotten that i had asked him about the book.
Long story short, this has been an ongoing issue and i lost my temper and sent him to his room. i admit that i was a jerk and could have handled the situation a lot better. i used tones in explaining the situation to my wife that were not nice, and James had been present and heard them.
Before leaving i went and spoke with him and explained my perspective of the situation, and apologized for my short comings, and we talked about the need to listen and pay attention.
He amazes me. He went from really sad, to forgiving me and giggling and playing with me at the speed of thought.
No grudge, no conditions for forgiveness, no second thought, no trepidation about our relationship and how it may be different because of my behaviour. He was just back to plain ol' happy silly James. It was truly awesome, and it made me think of these verses, even as i am starting to re-examine the sermon on the mount, and how to put it into life.
Thank God for little ones. Thank God for God!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
When the storms of life swirl. . .
. . . i usually duck for cover and wait them out. Man, oh man, though, recently they have been hitting and hitting hard.
i had what i have come to believe was a nervous system breakdown last week. Twice i was reduced to a sobbing pile of goo on the floor of my house. The latter event didn't happen until after all of the raging energy in the universe found passage through me and back out into space.
i generally pride myself on being impervious to these kinds of things, and i don't take much stock in every Tom, Dick, and Harry leaning on the crutch of depression, or ADHD, or some other overdosed psychosis that can get one a prescription for Ridlin or something more fun. i firmly believe in taking responsibility for ones self. The world is what you make of it, even in hard times.
Last week rocked my thinking on that. i still am trying to come to terms with my own anger and feelings that the world is out to get me. Now. . . i can succumb and go find a shrink and get the quick fix, but i think that i will work through it. i think i have to. i think we all do. If life seems to suck, then change your circumstances. We are only locked into our predicament when we fail to think outside of the box.
This is a far cry from what i wanted to write about. . . love, God. . .love. But perhaps this was important. An outlet perhaps. i hope that it doesn't seem too terribly insensitive. i guess sometimes blunt ideology seems cruel in the face of sheltered polity. We can hide behind things our whole lives, or reach out and suck the marrow from life find solace in the sunsets as well as the sunrises. My friend Jerry is like that. Where is a creature of habit, he likes change.
So back to work, and on to my task of how to explain God to someone who doesn't believe in any such thing.
i had what i have come to believe was a nervous system breakdown last week. Twice i was reduced to a sobbing pile of goo on the floor of my house. The latter event didn't happen until after all of the raging energy in the universe found passage through me and back out into space.
i generally pride myself on being impervious to these kinds of things, and i don't take much stock in every Tom, Dick, and Harry leaning on the crutch of depression, or ADHD, or some other overdosed psychosis that can get one a prescription for Ridlin or something more fun. i firmly believe in taking responsibility for ones self. The world is what you make of it, even in hard times.
Last week rocked my thinking on that. i still am trying to come to terms with my own anger and feelings that the world is out to get me. Now. . . i can succumb and go find a shrink and get the quick fix, but i think that i will work through it. i think i have to. i think we all do. If life seems to suck, then change your circumstances. We are only locked into our predicament when we fail to think outside of the box.
This is a far cry from what i wanted to write about. . . love, God. . .love. But perhaps this was important. An outlet perhaps. i hope that it doesn't seem too terribly insensitive. i guess sometimes blunt ideology seems cruel in the face of sheltered polity. We can hide behind things our whole lives, or reach out and suck the marrow from life find solace in the sunsets as well as the sunrises. My friend Jerry is like that. Where is a creature of habit, he likes change.
So back to work, and on to my task of how to explain God to someone who doesn't believe in any such thing.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Thanks to our friends at ECM
East Central Ministries is an outfit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. i have been a subscriber to their periodical updates, but an unfaithful servant financially to them. They seem to really be movin' and shakin' these last few years, and it is awesome and amazing to read about how the seek to serve others and be the living hands and feet of God to those in need. They do not discriminate based on anything (including the possession of a green card or citizenship).
It was there last update that found resonation deep inside me. For an employee wrote of their thoughts on the year past and the one coming, and she tied a bit from the letter to the Roman Church in it.
