This past weekend was a good one for the word-eaters in the world. There were two words that came to the surface. One is real, one is, well, manufactured.
Hyper-correctionists:
We may start a club of H-C. It is the people who correct all spelling and grammar, mis-statements, mis-speaks, etc. The word came up because I couldn't understand why we don't say the "l" in salmon. We pronounce it sam'en (the "e" should be upside down) Apparently the French screwed it up because they didn't pronounce the "l" in their word for the fish..or the color. Anyway, the hyper-correctionists went through some mental gymnastics and added it in. Some nonsense about "l" being silent when followed by an "m" or "d" or whatever. It is my goal to start another movement to get the "l" out of our words! Our bumper sticker would say, "Get the L Out!"
The other word is Tubicle (pronounced toob-ikle). It is where we will all work and play and live in the future. At birth we will be strapped into our tubicle, annodes attached. Then we will travel and learn and live and play inside our tubicle. Eyes taped shut, white noise to cover the emmanations from any neighboring tubicle. Womb to tomb in our tubicle. This is the only way we will be able to find and serve the all allusive god of Security.
The hyper-correctionists are already dissecting the above paragraph. I should have put something in the previous paragraph and laying and lying, or is it lieing? They could have a field day.
Godspeed, remember that the words you use mean something...unless you make them up.
Don
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Customized Religion
In the USA Today there is an article that illustrates a lot if what is wrong and right in the industry of religion. Using the polling data of George Barna (long time religious pollster, author of several books) He tracks the basic tenets of the christian world-view and how people shift their views from one decade to the next.
What do you think?
In a typical week, U.S. adults who say they:
Read Bible outside the church:
1991: 45%
2011: 40%
Volunteered at church:
1991: 27%
2011: 19%
Attended adult Sunday school:
1991: 23%
2011: 15%
Attended worship:
1991: 49%
2011: 40%
Those who say they:
Accept Jesus and expect to be saved:
1991: 35%
2011: 40%
Call Bible "totally accurate" in all principles:
1991: 46%
2011: 38%
Define God as all-knowing, all-powerful ruler:
1991: 74%
2011: 67%
This is quote from the article:
Barna blames pastors for those oddly contradictory findings. Everyone hears, "Jesus is the answer. Embrace him. Say this little Sinners Prayer and keep coming back. It doesn't work. People end up bored, burned out and empty," he says. "They look at church and wonder, 'Jesus died for this?'"
I think this is a little harsh on the pastors. It is my view that the culture has changed so fundamentally that we regard all organizations be it government, school, home, or church to be basically flawed and unable to respond to the needs and desires of the individual. The above findings are not a rejection of all things spiritual, quite the contrary. If you delve a little deeper into the stats and dialogue with those who have stepped away from organized religion, you will find people who care deeply about their beliefs and their spiritual walks. They simply are not buying into the ability or motivation of the located church to achieve those goals.
My bride and I are probably typical of what is going on (lest you think all this erosion of the influence of the organizational churches lie with the young) We regularly attend a located church, but do so because a majority of our little community of faith show up there most Sundays. But we tithe (when we have income to tithe with) to an assortment of faith-based groups. We donate time and energy to Habitat for Humanity. We engage our neighbors in fellowship which leads to a sharing of our lives and their lives in spiritual "talk". We each follow our own spiritual discipline routine. This is all independent of the located organization. We have been dis-enfranchised by the located church, but we have not felt that this has deeply impacted our spiritual walk. In fact, it is the opposite. We have found that it has made us more appreciative of deep thinking and relevant conversation. This view is rampant in the next few generations below us. It encourages me that these younger generations are willing to look beyond the traditions and look for relevance in their lives. They are willing to embrace the "organic" nature of spiritual living and perfectly willing to reject the formulated, organizational church.
Anyway, interesting reading.
Godspeed, we don't need more churches, we need more spirit-walkers.
Don
What do you think?
In a typical week, U.S. adults who say they:
Read Bible outside the church:
1991: 45%
2011: 40%
Volunteered at church:
1991: 27%
2011: 19%
Attended adult Sunday school:
1991: 23%
2011: 15%
Attended worship:
1991: 49%
2011: 40%
Those who say they:
Accept Jesus and expect to be saved:
1991: 35%
2011: 40%
Call Bible "totally accurate" in all principles:
1991: 46%
2011: 38%
Define God as all-knowing, all-powerful ruler:
1991: 74%
2011: 67%
This is quote from the article:
Barna blames pastors for those oddly contradictory findings. Everyone hears, "Jesus is the answer. Embrace him. Say this little Sinners Prayer and keep coming back. It doesn't work. People end up bored, burned out and empty," he says. "They look at church and wonder, 'Jesus died for this?'"
