Well, it's been a while since I added any comprehensible content to this blog. I had come very close to hitting my all time stress level high. But, as with all things, all is well with my little world now and I have faith that God saw me through the valley.
My understanding of people continues to be shaken. Just when I think I have a handle on it, I read some tragic story like the one I am about to tell, and my world goes upside down.
The other day I read about a man who beat a 18 month old baby to death by punching him, throwing him to the ground and kicking him. His little body was so disfigured they had to use Dental and DNA for identification. Police told the man to stop beating the child and when he didn't they killed him.
I must say that I was not in the least sorry that police killed him. In my mind, he deserved a one-way ticket to Hell. What is more disturbing is knowing that God has the capability to forgive this man. I am not so sure I could, especially if it were my 16 month old son.
I cannot believe a person is capable of such brutality. What makes a man follow evil so willingly down the darkest paths.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Who's stirring the Pot?
Sometimes I feel like the meaning of life is the question and not the answer. The answer is what we’ve been doing all along. We live, we breathe, wake up, go to bed, we laugh, we cry and sometimes we pray, but nothing seems to matter after the moment has passed.
An then we try to make the world smaller. We say, well if I cannot change the world, maybe I can change my world. But how? So we take a stab at it by donating food or volunteering our time to the community and it does make a difference, for someone, for a little while and then…
Inside everyone one of us is a character, and we all hope it is a William Wallace or a Rocky Balboa, but really we feel like that guy in Office Space that goes around mumbling something about his stapler. And it’s tragic! You know?
The world is a really, really big and strange place. People are not the same everywhere, but then again they are. Our differences seem to shine like flares on a dark two lane highway, while our similarities dull in comparison to more abstract matters.
In God’s wisdom and desire to encourage us to seek Him, He does whatever it takes to prevent us from seeing ourselves as God. There are reminders everywhere. The recent earthquake in Chengdu, China, where the death toll numbers are nearing 30,000 and counting; a grim reminder of our feeble existence. Yet, to God it must be a small price to pay if even one soul is brought nearer to Him, but on this I can only suppose.
But what does it mean..."If God is with us always", then where was He?
I know some will ask this question in vain. My only reply to this is that the greatest human minds to have ever lived have wrestled with this question and now, in an age of information overload, we must recognize that FAITH (in God) is not a matter of gray matter, but more an ability to hear the music of the heart…the soul…the spirit.
An then we try to make the world smaller. We say, well if I cannot change the world, maybe I can change my world. But how? So we take a stab at it by donating food or volunteering our time to the community and it does make a difference, for someone, for a little while and then…
Inside everyone one of us is a character, and we all hope it is a William Wallace or a Rocky Balboa, but really we feel like that guy in Office Space that goes around mumbling something about his stapler. And it’s tragic! You know?
The world is a really, really big and strange place. People are not the same everywhere, but then again they are. Our differences seem to shine like flares on a dark two lane highway, while our similarities dull in comparison to more abstract matters.
In God’s wisdom and desire to encourage us to seek Him, He does whatever it takes to prevent us from seeing ourselves as God. There are reminders everywhere. The recent earthquake in Chengdu, China, where the death toll numbers are nearing 30,000 and counting; a grim reminder of our feeble existence. Yet, to God it must be a small price to pay if even one soul is brought nearer to Him, but on this I can only suppose.
But what does it mean..."If God is with us always", then where was He?
I know some will ask this question in vain. My only reply to this is that the greatest human minds to have ever lived have wrestled with this question and now, in an age of information overload, we must recognize that FAITH (in God) is not a matter of gray matter, but more an ability to hear the music of the heart…the soul…the spirit.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Which Way to Greatness?
When I was young I used to think that life was about having fun. We used to play outside all day, so as long as it didn’t rain, life was good. Now that I am older I realize that I fulfilled all my dreams when I was a child. I am not trying to play the pessimist, but we really do spend our adult lives trying to gain back the feeling we had as children.
As children, we see only what is in front of us and dream about things behind us. That is we see tomorrow as a time to play with our friends and at night we dream about the day we had playing with our friends. We lack vision when we are young and this lack of vision breathes a fools passion. As we get older, our passion plays second fiddle to knowledge. With an ounce of knowledge we leave institutions of education with optimistic plans and just enough hope to get up in the morning and go to work. The books we have read prepared us to understand technical conversation about our occupation, but have not prepared us well to deal with the human element.
Everyday, older colleagues tell us that the world doesn’t work like we may think and that things get done a certain way, by certain people and that our purpose is to sit back and wait for our time to come. This comes across as belittling and reveals a slight bit of insecurity in those that believe such things. Now that I am in the middle of my career, I see truth in those words once muttered to me, but I don’t see greatness. The one thing my generation is missing is great men and women, with a vision for greatness.
Perhaps never before has a generation like mine, the thirty-somethings, had so much trouble focusing on what’s important to them. The world is smaller now due to technology and because it has shed some pounds, it moves at a faster pace. This has clouded our vision! Ask one of us what is most important and you will get a handful of answers. Some will say family is most important to them, others their religious faith, while still others might say their jobs.
I have heard it said that if you want to know what is important to someone, then take a look at their bank statement. While this may reveal some priorities or perhaps some decisions, both wise and unwise, it may not necessarily give us the entire picture. I think if you really want to know what is important to someone then you must find out who or what they sacrifice for and the lengths at which they continually go to do this.
I personally never knew how strong the desire to care for my family would be. This desire, keeps me going, when I just want to go out and play. My vision for them is to never doubt what is important and to focus on the things that wil help them achieve their vision.
As parents, we all share a vision, and this vision is not much different than the vision that God has painted in scripture. We vision a world where our kids are safe, healthy, happy and loved. It is that simple. The vision gets blurry when we start to believe that our kids will be better off if they have power, money, fame and glory.