"This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, 'What's next, Papa?'" (From the message translation)
Earlier in that same paragraph Paul writes about the joy that while we must fill out our commitment to live and die on this rock, that we no longer live and die according to it's rules. When we live, if God is with us, we are filled with hope, not despair. As the world decays around us, and as we decay, we are not to think so much of the world's future, but to think on what we will come into in God's glory.
". . . the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace. . . "
Thanks Amber. Thanks John. i needed that.
It was there last update that found resonation deep inside me. For an employee wrote of their thoughts on the year past and the one coming, and she tied a bit from the letter to the Roman Church in it.
"This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, 'What's next, Papa?'" (From the message translation)
Earlier in that same paragraph Paul writes about the joy that while we must fill out our commitment to live and die on this rock, that we no longer live and die according to it's rules. When we live, if God is with us, we are filled with hope, not despair. As the world decays around us, and as we decay, we are not to think so much of the world's future, but to think on what we will come into in God's glory.
". . . the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace. . . "
Thanks Amber. Thanks John. i needed that.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Splittin' hairs to reach the point. . .
i know that i sometimes split hairs about things that perhaps don't really matter. It often times is words that i am splitting hairs over. i try to take more stock in words than not, because after all we established language for a purpose. Recently a local radio station that plays music praising God (some would call this Christian radio. . .but can a radio ora station be a Christian? See what i mean) had a little inspirational commercial that i liked. Usually these tidbits bug me. This one was different. It lacked the "religious" opinion and feel to it, and it got back to the simplicity of the church.
In their little ditty the radio station pointed out the subtle silliness of the phrase "I am going to Church."
My beef with words is this - We establish words for the purpose of communication, and while i don't want to spend the rest of my days arguing over words, we should also be cautious because tinkering with language can completely alter the meanings of words and phrases over time. Sometimes, when we stop paying attention, the littlest alteration to the meaning of a word can, over time, contort the intentions of texts and speaches from history.
So in the inspirational bit they pointed out that the words from which we derived the English word "church", roughly translated, means "a group of people that are set apart". So the church isn't the building but the people. For the sake of historical accuracy, perhaps, if you change the wording a bit the phrase may make more sense. Like, "i am going to the church." Meaning that you are going to were the church is meeting. Or you could say, "i am going to where the church is meeting."
More realistically though, the station pointed out, because the church is the community of people set apart, we should ask ourselves, "Where are we taking the church?"
We don't go to church, we are the church. So where are we taking the church? Are we stationary like a building? Or are we movin' and a shaking? Another sign i saw this week read, "True Christianity inspires to action."Love aggressively . . . i guess that is one way to look at it.
In their little ditty the radio station pointed out the subtle silliness of the phrase "I am going to Church."
My beef with words is this - We establish words for the purpose of communication, and while i don't want to spend the rest of my days arguing over words, we should also be cautious because tinkering with language can completely alter the meanings of words and phrases over time. Sometimes, when we stop paying attention, the littlest alteration to the meaning of a word can, over time, contort the intentions of texts and speaches from history.
So in the inspirational bit they pointed out that the words from which we derived the English word "church", roughly translated, means "a group of people that are set apart". So the church isn't the building but the people. For the sake of historical accuracy, perhaps, if you change the wording a bit the phrase may make more sense. Like, "i am going to the church." Meaning that you are going to were the church is meeting. Or you could say, "i am going to where the church is meeting."
More realistically though, the station pointed out, because the church is the community of people set apart, we should ask ourselves, "Where are we taking the church?"
We don't go to church, we are the church. So where are we taking the church? Are we stationary like a building? Or are we movin' and a shaking? Another sign i saw this week read, "True Christianity inspires to action."Love aggressively . . . i guess that is one way to look at it.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
It's 0430 on the East coast
i added a counter to my blog. i like it. Not because it tells me that my blog is totally private, i think that i am the only person that comes here. But also because should someone invade my not-so-private mental universe, i will know about it.
i was just wandering through Doug Pagitt's blog and website. i leave it with a mix of joy and melancholy. i feel jealous. Not because i want fame and notoriety, but because he has, in Solomon's Porch, a forward thinking community of believers. Something that is almost totally non-existent here. But perhaps that is in part my own fault. i have been distant. i have been selfish, i have been self absorbed.
