The Daily Race

 

In 2022, we spent a week in Kauai for our 40^th anniversary. One of the iconic sights there are the feral chickens, a holdover from Hurricane Iniki (1992). The islanders’ chickens got all mixed up after the coops were destroyed and they ended up with these birds. I asked one of the native islanders if they eat them. He said, Yes you could, but most would rather have the famous Costco Rotisserie chickens instead. The native chickens are tough, stringy, and gamey tasting. It’s too much work for too little effort to make a meal of them. Still people feed them just the same.

Have you ever felt that way about carving time to ready scripture? I’m not referring to my three friends who can hop out of bed, sans coffee, and jump right into the morning. Hey, for all I know they might even be part alien. I’m talking about the daily grind; trying to read tiny text through triple progressive lenses, while constantly adjusting the focal-arm length. The struggle is real. I am still resisting the larger print edition. I can change the font on my app anytime I choose, thank you. I tend to do mostly audio Bible anymore. It’s less work on the eyes, and I can cover more ground at one sitting.

One of our dearest friends has recently been promoted to “Family Life Pastor” at her church. We got to visit them and their church over the New Year’s break. The lead pastor, Ryan Nuñez, does a daily podcast every morning. The podcast originally started during Covid, and really never stopped. It’s called “The Daily Race”. It’s just long enough for the drive to school and a little time to meditate on what you just heard. Kind of like having someone make breakfast for you. It is a good way to start the morning. If you struggle in the morning to get going, I suggest giving it a try. You will be surprised how it will change your morning attitude.

If you are interested in listening to the Daily Race on Youtube, here's the link.

https://www.youtube.com/@thedailyrace3405

I’m not sure why, but I’m Grateful…

    This year for the holidays we took a trip to Texas to see my daughter’s family, with a side stop in Arizona to see more friends and family. As road trips go, it was one of the most relaxing trips we have taken. We were worried that we would be driving through rain the whole trip, but instead, a bubble of good weather seems to follow us. I have never seen the roads so free of traffic and moving so smoothly. The car ran great and we had comfortable stops at each place. We even got to stop and look at Native American art and souvenirs as we travelled through some of the local reservation land. I’m not sure why we had it so easy, but I’m grateful.  

    We got to spend several days with three of our nine grandchildren. We played games, went to a movie, watched Christmas specials, and ate very well. I found out that my grandchildren loved to watch me play Pokémon Go. They made sure that Papaw remembered that in Pokémon you “got a catch ‘em all”. The loved to snuggle up close and see what I caught next. They loved spending time with Memaw and Papaw. Honestly, I’m not sure why, but I’m Grateful.

    I got to rest and refresh, and even see butterflies flying around in late December. I took walks with my grandchildren. I slept in. I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to. I’m not sure why, but I’m Grateful.

    God has been so good to us. We’ve raised five children and now have nine precious grandchildren. Most of the time that was on a single salary. We have always had everything we needed and many things we just “wanted”. I truly have a blessed life and have received much more than I ever deserved. I’m not sure why, but I’m Grateful.

Make Sure the Power is Engaged!

    I love using power tools. They can make life much easier and complete projects that are hard to do with manpower alone. Yet power tools are only useful when they are connected to the power source and used properly. A cordless drill is pretty useless when the battery is depleted. Charge it again, and you're ready to go! And what about heavy equipment? What young boy hasn’t dreamed about crawling into the seat of a backhoe and moving some dirt!

    Recently I was doing a brush removal project and happened to get a little farther into a ditch than I had planned. As I tried to back out, all I could do was spin the wheels. Now, this was not your ordinary garden implement so there were quite a few knobs, levers, lights, and switches.  Add to that my limited experience in the fine art of heavy equipment operation, and you can see the problem. Fortunately, I was not alone in this project, so we put our heads together to work our way out of the wayside predicament. We tried lumber under the back tires. Gravel was added for traction. Much digging, moving, and replacing soil took place. After nearly two hours of such fruitless efforts, it was getting so bad that one friend even threw out the idea of calling AAA for a pull out. (We threw that idea out just as quickly. I really doubt that AAA covers Yard equipment.) Somewhere in the morass of it all, I came to the conclusion that, although we had tried most of the various levers and knobs, it still was not engaging into 4-wheel drive.  Hey, I may not be an expert operator, but I am a better-than-average troubleshooter. In desperation, we decided to phone a friend who had experience with this particular piece of equipment, being very careful to not give away our embarrassing situation. 

“There’s a knob on the left of the driver’s seat. Pull up on the knob, and you should see a light come on of a truck with an arrow symbol under it.” 

