Man overboard

When I was about 8 or 9 years old we were trying to think of what to do, me and my friend Johny. We were neighbors each summer on the lake. His dad owned a motel and my parents vacationed in a large house on the water that my mom's family owned. And like any boys that age we just wanted to have fun.

My dad let us use the boat and boats were fun...But there has to be more. So one day we decided to become "paratroopers" and that meant jumping out of the boat while it was going. We would get the boat up to about 30-35 mph and jump out of the boat. Do you know how hard water is at that speed? We would do everything to avoid being hurt, we thought.

It didn't work that way. My friend Johny jumped "wrong" or something and he ended up breaking his arm.

Needless to say our parents were not every pleased and the rest of the summer was a bummer for Johny. (Except he couldn't do chores at the motel his dad owned...hmmm.)

As a Christian I often think I know what the Lord wants me to do and I "trust" that a lot. But in my own cocky way I have accepted certain things thinking they were risk free only to find out the "water" was harder than I thought. The conclusion I have reached is a greater need for intimacy and relationship with Him and surrounding myself with counselors who have my best interest at hand.

Mrs H and The Staircase

As children, we were always looking for excitement and being the oldest, I was often the ringleader(And was always accused as such!)and, yes, I came up with some doozies.

We had moved to this house with the stairways of polished wood. They were great to slip down on your butt, but I was looking for something a little faster. And then one "sick day" as I lay on the sofa, watching Donna Reed, I realized that the two back cushions of the sofa would be perfect. Waiting for our babysitter, Mrs. H to head to the bathroom, I grabbed on of the cushions and ran to the top of the stairs. Pulling up the front like a snow toboggan I felt like this was going to be a rush. I pushed off like a bobsledder and Whoosh! Down the stairs I went and crashed into the front door. This being a sick day and all, I only got that "run" in, but when my siblings returned home from school, I shared my excitement with them. We could get two kids on each cushion, so we planned for the next day.

The next day we were all at the top of the stairs. We pushed off time and time again. Little scratches and bruises, but no serious damage. As we began to go two on a cushion and race side by side, Mrs. H came around the corner, ready to come up the stairs. We plowed into her, slamming her into the front door. We all rolled off the cushions, leaving her and the cushions in a heap. (Of course she couldn't wait to tell my parents what we had done. But, it never stopped us...)

Often in life , things seem like good ideas but in all the excitement, we never think of the consequences. We could have killed her(If for no other reason than stopping her heart!).

As an adult(At least chronologically!), I see that counting the cost would and could be advantageous to the health of our families and ourselves. What is the "cushion" that you have been riding that may be ready to cause a problem for you or others?

Mrs. H and The "Murder"

Our babysitter, Mrs. H, was very nearsighted and very slow. She was also very excitable. One day I decided to "kill" my brother. We were supposed to be washing dishes. Larry and I came up with this elaborate plan for his "demise." We took an old knife and broke off the blade. We taped it to his chest and had him lie in front of the cabinets. I poured watered down ketchup on his chest and on the floor. Then I yelled "Stop that or I will kill you!" Mrs. H. yelled to me to be quiet, but I kept screaming and then Larry did his death scream. At that, Mrs. H came in to the kitchen and saw my brother lying in a "puddle of blood."

She began yelling at me and freaking out. I raced for the garage door. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her coming in fast. I barely made the door. And then I heard her bemoaning my brother's "death." And it was more than he could take. I heard him start to laugh. And then I heard her start to wail. "Please God-don't let her faint or she will kill him in the fall." And then she caught herself and Larry was already up and running for the living room. We were outside on the lawn in minutes, in absolute hysterics at his death and resurrection.

Now, I am not proud of what we did, but at the time it was still pretty funny. While we were rolling around on the ground, she came out and grabbed both of us. Larry was the favorite and he was released with a warning about telling his parents. Me, she grabbed by my shirt and dragged me into the garage and sat on the steps with me, determined that my mom should see what I had done. I sat there quietly and then I saw her eyes start to close. She was falling asleep! After a few minutes I was able to unbutton my shirt and slip out of the sleeves, leaving her with the empty shirt.

