Put the Cricket to Sleep

Put the Cricket to Sleep

9/30/12

Ever wonder why God uses weird objects or sounds to get through to our hearts?  Over the last year I have learned that God uses many non conventional methods to get His message across to us; well, to me that is.  This message will be no different since the example that I am going to use is a cricket.  But I guess when you are deaf to God’s voice or intentionally ignoring Him then He has other option than to use other means of getting our attention.  And since He so brilliantly created the human mind, He can use this portion of our body to get His message across.

Growing up in the South I endured many long and hot summer nights.  Most of my growing up years was spent in different parts of the South so I had my share of different regional noises that I contended with on a daily basis.  Many different animals and creatures filled the air, water and ground and one of them that stuck out in my mind was the cricket.  A cricket is a small little creature but it can make a noise that is distinctive yet elusive at the same time.

Whenever we were playing outside and the evening hours rolled around the sound of crickets began to fill the air.  Our ears would pick up these sounds and it would set off an internal clock saying that it was close to getting time for dinner or if a rain had just past that it was time for the humidity level to begin to rise higher.  The sound of a cricket was a constant around the south and since winter was only a few weeks in length, on average, crickets would shine almost the entire year.  At these times the sounds that crickets made did not bother us since we had other things going on to occupy our minds.  However, the cricket continued to make his noise even though we were really not paying attention to him.  The vibrations that we caused while walking around allowed the cricket to believe that he needed to signal his musical codes to us so that we would know where his presence was located.

In the south and probably other places a cricket can be used for a couple of things, one of them being bait for fishing and the other main thing was to capture them and put them in a jar and watch them for a couple of days.  I am not going to mention the many other uses for crickets because of the grossness that some may find in other people’s habits.  I remember we used to go down to the local store and buy a whole bunch of crickets, put them in a metal container with holes in it and then take them down to the local pond or lake and use them for bait.  Fish loved them and it was almost guaranteed a catch when you used a cricket for bait in a pond.  On the other hand there were many nights that I would sit by my bed and watch the activities of the cricket that I had captured that afternoon.  It is amazing of what they do when their surroundings were changed and could not jump freely around the grass.  I never really thought about having them “tied” up in a jar but I would always release them the next morning however, the night before the captured cricket would let loose on with his music and would not stop for quite a while.

Some nights I would lie awake and listen to the crickets outside.  Their music was soothing to listen to and I would find myself trying to count how many different crickets that were outside just by the location of the sounds that they made.  I have no idea of how close I came to an actual count but I remember I would not get too high since the next thing I would remember would b mom waking me up an telling me to get dressed for the day.  Early mornings was another time that crickets would make their presence known and I could find myself opening the window and listening to them sing for quite some time as well.

Then you have to place the cricket noise into the annoying category when they decide to find their way into the house.  There have been countless number of times that we have sat down to eat dinner, read a book or watch television and as soon as the proceedings begin a cricket will fire up his legs and begin his calling for other friendly species.  This noise is ok for a while but after a bit the noise begins to creep into your ears and then rattle your brain enough that you have to get up and find that little noise maker.  Well, as you can imagine, only because you have done the exact same thing in the past, we have to get up and make total fools of ourselves trying to catch the culprit that is hiding next to the wall or in the corner of the room.  We take about five minutes to catch it and then go to the door and place it outside in his natural habitat once again.  But how many times do we complete this task and then get settled back down to our business and another cricket starts in with the same musical notes.  It is a process that in some places of the world does not stop and can become quite annoying rather quickly.  The remembrance of these creatures in the yard and my lost number count of them would sometimes become deafening so that my sleep would be abated.

Ever wonder how many times God has performed this ritual within our lives and how many times we have ignored His voice when He is trying to get our attention?  God never begins speaking to our spirit in a loud manner, but it is always in a soft tone which is soothing and gentle.  It is always direct, concise and pointed to what is needed for that time and His voice never seems to be in question.  Yet many times we have ignored His voice or simply not heard it for reasons that have crowed into our lives.  It is a common routine that our lives are jammed with the activities of the day and we continue to have these activities when we arrive home from our day which then translates into a major annoyance factor when God tries to speak to us “when we have a moment”. 

How many times have we heard His voice, recognized it but told God to hold on a minute while we complete our task, which could take us some time to complete.  What makes us believe that our lives have become so important that we can continue to play in the park with our friends and even though we hear the crickets in the background, we ignore them while we deem what we are doing is more important.  It is funny because we know that when the crickets come out and they begin to make their music that it will not be a one night thing or it will not be just for a few hours, “cricket season” lasts for a long time, so why do we continue to believe that God’s voice will fade away into the background in the same way?

God is funny in that He will continue to try and get our attention even though we continue to try and ignore Him.  He is like a parent trying to call their child home when they have been gone from the house for some time.  When their current methods do not work they try something a bit more drastic or louder, God acts in the same way.  The magnitude of noise that a few crickets portray into the night air can seem like there are hundreds of them in one small area; their noises elusive to our ears but effective at the same time.  God’s voice will never go away from us even if we have never heard His voice speak to us before it is something that we never forget and we will never ignore either.

God’s soothing voice now becomes like a sounding clang to our spirits, a sound that we know that we should respond to but continue to ignore hoping that whatever God wants with our life goes away.  We even change our current thinking and habits believing that He will not speak to us any longer since we have “changed” a little.  But His voice continues to rattle our cage and the noise of the bars is so loud until we have no choice but to stop and ask God what He wants.

God then once again begins to speak in His soft and gentle tone to our spirits which only He can after such a hard chase for what seems like forever to us.  God only wishes to protect us from as much danger, frustration and hardships that He can but we must stop and listen to His voice when He calls us.  Yes, we hear His voice and ignore it every child does this to their parents at some point in their life but we need to understand that our parents, as with God, only wish to make sure that we do things correct as possible the first time around.  And if we do not pay attention to things, their voices get a bit louder and a little stern with words but their love for us does not change.  I also understand that not every child has the opportunity to have parents that love them, or for some tragic reason they do not have parents any longer, but we all should remember that God is everlasting and that He shall never leave us while we are on this earth.

