Good Morning! Welcome to Tuesday!

I've been waiting with great expectation for news concerning the publishing of the novel. Today I am ecstatic over my first official "rejection." I knew it was coming eventually, and today is the day! Actually it is a first that I shall not forget soon even though I might like to. I've read the horror stories about authors getting rejected dozens of times before finding the right connection to get their work off the ground. The "encouragement," if I may call it that, comes from the rather simple knowledge that "Chicken Soup For The Soul" was rejected over thirty times before being picked up as a possible book to be published. That idea fostered an entire genre of literature all by itself, and continues to sell sequels as quickly as they are in print! It's just after 7 in the am, much earlier than I stirred yesterday. Monday was always the day I took off when I was serving as pastor to rural congregations here in SD(everything is "rural" here). Things are picking up on the net, the second reject just came in. I wonder what people did back when there was no E-mail? I can only imagine the wait for the mail, day after day, for weeks. What a wonderful world we live in, one can be rejected, dejected, and feel completely alone and miserable in a matter of minutes! That's only tapped out with a great deal of "tongue in cheek." In all things there is an answer, though. Our Savior never rejects us. He is always there to pick us up, plant us solidly on our feet, and point us back in the right direction, no matter how often we fall. Comfort in many guises can be found through faith, that and another cup of coffee and I'll be prepared for however much "rejection" comes my way today! God bless, Preacher.

Whether Built To Keep The World Out Or Keep It In, These Walls Have Never Worked! 

Memorial Day 2005!

It's almost noon and I'm still in my robe. This is a good thing! It means, for the most part, I'm very relaxed. I've got that 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee sitting next to me and the day is shaping up outside my window quite nicely. Really early morning is my favorite time of the day, when the world is asleep and there are few, if any, sounds emanating from our neighborhood. The entire backyard is fenced(redwood six feet high)and that helps to block a lot of the regular noises and the wayward animals. It's not unusual to see deer in the back, they go over the fence as if it weren't even there. I've got a pair of wood ducks living in the hollow tree next to the patio. This is their third year here. What a hoot they are! They come in full bore, skimming the treetops and angling between the surrounding branches, braking at the very last possible moment to stop on the edge of their doorway, and then step inside. Last year mama raised five little wood ducks in the back yard! Their chosen habitat is one picked for safety. Like the fence around my yard, it is there for safety. And that wall pictured below was built a very long time ago for the sake of safety. To keep someone or something, at an acceptable distance. The "Great Wall of China" is in disrepair. One of the "Wonders of the World," but no longer necessary. One cannot "keep" the world out. Never could! We might delay it a bit, forestalling the eventual encroachment it makes, but the world will not stop at our borders, at the "great" walls, or even my fences. The world will eventually find a way to get in.
We build defenses within the confines of our lives also, to keep the world at bay, but, inevitably, an unguarded entrance is found. The "crack" in the wall, a "board" which should have been nailed back in place last year, that unseen "hidden" place in the heart that has been protected so carefully for so long is breached by a feeling, an emotion, a forgotten sentiment, and there we are
in the midst of a full scale attack on what we believed in our hearts was "safe" space! Life affords us no truly "safe" space, other than that which we can choose to share with God. That space will not crumble with age, get loose boards in it, or leave us unprotected. It is the "Secret Garden" of our lives into which, when invited, God enters in to become for us the defender against whom even the most formidable of foes will find the fortifications unscaleable. Looking for a bit of peace, a place of safety? He's available 24\7, for each of us! Check out whatever or whoever you got guardin' your garden, and get back to me! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Thousands Of Years Ago The Warlords Of China Sought Protection With A "Great Wall" 

