Knowing Your Heritage

Knowing Your Heritage

Heritage is defined as something that is passed down from previous generations or a status acquired by birth or a birthright.  Heritage is a part of you that defines your actions, ways of thinking, attitudes, sense of humor, looks and many other qualities that each person possesses. 

Any portion of this definition can be used by a person to refer back to someone or to themselves and where that person comes from, whether it is in a physical or spiritual capacity.  It is important that humans know exactly where their heritage lies and to understand its meaning in our lives.  For if we do not know our heritage we can never have the potential to fully understand our lives in the full capacity that we ought to have and not having this task fulfilled will leave many unanswered questions about some of the things that we do, say and believe.

I have been reading over the past few months about the increased troubles that are happening in Israel.  I know that this is not a shocking news topic but some scholars are saying that things are transpiring a bit differently in the Middle East than the normal transactions.  For instance, there are many articles being written by journalists and other concerned people about the attitudes towards Jews and non-Jews that are moving back to Israel.  According to human logic this event should not be happening since the increase of violence seems like it is increasing each day.  Modern thinking would be to leave the area and confirm that this area is a disaster and nothing can stop the violence until the Jews themselves are forced out of the land. 

What is fascinating about this return to Israel is that there are non-Jews that are following their hearts and going to Israel to live and work.  We have heard of many ethnic Jews returning from around the globe but it does make me think about the non-Jew and the reasoning for their “return” to Israel. I read an article concerning this phenomenon almost every day and it does not look like the articles and stories will stop anytime soon.

With some of the “controversial” statements made by politicians over the past few weeks, it has produced a great deal of information now being published about the history of the Middle East.  Why does it take politicians to grate the eye of the common citizen so intently that their statements are the only ones that engage our minds to find out what the history of that specific topic is about?  Why is it that we must make decisions about history in political arenas when lives are being changed due to the newly restored lands?  These people are finding their physical and / or spiritual heritages by completing this move and should be commended on acting on their faith.  Why is it so important that we understand history and know what it means to us today?  The answer is so that we can know the truth when lies are being presented to us when people are trying to grab support for a related cause.

It has been told that many Jews will return to Israel in the last days and that they will arrive from all parts of the globe.  We have seen this occurrence trickling over the past few decades but it has dramatically increased just in the past few years.  In these times of bad economic terms why isn’t the press covering these types of stories which are actually producing a growth economy in Israel?  These stories are good news and should be praised by the world….a project that is actually working.  The returning people are doing this in a legal way without controversy about borders and who should or should not be allowed into the country, everyone is arriving through legal channels.  Every article gives answers to why that person or group of individuals’ specific reasons for why they are returning to their heritage.  They are restoring themselves to their homeland and where they feel that their heart belongs.

My father was a pastor of a church in Cleveland, Texas which had a school that was associated with the church which was called Heritage Christian Academy.  At the time I had no idea what that phrase meant and to be honest I do not know if the majority of the kids attending the school knew what that phrase meant either; I would like to believe that they knew.  The statement actually means that it is a place to study your Christian lineage.  As stated above, I had no idea of what that phrase meant I just thought it was the name of the school that I went to, just as many of the hundreds of students that attended Cleveland High School.  The name of the my school should have sounded like a beacon to my ears yet being caught up in the worldly efforts of making “A” level I failed to realize that my mind and heart should have been more focused on the Christian Heritage course that I was required to complete.

There is a story that I will eventually be sharing with you concerning my adoption.  Most of you that know me on a personal level know that I was adopted when I was a baby.  It was a great day for my parents and an even greater day in the Kingdom of God.  I am not going to dwell on this topic right now but I just wanted to mention this bit of information before I get into the next subject of this message.  A couple of years ago my biological family found out about me and contacted me through some church channels; and yes, they contacted me.

Up until my biological family sought me out I had no real reason to look for them, in the past I had not displayed any desire to find them nor did I wish to meet them.  Yes I knew they were out there, mom and dad did not hide any information about them from me nor did they push me to find them, it was all in God’s timing and all of us agree with that line of reasoning.  But after I met some of my family I began to wonder about some of the traits that I had especially on the medical side of my life.  Once this information began to come forth I understood some of my physical concerns about myself and was able to piece together some unanswered questions.  The only way I could have ever known about these medical problems was to find out my heritage.

As time went along and more information poured from my family members some of the emotional aspects of my being began to surface.  It was chilling sometimes when details of how others in my family acted and portrayed themselves to the world.  I would pause in my listening to them and remember having some of those actions cross my mind or even things I did when I was younger.  Once again at that time I had no idea about my heritage or what it meant in my life but now it means more to me that I can verbally explain.  The most powerful aspect came in the form of the spiritual nature of my lineage.  I could not believe that some members of my family are pastors, most of them go to church on a regular basis but at the same time they live their lives in their own way.  The way they have grown up spiritually is similar to mine and even some of their beliefs line up with my thinking.

So, do I choose to ignore the heritage and continue to live my life as I know it or do I embrace my heritage and learn additional things about my life?  This question has raced through my mind over the past few years and I have chosen to learn as much as I can about my heritage.  Since I have made this decision and with the information that I have received, it has opened my eyes to many things.  Things that may not be pleasant but they are things that I need to be aware of when I spot them rising within me.  Also, I have found out some of my good attributes have come from my biological heritage and is complimented by my adopted heritage.  All of these are intertwined within my life and currently function under one body, which allows me to understand the biological and spiritual connections that God has with humans.

Now follow me for a bit and realize a kingdom concept of restoration.  God actually began the restoration process with man when He allowed Jesus to be born in human form.  God allowed His lineage to be intertwined with human lineage when Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit.  Both lineages were both separate yet together; the same way that my biological lineage and adopted lineage are bound together in me.  This is why restoration is an important concept in Kingdom matters and must be understood before a person can realize what actually takes place when restoration happens.

God placed His breath or spirit inside us when He created us and He made us in His image.  We were perfect in all ways possible.  With our choice to listen to the sidelines and sin entered into our lives this “perfectness” was destroyed in an instant, which is when death became our inheritance and the separation from God presented itself at the forefront of our lives.  When God chose His son to come to earth, the only way that He could fulfill His promise to restore everlasting life to man is by intertwining lineages, which God gave a signal of this development by ripping the veil of the Temple from top to bottom. 