I think this is a little harsh on the pastors. It is my view that the culture has changed so fundamentally that we regard all organizations be it government, school, home, or church to be basically flawed and unable to respond to the needs and desires of the individual. The above findings are not a rejection of all things spiritual, quite the contrary. If you delve a little deeper into the stats and dialogue with those who have stepped away from organized religion, you will find people who care deeply about their beliefs and their spiritual walks. They simply are not buying into the ability or motivation of the located church to achieve those goals.
My bride and I are probably typical of what is going on (lest you think all this erosion of the influence of the organizational churches lie with the young) We regularly attend a located church, but do so because a majority of our little community of faith show up there most Sundays. But we tithe (when we have income to tithe with) to an assortment of faith-based groups. We donate time and energy to Habitat for Humanity. We engage our neighbors in fellowship which leads to a sharing of our lives and their lives in spiritual "talk". We each follow our own spiritual discipline routine. This is all independent of the located organization. We have been dis-enfranchised by the located church, but we have not felt that this has deeply impacted our spiritual walk. In fact, it is the opposite. We have found that it has made us more appreciative of deep thinking and relevant conversation. This view is rampant in the next few generations below us. It encourages me that these younger generations are willing to look beyond the traditions and look for relevance in their lives. They are willing to embrace the "organic" nature of spiritual living and perfectly willing to reject the formulated, organizational church.
Anyway, interesting reading.
Godspeed, we don't need more churches, we need more spirit-walkers.
Don
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
He Knows My Name
I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call
It is my experience that we all have moments in our lives that I call "wilderness time". It is time spent removed from the pace and flurry of all we find familiar. There have been a couple of these moments in my life. They can last for years, at least they have for me. The past couple of years has been wilderness time for me.
These wilderness moments do not reflect a loss of desire to follow the One. In fact, it is usually a time of incredible pursuit, of learning to live with the thundering silence, of living the disciplines when there is little or no reward. But it is also a time of great discernment, a time of learning, a time of appreciating the path not the goal.
But we are not led out of these moments in a dazzling flash of insight. There is no "aha" moment that signals the end of the wilderness time. There is no sudden thrust into the "busy-ness" of religious or secular life. I have found that it is a slow awakening. This past weekend I watched my youngest grandson try to wake from a long afternoon nap, snuggled close to his momma's neck, arms folded in close to her as he tried to make that transition from deep sleep to awake and interaction. It is this analogy of slowly finding our way back into the flow of life and service that marks the end of the wilderness time.
In the same way as my grandson, I find myself slowly transitioning back. As stressful as the wilderness time can be, it is still the moment that I find myself in. So I want to move slowly to make sure it is happening. When you have been through the time you begin to see and understand the early signs that the wilderness time is coming to an end. You can again perceive the words and warnings of others. My dear friends this weekend pointed out that my sense of humor was coming back, but it is still a little caustic. Only close and good friends can point that out and get away with it, and they were right. When one is still in the wilderness, you do not catch these early signs.
The song above has been on my mind for 2 days now. A sign that the wilderness is thinning a bit. I can hear the sounds of social civilization. You see part of the wilderness time is the thundering silence of God. I believe that the song is stuck in my head by Him. He knows my name..He knows my every thought..He sees each tear over the last couple of years..and He hears me when I call and cry and am left without words..
He knows my name..
Godspeed
Don
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call
It is my experience that we all have moments in our lives that I call "wilderness time". It is time spent removed from the pace and flurry of all we find familiar. There have been a couple of these moments in my life. They can last for years, at least they have for me. The past couple of years has been wilderness time for me.
These wilderness moments do not reflect a loss of desire to follow the One. In fact, it is usually a time of incredible pursuit, of learning to live with the thundering silence, of living the disciplines when there is little or no reward. But it is also a time of great discernment, a time of learning, a time of appreciating the path not the goal.
But we are not led out of these moments in a dazzling flash of insight. There is no "aha" moment that signals the end of the wilderness time. There is no sudden thrust into the "busy-ness" of religious or secular life. I have found that it is a slow awakening. This past weekend I watched my youngest grandson try to wake from a long afternoon nap, snuggled close to his momma's neck, arms folded in close to her as he tried to make that transition from deep sleep to awake and interaction. It is this analogy of slowly finding our way back into the flow of life and service that marks the end of the wilderness time.
