Isn't change...fun?

Lately, my friends and I have been literally inundated with changes. It's rocking our world. With change comes opportunity. We can embrace the changes or we can resist them. In either case, change happens. Our response is a reflection of the state of our soul and spirit. 

By that, I mean to say that we often don't have much, if any, influence on the changes that happen in our lives. And that is precisely why many people hate it so vigorously. Change is a disruption - and it forces us to realize that we really aren't in full control. It actually throws in our faces that the control we thought we had over our circumstances is an illusion. 

In another job, I was certified to facilitate a three-day workshop on implementing change. That doesn't make me an expert, nor does it make me any less susceptible to hating change, but it did help me gain a perspective for what is actually happening in people as they react or respond to change. I'm over simplifying here, but essentially, you are either initiating change or change is initiated for you by an external force. In either case, whether the change is perceived as good or as bad, there is a similar reaction - resistance. Resistance comes from the fact that any change is disruption, thus there is a loss of the comfortable and familiar. Whenever we lose something, even something we don't particularly like, we need to move through a grieving process to come to a place of accepting the change. 

I truly believe that the speed with which we move through the grieving process is directly tied to our trust in God. If we believe that God is good and that He has nothing but our best interests at heart at all times, we can view even very scary changes with a greater measure of peace. We can do that because we know without a doubt that He is in control so we don't have to be. What freedom that brings! If we have no doubt about the goodness of God and His fierce, determined and uncompromising love for us, then we can learn to rest and find peace in any situation because He is in control and His judgment and His timing is perfect!

Now, I wish I could tell you with just as much certainty that this is how I respond to all changes in my life, but that of course would be a lie. I am, though, one of those who pretty quickly adapts to, and embraces change. In general, I like change. Like everyone though, I've had my share of "Why me? Why now? Why this?" moments, but as a rule, I've been learning to see that for what it is. A struggle to maintain an illusion of control over some aspect of my life over which I have no control. The one thing over which I truly have some control is how I choose to respond. 

The more aware I am of what is really happening, the quicker I am able to come back to rest in His Spirit and just let God work out the details. I am in control of my response. Will I choose to trust in me or trust in Him? Will I allow Him to be LORD and KING or will I act like some rebellious knave who has to be taught to submit to authority? 

I can't make the decision any easier for you, but I can tell you this...TRUST is the better way. Trust that God has made the right decision. Trust in Him to teach you and guide you in your grieving process about the strongholds you need to release. Trust in the destiny that He has for you and most of all...TRUST in His ability to bring you to the fullness of that destiny and call on your life. 

Happy Father's Day

Okay, it's been a while...again. And once again, it's taken a holiday to get my attention back on my blog. My wife and I took my mom and Dad to lunch today to stay ahead of the madding crowd tomorrow. This is of strategic importance because they are elderly (Dad is 90, soon to turn 91 and Mom is 86) and my mom is none to mobile and is legally blind, so crowded restaurants become dangerous places for her to negotiate.

Anyway, we took them to Red Lobster and it's funny. I could have ordered for them. They don't even look at the menu any more. We all know exactly what they are going to order. Me, I like to try new things so I always look at the menu. As it happens, I was the only one in the foursome today who didn't walk into that restaurant knowing exactly what I wanted to eat. I just knew I wanted seafood. By the way, Salmon New Orleans is really worth a try next time you go in. If you like spicy seafood. Way good! But enough on that.

I want to take a moment and pay tribute to the man I call Dad. My dad is a special man for a whole lot of different reasons, so I won't go into the whole list here, but I feel it's only right to honor him today. You see, Dad isn't perfect. Never was. We had some rough times growing up. He worked rotating shifts so I really only saw him about one week a month during regular hours. During 'graveyard' shift (working 12:00-8:00, not in a cemetery) he slept during daylight hours so I was mostly encouraged to go play with friends from the end of school until supper time. He had a short fuse, a violent temper, and could be verbally abusive when irritated. But he was, and is, an intensely loyal and devoted husband and father. He acted out his love and commitment for us every day even though the words, "I love you," were rarely heard spoken to us. As hard as he could be on us, he was always 100% honest. When he gave his word to do something, it got done. Honesty and integrity...love in action.