How ingenious of God to provide a way of restoration through His own lineage and how unique it is to know that one side of our lineage is holy and pure and it runs deep into the heart of God so that it can serve as an example to our human lineage that there is a way to becomes restored into the holy and pure lineage.   This is why it is my belief that both the physical and spiritual restoration can only be done together for it to be a complete process for if one is not present the entire process becomes incomplete. 

This would explain why God said that the Jewish people would be returning to their homeland and it would also explain why non Jewish people are going back to their spiritual roots.  It is a natural process for a person to want to return to their “roots” and to find out about themselves.  You hear many kids say those words these days but if God is not involved in that process, they are barking up the wrong tree and using those words to escape their surroundings and to live the way that they wish.  It is important for all of us to remember that it does not matter who you are or where you have come from restoration is a process that can occur in your life.

To those of you that believe that there is nothing that needs to be restored in your life, you are the perfect candidates for this process.  For those of you that have been disappointed in life, you too are a perfect candidate for this process.  The people who have been lied to, bullied against, taken advantage of are also included into the candidateship.  In fact, all of us are included and need this process in our lives.  It takes time to complete but the rewards will greatly outweigh the wrongs.  No one can control the outcome of the past but you can control what is coming out now and what can come out in the future.  A new relationship not only with yourself will begin but also a new relationship with the people that you acquainted with will begin to develop.  Yes there will be some issues that arise that will not be pretty some might even be painful to realize but what better way to realize these things when God is at the head of this process.

Many people are looking for answers about their lives that no one can seem to answer.  These people need to return to their heritages and bloodlines to find out who they are and accept the things that define them as people.  Once these things begin then they can start the restoration process within themselves to once again grow and become beneficial to their world and self-being.  Restoration is not only physical but it is spiritual as well and the process will never be complete until the spiritual aspects of our beings is in line with God.  I am not approaching this topic with the eyes of man but with the spirit of God.  No, I am not trying to teach anyone to become a fanatic or obsessed with religion.  I am only giving you the option to try doing things God’s way and leaving all of man’s reasoning out of this process.  Once you allow God to take the reins of your life you will never be the same again.

The Driftwood Exchange

The Driftwood Exchange

12/24/11

It is amazing to me how under a person’s hands that is skilled in a trade can alter the looks of an object.  This skilled person can mold and reshape the object into a new piece of artwork that hardly resembles the beginning object.  The new object may still have some scars and dents in its frame but the finished product has smoothed over those infirmities and created a new surface that shines outwards into the atmosphere.  Our lives can be represented by these objects which are battered and scarred by everyday life and the beatings that we take not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well.  But there is someone that can shape us to our original form and then restore us to an object of great desire.

The example I am going to use for this message is called driftwood.  Driftwood is wood that has been floating in the ocean, river, or sea that has washed up on the shore.  The condition of the wood is usually horrible and it really does not look good at all and most likely has an odor along with it.  It can appear as just a small piece that finds land or it can arrive in a large mass of other pieces that can clog up a beach.  Whatever the scene, the pieces of wood usually just lie there until someone does something with them. 

In its present condition there is not much that can be done with these pieces of wood that come to shore.  Yes, small pieces can be used as paperweights on a desktop or some slightly larger pieces might be used as a bookend.  You cannot burn the wood since it contains many chemicals that could harm the lungs and it would cost a good chunk of money to have the large mass of wood transferred to a landfill, so most of the time the wood just sits in the place that it washes ashore.

My first encounter with driftwood came when I lived in Salinas, California.  Salinas is a medium sized city in central California close to the sea.  The valley is a beautiful site to see with all of the farming that goes on for almost the entire year.  The few surrounding mountains house many state and federal lands which anyone can hike through, camp or go up and look out across the valley floor.  And on some clear days on these mountains actually see the bay that lies just on the other side of the mountains.

The beaches of the bay are lined with these pieces of driftwood, which have washed ashore from various origins.  They actually have a name for each origin of wood, flotsam is the name given to driftwood that has been tossed into the water from the shore.  Each piece of driftwood has a specific and separate origin but all the pieces in this area have come to a destined resting place.  The origin of the wood and the place that it served can have a toll on the wood but when found by others it makes them wonder why it was tossed aside never to be looked upon again by that person again; or maybe that person who finds it wonders what other things might have been attached to the piece of wood while it was in the water.  The amount of time the wood spent in the water varies for each piece of wood, the route in which it arrived at its shoreline destination and many other conditions it encountered, just think of the stories that these pieces of driftwood could tell of their journeys if that were possible.

I remember going over to one of the church member’s houses for dinner one evening.  The house was located in a nice neighborhood and not too far from where we lived.  The couple’s son and I had been friends for a while and we enjoyed each other’s company but neither family had been over to the others house, so this was going to be a first for both families.  We were greeted at the door and led into the house with a friendly welcome.  Dinner would be ready in a few minutes so we were escorted to the family room to sit and talk for a bit. 

As I walked into the room I noticed that the majority of the furniture had been made with wood, not the “normal” wood as most furniture is made from but of driftwood.  I rushed over to sit in the chair that looked like a tree stump.  I could not take my eyes off its design and how it was shaped into the form of a chair.  My dad began to ask questions of where these people purchased the furniture and how it was made.  I really did not listen to that conversation since I now focused on the driftwood coffee table and other pieces of driftwood furniture in the room.  I continued my search of the room and found that almost every piece of furniture in the room was made from driftwood and how it created the unique atmosphere in the room, in other words we had nothing like this at home J

Each of these journeys would provide many tales of hurtful and sometimes even destructive conditions that would make the most stable person cringe as they were told.  Indescribable wave upon wave of environmental challenges probably would define the trip to the shore.  And then once on the shore, the sun would beat down upon the piece of wood and dry it out to an extent that it could even change its shape.  All of these conditions can be considered a normal journey for a thrown out piece of wood and how many of us would walk by this piece of wood and not do anything about the situation except talk about its position on the shore.

