The Spirit As An Unruly Beast

Turmoil in our lives can be the result of a variety of influences! Tonight my spirit was torn between anger and sadness. It's a very personal thing, and one that may be of value if shared. The anger in and of itself is of no benefit to anyone, but from the perspective of sadness you may hear my thoughts and find comfort at some point in your life when you are forced to wrestle with your spirit. I have a son serving in the army. I am very proud of him for his service to our country. I love him very deeply, and yet, on December 12, 1999, following the deaths of my parents(dad on July 1st - mom on August 1st)he chose to disown me and be adopted by his stepfather. At the time he was 21 years of age and nothing I could do or say would disuade him. He chose a course of action in conjunction with his mother and her husband Ken,(the stepfather who was chosen as "father" for my son,is now dead as the result of a heartattack)to go through the court proceedings and was "legally adopted" thus taking on a new last name, and a new persona(can you do this just by changing your last name). Tonight I found myself in the midst of continuing to clean up the affairs of my parents. If you wonder why it has taken so long it is because '99 was a not so good year and it took me 'til '04 to really dig into the task of cleanup. What is left are the personal belongings that must be gone through(when I say 'must' it is a choice, and one that my conscience would not permit me to do otherwise)and sorted. At the center of my wrestling tonight were the bank books which I had not previously examined. My father was a kind and generous man, a good man, and a firm believer in God and His only Son, our living Savior, Christ. Dad started saving for my son's education when he was born in '78. In '83 he had set aside $10,386.63, according to the books. He continued this until my son graduated from high school at which point my father and I both encouraged the young man to "get an education." What followed were years of my son taking advantage of his family, spending the college fund without ever so much as passing a test, and then continuing to live as though there were no need to succeed in life. I pray today that he has matured in the military. I pray daily for his safety in Iraq. I pray for his children and his wife. My wife and I are not allowed to see the children from his marriage, but we do have a blessing in our 4 year old grand daughter, she is so cool, and her mom seems to like both of us. This is the daughter that my son has no time for, either. So you see, there are times when the spirit must be wrestled. I look for peace, and pray for a time when I will fully understand the "why" of how this all came about. I know that there is little that I can do to change the circumstances. What I do is "Press On" in faith and trust that in God's time my spirit will return to the calm place that helps me get along the best. When we are hurt there are two directions our hearts can go. One is as unfruitful as the other. Be it sadness or anger, if we allow these emotions to control us we have ceased to be at peace with the life we live. Tonight, as with every night I seek the peace that comes from faith in my Savior and the healing power that is found in God. Life is never "easy" but we can learn to not let it be as hard as we might make it. Let God be God, and someday, I submit, we will see very clearly the purpose which now evades our comprehension. God bless, Preacher.

Inspiration Is Everywhere For Those Who Seek It!

I had to share more of Jean's pics with you tonight. Her eye for the "right" shot is truly a blessing.

Having A Sense Of Humor

There is a time and place for everything! It's good to know that even in the worst of circumstances some folks out there can find some small portion of life in which there is a gleam of mirth. Katrina's devestation has planted a mission team deep within the area marked as "disaster." The house they have established as home base had to be completely shoveled out. It was filled with mud and debris! Sleeping in outdoor gear and cooking over open fires, men and women in ministry to their fellow human beings are now working overtime hours helping wherever they are needed. As time becomes available in schedules new folks arrive and others leave to return to the reality of homes safe from the devestation that they have witnessed first hand. The stories are emerging across the nation as these weary travelers return home, back to their jobs, and as one man put it so succinctly, "Back to a world that is not so real!" The most devestating effect a cataclysmic event such as a hurricane has on people is the spiritual, mental, and emotional shock that they go through. Humor is a way of combating the horror, the fatigue, and the loss. One writer mentioned rescuing a cat that looked more like a rat and had little life left in it. His description of the rescue left me with a smile on my face and a note of hope for all of those who have gone through, and continue to go through the horrendous task of putting everything back together. It will never be the same, and maybe that is a good thing. Perhpas it will be better, and that would be good as well. The best thing, however, is knowing that no matter how large or small the impact on lives, in response to the adversities encountered in life we have individuals who will stand up, step forth, and pitch in to make things better. Where our mission teams go they take faith and wrap it up in smiles filled with the warmth and love that our God has given us to share. This is "not" a plug for you to pull something out of your pocket to help, it's a request for your prayers. Send them out tonight, tomorrow, or often throughout the day. We have a whole lot of peoople who are in need, and the best thing we can offer is a spiritual boost to their moral as weeks turn into months, and the months, inevitably, turn into years, as a portion of our nation recovers from nature's insistence on it's own way. We will recover, and we will be better for having done just that! In the midst of it all let us give thanks that it was no worse than it was, and move forward in faith. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Pictures not seen on the news! This is out even beyond the suburbs!

