THE PROBLEM OF PAIN
I have been reading from the writings of C.S. Lewis on "The Problem of Pain." Kind of a downer of a subject but one that is a reality in all of our lives, and if you have not experienced it as yet hang on it is coming. The first thing we think of is physical pain, like the time I fell backward in the boat and landing on my left arm. That was a painful experience that stayed with me a long time and just moving my arm brought back the pain. But, physical pain is not the only pain that comes to us in life, even more crippling is emotional pain.
We seem to get along dealing with difficulty as long as we are in control but when we are out of control is when pain comes. When we have everything we need, we don't think much about the Lord and when our hands are full there is no room for the Lord. As Lewis points out, our relationship with the Lord is like a pilot with a parachute. It is good to have but we hope we don't ever need to use it.
Is the Lord the first thing on our list of "stuff" or just something we pack in case we need Him? If He is the first thing on our list then the other things will not be as important or as painful if they are lost.
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..."
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
MOWING GRASS
I have some observations based on many years of growing and mowing grass. It all started as a kid when I had the job of mowing grass with a reel type mower (no motor) in the summertime in Memphis, TN with 90 degrees and 90+ percent humidity. It was a pain and my dad told me to have the yard cut when he got home from work. Well I moaned and groaned all day long and ran and cut the yard just minutes before he got home. Trimming and edging was also fun, no power tools just hand power. Mowing with the reel type mower, which is good for ecology, but that left the Bahia grass shoots uncut and it had to be done with a hand blade. When anything related to the yard comes with power I get it, and if you can ride on it that is even better.
I have planted grass, plugged the yard, sprayed, fertilized, put in a sprinkler system myself and done all you can do to get rid of chickweed, dollar weed, crabgrass, sand spurs, dandelions, johnson grass, mole crickets, chinch bugs, and sod web worms, on and on, and yet when you let down your guard for a few days they are back with a vengeance. Add to that the pressure of neighbors who manicure their yard and that I have done this for over 50 years and you will have some idea of the pressure I am under.
Sometimes it is overwhelming especially when I see my OCD neighbor looking at my yard and shaking his head. Then the guilt builds up and I am back at it again. Thankfully in my study of scripture I see no indication that there will be grass mowing in heaven. There, I got that off my chest, now I have to go mow the yard.
I have some observations based on many years of growing and mowing grass. It all started as a kid when I had the job of mowing grass with a reel type mower (no motor) in the summertime in Memphis, TN with 90 degrees and 90+ percent humidity. It was a pain and my dad told me to have the yard cut when he got home from work. Well I moaned and groaned all day long and ran and cut the yard just minutes before he got home. Trimming and edging was also fun, no power tools just hand power. Mowing with the reel type mower, which is good for ecology, but that left the Bahia grass shoots uncut and it had to be done with a hand blade. When anything related to the yard comes with power I get it, and if you can ride on it that is even better.
I have planted grass, plugged the yard, sprayed, fertilized, put in a sprinkler system myself and done all you can do to get rid of chickweed, dollar weed, crabgrass, sand spurs, dandelions, johnson grass, mole crickets, chinch bugs, and sod web worms, on and on, and yet when you let down your guard for a few days they are back with a vengeance. Add to that the pressure of neighbors who manicure their yard and that I have done this for over 50 years and you will have some idea of the pressure I am under.
Sometimes it is overwhelming especially when I see my OCD neighbor looking at my yard and shaking his head. Then the guilt builds up and I am back at it again. Thankfully in my study of scripture I see no indication that there will be grass mowing in heaven. There, I got that off my chest, now I have to go mow the yard.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
LIFELONG LEARNING
I recently read a blog about the subject Lifelong Learning and it brought a number of things to mind. I was reminded of many years ago when I began college and met with the chairman of the Sociology department about my major. He was an older man who was getting ready to retire and obviously had not kept up with what was going on in his field. I right then and there vowed not to let that happen to me. Now I have retired and believe that I have honored that commitment.