Let us now do some comparisons with this piece of driftwood and our lives.  From the time we can notice the world that surrounds us we have the capability of falling into its snare.  This snare may seem like a small inconvenience at first but we soon realize that these affairs are more cumbersome to our existence than we believed.  Our ways become more difficult to navigate through and our paths seem tighter and tighter.  Demands are placed upon us that stress our lives to an extent that we believe that there is no immediate hope for us to survive and that we are stuck in a permanent and ever deepening rut. 

We eventually begin to ignore these worldly bombardments and accept our surroundings as a normal part of our existence.  When this stage enters into our lives it simultaneously numbs us to the effects that these motions are having inside our being.  We get to the point where we do not care about our surroundings and allow our minds to ignore the warning signals that our spirit places in us.  Our spirit is not being heard at this point and our emotions begin to take control of our methods of resistance.  This is a sign that we are sinking fast and the while continuing to ignore our surroundings and letting the situation to get worse. 

What adds insult to injury is that eventually we begin to believe that the problems that are bombarding us are actually good for our lives and that it makes us stronger when we encounter them.  We do not recognize that in these conditions that we are functioning in are actually attaching themselves to our spirit and clogging it up with unnecessary garbage that it becomes impossible for us to even recognize our own inner self.  We then begin to understand the ways of the world and to accept them as truth blindly following every new whim that comes around the corner.

Then it happens, the world drops us like a hot potato after it has taken every ounce of life within our lives.  We now notice that our thinking and believing have become hardened by our experiences and that all faith in the world has deserted us.  The world walks away and does not even look back to see the damage that it has created in us for the world knows that it was we who invited it into our lives and it has no claim of responsibility of our actions.  This is the time in our lives that we realize the path that we have chosen and now reality sets in as we hit the shore.

As the sun beats down on our worldly hardened lives, we begin to wonder where things went wrong and why we have been left alone to die.  We sit and contemplate the things that were done to us and plot the revenge that we can inflict on others so that we can feel better about our recent journey.  At this time our minds revert back to simpler days and better times in our lives.  We wonder what the secret was to these times and begin trying to figure out how to return to those good times.  The only problem is we soon realize that that scenario is impossible to recover and we must now try to organize a future for our lives.  Then this is the time when God walks up to you and asks…so, what is a beautiful person with an unspeakable amount of purpose like you doing on a dirty shore like this?

At this moment we recognize God and what He is saying to our lives.  We now have the choice to accept His rebuilding program or to continue on lay around in the sun.  For those that chose to lie in the sun, they will continue to be bombarded with the elements of their surroundings with no shelter from their constant attacks.  These people will eventually be broken into so many small pieces that their existence will be shattered and will be deemed worthless to society.  Even then they still have a choice to take the other road; which brings me to the other road….

The person who chooses to allow God into their lives and to begin a relationship with Him will find that the first thing that happens is that He picks you up off of the shore and carries you to a place where you are safe from the elements.  He then lets you sit in His presence for a while and relax while He begins to teach you of some things about world.  Things that you immediately remember but this time He gives you information that will allow you to understand the harm that these conditions do to your life.  He then talks to you about how precious your life is and what meaning it has for others, what kind of purpose He has in store for you.  You ask Him how do I know that you love me.  God continues by saying that He has provided you a guide book that explains every imaginable worldly attack, including spiritual attack, so that you may be prepared when the time arises.  God then asks if you are willing to accept Him and His relationship with you and the restoration process begins.

God does not hide the fact that the restoration process is going to be painful.  He sees all of the damage that has been done to our lives and He knows exactly how much to chip and chizzle away for us to become viable again.  He cannot complete this process all at once, He does it slowly and methodically all while teaching us how not to get lured into this situation again.  We begin to see just how much junk we have allowed into our lives and as God throws it away we feel the release of that burden.  Yes, this portion of the process hurts since the parts that are being taken are from within our being and are things that we have incorporated into our daily lives which we believe were necessary to function normally.  Yes, the affected area is sore for a while as our life begins to mend itself around the wounds and empty places.  Yes, it stinks because we now can smell of the dirt, mud and trash that we voluntarily allowed to jump aboard during our journey.  And yes, we can now begin to see a cleaner and healthier form beginning to appear as the process continues.

Where is your life heading?  Is it floating in the waters of the world and allowing everything and everybody to jump on board as you travel along the road of life or have you already hit the shore and allowing the sun to burn you to a crisp and letting further damage come into your life?  There is help if you chose to accept Him.  He will blow your mind in directions that you have never encountered before and your entire existence will be changed forever.  The process of healing will begin immediately and your new self will emerge in His likeness.  A likeness with purpose and direction, beaming with happiness and satisfaction, a life that is filled with…life.  Come on driftwood, there is a skilled holy being that is waiting to turn you into a priceless piece of artwork that is unique to all others around you.

DLB

Courage to Face Life

Courage to Face Life

Courage is defined as having the ability to confront danger, fear, pain, uncertainty or intimidation.  We all know that courage can be in physical or moral terms so sometimes combined together.  No other group of people understand this definition that people who have cancer or the people that are associated with these wonderful people.  We humans face situations of courage everyday with most of us not even realizing what is at stake or what the consequences of our actions could muster.  So how are things different in the eyes of those who do know what the consequences are and how do they respond to these conditions? 

All humanity knows that even mentioning the word cancer strikes a fear into our beings that cannot be compared, and when that word infiltrates our personal lives it places our thinking into a category that automatically associates with another fearful word, death.  Cancer is a terrible disease that we are still learning about but researchers are striving to gain ground in its treatment and cure.  However, with all of the advances made all healthcare professionals and patients are realizing that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done on all sides of this curing process.

Many people in the world believe that when the word cancer becomes a part of their life that their existence as a person is over and that their contributions to society ends.  This is so far from the truth!!  You will be amazed to learn that some of these cancer patients continue to work full time jobs, or have a full garden in the summer and some even volunteer their time at the hospital.

Even though their jobs differ, all of them make a statement to society that they have not given up and they will not go into the night quietly.  Weather and daily social conditions do not mean much to these people, all they know is that they are alive and fighting a battle that they do not completely understand but they know their life is dependent upon the treatments they receive on a regular basis.

