Walking on air

I signed up to pray while our 11 o'clock church service service was going on. A few would gather in the little chapel and ask God's blessings upon the service.After I signed up,I thought: "How in the world am I going to pray for an hour? I'll run out of things to pray a lot faster than that". Let me tell you,it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.There were 4 of us,Ray and John,whom I had never met,and my dear brother Steve,who was our small group Bible study leader,and who's name on the sign up sheet encouraged me to sign up,too.We prayed and cried out to God,and that hour just flew by.The Lord met with us there,we felt His presence.It was an amazing feeling. Walking to our cars, Steve said he felt like he was walking on air.He was so right,it felt as if my feet weren't even touching the ground.Man,to be in His presence.Lord,instead of bringing my own "laundry list" of needs to You,help me just to talk with You, worship You, listen to You,bring OTHER'S needs before you.When I do that,I KNOW that you will be pleased,I KNOW that You will meet with me,I know that You will take care of those unspoken needs that I have.

The Wall

When I was working the graveyard shift,my uncle Hank told me that about 3 0r 4 in the morning,every morning, I would hit "a wall". My body would want to shut down and go to sleep. It was like it was saying"Hey,you should be sleeping"!He was so right,it happened all the time. I had to battle through it,and keep going,and then I would get my second wind and be ok. Sometimes it's like that in my walk with Jesus. I hit a wall.Nothing much happening, the hum drum of everyday life,work, routine,not much excitement.Same solution as the 3am sleepies. KEEP GOING. Keep at it for Jesus,keep connected to Him,keep moving for Him,don't go to sleep.People out there need to see Him in me.Lord,thanks for the many "second winds" You have given to me. Thank you that when I need more, I can come to You.

Tammie and the pill

A buddy that I grew up with had a dog named Tammie. The dog had some sort of ear infection,and had to take pills. They couldn't get this dog to swallow the pills no matter what they did. I told them that I would take care of it. So I had them give me a couple pieces of meat,threw them to the dog one at at time,the dog caught them in the air,swallowed them,not knowing that the second piece contained the pill.My buddies' family were beside themselves.You'd have thought I had cured a disease or something. As a matter of fact,my sister ran into my friend's mom and sister(this was a couple years ago,and some 20 years after the pill episode),and they mentioned the pill to her. A seemingly insignificant thing to me still had an impact on others 20 years later. A sobering thought,for sure. Lord help me to realize that those things that I say and do,no matter how small,no matter how insignificant,may impact other lives. Please help those words and deeds to be good,loving,helpful,encouraging,reflecting YOU to those I contact.

Zoned in

I played a lot of baseball games in my time. Shortstop most of the time. I made a ton of errors,so many in fact,I had to wear a football helmet on the field to protect myself from the objects people disgustingly threw at me. There was one game, however where I was zoned in. Caught everthing hit to me, made a couple of "highlight reel" plays. I was saying"C'mon, hit it to me". They couldn't have gotten a BB by me that day. I need to be zoned in when I attend church this Sunday.Too many times I've stayed up way too late and been to tired to focus,or I've let my mind wander to other things.It's a great feeling to be in zoned in,nothing distracts you,you are completely focused. Lord, after all You do,and have done for me, the least I could do is to be focused on You,"zoned in" on You. Please help me get to that place.

Thanks, coach

It was a pretty busy night at the school,as usual. The girl scouts had a Halloween party(I have my mask on 365 days a year),there was a vollyball game,and a couple of practices. One of the coaches went the extra mile, and in doing so,helped me out.He said"That's what we do".It was like he was saying: that's normal for us,nothing out of the ordinary.It's a lesson that hit home. I'm a Christian,a follower of Jesus,so when I do something nice for someone, show kindness, go the extra mile,it should be nothing out of the ordinary,it should be "that's what I(as a Jesus follower) do".Like it or not,I am an exhibitionist,people are watching what I do,seeing if my actions back up my words. May they say to one another about me, "No surprise,that's what Christians do". As my brother Steve says, "Don't just talk the talk,WALK THE WALK". Lord,let it be natural for me to follow You,let it be "that's what I do".