My dad never really understood me. He grew up during the depression on a small farm with a big family. The livestock and crops they raised were their food supply. I, on the other hand, grew up in town. I tended toward very diverse interests like music (band and choir), drama, sports and the like. Dad grew up working and feels somewhat 'useless' if he's not doing something constructive. To this day he putters around in his huge yard, carefully nurturing his almost perfect grass. I like to play. But as little as he understood about what made me tick, he and mom came to every game and match, every concert and play they could possibly attend. Even after college, when I was doing community theatre, they would come into Richland and watch the show. Loyalty...love in action.

I grew up watching my dad give generously to others and never asking anything in return. He was the first guy to volunteer when things broke or needed tending to at the church. He gave generously to all of us kids in times of need and to his grandchildren. He's been particularly generous and supportive of my son, for which I am eternally grateful. Dad is a great example of what giving is all about. He freely gives with a cheerful heart, always looking out for the needs of others, even at great cost to himself and his own desires. Generosity....love in action.

Mom and Dad met as youngsters, growing up in the same small town in Oklahoma (Ft. Gibson). Mom was 18, Dad was 22 when they were married in a civil ceremony. February 2 of this year, they celebrated having been married 68 years. Many, many lean times followed. They moved from the only place they'd known, a serene forested part of southeast Oklahoma, to a desert (semi-arid to be technically accurate) area in the southeast of the "Evergreen" state. (In our part of Washington the state's slogan could be taken to mean, "Does it ever get green here?"). One of my dad's relatives scoffed at the idea of anyone from the family moving out of Oklahoma and actually staying moved. He made the statement at a family gathering that they would never be able to cut it. He'd bet they'd be back in less than a year.

Well, our family's fate was sealed in that moment. Dad made up his mind he would never come back to Oklahoma to live. He made a commitment to a new life no matter how hard it was going to be. Through all the dust storms (called "Termination Winds" because so many people would quit and leave the area after a storm blew through), the tough times and urging of relatives to give it up and come back, they stuck it out here.

That kind of stubbornness can be hard on a marriage. Mom and Dad had their share of arguments to be sure, but there was never a question of one of them leaving. They made vows and they stuck to them. They made a commitment to each other and made the best of the circumstances. Commitment...love in action.

There is so much more, but I must close. Suffice to say, that no matter how many, or what kind of, disagreements I've had with my dad through the years I can say with complete integrity that I love Dad with all my heart. I admire and respect him as much for his weaknesses as his strengths. He's not blind to his weaknesses, nor to his strengths. You'll never hear him boast, though you'll often hear him poke fun of his own foibles. He is a man of integrity, honesty, loyalty, generosity, and commitment. He loves God and serves selflessly. My dad isn't famous or rich or anyone important to the big, wide, world, but he's a great man to me, and in the eyes of his family.

Happy Mother's Day!

My wife and I have begun a tradition in the last few years. Since neither of our moms like crowds, we started taking them on a Mother's Day Eve lunch date. I know. There isn't really a day called Mother's Day Eve but it describes what we do well enough. Each of us take our mom to lunch on Saturday so we can spend quality time alone with her. It's a highlight for me.

It is so nice to be able to take my mom to a restaurant that she would never get to go to with my Dad. You see, in my immediate family, there are three 'meat and potatoes' eaters and three 'adventurous' eaters. My brother Jim, Mom and myself are the adventurers. Today's adventure was P.F. Chang's. Mom almost never gets a taste of Chinese food so I thought it would be a real treat for her. It was great. She really liked it and the hostess was kind enough to seat us at a table very near the door so my aged mother wouldn't have to walk far. Everyone treated her with respect and kindness so I was very pleased.

It made me think about all the complaints about the younger generation. Some complaints are well-founded, I suppose, but the young people we saw today were respectful and kind and they made my date with my Mom something special. So a big, blog shout-out to the Saturday afternoon staff at P.F. Chang's! Thank you for helping me build a special memory with my Mom.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Life's Moments

Life is chock full of moments that stand out for one reason or another. I was just checking up on my friend who has now been moved to a rehabilitation hospital to further his recovery. For the first time, there was a picture on his journal page of him working the parallel bars. Not the kind for gymnastics, the kind that you use when you can't walk on your own and are in physical therapy.