How can God bless the dreams of such a man? We (and by we i mean my whole family) are too busy. We make time for everything but each other and outward service. Or maybe just aggresive outward service. It's easier to be wrapped up in our own little world than it is to get out, especially with the kids in winter. But this is not what i really want.
Sometimes i am so confused about what i want. . . a large progressive fellowship that is able to "do" a lot of things, or do i want a small outside of the box fellowship.. . . uninhibited by me.
i was just wandering through Doug Pagitt's blog and website. i leave it with a mix of joy and melancholy. i feel jealous. Not because i want fame and notoriety, but because he has, in Solomon's Porch, a forward thinking community of believers. Something that is almost totally non-existent here. But perhaps that is in part my own fault. i have been distant. i have been selfish, i have been self absorbed.
How can God bless the dreams of such a man? We (and by we i mean my whole family) are too busy. We make time for everything but each other and outward service. Or maybe just aggresive outward service. It's easier to be wrapped up in our own little world than it is to get out, especially with the kids in winter. But this is not what i really want.
Sometimes i am so confused about what i want. . . a large progressive fellowship that is able to "do" a lot of things, or do i want a small outside of the box fellowship.. . . uninhibited by me.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Splittin' hairs to reach the source . . .
i know that i sometimes split hairs about things that perhaps don't really matter. It often times is words. i try to take more stock in words than not.
Recently a local radio station that plays music praising God (some would call this Christian radio. . .but can a radio be Christian? See what i mean) had a little inspirational commercial that i liked. Usually these tidbits bug me. This on was different. It lacked the "religious" opinion and feel to it, and it got back to the simplicity of the church.
In their little ditty the radio station pointed out the subtle silliness of the phrase "I am going to Church."
My beef with words is this. We establish words for the purpose of communication, and while i don't want to spend the rest of my days arguing over words, we should also be cautious. Sometimes, when we stop paying attention, the littlest alteration of the meaning of a word can, over time, completely change the meaning of that word.
So in the inspirational bit they pointed out that the words from which we derived the English word "church", roughly translated, means "a group of people that are set apart".
So the church isn't the building but the people. Perhaps if you change your wording a bit it may make more sense. Like, "i am going to the church." Meaning that you are going to were the church is meeting.
Or you could say, "i am going to where the church is meeting."
More realistically though, the station pointed out, because the church is the people, we should ask ourselves, "Where are we taking the church?"
We don't go to church, we are the church. So where are we taking the church? Are we stationary like a building? Or are we movin' and a shaking?
Another sign i saw this week read, "True Christianity inspires to action."
Love aggressively . . . i guess that is one way to look at it.
Recently a local radio station that plays music praising God (some would call this Christian radio. . .but can a radio be Christian? See what i mean) had a little inspirational commercial that i liked. Usually these tidbits bug me. This on was different. It lacked the "religious" opinion and feel to it, and it got back to the simplicity of the church.
In their little ditty the radio station pointed out the subtle silliness of the phrase "I am going to Church."
My beef with words is this. We establish words for the purpose of communication, and while i don't want to spend the rest of my days arguing over words, we should also be cautious. Sometimes, when we stop paying attention, the littlest alteration of the meaning of a word can, over time, completely change the meaning of that word.
So in the inspirational bit they pointed out that the words from which we derived the English word "church", roughly translated, means "a group of people that are set apart".
So the church isn't the building but the people. Perhaps if you change your wording a bit it may make more sense. Like, "i am going to the church." Meaning that you are going to were the church is meeting.
Or you could say, "i am going to where the church is meeting."
More realistically though, the station pointed out, because the church is the people, we should ask ourselves, "Where are we taking the church?"
We don't go to church, we are the church. So where are we taking the church? Are we stationary like a building? Or are we movin' and a shaking?
Another sign i saw this week read, "True Christianity inspires to action."
