Versions of Christianity

There are a number of versions of Christianity.  The one that I grew up on, which is still prevalent today is the version that divides everything into two groups:

right vs wrong
good vs bad
heaven vs hell
in vs out
republican vs democrat
pro choice vs prolife
on it goes.

There is a problem with this version of Christianity.  And I am sad to say that I discovered this way too late in life.  But there is are problems with this version.

The problem is that it divides people, it can become hateful, it does not represent the spirit of Jesus, and it creates people who are on the warpath to fix things.

Sometimes you have to, I have to, stop trying to fix people and just love them instead.  It is God's job after all, to fix them.

Let's work on loving them.  That is plenty of a challenge for me.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

God is not mad

God is not mad.  Once a person comes to believe this, everything changes.  I no longer have to fear God.  I can actually learn to believe that God loves me.

If God isn't mad, then he doesn't have to kill things to make himself happy.

Sure there are some scripture passages that you can quote, if that is what you choose to do, that tell you that God is mad.  There are however, just as many, if not more, that tell you about God's love and Mercy.

My friend Joyce tells me that my old friend Ken Fox has presented a series of messages recently about how "God is not mad."  Good for you Ken!  

Friend, just for one moment, throw out the theology of our youth and come to believe that God loves you, loves you as you are.

When we can do this, everything changes.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Open

Deep knowing and presence do not happen with our thinking minds. To truly know something, our whole being must be open, awake, and present.
                                           —Richard Rohr

What does it mean to be open? The first opening that we learn in life is an opening of our minds. [not everyone learns this, some live their lives with closed minds.]

But beyond opening our minds, there is an opening of the heart. There is an opening of everything inside of us to pay attention to life and to learn.

How am I opening my entire self to life and to God? To others? To learning?

Auto pilot living is easy. It is cookie cutter. Opening one's self to growing and expanding isn't always easy, but it is beautiful.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

I didn't know

I got to the job and opened the front door.  I found the temporary work lights and turned them on.  I got everything ready and set up.  When the workers arrived, I would be ready.  I sat down at the plan table and waited.

Then I heard it.  A bang bang bang on the back door.  The workers had parked in back.  They always park in back.  They always come in the back door.  I did not know this.

I thought I was ready, but I wasn't.  I thought I was all set, but I wasn't.  I thought I was going to give them a great start on the day, but I had locked them out by accident.

I didn't know.

Sometimes, even when we are doing our best, we are going to miss the mark.  Sometimes when we think we have everything covered, we are still going to be off.  It is ok.  We can't do anything more than our very best.

And we can learn from our mistakes.

Every other day for the entire time I was on that job, I opened that back door first thing.  Live and learn.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

be nice

When I was a pastor, people expected me to be nice.  Pastors are nice.  Pastors better be nice.  So I was nice.  Not because people expected me to be nice, but because I want to be nice.

Now my Pastor days are behind me.  I am a Construction Superintendent.  I work with carpenters and subcontractors.  They do not expect me to be nice.  They expect me to be a hard nosed, hard hat, gruff and tough guy.  That is what they are expecting.

Oh, what fun it is to be nice to people who expect me to be gruff!!!  How joyful it is when I am able to treat them kindly and offer to help them.  I buy them coffee and donuts.  I ask about their children.  I joke with them.  And we get the work done.  In fact, they work hard for me because I treat them like human beings.

It is a joy to be nice.  It is a doubly fantastic joy when you can be nice and it is not expected.  The next time you are in a situation where you can be surly if you want to, don't do it.  Instead, surprise them with kindness.

That is what people loved about Jesus.  In a world where the Pharisees lorded it over everyone, Jesus treated everyone with kindness.  We can too.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Pain and suffering

I hate to write about pain and suffering and loss because when I do, everyone thinks something is wrong with me.  But I am ok.

Let’s be real. All of us feel pain and loss. All of us feel rejection and loneliness. We can ignore it. We can push it down. We can complain about it. We can act out and misbehave. 

Or, we can recognize it for what it is and make friends with it. You can choose to see it and feel the pain. Many wise teachers have recognized that when we’re hurting, even in small ways, we are more alive than when things are going great. 

So we choose how to face adversity.  As we grow older we can get better or we can get bitter.  

There will always be suffering of some kind and if we are lucky there will be growing older.  Not everyone gets to grow older after all.