What a mix of emotions ran through my head in that moment. Joy that my friend is "walking" at all. Praise at the way the Lord is working in and through his family & friends during this time of great trial. Sober at the how weak and frail my vibrant, strong friend looked as he concentrated on the next step. Reflective on the many blessings I enjoy, not the least of which is a healthy, strong body.

I believe we are given these moments when time sort stands still so we can hear the voice of God speaking into our spirits. If we will only listen, we will hear that still, small voice encouraging us to move into closer relationship with the One who loves us most. Listen...did you hear that?

No Guarantees

Last Friday I heard that a friend from a church that I used to go to was, the previous Monday, suddenly stricken with a very serious medical condition and is even now in a Spokane hospital. Praise be to God that he is improving with each passing day and thanks to modern technology and a wonderful site called Caring Bridge we who know and love him are able to keep updated on his condition without pestering his family members without a zillion calls to their cell phones.

Stuff like this always makes me stop and think about how fragile our lives really are. This is a guy who is an athletic, fit, man about my age here he is in the hospital through no fault of his own. Something just went wrong in his body. It happens. And when it happens to someone you know and care about you can't help thinking, "There are no guarantees. We are not promised a tomorrow in this world." It sobers me.

It also makes me think of my friends who choose not to take care of their bodies. I pray for them and ask that God would help them see how important it is to not take this life, this one body they've been given, for granted. It can all be taken in a moment, whether it's a growth in your brain, cardiac arrest, diabetic coma, or cancer or any of a number of other maladies. There are simply no guarantees, but we can increase our odds of survival or recovery by taking steps, even baby steps, to choose healthier lifestyles.

My friend in Spokane has a better chance of recovering precisely because he had good muscle tone and was pretty fit...it makes his physical rehab shorter than a non-fit person.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding preachy and stepping on toes here, but as I approach (rapidly) my 50th birthday I'm more determined than ever to reduce my risks of chronic disease by choosing to eat better, exercise more regularly and lead an active life. It just feels better. I'm not a perfect picture of healthy living, and I don't think you have to be obsessive about it, but I am really loving the progress I'm making. And it's about progress, not perfection. There may not be any guarantees about my medical future, but there are certainly benefits to choosing active instead of sedentary, and healthy food instead of fat- and sugar-filled food.

I love you guys. Choose health!

Oh my...

I can't believe I've been so remiss! I've had every intention of updating my blog on a regular basis, at least weekly since Easter. April 13 is here and I've written nary a word to my faithful readers. (I've heard through the grapevine that someone other than my friends Tom & Nadine and my wife actually read my blog...joy!) For those of you I affectionately call "lurkers," you know who you are...reading but leaving no comments...I want to clear up a misconception. You do not have to have a Blogger account to leave a comment on my blog. You are more than welcome to post a comment and you don't have to create an account. There...don't you feel better!

I was so inspired with the sunny, beautiful weather this weekend. For those of you still enduring nasty weather - I am sorry. I am truly am. At the same time I am extremely grateful for a couple of near-80 degree days with bright sunshine and few clouds. Ah....And, yes I had the top down whenever possible.

Hmmm....I've got too many thoughts wrestling for supremacy in my head. I am not sure how to organize or record them so, for now I am going to sign off to just that. I'll be back...eventually. ;-)

Happy Easter!

Easter seems like the perfect time to "resurrect" my blog from a coma of inactivity. Okay, sorry for the pun...it was there and I never have been able to resist the temptation to have pun, er, fun. We had a very different (for us) Easter this year. For the last few years our niece and her husband brought their little tribe of 3 children and our good friend brought her daughter over for an Easter Egg hunt and BBQ (weather permitting) or some other kind of meal together. This year our niece and her children had gone over the mountains and through the woods to grandmother's house...to live...temporarily...while Dad is off to training to become a Medic for the Oregon National Guard. So, this year we had only one child at our house, but she's so cute she could be several kids (yes, I am biased).