Imagine her surprise upon my mom's arrival and all she had in hand was the "story." My mom promised her she would take care of it. When she had left, my mom was screaming for me to come out "NOW!" I am sure there was a touch of a smile in her eye as she dished out my punishment.

This is not about doing bad things, but it is about the empty shirt. In life the very thing we dread is often no more than an "empty shirt." And all of our transgressions were paid for by an "empty grave." The desire to be free is in all of us. But the ability to be free is often harder to accomplish. My escape was brought about by the drowsiness of a hardworking woman. My freedom was shown by an empty shirt. The ability to punish was removed. And like that, Jesus has left an empty tomb so that wemight enjoy eternal fellowship with Him.

Mrs. H and the Frog

When I was a child my parents hired a babysitter. Her name was Mrs. H...And she and I did not see eye to eye about many things. She was a short, very overweight person. She thought my brothers and I were "hell on wheels" and would speak with her Polish accent in short bursts of rules.

One day I caught a frog. You can not catch a frog and not plan on doing something. I decided to put the frog in the toilet. What I did not count on was Mrs. H using the bathroom while I contemplated what to do. I was in the closet getting something to put it in, when she walked into the bathroom(A very large country bathroom with a closet on one end and the toilet on the other.) In the process of her opening the door, she closed the closet door. At first I thought it was one of my brothers. But then I heard her humming to herself. I looked out the key hole to make sure. And sure enough, it was her and she was going to use th toilet. Now nothing could be seen from the keyhoe, becuase of the positioning of the toilet, behind the bath tub. And she was very near sighted, so she did not see the frog. A few moments later thought the frog jumped and so did she. She was screaming in Polish and English and whatever other words meant "Help!" I was laughing so hard as I saw her head around the corner, I nearly needed a toilet.

She ran down the stairs looking for me. I decided to head out the window at the end of the bathroom and wait on the roof for my mom to come home. I have to tell you, by now I was in hysterics. It was so funny in my head that I just wanted to see her. So, I climbed down the old lilac tree(The one my brother fell out of when we were playing hide and seek in the dark on the roof.)and looked in the kitchen window. There she was with my brothers lined up, yelling at them to find me. I was rolling. The upshot was, my parents came home and it was all they could not to laugh as she told them of the horrible thing I had done. i didn't get in trouble...that's what counted that day.

Over the years I have thought of the things I have done and didn't get caught. Despite the "not getting caught" part, I have still felt badly. No, I couldn't change things, but I often wonder of the things that might have been, had I not done the wrong thing in the first place.

Caught In The Culvert

As children, we often played cowboys and Indians and during one of these times, I decided to crawl through a storm culvert. As I climbed in, I could see the other end. My thoughts were that I would crawl through the storm culvert and continue on down the stream bed, sneaking up behind my unsuspecting siblings.

I put my arms out in front of me and began to snake my way through. This was a pretty tight fit, I thought. As I neared the middle I could not move. Panic arose almost instantly. I was stuck and stuck good. Claustrophobia seeped in almost as quickly.

No longer did winning seem to matter. I screamed for my brothers. Fortunately, the owner of the farm was there and he helped drag me out. They pulled on my feet and I just lay there. How embarrassing!

I have often said, "God will pull you through if you can stand the squeeze." There have been many times in my life where my words ensnared me and there was no simple exit brought about by a kind farmer. The farmer's name was Mr. King. Ironic, that the King should save me, even as Mr. King did when I was 5 years old. If I have learned one thing, experience is a great teacher, though not always that fun.

So many of us "climb"into things that we can get out of on our own. In times like this, it is nice to know the King is there.

Christmas

As a child Christmas meant a lot because I "believed" in Santa Claus. I even got in fights with the unbelievers, the scoffers of Santa. I was less inclined towards the presents and more happy with the making of coffee cakes and the magic of Santa.

The very thought of Santa not being able to get down a chimney never dawned on me. I simply believed.

Christmas meant hanging the stockings my grandmother had made over the fireplace. It meant visiting neighbors and days off from school. It meant lots of food and lots of things we did not see during the rest of the year.

As children we simply believed in the beauty of the season and all that it entailed. We did not bother trying to figure things out.