The lower right hand corner is the "mission" headquarters right now. The other pictures are from Katrina's wake of destruction. Except for the riverboat the rest of the Pics were shot within half a mile of the mission HQ. Preacher.

The "Greatest" Pumpkins Of All!

God finds you in the patch amidst all the others, lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He carefully opens you up, touches deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff--including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, and overall bad behaviors(with me, as in most of us, the work is never finished). Then He carves a new smiling face on us and puts His light inside of us for all the world to see!
The picture/depiction came to me this evening(many thanks to Char)in the form of an Autumn greeting. You probably know by now that I really liked it. A wonderful way to fly in the face of a holiday that for some has become a celebration of evil in our world(as if the day to day news casts weren't enough to remind us)!!! Yes, the time of ghosts and goblins approaches. Yes, there will be parties galore and revelry that may outdo last year. I give pause, though, for just a moment, with a smile playing closely about my lips, as I remember the celebrations of "All Hallows Eve" we shared in seminary. Quite another holiday entirely, and predates our modern day Halloween by hundreds of years. I pray you take the "pumpkin story" and share it with others. It's a good one, and one that I can't wait to share with the grand kids.
Now I come to the photo below. This one says a world of things in imagery that we all need in our lives. We all need that one who will walk with us closely through the many seasons of our lives. Not everyone finds that partner. In Christ we have that never failing love that will accompany us every step of the way, good times or bad, happy or sad, as the song goes; He will be there! Maybe you've been waiting in the patch awhile for someone to pick you up and go to work on the new creation you can be. No need to wait, you can simply ask and He will begin. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

The photo is courtesy of Jean. I found the work and many more on Webshots last evening. This one speaks volumes to me in relation to the walk I have with my Lord. Many thanks to your expertise with the lens, Jean. God bless, Preacher.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I tried to get this out last night, and that would have happened if not for the communications setup being worked on over the weekend. I'm still so new to using the 'puter that everytime something doesn't work the way it has in the past I figure it is my fault. Guess what? I have now learned after a year of using this new tool of the modern world that other people can make mistakes, too! This little "portabeast," (my new term for the 'puter in a briefcase, sort of like a "porta potty, only this little ditty can dump on you instead of you using it) is not without flaws, and it can be somebody else that is messing with things somewhere. I guess things are back to normal, I'm running way far afield of my intended purpose this evening.
Jackie Bird! Extraordinary lady with whom I work from time to time is ready to begin doing tracks in the studio again. Jackie has performed across the nation and across the seas, and presented here in the US for the President in the White House. I never asked her which one of them she had the honor of performing for, or even if it was only one. We don't get around to talking too much about the things we've done, we tend to focus much more strongly on the things that we want to do in writing, creating, and performance. She is a people person with a heart as big as Alaska with a spirit to match. If you haven't had the opportunity to hear her you might consider picking up one of her CDs for a listen. Jackie is an energetic, exciting, and extremely talented young lady. For instance: When she is working the traps her command of the band is such that she lays down a solid rhythm that pulls together players from an extremely wide variety of stylistic approaches. Jamming with the best she is still "out front" even when she's in the back. First, though, is her vocalizatons of original works given her by God, as she puts it. Her voice conveys an essence of the spirit-filled person that she is, sending out the messages she writes so well with a depth of feeling that one has to hear to comprehend. Whether she is sitting on the floor in the studio strumming her guitar or working the center of a huge stage under glaring lights her presence doesn't change, though. The same person shines through no matter what the occasion. Jackie's daughters, sons, and her grand daughter share the spotlight with her on occasion. Each one multi-talented, and raised in the tight family tradition that balances performance and personalities with an expertise often lacking in our modern world of "stars." I'm looking forward to our next session. The last one had us working with Jared from Australia doing new "stuff" that will be on the upcoming CD. He wandered through our Great American Desert while touring the US following his introduction at the World Day of Prayer in NYC. (Looking forward to seeing you again one of these days, Jared) Jackie brings her talents and gifts to the stage in service to people everywhere, and has what she calls, "an old spirit," but there is nothing old about how she does what she does! Her combination of faith and family, past and present, and the here and now are a welcome addition to my personal experience in the world of live entertainment. God truly blesses us each day with the time to bring talents and gifts to bear for His glory in this, our earthly existence. Thanks, Jackie, for your heart, your songs, and the spirit you bring to every session. In Christ's Love, Preacher.