Love aggressively . . . i guess that is one way to look at it.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Living Simply
Today Tom and i were talking, and he, after some thought, noted that it is impossible to live simply in our society today. Forgive me Tom if i miss understood you.
Tom is a man of deep thought about the value of this life versus the next. He weighs the importance of things based on Heaven, and communion with God. Needless to say he doesn't place a lot of stock in much other than sharing the God and communing with the Creator until culmination of all things. . . or death. Which ever gets him to heaven first.
In his statement he mentioned that even if we try to live simply we are still tied into the systems of this world somehow. Can we really live simply and still be dependant on others that are consumed with capitalism?
i think that there is a difference between living simply and not taking some advantage of the fact that God has given us so much to enjoy on this planet. Because we have made the earth evil, does that mean that we should not enjoy the things that God made that are still good?
We are clearly here for a purpose. If God didn't want us here, then we wouldn't be here.
i think that living simply, at least in this day and age, is living and being content with what you need and delving into every want that comes across your path.
Those are my ramblings. . . i welcome yours.
Tom is a man of deep thought about the value of this life versus the next. He weighs the importance of things based on Heaven, and communion with God. Needless to say he doesn't place a lot of stock in much other than sharing the God and communing with the Creator until culmination of all things. . . or death. Which ever gets him to heaven first.
In his statement he mentioned that even if we try to live simply we are still tied into the systems of this world somehow. Can we really live simply and still be dependant on others that are consumed with capitalism?
i think that there is a difference between living simply and not taking some advantage of the fact that God has given us so much to enjoy on this planet. Because we have made the earth evil, does that mean that we should not enjoy the things that God made that are still good?
We are clearly here for a purpose. If God didn't want us here, then we wouldn't be here.
i think that living simply, at least in this day and age, is living and being content with what you need and delving into every want that comes across your path.
Those are my ramblings. . . i welcome yours.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Turmoil is nearly over. . .
Whew! We survived our trip to Missouri. No injuries or dismemberment aside from a sprained finger from scarpping with my older brother (you are never too old for horse play).
No if i can just survive the logistical nightmare that is the rest of my week. Getting kids to and fro while i try to get to a mandatory training and then figure out whether i have to make up hours. . . It's almost over.
Our trip home was rather enlightening. There was much that i was thankful for. There was much that i enjoyed. There were also several issues that made me sad. i noticed for the first time that my mother is old. She looks like an old woman. i noticed gray hairs in my brothers goatee. i noticed that we have all grown old, and that in many ways we have grown apart. We are still the happy disfunctional family that we always were. We love each other in our own disfunctional ways, and we tolerate each other as best we can, but we are different. It doesn't feel much like home anymore.
Erroded is the sense of togetherness and family bond, the self sacrifice that makes a cohesive community or family. Perhaps it never existed, and i am just now able to see that. Perhaps it left with Dad, i don't know.
We are all sucked into our own little worlds. i became self aware that i am a different person around them, and not a person that i am proud of. Selfish, untrusting, too liberal in my wanting things to not have changed. i noticed that several branches have become quite self involved, not willing to yield, but wanting the world to exist within their sphere of control. Only my brother seems static now. The only change being that he is married and so now must consider the interests of his wife (who is, by the way, really awesome!).
i know that it is foolish to look back at the past because we can never regain it. It is always best to look to the future with hope and optimism. But still somewhere i am nostolgic for the old days.
No if i can just survive the logistical nightmare that is the rest of my week. Getting kids to and fro while i try to get to a mandatory training and then figure out whether i have to make up hours. . . It's almost over.
Our trip home was rather enlightening. There was much that i was thankful for. There was much that i enjoyed. There were also several issues that made me sad. i noticed for the first time that my mother is old. She looks like an old woman. i noticed gray hairs in my brothers goatee. i noticed that we have all grown old, and that in many ways we have grown apart. We are still the happy disfunctional family that we always were. We love each other in our own disfunctional ways, and we tolerate each other as best we can, but we are different. It doesn't feel much like home anymore.
Erroded is the sense of togetherness and family bond, the self sacrifice that makes a cohesive community or family. Perhaps it never existed, and i am just now able to see that. Perhaps it left with Dad, i don't know.