We often say, "things were simpler." Ironic, that we develop all these things to save time, keep track of time and organize time, yet we all seem to say, "we don't have any time."

Perhaps, we need to look inside for the very thing that "drives" us to stress and bad health, and see that simple is easier said than done, yet we are the controllers of the clock. What would happen if we allowed ourselves the empowerment of taking charge of the very thing that has escaped us? What if we were to believe in the "magic" of a moment?

What if we brought about the traditions that would bring relationships? Now, that would be Christmas.

The Yurt's Experience

We had decided to move to the country. We had lived in downtown Brattleboro too long for my blood. Every night the fire alarms would ring in my ears and I just wasn't handling it. A house came along. Well, sort of a house. They called them yurts and they were round houses that were tied together by regular construction. That was where the kitchen was. On one end of the house, the yurts was our bedroom and the other end of the house it was our living room. Two wood stoves heated the house.

Round houses. Imagine that. Nothing could go in a corner because there wasn't one(Would have been great when I was a child and being disciplined. Go stand in the corner...) so square furniture was struggling for space. The walls sloped outwards from the bottom, so pictures didn't hang, they laid there. The cat could run up the walls.

I got my dog, Max and a few chicks, but every time I drove in the yard(There was 15 acres.) I looked at these two round houses and thought about who thought these up.

Round houses in a square world. Life has developed what we call culture. It takes a little of everything and makes something.

As a child I always felt different because of my father's drinking. As a follower of Jesus Christ, it did not take me long to figure out everyone was not going to be on "my team."

Being an individual is not so much something you strive for, but it seems to be the evolution of simply being one's self. Each day, you and I have the choice to be us...Or the choice to be someone else's us. Being "me" is easier as there is less to remember.

Big Hill

When I was perhaps 3 or 4 years old, my parents bought me a pair of little skis. Perhaps not more than 18 inches long, I would climb up on the snow baks th plows had created. These were probably no more than 8 feet high, but they were icy and after many sit down starts, I was able to manage.

But, then I eyed the roof our porch and naturally my imagined how amazing that would be. So, one afternoon, I got the ladder out of my dad's garage and moved it over to the porch. A few close calls as the ladder rocked, but I was able to get up on the roof. Though, it wasn't a steep pitch, it was more than enought to provide the ride of a life time. As I sailed off into the air, I was excited. Moments later as the wind was knocked out of me and I hurt so bad I could not breathe or cry.

As life rolls on that which is "big" in our eyes becomes smaller with age, maturity and experience. With each step we make our "mountains" smaller, bringing home the idea that we must press on. Contemplation over a "mountain" may give us insight and wisdom, but it frequently does not lessen the size of the obstacle we are faced with. Each day we will face new mountains, but at the same time as we put one foot in front of another we reduce the size of those we have faced.

Pepper and Tomatoes

About 12 years ago the children and I had returned from church. It was a beautiful summer day, well in the 80's. I was in a good mood and I got this great idea.

My stepdaughter had received a tomato plant from a friend. Every day she made sure it was watered and went to check for the first tomatoes. I went to the refrigerator and I took out about 6 small cherry tomatoes and a pepper. I ran out on to the porch and I sprinkled them around the base. After lunch she went outside and her 10 year old voice screamed, "I got something!" (Reminded me of fishing.)She came in and picked up a container and ran outside to gather her "harvest." Moments later she came in saying "Mom! Look, I got tomatoes and a pepper." It was all I could do not to fall apart. Finally, I told her the truth. Her "dream" was shattered.

As I reflected on the incident, I realized that she was so trusting of God, that she could believe for anything...Even a pepper bearing tomato plant. How I remember my own believing for anything.

The Bible taught me to come as a little child and have faith without wavering. Every time I think about having faith, I think of this incident.

Ice Storm

When I first moved to Springfield, I worked for a company that had a monthly meeting which necessitated a drive of 5 hours. On this wintry day, the roads were glare ice. Just getting to the store to get the company vehicle was an a adventure. Shortly after 6 AM a fellow manager who was to drive said he wasn't going. As I looked at the roads I got the same idea. Our office was at the base of a town road and I watched numerous vehicles , including a truck with a milk tanker slide out of control to the bottom of the hill. Cars were crashing into each other and parts were laying in the street. An hour later the sand and salt trucks had brought the roads back to a passable state.