Each person that suffers with this condition wakes up every day and life immediately reminds them that today could be the last day of their physical being.  Living in this manner should surely be reason enough to have a gloomy appearance on the day and give a sense of worthlessness which encourages the question of “why me” to enter into their thinking.  These people also know that each day they wake up is a gift that cannot be taken away from them no matter the circumstance.  Yet they continue their journey in this life with their head held high and proud to be alive to see the world functioning in its usual capacity.

Laughter has always been touted as a healer of the body.  Besides my loved ones, I get no greater joy in hearing these people laugh.  How can I not have a positive outlook on life when I hear a person with a potentially deadly disease laughing?  Most of the time I have no idea what they are laughing about or who they are laughing with but I do know that when I hear those sounds protruding from their treatment rooms the level of encouragement cannot be hidden to others.  The laughing is actually infective to the other patients, which has the opportunity to give them a new sense of faith and hope to carry inside them and for these occurrences, I cannot argue that even though life has taken a turn for the worse, laughing is still a possibility and will continue its quest to heal.  The only thing, in my opinion, that can top laughter is when I hear a patient sing for the other patients in the clinic in which there are no words that can accurately describe this act.

Each day that I come to work I say a small prayer for all the people that are involved in our Oncology department, both of the staff side of the aisle and on the patient’s.  The reason I pray for the patient’s side of the issues is a given but I include the staff in my prayers so that we may learn from the people that we encounter.  This may be a no brainer statement but I am convinced that our patients can give us tools to help others with similar conditions in the future.

One area that always gets me in my current position is when our patients brings into the department  small gifts or brings in items that they are working on while they are receiving their treatment.  These gifts are not always things that we can eat or take home but they are projects and items that allow us to get an idea of what is going through their minds at the time; do not get me wrong the things that they bring for us to eat are goodJ  Being a pastor’s son all my life I have had the opportunity to go with my father into many patient rooms, and I have witnessed many settings where pets, books, flowers have graced the patient to brighten their surroundings.  But until I worked in this area of the hospital I never knew just how much a puppy dog changes the atmosphere in a room or area and also what goes on in a person’s head when they or a family member are completing a knitting project.

There are many more examples of courage that I could give concerning my examination of these patients.  Each example though accurate in nature would still not provide a detailed picture that they portray.  I could go on and on about how they dress the ideas that they have about politics, medicine, wives or husbands, or about the health that they have, as before none would serve their justice.  These people are beautiful in many, many ways and I can honestly say that we should take the necessary steps in noticing them.

As all of the above scenarios unfold, I cannot help but to pool all of the information into my mind and think about all of the words and actions that these dear people perform every day to defy their current situation on a level of snobbishness to which their disease should heed as a warning that they are not done fighting.  The courage that they bring to the world each day impresses my heart in way that is hard for me to comprehend and it leads me to make the statement that these people are the definition of courage.

Cancer is packaged in many shapes and sizes just as humans are; which complicates matters when trying to figure out how to treat each disease.  Modern technology has been the mainstay of finding treatment plans that all point to a cure for each condition.  Even though the bodies of these patients wear down over time it is fascinating to see their spirit soar like never before.  How can I determine their actions to be true? On the level of 100% I cannot honestly say that they always portray a positive attitude, but on that hand who does.  I also understand that the human mind plays a large part of how people respond to their situations and along those lines I know that there is a driving force behind all of the negative feelings that these patients must endure.  I do know that the majority of the people we see in our clinic have always been friendly to their surroundings and that they are taking life in stride as it is dealt to them. 

As Poirot would say….A question is posed into my gray cells…since these people’s lives could end today do they know what it means to live today like you will not have a tomorrow?  I believe that they do and who else better to learn this concept from.  The previous statement is a very common saying that humans have but do we as healthy people really believe it and understand this phrase?  These people are tough and their resilience amazes me of how they can be bombarded with bad news on a daily basis and still bounce back the next day to thumb their noses at death. 

For those of us who do not have this disease or any other major health issue but face our own daily challenges, let us learn from these precious individuals of how to be happy and satisfied with life.  I continually pray for a cure of all types of cancer so that these people and others like them can return to their normal living conditions.  In no way am I glorifying cancer or the toll it takes on its victims; however, I do glorify the people that these diseases has affected and their attitudes towards their issues in which they have no further control over.  It gives me great joy to work with these people on a daily basis and even though their times are challenged with a condition that robs them from many activities of life their fighting spirit encourages me to continue to tell others that there is hope in all things.

So as I tuck myself into bed each night with relative certainty that I will rise in the morning, I will try and remind myself that I am not invincible and will do my best to live the next day as it were going to be my last, and to portray the same type of courage towards others that cancer patients protrude.

The Great Palace

The Great Palace

A palace is a place of residence that a king or ruler inhabits.  It is of exquisite beauty and grandeur with all of the commodities that could ever be asked by a human.  All control and functional capabilities of a government can be handled in this one place.  There are many rooms and corridors inside this palace that serve a purpose to allow the daily functions to occur.  One area of this palace is the control room, the throne room if you care to call it, that is the nerve center of everything that comes out of the palace compound.  A central chair or throne is the place where the head of state sits and makes the decisions that is vital to the survival of the state and its people.  Whoever controls this chair virtually controls the entire state with just one word or command spoken.

Being a typical boy in life, I have always been fascinated with the art and concept of war.  This idea of war in me actually began when I was young and living in Salinas, California.  I had a “train board” as I called it with a few mountains, a town and many plastic soldiers.  I would spend hours upon hours setting up scenarios where the different groups of soldiers fought each other to see who would have control of the area in question or who would have control of the railway.  I would end my days with the feelings of conquerors and also the defeated wondering what would be in store tomorrow.

I asked my father one time why I liked war so much, he stated the basically the same thing to me that I was a boy and that boys usually are aggressive and like to be kings of things, and that the show of strength towards others was a normal human thing to experience.  He also stated that King David, in the Bible loved war and that being a king or a leader you sometime had to show your strength to others in certain times.