Easter's celebration wasn't the only thing different this year though. I've been challenged lately. Challenged to think differently and live differently. Over the course of the last few weeks, through wildly divergent sources including a couple of radio talk show hosts (Dave Ramsey and Dr. Laura), my own quiet time with the Lord, conversations with co-workers, my wife and this morning, my pastor's sermon, I've been challenged. If I had to correlate all the different things that were said that got my attention, it would probably be summed up in two phrases. First, was the ad for Dr. Laura's new book titled, Stop Whining and Start Living - haven't read it but the title got my attention. Second was a single sentence that came to mind as I was reading Ephesians 4:22-24, "What are you willing to sacrifice?"

You see, I had fallen into a feeling of discontent with my life. I wasn't depressed, exactly, but I was definitely discouraged. I'm turning 50 later this year and while I normally celebrate that fact with great enthusiasm, it had begun to sink in that I was nowhere near some of my life's most precious goals. I'd begun, well, whining about it, to be brutally honest. It wasn't pretty. Thankfully only a very few close to me had to endure it. Be grateful if you weren't one of them.

Something changed in my heart over the last 48 hours, though. I decided that all those diverse voices and messages were right. It was time to decide what to do about the things I've said I want to accomplish in my life. I've taken on a new, more productive way of thinking about those things. I've begun by taking stock of what is truly crucial to me. As it turns out...it's relationships. All those career, financial and ministry goals are great, but none of them are worth killing relationships. None of them. So I am taking a fresh look at my life now, and for the future and weighing everything in the balance of the impact each goal will have on my most important relationships. First with God, then my wife, then my closest friends and family...and so on...you get the picture. And funny enough, I find myself excited and content again. Ain't God great?

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged, as have most of the people I know, whose blogs I could tag. Hmmm...what's a fellow to do. Well, first off I misread the instructions (what man reads instructions anyway) so I didn't grab the nearest book to me, I grabbed the book I've been reading.

Dancing in the Desert by Marsha Crockett pg. 123

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been mad, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).
God in me. When I sense God in me, I have the power to change my outlook on ordinarily frustrating circumstances--like when I am dealing with people who are habitually late.

I haven't tagged anyone so I'm a big party pooper, I guess. But it's late, I'm tired and now I am going to bed. :)

Blessings to all the taggers!

A Psalm

I am in the beginning chapters of a what promises to be an excellent book. Dancing in the Desert, by Marsha Crockett is about finding more of God when you are walking in the wilderness times of the spirit, often called the dark night of the soul. In that time, you are stripped of all that you once relied on so that you can learn to rely more fully on God.

At the beginning of each chapter, Marsha provides assignments to help you still your thoughts and focus on entering into God's presence. Chapter two begins with this suggestion.

Read Psalm 136. Consider how God's enduring love permeates every thought, action and circumstance. Write your own psalm in the style of Psalm 136, but use the list of faithful acts you recalled in the exercise above. Read your song of praise aloud.

I have to confess...I didn't write a list in the previous exercise, I just meditated and thought about a list. But as I wrote my psalm, the list sort created itself. Here it is, unedited, except for spelling and grammar where necessary.

Don's Psalm

When I was a child, lonely and afraid, You spoke comfort and peace to me.
Your mercies endure forever.
In my doubts about my worth, you sent teachers, friends and family to speak words of life and encouragement to me.
Your love and mercies endure forever.
When I sinned against You in my foolish rebellion, You forgave me and loved me and welcomed me back into Your arms.
Your mercies endure forever.
When I was sinned against and betrayed by those I loved most You brought assurance and peace to me.
Your loving kindness and mercies endure forever.
As my heart broke under the weight of loss You took me to places of healing and rest.
Your mercies endure forever.
You knit together what had been utterly broken.
Your mercies endure forever.
You made love grow from the ashes of brokenness and defeat.
Your mercies endure forever.
You have made wholeness and health where there was broken sickness of heart.
Your mercies endure forever.
You have given hope for today and excitement for tomorrow.
Your mercies endure forever.
You have shown Yourself faithful in all things, through all things and my love for You sings and dances in worship to You.
Your love endures forever.
You now allow me to speak, sing, dance, hug and pray Your life-giving love into others.
Your mercies endure forever.
You are greatly to be praised for You alone are worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.
Praise be to God whose mercies endure forever!