I never made that meeting. It ultimately turned out to be the last time I was required to travel. The other manager was fired for not showing up.

How many times in my life have I felt the helplessness of being out of control? What had appeared to be reasonable wasn't. My best attempts at "holding" on nonexistent. So many times something looked 'safe" only to not be the plan for me.

God tells us that bringing our plans before Him is a good idea. If there is nothing else we could need I would say it is wisdom. The insight to know what to buy, when to sell, what to do.

Everyone encounters an icy road or two in life. How we have prepared and what we respond with are key to quality in our life.

On My Own

"Dad, please let me drive the boat," I asked. I was 8 years old and my parents had a new boat. A 16 foot aluminum boat with a 35 horsepower motor. "Please," I begged. And then one day my father said "yes." As soon as he said it my mom picked her stuff up off the cement platform that the boathouse rolled out on. She told my father he was "crazy." (She later told me she went up in the woods to pray.) I jumped into the boat, hardly listening to my father's instructions. The next beach over was a private beach owned by a motel. The people looked over as I climbed into the driver's seat.

Our boat had what was called a two stick control. One stick went forward or backwards controlling the motion of the boat and the other stick was the throttle. As I put the stick forward and hit the gas all I heard was the noise of the motor. The boat swung wide and the motor grazed the cement, but I didn't stop. My brothers told me people began to pull their children off the beach next door. I went out to the center of the lake and began my passes. My dad wanted to see what his beautiful red boat looked like on the water and I was going to show him. A little while later I could see him waving me in. As I headed to shore I wanted to be the best. I had watched my dad many times as he pushed and pulled on the direction lever as he came to shore. I was determined to be as good and probably better. As I approached the shore I slowed weigh down. My brother Larry moved into the water. This was easy. I needed to get a little closer as the wind was pushing me aside. As I reached down for the direction lever I grabbed the throttle in error and pushed it all the way down! The boat leaped up in the air as my terrified brother tried to catch it. As the boat hit him, fortunately he was thrown to the side. All 16 feet of the boat with 2 feet behind was up on the cement. I had been thrown to the floor but not hard enough to not recognize what had happened.

My brother was scratched up, the pin that held the propeller was broken and no real damage was done to the boat. My mother came down the path in tears.

Many things in our lives seem easy to do. The danger is not in the doing but in the preparation. Have I taken enough time to understand(to listen.) what I am engaging in? Do I understand that corrections may be needed for me to get safely to my destination in life?

Letting go

"I am taking away your keys for your own sake." I laughed at the thought. Under the seat of my truck was a spare. Pouring the rest of the pitcher into my mug, I decided it was time to go. I left the bar and headed out to my pickup truck. Getting into the truck the last thing on my mind was the endangerment of self or others.

As I started the truck, people came out to stop me. Stepping on the gas, dirt spraying over the parking lot, I headed towards the exit. One of my friends ran out with my sister and one of her friends. They jumped into his Cadillac to pursue me. Racing through the quiet little village I climbed the hill and put the gas pedal to the floor. through the flats of the community, by the time I hit the crest and headed downwards the speedometer read over 100 miles per hour. As I negotiated the first corner, I realized it had begun to rain. The flatbed provided little weight for traction. As I came around the corner the back end broke loose taking guard rails with it. It jumped to the opposite side of the road and hit head on, spinning the truck around. I found out later that impact had ripped the bed off and thrown it into the woods. For a moment the vehicle came "under control." But moments later the truck hit more guard rails and flew into the road to begin the long, slow end over end. With each crash of the vehicle flipping over I saw bright lights. 7 flips later my truck lay upside down. As I came to I saw flames burning. Where were my legs? I saw a lit area through an opening and moved towards it. It was where the window had been. The opening was a little more than a foot square. I crawled out. In the process I dislocated my shoulder( A permanent injury resulting in my right shoulder being 2 inches lower than my left.) and I was afraid i had no legs. As I went to stand, the broken drive shaft(The truck was still running upside down and later the fire department came and cut the cables to stop it.) was flapping around and grabbed my shirt throwing me to the ground. About that time I heard my friend in the Caddy telling my sister that I was dead and not to come closer. I was laying in the drainage ditch and I yelled that I was "all right." He tried to get me to get to his car to leave, but every motion brought waves of nauseousness. When he heard a vehicle approaching he took off. A young lady got out of the car and held my head from moving(Ironically, no one got her name or recognized her or her car...hmm.) in case something was broken. A while later when the officer showed up(He had been told no one had been injured.) he said to me"You have been drinking." and my response was "Of course, I am an alcoholic." They loaded me into an ambulance( I just wanted to die.) and drove me to the hospital. The result was I had suffered a concussion and dislocated my shoulder. My truck burned until the fire department got there.