DDD

I think most of us live pretty routine lives.My niece posted a "Day in the Life" blog on her site. I couldn't do that,this page would be completely blank. The only purpose it might serve is curing a few insomniacs.In any event,It's pretty easy to feel all holy and spiritual when you are in church,or at a Bible study,or prayer meeting,or when you are singing and worshipping God.At least it is for me.But to quote Oswald Chambers from "My Utmost For His Highest", "It takes the supernatural grace of God to live the the 24 hour life as a saint,to do the Daily Drugery as a Disciple". The 3 d's. Daily drugery as a disciple. He's just saying that most of us just do life. There's not a lot of fanfare, not a lot of tremendously exciting things going on, we're just out here,doing our thing, doing life, whatever that may entail. It's in the nuts and bolts of life that I need that supernatural grace of God that Chambers talks about. Thank you Lord that it's available,thank you that I can come to You when I need it,which is SO OFTEN,and thank you for how it has seen me through.

The Red Umbrella

My bride and I were blessed to be able to go to Pasadena last year,and witness the Tournament of Roses Parade in person.It was truly an amazing experience.1 MILLION people there,lining the 5 mile parade route.It was a pretty good hike from the bus to our seats,and Joan,our tour director,came up with the great idea of carrying a red umbrella,and holding it high,so we wouldn't get lost or separated from the group in the midst of the throng of people.Let me tell you,there were a couple of times where we lost sight of her,and panic was starting to set in.Then I remembered,"Look up,look for the red umbrella".There it was,there she was,what a relief!Lord,when those fearful times come,when those anxious thoughts come,when I feel like I'm losing my way,help me remember to LOOK UP.It's there that I find peace,it's there that I find YOU.

Dangerfield

I remember a joke Rodney Danderfield told on the Tonight Show. He said he went out with a girl so ugly,that when you looked up the word ugly in the dictionary,her picture was there. Johnny Carson almost fell out of his chair. Very funny stuff. It got me thinking though. Is my picture by any words? How about, lazy,selfish,unmotivated,timid, comfortable,pizza,baseball,cats to name a few.Look those up in the dictionary,you just may see my mug there. I know a few people who have their picture next to good words, good qualities. Just mention their name,and immediately those words and qualities come to mind. If my name comes up,what words come to mind? Lord,please help me to be the kind of person where those words are good,and pleasing to You.

Buddies

I think they were buddies,then something went terribly wrong. Or they struck up a friendship somehow.In any event,this day lives in my memory today. It was at a baseball game in Pittsburgh a few years ago.2 guys,both in their late 20's I would say,were in front of us, one healthy, one in a wheelchair.The guy in the wheelchair was either severely brain damaged(maybe from an accident?),or had severe cerebral palsy. But boy,he loved his baseball! It was in the high 90's that day,and humid. This guy's buddy had one of those little portable fans. He fanned his friend ,wiped his brow, gave him water through a straw, all the while while they hung out together and watched some ball. It was the greatest act of human kindness that I have ever seen, and haven't seen since. THAT'S how I'm supposed to love! THAT"S how I'm supposed to treat my fellow man. Lord, please help me to be somewhere near that love, and to realize that acts of love towards others may touch lives unknown to us, as this one has done for me.

Glitter

Glitter is one of the hardest things to clean up. They seem to use a lot of it at the school where I work. It gets everywhere. You can vaccum it,sweep it, use a wet mop on it,use your fingers, and you think you get it all, but you don't. Sometimes it looks like you didn't even attempt to clean it . I like to say that it is a "process" though. You just keep at it, and eventually you get it all.That's how my walk with the Lord is,it's a process. I would like to be like Him all the time,but I'm not.I keep at it.He helps me,forgives me when I fail, and reminds me that, like cleaning glitter, becoming a good relection of Him is a process,a work in progress. Thanks Lord,for your patience.

Elephant Ears

I have huge ears,I mean HUGE. I was told it's because I rolled them up,and then unrolled them when I was a kid. I sometimes can hear dogs barking 3 miles away,I have to put lead in my shoes on windy days or I go airborne,"No you can't shave your head,you'll look like a loving cup",that's how big they are.Still though,I sometimes don't hear well. It just depends on whether I'm really listening, really paying attention. Lord,when I go to your house this Sunday,and the music is sung,and the message is given,help me to put my spiritual ears on,and hear what you have to say to me.