We are all sucked into our own little worlds. i became self aware that i am a different person around them, and not a person that i am proud of. Selfish, untrusting, too liberal in my wanting things to not have changed. i noticed that several branches have become quite self involved, not willing to yield, but wanting the world to exist within their sphere of control. Only my brother seems static now. The only change being that he is married and so now must consider the interests of his wife (who is, by the way, really awesome!).
i know that it is foolish to look back at the past because we can never regain it. It is always best to look to the future with hope and optimism. But still somewhere i am nostolgic for the old days.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Love
There is a deep, deep well of compassion that exists in the universe. The depths of this are unknown. If Alice fell in it back on independance day back in 1865 she would still be falling, at this point probably wondering if she may eventually reach the bottom.
The deeper one falls into compassion's abyss, the more love one can feel and express, and the more one expresses love, the farther into compassion one plummets. What a rush, as one falls. This is not a fall that instills terror or fear. The leap benefits all and inspires all.
This compassion is not a perpetual giddyness. This compassion smiles with the joys of others, crys tears with the tears of others. This compassions heart sinks into the pit of it's stomach with the anxiety of others. In all it lives in the perfect community of all mankind and reinforces all mankind by giving us the gift of feeling for one another. We are in perfect community and reinforce one another, so that no one is abandoned or alone.
The deeper one falls into compassion's abyss, the more love one can feel and express, and the more one expresses love, the farther into compassion one plummets. What a rush, as one falls. This is not a fall that instills terror or fear. The leap benefits all and inspires all.
This compassion is not a perpetual giddyness. This compassion smiles with the joys of others, crys tears with the tears of others. This compassions heart sinks into the pit of it's stomach with the anxiety of others. In all it lives in the perfect community of all mankind and reinforces all mankind by giving us the gift of feeling for one another. We are in perfect community and reinforce one another, so that no one is abandoned or alone.
Be at peace
That is the way i try to close out all of my e-mails. But really it has been more advise given than advise taken. It's a nice sentiment, a pleasant dream; but like our witness, can it hold any water if we ourselves do not live it?
Can i tell you to be at peace if i myself am in perpetual turmoil. If i harbor hate, can i instill in others the need to find peace?
i find that i am most at peace when i am driving in my truck, or sitting in the woods. The irony here is that recently, more often than not, even when i am in one of my quiet spots all i have been able to think about is that which brings me the most angst. But today on my way into work i found a sense of peace about the universe. It came with the realization that i have to surrender all that i hold as static in my life. My house, my truck, my hobbies, even my station.
This is not the easiest thing to swallow, but the more that i meditate on it, the more truth i find in it. From the perspective of a family head it is even harder, but again, like my witness of the goodness of God, am i living what i say that i believe? Does padding the walls of the bubble that my children live in actually serve them best?
True before i can openly abandon everything i know to be comfortable i must have the full unity of my wife, but the children are still young. It would be easier to teach them now, than to unteach and reteach them later, once they are comfortable and ingrained with a particular pattern.
In meditating on this peace, i found that i must re-examine the things in my life (work) that frustrates me most (work) and ask myself, "Why?" Why, does it frustrate me. Are my reasons noble (no)? Have i allowed others opinions to poison my mind (yes), or are my ideas and frustrations wholly my own (no).
In all of this, i must also accept criticism, punishment, and persecution for my actions, and i must accept them unbegrudgingly.
There is a lot too this and it is hard. It is hard to wrap my mind around this at all times of day. It is easy to grasp when i am still, quiet and alone. When the world seems to be moving faster than the speed of thought, though, it is infinitely harder to keep hold of this peace.
Can i tell you to be at peace if i myself am in perpetual turmoil. If i harbor hate, can i instill in others the need to find peace?
i find that i am most at peace when i am driving in my truck, or sitting in the woods. The irony here is that recently, more often than not, even when i am in one of my quiet spots all i have been able to think about is that which brings me the most angst. But today on my way into work i found a sense of peace about the universe. It came with the realization that i have to surrender all that i hold as static in my life. My house, my truck, my hobbies, even my station.