That Thing You Do

I've been thinking. Dangerous territory for me, but I ventured out there and did it anyway. :) You see, I've been trying to organize my thoughts so I can be more consistent about posting to my little online world here, but every time I think about it, I get...more confused.

Jen(n)'s commenton my last post, "Now that I've taught with you I know you have a ton to share!!!"really got my attention and made me think. The truth is, that I really do have a lot to share. So, why do I find it so hard to write a few words in a semi-organized fashion on my blog consistently? I think I may know the answer.

I am verbal. I like to share by talking. I love to share what's going on inside of me, but I also like seeing and hearing what is going on inside you. I want to hear about that thing you do. I feed on that interaction with my friends, relatives, co-workers, and strangers (friends I haven't met yet). Get me started on nearly any topic I am even remotely interested in and I am a sharing son-of-a-gun. Yakity-yak!

Writing seems like so much work, because I am constantly analyzing what I put on the page. Did I spell that right? (I'm a decent speller, but a lousy typist.) Is my "creativity" with rules of punctuation and grammar acceptable? Am I sharing something that is best left to the privacy of a conversation with close friends? All these things and more swirl around in my head and I find myself making excuses for not posting another day.

The truth is, I love receiving your comments - it spurs me on to fight through the confusion and helps me to know that someone actually gets something out of what I write. I especially like to lighten your day. But sometimes, I'll get serious too, because life isn't all about the laughs.

Thanks again readers, and especially commentators. You inspire me. I'll do my best to return the favor!

Random "thots"

I just can't help it. I am a little competitive by nature. Not about all things, and I don't absolutely have to win to enjoy a competition, but I am currently getting shellacked here! What is kicking my proverbial behind you may ask?

My wife! She has turned into a blogging machine and I can't keep up. And it's good stuff! If you haven't read Furiously Loved lately because she hadn't written in so long...do yourself a favor and go there next She's been cranking out one profound post after another.

This is all very well, thank you except that I've always been the wordy one in the family - if you know what I mean. I've always had something to say, and sometimes it's been profound or provocative or, at least fun to read. I've sat down in front of the computer many, many times in the last couple of weeks to write and each time, I've gone blank. OY!

OK - enough of that.

I was very moved Sunday by what my friend and Pastor, Tom, shared in his message. He's doing a series on Matthew 5:1-12, commonly called The Beatitudes. You can hear the messages for yourself on our church's website.

This week's message was centered on Matthew 5:8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." (NLT)

I was very convicted by a particular statement Tom made...it went something like this, "You want to know how pure your heart is? Then pay attention to where your thoughts go when you are alone and nobody else is around." That's not a direct quote, and may be a paraphrase, but it's what stuck in my head.

Where do my thoughts go when I'm alone? I have to admit that too often my thoughts go...astray. I am reminded again that I need a Savior and grace and mercy! Wow, I try so hard to follow after God with all my heart, mind and strength. I really do...but if I'm brutally honest, I think I would, at best, get a "C to C+" on my "pure heart report card". I can go off on wild tangents that have nothing whatsoever to do with pleasing my God in a nanosecond.

To my credit, I am much better at recognizing these little jaunts into soulishness and distraction and reigning my thoughts back to reality. And really, that's what I cling to. I absolutely know that my God loves me. I am His child, the delight of His eyes. He doesn't expect, nor demand instant perfection. So I take comfort in the knowing that He has, in fact, factored in my stupidity, my wild hair thoughts and even my imperfect attempts to 'take every thought captive.'

It is good to be a child of the most patient, loving, kind, gentle, merciful Father. I can rest in that, even while taming my random "thots" I think. So as I, may I say...we... wrestle with submitting our thought lives to the Spirit, repenting when we need to, building our faith in Him, and being cleansed by the Blood, we can look eagerly forward to seeing God. Not just in the afterlife, but in the here and now. Not just metaphorically, but really, really see God. I long for that experience of seeing my loving God, whether it is in a vision or dream or some other spiritual context. I want to see Him. I want to know Him.

Purify my heart oh, God and renew a right spirit within me!

What if?

I often find myself asking that question about the stuff of life. What if I had been tall - would I have pursued athletics more aggressively? What if I'd taken that turn instead of that turn? Would I have gotten into a wreck? What if I told that person how badly that negative comment really hurt me? Would they be sorry or just say they were sorry?

