Other than the time my parents died, these last 5 weeks have lasted forever. We are waiting on the insurance companies about my flooded house. All the people have been very kind and understand about our situation. And I appreciate their kindness. As you know, instant gratification is the soup de jour. I know this is a learning situation. And I know that my learning curve for patience is very steep. Sometimes I want to scream. It won’t help. I still have to learn. As a young man, I thought I was as smart as anybody could be. I didn’t listen very often. How I still learned has amazed me all my life. I have had this unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I read the World Book Encyclopedia from A to Z. it helped an awful lot in college. But not so much afterwards. I have always had a project to work on. It kept my mind busy and working. My brother started working on the family history. Then I look it up. It is very interesting how much you can find out about your ancestors. I and my family descend from 4 distinct family groups, 2 from France, 1 from Scotland/Ireland and 1 from Italy. I have only gone back to the 1500’s. So further back from there, I don’t know. And I consistently researched my family for years. And now I am asked to wait for the insurance companies to decide what to do. But I know I must wait because I am learning patience. I want to skip this test and go right to the end. But it ain’t going to happen. So in a few weeks I will have more patience. And I know I will be better for it. Blahh……….. Until tomorrow.

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Throughout the history of man there have been covenants. Covenants have been made between individuals as well as nations. They are made for many reasons. Some are mutual protection or commerce or just to keep the peace. They can be as simple as a wall or as complicated as a garrison of troops. Because of the hostility of man and the uncertainty of life, covenants like NATO were established. Usually there is a stronger member of the covenant. This will guarantee the protection and commerce needed to survive. And if you break the covenant there are consequences. Sometimes it is catastrophic for the small member. When a covenants was made in ancient times, there was always the shedding of blood to seal the deal. Animals were sacrificed as part of the agreement, signifying what will happen to the person who breaks the covenant. Also to make the bond stronger between the 2 parties. Most people don’t understand what happens when they break a covenant. Divorce is the breaking of a covenant. And the consequences to the 2 parties are real and lasting. God made a covenant with man and sealed the deal with the blood of Jesus Christ. Anyone can enter into the covenant. God has opened it up to everyone. Again those that break the covenant with God the consequence is death. But God has made a way back into His good graces by asking for forgiveness. Man is the only one that God gives a second chance too. As it says in the bible in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV). Because of this we have a chance to not only survive but prosper in the covenant of God.

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I was over at my brother’s house last night. It was a birthday party for a friend. My wife couldn’t go so I went alone. It is always interesting to go to my brother’s house for an event. We gather for football games, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any social event we deem fun. Last night was typical as any event I have gone to. Most of the people there know I am a conservative Christian. But that doesn’t stop anyone from speaking out on most any topic. We are the most diverse group of people you would ever want to meet. The spectrum is from conservative to liberal. We like each other and respect each other’s view. But that doesn’t mean we wont discuss a hotly contested topic with passion. But we will walk away being friends. They are very sweet people and care deeply about the world around us. But they are still a crazy group of women. There is every age there. But I have noticed how people’s values have changed over the years. Due to circumstances and other disasters in their lives. It has forged certain ideas. I don’t agree with them all, but some have merit. I love my brother and sister-in-law and want to be with them. No matter how crazy their ideas get.

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A famous quote from a very popular story, Peter Pan, written by the Baron James Barrie in 1904. It is a fantasy about what children dream of. It shows how that dream can be turned into reality. It can happen if you believe. Isn’t it funny that a children’s story can effect so many people for so long. The story is as popular today as it was a 100 years ago. It is popular because it touches a nerve in us. We can see ourselves in that story. And see how we believed as children and saw the many possibilities that exist in the world for us. So what happened? What has changed in your life? Why don’t you believe anymore? The opportunities are still there. We still can go out and make those dreams a reality. I see it over and over again. How reality beats people down and they forget about the dream. To obtain greatness doesn’t take a great person. It takes an ordinary person who believes that they can obtain a goal. All those people who are successful in whatever they do, started out just as an ordinary person with a dream. And they turned their dream into a reality with hard work and persistence because they believed in what they were doing. Each of our lives are meant to succeed and fulfill the plan that God gave us. Yes sometimes you have to walk through the valley of death, but if you believe God will see you through. So what is stopping you from obtaining that dream of yours? As Peter Pan said, Seize the Day!

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A question for the ages, how to know. Growing up I was never certain about anything. My body was never the same size because it was always changing. Everything changes every day. How do you know for sure? As life goes by it like you in movie of your life. Sometimes it is in slow motion. And then again my life has gone by in a flash. Yesterday I was 18 years old, then I looked in the mirror and saw a wrinkled face. How do you know what to do or where to go? When I graduated from high school, my mother said I had a frown on my face. I realized that that part of my life was over and the future was uncertain. That uncertainty cause problems in my life. I like to have things in order, neatly in order. There was a plan for my life, I wasn’t finding it. What I didn’t know was that the plan was unfolding despite me. Learning that you aren’t in control of everything is unsettling at the least. I wanted predictable things in my life. I wanted to see results like I thought should be. When the whole thing collapsed on me, I found the thing that never changes. I wish I had been more willing to listen to the truth. I wouldn’t have suffered as much as I did. But the plan for my life depended on me listening and surrendering my life voluntarily. So when I got myself into a hole I couldn’t get out of, I stopped and listened. I was surprised at what I heard. I found someone who loved me for me. It didn’t make any difference what I had done. I had come home. And my Father was there waiting for me. He opened His arms and held me. I had come home to my Father and Jesus. I began to see how much He loved me and had helped me all along the way. He never forsook me or left me alone. I have lived at my Father’s home for a long tme. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. And all you have to do is ask.