This is not the easiest thing to swallow, but the more that i meditate on it, the more truth i find in it. From the perspective of a family head it is even harder, but again, like my witness of the goodness of God, am i living what i say that i believe? Does padding the walls of the bubble that my children live in actually serve them best?
True before i can openly abandon everything i know to be comfortable i must have the full unity of my wife, but the children are still young. It would be easier to teach them now, than to unteach and reteach them later, once they are comfortable and ingrained with a particular pattern.
In meditating on this peace, i found that i must re-examine the things in my life (work) that frustrates me most (work) and ask myself, "Why?" Why, does it frustrate me. Are my reasons noble (no)? Have i allowed others opinions to poison my mind (yes), or are my ideas and frustrations wholly my own (no).
In all of this, i must also accept criticism, punishment, and persecution for my actions, and i must accept them unbegrudgingly.
There is a lot too this and it is hard. It is hard to wrap my mind around this at all times of day. It is easy to grasp when i am still, quiet and alone. When the world seems to be moving faster than the speed of thought, though, it is infinitely harder to keep hold of this peace.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
God sends. . . deer?!?
A friend of mine pursues God with his all. This tale may seem somewhat unbelievable, perhaps a bit like coincidence, but the events in this story are true, as related by the man that lived them. (Isn't that a great way to start a story?!?!)
My friend has no job as you and i understand jobs, but he has devoted his whole life to working with kids in the local youth detention center. He avidly studies eschatology and eagerly awaits the return of the Lord. In his dealings with everyone, especially the kids, he shares his love of God, and what he has learned and studied of the end of the world.
Recently in conversation with one of the kids in the youth center, he was told that one of the other chaplains wished that my friend would spend more time teaching about love and dealing with life now, and less time on the end of the world. This as you can imagine was discouraging.
The next day he sat in his tree stand, for you see, he is an avid bow hunter, and he likes to spend his time in the woods, where he brings his pocket bible and reads. And so it was that he was sitting in his tree stand thinking about the conversation that he had with the young man, and the comments about his focus. He commit his time to the Lord, brought out his pocket bible and opened it at random hoping to receive a message from the Lord. He opened his bible to Revelation 22:10 which reads: "Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near."
His first thought was that there was an amazing chance that this was a coincidence, but that it could also be a message from God. So in his uncertainty, he prayed, "Lord, if this is the real deal, i need a sign so that I will know that that this is not just a coincidence. Send me a deer and i will know."
No sooner had he he finished praying than a forked antlered buck walked out of the woods and directly to him. He shot and hit it in the shoulder. It was the first antlered deer that he has ever shot.
This story is true. It confirms for me some thoughts of Blumhardt about expecting God to be active in this day and age in our lives.
My friend has no job as you and i understand jobs, but he has devoted his whole life to working with kids in the local youth detention center. He avidly studies eschatology and eagerly awaits the return of the Lord. In his dealings with everyone, especially the kids, he shares his love of God, and what he has learned and studied of the end of the world.
Recently in conversation with one of the kids in the youth center, he was told that one of the other chaplains wished that my friend would spend more time teaching about love and dealing with life now, and less time on the end of the world. This as you can imagine was discouraging.
The next day he sat in his tree stand, for you see, he is an avid bow hunter, and he likes to spend his time in the woods, where he brings his pocket bible and reads. And so it was that he was sitting in his tree stand thinking about the conversation that he had with the young man, and the comments about his focus. He commit his time to the Lord, brought out his pocket bible and opened it at random hoping to receive a message from the Lord. He opened his bible to Revelation 22:10 which reads: "Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near."
His first thought was that there was an amazing chance that this was a coincidence, but that it could also be a message from God. So in his uncertainty, he prayed, "Lord, if this is the real deal, i need a sign so that I will know that that this is not just a coincidence. Send me a deer and i will know."
No sooner had he he finished praying than a forked antlered buck walked out of the woods and directly to him. He shot and hit it in the shoulder. It was the first antlered deer that he has ever shot.
This story is true. It confirms for me some thoughts of Blumhardt about expecting God to be active in this day and age in our lives.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Prayer fat
Ugh, what a day. It's Saturday, hunting season, and i should have been out in the woods sitting beneath a tree. Alas i woke up and my wife was home with two of the kids and a friend.