What if the church could learn to love and appreciate one another's differences instead of obsessing on how to phrase our argument to win the others to our way of thinking? What if the church gave each different movement, denomination, or body the freedom to express their love for Christ in the way that stirred their hearts and be excited for one another's uniqueness?

What if all the world needed really is just love, sweet love? Can we do that church? Can we just allow ourselves to give love, sweet love to a hurting world? What if we could relate to people without judgment, criticism or instruction on the right way to look, feel and move...and just love them with God's sweet love.

And what if, just think about this...what if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about? :)

I'm B-A-C-K

Wow, I had no idea it had been so long since my last post. Sheesh. Sorry faithful readers (all three of you :-]).

A lot has happened since last I posted a post in blog-land. I've turned another year older, started the process of learning to make wine (mentored by my friend and wine maker extraordinaire, John - aka Ratatouille), painted the exterior of my house, started repainting/decorating a guest/meditation room in our house, spent a long weekend with my beautiful bride and some precious friends in a beach house on the Oregon coast, and booked a reservation for a condo in Fiji for next year.

So, while I haven't been blogging, I haven't exactly been sloughing off either. I am having so much fun! Oh, yeah, and I work too - and it isn't always fun, but I am usually able to have a laugh or two at work - often at my own expense - because I find that laughter truly is the best medicine.

So I'm not going to get all thoughtful and deep in this post. I just wanted to get myself back on track to start writing again...sort of ease myself back into writing shape, if you will.

And I promise I won't take so long before the next post...I promise.

That's a Lotta Wattah

Yep, 20,000 bottles of it - actually just a little less, because we drank a bunch as we unloaded it from the truck. Part of the gig when our Spiritual Dream Interpretation Cafe team arrives at Burning Man is to unload the big ol' rental truck full of water. It was all hands on deck and you could tell that this was going to be a special group of people to work with. No one complained. No one did less than their fair share. No one slipped out of the activity for even fraction of time.

We all worked hard and together, in unity. A great sign of a great time to come. I have the honor of being in fellowship with a bunch of awesome people at the Three Rivers Bridge and close friends at the Desert Rock Bridge. In both places there are many, many like-minded people who easily put away selfishness and work for a common good. But in all my 48 years, I've never met such a unified team of strangers as I did at Burning Man 2007.

This Wednesday, as our creative worship night (which my wife facilitates) was getting started Ratatouille and I shared a bit more about our experience there. I was struck again by this thought. We went there at least partially to bring back a knowing of how much can be done by a few people who are willing to lay down their personal agendas and work in complete unity and submission to their leadership. We took some time to ask Creator to download and impart to each of our brothers and sisters there, the sense of unity we experienced at Burning Man so we could fully participate in the promise of this coming season in our fellowship.

I am profoundly and forever marked by the experience of working alongside such a phenomenal group of people. Even more amazing is that most of us met for the first time just two days before Burning Man opened it 'gates' for the 2007 Burn and already we had begun forming friendships - true, for real friendships.

Encounter after encounter with Burners who were looking for 'something more' and having the honor to listen and participate directly with Fuego (fire in Spanish), Fire Rose, Johnny B Good, Rocket, Spotted Eagle, Rhonda, Altered, Randy and MVP through the week was - amazing. Insight, discernment, revelation, wisdom, kindness, gentleness, mercy and tons of love were poured out on hungry people and they absolutely were changed by it. That doesn't even count the many others on the team with whom I didn't work with on a team, but got to know during meal times and breaks.

If I can bring anything back to my town, my friends, and my fellowship, I hope it is the humility to work together in complete unity to help lost and hurting people of this world find their true destiny. Just think - a bunch of pagans worked in unity to build a tower to reach the heavens. They were succeeding at such a rate that even Creator spoke and said that if they worked together there was NOTHING they could not do. Nothing.

Surely we who share a common faith and love for Him can unite to share His love with a hurting world. Surely it must be His heartbeat that drives the rhythm of our love for each other and the lost. Can we make it our aim to lay down our personal agendas for that goal? I KNOW we can - I've just seen 48 talented, gifted, diverse people do it - and do it with excellence!

What's on Your Menu?