A quick funny to the closing of these words, I have to admit that God has made it clear that He wanted me to quit procrastinating and get this message done.  I have had the topic and all the necessary notes that accompany it ready for a while now but last night as I was lying in bed I was closing my eyes to go to sleep and a cricket began to sing somewhere in our bedroom.  We have never had a cricket in our bedroom before, our bedroom is on the second floor which would pose many obstacles for a cricket to get up to that level but there was one there and as soon as he began to sing, I knew exactly what God was telling me to do. 

This morning when I went into the office to begin my day a couple of thoughts ran through my mind which had nothing to do with my task at hand, and low and behold a few moments after those thoughts were completed a cricket began to sing loudly in the back corner of my office.  Once again God was reminding me of the mission that was needed for me today and the importance of these words to someone in the world for this moment in their lives.  It is easier to listen to God from the beginning and now wait for Him to have to get our attention by using His other methods.  His soft and gentle voice is good enough for me, or at least I hope that my spiritual ears are in tune enough with His voice to recognize it when He is trying to get my attention.  There is nothing wrong with placing God number one in your life, in fact it makes things a whole lot easier for you and the people you call your loved ones.

So if you want the cricket to stop singing, go find him and capture him and place him close to your heart and then place him back into the appropriate place.  In the instance of God capture His voice and place it back into the center of your spiritual ears and heart.  His voice will guide you and steer you away from many heartaches down the road.  He will also give you kind and helpful words to live by and to give to others when they are hurting.  Also reflect on the cricket’s sounds that he makes so that you will tune your spiritual ears to the notes that he offers.  God loves you and wants to be the center of your world, let Him it will be a good thing J

DLB

What War?

What War?

 9/26/12

Sly talk from forked tongues always has a special ring to it, or that is the way that it is supposed to be taken.  We mainly attribute this type of language from politicians but it is becoming a common dialect from the average crowd that we encounter each day.  So it is necessary to send out spies to the outskirts of our territory to find out what is really happening.  The usage of spies has been a practice ever since man has been at odds with his fellow man but if one does not believe his own spies then what good work have you accomplished?  Knowing the enemy is an important component in our defenses however we must first recognize the threat that presses towards us.

Most of us have heard in the past few weeks about the tensions that have come into the public eye concerning Iran and Israel.  In short this tension is just the tip of the iceberg that will one day soon show itself and then things will really becomes interesting and if you do not believe me just read the Bible and then pick up the newspaper and your evidence will be self sufficient.  The Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated these tensions this week when he referred to the destruction of Israel and everyone who stood with her.  No matter how you feel about him and his country’s stance you must acknowledge the fact that he understands who his enemy is and he knows what he and his country have to do to combat their enemy.  Now, we all know what will happen if he and his country decide to try and complete this act but right now that portion of the story is not where I am leading towards.

Another example in history that I will dwell upon concerning this subject took place during World War II and it involved a man by the name of Joseph Stalin.  Most of us know that Stalin was the leader of Communist Russia at the time of WWII and was part of the struggle against fascism.  Communism against fascism is another entire subject that fascinates me but this too is not my subject.  In this case Stalin understood the implications of Germany’s advancement across Europe and what it possibly meant for the country of Russia in the coming years.  Stalin actually signed a pact with Germany making them allies at one point, which served its purpose for Germany but largely the meaning of the treaty was ignored by Russia.  Yet for some reason Stalin continued to wonder what was going on in his newly found friend’s domain.

It is recorded in history that Stalin did not trust Germany and all of the plans that they had for Europe at that time.  Stalin sent thousands of spies into other parts of Europe to gather information about Germany and other countries that he believed could pose to be a threat to the security of the nation.  These spies reported back on an hourly basis with information that could prove to be the salvation of that country in the near future.  Stalin received these reports from almost every spy that he sent out, which this information came from all global directions and not just from the direction of Germany.  Yet Stalin chose to ignore most of the information sent to him and made his own decisions concerning the protection of his country.

The fascinating portion about this part of the story was that Stalin actually recalled the majority of his spies to Moscow and had them immediately imprisoned for bringing false reports to their leader and then charged them with treason.  Then had the spies exiled to far away prisons, brutally tortured for months at time and afterwards executed in the name of the State.  After all of these spies had done for the country and all of the warnings that they presented to their leader, in which said leader was actually shocked when Germany invaded his country and came very close to overrunning the country within a matter of a few months. 

The question that I pose not only to Stalin but to humanity as well is why would someone sign a treaty with another person, group or country and then sit back and watch others fall to that party and not think that you could be next?  This is a classic sign of self assurance to an extreme and no one that takes a breath of air should ever find themselves in this situation.  Because once you have found yourself in this situation you have been taken advantage of and you are then facing the consequences of your inadequacy in leadership and scouting abilities.  Humans have a tendency of doing things to protect ourselves but to complete this portion of the task and then ignore the results is ludicrous. 

Even if you take the position of not believing in God, the protection of our immediate surroundings is a natural response to life.  Look beyond the above examples and take notice of all the missed opportunities to protect their surroundings due to the lack of surveillance of what others are doing.  This is a God given ability for us to complete and all of us need to heed this warning and we need to take off the rose colored glasses and place our prescription glasses back over our eyes.

It is ok to send out your proverbial spies in the surrounding land but be sure to listen to their warnings when they return with the requested information you asked for from the beginning.  Even when they return without any pertinent information take that as a warning sign as well.  What makes us believe that humans have changed enough for us to believe that others will not try and harm us?  The danger signs are all around us and it really does not matter what are that you are wanting to gather information, everything is set in motion for a reason and it is our responsibility to seek out which is bad and to defend ourselves against these attacks.

Switching gears here and going to place this back on the spiritual side of things.  I have stated this many times and I will continue to state it many more times in the future, we are God’s prized possessions and it ultimate creation and His enemy is out to destroy us by any means possible.  God has His spies looking out for us and they are doing their best to communicate the dangers that they are seeing before us.  However, the information that these spies, along with our own spies, are giving to us we are ignoring and discarding as rubbish.  We believe that we are currently in a safe position and are not being attacked at the present moment.  This may be a true statement in your life but listen to me when I tell you our enemy may not be actively attacking you but I guarantee you that he is stalking you and watching you for an opening within your armor.  And when he sees this opening or weakness, he shall strike you and he does not care what effects that strike has upon you. 

