Isn’t it funny how your life revolves around the sun? We rise up from sleep and go to bed with the sun. Benjamin Franklin said, early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise. But much of our life depends on the sun. We say it is a beautiful day when the sun is shining. Then we say it is a dreary day when it is raining. What makes the day any different when the sun shines or it’s raining? It is a perception. It is what our brain tells us from past experience. We can do more when the sun shines. Make hay while the sun shines. Then when it rains, we are limited to indoor activities. I don’t like to get wet either. I am like a cat. But once I am wet them it’s alright. If it is cold and wet, which happens often, it is miserable. But there is something to be said for a rainy day. It seems to be quieter than most. Or is it that our mind is quieter. We choose the quiet or slower activities. Unless you want to run around your house and break things. I love to listen to the rain on a tin roof. I always felt sorry for the workmen who work in the open and especially on rainy days. It is all about perception. What you see or think you see will determine what you do. In reality a sunny day and a rainy day are the same. There is no real difference between the 2. You can do the same thing you want on each day. I like to choose the rainy day to stop and reflect on what is going on in my life or read a book, or do an activities that quieted my mind. You see a days are the same. God said, this is the day the Lord has made, so rejoice and be glad in it.
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Through the Black Swan is a beautiful bird and quite unique in nature, but it isn’t what I am talking about. The Black Swan is a theory that states it is a surprise that you weren’t expecting and it changes everything you are doing. How many times has this happened to you and didn’t know it had a name? I don’t know if you ever read John Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice and Men”. There is a quote from the book that says, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. We plan everything. Our details are precise and extensive. Then our plans are shot to hell, when someone walks in with a better plan. That is a black swan. A black swan, though it is unknown to us, will improve on what we are doing. In hind sight of course. No one is perfect and we can’t plan for every contingency. So change will happen to us on a regular basis. Sometimes it is maddening. When you have put so much time and effort into it. Some people just can’t except that their plan is flawed. But if you can adjust you thinking and go on, it will benefit you. Sometimes the black swan doesn’t show up, because our plan is right and will work. It is all in the accepting the changes in our lives. This applies to all aspects of life. My wife was a black swan for me. She got me off dead center and propelled me into a world of change. Changes such as marriage, children and finances to name a few. So don’t be so surprised when a black swan shows up in your life. Look for the change that is coming and accept what you can’t change. Your life will be enriched by it.
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It is a theory in quantum mechanics that states if you observe anything, it will change the variables of the observed object. Thus changing the end results of the observed. It’s a theory that kind of loops in on itself. It is also about the uncertainty of people. There are so many variables that affect our lives. Some of these variables a simple and some difficult. It is certain that we are changing every day and every minute. We don’t know what the end result will be even if we observe the changing effect. A meteor about a foot width hit the earth and created Crater Lake. A grain of sand in space can hit an asteroid and move it out of it orbit. Let alone the Wall Street stock market falls and all hell breaks loose. Or our country loses industries because they are going to overseas locations. And 13 million people are out of work. There are 35% of the American population on welfare. 53% of Americans are working and paying taxes. The American population has declined in the past 60 years by 20%. There are 76 million people who are baby boomers. These are people born between 1946 and 1964. They will all reach retirement age in 14 years. This is the majority of American people in the US. This is the uncertainty principle. What will happen to America? When the majority of people working retire from working and paying taxes. Economic collapse comes to mind. The Federal Government is spending money like there is no tomorrow. Guess what if they continue there is no tomorrow. It is time for a revolution in this country and I am afraid it is going to be violent. I personally think that the uncertainty principle needs to be applied to all elected officials everywhere, local, state and national. What are you going to do to change this world today?