Let’s all take some time to revisit the original vision for our lives and the lives of our loved ones. It just might lead to Greatness!
Keep it real!
As children, we see only what is in front of us and dream about things behind us. That is we see tomorrow as a time to play with our friends and at night we dream about the day we had playing with our friends. We lack vision when we are young and this lack of vision breathes a fools passion. As we get older, our passion plays second fiddle to knowledge. With an ounce of knowledge we leave institutions of education with optimistic plans and just enough hope to get up in the morning and go to work. The books we have read prepared us to understand technical conversation about our occupation, but have not prepared us well to deal with the human element.
Everyday, older colleagues tell us that the world doesn’t work like we may think and that things get done a certain way, by certain people and that our purpose is to sit back and wait for our time to come. This comes across as belittling and reveals a slight bit of insecurity in those that believe such things. Now that I am in the middle of my career, I see truth in those words once muttered to me, but I don’t see greatness. The one thing my generation is missing is great men and women, with a vision for greatness.
Perhaps never before has a generation like mine, the thirty-somethings, had so much trouble focusing on what’s important to them. The world is smaller now due to technology and because it has shed some pounds, it moves at a faster pace. This has clouded our vision! Ask one of us what is most important and you will get a handful of answers. Some will say family is most important to them, others their religious faith, while still others might say their jobs.
I have heard it said that if you want to know what is important to someone, then take a look at their bank statement. While this may reveal some priorities or perhaps some decisions, both wise and unwise, it may not necessarily give us the entire picture. I think if you really want to know what is important to someone then you must find out who or what they sacrifice for and the lengths at which they continually go to do this.
I personally never knew how strong the desire to care for my family would be. This desire, keeps me going, when I just want to go out and play. My vision for them is to never doubt what is important and to focus on the things that wil help them achieve their vision.
As parents, we all share a vision, and this vision is not much different than the vision that God has painted in scripture. We vision a world where our kids are safe, healthy, happy and loved. It is that simple. The vision gets blurry when we start to believe that our kids will be better off if they have power, money, fame and glory.
Let’s all take some time to revisit the original vision for our lives and the lives of our loved ones. It just might lead to Greatness!
Keep it real!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Cookie Outside or Creamy Filling?
We’ve all had that silly conversation about how we eat an Oreo. Some prefer the chocolate cookie outside and some go straight to the creamy filling on the inside and toss the cookie away. I used to be a cream filling kind of guy, but lately I find myself preferring the cookie outside.
The cream represents everthing that’s in between, while the cookie is on the fringes. The last few months, the cream in my life is the middle of the week, when I am at work, 850 miles away from my wife and son. And for now, I have to fill my cup on every other weekend or so when I get to see them. They are my cookie outside!
I cannot wait until life is filled with cookies once again!
The cream represents everthing that’s in between, while the cookie is on the fringes. The last few months, the cream in my life is the middle of the week, when I am at work, 850 miles away from my wife and son. And for now, I have to fill my cup on every other weekend or so when I get to see them. They are my cookie outside!
I cannot wait until life is filled with cookies once again!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Like an Hour Glass Glued to the Table
Life is like an hour glass glued to the table when you are anticipating something. I am currently anticipating so many things to come. I am out of my comfort zone, I am away from the those I hold most dear to me and the future is not real clear.
I have left behind so many friends and family, a choice I made with much reluctance, but I felt God's voice was telling me to do this. And so far, I can see Him everyday, in the details. I am becoming quite successful at what I am doing, making great contacts and impressing all the right people. I can see all the right moves, as if God was putting them into my head right when I needed them. Praise Him, here now, in good times and the valleys that await.
I want to celebrate, but it's hard, because of the distance between me and the ones I love. I never thought this would happen, and now that it has, I wish I would have spent more time with my friends and family.
As I see all this happening to me, I realize that one day my son will make choices that I will have to support, yet won't be happy with. I will always want him near me. God takes care of all of us though, doesn't He?
Love, Peace and Keep it Real!
I have left behind so many friends and family, a choice I made with much reluctance, but I felt God's voice was telling me to do this. And so far, I can see Him everyday, in the details. I am becoming quite successful at what I am doing, making great contacts and impressing all the right people. I can see all the right moves, as if God was putting them into my head right when I needed them. Praise Him, here now, in good times and the valleys that await.
I want to celebrate, but it's hard, because of the distance between me and the ones I love. I never thought this would happen, and now that it has, I wish I would have spent more time with my friends and family.
As I see all this happening to me, I realize that one day my son will make choices that I will have to support, yet won't be happy with. I will always want him near me. God takes care of all of us though, doesn't He?
Love, Peace and Keep it Real!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Stepping Into the Uknown
I am in the middle of some big changes, that in some ways I feel might be a leap of faith. There are things I can control and things that I cannot control. Isn't it funny how we never really think we are presently experiencing God's will, but only after it has occurred do we give it any thought.
We say, God helped me through some rough spots. Or, God was always there for me, even when I had almost lost hope. Rarely, do we say or think, God is going to get me through anything and everything. God always finds ways, usually in the middle of whatever we are doing, to bring us closer to Him.
So, as I move toward this call, whatever it is that awaits, I go with confidence that God will allow me to know him more through these experiences. This is truly Faith in things that cannot be seen and it feels good!
We say, God helped me through some rough spots. Or, God was always there for me, even when I had almost lost hope. Rarely, do we say or think, God is going to get me through anything and everything. God always finds ways, usually in the middle of whatever we are doing, to bring us closer to Him.
So, as I move toward this call, whatever it is that awaits, I go with confidence that God will allow me to know him more through these experiences. This is truly Faith in things that cannot be seen and it feels good!
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