The only way to combat these attacks is for us to send out our own spiritual spies to locate the enemy and to see what is happening around us.  God will inform these spiritual messengers in order that they may relay the appropriate information to our spirits so that a mountable defense can be taken.  But in order for us to understand this information we must return to God and to restore His ways within our lives for if we do not we will be subject to any and all lies or false beliefs that see are told.  This is not the time that we begin to take needed information and ignore it because we do not like what it is telling us.  This is the time that we should be doing the opposite and fortifying our spiritual defenses.

We cannot afford to sit back and rely on old treaties for our protection and with this I am directly mentioning the attitude that most Christians have concerning their salvation.  They are sitting back in their seats and waiting for Christ to return for them, well I have news for those people you are going to be sitting there for a long time and while you are sitting there you and your controlled and secure world is going to be subjected to attack.  Then you are going to act just as Stalin did when the enemy hits you with a full forced attack and then to be honest you will then begin the blame game.  Get your spiritual eyes off of the treaties and get them back into the war which is vastly approaching your realm.

Our enemy knows its target and his target is you!  Our enemy constantly watches our spiritual movements and thinks about his plan of attack 24/7.  He is not interested in your physical condition since he already knows that it has its own death sentence coming but it is the spiritual life that is at stake.  The spiritual life of eternity is what is at stake which is the goal of both spiritual kingdoms.  One comes from the creator of all life and the other is a mockery of life with separation and death as its reward.  The potential of your spirit is limitless if allowed by God to act through it but on the other hand if God is not allowed this freedom the war will be devastating to you in ways that cannot be imagined.  All of us have missed signs that our spies have given us, but it is the utmost importance that we keep our spiritual eyes and ears open for the information that is given to us at all times.

DLB

Give God A Chance

Give God a Chance

9/22/12

How many times in our life have we rushed to conclusions about an event that is occurring in our life or how have we made a decision about life after a major event has finished overwhelming us at another point in our life?  We humans love to accomplish this type of task on an hourly basis and then give no recourse when we are proven wrong in our decision or judgment.  If we only could sit around and wait upon God like we are supposed to and to listen for His voice for guidance and direction, the answers may not always be the way we would choose but they would always be the correct ones that protect us for our future.

It is football season once again and this time of year always strikes a chord within my heart since unless I am not feeling well I get an opportunity to travel to a local High School game and watch athletes play the game that they love so well.  When I was growing up most of my upper high school years was spent in Texas and everyone who is familiar with Texas understands that football is king and to some of the people there a religion.  Diehard fans watch every play on the edge of their seats and cheer and cry with the kids on the field after the game.  Concessions are sold and clothing is bought and one cannot forget the other aspects of the game including the band, cheer squads and even the mascots.  All of this wrapped up into a three hour presentation once a week becomes a centerpiece for those of us who have kids representing a local school.

Then there are people like myself who go to the games in which I have no ties with nor do I know anyone else in the stands.  I revert back to the love of the game I once played and watch in envy as the boys and girls go crazy in support for their team.  For many years now I have watched these kids both in winning and in losing cheer for what they believe in and in no certain way no matter what the score is at the end of the game still are proud of their team.  However, there comes a time that we humans become disconcerted with our team and begin to doubt their abilities and then decided to up and leave the game before the final whistle has blown.  This action eventually leads to us not even going to the games any longer and then not even recognizing the team is playing that particular sport.  Our faith and belief are now gone.

I have had this message in my list of things to do for almost a year now and as I was scrolling through the list God said that it was time to finish this one.  I do not understand why He gives me titles for a message and then all of a sudden “Wham O” it is time but for some reason He knows all and I am an obedient servant and I try to do my best for Him.  So, for whom ever this message is for….God knows your needs and He wants you to understand that He loves you and that He is there for you!!

Modern technology is a wonderful thing and I love to sit in amazement and think about how the internet has changed the lives of so many all over the world.  I graduated high school in 1986 from a small southeast Texas town called Nederland.  Being a short, white boy living in Texas I had no chance of becoming a football star or even regular player but that did not keep me from trying my best to keep up with the big boys, which meant that I had to do things harder and better than what my body could actually produce and now I am feeling the price as I continue to stiffen up.  The internet has not left out the sports aspect of things either in fact there is a website now that I can watch almost any sport live as it occurs and not even have to leave my desk.  This also applies to high school sports as well and of course there is always the local radio stations as well who broadcast these games as well.

One of Nederland’s big rivals is a town just up the road called Vidor.  Vidor is a very famous town being defined by its segregation rules and hatred of any minority group that dared to enter its city limits.  This belief has eased a bunch over the years but I can only imagine that some roots are still planted within the confines of that society.  I was listening to the Nederland vs. Vidor game on the internet one night last year and I was doing my best to keep the faith with the Nederland team.  It was very obvious that Nederland was struggling with their game and that Vidor was executing their plays more efficiently.  I listened to the entire first half of the game while at the same time mentally seeing the boys play on the field and since it was the same football field that Vidor played on when I was in school, I came to the conclusion that I had a pretty good idea of what the field conditions were at the time.

At half time I got up from my desk chair and went upstairs to the kitchen and grabbed me something to eat and drink.  Quietly I was thinking that I should not waste my time with this game and that if I hurried I could find another game on the internet to listen to.  Bonnie came into the kitchen and asked how the game was going and I kind of grunted a bit which told her everything that she wanted to know and then she responded that there are two halves to the game and not to give up just yet.  I ignored her of course and continued to fill my mouth with food and then took the trek down the stairs to my office and plopped back into the desk chair.  I placed the food on the desk along with the cup into its rightful spot in front of me. 

I turned the sound back up and began to listen to the announcers give the rundown of the first half stats of both teams.  It was quite clear that Nederland had dominated the field of play but in almost every drive mistakes had cost them a score or had forced them to settle for another type of lesser score.  I shook my head and opened up another window on my computer to look for another game.  As I was sitting there a few more game options appeared and I looked at them with close intent and then made up my mind to change the channel if Nederland did not change their game plan soon after the beginning of the second half.