When the initial stages of the Iraq War were unfolding a certain image caught my attention.  At the time I saw this situation I felt it was a time of rejoicing and celebration since it had to do with a palace of Saddam Hussein and how an American military unit had captured it with basically no opposition.  This image has always stuck in my head for some reason and I could not figure out why, until now.  One question continued to cross my mind, where were the defenders of this palace?

After a few moments of fighting the American troops had occupied this palace of the ruler of that country.  Smoke and dust filled the air and it was visible someone in the very recent past had been present in this location.  The only ones present now were the American soldiers who were making sure that everything was secure so that someone else could occupy this command center.  With the modern technology news camera crews were filming this situation to the world at a live pace.  Wow!!!! I said to myself as I actually got to watch this war unfold in real time.

The soldiers entered into one room, it opened up into a large area with a few desks at the front with a single chair located in the center of the room.  It was a lush chair that you could tell some important person had at once time sat in this chair.  As the cameras panned the entire room a person could assume that this was a command center of some sorts and that at one time a commander had made decisions in this room.  The camera turned to the American soldier in charge as he was just getting ready to sit down in this chair.  As he was sitting down he looked at the camera and said to the camera, where is he at, we are here and want to ask him a few questions.  Of course the soldier was referring to Saddam Hussein.  Next the soldier took out a cigarette and lit it, crossed his legs and again asked the same question.

Now, please understand I am not comparing the American soldiers to any person, or group of people, I am merely using this situation as an example to get my point across.  How easy was it for this opportunity to arise and for this place of control get overrun so easily?  The outside looks like it could withstand an entire army’s attack, yet a small group of attackers successfully take control.  Who was actually in command of this fortress and why didn’t the defenders stand up to its attacks when the enemy began their assault and where did they go?  So many questions of how this event unfolded but there is only one answer.

The same can be true to our command center.  The Bible states that we are the temple of God and that we are holy and should be treated as such in everything that we do.  It is very hard for us to realize this statement since all that we know is sin, death and destruction.  Seeing our goals and visions that God has for our lives seem obscured most of the time.  Yes, our enemies know this situation and will attack to take control.

Many times our attackers have already infiltrated our defenses before we know what has happened.  The definitive lines of the battleground become strained due to the fact of questions that have been placed by our enemies to sway us from keeping on our guard.  Questions and doubts to why we need our defenses are constantly presented to us which get our minds and “committees” acting towards a peace settlement or an appeasement opportunity.  These are the defensive mechanisms that the enemy infiltrates, and once this infiltration has been achieved it might already be too late to save the fort.

We see this happen all the time in our world; people, communities, governments become distracted with petty differences and then get totally blown away when the enemy attacks.  By this time our propaganda agents, our mouths, have begun to control the visible damage and usually ends up causing more confusion and even more questions.  You ever wonder if the enemy plants these distractions in our way to help them achieve their own goals?  Your answer better be yes and if your answer is not “yes” then you have already been distracted and a re-evaluation of your defenses needs to be completed immediately.

What happens when your command center is overtaken by your enemy?  _________  Fill in that blank because any answer that you can imagine will be a correct answer.  Everything that you have been taught, everything that you know to be true, is subject to be overthrown and destroyed.  A change that is forced upon you that you cannot control any longer.  Your thoughts and actions change to allow more attacks to appear in your life, affecting virtually every relationship that you have established.

Your defense is this: YOU are the temple of God!!  Your command center needs to have God as number one in your life.  He will charge His son, Jesus and as many angels that are needed to guide and protect your command center.  No, it will not be an easy fight but at least you will know who is one your side and you will also know who he enemy is and what they are doing at all times.  With this defensive personnel in your corner all battles will be fought with the supreme commander in your corner. 

This command center is your palace.  The place where all decisions are begin made not only for your own life but also the lives around you.  Do not become jaded with your surroundings, allow yourself to see the entire situations that being played out in your world.  Allow God to speak to your command center so that you will understand the attacks that being presented to you.  Continually know and understand that this battle is about you!  The prize is you and control of you is the most important objective that the enemy has and he will stop at nothing to obtain this objective.

Know that you cannot do this on your own or by yourself.  Your friends cannot help you in this battle nor can your family; yes, they can give you advice but you are ultimately the one who controls your destiny and to whom you listen.  Guidance comes in a continual force that no one can explain but it is there and this guidance is the tug of the Holy Spirit urging you to listen to your Supreme Commander for instructions.

The Supreme Commander can restore your control center back to its rightful owner, YOU!  The battle will be tough and it will be to the death but according to Him you are worth it.  He paid a price to have this access to your life, your control center your palace.  He represents himself to us in our own lives and through our own lives and without this knowledge we automatically become mute and defenseless against all attacks of our enemies.  This concept is true for both physical and spiritual attacks.

Restoration is a painful process in itself but the end result is a complete new beginning for your life.  It brings new life to your existence and a renewing of your mind that only can be explained by the new relationship that is established first with God and then your physical life.  New meanings to “living” become alive in your spirit, which bring a new strength in your defenses for future attacks.  God loves restoration that is His business and He is just waiting for the opportunity to be allowed back into your control center to take back what was stolen from Him.  See, if we are the temple of God that means we were His to begin with and just as parents rush to the sides of their children, God is ready to return to His child.

Think on this statement:

            “For as Judas sat among the apostles “the man of sin” sits in the temple of God” 

            History of the Christian Church by Schaff and Schaff pg 26 1882

Two Coffee Mugs and a Jalapeno

Two Coffee Mugs and a Jalapeno

12/17/11

In an age where the art of giving elaborate gifts has become secondhand the heart of a child continues to bring the most profound gifts that bring an everlasting memory to our heart.  It is refreshing to receive a gift from your child in a way which represents their thinking and heart more than any other gift imagined.  It is these gifts that you hang on your walls or place on your shelves that bring back memories that no one can ever take away.

This year I celebrated my 44^th birthday.  Yes, my mother’s baby is 44.  As we get older in life and these special days become less meaningful to us due to our busy lifestyles, we still need to make sure we remember what life is about and how special this day really is to our family.  Even though it is your birthday, always remember that a woman somewhere in the world was going through a level of pain that would define your existence for your entire lifetime, a pain that is unbearable at times for her but will bring a joy that is not comparable to anything else known to humans.