I would like to tall you that that was the end of my drinking and drug career, but I would be lying. Many times I have thought about that incident. I was not wearing a seat belt and had I, who knows the outcome. My truck, a full size pickup, was now only 31 inches high. The top had been crushed in, the rear axle and the flatbed were strewn across the landscape. The state was requesting payment for 20 plus guardrails and I was being charged with Driving While Intoxicated. (Ironically, I went to court a month later and pleaded guilty to the charge, only to have the prosecutor say they did not have the bloods tests, but, hey, thanks for pleading guilty. My license was suspended for a year, because i would not attend the state program.)

In my life there have been many times where I allowed my own head of steam and knowledge to take over with disastrous results. Perhaps you are in a situation where warnings are appearing. A relationship, a job, a circumstance. Maybe people have warned you. Maybe you have sensed the wrongness of the desire and yet are pursuing it. With every slippery corner, disaster looms closer. What might have contained you under safe speeds can not hold you on the path.

What can you do to change the circumstance? Is it pride or fear driving you to dangerous results?

Woody

I had devoted hours to my garden. And as the sprouts broke the ground, I was excited. But one morning i went out and there was something missing. Much of the new growth had been eaten. (Nibbled would have been an understatement!) A neighbor said he had seen the woodchuck munching away at my "kingdom."

The next day I saw the woodchuck scurrying across the yard to a pile of topsoil my parents had arranged for. This pile of dirt was about 40 feet long, 20 feet deep and perhaps 10 feet high. Determined to kill this predator, I raced into the garage for a can of gas. Swinging 5 gallons of gas, a length of hose, some oil soaked rope and a book of matches I headed to the place "Woody" was last seen. Pouring the can of gas down the hose I readied the rope. Putting it down the hole as far as I could reach, I pulled out the matches.

I lit the match and tossed it towards the rope. I had barely turned when heat blew over me. At 6 years old i knew very little about gasoline, vapors and closed areas. The wick never had a chance to ignite as the flames poured out of the hole. I would like to tell you that "Woody" blew out of the hole, but that wasn't the case. What happened was the earth exploded and dirt filled the air. Laying on the ground, I tried to figure out what had happened. All the gasoline I ever saw burned, never did it blow up.

Hours later my father would come home, look out the window and think we had a done a lot of yard work, but as soon as he looked closer (And perhaps a few pieces of dirt tumbled from the sky.), he realized that no work had been done.

In my youthful exuberance to pulverize the thief, I had made many errors of judgement. The largest being, that just because I think I know something doesn't mean it's true. And what I can not see can in fact, hurt me. Lurking behind my motives to even the score, the blindness of the moment appeared.

What in my life am I pursuing with vengeance in my heart? Am I trying to even a score or make up for some lack, while missing the danger signs? Could it be in the midst of anger, I am going to a place of overkill?

Years later I saw a young boy who had played with gasoline. The skin grafts cause his chin to be "part" of his chest. His name was Dale. I never forgot that. My overreaction to a situation could possibly have ended in serious damage or even death. Am I playing with "fire?" Perhaps this is the day where I will take a little more time, educate myself a little more and wait. (BTW-Woody was back that evening.)

Houston-We have liftoff

"If you guys can go to the other side of Houston, I can have you on your way home, the dispatcher said. Home...we had not been to Vermont for nearly 6 weeks. As we left the truck stop, with the idea of a load going home, everything seemed to be going right. I climbed into the passenger seat and began to rest.