In the same way as my grandson, I find myself slowly transitioning back. As stressful as the wilderness time can be, it is still the moment that I find myself in. So I want to move slowly to make sure it is happening. When you have been through the time you begin to see and understand the early signs that the wilderness time is coming to an end. You can again perceive the words and warnings of others. My dear friends this weekend pointed out that my sense of humor was coming back, but it is still a little caustic. Only close and good friends can point that out and get away with it, and they were right. When one is still in the wilderness, you do not catch these early signs.
The song above has been on my mind for 2 days now. A sign that the wilderness is thinning a bit. I can hear the sounds of social civilization. You see part of the wilderness time is the thundering silence of God. I believe that the song is stuck in my head by Him. He knows my name..He knows my every thought..He sees each tear over the last couple of years..and He hears me when I call and cry and am left without words..
He knows my name..
Godspeed
Don
Friday, September 2, 2011
Hope, Sometimes Visitor
This was written almost 3 months ago
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
I ran across this quote in my disciplines and pondered it for quite some time. Each of the major words speak to me and this story that I find myself in. You see, I find myself in a spot where hope has been deferred, it has been set aside by evidence that shakes what I had envisioned as the remainder of my life. I had hoped that things would work out quickly. I had hoped that this disruption would produce different results. But I have learned that hope and faith are two different things. Faith can be fostered. It can be grown. I can manage faith. Hope has a life of its own. Hope is subject to critical evaluation of what is happening and following the thought string out to the end. When the results of that pursuit lead to diminished result, hope suffers. I am finding that hope wanders in and out of my day and my life at will. I struggle with the concept of "losing all hope" except in the very short term because hope will return, sometimes on a whim. It would make more sense to me to say that I don't know where hope is right now, it is not lost, it is just not visiting me at the moment.
Faith is the discipline of living a life that expects hope to return. It may not be today or tomorrow, but it will return. We live expecting the hope that is our promise to resurface. I often confuse the two. This past year has opened my eyes to possibility that while I cling to and nurture my faith through the disciplines, that hope is a serendipity that shows up and confirms the faith that I have jealously guarded. Do you realize that the rabbi (often confused as a carpenter) spoke and cajoled and reprimanded endlessly on faith and never once mentioned hope? He knew that if we focused on our faith that hope would follow when the faith is confirmed. Look it up, hope ain't there in the Stories.
When I go through a tough, extended time of stress, it is my faith that gets the most work. The questions of what and how and when are filtered through the prism of my faith that it will all work out in the end. Hope is a faulty golf swing, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
If you know someone struggling with this work/career/destiny thing, encourage them in their faith. I can only DO what I have been told is faithful, not particularly hopeful.
By the way, the quote above was from the guy we all say was "wise" Of course he had dozens of wives and concubines, so go figure.
Godspeed, keep the faith, bro.
Don
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
I ran across this quote in my disciplines and pondered it for quite some time. Each of the major words speak to me and this story that I find myself in. You see, I find myself in a spot where hope has been deferred, it has been set aside by evidence that shakes what I had envisioned as the remainder of my life. I had hoped that things would work out quickly. I had hoped that this disruption would produce different results. But I have learned that hope and faith are two different things. Faith can be fostered. It can be grown. I can manage faith. Hope has a life of its own. Hope is subject to critical evaluation of what is happening and following the thought string out to the end. When the results of that pursuit lead to diminished result, hope suffers. I am finding that hope wanders in and out of my day and my life at will. I struggle with the concept of "losing all hope" except in the very short term because hope will return, sometimes on a whim. It would make more sense to me to say that I don't know where hope is right now, it is not lost, it is just not visiting me at the moment.
Faith is the discipline of living a life that expects hope to return. It may not be today or tomorrow, but it will return. We live expecting the hope that is our promise to resurface. I often confuse the two. This past year has opened my eyes to possibility that while I cling to and nurture my faith through the disciplines, that hope is a serendipity that shows up and confirms the faith that I have jealously guarded. Do you realize that the rabbi (often confused as a carpenter) spoke and cajoled and reprimanded endlessly on faith and never once mentioned hope? He knew that if we focused on our faith that hope would follow when the faith is confirmed. Look it up, hope ain't there in the Stories.
