A Pause At The Well Is Often All Any Of Us Needs To Prepare For "Carrying On." 

To Stress Or Not To Stress? It's Not A Question!

Locally we seem to have gotten away from the passing of people in their late 30s early 40s. This is a good thing. For awhile it seemed as though life span was reduced by half for far too many. I guess I've lived long enough now to actually desire the attainment of another 25 years as our national averages dictate. Barring the big "C" or some other unforeseen illness, I could do just that, unless I succomb to stress as so many are doing these days.
There's a glass of water(or a cup of coffee, I'm a little laid back)that sits just a few inches from my right hand when I'm in the pulpit. If I take that glass or cup and hold it up it isn't all that heavy(the plastic cup about half full is 6 oz. the coffee mug runs 26 oz.), but it's not really the weight that matters, it's the length of time I hold one or the other. Just picking up and putting down after drinking from it is not a problem. If I hold one for awhile that's not a problem, but if I hold either for an hour my arm will begin to ache, and if I continue to hold it for a day you may have to call an EMT. In each case, the weight is the same, but the longer I hold on to it, the heavier it gets. This is how it is with the stress that plagues our lives on a daily basis. If you hold on to your burdens they grow in weight until something gives, and I'm not referring to the ounces, that hasn't changed. We have to learn how to set it down for awhile. Pets are great for helping us set aside our burdens, other friends, too, can be of assistance. I believe, however, that faith is the greatest of helpers when it comes to setting aside the day to day burdens that come our way. With the help of my Lord I can leave the worry of work in it's place and get back to it again tomorrow, or on Monday. The personal stresses of life that we give so much weight to, can also be set down for a bit, until we've had a chance to rest and regain our strength. If I don't find a way to set my burdens apart from me something will give, and experience teaches one lesson, the weight in the cup or the glass, or on your "plate," is not going to change, only you and me are capable of changing. If you're carrying more than your share right now, and it's getting way too heavy, get some help in setting down the burden, it can improve your possibilities for life in a variety of ways. Laughter is good for the spirit. Let's laugh a little(or a lot)too, in this way we can help each other to "live long(Spock or one of those Vulcans said this)and prosper." I'm headed out on my biggest Harley to find something inspiring to bring back here for you to view!
Just a simple way to combat stress, that and prayer! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Eliminating Stress In Your Life May Just Save Your Life! 

This Little One Is Just Sweet! 

This is what the office looks like most of the time, it's worse when I've been away all day! 

Dedicated To The Ones I Love

Just really feel the "need" to put this down where everyone can read it, today and again, tomorrow. I was off and away on two wheels to do a job for a brother today. The journey took me far from home, and lead me to surprising people. Even before I mounted my steely steed to head toward the rising sun I was blessed by folks I've never had the pleasure of meeting face to face. From across the globe smiles greeted me along with the warmth of fellowship shared in a common faith. So, my first thanks go out to the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for guiding me, and protecting me, and returning me to the arms of number two in my life(or four, depending on how you count that first one), my wife, Cheryl. She's the reason I post the flower pics a lot of times, and she does love her flowers! I like them, too, but not quite the same way she does. I think that she finds a peace, sort of like the one I find on a long, winding stretch of highway on two wheels, when she is busy about the task of digging in the dirt and planting, weeding, watering, and, in general, tending to her gardens. Our lives, it occurred to me, are so much like her gardens, that the comparison is uncanny. Did you know that some flowers don't look anything like flowers until they bloom? I didn't! I expected that flowers just sort of had a certain way of looking and just got prettier the longer they looked that way. Not so, inspector preacher! Some plants are as ugly as sin, and then just pop, all of a sudden, into something gloriously beautiful. I'm still waiting for that to happen with some of my riding buds. You'd think since I refer to them as "buds" there would eventually be a "flower." We'll see. Number three on my personal hit parade today is my family, all the children and grand children with which I have been blessed. Number four is also family, the extended ones that I only see once in awhile. All day they have been surprising me! Five is the circle of family with whom I share in the local Body of Christ. Thank you, Lord for my faithful family of firm believers. Six is the new friends in Christ that I found along the roads. Personally, I think God was so busy blessing my life today that He did some overtime and deserves a heartier "AttaGod" than I can express here. (I promise to cover that in my prayers tonight) Seventh come the great people I see everyday, the guy in the supermarket, the one on the highway that waved and smiled from his tractor, and the fellows that drive those eighteen wheelers out there that keep an eye open for Harleys of all description. Finally there was the old guy at the service station and his older still buddy. They admired the scoot so much I could have spent an extra hour just telling stories(in the shade)about riding. Another pastor comes to mind as I recount on fingers and toes the folks that made this a wonderful day, but most of all I simply give thanks for the life I have and the ways that I can be pleasantly surprised and awed by the presence of One who lets me know I am never alone. God bless, have a good one, Preacher!

It's a few minutes after midnight so I guess I have to say, "Yesterday was a beautiful day for my wife and I. I Love That Lady!"