May we learn to fight life's difficulty less and instead learn the art of savoring life.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

The dump

Some of you know that I live 1 mile away from a dump.  Actually it is a recycle center, but it might as well be a dump because you can get rid of almost anything there.  You can get rid of limbs, shrub trimmings, metal, cardboard, household trash and more.  Paint, chemicals, electronics, plastic and on it goes.

In my handyman work, I commonly haul things off for people.  Sometimes I empty entire houses.  What does not sell or go for free on facebook marketplace will commonly end up at the recycle center.

This is silly sounding, but it is a very good feeling to drop things off at the dump.  Sometimes, stuff sits in my truck bed for days, and then finally it goes to the dump.  To toss the items over the wall and into the container is lovely.  No longer unwanted at my house, it goes back in a positive way, into the environment.

I love going to the dump!  It is a small thing that makes me happy!  Oh, that all humans were so easy to please.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

kind words

Recently I have been touched by some of the nice words that friends have shared.  GL, NY and others.  Thank you.

Does it mean something to you when people share kind words?
If they say:
I love you.
You are the best.
You mean a lot to me.
I am so glad to know you.
Do you like that? Does it make you feel good?

If you are like me, the answer is yes.  And here is my point... if hearing kind words makes me feel good, it must make others feel good as well.  Don't we want everyone to feel as good as we do?  Let's share more kind words.  Spread the love.

You are the best!
I love you!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Do this and remember me

Jesus told his disciples, do this and remember me.

Do what?  Eat?  Eat a wafer and drink juice?  

What Jesus wanted us to remember was that he was broken.  Communion commemorates that he was broken.  When you are broken, remember me.

When you are broken as Jesus was, remember him.

Being broken is not something to fight.  It is not something to run from.  It is natural.  And being broken is a normal part of living life in the Spirit.  When we choose to set our selfishness aside for another, we are following in the ways of Jesus.

He was broken.  Take the bread, take the cup.  Remember that he was broken.  When you are broken, you are in lock step with Jesus.

It is not about bread and juice.  It is not about a sweet remembering of his sacrifice.  It is a recognition on our part that to follow Jesus is to be among the broken.  When you do this, remember me.  When you are broken, remember me.

And that makes it a beautiful meaning filled day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

T Shirts

I was in the Allentown airport a few weeks ago and I saw some great T-shirts.

There was one that I could not find a picture for, it was quoting Monty Python.  The caption on the shirt said, "It's just a rabbit."  If you know the movie, you see the funny.  If not, it is not too late to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Here is one more, I believe the man must have been a farmer:

It is a beautiful, funny day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

I know what is going to happen

In my old age I have finally figured something out:  I know what is going to happen.

Batman may be losing the fight, but in the end, he is going to win.  Superman will eventually escape the kryptonite and save the day.  In fact, part of almost every plot is good news, bad news, good news.  It may look bleak for the hero/heroine at points, but by movie's end, it will all be ok.

This knowledge has helped me when I am watching tense movies, thrillers and such.

It has also helped me in life.  I am not worried about the future.  I know how it will end.  I know that when the time comes, I will be met by a loving God.  His mercy endures forever.  I don't have to worry about anything.  I am loved now, and I will be loved in eternity- not because I said a prayer or followed the denominational formula, but because God is love.

God is love.  That is what he does.  That is what he is.  No need to worry.  Fall into his grace.  Life will beat you up if you let it.  Bad theology will deliver guilt if you accept it.  But in the end, love wins.

Worry less.  Live more.  Love all.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Love, Grace, and inclusion

Yesterday I mentioned that love, grace and inclusion stand at the core of Christianity.  My point being, without any of the three, we no longer have the teachings of Jesus at the forefront.  The three traits are central and they are non-negotiable.

Love:  See 1 Cor 13... If I can do all these things, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I believe all the right things but have not love I am nothing.  If I hold to perfect doctrine and have not love, I am nothing.  Love comes before everything else.

Grace:  Grace is giving favor.  Grace is forgiving.  Grace is not getting what we deserve.  Scripturally, grace is doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.  In Luke 6:31 we see that this phrase is not just good human advice, it is scriptural.  Give to others what you want for yourself.  If I want to be loved, warts and all, then I need to love others, as they are.