When I go through a tough, extended time of stress, it is my faith that gets the most work. The questions of what and how and when are filtered through the prism of my faith that it will all work out in the end. Hope is a faulty golf swing, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
If you know someone struggling with this work/career/destiny thing, encourage them in their faith. I can only DO what I have been told is faithful, not particularly hopeful.
By the way, the quote above was from the guy we all say was "wise" Of course he had dozens of wives and concubines, so go figure.
Godspeed, keep the faith, bro.
Don
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Not Funny
Written about 3 weeks ago
There are a number of old sayings that promote the concept of laughter as healing. By and large this has been well served in my lifetime. While some people may not appreciate my sense of humor, they cannot deny that I have one. If you just scan back over all these posts you will find humor sprinkled through most of the blogs. There is some conjecture that my sense of humor may be a little off the main path, but laughter is laughter and I enjoy the play of humor in my life and those around me.
It is not the ability to tell a joke, or laugh with others when they relate a funny story. What has been taken from me in this extended crisis is the ability to look at life from a certain perspective. What has changed is my particular bent on the events around me. I find people funny, I find circumstances (even traumatic circumstances) funny, the oddities of life are funny to me. But somewhere in the past year my take on the world has become more cynical. Even in the midst of realizing this, there seems to be little to help me revert to my normal self. This change has been more like a rheostat being dimmed slightly, or slightly more over time. There wasn't the sense that someone just turned off the light of humor, it is that the rheostat was lowered slowly, almost imperceptibly. Then I wake up one day ad realize my take on the world is just not as much fun as it used to be.
And just as slowly the light is beginning to brighten. Over the last several weeks it has become easier to find the humor even in the most stressful of events. Why? Because I am working again, all day effort to make some small companies into more significant companies. There is still the worry over money and future, but the occupation of my mind with plans and strategies have brightened my take on the world around me.
For those who have put up with this dour attitude over the past year, I apologize. To my bride I simply want to say that you have been beyond helpful. There is simply no way I survive the past trauma without you. It always amazes me that you exhibit the strength you possess. Times are getting better, you deserve the payoff. We have had a few laughs in the past year, but they have come at too high a price.
I am taking back my life, one way or the other. That way my particular slant on all that surrounds us will return. For those who are going through this, or married to someone who is going through this, give them a little slack, everything is harder to maintain. Give them the freedom to vent just a little, to let it all out. It helps.
Godspeed to those who are looking down the barrel of this particular malady. Take back who you are...it is not theirs to own.
Don
There are a number of old sayings that promote the concept of laughter as healing. By and large this has been well served in my lifetime. While some people may not appreciate my sense of humor, they cannot deny that I have one. If you just scan back over all these posts you will find humor sprinkled through most of the blogs. There is some conjecture that my sense of humor may be a little off the main path, but laughter is laughter and I enjoy the play of humor in my life and those around me.
It is not the ability to tell a joke, or laugh with others when they relate a funny story. What has been taken from me in this extended crisis is the ability to look at life from a certain perspective. What has changed is my particular bent on the events around me. I find people funny, I find circumstances (even traumatic circumstances) funny, the oddities of life are funny to me. But somewhere in the past year my take on the world has become more cynical. Even in the midst of realizing this, there seems to be little to help me revert to my normal self. This change has been more like a rheostat being dimmed slightly, or slightly more over time. There wasn't the sense that someone just turned off the light of humor, it is that the rheostat was lowered slowly, almost imperceptibly. Then I wake up one day ad realize my take on the world is just not as much fun as it used to be.
And just as slowly the light is beginning to brighten. Over the last several weeks it has become easier to find the humor even in the most stressful of events. Why? Because I am working again, all day effort to make some small companies into more significant companies. There is still the worry over money and future, but the occupation of my mind with plans and strategies have brightened my take on the world around me.
For those who have put up with this dour attitude over the past year, I apologize. To my bride I simply want to say that you have been beyond helpful. There is simply no way I survive the past trauma without you. It always amazes me that you exhibit the strength you possess. Times are getting better, you deserve the payoff. We have had a few laughs in the past year, but they have come at too high a price.
I am taking back my life, one way or the other. That way my particular slant on all that surrounds us will return. For those who are going through this, or married to someone who is going through this, give them a little slack, everything is harder to maintain. Give them the freedom to vent just a little, to let it all out. It helps.
Godspeed to those who are looking down the barrel of this particular malady. Take back who you are...it is not theirs to own.
Don
Doubts
This was written over a month ago.