Some of you have let me know, through comments on my wife's blog, that you're anxiously awaiting to hear my take on the trip to Burning Man 2007.

It's getting late (for me) so this will be a brief posting - an appetizer - for more to come.

My heart is so full after a week on the Playa. I have been processing with my wife and friends and I feel as if part of me is still there. It is a surreal feeling. In reality we were only gone 10 days, but it sometimes feels like that 10 days represents the 'real' world and my workaday world here is the one that is temporary. Strange, I know, but I am not sure how else to describe the sensations I am working through.

I wanted to start my posts about our trip with the key to our stay there -the Spiritual Menu from which we served our guests of honor, the Burners. Inspired by the Seven Spirits, we offered a full menu from which our guests could choose. As I talked with folks who served in different groups over the week, it seemed that each group had predominant themes unique to them. My current theory on that is that Creator led the hosts to lead people to groups where the particular gift mix of the team was best suited for that particular menu item. All of the teams I served on, for instance, were dominated by requests for spiritual cleansing (three different leaders and team mates).

More than any other experience I've had, the encounters we had were longer in duration and deeper in impact. Our guests came to the 'table' hungry for a spiritual encounter and were, more often than not, changed dramatically by their encounter with the Spirit of Light.

I'm ruined for anything less. I fell in love with the Burners. I am humbled to accepted and loved by them, and for the opportunity to love on them. For most of the encounters I participated in, our new friends received deeper spiritual touches than many who consider themselves spiritual. They came in open and expectant to have something happen. I loved the comment reported by one of our leaders, that after a particularly deep and healing encounter a guest said, "My eyes have the same light in them as all of you have in yours! How did you do that?"

Well...WE didn't. The Spirit of Light simply answered their invitation to live inside them.

Ready, Set....

It's almost time to go! And, no, I don't have a nice orangey-yellow flame job in my hair. My hair stylist had gotten the idea from a co-worker that Burning Man was mostly middle-aged and older people and thought the flames would be too 'young'. Ya just gotta look at the website to realize this probably is a misconception, but I AM a newbie and her co-worker's dad has been several times, so I didn't argue.

Things are happening and my 'spidey sense' is tingling with anticipation for the next two weeks - probably the most intense two weeks of my life so far. I spent a good part of the evening tonight working on my wife's car that suddenly decided to die in the grocery store parking lot. New battery and all is good...except for that lockdown bolt that fell into the fascia where no human can reach it. Ah well...

I am so amped, it doesn't even matter. I am ready to rock and roll in the desert and touch lives with God's wild, fierce, unconditional love. Yep. That's the good stuff. Whether it's in the semi-arid lands of the Benton-Franklin County Fair or in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, I am as ready as I can be, and as unprepared for the full reality as is normal for a new experience.

Life truly is a very big adventure!

Dyeing to Self

I waited a while to post this because I didn't want to ruin the fun...for me, that is, of seeing my friends faces when they saw new 'do for the first time. I am so glad I waited. What a hoot!

For those of you who actually read my little corner of the web, thank you. Your reactions have absolutely made the change so worth it! If I'd have known the reaction would be so widespread and vigorous, I think I may have done it years ago.

The reactions do bring me to an unmistakable conclusion. Shaking things up once in a while helps keep life very interesting and fun. After all, hair color, unlike a tattoo, is not permanent. It is merely short-term thing that can be quite easily fixed if it's bad. The reactions have ranged from quiet smiles, rolling eyes and shaking heads (older folks I work with) to very encouraging words like 'Dude, I like it!' (from my younger friends) and everything in between. You'd think I'd changed my face. Many people I know well hardly recognize me at first. All in all, I am having a blast.

Kudos to Melissa from Reflections Salon for having the creative vision to see the 'new me' and bringing it into being. Who knows what's next - maybe a 'flame job' to complete the makeover? "Only my hairdresser knows for sure."

Finis!

Wow! It's finally done! We put the last, finishing touch on my mom & dad's bathroom today. Project complete. Boy, does it feel good to have finished. As promised, here are the pix. Please forgive the quality. We forgot to take the good camera (again), so these were taken with a camera phone.

Virtually everything is new except the toilet, which you probably don't want to see anyway, the mirror, and the vanity cabinet. :) Since the pix will tell the story better than I, I'll let them do the talking.