Oh, yes that was so intuitive. I should have noticed that right away! – NOT! Knob in hand, ear protection on, seatbelt securely fastened (always use proper PPE!) and praying with my eyes open, I proceeded to ease the vehicle into reverse. The strangest thing happened. I back smoothly onto the road with seemingly little effort. Interestingly enough, it took longer to backfill the tire holes than it did to move the brush aside that got me stuck in the first place.

So what did we learn? Always make sure the power is engaged! And what about our spiritual power? There is power in the Word of God. The Spirit of God is power. There is power in prayer. There is power in good companions, in good community. Are you trying to do God's work in your own strength or are you “plugged in” to His power? It will make all the difference!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

How to Turn a Car

In their hearts humans plan their course,

    but the Lord establishes their steps.  Proverbs 16:9 NIV

            My high school class just celebrated their 40^th reunion. Although I was not able to attend, the pictures and faces from the Facebook pages brought back a flood of memories. Some even made me smile on the outside.

            It was early May of 1978, and the rigors of dress rehearsals for the spring musical “Mame” were beginning to take their toll. This was the time for pranks and practical jokes. Most were in fun; some were just plain classics. There was the time that a few of the gentlemen sneaked into the ladies changing room while they were on stage and switched around everyone’s clothes. The ladies retaliated by sewing all of our jean legs shut, the innocent included. And a good time was had by all. (Notice that names have been omitted because no one was really innocent.)

            One of the better pranks was when some of the gentlemen put another student’s VW Bug directly midpoint between two trees. There was just enough room for it to fit with a foot or so between each bumper. (To be honest, I cannot take credit for this one. I must have been detained elsewhere.) It was surprisingly easy to put it there. VW Bugs are comparatively light, so five or six strapping young men could easily carry it into position. As I remember, it took the driver over an hour of back and forth maneuvering to get it free.

One thing I have noticed about cars is that they are much easier to guide when they are moving. Try turning a car sitting still! Depending on the vehicle, and your age, it might take the whole neighborhood to do it. It can be done, but it is a lot of work! On the other hand, if you start the engine and put it in gear, it is a simple matter of turning the steering wheel.

            It reminds me of how many Christians go through their life.  They need a job. They want to find the perfect soulmate. They want out of their rut. The list goes on. They want God to show them the way so they know what to do, yet they basically just sit there, both physically and figuratively.

There are times where God just picks you up and turns you around. Yet in my experience, it is when I am out doing something that God does the guiding. He may even have me do a U-turn, but it is always much easier when I am busy doing what I know to do at that moment. Need guidance from God? Pray. Then go help someone. Love people. Be his hands and feet. You might be pleasantly surprised where you end up! Remember that verse you learned as a child?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

It is still works, even after all these years…

The Purpose of Life

The purpose of life is to discover your gift.

The work of life is to develop it.

The meaning of life is to give your gift away.

  “Finding Your Strength in Difficult Times: A Book of Meditations” by David Viscott 1993

            What is the meaning of life? People have pondered, puzzled and prayed in search of the answer. Some think they must climb a mountain to find a “wise man” with the answer. Others just wander aimlessly, clueless of the truth. The truly wise are content in its fulfillment.

            When I ran across the above quote some time ago, it helped me to understand. There is more to your purpose that just a simple answer. Yet, I like how Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 sums it up.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (KJV)

But how does one fulfill his or her duty/purpose? First, you must discover your gift(s). I intimate gifts, because I think that most people have more than one. As a Left Hand Man (see August 2012 if you are still confused) my main gift is helping wherever, whenever at whatever I can. I can do only a few things excellently, but I can do many things well. My oldest son remarked recently, “Ask my dad. He can fix almost anything”. An overstatement to be sure, but 30 years of being on a Christian school teacher’s salary with 5 children has a way of bringing out the MacGyver in a guy.

I do try to continually learn and find out how things work. Some of this is self-driven; some has been thrust upon me. Nevertheless, it is all part of my Left Hand personality. Instead of being frustrated by being the “plug in” guy, I have embraced it and tried to nurture it. Now it has even become more of a game; what new thing are we going to learn today?

The secret is continually learning.  Read, study, take things apart, ask questions. I also  recommend that you keep a notebook of charts, diagrams, ideas, and solutions. Realistically, the brain can one hold so much. To me, there is no worse feeling than to know you have done something before, but now cannot remember how you did it. Write it down!