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It was a short season this year. It was only 6 weeks long. If you don’t know Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. Today begins Lenten Season. Its 40 days before Easter. It is a time of fasting and prayer for the Catholic Church. Today is called Ash Wednesday. It is receiving a mark on our flesh as Jesus received marks on His. Did you know that there are over 1.2 billion Catholics in the world? That is about 1/7 of the entire population of earth. Lent for the Catholic Church mimics the Jewish feasts. The Jewish people have Passover, Pentecost, Succoth and Hanukkah. Our feast days coincided with these. Easter is about the same time as Passover. Succoth is about the same time as the fall harvest of Thanksgiving. Christmas is about the same time as Hanukkah. All though we don’t have a feast day for Pentecost. Pentecost is usually in May or June. Easter has come early this year. It is March 27th, 2016. It is on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox. When God chose the Jewish people to be His people, He wanted them to be an example for us, the gentiles. It was the example of how to get to God. So when the Christian religion was setup, it was a reflection of Judaism. It is a good idea to fast and pray period. Not only to prepare for Easter but all during the year. Coming to the place where we see who we are and what we need, is always a good idea. There is no time like the present to figure out just who you are. Something my dad always said to me. I would say it a little different. Now is the time to figure out just who you are and where you are going.
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Knowledge has increased experientially in the last 60 years. There has been a race for knowledge like it has never been before. Man is so proud of himself about all the advances made in every field. If the tech companies don’t outdo each other every 6 months, we believe they are closed for business. And not all advances are good or work like they are supposed to. Weaponry alone has come from the dark ages to modern warfare. Desert Storm was about testing all the new weapons developed since WWII. It perfected the Cruise Missile system. Do you know that 1 of those missiles cost a $1,000,000 each. 297 missiles were fired during Desert Storm. Heart surgery was developed by Dr. Michael Debakey in the 1960’s. Life expectancy is about 80 years in the US. More drugs are developed each year for diseases I never knew existed. And listening to the side effects, the cure is worse than the illness. It is funny how that knowledge has empowered man to do more. It is also funny how knowledge has formed elitism in man. The more knowledge the better a person is in this world. Which isn’t not true at all. Just because you know something doesn’t make you a better person. Some of the finest people I know didn’t know how to use a computer or have a smart phone. So what is all this noise about technology? Are we to believe that we will be perfected by things? The bible says that the increase in knowledge is one of the signs of the last days of earth. No one knows that time or date of God’s coming. But He is coming again to this earth. The title is a scripture. Let me finish it off. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
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When God set up the Promised Land for the Israelites, He set down rules and regulations for the people to follow. One of them had to do with the land itself. If you know about the Middle East, there isn’t much arable land to use for farming. It fact most of it is deserts. So land usage is an important part of life. When the Jewish people came back into the Promised Land, an almond grove from biblical times was discovered in the Negev desert. Each tree was surrounded on 3 sides by a small wall of stones to capture the rain. All the walls were facing one way. The Negev’s annual rain fall is about 8 inches. 8 inches of water a year isn’t enough to take a bath in. The almond crop in California uses 10% of all water used for crops and people. So water usage was of upmost important. The land in Israel was given as God inheritance. Not everybody is a farmer. Those that chose to sell their land could do so for 7 years. Then it was to be returned to the original owner. This way no one could lose their inheritance. On the same 7 year cycle, each person was to farm the land for 6 years and let the land rest on the 7th year. Most farmers do that today to allow the land to recuperate from farming. But people became greedy and wouldn’t give the land back after 7 years. Nor would they let the land rest on the 7th year. The bible says that the land sprued the people out because of the sin of the people was heavy upon the land. For 490 years, the Israelites wouldn’t follow God’s word. So the Israelites went into captivity for 70 years. And no one farmed the Promised Land for 70 years. God gave the land rest. The bible says in Romans 8:22-23 “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Have you ever seen the earth groan and travail? If you haven’t just look around. It is happening now.
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We always hope that our parents will leave us an inheritance. Something substantial, like land or money, but it is not always so. An inheritance can be something else. Some people are just not rich in their life, so they leave what they can like a good name, understanding or knowledge. Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” Give a person a fish and you feed him for the day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for his lifetime. The Israelites are made up of 12 tribes. God promised them a Promise Land, flowing with milk and honey. All the tribes had an inheritance in the land, except the Levites. Moses and Aaron were Levites. When they were in Egypt, they were the teachers of God’s law to the Israelites. God gave them an inheritance in Him. God divided them into three families. Each one had a job in the temple and they were to share in all that was collected at the temple or Tent of Meeting. This is how they made their living. God provided for them. About the time that Jesus was born, the Levites were pushed out of the temple by Sadducees. The Levites formed monasteries to be able to live. This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls came from. God’s inheritance is not just food or shelter. An important part of His inheritance are our children. That is why children are so important in our lives. My parents left my brothers and I an inheritance of money. But more than that they left us the knowledge of God. What will you leave to your children?
