“A Kind of Never Ending Story”

“I have found it very important in my own life to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in hope. I am finding that when I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen to me.”  ~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

I love the time between Christmas and New Year. In my current situation, it is a time that I am on holiday; of being away from work. It is time to rest and reflect on another year gone by. Then, with hope and longing, look forward to the promise of the year that is to come. 

Sitting here, thinking on this ending year, it is all too easy to present a laundry list of what I’ve done. Thinking on it, I have come to appreciate that it is not where I’ve been or what I’ve experienced that defines my year. Rather, it is what these experiences have meant and what are the lessons I have learned that seem important.

These lessons are some that I have learned in previous years. But in recalling this years experiences, these are lessons that speak to them and are renewed.

I have learned that there is no better thing I do than to begin my day with God! This has become for me as necessary as breathing. I have learned to spend a few moments each morning in scripture and considering the thoughts held in the spiritual classics. But what is most important is the quiet spent with my Creator. I have learned to turn off the media and the music and spend that time praying, listening and preparing for the day ahead. It makes a difference in my life. God is great! All the time!

I have learned that life is precious. Over these past few months our family has  experienced the pure joy of an announcement of new life and the sorrow of the  unexpected lose of life. Considering this, we have each been given this life to live, and being created with free will, it is our choice on how we live it. We can choose to make a difference in the lives of others; to our family, to our friends and to total strangers. It is our choice to create chaos or create peace. As for me, I hope daily “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God.” 

I have learned that life is a journey that is to be enjoyed. I began this year trying not to focus on a destination, but rather, to enjoy the journey that I am on. I feel I have done fairly well. Yet, while on this journey, I have learned that life must be lived with purpose. I am not meant to drift, as a boat on an ocean. I must be purposeful, whether this means staying in or going out. I must know that what I do adds to the enjoyment and enhances the memory of the journey.

I have learned that laughing together, with family and friends, is marvelous! I will not very soon forget my wife, my daughter and I sitting in a New York theater laughing hysterically during a scene from “Peter and the Star Catcher”, or being in a Baltimore restaurant cutting up and laughing with my son, mother and sister. With friends, I have laughed so hard that I hurt! That is such a wonderful feeling. As Dickens wrote, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

I have learned that a few truly wonderful friends makes all the difference in the world! Technology and media are redefining friendship. It occurs with the push of a button. But true friendship, a caring and nurturing friendship, is a gift. I have been told that in life I will find only a handful of true friends; that I can count them on my fingers. I have found them and I am blessed.

I have learned that less really is more. The accompanying lesson to learn is to apply this truth in a practical sense. Get small.

I have learned that our America is a vast and beautiful country. It cries out to be explored.

I have learned that staying in one place is not all that it is chalked up to be. The world  that God has given us, that we inhabit, is an incredible creation. The potential He has given us is far greater. To spend all of our lives working or staying in one place seems to me, a tragedy. Yes, we do what must to live, but we must hold to the truth that we work in order to live and not the opposite way round. I have learned that this old man still has  a few adventures left in him.

I have learned that the desire to create is still very much a part of who I am. I am learning that I must push my way through a “success by comparison” attitude and simply do what I want to do so that I can satisfy this creative need. The doodle, the drawing, the photograph that I take is but a window into my spirit. Should someone else find value in it, then that is good. Still the process of creating is but another way of expressing my experience. 

Tolkien said, “True education is a kind of never ending story - a matter of continual beginnings, of habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness.” I have learned that being a student, in school, is a great thrill. Learning and the desire to learn should never end. It is like dreaming. The moment we stop learning and the time that we cease to dream is when we begin to die. As we live in this moment, we surely must look to and dream of the moment that is yet to come. Even if that moment is the one in which we pass through Heaven’s door and are received back into God’s presence.

I have lived two score and fifteen years. There are fewer years ahead of me than years that lay behind me. But, with every day that I am given, there is a new prayer to whispered, a new step to be taken and a new lesson to be learned. It is a new day and  a new opportunity to press into God and say, Lord, here I am. I am yours.

“Even so, come Lord Jesus.”

Immanuel (God is with us)!

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to himand was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,  and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

~ Luke 2:1-20

It Don't Come Easy

“It don’t come easy,

You know it don’t come easy.”

This is the opening of the song “It Don’t Come Easy”. Ringo Starr co-wrote the song with George Harrison and it was released as a single in April 1971. These next few paragraphs have nothing to do with the song. It does however make a nice title for what I want to write about; and that is writing.

Writing does not always come easy to me. It rarely does in fact. Writing in my journal is easy. It is for my eyes only. But this type of writing, writing that I intend to share with others, is a bit more difficult.  (I really wanted to say broader audience here, but since I haven’t one I felt the word ‘others’ would do).