           What gives heart to all of your talent is helping those who cannot help you back. I have been given so much valuable information along the way, most of it given freely. The older I get, the more material things begin to lose their allure. Now don’t get me wrong. Would I like a new fishing boat? Yes! Yes I would. Do I need a new fishing boat? Probably not. In fact I get along pretty well without it. (Being able to fix things can come in very handy.) Besides, then I would need a truck for transport, and also a place to store it. Then there is the upkeep. Eventually it can get out of hand. Somehow, I find it more fun to help people rather than charge them. If they insist on paying something, I don’t mind, but it is not my main goal. In these almost 58 years, God has never failed to meet my needs. I try to remember that as a human, I owe an unpayable debt. I have found that if you live your life as debtor to Christ, giving away your talent is not hard at all. There is always someone giving back. Certainly, you should work hard at your job and take care of your family. But do not forget to share your talents with those around you. The sowing and reaping principle is impossible to hide from. You will never out give God.

Who's He?

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. Genesis 10:24 NIV

Arphaxad. The sum total of what we know about him from the Bible is found in a few verses in Genesis. Although he is also mentioned in a couple of the Apocryphal books, there is still very little information about him. We do know he was a son of Shem, Noah’s eldest son.

In Genesis 11:12-13, we find that he was 35 when his only listed son, Shelah was born.   later had other “sons and daughters”, and died at the ripe old age of 403. Quite humbling to have your life’s work summed up in only a few sentences, and that only to name your progeny.

So who was he? What did he accomplish? Was he a good father, a good husband? We may never really know.

What we do know is that he was there. He married and raised a family. One can only assume that he worked, built, traded, upgraded, learned, cried, laughed, loved, and lost. He lived 403 years; he surely must have seen and felt every emotion possible to man.

Yet for all his time lived, we know very little. So why is that important? Even though the Scriptures do not detail any of his mortal accomplishments, there is one thing that stands out. He existed, and made sure his children carried on the lineage. Without Arphaxad, there would be no Shelah, consequently, no Abraham, David, or Joseph the stepfather of Jesus Christ. He may not have been important enough to be mentioned as a great leader or hero, but he was vital to the continuance of the kingly line.

So what does that mean for us? It means it is OK that we are not famous. It means it doesn’t matter that only a few hundred people may ever know we exist. The fact that we do exist, and that we can influence our family, friends, and those around us to life meaningful lives and live up to their true potential, matters. We may not be the noteworthy individual of our generation, but one of our descendants may be. Live for those around us. Live for future generations.  Live for eternity!

Shadows

 I have always enjoyed looking at and making shadows. Who has not made shadow puppets as a child? I still see children playing shadow tag just as I did as a child. During one solar eclipse our family used a pizza pan with tiny holes in it to create multiple eclipse shadows on the backyard wall. 

  

      Over the years, I have noticed several things about shadows.

1. Shadows do not hurt. They cannot inflict real pain, only the fear that we allow.

2. Shadows have no substance. They are, by nature, an absence of light. This actually makes them more “nothing” than “something”.

3. Shadows are a very unclear picture of the object casting the shadow.

4. Shadows mimic another real item. A shadow has no will or ability to change on its own.

5. Shadows are usually much bigger than the item they mimic.

6. Shadows disappear around light. The less light or the farther away the light source, the bigger the shadow.

7. Shadows are boring. They usually only come in one color – gray.

8. Shadows can hide smaller evils.

9. A larger shadow from a stronger light source will dissolve other shadows.

10. Shadows can be helpful. A very sunny day a shadow can be a welcome respite from the scorching sun.

So what does that mean for our real lives? Many of us live in fear of shadows. We worry about what may happen. We live in the what if instead of the here and now. We may run from a nonexistent specter that has no power of its own. Sometimes we can even interpret a shadow into an almost real entity, like a child seeing a monster in the closet. We chase shadows of what we think we want, only to be unfulfilled. They have no color, no vibrancy. They are usually no place to stay long.  They can hide other dangers. If we are unwary, we can be blindsided by real things hiding in the shadows because we worried about the unreal.

The solution is to live in the light. It does not mean that we should not be mindful of a shadow, only that we should not fear it. The actual problem, event, or object will most often be much smaller and more easily managed. Worry can be crippling; learn to face the reality instead of its larger shadow. A shadow may look as big as a mountain and yet have a caster that is much smaller. Occasionally, a shadow will look like a mountain, because it is cast by a mountain. Instead of trying to move it, look for a way around or even through. God can move mountains, but He often provides a mountain pass.

Yet there is a shadow that we need to embrace. If we dwell in God’s shadow, it will shelter and protect us. God is light; He is drives all others away. There are no evil surprises waiting there. Since God is light, I imagine that His shadow would still be a well-lighted place to dwell.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1 NIV