Inclusion:  In Genesis 1 scripture says that God made it, and said that it was good.  This principle is illustrated in the teachings of Jesus, over and over.

1.  One of his disciples was a tax collector who worked for the Romans.  One of the disciples was a Zealot who wanted to kill the Romans.  Some were educated, some were not.  He included all kinds.

2.  In Jn 4 the woman at the well is included and welcomed by Jesus.  She has been married and divorced six times.  She is currently living with someone to whom she is not married.  Jesus loves her anyway.  She is included.  

3.  In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan is not only included, he is the hero of the story.  He is the one that is "in."  He is the one who will find eternal life over and above the religious people who walked on by.

There are tons of examples of inclusion in the Bible.  There should be hundreds of examples in our lives as well.

Love, Grace, Inclusion.  Three pillars of Jesus' Teaching.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. 

All Church Meeting

On August 31st, my home church, Fort Pierce First United Methodist Church, will be having an all church, open meeting to discuss the future of the church.

I am pretty sure that the discussion will revolve around the choices that United Methodist congregations have now, to stay or go.  Actually there are three choices that UM churches can make.

1.  Leave the denomination to join the new, conservative denomination "The Global Methodist Church."  107 Florida UM Churches have indicated that this is their choice.   That is just at 15% of the total number of UM churches in Florida.  Churches making this choice will not ordain gay people.  They will not marry them.  Gay people will continue to be treated as second class humans.  [and let that description tip you off to my position on this...]

2.  The second choice, rarely discussed, is to leave the denomination and become independent.  In Missouri, 30 churches have left, none of them joining the Global Methodist Church.  The possibilities here are endless, but the point is that you can leave and become Grace Church or Community Church or whatever you want to call yourselves.  No Bishop, no DS, no apportionments.  So structure, no connectional missions.  No extended church family.

3.  The third choice is for the congregation to stay in the United Methodist Church.  This will mean that over the next few years, we would become a denomination that welcomes gay people, ordains them for ministry, and celebrates their marriages.  And other than that, the UMC will go on as before.

However it all shakes out, at least the warring will finally be over.  At least everyone will finally, after 40 years or so, be able to follow their mission as they see it, without the distraction of fights about doctrine regarding sexuality.

Personally, I am staying United Methodist.  I don't understand everything that every person does, but I firmly believe that it is past time for the church to end the shaming of others.  No more shaming of divorced people, no more shaming of women clergy, no more shaming of gay people.  Jesus did not shame anyone.

If I can attend the meeting I will, but I pray that our church leaders and congregation will always pursue the principles of love, grace and inclusion.  Those three stand at the core of Christianity.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

How are you doing?

I asked someone how they were doing. They hesitated. "alright, I guess," they said.
I pushed on them.

I asked, did you wake up today? answer was yes.
Are you healthy? answer was yes.
Does your car start and run? answer was yes.
Does someone love you? answer was yes.
I told them that this was 4 pretty good and solid positive signs that they were ok.

Then another friend asked, what about those who don't have all 4.  What if their car is having trouble?  What if they are sick?  What if no one loves them?

Ok, friend #2 had me.  Yes things happen and we can get stuck.  It isn't going well for everyone.  But if you woke up, your car runs, you are generally healthy and someone loves you, I want to encourage you to throw a party.  No grousing if you have those 4 things going for you.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Nothing new

Eccl 1:9 "There is nothing new under the sun."

I have known of this scripture for most of my life.  It reminds me that when I have a thought that is new, it is not new.  It may be new to me, but it is not a new thought.  It has been discovered and passed on, learned, lost and learned again for centuries.

There is nothing new under the sun.

So when someone reads something that I have written and wants to use it, I say of course.  Everything that I write, everything that I say, I have learned from someone else.

In my life my teachers have been

Anthony Demello
Richard Rohr
Dan Horn
Rob Bell
Bob Tuttle
Pat Stark
Peter Rollins
Shane Claiborne
Brian McClaren and many others.  

When I quote someone directly I always try to reference them.  But regardless, there is nothing new under the sun.  No new thoughts.  Just thoughts that have been known and passed down.  If there is something, anything here that you wish to use, ever, please do.

It is not mine, it all came from someone else.  There is nothing new under the sun.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

a day in the life

So I have been working part time for a construction company as a fill in superintendent.  When someone is sick or is on vacation, or if the company has tons of work, they call me to fill in.