We were not going that fast, but 15,000 pounds of truck on a slippery surface of fresh rain upon an oily road was more than the brakes could handle. We had just begun to enter traffic, but the rear of the truck let go as the brakes were applied. As if in slow motion, I looked to the left to see the beverage truck bearing down on us. As it hit the left side of the cab, I was thrown about only to have the passenger door open and be thrown to the curb. Welcome to Houston! As a policeman came up to the front of the truck and I lay on the ground, I heard him talking to my driving partner. Looking at the state stickers, he asked "which one we were using today?" The soda truck driver had been doing well over 60 , but our inability to completely stop had been too much. Cases of soda littered the ground and I just had one big headache. In moments our beautiful truck had been damaged and my head was reeling. Fortunately, the fault was to be of the beverage truck driver. He had been speeding, but I was nervous about what my dad would say about his new truck.

In one moment, despite our caution, life had come suddenly. No matter that we had worked hard to avoid it. And when the officer had asked what license we were using, I felt anger rise up in me. We sure don't belong here, I had thought. I just want to be out of here, out on the highways, where freedom reigned. No lights, no signs, no people.

What is it in my life that I have been cautious about? Have I been so cautious as to have missed the really big part of life bearing down on me? Have I watched my health, listened to doctors and friends, or have I been focused on getting where I wanted to go? What is that small, quiet voice trying to say to me?

Sometimes our best intentions and desires are interrupted by that actions of others, or simply circumstances. Storms of life that change our day, even our life. How do i handle that? do I get frustrated with those trying to help? Or do I realize this is the card dealt today and work towards acceptance? And perhaps the wrongness needs more of me to be involved, not being a spectator but a participant. Am I prepared to move with the changes of life?

Garden Variety

As a child one of my enjoyments was working in a garden. I was working for a handicapped man down the street who taught me how to raise vegetables, strawberries and the like. All summer long he sat in a chair at the edge of the garden and coached me. "Put more manure in the base of that hole!" he would shout across the garden. And during that summer I watched magnificent produce come from that garden. Squash and beans and lettuce and spinach. I was amazed as I recalled the seeds that came out of jars from the past years's harvest. And the strawberries! I would pick quart upon quart and 25¢ a basket just saying "grow!" so that I would receive more money and more work. It didn't matter how hot it was. It was just an incredible existence. Each day I would head to his little farm, to feed the chickens, pick up eggs and go pick the first strawberries of the day. Later in the summer I would pick vegetables for hours so that he would sell them. Each fall we would collect the leftovers and he and his wife would gather the seeds for the next year's plantings.

There was much to think about in that garden. Some was spiritual and some was just removing bugs and critters from the garden. Certainly, I did not see the garden as a learning place for me until I grew older.

But in recent years, I have learned the wisdom of putting aside something for the next year. Sometimes money, an item or a thought. While it was not helpful in the winter, it gives me something to hold on to for the next season of my life. Even as I write the words, I am quickened to thoughts I had in an earlier season of my life.

What if my life was that garden? Who would be watching over me. Who would nourish me and feed me and insure my healthiness? Who would see to it that there was a tomorrow? Who would care for the fruitfulness of my life? and what would be the quality of that coming after my own life?

If our lives could be seen as a garden, are they one of health and fruitfulness? What is it I can do in my life to make sure that I remain true to my destiny?

Fear Of Heights

When I was 18 I began to drive tractor trailer. My dad bought a truck and a friend and I motored about the USA. Free as birds we were. During that time I became familiar with CB radios. The simplest way to avoid a speeding ticket, an accident or simply to find the best food, was to use your radio. Back then I was the King Cobra, pioneered by the fact that my younger brother had begun as the Python. (Another story.)

And part of that culture was you had to have a base station. So, I went out and bought a used CB radio. The trick was that we had a 3 story building with a very steep peak. Very steep! And the reality of it was I hated heights and yet, the peak was where the antenna had to go. So, as I tied a ladder to a lower peak in order to get leverage to get to the top, fear began to creep in. The antenna was not that heavy, but it was going to require both hands to attach it to the chimney. That was two more hands than I wanted to relinquish to this project. But I persevered because the desire to communicate was great. The ability to talk to my friends, to show off. CB radio users were always teasing each other about their long reaching capabilities. "How far away are you?" The project took longer than I wanted but finally it was completed. I adjusted the antenna and scrambled down.