We receive various Happy Birthday messages from our friends and with modern technology from we can now receive these notes from people that we do not even know on a personal level.  We hear all of the funny suggestive “getting older” jokes and other humorous statements and we laugh each and every one of them because in the back of our minds we know that in short time frame we can get our revenge on these people when their special day rolls around.  These events come and go and then fade away as the next morning or week arrives.  Nothing against our friends that perform these duties, but most of those events are placed at the back of our mind’s hierarchy.

Our busy days and nights continue to pass bye and these birthday thoughts eventually wane away into the proverbial sunset and we think to ourselves that this was just another day in our lives and that tomorrow will ring once again with the same mundane patterns.  However, there comes a time where a child or young person comes along that makes this day special in our lives that will break this pattern and give us a new insight to what this day actually means.  This event from a child does not have to be on your birthday but it may occur on an ordinary day when we least expect it.

When we lived in Cleveland, Texas the church that my father pastured included a private school.  I attended this school for approximately three years and enjoyed my tenure there.  With dad being the administrator of the school I saw him on a continual basis and would occasionally speak to him in the halls or in the cafeteria.  Most days after school I would be picked up by mom or driven home by dad where my day would normally continue.  Knowing that my dad was constantly busy I would, for the most part, leave him alone and let him continue his work for I knew that I would soon see him at the house.

My dad has always liked spicy foods, from as far back as I can remember his taste for Mexican food, spices, hot sauce, peppers, etc, and etc. has been in our home.  He introduced me to this delicacy when I was young and that taste too has spilled over into my bloodstream.  I cannot remember the exact situation but I remember I found out that dad loved jalapenos which were cut long ways and had cream cheese placed into the middle of them then served on a plate as a snack.

I obtained some of these jalapenos, like I said I do not remember how, and I cut them and them filled them with cream cheese and put them on a paper plate.  I walked to dad’s office and knocked on the door.  He did not answer so I opened the door slowly and peeked around and verified that he was not in the room.  I then walked over to his desk and set the plate down close to the center and began to look for a piece of paper to write a note.  I then reached into my pocket and pulled out some change.  I counted it and knew I was short on the amount but I was going to leave the coins anyway.

I tore off a portion of the paper I had found and wrote a simple short note, which basically said that I had brought this plate for him and that I had some change for you to buy a coke.  The funny part of the note was that the amount of change I left was not enough to actually buy a coke and that he could supply the remaining amount needed.  I had no idea of what impact that note would have on my dad.  That note and the memory that comes along with it are framed on his office wall to this day.  Almost every time I walk into his office I see that note and I am reminded of that day way back in my youth.

For my birthday this year, my youngest brought me this same type of special gift.  Rebekkah has an artistic mind that is exciting to watch function.  You know the phrase that we use often…”you can see the wheels turning” well in her case you can see them turning many times.  It is neat to see a child going through the thought process of trying to find a gift for someone but not telling you who or what they are looking for when you ask them if they need any help.  Rebekkah is a classic example of this situation.

When we arrived at the house from the shopping trip we unloaded the car as normal.  I was carrying in the bags and I noticed Rebekkah was already going through them looking for something.  I went back outside and finished carrying the bags when she met me at the door and began taking bags from my hand.  I knew that I had the bag she was looking for and quietly let her take it from my hand.  She ran upstairs and then shortly came back down acting like nothing ever happened, which if you know Rebekkah…that is hard for her to doJ

On my birthday Rebekkah presented me with this beautifully wrapped box.  She promptly said Happy Birthday and was literally dancing with excitement while I was opening it.  Inside I found two coffee mugs.  One coffee mug was of Bugs Bunny and the other mug was of Tweety Bird.  I looked at them and almost began to cry.  This gift touched my life so much and in a way that she had no idea of what and why.  I hugged her and said thank you so much and then continued to look at them for a bit longer.  Rebekkah went along her way and as soon as she left the room, the title of this message was placed into my mind.

A small simple gift from my daughter brought the day to its highlight that November afternoon.  Yes, all of my other gifts, messages, and notes from my friends and colleagues were wonderful and I will accept them as graciously as I can again next year.  Yes, all of the gifs and wishes from my family were just what I wanted and needed and I appreciate them each and every day, both the gifts and my family!  But this small gift had its own special meaning to me this year.

It is his act of purity that will stay within my heart and mind until the day I leave this physical body.  No matter what people try and do to me or say about me, this act of innocence will continue to burn within my heart and fuel my desire to write about the things that occur in a person’s life that can change our surroundings.  Is this a God thing?  You bet it is!!  It still confuses the most prestigious scholars of how a child’s action can strike to the core of an adult’s life and this act by a child can only be explained by a living God in our lives.

It is these events that we as adults need to remember and share with others so that they can understand the meaning of gift giving.  A gift from a child may not always be a physical item but it may be a hug or a placed in a question or even in a message.  It does not have to be around a holiday or on your birthday, but to that child it will be just a random and normal moment but to the adult it will be an everlasting and life changing event that will never be forgotten.  Enjoy them, for our children will grow up and those innocent moments that only they can bring will be gone.  But also remind them that their children and others like them will one day pierce their heart with a simple act and when this act occurs embrace it as your heart did.

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that sums up this message.  It is entitled “Cinderella” and every time I hear this song I am not ashamed to say it literally brings tears to my eyes.  Not because the fact that the girl in the song grows up and leaves the house but because it is those moments for that touches the dad’s heart and writes his signature on the daughter’s heart that they both will never forget.

A child always can bring an adult to their knees in an instant.  The simple things they say or the innocent looks in their eyes speak so much to us that many times those are the moments that are burned into us that last a lifetime.  Those thoughts are the ones that bring us the most happiness when our lives are troubled or in a mess.  Those acts are the ones that restore our faith in humanity and allow us to re-assure ourselves that there is still good in the world.  These acts of a child or person who gives from the heart should be exalted to the public and told about for centuries beyond.  This purity of thought cannot be measured in a sense that we can know.  When this event occurs in your life, and at some time it will, cherish that moment and when things go wrong reflect on it and life will once again have meaning to you.