A lesson from Meow

I remember having the flu many years ago,when we were living in our apartment. I woke up in the middle of the night,sick as a dog,and proceeded to puke my guts out.During the middle of the ralphing,I looked next to me,and there was our cat,Meow. He had squeezed in between the bathtub and toilet,and he was laying there, watching me upchuck repeatedly.He just wanted to be with me. After I cleaned up, I thought it was really cool of that cat to be there for me,offering what support he could.It taught me a good lesson.That's how I am supposed to be to my fellow man:there,available,willing to help,alongside them in their time of need.Hmm... sounds a lot like how The Lord IS to me ALWAYS.He'll get right in those tight places with us,and we'll have HIS presence, and HIS support,and HIS help. Thanks, Meow,for the lesson. See you in heaven.

Disco

I love disco music! I didn't always. I hated it in the 70's when I was in high school.It was an amazing fad that burst on the scene,was unbelievably popular,and then just as quickly faded and died. Good riddance back then. Now I like the music, it's too bad that I'm too old and feeble to dance to it.There have been a lot of fads come and go over the years,the hula hoop,pop rocks, bed races,flower power,paisley ties to name a few. A lot of the Jewish leaders thought that this religion founded by Jesus, this Christianity,was a fad,and that it would fade away.Well,2000 years later, Jesus is still going strong.Millions of changed lives(mine included) are proof of that.

The Sound Of Music

I saw The Sound Of Music at the drive in , 1963 or 1964.I was 5 or 6 years old. Then we got the record album with all the songs from it. We played it over and over. "My Favorite Things" was a song from that flick. "When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad". Great song. With apologies to Julie Andrews, the 2007 version goes: "I'm so boring, now you're snoring, makes me feel so sad. But I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad". Here are a few of them, in no particular order: Pizza,with triple cheese,triple pepperoni cold,wet cat noses, baseball trips with my friend Mark, my bride's french toast(NOBODY makes it better), watching George Brett swing a bat, The Match Game, lasagna, college football Saturday with Mark(the women shop,the men eat junk food and watch football), The Chapel at Crosspiont, Court TV(Forensic Files, Body of Evidence) Birds bathing or drinking , A Dairy Queen Blizzard, Leave It To Beaver and The Munsters. A side note: The do not call list is expiring.Now I will have all sorts of salespeople calling and listening to my message on the answering machine. I may cure an insomniac or two. Maybe I've found my calling...

Disney

My bride and I went to Disney in Florida a couple of years ago. I had never been there,and Diane and K.P. guided us and helped us have a great time. I had heard a lot about Disney from many people,how great it was, how great a time I'll have, etc. Well, Disney was everything it was cracked up to be,it was just like everyone said,just as advertised. What about this Jesus? Is He the real deal? I can tell you for certain that I was pretty much down and out when I gave my life to Him many years ago. He has given me love,forgiveness, joy peace,mercy, grace, the best wife,wonderful Christian friends,an awesome church,material blessings beyond measure,plus,a home in heaven with Him.I could go on and on and on,there isn't enough space to tell all that He has done for me and continues to do for me every day.Yes, Jesus is as advertised,He's all that He's cracked up to be. No doubt. In fact, I'm staking eternity on it.

Uncle Bob

There are certain people in this world whom,when you are with them,make you feel good.I certainly am not one of them. In fact,tellers close their windows when they see me coming,checkout people turn off their lights,and I have to go to the self checkout station. My Uncle Bob was someone who always made me feel good when I saw him. In fact,after we had parted ways,I still felt happy for a long time afterward that I got to see him. He had that gift of making you feel glad that you were with him,and just making you feel good. The world was a much better place because of him.I always looked forward to seeing him. I pray that I could be a little like him,instead of people running or reaching for the barf bag when they see me.If I keep connected to The Lord,and let HIS light,and HIS life shine out from me,hopefully I can be an "Uncle Bob" to someone.

Probation

Where I work,I sign a contract every September that is good for one year.However,this September I signed a contract that is only for 3 months,and will be reviewed at the end of the year.It's like I'm on probation.A couple of screw ups and I may be out the door,relegated to putting the dark glasses on,getting the tin cup,going downtown,and selling pencils.I'm so thankful that there is no probation with our Lord. If that were the case,I'd have been booted out a long time ago. I make so many mistakes,so many screw ups in my walk with Him,yet He says in Psalm 86:5 that He is "good,ready to forgive,PLENTEOUS in mercy".Thank God,there is enough mercy for me,plenty in fact. Boy I sure need it. Let's see, we receive from Him: Grace upon grace, plenteous mercy, unconditional love.That's the kind of God I want to know better,that's the kind of God I entrust my life to.