A Balancing Act

   After staying up late to watch the end of the Duke-Texas A&M football game last night, I did not wake up early, and when I did get up, I had a foggy brain. Thinking that for me to concentrate on what I was to read on the first day of this new year, I needed to get out and get some fresh air and have a little bit of exercise. It does help, a lot, and I came back in to see what I would find in the Bible readings.

   As I had come back through the condo garage, I spotted the car of a friend upstairs. She had asked me if I would check the air in her tires, as the ride seemed harsh, and her inboard computer showed that there was more air in each than was recommended. So when I got back up in the condo, I found my gauge and went back to check. Sure enough, they were all on the high side, so I let enough out of each to put the pressure in the acceptable range. I had thought to myself earlier, "if I don't do it early, she will be gone, and I will have let another day pass without any action on her request".

   Then, as I sat down to read once more, I noticed a letter on my desk from an inmate over in a state prison in Macon County. It had come a few days earlier, and I had been so busy with grand kids, that I had set it aside and not even read it, much less responded to it. So I read it and thought about how I should write back.

   Then it was breakfast and after that, some bills to pay, to get in the mail today, and some domestic things to help my wife with.

   Of course, the reason why all this piled up on my plate this morning was because I did not get up early as I like. Even though I knew that I needed to do these little things, I also knew that being with God first was the best road to accomplishment for me.

   So I wondered, even as I read, "do I always need to sit down and read and pray first of all each day and then go do, or should I do when I see things, and then get the quiet time done later?" Does it even matter in which order, or is there a "right" way.

   I want to put God first, and to let Him have the first thoughts of any day, but what about the ox in the ditch.

   I read this in Psalms 55, when I finally get to it:

 "Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!"

   My prayer had been, right before I read the above, that God would show me how to achieve balance in my life. How He would let me not be a slave to any routine, just for routine's sake.

   Little things, not earth shattering things, but how to keep my priorities in the right place was where I felt the need of assurance. Only God could give me that, so I asked.

Abiding or doing? There is a place for both, and there is a need for both. I just want to find God's balance for me, this day and every day.

Happy New Year

   If I take the time to look back when December 31, 2014 rolls around, what will I see?

   Better yet, what will I want to see? What will have happened in that year that will show that I might have caught the gist of what the year was supposed to be about?

   I guess that leads to what I want for 2014 as I look forward in time. I surely do not know what will happen, in the world, in my own area, or even in my own life and the lives of those that I love and care for.

   But I can take a moment this morning, to think about what I wish it might look like, maybe not the events, but what can be considered success as I look at my own life and how it is lived.

   The most important thing would be relationships, with God first of all, with my family and with others that are already in my life, or those that will enter it in 2014. Everything else will stem from those personal ties and the interaction between them this coming year.

   I want to look back and see that I have spent time with God in this year. Not only spent the time, but found it to be meaningful, time spent, not just begrudgingly, not just as a routine to be followed, but genuine time leading to a closer relationship with The Heavenly Father and a certain intimacy that springs from obedience and friendship. That is what I long for as I sit each morning.

   I want to be in His will, because I know it is the place of blessing for me and all that I touch. I want to pray "Thy Will Be Done" and mean it, not just mouth the words. All else springs from the understanding of that small but significant phrase.

   Relationships within my family are very important. My wife, my kids, and my grand kids are the loves of my life, and I want to be here for them in any way they need me. I don't want to think anything that I do for any of them to be considered a sacrifice on my part, but simply my love for them showing through.

   Then there are all those others out there that will be placed in my life this coming year. I want to look back and see that I have treated them with respect, that I have placed their needs ahead of my wants, and that those acts on my part have brought a measure of joy, both to them and to me. I would like to take care of any responsibilities that are a part of my life, in such a way as to bless others and put them ahead of myself.

   When I wish someone a "Happy New Year", these are things that I would like to be able to see as this year passes in the lives of all that I know or will know this year.