The second half of the game began and it was obvious from Nederland’s first possession that things had not changed much and I once again debated about changing the channel to listen to another game.  I decided against this change because of my loyalties but groaned with every failed series that both teams put into play.  The third quarter ended with hardly any excitement and with the fourth quarter approaching I made the decision to listen to the game until something happened, for either team.  A few minutes into the fourth quarter and Nederland decided to actually do something with the ball on offense and took the lead within a few minutes of the 4^th.  However, Vidor quickly answered with a touchdown which placed them back into the lead and my hopes for a victory by Nederland went out the window once again; by quickly I mean that the Vidor player ran Nederland’s kickoff back for a touchdown which this was the reason that I had lost hope with the team.

 

More stalled drives from Nederland proved to be the proverbial nail in the coffin and it was now time for Vidor to close out the game by running the clock down to end the game.  Every person who has been to any type of sporting event or has watched a sport on TV has witnessed this type of action unfold before their eyes.  It is always painful for the team who is behind in this situation because the players are just begging for one more shot to win the game.  At this point I realized that all was lost and my loyalty to my old team went out the window and I clicked on the close button as Vidor took possession of the ball which I believed would be the last series of downs before the game ended.

I hurriedly opened another window and began listening to another ball game which was closer and it seemed like the end result was still in doubt.  I finished listening to this game and then looked around for a few minutes to see if another game was still on or if any post game show was on.  Most everyone’s games had been over and the stations signed off so I closed out the entire program and went to one of the news agencies and began to look to see what was happening in the world.  Not much was happening in the news so I decided to turn off the entire internet and head to bed.  At no point during this time did I ever dream about finding out what the final score of the Nederland game had been, I was sure that they had lost and really did not want to confirm my beliefs.  So, I made my way away from the computer and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up and performed my normal routine which included the locating of all of the high school football scores from the local area and then I include the ones of my “homeland” of Texas.  I located the local scores and really found no surprises and then quickly refreshed my memory of next week’s local schedule to see which game I was interested in attending.  While I was thinking about some of the interesting games were coming up and figuring out which ones I wished to attend, I made my way over towards one of the Texas newspapers which I knew would have the previous night’s scores present.  I began scrolling down the list of the sores and found some that caught my eye including some of the old district teams of the Beaumont area.  Then I came across the Nederland score and was floored.  I could not believe the score and I immediately went to the top of the page to make sure that I had the correct date and year for the results.

After verifying that the correct dates were present I scrolled back down and looked at the score once again.  Nederland had won the game but I could not believe it until I read the column about the game.  After reading what had happened in the last minute of the game I became frustrated with myself and started asking why didn’t I stay with the game and listen to it till the last play.  Vidor had committed a turnover and Nederland took the ball down the field and scored the go ahead touchdown which gave them the victory.  And I totally missed it because I could not stay around and finish out what I had started.

I pose the same type scene with God to you and then ask you how often do we attribute this type of action towards God?  Many times we have jumped the gun where God is concerned and have gone on with our ways without listening to His final words of advice.  We humans like to believe that we know what the outcome of events will be by just watching the majority of the unfolding scenario and then make a final assumption of that scene at another place when the scenario ends.  I have found myself doing this many times in my life and to be honest I have done this with God just as many times, and if you are honest with yourself you have to admit that you have done it to God s well.

God has His own timing and His own answers for our lives.  By our own admission it is difficult for us to stand and wait patiently for His answer because most of us have the attention span of a Nat in this situation, I being one of the greatest offenders.  See, God understands us and He knows our patterns and He does His best in trying to make us realize that we are not in control of things that go on around us.  We have to give God a chance to complete His timing within our lives and the best way we can do this is to give Him our timeframe.  God cannot operate on our time only His divine time allowance can He supply us with the adequate knowledge that we need to function and to make correct decisions.  And when we allow God to perform this miracle in our lives, then we have automatically given up control of our lives to Him and all of our physical rights we have abandoned into His authority. 

God then can transform our spiritual rights back into our lives and place them in the proper order which is first in our lives and not second or third as we like to place them.  When we allow God to complete this we will be able to see the difference from the answers He gives us from those that we want to have.  And when we are receptive to His advice and timing, the best for our lives are at hand and we can be assured that our lives are walking in sound communion with the one and only true God.  The only way to obtain this lifestyle is for us to repent and to allow God to restore His presence back into our lives.  No man or government will ever satisfy our needs like God will, both physically and spiritually.  Do not turn god off because you think that He is “slow” to respond.  It is at this time that we need to realize that He is actually waiting on us to place our lives back into the proper alignment with Him so that our perfect answer may be revealed to us.

DLB

Finding Food

Finding Food

9/20/12

It has been a very long and hot summer here in my part of the country.  Many animals have suffered this season due to the lack of precipitation over the past year.  Yet God has blessed us with enough rain to allow the animals and our gardens survive a while longer.  The question that looms over our head is what kind of fall and winter are we going to endure and how much moisture will we receive over this time period.  The seasons likely will not change much but I cannot help but wonder how conditions will be if God does not provide.  It becomes imperative that we work hard and be diligent with our means of food for our bodies but how many times have we not included our spiritual needs for food as well?  Many of us have ignored the provisions that God has provided and it is our responsibility to partake in our food’s sources as well.  For if we do not include both the spiritual and physical aspects of our lives become weak and subject to attack by our enemy.

I was on one of my many excursions across the parking lot in between the hospital buildings a few days ago and I noticed a bird that had landed close by me and began to walk across the asphalt.  All of us have heard the old adage that the early bird gets the worm and seeing something hanging from this bird’s mouth as it crossed my path brought that saying to my mind. 

The bird was just walking as fast as he could to get across the drive with his head held high as if to say look at me and what I have in my mouth.  It was obvious that the bird was proud of his accomplishments with his catch.  With a passing of a few seconds the bird then approached the curb in which he quickly jumped onto the sidewalk and continued his journey towards the nearest bush.  He then promptly went underneath the bush and disappeared from sight.

This event sparked my curiosity so I slowly changed my course and began to slowly walk towards the bush where the bird had entered.  I stopped shy of the bush and knelt down to take a peek to see if I could see the bird.  He was in the process of gulping down the worm when he noticed me looking at him but he continued his feeding frenzy like I was not there.  I saw what I wanted to see so I did not stick around any longer.  I slowly stood back up and continued my walk to the other building and at the same time God decided to speak to me about food and how He does care for the animals of this planet and how His caring for our food is just as important.