Obeying the Bent Stop Sign

Obeying the Bent Stop Sign

12/9/11

The stop sign, how many of these do we see every day?  How common are they in our lives?  How many have we ignored?  What would happen to us if stop signs were never invented?  What other devices would we have to protect us in these needed situations?  These questions and probably hundreds more like them have at one time or another have crossed our minds at some point in our driving or riding careers.  Many times we do not even realize their importance in our lives and the protection that it garnishes.  God has established some similar spiritual laws that we do not remember all of the time as well, but are just as important as the stop signs we see every day.

The stop sign is a simple invention to warn us of potential oncoming danger that could change the course of our lives.  The stop sign was invented back in 1902 which looked like a combination of a modern traffic light and the stop sign.  The stop sign’s modern shape and simple letters has crossed many language barriers, a change in style and sometimes the color of the sign itself but one thing always remains is its meaning.  If you drive around the town or community that you live in and look at the locations of stop signs you can get a feel of what type of activity occurs there on a routine basis.  Stop signs are usually placed where the greatest or highest threat of danger is posed to the public.

My father and mother have travelled in many countries and have seen their share of various kinds of stop signs.  I remember one time my father was showing us some slides of his recent trip and one of the pictures was of a stop sign, he asked the people in the room what that sign meant and all of us responded.  Dad quickly replied that in that country that sign meant absolutely nothing.  Even though it is against the law to disobey the stop sign humans are still behind the wheels of automobiles and their minds operate exactly as other humans located in other parts of the world.

Here in the United States, a stop sign has its own shape, color, painting of the letters, have its specific spot on a corner and be made to a specific height.  It is placed in locations where potential danger could be encountered at any given time of the day or night.  It serves as a warning to all parties in that area to serve caution around them.  The red color catches our eye as we approach from a car and the height of the sign completes the same mission if we are walking close by.  Not many people can pass a stop sign and honestly say they did not see it, unless of course we are not paying attention to our surroundings at that particular moment.

Stop signs have also provided humans with a target to shoot at or to run into it when they are not following the current circumstances around them.  Some ignore it completely and run it like it was never there, completely disregarding why it was placed there.  How many times have we approached a stop sign and quickly looked in both directions and then continued on our course without stopping.  Anyone ever rolled right through a stop sign or even perform what is called a “California” stop?  All of these situations prove dangerous to us and could spell disaster if something were to go wrong at that instant.  Stop signs are there for a reason and that is why it is against the law if their warning is not adhered to no matter what the circumstances are.  It seems petty sometimes how stiff a fine we have to pay when we get caught not completely stopping at a stop sign.  You want to have fun sometime take a book and a blanket with you and sit under a tree or bush at a corner with a stop sign.  Just watch the people as they approach it and see how they complete the stopping process, I guarantee you will have a bunch of laughs.

How casual we have become with this pole that is present in front of us and how many ways do we try and to disobey its command.  We humans believe that we can do things our own way and still make it home in time for dinner.  How familiar we have become with the presence of the stop sign and even though we see the stop sign and we know that it is wrong to ignore its command, we still run through it and do it our own way.  How many times have we heard about or read about accidents that occur when people fail to obey or deliberately ignore stop signs?  It often makes me wonder what was going on in that person’s head at that time, but I cannot point fingers at everyone for all of us have ran a stop sign in our driving careers. 

There is a bent stop sign at one of the entrances / exits my place of employment.  It is an odd thing that sticks up from the ground but about half way up it the pole bends to the right for about a foot, bends back straight and then continues its rise upwards.  I unconsciously look at it every day as I am crossing the parking lot but most of the time I do I do not pay attention to it because it is not in my present path to the main hospital building.  When I am crossing the entrance way towards the other building I look both ways to make sure that no cars are coming down the road.  This is the time that I occasionally notice the bent stop sign not because it has anything to do with my course but peculiar bent stance catches my eye and then I wonder who hit it.  But as I pass it every day and when I do venture to look at it, it is still posted in the same place reminding whoever comes its way that danger could be close at hand. 

As man has provided these stop signs to warn us of potential danger, God has provided the same laws to warn us of potential spiritual danger.  The Bible has many stories, parables, protective laws, and cultural settings that provide everyone with a guide of when to be aware of their surroundings.  Some of us have grown up reading about these stories and they are engrained into our everyday lives.  But even those of us who have taught these practices still ignore them in certain instances.  We fall into the same category as the ignorance of the stop sign, we know it is there but we still have to prove that we can do it on our own.  Then there are those of us who have never read about these stories and do not know about the simple spiritual laws that God has supplied for us.  No matter which category we fall into God has made a way for each of us to follow.

God has placed these spiritual stop sign laws in our life for a reason.  He has a purpose for our lives and He wants to make sure that we have the opportunity to complete His purpose.  The spirit that God has placed into our lives He put there personally when He created man and this spirit is the means by which He communicates with us.  Most of the time we have no idea what is being said or what type of communication that transpires, but it is there and it is alive and it speaks.  When God sees an event that has potential to harm our lives He motions our spirit to stop and to look around for danger. 

But how many times have we been “cruising” down our spiritual highway and totally ignore what God is telling us or just walking and singing to our own tune in life.  Why do we as humans believe that we are in control of our existence and believe that we need no one to guide us?  It always fascinates me to hear humans say that they have everything under control when in reality we have absolutely nothing in control that surrounds us.  Sometimes we cannot even control the itching and scratching processes that occur on our bodies.  In other words, we are looking around and not paying attention to the stop signs that God has placed in our lives.  It is sad to say but the majority of Christians and churches of the present day are performing this exact lifestyle.

Don’t you just love to come upon a police officer that has someone pulled over to the side of the road?  You slow down and drive real slow and as you pass by you pretend you are not looking at the people involved but inside you are just dying to see how the person is reacting?  Some of us do not care what the people think and we do the old rubberneck trick as we pass by the scene.  Even though God usually does not call out your violation publically He will check your spirit so that you know what you understand what happened and why He is calling you on it.  And then there is your response to Him after you have been found out, this event can be even more dramatic than the act itself.  All of which God already knows the outcome of the situation.