She told me that she wanted me to stay home and play cards. So of course i did.
By staying home, i actually found that i had an extra hour before work (had i gone out i would have been coming out of the woods just in time to get to work). The wife had to leave with the kids and friend, so not only did i have an hour to spare, but i had an hour alone. . . cool.
It's been a long time since i have just sat and prayed, and i have to admit that it was a bit of a struggle to just sit there, and pray. But i did, not for long, but i did. Wow are my prayer muscles out of shape. Got just a little prayer fat i guess. The weird part was how hard it was to stay focused. It was hard, but it was good. i hope to make a better habit of this, and maybe drag the wife in on it too!!!
She told me that she wanted me to stay home and play cards. So of course i did.
By staying home, i actually found that i had an extra hour before work (had i gone out i would have been coming out of the woods just in time to get to work). The wife had to leave with the kids and friend, so not only did i have an hour to spare, but i had an hour alone. . . cool.
It's been a long time since i have just sat and prayed, and i have to admit that it was a bit of a struggle to just sit there, and pray. But i did, not for long, but i did. Wow are my prayer muscles out of shape. Got just a little prayer fat i guess. The weird part was how hard it was to stay focused. It was hard, but it was good. i hope to make a better habit of this, and maybe drag the wife in on it too!!!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
A little man time
What a day! Thursdays are the days that i have no family. The wife is off to work, the babies are off to daycare and the oldest is off to school. i work nights, so Thursdays are a blessed day, a day of uninterrupted sleep! Yeah!!!
In my efforts to become more self sufficient and healthier in eating habits, i hunt. Personal feelings and questions of ethics aside, it is not a bad thing. Some see it as inhumane. . . most of the same people eat at Burger King. Go figure.
Anyway, my oldest asked if he could go sit in the woods with me. Of course i was all over that. Time with just me and my oldest son is a covetted thing. So off we went. i figured we wouldn't see anything. . .he is five, and if you can figure out how to get a five year old to sit still for any length of time i would sure like to know. So we spent our time eating Reeses Pieces and whispering back and forth (pretending to be still and quiet).
We talked about everything from the candy we were eating to what a leaf falling sounds like. But the best part was when we got to talking about my father, who is three years deceased. My son asked if he was in heaven, then we talked about all the people that we would be able to see in heaven. We came around to Zacheus, a tax collector from back in the day, who was a bit of a crook. My son came to the conclusion (by himself mind you) that the most important thing in life is not stuff, but helping other people.
What a rush to hear my five year old tell me that the most important thing in life is to help other people. One of the more joyful moments in my parenting career!
We didn't see anything, and it was cold out, but we did keep the Reeses people in business one more day. It was a good thing that we brought the KitKat's too. . . cuz the Reeses didn't last long!
In my efforts to become more self sufficient and healthier in eating habits, i hunt. Personal feelings and questions of ethics aside, it is not a bad thing. Some see it as inhumane. . . most of the same people eat at Burger King. Go figure.
Anyway, my oldest asked if he could go sit in the woods with me. Of course i was all over that. Time with just me and my oldest son is a covetted thing. So off we went. i figured we wouldn't see anything. . .he is five, and if you can figure out how to get a five year old to sit still for any length of time i would sure like to know. So we spent our time eating Reeses Pieces and whispering back and forth (pretending to be still and quiet).
We talked about everything from the candy we were eating to what a leaf falling sounds like. But the best part was when we got to talking about my father, who is three years deceased. My son asked if he was in heaven, then we talked about all the people that we would be able to see in heaven. We came around to Zacheus, a tax collector from back in the day, who was a bit of a crook. My son came to the conclusion (by himself mind you) that the most important thing in life is not stuff, but helping other people.
What a rush to hear my five year old tell me that the most important thing in life is to help other people. One of the more joyful moments in my parenting career!
We didn't see anything, and it was cold out, but we did keep the Reeses people in business one more day. It was a good thing that we brought the KitKat's too. . . cuz the Reeses didn't last long!
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