The Shower, which was the whole point of starting this project.

































And, yes, that really is a lot of tile. Way more work than I had counted on, that's for sure. But I am pleased with the way it turned out, overall. Of course, every time I walk in I see the flaws, but it's functional, clean, new and my parents are thrilled so I am happy with it.

On to my own house where we are freshening the paint in a couple of rooms and on the exterior to get it ready to sell. When? Who knows. If we got a ridiculously high offer on it, I would move tomorrow. :)

Peace!

Finishing Strong

It's been a very long haul, but we are almost finished with the remodel of my parents' bathroom. We've been working on it since late February, using a ton of vacation time, evenings and weekends. The shower has been functional for a couple of weeks now, so we're down to the final finishing touches. Some trim here, repaint there, the details are all that's left.

Through the process, I've been given several opportunities to "call it good" and leave it mostly finished...ugly, but functional. And every time it's come up, I've had to decline the opportunity to bag it, tired as I was, because it didn't yet fit the picture I had in my mind when I started.

Life is like that, isn't it? We work, toil and press on, sometimes through seemingly impossible circumstances and constantly we hear the whispers. "You've earned your rest, just go ahead and stop. Everyone will understand." "No one really cares, you know...just let it go." And when you're tired and worn out, if you don't keep your eyes on the end game, on the finish line, on finishing strong - you can listen and you can rationalize easing up or even quitting.

That's just what Satan wants. He knows that the only real victory he can win over a Christ-filled person is to get them to quit. That's why discouragement and depression are two of his favorite weapons. Paired with fatigue, he has successfully ended the journey to destiny for countless millions of believers.

So wake up to the enemy's scheme. Don't give in and don't give up. As Winston Churchill's famous graduation speech so eloquently puts it, "Never, never, never quit."

Finish strong!

Oldfangled Ideas

As I was thinking of what to write, I was tempted to call this post Newfangled Ideas but I realized that the ideas in question are really just new to me, and maybe to you. Others have had, or known of, these ideas throughout history.

I learned more this weekend about the power of belief than I had thought possible. After all, I'd made a sort of study of that sort of thing many years ago. I learned then that if you truly believed something, you would act in such as way as to make it come to pass. It's called the law of attraction by some. By some it is described in this way, "What you focus on, you make room for*." I had become cynical in my study. I'd read Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (I don't recommend it unless you're really into deliverance). I'd taken a class based on Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I'd helped facilitate some of the workshops and it seemed to all come down to a common denominator.

Take truths from scripture (usually Proverbs), strip out the references to God, repackage them in secular humanistic language and make MILLIONS of dollars and build a personality cult. It seemed to me to all come down to making money off the poor saps who desperately wanted to have it all and who were willing to spend a large percentage of their incomes to get there, only to find out that the principles don't always work. At least not for the vast majority of us.

Why?

This weekend, I learned a big part of the answer from a Christian perspective and it makes total sense. You see, Jesus did say we could do all things if only we believed and had faith. So the principle is truth established by God and manifested in Jesus. The difference is that He had no unbeliefs swimming around in his sub-concious mind. We do. We have these areas of unbelief, many of which can be formed at early ages and unless we "reprogram" that area of unbelief, we will self-destruct in our attempts to succeed. We have to get rid of judgments against ourselves and others. We have to accept ourselves. We have to fully believe.

We, the Church, have all the reason in the world to believe for miracles of healing, resurrection from the dead, signs and wonders for our FOUNDER manifested all those things and left with the reassurance that we would do even greater things than these. So why aren't we? Why are so many in the Church running on empty?

Let's take up the challenge to look at our unbelief and challenge it with truth. Let's start believing, truly believing for the miracles and let GOD do the deciding, eh? Don't ya know our enemy will just hate that? Don't ya know there is a dying world out there desperate for the supernatural reality of Christ in us? Let's just do it.

* I just received a comment that I had misquoted someone so I've corrected it inline with the rest of the text. Somehow, I merged two statements into a single quote. The actual two thoughts are these, "What you focus on, you make room for. What you fear, you empower." My apologies for the mistake and thank you, Greg for the correction - and for reading my blog!