We have always taken the verse that God provides for the sparrow and how we can have the assurance that God will supply our needs as well.  It is very difficult for us to sit back and read about kids going to sleep hungry or people lining up in food lines to receive a single bowl of soup for their dinner.  These scenes have been watched and read about in foreign countries but it really does not hit home until you drive by a food bank and witness the line waiting for the doors to open for business.  These people have numerous reasons for being in these lines and each one of them could tell you a story for why they are there, but when you stop and think about it some charitable organization or church organization or some other manner those food banks are being supplied by humans.

Now, that means that someone or some company had to take the time to plant the seeds needed to grow those products, no matter what products they were.  Then those same people had to put forth the effort to nurture those crops and to supply the necessary nutrients for them so that they would grow into mature plants.  Then at some point those plants had to be harvested and then transported to the processing plant so that they could be placed into storage containers.  The final step is to ship that product to the designated stores or facilities that will then place into the public’s hands.  Why am I mentioning this process….I am glad you asked J

I give my parents grief sometimes about how “bad” I had it when I was growing up.  I tease them with some of my ideas of “how it was” and just how hard I had it when I was living at home.  In truth they were the best things that have happened to my growing up years and saw me through many trials and tribulations along my journey.  Mom and dad never made me sit down at the table and stare at my food until I ate every bite that was on my plate, but they did not allow me to waste food either.  My parents did tell me stories of how life was to them while growing up and how different it was from their generation to mine.  They did this not to make me feel bad or to see them in any different light but they did it so that I would learn that even though I had food on the table, someone had to work to produce that food and that I should be grateful for the things that I had to eat.

During their talks with me about food I really never understood not having food until I made my trip to Haiti with my father.  It was on this trip that I learned a lot about food and a lot about other things in life that we in western society take for granted on an hourly basis.  Referring back to the bird story at the beginning of my message, in Haiti I noticed that there were no birds at all.  I saw people going about with their daily activities and you could tell that they put a lot of time into their work, but these people starved each day and struggled to supply their food needs only once a day not even to dream about having two or three meals.  So, where were the birds that God promised to feed?  Even when there are no “birds” in the area we still can have the confidence that God still provides food for His people but that does not mean that times are always easy for us.

We as humans have been given the ability to produce the means necessary to provide for our families.  It is our responsibility to complete this task to the best of our abilities on a daily basis.  God watches our stewardship towards food and how we approach its concepts.  Not all of us really appreciate food and its necessity in our lives.  Yes we enjoy the benefits of food but for the majority of us in western society it would be beneath us to go out and grow the food we eat.  It would also be beneath us to work in another area other than our expertise to provide for the food that we need.  How much food do we waste on a daily basis?  The amounts would blow your mind and yet we refuse to find a way to provide for our world more efficiently.

How long will it be until God begins to abandon our blessings of food?  I do not believe it will be too much longer since we as humans have now reverted to boycotting food based upon personal beliefs.  Which this action really reflects upon how we are wanting our spiritual bread baskets filled and it really does not surprise me but at the same time it does make me wonder how much longer before God says “Enough!” and allows us to experience true hunger on both levels.  Yes, the two levels are tied together and many of us have failed to recognize this concept; stop and think about it for a bit if our enemy attacks our spirit it must be weak in some area and this is evident in a person who is spiritually unfed and weak in response to the enemy, and in some cases to weak or unaware to even fight back.  So, if the spirit is weak then the next logical area would be the physical aspect and if the attack on the spiritual food works, why change tactics?

There are many places in the world today that the spiritual food supply is far greater than their physical food supply.  My parents have been in many countries throughout the world and when they return this is a common theme that they share with those who listen to their words, the spiritual aspects of a person’s life far outweigh their physical.  These people have far more abundance of spiritual food in their lives than I have ever known simply because they have trust in God and live accordingly.  And you know something, even though these people do not have hardly a dime to their name they are the happiest people that I have ever met.  There is a reason for this and it is because they know what surrounds them and they know that they are under constant attack but they also know that their daily spiritual food supply is never going to run out since they seek that source on a continual basis.

Now, let me talk about the opposite side of the spectrum for a moment.  We in western society have been blessed with an abundance of food for quite some time.  Yes, there was a time that the food supply in this society was not as plentiful as it is today but this was supplemented by the spiritual blessings that God allowed us to survive and it was by God’s grace that our type of society was allowed to stay afloat during this time.  Yes, it was a difficult time but we as a society still looked towards God for guidance.  So, what is the difference today?  The difference is our attitudes towards God and our spiritual food and the direct conflict that we have with God.  If you have paid attention to the past few decades our society has been steadily sinking in its morality and its values.  We have been systematically walking away from God and living our own lives the way we saw fit.  Now, God understands this and He understands that we are self sufficient and that is what He wants for our lives but at the same time He does not wish that we ignore the source of our supplies which is Him.

Also, if you have been paying attention to the weather over the past few decades you will have noticed that the patterns of weather have changed dramatically during this time period.  The weather has not been as faithful for the crops and to the land which means it is more difficult for farmers to bring in their harvests and when they have been allowed to complete the harvest, it has been diminished greatly.  So the next logical step would be for the government to put in its two cents…oh wait, they have already done this.  So where does this leave us?  Back to the point where we need to search for sound guidance about food, which we are now looking towards the government for our direction and we are receiving nothing in return.  This lack of action will produce a situation in which one day we will wake up and realize that the food supply is no longer at the levels that we have become accustomed to.  So, who then will we turn to supply our daily bread and who will actually be interested in the sparrow?

It is very important for us to realize that our spiritual lives and spiritual food intake is just as important as our physical intake of food and it is just as important to understand that the two food intake pathways are equal in our lives.  We have made a turn and it time that we open our eyes and ears and to hear what God is saying to us concerning our spiritual lives.  He is warning us about our land, our spiritual land which feeds us.  This land is fed by God and His Word and it is our responsibility to cultivate this land within our spirits and to grow and to harvest His Word into our lives so that we may live abundantly when times get tough.  Our physical world will change and the things of our physical world will be different but our spiritual food must never dwindle by any measure for in times of difficulty our spiritual food will sustain us to make sound decisions on the physical aspects of life.

