Wednesday, September 23, 2009

While They're Around

On Monday, we had to put our Chocolate Lab, Charlie, down due to the cancer he was fighting.  It is funny how a dog can become so ingrained in your life.  And how you miss them when they are gone.  I walk through the door expecting to see and hear him and he is not there.  Then I realize the emptiness.

The same is true for others in our lives.  We are surrounded by friends and family that we take for granted.  We sometimes neglect to tell them how we feel; we just expect them to always be around.  Then, circumstances change.  They move...you move.  They end their their journey in this world.  Whatever the circumstances, when they are not there, we feel the emptiness, the loneliness.  We realize the missed opportunity to express our love.

Don't let today go by without telling those you care about how you feel.  Celebrate the friendship of that special someone.  Let them know you care.

To my family and close friends...you know who you are.  I love you!  You too, Charlie Dawg.

Monday, September 21, 2009

What Keeps Us Apart

On Saturday I visited a young man in a Federal Correctional Institute.  We had a great visit and God is doing a work in his life.  But the most memorable event of the visit happened while I was waiting for him to come to the visitation center.  As I stood against the wall watching families re-unite, my attention was drawn to a young man and a young lady.  They were standing about 10 feet from me.  Out of the corner of my eye I see a man approaching.  He comes to the young man and embraces.  He then embraces the young woman.  Then, he looks back at the young man, puts his arm around him again.  While he is embracing both of these visitors, the group turns slightly and I get a glimpse of his face.  He is smiling and crying at the same time.  A joyful, emotional reunion.

I was reminded of the Prodigal Son; how he chose to go his own way, do his own thing, but how his father welcomed him home.  The son, in his mind, had allowed his decision to become a wall of separation between him and his father.  The older brother, on the prodigal's return, allowed his jealousy to become a wall of separation between him and his sibling.  What have you allowed in your life that separates you from the ones you love and care about? 

See, there were walls that had separated this family I watched on Saturday.  But when those those walls were no longer separating the family, there was a joyous reunion.  Take time to assess your life; take time to look at the walls that separate you from friends and family.  Determine to scale those walls; determine to tear them down.  Because on the other side is a joyous reunion.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

When the Game is Over

I am currently reading the book When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg.  The basic premise of the book is that "we can't take it with us". There is a chapter in the book entitled "Fill Each Square with What Matters Most".  It begins with a Spanish proverb:  those who rush, arrive first at the grave.  The chapter speaks of life as a game board and every day as a square on that board.  We can only move one square at a time.  Can't jump ahead; no going back.  However, instead of knowing where the last square on the board is, in the game of life we never know until that square arrives.  You and I live our days not knowing if it will be our last.

As a disciple of Christ, I should seek to live my life with purpose.  That purpose should be expressed in everything I do....every day.  I should live my life intentionally.  Not haphazardly.  Because I do not know when I will arrive at the final square.

While most of us will never change the world, we can impact our little piece of it.  And we should live each day with the purpose of doing that.  We only have so many days on this planet.  We should intentionally live our lives to make a difference.  Because one day--and it could be today--we will land on the final square and the game will be over.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Eight years ago, on a bright, clear September morning, our lives were irreversibly changed.  Within hours, planes were grounded, the skies were silent.  By the end of the day, over 3000 of our fellow citizens had died in the unexpected attack. 

One of the pictures I will never forget is the image of the NYFD running into the World Trade Center.  Their fellow citizens were in trouble and their came to their rescue. With no regard to their own welfare, they risked their lives.  And in doing so, lost their lives.

September 11, 2001 was a defining time for our generation.  Much like the assassination of President Kennedy or the Challenger explosion, most people know where they were when they heard the news.  Defining moments change us.  We will never fly the same way again.  We cannot walk through an airport without removing our shoes.  Defining times bring forth character.  Men and women rise to the occasion.  We tend to call them heroes.  None are extraordinary people.  They are normal people reacting to abnormal circumstances.

Just as the firemen were on that fateful day eight years ago, you are surrounded by hurting people.  How are you going to respond?  Will you disregard your personal comfort to help them?  Will you reach out to a hurting world?  If you were in need, you would want someone to.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Affected or Effective?

We have all noticed how our circumstances affect our mood. We know that on bright, sun-shinny days we tend to beat more upbeat...eager to conquer the world. However, take that same day and make it cloudy and the eagerness turns to laziness.

Our environment tends to affect us. It affects our thinking patterns, our energy level, our desire to accomplish. We do not mean it to be that way, but it usually just happens. We take great effort to overcome those feelings; we press through trying to accomplish what needs to be done.

I am proposing we do something different. Instead of being affected by what happens around us, let's be effective. I do not want to be impacted by my environment. I want to impact my environment. That is what we have been called to do. That is the purpose for which we were created. Not to be tossed about by the wind, but to sail with a purpose.

Today, choose to be effective. Choose to make a difference in your workplace, in your school, in your home. Choose to pressure your peers instead of being pressured by your peers.

Choose to live your life with purpose.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Re-acquainting with Old Friends

Over the last few days I have become re-acquainted with some people I have not seen in over 25 years. It really does not seem that it has been that long. However, after we began to talk, it was hard to realize that time had passed so quickly. We began to talk about marriages and children...and even grand-children.

It is funny how people who are so important at one stage of life become mere memories when change occurs. The people I have "found" were friends I knew when my Dad pastored in Texas. We moved to Ohio and my friends stayed in Texas. Over the years, those connections wore away. But, due to the miracle of the Internet, we have re-connected.

Sometimes our relationship with our Creator is the same way. Things change in our life, and our connection with God wears away. We must refresh that connection. That takes some effort on our part to stay connected. My connection with old friends wore away because other things became a priority. We cannot afford for that to happen with our relationship with God. We must take the time to nurture that relationship. Connections with friends, relationships take effort. But in the long run, they are worth it.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Impact

I just came in from letting the dog out before going to bed. It is 10:30pm here in the mountains and it is 44 degrees outside. It is apparent that fall is on its way. There is change in the air.

Change is part of life. We cannot keep things from changing. Our children change; they grow up. We change; we grow older. Time continues to march on and we cannot stop it. We cannot even slow it down.

With change an inevitable part of life, we must ask one question: What are we doing about it? Life continues and we cannot stop it. However, our decisions can impact our lives and the lives of those around us. That is the only thing we can permanently accomplish in this life. We must live each day with the idea of impacting lives for eternity. We must impact lives around us for the Kingdom.

Choose to live your life with impact. Choose to make a difference in the lives of those around you. Choose to make your life count.