Month: March 2009

You ever want to just “shake” the junk off of you? Me too! I liken it to a centrifuge reaction.

Centrifuge simply defined – A centrifuge is any number of devices that spin at high speed to press objects outward with centrifugal force.

I’ve had conversations where I literally felt as though I were being “spun”. Mind you, I didn’t know why I used this vernacular but in light of recent revelations in my life, the word seemed to suit. More suiting still was the need to be “spun” so those things clinging to me could be loosed off!

The best example I could think of was a photo of a dog shaking off water from it’s coat so it could be dry and comfortable again.

He sees the man across the street begging for change outside a liquor store. While he sits in his car, he’s able to turn the heat up a little so the cold and chilly air doesn’t affect him much. It’s now he notices the man’s clothes are threadbare and his coat is a flannel shirt with holes in the elbows, the shoes long ago wore out and had utility tape to hold them together.

Zipping up his leather jacket he starts tapping his own boots against the floorboards in time to some tune quietly playing on the radio. He can feel the bulge of his wallet in his back pocket. Looking away from the scene being played out; the beggar giving away more of his dignity to each passing stranger, he tries not to see anything.

His mind wonders what brought the man to this place and circumstance. He’s reminded of a father he’s never known and returns his gaze to the bum he’s been watching. Is that man someone’s father? Is there a son or daughter somewhere wondering where he is or what has become of him?

He hesitates for a few moments and reaches for the door handle. It’s time to find out if there’s some kind of hero in himself……..

Matt 25:35-40

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Ecc 3:1  To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven

My attention has been drawn toward this word in many ways. Some I have understood, some I haven’t.

What I do understand is no matter how fast I may want to get through any situation, the choice isn’t always mine. Coming to this realization face first has a way of maturing my outlook on life. My spirit tells me to “be still”, so I figured I’d pull up a chair and sit for a while. Quietly I will listen.

Words of wisdom can be heard every day if we but listen. Sometimes these words are simple statements meant to protect us from harm and sometimes they are filled with such depth you feel like you could drown in their meaning. To succeed as a student of wisdom means learning to listen with effort so not one of these nuggets be left to fall into emptiness.

Prov 2:2  turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding

The cover of the album seemed pretty bland but I picked it up anyway. On the front cover was a man in a wheelchair with a road before him, on the back was a young boy standing before this same road. The implications of this changed life caused me enough pause to think about the message…..

We all start out as children with great roads ahead of us, yet somewhere in our lives we are crippled and the road becomes harder to journey….

Are we still willing to maneuver the road despite our condition?

…”as I try to make my way through the ordinary world I will learn to survive”….lyrics by a pop band.

How do we live extraordinary lives in an ordinary world? This question bombards me daily and yet I must walk out my seemingly ordinary existence step by step, looking for those moments I can offer my love in extraordinary ways.

A double rainbow from last month caused my heart to race and an excitement to pulse through my body. I didn’t know what it meant other than a reminder of the promises of God. My hopes are high for what is coming next.