What's your definition of perfection? Blemish free? Neat and orderly? Beautiful to look at? Something worthy of being coveted? A Hersey bar? Faultless? Me? You? The old adage goes...beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
When I look at a new born baby, I see perfection. When I look at the Grand Canyon, I see perfection. When I look at a humming bird, I see perfection. But when I look in the mirror, I don't see perfection. When I look at you (this will be a shock), I don't see perfection. When I look at a piece of the world that has been lived in or touched by man I don't see perfection. Why is it that the things exposed to mankind become less and less perfect? Why is it, the things untouched by man and closer to their original form are seen as being more perfect?
I'm guessing you smugly think you know where I'm taking you on this topic. Don't be too smug!!!!!
From past blogs, unless you are asleep at the switch, you caught on to the fact that I believe in Jesus Christ. Some of you (if you're believers too) will relate completely. Others of you probably get the concept but aren't on board with it. Some of you may reject the idea of faith in God as just goofiness. It's your choice and I certainly can't say anything that will sway you...and I'm not going to try. Not my job!!!! I just write what I believe and what I feel like writing and you are free to take it or leave it.
How about this for a contradiction to what I said above...God sees you and me as perfect through his eyes...but of course, there is one condition....you have to believe that Christ took the blame for your imperfections (your sins) and died a real death and used his blood to cover them over so they aren't visible any longer, and after 3 days was raised from the dead (made alive again). He did this out of love. If you believe it, then God sees you as perfect. There's a word that describes what's going on here...it's called "grace".
You might ask, why do I care if God sees me as perfect? Well, that's where the really good stuff happens. First of all, you get adopted by God as His son or daughter with all the rights and privileges that entails. His Spirit immediately comes to you and fills you with His love and remains with you all the time to guide you. God doesn't promise a perfect life, but he does promise to always be present in times of trouble. Just knowing that God is close by and that He loves us beyond measure brings incredible hope and peace.
So when I'm viewed with earthly eyes, I'm far from perfect. But when God looks at me, He sees absolute perfection...because I do believe. Only God could have thought this up!!!!!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Showers of Glass and Guardian Angels
Life is full of ups and downs. Some days are winners and other days...well, they just aren't worth the 24 hours we spend living them. The thankful thing is that there are very, very few of the down days. Do you every wonder why there are so few down days.....
Wednesday had the potential to be one of those really bad down days. Our sliding glass shower door stopped sliding and I set out to fix it. I determined that one of the aluminum brackets on the top of the massive glass panel had cracked (after 10 years of use). This bracket was held in place by two screws. I loosened the screws and attempted to remove the bracket but it wouldn't budge. I decided to take the door sized glass panel out of the shower and lay it on the floor so that I could get more leverage on the bracket. As I picked up this wall of glass, I heard an unbelievable loud crashing sound. I was a little afraid to look down at what I might see...blood and guts immediately came to mind! A word similar to "OUCH" had formed on my lips! Since I felt no pain, I regained enough courage to look down. Around me were mounds of broken shards and bits of glass that covered an area at least 5 feet square in size. I was in the middle of that area. To my amazement, the glass missed me completely except for one tiny scratch on the back of my hand. I was perfectly fine...nothing hurt but my pride. Wow, could that have been bad. It makes me shutter to think what might have been.
Why do you suppose I came though unscathed? I know why...it was God's hand protecting me. The world would write it off as just good luck....I don't think so! I don't ever have good luck, except once when I won a water fall/nature pool for my yard which of course I didn't want anyway. No luck involved...God's protecting hand. There have been quite a few such instances in my life. I remember as a kid I threw gasoline on a fire only to have a fireball blaze around me. I ran my hand through a wood planer once, and while I was hurt a little it could have been soooo much worse. I recall several close calls while riding my motorcycle. How about the fact that doctors discovered I had heart disease (a totally blocked widow maker) that should have killed me. I took a cruise on the Costa Concordia a couple years ago and lived to tell about it. I could go on but I think you get the point...I've kept God awfully busy!!!! Nobody has that much "good luck."