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Since we pulled everything out of my flooded house. We put everything we saved into plastics totes. I have been going through these totes one by one. I have found things that make no sense. But we kept it anyway. One particular tote had pictures. Some of these pictures are over a 100 years old. I have a snapshot of my great, great grandfather and his family. He came to this country in 1855. My family is as diverse as America. They came to America at different times and from different nations. But you know what is strange is that they were all headed in the same direction. They were headed to the same destiny. And the snapshot of their lives are basically the same. They came with their families and worked hard at providing an opportunity for themselves and their families. They spoke different languages but understood each other. Because they believe that coming here was the right decision. Most of them came with no money. All they had was what they could carry. But it didn’t stop them from coming. What are your grandchildren going to see when they look at snapshots of your life? Will your life have value for them? Or will they say how sad their life was. It is all in the believing. People came to this country for freedom to live their lives, raise their children and worship as they pleased. What do you believe?

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Patience or the lack there of has been one of my biggest downfalls. I like most people want instant gratification. My mind is quick and can move at the speed of light. But it has always been getting my body and everyone else to move at that speed. I had to overcome this short fall in my life. Not all things come as quick as I wanted. It became frustrating. Learning how to be patient isn’t fun. It is a royal pain in the rear. But God knew what I needed to overcome. I was part of a small church. The pastor and I were best friends. It was a good experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed working in that little church. There was a young woman who became part of our congregation. She was from the south and another state. It seems that she took a dislike to me from the beginning. Every time that she came into the church, she would walk up to me and insulted me. I just tried to ignore her, but that didn’t last for long. She wouldn’t stop. This kept up for a good while and I became angry. I wanted to throttle her. One day as I was praying about the situation, I was pointing my finger toward her. God stopped me and said look at your hand. He asked how many fingers were pointing back at me. I said 4. He said to me that the problem wasn’t the young woman. It was me. I was the one who was angry. I went to this person and asking her to forgive me for being angry at her. And guess what, she did and became a real blessing to me. Oh by the way, she never stopped insulting me.

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How far will you go not to feel heartache? Will you lose your humanity not to feel pain? Did you know that heartache is a physical as well as a spiritual pain? I have seen people do so many thing to avoid the reality of heartache. The most common pursuits are drugs, alcohol and sex. People are dehumanizing themselves thinking they are coping with their problems. It has always been easier to run from a problem than to face it. Of course this creates its own set of problems to deal with. Thus compounding the situation until it crushes the individual. So what do you do? How do you overcome the situation? Being dispassionate is clearly not the road to take. Yes I speak from experience. I have walk these roads before and found nothing but pain on them. I wanted to be free to love and to be loved. So I turned myself around to face the pain. I had help all along the way. I couldn’t have made it unless I had the help. First thing I had to do was to face that I had fallen short and had come to the end of myself. You have heard the expression that confession is good for the soul. This is a confession to you. But the confession that I had to make was to my Father who created me. He has always loved me and wanted me to come home to Him. As He has said in the bible in  1 John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (KJV).  This is the road where we will receive the help we need to love again.

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The most advanced species on this earth is also the weakest one. All my life I have heard the saying, use your mind not your back. When you do, you will make your way in life easier and better and you will be more prosperous. Then tell me why is it that history repeats itself? If we are so smart and understand the universe, that we can’t solve hunger or war? Or solve all the problems that plague man. You know what is strange is that about every 40 to 50 years, the same problems crop up all across the world. It is like people have forgotten everything that has happened before. And it takes a world conflict to solve it all over again. Yesterday was 9/11. That single event mobilized a nation into action. And today 15 years later, it is like it almost didn’t happen. You know what is sad, it that there has been a natural or manmade disaster every year since 9/11. And the only response is that it is caused by Global Warming, 0h well. Now what do we do? How do we change our lives for the better? Or what is it going to cost to change things for the better? In the bible it says this, in James 1:23-24 “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (KJV).

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We are social beings. Our lives are made up of the connections to other people. It is always sad to see children that have no parents. Their hearts reach out for any love in their lives. It is a powerful draw to our own hearts. Because it is not only natural but it is a spiritual need. We search all of our lives for that love that touches our hearts in a meaningful way. When we look on a couple that has a strong relationship and we are envious. Because we want that. Do you know why a divorce is so hard on the people going through it? Because it is taking the love that we are always striving for all of our lives and throwing it away. It is tearing our hearts into two pieces. Love is the strongest emotion in our lives. And it causes the greatest pain in our lives. Yet people are out in bars and other places looking for love. What is that country western song, Oh yea, looking for love in all the wrong places? It asked the question, where do you look for love? Is it a place that you will find the love that you are really looking for? Or will you walk away with that empty feeling again. Have you ever cried out in anguish for the pain in your heart? All the time wishing you could have that relationship you have always wanted. It says in the bible in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV). It is the love worth having and keeping.

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