These laws are not there to control our lives but to guide us along our way in life.  God knows that our lives are difficult enough alone so He believed that it would be a safe bet to give us some help along our journey.  God does not wish to control our lives with these laws, but to protect us when times danger arises.  God loves us so much that He set these laws in motion so that we will understand how to react when the time is appropriate.  It is always best to be prepared for as many obstacles as possible when the road becomes long and narrow.  I know that there are many different translations of the Bible present but whichever one you chose to read the message is still the same.

Dedicated To The Work I Love

Dedicated To the Work I Love

12/8/11

In these times of economic uncertainty a job is a valuable tool to have.  We have heard over the past few years that many people have lost their positions due to the downturn of the current recession.  Even with these events taking place there are some of those who still look positively on their positions and accept the fates of the circumstances.  No matter what is thrown their way these same people continue to set an example of love and dedication to their position that we should take heed and learn from.  Our organization had one of these people and I hope we continue to realize it on a daily basis.

Approximately ten years ago the hospital ventured into a new building project.  The old building was tired and broken down and needed some major improvements in order to keep functioning properly.  The hospital board decided it would make more sense to build a new building instead of making repairs to the current building and then sometime in the near future build another building due to the growth of the community.

When the time came to break ground for the new hospital the board wanted any member of the hospital that was employed at the hospital when it moved from the first building to the current one to participate in this ceremony.  At that time there were only four people that were still with the organization that were able to fit into this category.

On ceremony day the weather was cold, cloudy and drizzly.  Four gold plated shovels were given to the “digging” participants and when it was time to break the ground all four completed the turning of the dirt with smiles on their faces.  Yes the local press were there recording as much as possible, speeches were made and other somber dedications were made to the ones who had dreamed of this moment but had left us previously.  Yes the other hospitals were represented with personnel that had long cared for the entire area and desired to see better health care all around the valley.  But I can guarantee you that none were prouder than the four who actually got to turn the dirt.

The majority of the four diggers are still amongst the community today, two are retired, one is still hard at it in the laboratory and the fourth we just lost this week.  The person we lost was a very dedicated lady in whom the entire hospital knew, liked and respected.  She was a simple lady who was not flamboyant or extravagant in her ways yet she kept a demeanor that was envious to all including the physicians.  She was a family lady with a sense of community that anyone rarely has encountered and a true devotion to her work that outshined each employee on a daily basis.  She always knew your name when you saw her at work and would not be ashamed to speak it in public.

Never did any of us see her in a bad mood nor hear her speak in a cross tone to anyone.  I know she must have had many bad days during her time here, but to us she never showed it.  I still wonder how many names she called us after we walked out of the room though, or how many times she sighed or rolled her eyes.  She would always smile and make light of the situation which we would always interpret that everything was under control.

Some people might have believed that she had an easy job and really did not do much around the hospital.  In fact, her job was the complete opposite, since every nook and cranny on the business end would have to be accounted for.  How many phone calls she must have received over the years with questions concerning money?  I know I had to call her a few times concerning some issues and even though I knew I was cutting the deadline close, every time she gladly did her part to make the situation right.  How many of us actually thanked her for all the favors she did for us.

How many years she sat behind that desk with wisdom and knowledge to hand out but we did not have the time to seek it, all we wanted was to have an answer about money.  How many times did we have the opportunity to sit down and to talk with her and find out how her day was going, and we didn’t.  My mother has always said hindsight is 20/20…I wonder how many of those types of sayings she had.

She worked at our organization for 44 yrs.  Can you imagine the things that she had to deal with or the things that she heard and saw during that time; and just think, how much the world changed during her tenure there.  When she started working for our organization the Vietnam War was ongoing, The Beatles, The Animals, Elvis, and Jimi Hendrix were popular musicians.  As time went along, her children were being raised and then going to school.  Graduation came next and then grandkids.  No internet or cell phones were created and computer problems were not even an issue then either.  Yet she could have quit at any time when these huge changes occurred but she continued the course and gave it all she had.

As these years have passed how many of us just said our casual courteous morning routines to her and then went on our merry way and completed the tasks of the day.  How much time did we spend with her, getting to know what was in her world or her opinions about last weeks’ sports scores.  Did we know her favorite colors, favorite foods or even what her hobbies were?  Most of us, including myself do not know these things about a coworker that has been with us for almost ½ a century.

As it became known that she had a terrible disease we began to pay a bit more attention to her and ask a few more questions about her condition but for the majority of the time we had no idea of what or how she was doing.  Why does it take this type of situation for us humans to begin to pay attention to someone that we have relied upon for so many years?  The obvious answer is that we are busy and our daily lives did not have time to include her.  This is sad in my opinion and to be honest shameful as well.  I could say so many more words about her, enough to fill an entire book and still not captivate the full essence of her being she was that amazing of a human being.  Yet, for as little of her I knew probably would have not touched the tip of the iceberg concerning the size of her heart.

For the past few years you have put up a valiant fight against your disease.  Not once during this time have I witnessed you allowing yourself or your family to become discouraged.  Even in these times of distress, you have stood tall and have once again set a standard for us to go by.  I know that there must have been times of tears but we never saw them.  Your stiff motherly strength has shown through towards us even during your sickest moments.  And God forbid that if another one of us in our hospital family has to stare down a similar condition that we will remember you and defend life as you did.

 

Now, we no longer have the opportunity to seek advice from her, nor can we see that smile that she always portrayed each day.  We have her in our thoughts and our memories and that is what we will have to remember her by until it is our time to say goodbye to this world.  So we say goodbye to you Miss Alice.  You did your duty with all dignity and you served your county well and every time we walk into the hospital cafeteria we will be reminded of who you are.  And when people who did not know you ask us where the name of the hospital cafeteria originated from, we all can stand proudly with our chests held high and say, it got its name from Alice, a good friend and coworker whom I know you would have loved to know. 

Let us remember to do a better job in getting to know the people we work with.  Yes, I know that not all of us will always get along or even become close friends but there is a certain bond that we share at our little zoo and we should at least have the decency to be acquainted with all of the monkeys…don’t you think?