God is a lot like that. He wants you to reach people. He wants you to communicate. And to communicate better may require a better equipping. My car CB and car antenna were different and far more easier to install, but did not have the longer distance capabilities for the most part. I needed height. I needed a combination that would work higher up. What has been the equipping of my life? Am I prepared for the next level, ready for the transition? What does it take for me to increase the sphere of my influence? Enable me to reach more people? It appears that I must go up. I could sit in my comfortable "car and talk to people, or I can go up and increase the communication. And the conversations will be different, because the smaller units of the car may reach my local target, whereas going up extends my message to groups beyond my locale.

God would like to be a part of your life where you are add value to other's lives. Consider going up. The level that you may have put aside because of the cost is quite possibly the level from which you will see greater fruit.

Kaboom

We had all been partying. Drinking, drugs, the lifestyle of the young and the foolish. My friends, Wales in the driver's seat of the purple and white truck. Cruising along, with George, a 6'7" basketball player in the shotgun. 3 of my friends and I riding in the bed of the pickup as the wind blew through our hair. Then, one of them Timmy reached in his pocket and pulled out an M80. He lit the firecracker and reached up to the passenger vent window. George saw the sizzling and went to close the window. The window trapped the firecracker and as George moved towards the driver's seat, he covered his ears and closed his eyes. Moments later the explosion came, and pieces of safety glass blew by our faces. Wales stopped the truck, screaming "what did you say?" His fingers in his ears, the noise had deafened him. George reached for the shovel in the pickup bed and went after Bobby thinking he had done it. Dave, Timmy and I had already bailed, leaving our 400 pound friend to face George's wrath. Fortunately, we were able to wrestle the shovel from George's hands and get him to cool down. How close had we come to death. Only upon reaching heaven's gates will I know.

As I think about this time, I realize there were many times where God has shown up in a "suddenly," that I was not at all prepared for. Sometimes I reacted like a lot like my friend George. I was angry, frightened at the intrusion into my life, having it my way. My reaction was to strike back, at anyone, even the wrong one. I know now that God didn't do the harmful things in my life, but did I know it in the beginning? At other times, I reacted like my friend, Wales, wondering "what did he say?" I can't be hearing this.

Has your life been going along the way you want it to be, when out of the blue, there is something so "loud," so distracting that you had to hide from it, duck even?

Perhaps this day God is trying to get your attention. It is His way of interrupting your life as usual. His way of reaching us when we don't want to be reached. What is it God is wanting to talk to you about his day? I know God can make Himself be heard. He can speak through nature, through people and through our times of solitude. What is it He is wanting to say to you?

Hidden Kittens

There was a time in my life where I just wanted a kitten. My friend Beck, just happened to have a few, so I ran home to tell my parents about them. I was sure they would say "yes." But...They didn't. They said "there is enough going on in the house without a kitten."

So, I retreated and came up with a new idea. I will sneak one into the house and keep it in the cellar and take care of it for a while. After a few weeks I will tell them about it with the fact that I have already been taking care of it.

So, I brought home Smoky. A cute little gray kitten, cuddly as all get out. I was given 2 kinds of "food," told how to give her water and milk. And I hid her in the cellar next to my Dad's workshop. My Dad was pretty deaf from a war injury, so I figured he wouldn't hear her. Boy, was I wrong. Even as I went up to sneak milk down to her, my Dad was screaming about a "rat" in the basement knocking things over. Well, that brought my mom running and my brothers and my sister and there they were looking at smoking. (And I would like to say, the coining of the "the cat is out of the bag!")

My parents brought me and Smoky upstairs. I am not sure what happened but they let me keep her. The problems was as my mother put the two dishes of "food" out she kept trying to sit in one of them. Yep, not food, but cat litter. We all laughed after we found out and she was with us for many years.

The Bible tells us not to cover sin. Not only does it "eat" away at us, cause guilt and shape a poor emotional state, but it always is exposed. It may not be today, tomorrow or even the next day, but sooner or later it reveals itself. I have never been very good at carrying guilt though very good at being guilty. And I always seemed to get caught, so I guess I have somewhat learned that way.

