Leave It To Beaver

I like to think about my life sometimes. The good times and the bad. I think I was pretty dillusional as a kid though. I used to think my family was totally normal like Leave It to Beaver or something. I don't know why. Maybe it's the fact that ignorance is bliss or that I was just trying to please everyone and therefore pretended everything was better than it was. Don't get me wrong my childhood wasn't horrible but it was a far cry from the Beave. It wasn't until I got older though that I realized it. Beaver, that kid had it made. Sure he got into some trouble with the tea cup incident and all, but what a life. There was Ward the level headed sensible father. He would get mad and say things like "now Beaver" and give him a stern talking to. Then there's June who always had cookies and milk ready for the boys. What about Wally the cool older brother always sticking up for the Beave. Bailing him out when he lost his haircut money by giving him a fine haircut himself. What a guy. Of course there was Larry he was always talking Beaver into some sort of trouble but he wasn't so bad. We can't forget Eddie Haskel. But you know if Eddie was the worst guy we had to worry about I think we would be OK after all he still said things like "yes sir" and "my you look lovely today Mrs. Clever". Yes I think the Beave had a wonderful life. Sometimes I wish times were simpler. Sometime I wish I could be Theodore Clever.

Shattered Dreams

Do you ever wonder how you got where you are. All the events that took place to put you in the place you find yourself now. Not just physically, but actually who you are. My daughter had a school assignment the other day. She had to write about her first memory. She’s seven so it wasn’t all that long ago. I started thinking about it though. Can you really pinpoint your first memory. I remember getting this Flintstone car for my birthday when I was three or four. Although I may just remember the picture of me getting the Flintstone car. It’s interesting when you start thinking about your childhood though. I remember I used to love helping my mom bake. Especially Christmas cookies. I loved baking so much that I was the only boy I knew with a kitchen set. Is that weird? I don’t know maybe it is, but I loved it. I was going to grow up and be a baker. All my hopes and dreams were shattered though when I found out how early you had to get up to be a baker.

Fellowship of the Unashamed

Fellowship of the Unashamed

(An African Martyr's Last Words)

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed"The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won't look back, let up, slow up, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.

I won't give up, back up, let up or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ" (Romans 1:16).

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy

"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other."

"The tiger can't change his spots. No, wait, he did! Good for him!"

"Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny."

"To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kinda scary. I've wondered where this started, and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus and a clown killed my dad."

"How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak."

"If I was the head of a country that lost a war, and I had to sign a peace treaty, just as I was signing I'd glance over the treaty and then suddenly act surprised. 'Wait a minute! I thought WE won!'"

"The wise man can pick up a grain of sand and envision a whole universe. But the stupid man will just lie down on some seaweed and roll around until he's completely draped in it. Then he'll stand up and go, 'Hey, I'm Vine Man.'"

"I hope that after I die, people will say of me: 'That guy sure owed me a lot of money.'"

"It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money."

"Many people never stop to realize that a tree is a living thing, not that different from a tall, leafy dog that has roots and is very quiet."

Braveheart

This is a great quote from my favorite movie Braveheart.

William Wallace: And if this is your army, why does it go? Soldier: We didn't come here to fight for them. Second Soldier: Home, the English are too many! William Wallace: Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace. Second Soldier: William Wallace is seven feet tall! William Wallace: Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if HE were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse. [Scottish army laughs] William Wallace: I AM William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my country men, here, in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? Soldier: Against that? No, we'll run, and we'll live. William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you'll live... at least for a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:14-16

How many times have you wished for second chance? How many things would you do differently if given another opportunity? God gives us so many incredible opportunities we just need to take them. I can't even begin to count the ones I've missed but when I'm dying in my bed, many years from now I want to be able to say "I fought the good fight, I've finished the race, I've kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

Prayer Request

I've been praying a lot lately about the direction to go with the new Bible study at work. I've had several ideas and talked to a few people about it. God has given me such a tremendous opportunity here and I want Him to direct this. I feel like we need to go through the Gospel of John with the underlining question of Who is Jesus? So my prayer request is that I wouldn't just try to teach what I know but that the Holy spirit would lead us into Truth. I really want to see people transformed here. Pray for softened hearts and that God would work in the short time we have together.

Be Still

Do you love life? Do you appreciate the little things? Do ever slow down and just think? We live in such a fast paced society. So often I have a hard time to just slow down enough to relax. When I do though it's great. I love to just get lost in my thoughts. To think about life. To consider the past and where I've been. To think about God. Not to just think of Him in some distant intellectual way but to really ponder who He is. It's that true intimacy I long for and am usually to busy to experience. It's those quiet times, even in a noisy world, when I am closest to my savior. It's when my heart is filled with an aching love for the one who loves me more than I can even pretend to understand. It's when my passion truly comes alive.
Life is to fast. Let's not hurry it along. Let's slow down and enjoy the important things. Let's celebrate the relationships in our lives. Let's cherish the time we have. Let's show the world what true love looks like. Let's be alive.