   The one thing that I can pray for in regards to all of this, is for God to give me the strength to get myself out of the way, and let Him do His work in my life, and, through that, to bless all those others that live this coming year with me.

   Looking back from December 31, 2014, I want to be able to say that it has indeed been

   A Happy Year, indeed.

What Does The Shadow Know?

   Back in the 1930s there was a radio show called The Shadow, and, as I looked at the pictures I took yesterday, I thought of the opening to this program:

   "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows."

   Since the show aired back in 1937 and 1938, I sincerely doubt if I remember hearing it live, although I was alive, and we did have a radio, but being only 1 or 2 at the time, it would be hard to believe my memory was that good.

   But there was a shadow yesterday that I did recognize, and what he saw he captured in a digital format for us to remember, not evil in the heart, but fun there instead.

   What images will we remember from these last days of 2013?

   Well, there was a dog and a girl running on the beach. The dog, Roxie, and the girl Lucy.

   There was another girl and a dog playing Santa. Roxie and Caroline.

   Then there was an older boy and his dog. Roxie and Drew.

   But most of all, there will be memories of what a family did together for 3 days, and how they enjoyed being with each other.

   The next time can't come soon enough.

   Now if we can only get the rest of the clan to be here at the same time. Oh, that would be great!

   Christmas 2014 or sooner?

   We could all feel like this.....

To Be Continued.....

   This may turn out to be an incomplete post. Not that there is no rhyme or reason to it, but because I am not sure about the topic or its outcome.

   I like to read, maybe because it takes no physical energy, and maybe because I can lose myself in the story and live in someone else's life, but I read a lot. Retirement gives me that much time.

   But sometimes I come upon a story that I am just not sure about. Is it a worthwhile read? What is the author's purpose in writing? Should I find life lessons in it that I need to incorporate into my daily living?

   How do I associate these questions into what I read in my devotional time this morning? Here is what I saw in the Scripture this morning, from Psalm 46:

"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear"

   What am I afraid of when I read? Mostly that I might be taken in by some pseudo-Gospel that would cause me to miss the path and truth that God has spoken. If I embrace something false to the Truth of God, I not only endanger my walk with Him, but I can be led to influence others in this way, too.

   So, I finished the book last night and this morning my first prayer was for wisdom and discernment as to its message. It read like a Christian self help book with many references to Biblical characters and a lot of sayings that sound like Scripture, and I guess that I wanted to believe that I had not wasted my time with it. But did I, and should I discard the whole thing or look into it further?

   I know that God is the ultimate authority on all of this, and I truly want to know what He would say about the themes of any book, so can I just leave it there and wait for His guidance, or do I explore further?

   When I explored what others thought about the book, one popular website gave it a 4 star rating out of 5. Does the fact that almost all of the reviews written in English give it a whopping thumbs down and most all of the great reviews are written in Arabic, matter to the truth?

   I want to please God in all of this, so I will just wait and see and pray for wisdom and discernment in all that I put in my mind, from books, from TV, from the internet, from anywhere.

   Could be the end of this particular story or maybe not....God will advise and I will wait.

Purposeful Stillness

   One of my favorite verses from Psalm 46 this morning:

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

   Then it shows up again in the devotional online: (from Jesus Calling 12/27/13)

"I am preparing you for what is on the road ahead... Take time to be still in My Presence so that I can strengthen you."

   Must be something that I am supposed to think about now.

   I think about a shot I took some time back, all the leaves pointing to a still pinecone. Is that a picture of stillness? Nature has many lessons for those who look.

   In the early days of our church, back when we had no pastor and were still pretty small, the men of the church divided the speaking assignments for the Sunday service. One particular Sunday was mine, and I decided to do a little experiment with the congregation.