All these near misses have gotten me thinking about guardian angels. Do you believe in guardian angels? While the Bible doesn't ever specifically identify angels as guardians, the Bible does clearly define the role of angels as being our protectors. The description of angels as being chubby little cherubs is all wrong of course. Angels are mighty and powerful creatures. The Bible tells us that some have wings while others appear human like. Heck, the bible tells us to be kind and welcoming to strangers as some of them may be angels...that got my attention. The point is, God has legions of angels that are all around us. I'm confident He has assigned some of them (it would take more than one given my track record) the responsibility of keeping me safe. I simply cannot conceive of any other way that I could have survived all these near misses. We live in a world that is filled with evil, but God keeps the evil in check. That's what I believe because that's what the Bible tells me. Without the assurance of a loving God, I wouldn't want to step out of the house!
Enough rambling for today. This blog didn't exactly take on a humorous tone, but I write what I feel and so you always get what you pay for. Take care and count your blessings that God is in charge of things and that he has legions of mighty angels to do his bidding. Oh...remember to be nice to strangers too!
Wednesday had the potential to be one of those really bad down days. Our sliding glass shower door stopped sliding and I set out to fix it. I determined that one of the aluminum brackets on the top of the massive glass panel had cracked (after 10 years of use). This bracket was held in place by two screws. I loosened the screws and attempted to remove the bracket but it wouldn't budge. I decided to take the door sized glass panel out of the shower and lay it on the floor so that I could get more leverage on the bracket. As I picked up this wall of glass, I heard an unbelievable loud crashing sound. I was a little afraid to look down at what I might see...blood and guts immediately came to mind! A word similar to "OUCH" had formed on my lips! Since I felt no pain, I regained enough courage to look down. Around me were mounds of broken shards and bits of glass that covered an area at least 5 feet square in size. I was in the middle of that area. To my amazement, the glass missed me completely except for one tiny scratch on the back of my hand. I was perfectly fine...nothing hurt but my pride. Wow, could that have been bad. It makes me shutter to think what might have been.
Why do you suppose I came though unscathed? I know why...it was God's hand protecting me. The world would write it off as just good luck....I don't think so! I don't ever have good luck, except once when I won a water fall/nature pool for my yard which of course I didn't want anyway. No luck involved...God's protecting hand. There have been quite a few such instances in my life. I remember as a kid I threw gasoline on a fire only to have a fireball blaze around me. I ran my hand through a wood planer once, and while I was hurt a little it could have been soooo much worse. I recall several close calls while riding my motorcycle. How about the fact that doctors discovered I had heart disease (a totally blocked widow maker) that should have killed me. I took a cruise on the Costa Concordia a couple years ago and lived to tell about it. I could go on but I think you get the point...I've kept God awfully busy!!!! Nobody has that much "good luck."
All these near misses have gotten me thinking about guardian angels. Do you believe in guardian angels? While the Bible doesn't ever specifically identify angels as guardians, the Bible does clearly define the role of angels as being our protectors. The description of angels as being chubby little cherubs is all wrong of course. Angels are mighty and powerful creatures. The Bible tells us that some have wings while others appear human like. Heck, the bible tells us to be kind and welcoming to strangers as some of them may be angels...that got my attention. The point is, God has legions of angels that are all around us. I'm confident He has assigned some of them (it would take more than one given my track record) the responsibility of keeping me safe. I simply cannot conceive of any other way that I could have survived all these near misses. We live in a world that is filled with evil, but God keeps the evil in check. That's what I believe because that's what the Bible tells me. Without the assurance of a loving God, I wouldn't want to step out of the house!
Enough rambling for today. This blog didn't exactly take on a humorous tone, but I write what I feel and so you always get what you pay for. Take care and count your blessings that God is in charge of things and that he has legions of mighty angels to do his bidding. Oh...remember to be nice to strangers too!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Gettin Back In The Saddle Again.....
Maybe it's time to post another blog....they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Actually, absence makes the heart grow older. I've been away for a couple years living life, but now have the urge to write again...so I'm back!
The older one gets, the faster time seems to fly. A person can become accustomed to living the lazy, self absorbed life. It's not bad just doing your own thing. Heck, what's wrong with golfing a couple times a week during the summer and going to the gym every day in the winter. For entertainment, how about surfing the web and reading financial websites or diddling with financial spreadsheets. It's all good...right?