What is it in our life that we have hidden away that is just waiting to erupt? And perhaps, it may never be found out (The perfect chocolate crime or something.) but it is the eroding of our emotions that is perhaps the most harmful. My parents forgave me and they laughed(WOW!), but all those few hours I was afraid of getting caught. And it bothered me. And I think that was one of the big points. What did I stand to lose?

And that is the real deal...what do we have to lose?

Fear Of heights

When I was 18 I began to drive tractor trailer. My dad bought a truck and a friend and I motored about the USA. Free as birds we were. During that time I became familiar with CB radios. The simplest way to avoid a speeding ticket, an accident or simply to find the best food, was to use your radio. Back then I was the King Cobra, pioneered by the fact that my younger brother had begun as the Python. (Another story.)

And part of that culture was you had to have a base station. So, I went out and bought a used CB radio. The trick was that we had a 3 story building with a very steep peak. Very steep! And the reality of it was I hated heights and yet, the peak was where the antenna had to go. So, as I tied a ladder to a lower peak in order to get leverage to get to the top, fear began to creep in. The antenna was not that heavy, but it was going to require both hands to attach it to the chimney. That was two more hands than I wanted to relinquish to this project. But I persevered because the desire to communicate was great. The ability to talk to my friends, to show off. CB radio users were always teasing each other about their long reaching capabilities. "How far away are you?" The project took longer than I wanted but finally it was completed. I adjusted the antenna and scrambled down.

God is a lot like that. He wants you to reach people. He wants you to communicate. And to communicate better may require a better equipping. My car CB and car antenna were different and far more easier to install, but did not have the longer distance capabilities for the most part. I needed height. I needed a combination that would work higher up. What has been the equipping of my life? Am I prepared for the next level, ready for the transition? What does it take for me to increase the sphere of my influence? Enable me to reach more people? It appears that I must go up. I could sit in my comfortable "car and talk to people, or I can go up and increase the communication. And the conversations will be different, because the smaller units of the car may reach my local target, whereas going up extends my message to groups beyond my locale.

God would like to be a part of your life where you are add value to other's lives. Consider going up. The level that you may have put aside because of the cost is quite possibly the level from which you will see greater fruit.

Running Fast

When I was 13 I attended a camp that had lots of canoe and hiking trips. One of our trips was canoeing the Saranac Lakes of New York. We had gone through the locks and been out on the lakes for a few days. One of our counselors thought it would be a good idea if we hiked one of the area mountains. As we climbed, it was a beautiful, clear and hot day. When we arrived at the summit you could look around for miles. (Gosh, do I love the Adirondacks!)

After a while it was time to leave. Two of my friends and I decided to race down the side of the mountain. We ran as fast as we could, jumping downed trees, crashing through brush and.. Moving off the trail. The only thing we knew was that the lake was at the bottom of the mountain. We flew down. Animals were flying and running as the three of us screamed down the hill.

As it began to level out, I was quickly seeing this was not a part of the road we began at. We reached the road, looking at each other. I knew roughly where we were, so even though we had missed the "landing" area, we were close enough to get back. And being kids, we had plenty of energy, so we sprinted the 3 miles or so, still getting there ahead of the counselors.

The Bible says "it is a wise man who brings his plans to God." (Others have said, "give God a good laugh...Show Him your plans."

Many of us as young adults have "sprinted" down the pathways of life. Not much thought being given to some of the relationships, the jobs or the studies we have undergone. My son would say, "I want to do EVERYTHING." But, as we become older, we gain wisdom, if for no other reason, by experience itself. And we learn that many of the things we have undertaken, even if not unhealthy, have not brought us to our destiny.

I have encouraged my own children, that while Dad does not know everything, he does know a lot. And more importantly, he loves you a lot. This means that I am giving you the best advice or counsel that I can.

Most of the people I know have flown down a mountain or two. For the most part, they are still alive and hopefully wiser.

Can I encourage YOU to seek help as you negotiate the turns and mountains of life to seek wisdom from others? This does not restrain you, but actually empowers you to accomplish the goals that God has placed in your life.