   After the music time, I got up to speak, spread my Bible on the small lectern, opened my notes and then just stood and looked around at the people. Probably could not do this now, but back then I could scan the congregation and would be able to call all the people by name. As all these folks looked back at me and waited, I could feel the anxiety start to mount. As 30 seconds went by, I sensed the nervousness as to what was going on. As I looked at them and smiled, they seem to ask:

   "Did he forget how to begin?"

   "What is wrong with this guy?"

   I believe that our music worship leader, Harriet Jones, was about to get up and lead another song to get me out of my misery.

   How hard is it for us to be still, even in church? It seems that we are just not wired for that type of inactivity.

   It is not hard for me to be still in body most of the time, but being still, as God seems to define it, includes more than just sitting, doing nothing. The hardest part is to still my mind. It wants to race on and think, and wonder, and project. It does not want to be just a blank slate that God may write on.

   "Be still and know that I am God" Just know that I am God and I love you. There is no great need to worry about your plans and your future. I've got your back. Just sit still and know Me."

   Oh, to be able to do that on a consistent basis.

   Being still with an Eternal Purpose.
 

The Morning After....What Is Left?

   The Day after Christmas, and what is left?

   I thought about the shepherds again. What was their life like on the day after the miracle they had witnessed on Christmas? What did they do with the day they had been given, as they went about their work in the fields? Did they just wait around and see if something else would happen? Did they wait for another glorious appearing?

   What is left for us, when the food has been consumed, when the surprise of the presents has worn off and even when some of them are discarded? The warm glow of Christmas Day gives way to the reality of life to be lived. The room seems empty without the presents and the people of yesterday. What do we have left?

   Sure, we still have the leftovers, the food in the plastic containers in the fridge, the pictures and videos to jog our memory of yesterday and the new stuff in our closets.

   A word seemed to jump out at me this morning as I read a devotional online.

   Opportunity...a chance to tell others what the Day meant to us, deep down in our souls. Like the shepherds in Luke 2:

"The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them."

   Opportunity...to make this 'day after' meaningful, as we look again at the Gift that God gave.

   Opportunity...for serving others with the same spirit of giving that made us feel good yesterday.

   Every day that I wake up, God gives me opportunities. Will I take them today, or just sit and look at a tree that is almost ready for the trash bin?

   I will take the opportunity to enjoy what God has provided, knowing that there is more to Christmas than sweet potato casserole.

   Each new morning after brings new opportunities, to serve Him and to serve others in His Name.

   I pray for wisdom and vision to see them, and then act on them.

How 'Bout Dem Shepherds?

   Down here in South Georgia there are a lot of Georgia Bulldog fans, especially football fans, and, when something spectacular happens to the team, these folks begin their conversations with a rhetorical question, "How 'bout dem Dogs?" Of course this question can also be used in the reverse scenario by detractors of the athletic program, when those same Dogs blow one, and the question becomes a statement of derision, "How 'bout dem Dogs?"

   On this Christmas morning, as I walked, I thought about the shepherds on that first Christmas morning. These men had witnessed angels singing in the night. They had followed up those angelic words and music by visiting the stable and had seen the baby Jesus, as is told in Luke 2:

"When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them."

   But what had happened to them next? They had become a brief footnote in history, a cameo appearance in the Christmas Story, but then what?

   These were real men, men who had a job to do, who probably had families at home and responsibilities as a man, yet were blessed with an opportunity, that they took, to stand in the presence of A King.

   What did they think?

   What did they tell their families?

   How about their neighbors?

   How did that one starry night change their lives, or did it?

   I've been reading a book about a fighter squadron in WWII. At the end of the body of that book is a list of men who had been mentioned in the story, and a brief resume of their lives and what had happened to them after that war ended.

   I want the same information about the shepherds, but there is no more mention of them, only more questions to ask.

   What did their lives look like after that night?

   When people are asked who they want to talk to in heaven, they mention the greats of the Bible like Moses or Paul and, of course, Jesus, but I think I might like to find those shepherds and hear "the rest of the story" from them.

   How 'bout You?