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My son’s dog Olivia was raised in our home. While my son was in college, this was his home. Olivia came to identify our home as hers. No other animal could came into our home except Olivia approved. We have had cats in our home also. But as is Olivia’s right as head mistress, she decided if they could live here. The last animal in our home was a calico cat, named Calli. This cat was taken in as a kitten. It was a rescue cat that we found on the side of the road. She had been beaten up pretty badly. When Olivia first saw Calli, she knew that there was something wrong. Olivia began to clean the kitten as if it was her puppy. The kitten bonded to Olivia and followed her around. She became her mommy. The kitten would sleep with Olivia. Calli also played with Olivia. The strangest thing happened, Olivia taught Calli how to be a cat. She taught the kitten how to hunt and pounce on prey. Olivia was always the prey. She didn’t mind and played with the cat and still does. My son has moved away and Olivia lives with him. Our beautiful calico cat Calli lives with us. She is now mistress of the house, until Olivia comes for a visit. Calli want us to pet and play with her, but still will not let us hold her. Calli takes all the best spots in the house unless Olivia is here. Her mommy can have the best of everything. God showed us this relationship for a reason. The bond is strong between Olivia and Calli. It isn’t broken just because of time and distance. It will always be there for each other. Just as the bond God makes with us. No matter the road we travel, the bond between our Father and us will not be broken. The opportunity to build a relationship with God is open to anyone who will come. All you have to do is ask and you shall receive, seek and your will find, and knock and it shall be open to you. God is ready and present for you.
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End of my workweek. It’s time to decide what I am going to do. It is also Mardi Gras weekend. There are parades and activities from now until Tuesday night. People will be pouring into the city for everything. Our city is about 160,000 people. They estimate about 500,000 more people will come over the next 5 days. I have been going to Mardi Gras since I was 1 year old. My mom enter me in the cutest baby contest. And I won for the cutest baby girl. I guess there were some ugly girls that year. I am a guy. We have worn costumes and not. We have gone with my parents and friends or with my family. I have seen parades from here to there. A couple of years I was in the children’s carnival as a duke. It’s now called the Krewe of Obrion. All that effort was spent on something that was so fleeting. It came and went. Today it is hard to believe how much money is spent on costumes each year. They say that the Mardi Gras Queen’s costume is about $50,000. The king’s costume is about $25,000. Then there are at least a 12 krewe’s with kings and queens. All of this for one day in their lives. Because they will never be king or queen again in their lifetime. How important is your life to you? What would you be willing to do for yourself? Would you be willing to do whatever it took to please yourself? Then why don’t you see about your after life? Why neglect your spiritual life just to satisfy your carnal life? Do you think that it will end well for yourself if you don’t know God? Life is so short. And there are no do overs. Once your life is gone, it is gone forever. It is time to think about what is going to happen to you. If you can’t see a future then you need to turn to the only person who can give you one. That person is Jesus.
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As each of us grows up to figure out who we are, then we have to turn around and figure out who everybody else is. It is the art of human dynamics. Everybody has a place in this world. They have a purpose and plan for their lives. It sometimes takes all of our lives to figure it out. Then we to figure out where we fit into everybody else’s plan or purpose. Sometimes it is so confusing I want to scream. I have studied people for a very long time. I would just watch as people interrelate to each other. Some are good, some aren’t. I lost my first girlfriend because I didn’t call her every night of the first week we were girlfriend and boyfriend. She didn’t want to hear I was in high school or I had a job after school or that I had chores and homework. All she knew was that I didn’t call her. Where did that rule come from? What playbook was she operating out of? It sometimes takes a while to understand human dynamics. But to get along with people you have to understand it. I have always tried to be a kind soul to people. It takes a lot to provoke me into anger. So as I grew into a man, I would watch people interact. Why do some people only respond to confidence or intimidation? Why don’t people respond to a kind word or two? It is human dynamics. Everything that we have gone through has alter us in some way or design. Every relationship we have had also has altered us in some way. Where you grew up or went to school has changed us in some fashion. Who your parents were, who your grandparents were or your children will alter your life in some way or the other. It is human dynamics. God made us each an individual. We are different and the same at the same time. How God did it I don’t know, but I trust that God has it all in control.
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