16 months of unemployment have created a new ability to doubt. It is probably the most common malady of the unemployed. We have spent a lifetime developing skills and abilities only to hit a moment in time where we are being told everyday that those skills, while worthwhile, can't be afforded. It is an insidious erosion of what we believe and hold dear.
So everyday I wake up and spend some portion of my morning convincing myself that "today is the day, where someone will recognize their need for my abilities." And yet here I am almost 500 days down the road and the future is even more unclear than it was before. This inscrutable rejection is hard to fathom.
You begin to doubt your worth. Has this all been just a cosmic joke somehow? As most of you know I am believer and practitioner of the spiritual disciplines. Frugality or simplicity are part of this lifestyle. My prayers and meditation, along with my study and reflection all point towards living a life of simplicity, but it is not simply for the sake of the discipline. It is to bend my will to the glory of God. But when life's circumstances, particularly over a long period of time indicate that the discipline is futile, the doubt creeps in. Why bother with it, when the results are the same as that of a pagan. Why am I being rejected when I have submitted to a lifestyle that few even know about? Has my life lost worth in the sight of the One who determines all that is worthy? In an emotional breakdown not long ago I confessed to my bride that this past year has been wasted. I have been put on hold. The doubts are rampant about who I am and what value I hold for the world around me.
Here I am at 4AM on a Sunday morning, contemplating a leading prayer for a church where I don't know most of the people, interceding for a God who has grown largely silent over the past year.. and I doubt. Honesty does not seem to be the most prudent path. Yet, honesty should be the key element for a community of faith. But I doubt the entire premise that it will simply work out. In this moment of early morning reflection, it feels that I have been rejected both by God and by those who profess to follow Him. And still I struggle to find the words that will reveal both His glory and His compassion.
In this moment of despair, when I feel like walking away I find the words of Jesus ringing in my ears as I am sure they did to those so many centuries ago, "Will you leave me as well?" When do we get to consider this question? It is certainly not the politically correct question. But the answer also keeps coming to mind, "Where else can we go? Who else has the answers?" Peter found a way to express the tension that I find myself in. This doubt was not created by unemployment, just manifested in the circumstance. I believe we all live with the question and the doubt. Where else can I turn? Who else holds these truths? In a culture that is crumbling, a church that has lost its way, and a man who has entered the "second half" these questions are bitter and also needed.
So I will spend a part of today convincing myself that today is the day. That if I stay on the journey, it will eventually level out a little. And at some point today, maybe just maybe, there will be a small token of confidence manifested in me. Who knows?
Godspeed to the rejected of this journey. We will find a way. Push the doubts from your mind, breath in and out, step forward, only in faithful action will doubts be diminished.
Don
16 months of unemployment have created a new ability to doubt. It is probably the most common malady of the unemployed. We have spent a lifetime developing skills and abilities only to hit a moment in time where we are being told everyday that those skills, while worthwhile, can't be afforded. It is an insidious erosion of what we believe and hold dear.
So everyday I wake up and spend some portion of my morning convincing myself that "today is the day, where someone will recognize their need for my abilities." And yet here I am almost 500 days down the road and the future is even more unclear than it was before. This inscrutable rejection is hard to fathom.
You begin to doubt your worth. Has this all been just a cosmic joke somehow? As most of you know I am believer and practitioner of the spiritual disciplines. Frugality or simplicity are part of this lifestyle. My prayers and meditation, along with my study and reflection all point towards living a life of simplicity, but it is not simply for the sake of the discipline. It is to bend my will to the glory of God. But when life's circumstances, particularly over a long period of time indicate that the discipline is futile, the doubt creeps in. Why bother with it, when the results are the same as that of a pagan. Why am I being rejected when I have submitted to a lifestyle that few even know about? Has my life lost worth in the sight of the One who determines all that is worthy? In an emotional breakdown not long ago I confessed to my bride that this past year has been wasted. I have been put on hold. The doubts are rampant about who I am and what value I hold for the world around me.
Here I am at 4AM on a Sunday morning, contemplating a leading prayer for a church where I don't know most of the people, interceding for a God who has grown largely silent over the past year.. and I doubt. Honesty does not seem to be the most prudent path. Yet, honesty should be the key element for a community of faith. But I doubt the entire premise that it will simply work out. In this moment of early morning reflection, it feels that I have been rejected both by God and by those who profess to follow Him. And still I struggle to find the words that will reveal both His glory and His compassion.