I try to give some thought to a subject during week then usually wake up early on Saturday and will lie in bed thinking about what I’ll try to accomplish. I’ll then make coffee, pour a cup and walk upstairs. There are days when I’ll emerge in under an hour with a good first draft. Other times, I’ll labor for quite some time, take a break, then come back later to continue working.

Some of the things I have shared here I am pretty proud of. Others, I wish I had been better thought through or written. But these writings are what they are - better or worse.

As the year draws to a close I am reflective about this blog. It will continue and in fact, will continue as my primary outlet for sharing. My other blog will simply fade away with the conclusion of this year. I’ll write a farewell post, then, it will stay active only as long as it takes me to archive the contents. 

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Due to the events that took place in Newtown, CT this past Friday, I suspended writing this post. I felt it better to spend time with my family and friends instead of sequestering myself in my office writing. Regular posting will resume next week. And I'll explore the difficulties of writing at some later time. 

Until then, create peace.

Margins VI

"Don't chase after the wind. Chase after God!"

~ my wife

Four Down, One To Go

This will be a short post this week. 

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My wife and I attend The Donelson Fellowship. We have been there a little over three years and we can both say, we wish we had found the church earlier. It is such a wonderful place to worship God and to be in a fellowship of believers. It is a place where we can invest ourselves; not simply attend, worship and be fed be the message, but be involved. 

One thing that drew us to the Fellowship, other than the messages from our pastor Robert Morgan, is the music and drama ministry. It is, well, it is special! Such gifted leadership and amazing vocal talent. We’ve been performing our Christmas musical this week, Two from Galilee. I have been a part of the musical, portraying the role of Joseph’s father, Jacob. It is such a privilege to be doing this. 

When I look back on my life in the theatre, I can truly say there have been some memorable moments. Even so, it is doing things in church, for my Lord, that brings the most fulfillment. What I’ve done apart from church was hopefully entertaining for the audience. What I do in church, I pray, is but a small part of something that is life-changing for someone.

So, this week there are four performances down and one to go. God has been glorified and through the message of music has drawn individuals to Himself. That is awesome! 

Found Opportunities

We missed our granddaughters basketball game yesterday. A mix up on the time. We thought the game time was at 1:00 p.m. Turned out to be at 11:00 a.m. Turned out she played a really good game. We just weren’t there to see it. Oh well, there will be other games. 

Having the time wrong was a blessing though. It give Gerrie and I an afternoon to spend together. We had already planned to stop by a shop in the other side of the city. Had there been a game we probably would have visited the shop and then returned home. But missing the game gave us more time. We went to our planned store and then onto a few others. We stopped by a tea shop. We stopped by a coffee shop. We stopped by a book shop. We made an afternoon of it.

I love these afternoons with my wife. I love the drives we take. It could be a drive across town or a trip out of town, It may be an afternoon drive in the countryside. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are together. It is time for us to slow down from the business of the week. We share our thoughts and hopes with each other. We bounce ideas off each other. We dream together. 

Whenever I get the chance I love to be with my children. It is easier with my daughter. She lives and works in the city. My son, on the other hand, lives locally but works wherever his work takes him. It could be in the Northwest. It could be in Europe or in Southeast Asia. He is well-travelled and he is a great provider for his family. 

But as I cherish time with my wife, I cherish times I spend with my kids. Recently, during a trip out of town for a family funeral, I was able to spend time with my son. We shared a few meals and had more than a few laughs. That is something we had throughout life; an ability to make each other laugh. With my daughter, we’ll take short trips together or maybe go to a concert. More often than not, I’ll simply stop by her restaurant after work and spend an hour or so visiting. They are both busy, successful people. I’ll take what time I can and cherish each moment.

Friday evening we had dinner with our closest friends. It all began with a photograph one friend sent and before you knew it, we had dinner plans. We sat in a local restaurant, had a good meal and more than a few good laughs. Then we went shopping. We really didn’t need anything, but it was an excuse to be together. It gave us more opportunity to talk and to laugh. While driving home I noticed that we spent over three hours with our friends and all we did was eat and visit one store. And that was fine. No, that was great!

It is in these found opportunities that my life becomes more meaningful. It is finding more time to spend with my wife, my family and my friends that bring me joy. 

As the year begins to wind down I begin to reflect on those things that will mean the most to me. Without a doubt I can look to the time I’ve spent being a husband, a father and a friend and know that these are the best of times. Then looking forward to the new year, the search will begin to discover those new opportunities to share our lives together.

More joy! More happiness! More memories!