thinking

i was just sitting here thinking. about what, you ask? well, let me see if i can put it into a short, succinct paragraph. the day. yes, the day. now, i am impressed that, first, i am thinking. second, that i remember what went on today. i mean, that's like walking into a grocery store without the list and expecting to remember everything that is on the list. uh, ok. which, by the way, is one of the things i did today. but, no worry, i just bought lots of extra stuff - which, somehow or another covered the list. anyway, back to thinking. is it really cracked up to be that great. i think so. after all, that's one of the reasons God gave us a brain - to think. hope we all get around to that some day.

Exciting

i have not published on my blog for some time. however, i am going to make an attempt to do so. it's not that my life has been boring. far from it. my life is rather exciting. pastoring a church is nothing short of a blessing from God. though the church is medium size - what is a megachurch anyway - i am surrounded by a group of people that love God, love each other, and love me. there is nothing like preaching to a group of people on sunday morning that want to not just know about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit - they want to know Him - i mean a real life, intimate, personal relationship. cool, huh? so, my life is not boring. again, i am going to make an attempt to publish at least two posts per week. you know, the old KISS principle - keep it simple saint.

Hardware Stores

i just came back from a journey into a local hardware store. i found what i needed, though it took me a while. and it took me a while to navigate out of the store. have you ever looked around a hardware store? i mean, really looked. it became fairly obvious, fairly quickly that i could use everything that i saw. from birdseed for my bird feeders to Christmas decorations to electrical supplies to all kinds of cool tools (many of which i had no idea what they would even be used for) to keys to - well, you get the picture. you know, some stores you can't figure out if they are of God or satan - but a hardware store - it's a glorious and amazing gift given to us from the very throne room of God. it is chock full of needs - and yeah, ok, a lot of wants. however, this i have against hardware stores - where do you start? what do you buy first? you (at least i do) become fixated on one item, thinking this is it, but then your peripheral vision draws you to something different and even more needed and on and on and on. that's the wonderful thing about God though. when you fixate upon Him and His Son Jesus, there is nothing that your peripheral vision can see that is more needed.

thanksgiving

i love this time of year. some folks call it crazy season, and i can understand why they think that. but, i love it. and it all starts with thanksgiving. thanksgiving. thanksgiving! and man, do we have a lot to be thankful about. let's start with this day. a friend of mine was upset about turning 40 until i reminded him of the alternative. suddenly he was thankful for that day. whatever day it is, it's a day that has been given to us to do whatever we want. as we walk through that day think about all the other stuff we can be thankful for. who do you spend time with, no matter how little? what do you wear? what do you eat? what do you use for transportation? what do you read? what activities do you do starting with breathing? what stuff do you play with or use to make work easier? what do you drink? what are you hearing? what are you seeing? what are you feeling? where do you go on vacation? what keeps your house cool or warm? what lights do you turn on when it's dark? we have so much to be thankful for. Lord, help us to be thankful for all the amazing things You have provided for us.

#179

yes, i was the 179th person to vote at my precinct - hence, the #179. 179! 179? i wonder if there is something significant in that number. let's see, if you add up the numbers it totals 17 - equivalent to the first two numbers. does that make the third number - 9 - inconsequential? or does it mean anything at all. does the total of 17 mean anything. what if you take the first two numbers - 17 - and subtract the third number. you get 8. does that mean anything? you know, i may have slipped over the edge. but in doing so, i discovered the meaning of #179. it means nothing more than i was the 179th person to vote at my precinct. oh yeah, the boils down to a rate of 44.75 people voting per hour where i voted. kind of reminds me of ecclesiastes. vanity of vanity, all is vanity. i'm glad not all is vanity - like following after Jesus.

Crazy season

one thing about this season - the amount of mail i have received has greatly increased. and the mail comes from various people and organizations that i really don't know. yes, it's election season. i can tell because my mail box is full, i get a bunch of phone calls about people that i don't know, and there are signs, signs everywhere; everywhere, there's a sign. but, it's coming to an end. now, there is a particular reason i really don't care to get all this stuff. the vast majority is tearing another person apart. it's all soooooo negative. only five days until the election and i know more about how horrible people are than what they would do if they got elected - or i should say what they say they will do. not that any of them would ever lie or break a promise. all i know is that i always come out of this season thanking God that He is on the throne and has not abdicated. in that i can find peace and joy.

Winter Park

for those that know me, they have no doubt that i love colorado. if i don't visit the state at least annually it depresses me. in august i, my wife, and some relatives visited the winter park basin. it was beautiful - except for all the trees that have died due to a beetle infestation. the hikes were wonderful, the people were friendly, and the scenery magnificent. we even got to see some moose in the western side of rocky mountain national park. why do i marvel at colorado. for whatever reason, whenever i'm in the mountains i feel that much closer to God. it's not the altitude. it's the beauty of His creation. yes, His creation - God's creation. how beautiful is it. it's indescribable. what an awesome God we serve.