There are two perks of retirement that I have availed myself of. In the state of Tennessee when you reach 65 you can get a permanent fishing license and you can audit college courses at state schools free. I quickly took advantage of both. I am now taking all the history courses that the community college in our area offers. The first course I took was world history. The young people in the class could not figure out what I was doing there, and not long after the semester began the young lady next to me said, "Why are you here?" I told her I was retired and had always had an interest in history, to which she replied, "When I get out of here I am not coming back." She then said, "Why don't you play golf or something?" I told her that I did some of that. She then suggested that I get a puzzle. To which I replied, "I am not ready for that, yet." I then told her that I hated to break it to her but, learning is a lifelong process.
Learning is a lifelong process and here are some suggestions about the process. Keep up with the field of work that you chose for a career. Read what is happening in that field, even when you retire. Don't just sit down when you retire, develop new interests and try new things. Read, Read, Read, use the computer to keep up with the world around you and the technology that is available. Take advantage of educational opportunities and seminars in the community. Travel, see parts of the world that you have never seen before and study up on the places you go. One of the real joys that I have found is genealogy and have traced my family all the way back to Europe in the 1300's. Contribute to the community that you are a part of. Since I retired I have become involved in Chaplaincy at the hospital and with Hospice and find that it is very fulfilling. Get out there and do something.
That is the way I see it from my side of the road.
I recently read a blog about the subject Lifelong Learning and it brought a number of things to mind. I was reminded of many years ago when I began college and met with the chairman of the Sociology department about my major. He was an older man who was getting ready to retire and obviously had not kept up with what was going on in his field. I right then and there vowed not to let that happen to me. Now I have retired and believe that I have honored that commitment.
There are two perks of retirement that I have availed myself of. In the state of Tennessee when you reach 65 you can get a permanent fishing license and you can audit college courses at state schools free. I quickly took advantage of both. I am now taking all the history courses that the community college in our area offers. The first course I took was world history. The young people in the class could not figure out what I was doing there, and not long after the semester began the young lady next to me said, "Why are you here?" I told her I was retired and had always had an interest in history, to which she replied, "When I get out of here I am not coming back." She then said, "Why don't you play golf or something?" I told her that I did some of that. She then suggested that I get a puzzle. To which I replied, "I am not ready for that, yet." I then told her that I hated to break it to her but, learning is a lifelong process.
Learning is a lifelong process and here are some suggestions about the process. Keep up with the field of work that you chose for a career. Read what is happening in that field, even when you retire. Don't just sit down when you retire, develop new interests and try new things. Read, Read, Read, use the computer to keep up with the world around you and the technology that is available. Take advantage of educational opportunities and seminars in the community. Travel, see parts of the world that you have never seen before and study up on the places you go. One of the real joys that I have found is genealogy and have traced my family all the way back to Europe in the 1300's. Contribute to the community that you are a part of. Since I retired I have become involved in Chaplaincy at the hospital and with Hospice and find that it is very fulfilling. Get out there and do something.
That is the way I see it from my side of the road.
Monday, April 13, 2009
EASTER REFLECTIONS!
This was a very special Easter Season. Saturday I was reading through the lesson for Sunday School and I decided to read all the gospel accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. As I began, I thought well I have read this before and will discover nothing new in these passages. Well to my surprise I discovered a couple of things that I had not seen before. One of the events that I had not noticed was that Jesus was blindfolded. In the process of mocking Jesus, they blindfolded Him and challenged Him to prophecy by telling them who it was who hit Him.
Another point that I had never noticed was related to the story of the Jews asking for the release of Barabbas rather than Jesus. I knew that Bar meant "son of" and that abba meant "father", but I had never thought that Barabbas meant "son of the father." And then I realize that this is who Jesus was and is, the Son of the Father. WOW!