Yes, living the lazy retired life is very good, but it's not very satisfying. Don't get me wrong, I've had a fantastic couple years of fun in the retired sun! But, it's time for a bit of a realignment of priorities.
You ever hear of Shiip? Yes, I know it's spelled wrong....except it's really spelled right. About six months ago I got an email from AARP. This email listed several volunteer opportunities one of which was Shiip. I thought, "what's Shiip"? Turns out this is a volunteer organization that helps senior citizens with Medicare enrollment and benefit questions. Heck...I can help with that I decided...and before I knew it I was attending days of training and carting home pounds and pounds of training manuals. I got my Shiip Certification about a month ago and I've started counseling folks. I'm such a newbie and thankfully my clients have been very, very patient. It's rewarding to be able to help people. Hope to be doing this for some time.
I figured that was about enough volunteer work. I was wrong! The Holy Spirit had other ideas. He wanted me to lead a bible study. If you're a "believer" you will understand when I say that He kept bugging me about the idea. If you're not a "believer", you'll just think I'm a religious nut. All I can say if you think I'm a nut is ... let's talk. Maybe I can get you to consider becoming a religious nut too! Having faith is a wonderful thing. Anyway, this coming Thursday I'll be leading a men's study on the book of Romans. I'm anxious to get this study underway and can't wait to watch the Holy Spirit in action.
Did I mention my grandkids? I can't post a blog without mentioning the grandkids. They're three years old now and simply smart as tacks and cute a buttons! Since the last time I blogged they've tripled in size, learned to walk and talk, and started pre-school. And sadly for granny and me... moved to the Chicago area. That was an adjustment for all of us. We've been blessed with frequent visits from them and have gone their direction a few times. We'd love to see them more, but with modern technology like Skype and Face Time, our phone time is almost as good as being together.
I have tons more to share to catch you up, but it will have to wait for future blogs. Hope you check back from time to time as I plan be back regularly. Know that I'll be praying for you and drop me a line if you happen to have any special prayer requests .
Until next time......
The older one gets, the faster time seems to fly. A person can become accustomed to living the lazy, self absorbed life. It's not bad just doing your own thing. Heck, what's wrong with golfing a couple times a week during the summer and going to the gym every day in the winter. For entertainment, how about surfing the web and reading financial websites or diddling with financial spreadsheets. It's all good...right?
Yes, living the lazy retired life is very good, but it's not very satisfying. Don't get me wrong, I've had a fantastic couple years of fun in the retired sun! But, it's time for a bit of a realignment of priorities.
You ever hear of Shiip? Yes, I know it's spelled wrong....except it's really spelled right. About six months ago I got an email from AARP. This email listed several volunteer opportunities one of which was Shiip. I thought, "what's Shiip"? Turns out this is a volunteer organization that helps senior citizens with Medicare enrollment and benefit questions. Heck...I can help with that I decided...and before I knew it I was attending days of training and carting home pounds and pounds of training manuals. I got my Shiip Certification about a month ago and I've started counseling folks. I'm such a newbie and thankfully my clients have been very, very patient. It's rewarding to be able to help people. Hope to be doing this for some time.
I figured that was about enough volunteer work. I was wrong! The Holy Spirit had other ideas. He wanted me to lead a bible study. If you're a "believer" you will understand when I say that He kept bugging me about the idea. If you're not a "believer", you'll just think I'm a religious nut. All I can say if you think I'm a nut is ... let's talk. Maybe I can get you to consider becoming a religious nut too! Having faith is a wonderful thing. Anyway, this coming Thursday I'll be leading a men's study on the book of Romans. I'm anxious to get this study underway and can't wait to watch the Holy Spirit in action.
Did I mention my grandkids? I can't post a blog without mentioning the grandkids. They're three years old now and simply smart as tacks and cute a buttons! Since the last time I blogged they've tripled in size, learned to walk and talk, and started pre-school. And sadly for granny and me... moved to the Chicago area. That was an adjustment for all of us. We've been blessed with frequent visits from them and have gone their direction a few times. We'd love to see them more, but with modern technology like Skype and Face Time, our phone time is almost as good as being together.
I have tons more to share to catch you up, but it will have to wait for future blogs. Hope you check back from time to time as I plan be back regularly. Know that I'll be praying for you and drop me a line if you happen to have any special prayer requests .
Until next time......
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