A New Language

B4 (before) I start TTBOMK (to the best of my knowledge) I am talking about text messaging SOFH (sense of humor failure).  I know this is not a new problem.  The same problem existed for the people listening to Morse code.  It only sounded like a tapping to some, but to those that knew the code it was a special language.   It is the new way for people to communicate to each other across the room or across the world. 

My major point is that there are some words and phrased that should never be abbreviated.  Do you remember growing up when your parent reminded you about the ‘magic words’? Words like please and thank you are used less in our culture today yet are still magic words.  This month we are reminded to offer thanks to those around us and to our God and Creator.  Enjoy the beauty of autumn and offer a full and meaningful Thank You, as you talk to others and pray.



Enjoy the Fall

Summer is a thing of the past, and mild weather has arrived.  This is when we have cool mornings and a holiday in every month.  The birds will fly south, and our lawns will turn brown.  But be careful when you blink your eyes it will be 2009. 

During this fall please take time to vote, enjoy the turning of the leaves and open your windows so you can enjoy the weather. My thought for this month is that true spirituality is not us getting more of God - but rather God getting more of us.



Hope

There is no doubt that the last few months have been difficult for many of you.  Many have had to deal with death, stress, illness, surgery and personal conflicts/ Times are difficult and we all are required to endure things that just do not seem right.  Four dollar gas is bad enough, but a gallon of milk is the same price and in our home it is only 1 percent milk, what is the other 99 percent made of? We must also put up with Miracle Whip Light ®, and sandwiches without tomato.

I just want to give you a quick reminder that there is hope.  This hope is not based on the price of oil, or what type of insurance you have.  This hope is a promise from the creator of heaven and earth.  Like the stars in the sky, the darker the night the brighter stars shine.  The darker the times of your life, the more you can lean on the hope offered from above.



Life Is a Team Sport

Spring is the time for sporting events of all kinds.  Baseball, Hoops, Hockey and the largest fan supported sport in the world, NASCAR.  In less than 60 years it has become the number 1 spectator sport in the world.  NASCAR has more than 75 million loyal fans in over 150 countries.  If you list the top twenty fans attending sporting events in the United States NASCAR will account for seventeen of them.  In short it is a very popular sport including all areas of the US.

Each week forty-two teams work together to get the checkered flag.  Their goal is nothing less than to win.  It is not a sport of individuals; it is a sport of teams.  The drivers must rely on some of the most intelligent engineers in the world.  When the car comes into pit row, within seconds it can be refueled and have a new set of tires.  If there is an accident on the track each driver has spotters to talk them through the difficulty even when the driver is not able to see through the smoke and flying car parts.  They have a never quit attitude where the winner is often the one that gets out of the normal groove and ventures into the uncommon paths.    On the final lap you will see cars that are held together with duct tape and chewing gum and each failure is seen as an opportunity to learn.  I have witnesses that these drivers are some of the most patriotic and spiritual of any sport.   They love their country and their God. 

From these drivers we can learn that hard work does make us better at what we do.  We also need the help of others to see us through the chaos of daily life.  They also teach that trying other paths can lead to success.  And that it is important to remember and respect those that brought you to the race.  My prayer for you is that God provides each of you a safe and enjoyable ride.



Breakfast Lesson

I was meeting a friend the other day for breakfast.  We sat down and the waitress brought us each a cup of coffee.  As she poured the coffee we realized it looked more like tea than it did coffee.   It was a light tan, and you could see through the pot of coffee.  The waitress apologized and offered to make a fresh pot of coffee.  We watched as she placed the new filter and coffee grounds into the basket, she then hit the button and the coffee began to flow.  We looked forward to a fresh cup of hot coffee.  After several minutes the waitress returned with a new pot of coffee, but the color had not changed.  After a little bit of checking she found that the coffee pot was not heating the water before it went into the basket of coffee grounds. 

I realized that even when you have the coffee grounds, filter and coffee pot, that without the heat, you still do not have a cup of coffee.  The same is true with a cake, you can have all of the correct ingredients to bake a beautiful cake, but without an oven to turn the ingredients from dough into cake, it will be difficult to put any icing on it.

As you get ready each day for the tasks at hand, be ready for the heat.  Troubles, difficulties and trials come into everyone’s life.  It is how we handle the heat that determines and builds our strengths.  The waitress was finally able to get hot water, and that was one great cup of coffee.  It was rich and full of flavor, but I almost burnt my mouth. I still have a lot of learning ahead of me.



Do You Need a Do-Over?

Growing up prior to electronic games insured that we were outside most of the day.  If you stayed at home you would be put to work doing chores like folding clothes.  Like the movie “Sandlot” we had perpetual games that crossed all sports and street ball types.  Your opponent today could be your teammate tomorrow.  This required us to find ways to handle conflicts. After all we were our own umpires, judges and referees. 

There were times when, passions were too strong, convictions too deep, perspectives too contrasting to reach agreement on a call. It was understood that unless the opposing team was being absolutely unreasonable or cheating, preserving friendships and, even more importantly, continuing the game took precedence over a specific play. After the proper amount of discussion had taken place, one of the players would finally extend the proverbial olive branch by offering his opponent a "do-over", as in "you can do it again."

The do-over was one of childhood's most powerful parent free rites, for it exerted our dominion over the laws of space and time and pride. The clock was rolled back, and the game was restored to its exact status before the contested event and play was resumed. The do-over would give the team another chance thereby insuring that the universal forces of fair play were being righteously maintained. Yes, it is with fond memories that I recall the do-over as a divine method of resolution, and I ponder the untold blessings it could bring if it were somehow extended into our contemporary live

What relationships in your life need the grace of a do-over?  Is there someone that you need to forgive and say it is time for a do-over?  You might also consider granting yourself the freedom a new beginning. Yes I do consider this a divine way to resolve conflict after all; God grants us the do-over option each day of our lives, as we wake to a new day.