Getting There and Trying Again!

Pictures from around the world cross my screen each day. Yesterday I was blessed to open mail from an E friend residing in our nation's northern neighbor. Many thanks go out this morning to Joni for providing the fun fodder for my thoughts and your entertainment.
Black bear are not all that large. The one you see above is probably quite young, and no more than 500 pounds. Should you have the opportunity to get to know one of these in their natural habitat, they are very much like dogs, and can be quite friendly. The thing I enjoy the most about them is their intellect. They aren't very smart, and if able to speak would be totally challenged in their latter stages of adulthood to cope with the brains my 4 year old grandaughter, Kyra. Presuming that this makes them fairly bright beasts what you are seeing here is one of their most endearing attributes, curiosity. My mind did an immediate shift when I saw these pics(there were many more in the series)of this black satisfying his\her enquiring mind. That is so like one of them. Their eyesight is notorious(worse than mine without glasses), and their bulk would tend toward awkwardness if not for that brain they have that makes them wonderful for children of all ages when it comes to the circus. This depiction of temperment reminds me of many of today's young people. What is that? What's it doing there? I 'have' to check this out! If there were a group of them they would, more than likely, all try this same feat. It's sort of cool when you think about it! We all went through that stage in our growing, that time when instinct had us following in whatever happened to be the moment's curiosity. Where would you find yourself in this picture? Some looked up and saw the birdfeeder thing and walked on without indulging their curious side. Others followed up the tree, but hesitated to traverse the rope. Many more tried the same stunt with varying results. Some arriving with no idea of how to get back. Many falling to the ground only to find themselves looking up and feeling the pain brought on by the attempt. Many would climb higher to gain a different perspective, and a few would lose interest rapidly and start looking around for something else to do.
In our faith walk many of us see the "House of God" hanging out there between the streets in much the same way. Throwing all of our learned, preconceived notions to the wind we may go through one, or several, of the bear's activities. We may not even be aware of what it is we are seeking, but there just might be something there if we can get to it. The bear exemplifies the tenacity of the spirit which kept it trying different ways to arrive at it's goal until achieving success. Diligence and perseverance are the keys that will enable us to reach that goal, and when we get to that feeder we may learn there is nothing in it that we can eat, and so it is with the Lord's house. You may have to go through all of the approaches over and over until you find the one that does feed you, spiritually. In our humaness we often follow the crowd, or attempt to, only to find ourselves flat on our backsides hurting. There is a truth here, though. If we make the effort to get there we will find that the house was 'not' our objective as we began our climb. It is the food of the spirit which the house holds that we are in need of reaching. If you've been seeing that "house" or actually "been there and done that" and it wasn't what you thought it would be, take heart! There will always be another one out there somewhere, and the next time you may find just the sustenance you are seeking. My Savior is always there, hanging out, waiting for you to taste and see that the Lord is good! God bless, Preacher.

We moved to the sanctuary of this converted church for the main portion of the day's presentations. It's origins were catholic. I believe even the Pope would have liked what went on here today! 

Times Have Changed!

The concept of what we were doing today didn't dawn on me until about 12 hours after it began. We were a small cluster of concerned ecumenical individuals discussing the relevance of events that occurred some 2000 years ago based on the writings of individuals 500 years ago that were summed up over 1200 years ago and are still being discussed today. Let me see if I've got that right,...12 - 5 + 15 x the number gathered and divide that by the number of cups of coffee required to stay awake 'til noon. Yeah! I got it. It was great, the whole day. To think that here on the Great American Desert we can be blessed with a gathering of minds with insights that are fresh and yet founded on the same faith ideals that were taught yesterday in church is reassuring to me. We're going to do it again tomorrow starting at 8:30 am give or take a few cups of coffee and rolls, for sure! Thoughts and feelings are being shared in the spiritual department that few will ever read, even fewer will hear about, and the news clip at 11 won't happen! Lol....but it was good! My favorite thus far is my senior by at least a quarter of a century who seems to have more on the ball than pastors a third his age. Maybe that is something I have to look forward to, more genuine "meat" on the bones of my rhetoric as I "mature." This would not be most people's idea of a "good time," and hasn't been one of mine for quite some time in the overall fabric of denominational heirarchy. It wouldn't be now, if the churches were not by and large across the board shaking down to the very foundations of christendom. This is not an arena for the shy or the easily offended. The language becomes strong and, I might add, sometimes bordering on the right down abusive. Having wandered around in the political arena during my youth(entertainment for several campaigns)I have a remembrance of how politicians speak of one another when the doors are shut. This was not much different. It is encouraging, though, to see that there are some seriously straight shooters in the world when it comes to matters of faith's future in America. You see, it isn't a job anyone wants, and it certainly isn't one that would be chosen by many. To quote one such individual from history, "Here I stand I can do no ____!" I pray we fill in the blank today as Luther did 500 years ago. God bless, Preacher.

Perspectives From South Dakota!