Recognizing And Accepting Generational Differences

A youth movement for Christ formed up not too far from where I live(couple hundred miles)with a "new" way of sharing the good news. You have to be over eighteen and not past thirty to belong to this group. They've been in action for several years now and there seems to be a cohesive core of persons that form up the group with the best of intentions for the future. Realizing that generational differences are a part of our cultural system in this country I wonder about the wisdom of excluding, on the basis of age, any individual. But there has to be some sort of dividing line somewhere, doesn't there? After all, in a society that literally sells anything and everything on the basis of age and sexual attractiveness, we have to be aware of our limitations. Male enhancement drugs are an "in thing" today, so that an old guy like me can "feel" young again. Women, bless their hearts, are so encouraged to maintain an appearance of youth by the advertising world that I'm surprised we don't have more counseling services specifically designed for the loss of self esteem that must come with the inevitable increase in years. There is only one way I know of to "not" age any further, and that's to cease aging entirely(death cures advancing years). My thoughts on this today go like this: Ladies, you are as beautiful at every age as you allow yourself to be. Men, since we never really grow up, all we have to deal with is an elusive image of maturity. That said, why do we allow forces beyond our control to alter the perspectives of "who" we are? Because we are taught, conditioned, and trained that way by the world around us! Some of it is natural, but most of it is hype. Inside this shell of physical proportion there is another dimension, the realm of the spirit. It is eternal, unaging, timeless, and forever refuses the onslaught of years, declaring the years "unacceptable," recognizing only that essence of life begun with conception. Maybe that is why we have to be limited in the number of years we live, so that the spirit can be shed of the encumberment of life that restrains its true freedom. (Here comes the "hook") I believe we can get there before we pass over! I think we can empower the spirit to live joyfully and thrive within us. I believe there is far more to life than meets the eye. Take a moment of quiet time and still your mind. Don't you feel it? The life force that lives within the confines of your earthly home! God bless, Preacher.

It's Not the church, the man in the pulpit or on TV, even the good deeds you do or the offerings you make, that get you into heaven! 

Memorial Day Weekend!

There are so many facets to our nation that holidays such as this one bring about thoughts of "how" we actually celebrate. For many it is an opportunity for four days away from their regular lives. For some it is an opportunity to attend the famous Indianapolis Speedway with their wives and children. Others prepare speeches and sermons for the events of remembrance the next few days. Growing up here in South Dakota I looked forward to the services in the church and cemetaries. My bugle by this day would have been shined and polished to a high luster and the tuning made as perfect as it could get for the blowing of taps. Genuine U.S. Cavalry issue from just over 125 years ago, it brought a great deal of pride to my family of military serving, prayer speaking, God honoring, elders to have me be a part of the services in our small community of 400. I guess I started doing that when I was 11 or 12, and really never gave it up. My last taps was blown on my trumpet at a service about 9 years ago. I would still serve if asked, in that capacity, or any other. I've delivered the sermons, the messages, the remembrances and simply done the introductions of distinguished members of every branch of military service(even introduced politicians during election years), but life in America has seen change. On any given Sunday there may be found but a remnant in our churches. If you look closely at the age groupings you will see differences that were not present even a decade ago. I spoke of my "family's" pride at my early service to God and Country, but I didn't mention my pride because at that time the biggest reason for doing the services was money. $5 went a long way in 1962, and I hadn't lived long enough to reach a level of maturity that brought about any real understanding. I knew growing up that some funerals were "different." Uncle Ed in '55 and my paternal grandfather in '56, the flag and the rifles wielded by the uniformed men, the same guys that worked in the hardware store or the filling station, but on special occasions carried the American flag at the front of the parade and were ever present at the military services. The funerals became a sort of parade for me as the sixties came and went. The money for doing the funerals got better as I moved up in the ranks to "organist" and "soloist" for the services, but it never really "got to me" until I watched men die for their country. Then it dawned on me in a flash of inspiration that can only be described as extraordinary! Perhaps that realization is why I write today. I guess some of us are slow to wake to the mournful meaning surrounding the sunset service and the haunting melody of "taps" blown in a graveyard populated by white crosses and flags. "All gave some.....Some gave all." This slogan is being sent across the net Memorial Day Weekend '05 from all points on the compass, as the "giving" continues in lands far removed from our own. Here is my "take" on the day: "Polish with pride what needs to shine brilliantly! Write words of consolation for the living! Wave the flag proudly! Share words of a celebratory nature for the dead! Pray loud, long, and strong for those who, at this very moment, place themselves in harms way for the sake of duty! Take time to consider what has been given for you!" God bless the USA! In Christ's Love, Preacher.