Abandoned Places In Our Hearts

I stumbled upon a site dedicated to ghost towns throughout the US. Surveying the list of places the photographer had gone I found, much to my surprise, a list of places I have been with my camera, too, some of them over 30 years ago. I haven't been to as many as the person shooting these great shots, but the impetus for doing so has got to be much the same. A desire to visit the past, and in so doing, envision how things might have been. We can even go so far as to search out historical records to provide greater details for the background on the "ghost towns." I''m still doing this today, though it is now on a more localized basis than when I traveled the US as an itinerant musician doing rock & roll shows. My favorite way to enjoy days off wherever I landed was on two wheels exploring the past of the area I was in. It occurred to me that we have these same types of places in our hearts, the homes, relationships, loved ones, and circumstances that long ago we left. Time changes these locations in the same way it altered the ones in the picture below. Broken glass and doors fallen open allow nature an entry by which, eventually, all traces of people are gone, except for the structure. Should we be blessed to live so long, eventually we will find places within us that we abandoned long ago. God has fostered within the human heart a wonderful ability to remember the good things quite vividly. In fact, as many folks a lot older than me can confirm, even the worst of it gets better with time. If you haven't seen the movie "Driving Miss Daisy," I would reccomend it highly. It points directly to what I am trying to express in words. I use the term, "remembering in our hearts" in such a way as to suggest that the heart has a memory, and feelings that it stores up because that is the only way I can explain it. Any logical person will tell you that all of the emotions I'm referring to have to come from our brains, and I would agree, that is logical. I just take it one step further. I believe that we are not just physical and mental beings. We are tripart, just as our creator is tripart, and we are physical, mental, and "spritual" beings. That's where the memories of the heart enter in and that is where God enters in when we extend an invitation. Until we are truly whole(all of our 3 parts joined)we are shells that can be easily emptied by the forces of nature, and we, also, fall into utter disrepair. Not sure about this? The easiest way to test yourself is to seek out some of your abandoned places and see how they "feel" to you today. If your heart is remembering, your spirit is alive and well. Invite the Lord to dwell in that heart and not only will your spirit be well off, the rest of you will, too! God also helps us to remember in our hearts those "abandoned" places without fearing "ghosts" that may linger there. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

These collaged photos are captioned with a misnomer, but I didn't think of that until now! 

A beautiful butterfly flutters no more. This part of God's creation reminds me of the spirit within each of us, and the care it must be given! 

Butterflies, Beauty, And The Bear!

I took a quick shot of my grand daughter as we were in the process of completing our meal this evening(actually she was through, and I was working my way down to the surface of a plate filled by a slice of key lime pie). I began the work on the butterfly I found(dead)and was simultaneously putting the text in while she played with the leggos and I ate the pie. It occurred to me that Kyra is very much like a butterfly as she grows. She wanted to know about the picture and I always try to come up with a story, so this was first hers.
A long time ago a bear was growing up in the woods far away. The bear was lonely and had nobody to play with until he found a valley filled with beautiful butterflies. He would watch them and chase them as they fluttered about and often tried to play with them, but every time he caught one it would die, so he was sad. The butterflies noticed the bear's sadness and that made them sad, too, so they stopped their fluttering all over the valley and just sat watching the bear. Soon the young bear wandered off to find something else to play with and then the butterflies all felt happy and started fluttering again because that is what they love to do. When the bear returned(yes, he was about your age)he was filled with smiles because the butterflies were all fluttering about. This time he knew that if he caught them they wouldn't flutter anymore so he chased them, laughed at them, and he tried to flutter too, but he couldn't, and this made him very sad, so he just sat down and began to cry. All of the butterflies saw the deep sadness in the bear and they came and sat on his shoulders, and on his head, and even right on the tip of his nose, and he was so happy, but he never, ever touched them. Even though he could not flutter with them, they could all enjoy one another and they lived happily ever after. It's only a silly made up story, but the truth of it is that there are many things in life that we can only enjoy the beauty of when they are free to flutter. Grab hold of them with a net or your hands and soon they no longer bring joy, only sadness. In capturing them we take away their freedom and the "essence" of their beauty. So it is with learning as we grow that there are things we desire which only retain their essence until obtained. The human spirit(I'm referring to the kind we all possess) desires to flit about and joyfully explore creation and be happy. Our task is to be careful not to swat them in our attempt to play with them. Mine (pictured above)was probably hit by a vehicle while fluttering around. I brought it home to reflect on the greater beauty it had when it was alive, and in the process a lesson was taught to Kyra and I through the beauty of the butterfly and the innocence of the bear. None of us runs around trying to end the life of a butterfly or a spirit, but it happens just the same. Perhaps when we examine ourselves and realize what we have done to one we can learn not to do it to another, or one another! God bless, Preacher.

My Grandest Daughter, A Treasure, A Pleasure, A True Gift From God. 

Mr. Art Slumskie Of Sioux Falls, SD On Delivery At First Baptist. Thanks Art and Julie! 

Stopping In To Take A Little Down TIme!

What a rush the last ten days have been in my life! There are times when it feels like everyone needs just a little bit more from me than I am able to offer them. Perhaps this is the "American" way, but I can't help believing that life is like this anywhere you go that you are involved with people and intrapersonal relationships. Perhaps that's why I sometimes start pondering the places I can go that I won't find anyone that needs anything. Some place where the phone doesn't ring, and their are no emergencies. Do you ever get to feeling this way? I'm sure everyone does, but we all have our own ways of dealing with the feelings. One of my(thinking about it honestly, I've got a lot of these) favorite "personal places" for getting away is deep inside the music that I create. I get in there and the distractions, worries, and bothersome details of living(like paying the electric bill on time and in full this month)just seem to slip away and the focus becomes an intense process that requires all of the attention I can bring to bear on the progressions and melody that become part of the "next" song. Usually the lyrics take shape well after the music has taken on form, and that's when the real work begins. To actually express my feelings through the vehicle that music provides I have to first take the time required to let God work in and(hopefully)through me. There was a time when I would plop down in front of the TV, catch the sci-fi channel, and zone out big time! That was happening six months ago when we still had cable. I find myself being much more productive without it than I ever was with it. All any one of us has to offer others is our time, and we must also set some aside for ourselves so that we can recharge our batteries for the next needed surge of power. That is where God enters in to my "personal place" and provides the time away that I need to refresh myself. The truth is, none of us can do it alone, and when we try we only give frustration and disappointment a foothold on our feelings and that can make our "time" miserable. I believe that I need some down time every day, and if that is true for me it could be true for you. If it is you might consider finding one of your "personal places" and giving yourself permission to get away, every day! I pray you have a wonderful day! Spend your time wisely, it's all you have, and we never know how much of it there is really going to be. In Christ's Love, Preacher.