A Conglamoration of Thoughts

  This past week brings to mind many personal thoughts about issues, concerns and tragedy that I could be easily overwhelmed. What I think it means is that I’m in tune with what is going on around me. The challenge is in the choice as to which course of action to take on any one or multiple combination of things or the choice to simply do nothing. From the den meeting on Monday night, the committee meetings on Tuesday, the open hearing on Wednesday night or the roundtable meeting on Thursday, I have been bombarded with information, personal commitment, challenge and choice. The obvious thought is “Man I don’t need all of this extra stuff rattling around in my head, it’s tough enough dealing with a teenager and issues right here at home. Bills need paid, the house needs repair and the kids need money in their lunch accounts at school. What else do I need to concern myself with?"


Lord knows the people of Haiti need our help and the assistance of relief organizations to rescue and treat the injured, house the homeless, bury the dead and attend to the numerous issues of getting resources to a country so beset by poverty. Youth need to be given the opportunity to participate and contribute to society and our nation needs concerned citizens who care enough to speak their own minds. We all need to be engaged in the practice of prayer so that our hearts and souls can ease the tensions building in our minds and bodies.


This is the source of my lectio divina or “sacred reading” for today. From the gospels I can see the paralytic being lowered into the building where Jesus stood teaching the word of God. From that I can imagine rescue workers removing debris from a pile of rubble in hopes of saving a trapped survivor; the Boy Scout removing brush from a cluttered trail or the Cub Scout becoming aware of the needs of others. I am heartened by the voice of strangers who are impassioned by the idea of liberty and justice for all. These are the things that make life worth living!


How many times have we heard ourselves or perhaps another parent say to our kids that “Life isn’t fair.” I wonder what things would be like if it was and no one ever got lost or if people simply got along. The fact is we humans need a challenge and a goal to give life a meaning and purpose; otherwise what would we do but sit around waiting for god knows what. We need to be actively engaged in our world and in our spiritual selves if any of this is to make sense and the final outcome worth the efforts of our labor. So, go forth and be a light unto the world! And for my Dad, don’t worry so much, pray more.

Friends like Us

I have often considered this past year the journey. Being at home and searching for suitable employment has not been an easy road to travel. The hardest days are when I cannot get outside to walk in the park with my dog Buddy. I just let him run to his heart’s content while I use the moment to converse in prayer. Until recently this conversation seemed one sided with me talking to God and not allowing him to speak to me in his own way. He speaks through his creation; wind passing over pine needles, a trickling stream or the smile of a child.

This past week I came across the classic comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes.” The image of Calvin careening down a hillside in a little red wagon with Hobbes sitting in the back reminds me of the relationship between me and God. Life seems to speed out of control some times and unless we take the time to realize help and support is right behind us, it is easy to just crash at the bottom of the hill. Even if it is just the voice of reason poking us in the back side, we can often times miss the opportunity to change our direction or at least choose a softer spot to land below.

Busy schedules, kid’s activities and the hectic life style we live can blind us to the fact that a way through the dark is present in the smallest things. There is always light at the end of the path if we let the voice of our Savior ease us into the next bump in the road. Like Hobbes, we have a source of strength and fellowship that helps us navigate the rough spots and celebrates the smooth ones with us. So, for today, climb aboard the red wagon express and know that there is hope and light and a friend like us to share the journey. For me, the following video is both a tribute to this relationship and a lesson that we are not alone through our journey through life. See him in the stars at night or the blue skies of day. Take care and God bless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E74eEd7xbl0

Little Things and Lemonade

Someone once said, “Don’t sweat the little stuff, and believe me, it’s all little stuff.” This goes back to the idea of personal perspective. The pessimist tends to find a raindrop in a partly cloudy sky while an optimist finds a rainbow. One sees sour grapes and the other makes lemonade. Perhaps a better way to put it would be the concept of hope. I read from the Sacred Space Internet prayer site this morning that “hope that sees for itself is not hope, but hope that sees what it cannot see waits with endurance.” It all comes down to the details in life that seemingly make no difference unless we can view the bigger picture.

The scripture quote from today is from Luke chapter 13. Jesus asks the crowd what the kingdom of heaven is like and he proceeds to answer his own question with images people of his time could identify with. What he clearly alludes to is the idea of faith in the little things and hope in the bigger things to come. When we take the time to focus on those seemingly insignificant details in life then we can see how they lead us to the end result. Jesus uses the mustard seed to describe the notion that even the smallest belief can yield something much greater in scope like the bush that grows in the garden from the tiniest seed. He uses the image of yeast being added to three measures of flour to cause the dough to rise. I think we all sometimes fail to see our impact on the lives of others because life is so much larger than the scope of our individual lives. I think voter apathy is a direct example of this notion. Don’t be fooled, we all make a difference!

This past Sunday afternoon gave me a personal perspective on the whole concept. Our Cub Scout pack gathered at the local humane society to tour the facility, donate needed items and to walk some of the dogs being sheltered there. I could not help but be touched by the way families came together and brought a few moments of happiness to animals that had been abandoned, abused or neglected. Clearly there was a “bigger picture” being developed here than met the eye. We talk of compassion, and yet if we are not willing to give it then what is the use? If we do not see the yearning in a child’s eyes to be led and be taught how to live, then what business do we have putting on the impression that we truly want to raise and lead them? I hope that in some small way I have brought those little things to light for you today so that tomorrow brings a brighter view.

Please take a moment to check out this video from the group "The Boy Least Likely To." Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w54RJYpeHVk

Life's Big Adventure

Over this past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the new animated movie “Up.” I can tell you it has something for every one of all ages. Now, I’m prone to be on the sentimental side so there were a few scenes that pulled a heart string or two; pardon the pun and dare I say made my eyes well up. I guess if my two boys had not been there it may have hit me a little differently, but I could not help thinking of my grandparents who lived down the street from us when I was growing up and the times I spent as a Boy Scout.

It’s funny how all of my current concerns about paying bills and paying for college just seemed to melt away as I realized that life really is a series of adventures we cannot afford to miss out on. The more we worry about what lies in the future, the more we miss in the present. It’s like going to church and falling asleep during the sermon; the details are what count, not how soon we can get home to watch the game on Sunday afternoon.

My challenge for today is to re-examine the plans I made years ago and to start living now as opposed to setting aside blank pages in a scrapbook entitled “Stuff I’m Going to Do.” Life is an adventure every day if we look at it that way instead of seeing it as a means to an end. “No regrets”, I say should be the order of the day instead of “I wish I had done that when I had the time.” We can still have fun and be aware that life deals out good and bad times just like there will be trusting friendships and people who do not live up to our expectations. The adventure lives in our memories, takes place each and every moment we live and promises to take us to new places tomorrow if we decide to make it that way.

May the good Lord provide a sturdy wind at your back, a sail to catch it and a horizon filled with all that life has to offer. May your hopes and dreams be like bunches of balloons holding you aloft on clear and sunny skies and may he keep you safe and warm in a place you always know as home no matter where you go. May you steer clear of harms way and endure when there is no clearer path to sail. Judge not the ones you love so dear or the stranger, who crosses your path, but be aware that trouble will find you no matter how hard you try. Trust in the power of friendship and the hope that one day you will find the greatest joy beyond the limits of your imagination. Go forth then and live the great adventure with a song in your heart, a smile on your face and a story to tell those willing to listen. Amen.