In short, cultivate our spiritual land and it shall provide the nourishment to sustain us when times get tough.  Continue our path away from this spiritual cultivation and we shall see many deprivations within our lives and we will become a devastated land, both in the spiritual side and in the physical side.  God is giving us another chance to choose Him and we really should make the decision to grasp onto this chance.

DLB

Being Alive

Being Alive

9/18/12

How many times do we wake up each morning and immediately think of the reasons that we are alive.  Many of us do not even give this concept a thought and just get out of our sleeping mode and begin our day without any hesitation.  Some of us do think about our day and its events but how many of us really stop and think about us being alive?  And when we do think about this concept do we actually give honor to the one person who gives us another opportunity to make a difference in our world?

No matter what part of the world a person lives in when it is time to begin their day each of them has a routine that they follow.  This routine most likely began when they were young and will continue until they cease breathing on this earth.  There is nothing wrong with this course and it is a normal occurrence that each person complete this task every day and it really does not matter what that person has planned for that day either, the pattern usually stays the same and varies little.

I too have this similar behavior each morning and I am going to give you a quick run down of what occurred this morning in my house as an example of how things work according to this pattern.  The alarm went off as it does almost every morning at its regularly scheduled time.

Shower time immediately follows and then a quick dress session with my house clothes until it is time to get my work clothes on.  I smell the coffee brewing as I come out of the bathroom and anticipate my cup as I am walking down the stairs.

The coffee is not finished by the time I get to the kitchen but that is ok because like my goofy self wills I stand there and watch the water pour out of the drip system and impatiently wait as the level of fluid in the pot reaches that certain level where the coffee will taste ok when you sneak that first cup.  I place the pot back into its slot and do not touch my cup just yet.  I get a small cup and fill it with water and then take my morning meds and return my cup to its regular spot.  Then I grab my coffee mug and then head down to the lower floor to the office.

Bonnie is usually up by then getting her routine started as well which usually includes ironing a shirt or two and making sure that everyone has clothes ready for the day.  She then goes back upstairs and begins to review the previous nights’ logs for work and makes sure that everything is covered for the impending duty day; she does this even when she is not working as well.  She then makes sure that the girls are up and going before she begins the breakfast option for our stomachs.  And of course we cannot forget the lovely animals that we have in the house that keep us constantly aware of what is transpiring at our feet.

I walk into the office and turn the music on, I have always loved music and it is one of the first things that I do in the mornings.  I then go to the computer and start my morning routine of finding out as happened during the night.  After the news I turn to my emails and receive further notes on my interests and then eventually head over to a social website for a few and see what other people have to say about their lives.  This is the time I say good morning to God and thank Him for allowing me to be in this world.

A few minutes later Bonnie usually says it is time to eat and I take my coffee mug up to the table and eat my breakfast.  A few minutes of chatting and making sure of the day’s schedule and it is off to change clothes and finalize my routine at the house so I can get into the truck and head to work.  Many times I am usually out of the house within an hour from the time I get up, but there are instances where this time frame gets altered a bit but this is normally the routine that occurs at the house.

The drive to work is usually short and sweet since it is only about one mile from the house to the hospital.  In winter there are a few variations to the start of the driving experience but for the main part it is a quick drive with not much activity around the area.  The hospital sign always greets me first as I approach one of the entrances to the hospital parking lot.  The parking lot is mainly empty at this time but it is a good indicator of how full the hospital is as well, and in today’s case I knew we were full.

A short walk into the hospital and take my badge out and then I am officially here and ready to get busy with my day.  My routine really does not change much here at work either and ever since I have set into motion this routine I vary little from it, I guess patterns are hard to break away from the house as well.  Controls and hospital emails begin my morning in my lab and then it is off to replace the needed inventory items on the instruments, see even my instruments have to follow a daily routine.  J

This is the short version of everything that transpires during my early morning routine but it gives you an idea of what goes on in my life shortly after I rise for the day.  Your schedule may vary in some degree but if you stop and think about things you will find that you follow a similar routine each day or evening whichever falls into your time category. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this because it is a normal human thing to have and all of us complete this in our lives at some point.

Today as I was returning from one of my early morning trips to the main building, I looked up at the Mesa and saw the sun reflecting off the mountain side as it does every day and I thought to myself that I needed to thank God that I am alive today.  I thank God for many things and I even thank Him for all the animals on a regular basis.  But as I stood there for a second I was actually trying to remember when the last time I said thank you for being alive.  I know that with waking up every day that I am alive but I usually do not use those exact words each time ”being alive” and for some reason today I felt like I needed to say them.  I have no idea why but there is a reason for everything I guess and this too will probably come to pass.  It may not be me but for someone reading this message at some point, but it is out there now and God will use it accordingly.

God never promised us that things would be a bed of roses every time we wake up.  Being human alone is tough enough without all of the daily pressures that we encounter within a few minutes after we wake up.  But being alive is a very special feeling in which many of us forget about and tend to ignore.  This is a feeling of being alive is our life, our livelihood in which we get an opportunity to witness things that are around us both good and bad.  Our life is a unique experience that no one else can imagine and we should be continually thankful for our existence.

As I continued my walk across in between buildings my right knee began to ache a bit.  This is not an unusual thing for me but it did make me laugh since my pain was immediately afterwards of my prayer of thanks to God for being alive.  As the morning went along one of my instruments ran into a problem in which a delay of patient results ensued.  Minor issues according to the grand scheme of things but it still had its trying effects on my life and could cause some people to doubt their existence.  In many ways I use instances like this to renew my understanding that even though my trials are limited to myself and to my immediate surroundings, I am so blessed in many areas in this world and I have no reason to complain about the minor issues that arise within my life.

God is good no matter what comes my way and I have no complaints about my live.  I know that I will continue to have trials and other problems that I will have to deal with but knowing that I am alive and that I actually have the opportunity to work through these issues brings about a special meaning within my heart that God has the confidence in me enough to learn from these instances and then help others to get through similar trials.  What trials you ask, I have no idea but always know that if you allow God to be in control of your life He will nurture that relationship and renew your life on a continual basis.  This process is very difficult to explain but at the same time it is very real, just ask anyone who is sloshing their way through it.