I am absolutely loving the work.  Here is a typical day in the life...

Wake up at the hotel.

Shower

Breakfast of Raisin Bran and 2% milk.

Drive to Lowes.  Get supplies.

Drive to the job.

Meet our team and subcontractors.  Our team is typically 2-4 carpenters who will do demolition, minor construction, wall repairs, etc.  Subcontractors work on electrical, plumbing, and such.  During the day, I help with various projects and run for supplies.  I solved problems and am the face of the company to the shop owner.

I spend parts the day keeping our guys lined up with work.  Peering ahead to make sure that everyone has what they need to keep at it.  If the plumber needs an area cleared to perform a task, I don't wait until the last minute.  I make sure that by the time he is in that area, the area is ready for him.

We work from 8-5 usually.  I eat Subway for lunch and at the closest restaurant for dinner.  At night I watch Netflix and work on the computer.

I absolutely love it.  I feel like I am making a difference in the world!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

levels of goodness

My friend Pat sent me a podcast to listen to.  It was stories by Malcom Gladwell about people who followed Mt. 25.  I was hungry and you fed me.  I was a stranger and you took me in.

here is the link to the podcast

The entire podcast was good, but there was one concept that just grabbed me.

As much as I like to talk about and think about and practice kindness,  the author of the podcast, Malcom Gladwell said that kindness is "entry level goodness."

He offered three levels of goodness:

1. Kindness
2. Generosity
3. Sacrifice

Clearly we can be kind with out giving anything other than our words.  Generosity tends to involve words and stuff.  Sacrifice gives until it hurts.

This concept is another challenge to our human nature of selfishness.  Maybe just kindness is not enough.  Maybe I/we need to add generosity.  I am going to be thinking about this for a while.  

But, keep practicing kindness please!!!  But if you can expand to kindness that leads to generosity or even sacrifice, good for you.  Let's stay at it.

It is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Quote from Keep Breathing

Last week I mentioned the Netflix series "Keep Breathing."  There is a quote from one of the episodes where the star says, "This is my happy place.  This is where I come to forget."

That phrase kind of sank in.  I guess I resonated with it.  We all need a place where we can forget the hurts.  Whether it is the redwoods, or the back porch or a bicycle ride or the kitchen table of a friend.  It is nice to have safe places.  They make us happy.

Safe and happy are both good.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

It's ok to talk to people

In Russia, if you talk to people that you don't know, they think you are crazy.  Everyone keeps to themselves.  At least it used to be that way.

I sat on an airplane next to some folks from an Asian country.  So quiet.  So private.

And I thought of these scenarios where you are not supposed to engage.  And I realize that we can still engage, only carefully and kindly.  Shy people don't like the loud approach, but it is still ok to talk to people and share the love.

Just be normal and kind.  That shouldn't scare anyone.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

How big is my vision?

A few weeks ago I was flying into New York City.  As we were preparing to land, I wanted to see the city, but I was a long way away from a window.  I was also in an Exit Row which only had the little circle windows.

view of window from my seat.

I leaned in, I zoomed in.

I can see it!  There it is!
New York City!!!

My view of the city here is like how we often live life.  My view is small and obscure, but since it is all that I know, I think that this is all that there is.

Is it possible that there is more than has been dreamt of in our philosophy?

Do you, do I have small thinking going on that would change if we got a bigger perspective?  There is usually more going on than I can see, and I could amend my outlook, if I could just see more.  It begins with opening my eyes to the possibilities.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

I love construction

I love construction.  I love watching things go up.  If they had Bob the Builder when I was a kid, I would have watched every episode.

So a new train system is being built in Florida by Billionaire Richard .  Brightline is a highspeed train that will connect from Orlando to Miami.  Unfortunately it is going to race through Vero Beach and will not stop anywhere near us.

That being said, new tracks are being laid, and new bridges built.  I find that watching the process is very exciting.

Trees are cleared, gravel railbed is set.

New concrete ties with hold downs.
The rails will then set on top of these.

Railroad crossing road sections ready for installation.

Long rail waiting to be set.

Crane working on a bridge.

We should all worry less and enjoy the simple things of life more.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

The quiet voices

Be sure to listen to the quiet voices.  Just because they are not all over social media does not mean that they don't get it.