Recent events have left many of us considering what the aftermath of a hurricane may bring for other people's lives. It occurred to me that many people are waking up on the backside of this disaster in places they would never have considered themselves before. One family in particular is living right behind our place(next street over)in a home donated for their use through a television show and a national promotion for dreams. Amy Grant hosts the show(or so I'm told, I don't watch television much, too much violence, if I want to see that stuff I work the streets). Theirs is only one story, and I haven't got all of the information needed for a real article on them, as yet. A real life view would have to come from getting to know them a little more in depth than the media has time for these days. You know what I mean when it comes to really getting to know people, you have to be "inside" their lives sharing bits and pieces to really know them. Our society is so accustomed to things being fast and easy that we often do not allow ourselves the neccessary time to know folks. Growing up in a farm community in South Dakota at a time before television was the major entertainment source gave many of us an opportunity to deal with relationships, even if we would have chosen otherwise. The thing is, we didn't really have a choice. There were so few people around that we either got to know them or we didn't go out. Sunday in church we would get together with the same faces that we saw in school, on the ball diamond, at the elevator, or the gas station. Of the 386 people living in Andover when I was growing up there was not a single one that didn't know every other person in town, and in the surrounding county for at least 30 miles in every direction. This is not about telling everybody how great things were "back when," it's simply an opportunity to point out that life has changed and that is neither good nor bad, it's just different than it was. For some in our country life has changed completely from what they knew before. Many are thankful just to be alive, and still others are bent on complaining at the top of their voices that things didn't go the way they think they should have. Lol.....Does everything always go the way you would like it to go? Just between me and you and Bill Gates I would venture that it doesn't. That's where our faith perspectives enter in. At those times when life is totally out of control we know that there is one single element that remains unchanging, God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as one are the same yesterday, today, and forever. How well we deal with the changes and circumstances that life hands us is directly proportionate to the amount of faith we are willing to invest in God. Remember, "If you don't put nothin' in, you don't get nothin' out!" (When I write this I have a tendency to hear in the back of my mind all of the places that it could be relevant, but for the moment it applies to only one, faith) My prayer today is that everyone would have the opportunity to gather and give thanks, worship God in truth and love with friends and neighbors, and be readily accepting of the stranger in their midst. Some being unaware have entertained angels. Everyday is a new opportunity to share life. Share it with everyone and give thanks to God for the lives we have! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

What A Deal!

People, I know I mentioned that I wouldn't be talking about the biker stuff much anymore(or did I say, "At All Until Next Season?") I know I said something but I can't remember what. That happens when you get up there in years and try to keep track of 9(or is it 10)granchildren's names. The prompting of the spirit has brought about tasks the past 24 hours that I would never have dreamed of on Wednesday. That's another story for another time and place. The pics of the rallys this year are still coming in, and some of them are very similar to ones I took. The poster at the bottom, though, says it all. Labels of many kinds are placed on people, but the hardest ones to escape are the ones that we put on ourselves. I know it is much easier to say, "yeah, I'm a ________(you fill in the blank), but I just can't help it or change it; I'm happy this way; maybe this is how God planned for me to be; it doesn't make any difference; The justifications are endless and the answers are few. When we look at ourselves in the mirror and what we see is not pleasing there is a lot we can do about it. We can be 100% "honest" with ourselves and admit what the problems are and begin the process of seeking an answer that is different from the one we've been living. People don't change people, God changes people! We can help along the way, sort of like the folks that do the type of outreach at rallys that you see pictured. We can point to some of the positive decisions we've made in our own lives, and we can point the way to the one who can provide the total forgiveness for which we are so desperately in need. If there is ever going to be true change in our existence it is up to us to make it. These days(maybe it's been that way always, but I didn't live always)there are as many folks sitting in church on Sunday on their way to a "not so pleasant end" as there are truly seeking heaven's gates. Some of the places we go you can find as many people saved in back alleys as you can in the pews, the big difference is that they are out there trying to help others to find that "better" way of living. The media is focused on the upcoming big blow along the coast. People are evacuating and getting away from the danger. My most fervent prayer would be for people to run as fast away from the dark places in their lives that prevent them from walking in the light of Christ as they do from the weather. Depending on how we live, it may be far more important to focus on where we are escaping to than what we are running from. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

The sign may 'seem' as though it is putting some major labels on folks, but we all 'know' in our hearts which of these applies to us. God bless, Preacher. 

Not A Political Tongue In Cheek

Rendezvous opportunities approach here on the Great American Desert. Blurps have been arriving in my mailbox with increasing frequency the past few days. A joy to attend(although the nights can get a little chilly and damp)and a refreshing change of pace from the tech world we live in. The only technology in use at most of the gatherings of this sort that I attend was outdated by the end of the Civil War. Flintlocks and percussion caps are the firearms "order of the day," and they can be seen in use in contests that begin with the first light of dawn. Historically these "happenings" are loosely based(unless you're one of those #(*&%$purists who wants to make sure nobody is wearing cotton long johns and there's no modern day closures on your rigging)on periods of time determined long before I discovered my first. My favorite contest has to do with the axe and the hawk. There is nothing like the feel of a double blade axe in your hands on the 25 yard line. The hawk is a handy little tool that I carry most everywhere I go, but when it is at it's best it is flashing through the air with a force sufficient to cause melons to burst all over the laughing onlookers. We jeer one another, poke fun at the "newbies" and in general make everyone as miserable as we can while having a good time. All in all it's like something out of a story book, and another of the frontiersman type of things that occur out here on the plains. It's a great equalizer of men! Although being big and burly has some advantages when it comes to tossing stumps or hurling the big axe, it is not an advantage in the shooting and throwing(or spitting and chewing)! Whoosh! Talk about a level playing field, out in the woods you're so close to God's creation that you can literally taste it, and that makes for a wonderful opportunity to sit around the campfire and ponder the secrets of the universe. For NFL fans and guys who like to golf it probably doesn't sound too much like a sport they would enjoy, but it is one that brings a rare breed of individualists together for a short time. That short time provides the opportunity to find out where folks are in their faith journey. We get to encourage those who are trying to stay on the right path, and find many who aren't sure where the path is at. Wherever you find that path, though, you will know without a doubt if has been trod by disciples of Christ, it is the "right" road to be on. In Christ's Love, Preacher.