DLB

Approaching the T

Approaching the “T”

9/13/12

No one will argue the fact that this country has been divided on some major issues throughout our history.  All of us can agree that some of these issues were unnecessary but the majority of them were justified and valuable to our way of life.  Many of us realize that not all of us will ever agree on all issues and that great debates and arguments will occur over some of these issues.  But one item has not ever been in question in our country’s history but today is threatened to be taken out which will alter the course of our country and shake it to the core and force us to follow a path in which we have not be accustomed to.  So great an issue this is that if we stay on the path that we are embarking upon, a change will occur that we will never be able to regain and this country as we know it will cease to operate in its true freedoms.

Many of us have read about the first Americans who reached our shores in the early 1600s and settled in a small colony in one of our present states.  We know from these accounts that their lives were hard and that many sacrifices were made to stay alive and for them to feed their families.  Their trials and hardships were constant and I am sure that many of them had doubts about their existence in the new land, in which some of them did return back to their native lands.  But the ones that stayed found nothing easy and everything that they worked for had been earned.  God was their common ground in which they focused their attention upon even though they had many questions for Him and seemed what little answers they had in return.  However, they did survive the trials and tribulations and kept God as the source of their hope of survival.

We like to believe that the American Revolution was a cut and dry situation where the sides chosen were very distinct and defined.  Many history stories and books have made it look this way but to be honest it really was not.  The movie “The Patriot” dealt with the issue of those who were for the revolution, those who were against it and supported the British and then those who did not care and did not want any fighting to occur for any reason.  Pretty consuming odds when you look at that situation since each side represented about one-third each of the population of the colonies.  So we can imagine that there were great debates and arguments that filled the pubs and town halls during the coming months before the war actually began.  Yet no matter what the issues were and what side the people followed their hearts still desired to be with God and to have God bless their decisions.

Eventually, the country was once again faced with severe odds that literally divided the country into two distinct halves.  The divisions became so hard and defined that the country split into two over certain issues and this division brought bloodshed between people of like families.  This time in our history was unique that it was a progression that actually brought our country into a conflict with ourselves in a way in which household fought household.  This event between brothers lasted for a long time and by wars’ end, the country was just as torn as it was from the beginning of the conflict.  The light of salvation for this time period was God and that no matter what side of the war you were on God was still represented in a way that kept the country unified when the fighting stopped.  Even though not everyone believed in God or shared the same views God was still the centerpiece that people in this country looked toward for guidance.

As time passed along other wars and conflicts drew our attention and all of us answered the call for help when needed.  Yes as with any conflict there were those who were totally against any cause for war and did not wish to participate in them.  After these times of conflict, reflection of the country’s involvement aroused both friend and foe within the talk of the people.  One stronghold still remained throughout these occasions was that the people respected God and the outcomes that man had on each other by these means, once again not everyone had the same opinions about God but He was accepted as a driving force to end the wars and to bring peace back into the world.

I could continue to give examples of how man has included God in their beliefs and even though conflicts have been fought throughout history God has always been on the side of the just and pure.  Not in every case has the “right” force won the battles and wars but God has been with the people as long as they have accepted His divine presence within their lives.  I remember in one of the World War II movies I like to watch where there was a scene where opposing generals were talking to their officers and both of them questioned whose side God was on.  But what is the end result that man wants from these conflicts and what is exactly in his heart when these conflicts begin?  This is usually the defining factor, the heart of the human.

For the past few years, we have seen an increase of verbal violence that we share amongst ourselves.  This tension has led to some pretty awful and tasteless situations that have been portrayed in the public light.  I have touched on this issue a time or two in the past restoration writings and I am not going to harbor on this issue too much but it does bring into light the progression of division once again presenting itself into our country.  It is a political season I know this but these instances have been ongoing for quite some time now and have been increasing in spitefulness with time.  This type of activity has grown and will continue to grow until things change within our hearts towards other people.  However, there is a difference that has been showing itself recently and this phenomenon to has been growing and it is the thought of acceptance as long as it is the acceptance that “I” believe in.

I usually do not watch any of the political conventions and this year was no exception.  I hear so many opinions and sides to the debates that by the time the election is over everyone will breathe a huge sigh of relief and then return to their appropriate stations and continue their lives once again.  However, there is something different about this season in the fact that choosing a side is becoming almost a mandatory issue and then you accept a label on your head with whichever side you choose.  These labels are of a personal measure and specific treatment is then placed upon the ones with labels.  This type of activity is being seen across the country and we are setting an example to the world in which they will probably follow.  When you look at this progression from the beginning of the year or even a couple of years ago and place it into category with today’s attitudes you will notice that the level of this activity has skyrocketed.  It does not matter which side of the aisle you inhabit, this is a fact and it is present and it influences us each day.

I mentioned this statement that I am about to make on my FB page a few days back and I said that I found it interesting that a hurricane occurred while the Republican National Convention was occurring and that a major earthquake struck when the Democratic National Convention was ongoing.  I found these natural events quite intriguing since both things man had no control over but God allowed to unfold in the midst of the big political meetings.  This struck me in a way that said that God is not really concerned about what man believes in because the things that man is now focused upon are things that deal with “ourselves” and not what God wants for humanity.

I am not being political in this message at all but it can be portrayed that way and if you do read into it that way, which is ok but take heed to the words which are spoken here and think about them before reacting.  The Republicans do have God in their foundation of beliefs yet ignore them or Him when the issues are being presented.  The items according to human standards are noble and just to the eye of man but are they based upon what God’s laws are and if so to what extent will they be accepted by the people.  Some on this side of the aisle do not believe that God should be a part of the political platform and have voiced their opinions about it but support what is begin presented to the people and will hope for the best.  Division is present within the party which will rear its head either in a victory or defeat with the election results.  This division will reign within its own party but will eventually filter out into the public.  I hope that these people realize that God does not care about the direction of self that these people are taking but only for them to include Him and accept His ways back into their forethoughts.

I find the division within the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, just as interesting.  Without mentioning details of their political thought it can be summed up with two major themes, sex and money which are the hot topics that the younger people of this country are interested with.  I also find it interesting that the original platform of the Convention did not include God or Jerusalem in it.  That was actually a true statement since the platform is about earthly goals God cannot be included.  This is a fact that most people will not agree with but it is true and to prove it let me say, look at all of the coverage and articles that have been written about this one issue at the convention.  This is ok with God as well for it brings in the free will of man issue again and how God has allowed us to have this in our lives and to make the judgments we believe obtainable.  But this issue has brought into light a division within this side of the aisle as well one that will filter out of the Convention after the election no matter if in victory or defeat.