The loudest voice in the room is often bellicose and full of itself.  Sometimes the high volume is a wishful misdirection from what is going on underneath the surface.  The divorce rate amongst loud people is 50% too.

Those who say, don't know, those who know, don't have to say.  Run from those who pretend that they do not have any problems.

Somewhere in your life there must be a quiet person who is just sitting by watching.  They may be chock full of wisdom, and you would never know.  They are never going to blow their own horn.

Watch out for the noisy know it alls.  Spend more time with the quiet, thoughtful ones.  In fact, work at being one of the quiet thoughtful ones.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Keep Breathing

Keep Breathing is a six part, short series on Netflix.  It is about a woman who is in a plane crash and then deals with the elements of the Alaskan wilderness.  Along the way, she also deals with the wilderness of her upbringing.

I could relate to it.  I wish that one of my parents would have told us that it wasn't our fault.  But that ship has sailed.

Sometimes in life, you have to let go of the past and just relax.  Just fall into the current and see where the water takes you.

If there is a current in life,  the good Lord knows it and watches it.  After all, he has the whole world in his hands.

Sometimes you have to let go of your desires and wishes.  Sometimes we need to just wade in and see where the current takes you.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Why does something always have to be wrong?

I continue to be annoyed by the negative "news" on the news.  In fact, I rarely watch it.  There is a lot of talk about "fake news."  Well, the news outlets that talk about fake news also provide fake news.  

Oh my gosh.  Flights have been cancelled.  Turns out it is less than 1% of flights in a given day.  And the next day, the news has moved on to some other tragedy.

Oh my gosh!  There is no baby formula.  The president must do something or he does not care about babies.  Hmmm.  What do mothers do in poor countries?  What did we do before the advent of baby formula?  Yes, there are other options.

When I was in Lincoln at that grocery store, I noticed a lady checking out.  Looks like she had some baby formula.  And look at the supply in the baby formula aisle.  Maybe the news should have told people to drive to Lincoln to get their formula.

Look at all the formula she is buying.  I wonder where she got it?  She must have bought the last cans.  Lucky girl!!!

Then I found the formula aisle.  OH, look!  Lincoln grocery store on 27th street has tons of baby formula.  Someone please tell channel 9.  They will be so relieved.  They can share the good news!

Anyway, the next day, it was a non issue.  Evidently supplies were back.

The news goes from one emergency to the next.  And I think it keeps a lot of people stressed out.  OMG there is a recession.  What will we do?  Hmmm.  What did we do in 1987?  In 2001?  In 2008?  I think we will survive.

What if the news focused on what was good and what was right?  What if the news showed random acts of kindness?  Maybe instead of filling people's brains with worry, they would inspire other acts of generosity.

Anyway, don't get sucked into the worry pit.  If you want to worry, there is always something to worry about.  Instead, be a part of the solution.  Be a part of the good story.  Create a good story.  Be the good story.  Change the world.  Change your attitude and let it flow out to others.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Paying Attention

So I am driving my shopping cart through the grocery store on N. 27th St. in Lincoln, Nebraska.  I have never been in this store before.  It is kind of a warehouse store and the shelves are really tall.  I am looking for the signs to direct me to the proper aisle.

Suddenly... plop!!!  My cart is in a hole!  There is a bang and a crash and I look at the front of my cart.  I have driven it into a hole.  

Yes.  Right here in the store, marked off with orange cones is a nice hole to trap shoppers.  Actually it will only trap shoppers who are not paying attention.

I was able to pull my cart out and go on.

But... how many of us go through life without paying attention.  We cannot find our keys because we were not paying attention to where we set them down.  We lose touch with a friend because we forgot about them.  We miss joy and meaning and hope because we are not focused on seeing the good.

There are many pitfalls in this life.  Most of them are not marked out with cones.  You have to pay attention to avoid them.  And you have to pay attention to see the good.

May we all pay a little more attention.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

turn it around

Murphy's Law - if anything can go wrong, it probably will.

And that is how many of us live.  Constantly waiting for something to go wrong.  Always worried about what "might" be.

What if we turn it around.  If anything can go well, it will.  This little sticker lays upon my desk.  I wish I could get it stuck in my head a little more.

It almost seems counter intuitive to think that things could go well, but they can, and for most of us, they have.  Most of us have had more good than bad happen in this life.