In this moment of despair, when I feel like walking away I find the words of Jesus ringing in my ears as I am sure they did to those so many centuries ago, "Will you leave me as well?" When do we get to consider this question? It is certainly not the politically correct question. But the answer also keeps coming to mind, "Where else can we go? Who else has the answers?" Peter found a way to express the tension that I find myself in. This doubt was not created by unemployment, just manifested in the circumstance. I believe we all live with the question and the doubt. Where else can I turn? Who else holds these truths? In a culture that is crumbling, a church that has lost its way, and a man who has entered the "second half" these questions are bitter and also needed.
So I will spend a part of today convincing myself that today is the day. That if I stay on the journey, it will eventually level out a little. And at some point today, maybe just maybe, there will be a small token of confidence manifested in me. Who knows?
Godspeed to the rejected of this journey. We will find a way. Push the doubts from your mind, breath in and out, step forward, only in faithful action will doubts be diminished.
Don
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A New Reality
Over the past several weeks I have been writing blogs that have not been published. They center around the last year or more regarding my unemployment or dramatic under-employment. They are as honest as I know how to be. The blogs focus on the three things that I believe are the "collateral damage" of extended unemployment. You will notice a distinct omission of the struggles of no income. That part is assumed. What I have tried to convey are the losses that are evident but harder to articulate. My hope is that if you know someone who is in this crisis that these posts will make you a little more understanding. I also hope that if you are in this situation that you will find a kindred spirit in my writing. Sometimes this simple act of connecting helps the path get a little smoother, a little more level.
There are three issues that have grown more and more evident as time goes on. Three things that were taken for granted. Over the past year I have begun to doubt who I am and what I thought I could do. Doubt is a huge de-stabilizer in our psyche. There have not been many times that I spend much time doubting, I have always simply "moved ahead" and found the path usually led to a better place.
Secondly, I have lost a large portion of my humor. This loss, in particular, makes me bitter. Humor has been and always should be a defense against what the world tends to dump on us.
Finally, I have lost hope. This one floats in and out, causing great comfort on certain days and vast despair on others.
Some of these will be recognizable to all of us in some dose. We have been extraordinarily blessed with a very small and loving community of faith who have helped us through this time. One couple has been especially generous with their money, and always at just the right time. Another couple has been generous with smaller gifts, even when they had nothing to give, it came out of their own struggles. Another family changed their lifestyle to fit our needs, so that we could continue to do fun things, but at little or no expense. It is this small community that sustained us, kept us sane, and held us close. When they said, "We continue to pray for you." it meant a great deal because they backed it up with action. The most annoying people were those who assumed they had spiritual influence and would say, " we are praying for you." after a time all I heard was, "Be warmed and filled." Great, not much help there. Read James 2 again and tell me what help prayer with no action means.
So the next few posts may seem a bit dreary. Sorry. I had to muster up the courage to post them. It is tough to be revelatory and funny.
Tomorrow will see the first post.
Godspeed to those who are in this abyss. Hang on to your esteem, your humor, and your hope.
Don
There are three issues that have grown more and more evident as time goes on. Three things that were taken for granted. Over the past year I have begun to doubt who I am and what I thought I could do. Doubt is a huge de-stabilizer in our psyche. There have not been many times that I spend much time doubting, I have always simply "moved ahead" and found the path usually led to a better place.
Secondly, I have lost a large portion of my humor. This loss, in particular, makes me bitter. Humor has been and always should be a defense against what the world tends to dump on us.
Finally, I have lost hope. This one floats in and out, causing great comfort on certain days and vast despair on others.
Some of these will be recognizable to all of us in some dose. We have been extraordinarily blessed with a very small and loving community of faith who have helped us through this time. One couple has been especially generous with their money, and always at just the right time. Another couple has been generous with smaller gifts, even when they had nothing to give, it came out of their own struggles. Another family changed their lifestyle to fit our needs, so that we could continue to do fun things, but at little or no expense. It is this small community that sustained us, kept us sane, and held us close. When they said, "We continue to pray for you." it meant a great deal because they backed it up with action. The most annoying people were those who assumed they had spiritual influence and would say, " we are praying for you." after a time all I heard was, "Be warmed and filled." Great, not much help there. Read James 2 again and tell me what help prayer with no action means.
So the next few posts may seem a bit dreary. Sorry. I had to muster up the courage to post them. It is tough to be revelatory and funny.
Tomorrow will see the first post.
Godspeed to those who are in this abyss. Hang on to your esteem, your humor, and your hope.
Don
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