Progression is the means by which man functions on things and in this case the divisions that are now being presented to the public are not new but one very important element has changed and that is the God factor.  Up until this point, we have had allowed God to have a presence in our philosophy and ways of thinking but that has changed in such a manner that God is not longer in our forethoughts.  Let me explain this in a way that it might be easier to understand, then again the way that I explain some things it could be more complicated J

We as a country have always been considered to be a leader for the world, some of us do not like that name placed upon us but it is the truth and we cannot really deny this fact.  Our leadership has shaped so many countries over the past decades and we will probably continue this trend for the near future so the example I am about to use is an accurate one and should be taken to heart.  The title of this blog message is “Approaching the T”.  Look at this letter for a moment and think about how many lines there are and in which direction those lines are “traveling”.

I am going to start with the ( | ) portion of the “T”.  This line represents the unity that this country has had with each other with the representation of God being placed in with our belief systems and in our hearts.  Now, this line depicts a straight line with no curves or bends in it which we all know that no matter what when you deal with humans there will be flaws in a straight line.  But the direction flows in the one direction and for the most part, everyone is in agreement with the direction that the line is moving.  Minor changes along the way will produce certain curves and bends in the line but are managed well in a society where most everyone agrees on a certain belief.  Plus, and ask any business person, moving forward is always the best policy of a company.  We all know in which direction the line “|” is moving when we are going to form the letter “T”.  It does not matter which way we draw that line, we will cross the “T” at the top of the “|” line which is considered to be the forward direction of that line.

Now let me address the other line on the letter “T” which represents the direction that we are approaching.  This line has been a common theme in our vocabulary for as long as I can remember.  I had no idea that it would become the focus of the change in direction that the modern world wishes to conform but it the option that the popular consensus is trying to force upon us.  The line that crosses the “|” line, represented here by the ( - ) line in this message, totally stops the directional flow of the “|” line which ends the forward movement that has been established as the norm.  If the “|” line could speak I wonder what response it would have to say, I know that is very farfetched but our mind should run with that one should we allow it.  The “-“ line represents directions on its own which have their own origin and directions.  This “-“ line is not limited to which direction it chooses but represents two equal directions on top of the “|” line.  It automatically terminates the vertical line and creates its own new path with new ways of patterns.  The “-“ line now has the opportunity to change the concept of what the vertical line had established or force the line to accept a new way of thinking and believing.  The “|” line is now considered obsolete and will be changed, which was the original thinking and reason for the change of the lines from the outset.

There is one more point of the letter “T” that I need to address and it is actually the place where the western societal beliefs are standing at the present moment.  It is actually at the junction of where the vertical line and the horizontal lines will intersect if they are allowed to continue their projected paths.  The directional stance of western societies has been to include God in most of their decisions or have at least kept His concepts in the works of the final plans.  This is now being questioned and challenged in such a manner that society is calling for a decision to be made on this matter, which represents the junction of the two lines.  It is not God’s decision to leave Himself into our personal affairs He has left that decision up to us to handle.  God would not be a true, loving and just God if He took these matters into His own hands.  Yet, He allows us to make these decisions on human grounds and then God will allow us to follow our set standards with a cheerful or grieving heart.  However, knowing humans and the ways that they operate those ways will soon break God’s heart and then He will be forced to bring us back into line, or in this case break the horizontal line and allow the vertical line to be re-established in our lives once again.

This turn is very evident in our society and it will soon overtake as the majority opinion of the country.  The Church has sat back and allowed this belief to grow within our society due to the lack of willingness to stand up for what it believes in.  The Church’s mission has been compromised by the influx of worldly beliefs and practices which has made her useless to the mission that she has been given.  Yes, I am blaming the church and its inactivity in its mission as a major contributor to our environment.  It does not matter which denomination I am referring to either, all of us are in the same boat and have participated in this non-action.

All of know that moving forward is the ultimate goal of any person, team, company or nation but sometimes you do have to stop and look around you and take a step backward to regain your footing so that you can continue in a forward direction.  I remember an old business commercial when I was in High School that went something like this.  The boss of a company called his people into his office and told them a story about one of their oldest clients and how that client fired them today because of the lack of service that the client believed they were receiving.  So the boss handed out airline tickets to everyone in the office and said that they were stopping and changing some of the tactics used and were becoming a bit more personable to their clients.  One of the people then asked where the owner was going and he promptly stated to visit an old client.  Even though it was not a step in the backward direction it was a step back to regain the ground that they had begun to lose.

This old commercial is a great example of the position that we are facing at this moment.  I am not saying that our country is ready to totally collapse or that we are even in the end times but what I am saying is that our country is taking a step towards that position by taking God out of all equations of our life and replacing Him with human desires and wants.  This decision will lead to disastrous results and will inch us closer to the end times.

What God is saying is that our human choices of living are all wrong and that we have turned our focus on earthly measures and human wants which now has left Him out of the equation.  God is perfectly ok with this decision based on the fact that He has no choice but to allow our wills to be utilized.  The free will that He has given to us is an awesome thing and it is wonderful to watch unfold in our lives.  However, God will reach a point where He must reel us back into reality when He realizes that we have reached a certain point.  God is a very tolerant God because He loves us and for no other reason, but He expects a great deal more from us and He will return us to that level by whatever means necessary.  But how far do we push God? And where are we exactly at in the timeline according to the Bible?  None of us really know our exact point so why take that chance?

We as a society are approaching this juncture in our lives where a major decision is about to be made.  It is one that will set the course for years to come maybe even our land as we know it.  I do know that if we take God out of our lives our country and the way of life that we have known will soon vanish, not by just what man does but what God will allow to occur in our lands.  Now is the time we need to change our hearts and return to God as the solution.  All of us are heading in an uncharted course if we do not return to God and it will include the church and all of the people that define it.  It has been said that God does not play favorites and we have many examples of this in the Bible and throughout human history.  We need to immediately recognize the position that we are in and make the correct and just decision for our welfare.  Keep God in our lives and in our beliefs and we will have a fighting chance.  Take Him out of these decisions and we are and will be returning to a desert to wander for many years.

DLB