What are you thinking about today?  What are you expecting?  Bad or good?

If anything can go well, it will.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

brains filled with

What are our brains filled with?  This is a painful picture, but it illustrates what we do with our brains.

Too many Christians strive to have their brains filled with ideas.  We say, Let's listen to this great teacher and lets learn all of the facts from the Bible study.

Ideas, ideas, IDEAS.

What if life is not about filling our brain with lots of ideas?  What if the Christian faith is not about filling our head with more ideas?  How will the second coming happen?  How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?  How was Jesus both God and man?  Who cares?  Spend your life worrying about stuff is like wasting your life.

A person can waste their entire life lost in thoughts that we do not, and will not know the answer to.  Christianity has created a culture full of people who want to know everything, but have lost the true purpose of life.

Our brains should be filled with one idea.  Love.  Especially if you are a Christian, our brains should only focus on love.  Stop wasting time and energy and get to the real business of God:  love your neighbor.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Don't mess with my brain

I have always loved this photo/meme.  It is such a perfect illustration of how our brains work.  

I think what I think. Don't mess with what I think.
I know that I am right. If I was wrong, I would change my thinking.
I don't even have time to consider the craziness that you are suggesting.
Leave my brain alone.

And yet, healthy growth, enlightenment only comes to those who are willing to let their brain be stirred.

What ideas do you or I need to let go of?  The light only appears when we are willing to shed the darkness.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

The end of grace

The end of grace.

Oh, just the title of this post makes me feel uncomfortable.

An end to grace?  NO!!! How can that be?  If you are like me, I believe that God's grace is immense and that it never ends.  His mercies are new every morning, so says Lamentations 3

Yet we have been taught, and maybe have taught ourselves, that there is an end to grace.  That we live this life and can find grace in this life, but the moment that we die, grace is over.  Grace is over when we die and we are judged based on what we did in this life.

So grace and mercy ends?  What does that say about God?  Grace and mercy is real but temporary?  That sounds like a shallow love to me.

Yes, this messes with part of my brain that was taught and preached that we would be judged when we die.  But friends, either God's grace is new every morning, or it is not.  We have to choose which scriptures to believe.

For me, after spending a childhood being manipulated and guilted, I am ready to believe in a God that actually loves us.  Now and forever.  Grace does not end.  And if that messes with your brain and your theology, so be it.

Learn to be loved.  It is not too late.

It's a beautiful, grace filled day [even for those who die today] it's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

waiting

A few weeks ago I was waiting in line to turn in a rental car.  There was only one guy there to check your mileage and he was slow.  Really slow.  And I was in a hurry.

Did you ever notice that when we are in a hurry, other people seem slower?

Anyway, if you have ever looked at a struggling person and thought, "they should get a job" this guy did.  He was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he loved to talk.  Evidently, he needed to talk to people.

It seemed forever that he took with the first car.  By the time he was done with the second, Methuselah had died.  By the time he finally got to me, if had I been a Buddhist, I would have been on my 4th life.

Finally it occurred to me... he is not going to go any faster or slower based on my angst.  Who by worrying can add an inch to their height?  Who by worrying can add a moment to their life?  These thoughts comforted me and I finally relaxed.

The next time that you are in line behind someone that is slow or will not turn left, just remember... they are not going to turn until they choose to turn.  Maybe their eyesight is bad.  Maybe they are not a confident driver.  But no matter the reason, they are not going to turn, until they choose to do so.

My angst about them moving faster is not going to do anything except upset me.  It is time to let that stuff go.  It is time to relax.  

I got my rental car turned in.
I finally turned left.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, don't worry about anything and be sure to see the good.

and if you wondered who Methuselah is- click this link

the pain of the past

This little sign sits in my den.  I am not sure
but I think that one of my sisters gave it to me
after that peculiarly difficult thing happened.

We all have collected wounds and scars over the years.  The wise ones find a way to rise above them.  Many of us spend the rest of our lives wallowing in our hurt and/or being resentful to those who participated in delivering the pain to us.

What if there were no mistakes in life, just lessons.  What if the way that person treated me was more about them, than me?  What if I was just wrong and can admit it, and move on?  What if I come to truly believe that there is a lesson in every rainbow and every pothole?

If I can focus on the lesson, I can move on into the gift of this day.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.