Then we had a wonderful Worship Service beginning with the baptism of two young men and the service concluded with the commissioning of a very special young woman who has been involved in missions for the last 10 plus years all over Africa. Over the last 15 years or so I have watched her grow up in maturity and in faith in the Lord. She is going back to Africa to work with AIDS patients in Darfur with MedAir a mission organization out of the Netherlands. What a day with the of the manifestation of God's power and the love of Jesus Christ.
He is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed!
This was a very special Easter Season. Saturday I was reading through the lesson for Sunday School and I decided to read all the gospel accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. As I began, I thought well I have read this before and will discover nothing new in these passages. Well to my surprise I discovered a couple of things that I had not seen before. One of the events that I had not noticed was that Jesus was blindfolded. In the process of mocking Jesus, they blindfolded Him and challenged Him to prophecy by telling them who it was who hit Him.
Another point that I had never noticed was related to the story of the Jews asking for the release of Barabbas rather than Jesus. I knew that Bar meant "son of" and that abba meant "father", but I had never thought that Barabbas meant "son of the father." And then I realize that this is who Jesus was and is, the Son of the Father. WOW!
Then we had a wonderful Worship Service beginning with the baptism of two young men and the service concluded with the commissioning of a very special young woman who has been involved in missions for the last 10 plus years all over Africa. Over the last 15 years or so I have watched her grow up in maturity and in faith in the Lord. She is going back to Africa to work with AIDS patients in Darfur with MedAir a mission organization out of the Netherlands. What a day with the of the manifestation of God's power and the love of Jesus Christ.
He is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
NECESSITIES OF LIFE
The economic times have caused me to think about what are the real necessities of life. Some years ago, I read an article about what we think we needed 75 years ago and what we need today just to live. The list for today was about 10 times longer than it was years ago.
My grandparents lived in rural Arkansas when I was a child and their needs were minimal. They didn't have running water in the house or a bathroom. They raided chickens for eggs and food, milked their own cow and raised their own vegetables. They had no air-conditioning and no tv, had a party line for phone service and one pickup truck and seemed to have a lot more time to sit on the porch and talk with family and friends. Life was much less complicated and I know that they didn't feel deprived. I have a nice air-conditioned house, phones and cell phones, mp3 player, satellite televisions, internet, two air-conditioned vehicles, computer, GPS, a riding lawn mower,a bassboat with more electronics than a World War II battleship and lots of other STUFF. Life is good.
Then I ask myself what are the necessities of my life? What would I give up in order to simplify my life? That causes me to ask another question, what would the priorities be if I had to cut expenditures? The only things that I can come up with are: slower internet service, turn the heat down and the air up, change the light bulbs and turn them off when not in the room, and drop subscriptions to internet programs. That is not much, and I realize that I have a lot of necessities, or at least things that I think are necessities. That is not much progress, I need to work on this.
The economic times have caused me to think about what are the real necessities of life. Some years ago, I read an article about what we think we needed 75 years ago and what we need today just to live. The list for today was about 10 times longer than it was years ago.
My grandparents lived in rural Arkansas when I was a child and their needs were minimal. They didn't have running water in the house or a bathroom. They raided chickens for eggs and food, milked their own cow and raised their own vegetables. They had no air-conditioning and no tv, had a party line for phone service and one pickup truck and seemed to have a lot more time to sit on the porch and talk with family and friends. Life was much less complicated and I know that they didn't feel deprived. I have a nice air-conditioned house, phones and cell phones, mp3 player, satellite televisions, internet, two air-conditioned vehicles, computer, GPS, a riding lawn mower,a bassboat with more electronics than a World War II battleship and lots of other STUFF. Life is good.
Then I ask myself what are the necessities of my life? What would I give up in order to simplify my life? That causes me to ask another question, what would the priorities be if I had to cut expenditures? The only things that I can come up with are: slower internet service, turn the heat down and the air up, change the light bulbs and turn them off when not in the room, and drop subscriptions to internet programs. That is not much, and I realize that I have a lot of necessities, or at least things that I think are necessities. That is not much progress, I need to work on this.
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