thoughts on the news of the day: saying hello

hmmm…..

            Every day I send my blog to my dad, Even though he is 90 years old, and his eyes aren’t so good,  he still loves to read emails from family and check the stock market on the internet.  So I write him daily and paste my blog onto the note.

            “just trying to say more than hello” is what dad wrote to me this morning.  I think what he might have meant was that he didn’t have much news to tell about his day.  His days are pretty much the same; he doesn’t get out all that much anymore. 

            But aren’t we all “just trying to say more than hello?”  Don’t we all struggle with finding the words to express how we really feel?  And it’s even harder on paper.  It used to be that we wrote letters – long letters about how we felt, what was going on in our lives and in the world around us.  But today we say it in 140 characters or less.  Jagged little phrases litter our iphones stating our thoughts and needs as tersely as possible.  Funny thing is that when we are on the receiving end, we really do want to know about your day, and how life is with you.

            So, dad, here’s to you this morning!  Thank you for your notes, for your news and for sharing your life with me.  Thank you for your struggle to say more than just hello.

            hmmm….. 

thoughts on the news of the day: survival

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            There is a tree that lives in a forest in California.  It is called the Methuselah Tree because has lived to be over 4600 years old. Yes, I said 4600!  Pretty unbelievable when you think about it.  It is part of a species of trees called bristlecone pines.  Living in harsh conditions, this tree has been around as long as the Pyramids. 

            So how does it live so long?  Well, it might be for several reasons.  First of all, it is very slow growing.  It is reported to grow about 1 inch in girth every century!  Second, it seems to put down a very deep root system which helps it to weather drought and other harsh weather conditions.  Third, it is disease resistant because of its dense and resinous wood.  Insects, molds and bacteria don’t seem to have much of an affect on it.  Fourth, even though much of tree might die, it has learned to adapt.  For example, only as much as a narrow strip of living bark still might connect the roots to the sparse greenery on its branches.

            Our own survival is important to us.  While we certainly won’t live to be centuries old, we could take a few clues from this hardy pine.  We can slow down a little and not be in such a hurry.  We can set down deep roots with friends and family – folks we can lean on when times get tough.  We can build protective barriers against people, ideas and habits that might harm us. We can simplify and compact our lives so we aren’t spread so thin.

            We could do that, couldn’t we?

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: enough

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            A while back, a friend of mine sent me a poem, it goes like this:

            Happy moments, praise God.

            Difficult moments, seek God.

            Quiet moments, worship God.

            Painful moments, trust God.

            Every moment, thank God.

            The philosopher, Meister Eckhart once said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

            Take time today to say thank you.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: billboards

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            A tasteless billboard promoted by an Indiana restaurant company has been taken down.  And for good reason – the sign is offensive.  “We’re like a cult with better Kool-Aid” reads the sign which has a picture of a margarita and the phrase “To die for”.   It refers to the 1978 Jonestown cult massacre in which more than 900 people drank poisoned Kool-Aid.  The restaurant admitted their mistake and apologized for it.

            Several years ago an ad agency in Florida did a series of billboards that were messages from God.  Phrases like, “Don’t Make Me Come Down There,” and “What Part of "Thou Shalt Not..." Didn't You Understand?" and "Let's Meet At My House Sunday Before the Game"  and my favorite, “"My Way Is The Highway."

            Billboards are an effective way of advertising, especially when they get the word out in a humorous way.  Another billboard I have seen recently says, “Does advertising work?  It just did!” 

            We too, can be billboards for God.  By our actions and by the things that we say, people who know we are Christians get a strong and clear message.  Sometimes that’s a good thing; sometimes not so good.        I have a vanity license plate on the front of my car that advertises our church, so I try to remember to be polite when driving. My behavior on the road sends a message loud and clear about what we really believe. 

            Think about it.  What message are you sending to others by your actions?  Are you a good billboard for God?

            hmmm…..

           

thoughts on the news of the day: earthquake

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            Just heard about the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand today.  It’s amazing, isn’t it how fast news travels in our cyber world?  Half way around the world a tragedy can happen and we know about it within minutes. 

            My facebook friend named Adrian lives in New Zealand. We met in Mountain Home last summer when he was here helping out with our Vacation Bible School. He is a college student and he was the first person I thought of when I read about the earthquake.  I posted on his wall and hopefully will hear soon that he and his family are safe.

            I love the ability we now have to communicate with folks all over the world.  Even my little blog is read by folks all over the planet.  It is posted in several newspapers throughout the country and I even have a critic who asks why I post it in a paper in California.  I say, why not?  It’s a great paper with great blogs and I am happy to be listed among them.

            Immediate contact with our friends is great – but you know where I am going with this.  We are, of course always in immediate contact with our Maker.  We don’t even have to log on to communicate with the Almighty.  Spirit is always present to listen, and to answer. 

            Right now I’m going to shoot up a prayer for Adrian and his friends and wait to hear from him that he is OK.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: presidents

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            February was a month full of wonderful holidays when I was growing up.  We watched for the Groundhog to discover his shadow on February 2.  Then came Lincoln’s birthday, celebrated on February 12^th.  We learned about Abraham Lincoln and his presidency and made black construction paper silhouettes of his head, top hat and beard.  I am sure there were cookies.  Two days later came Valentines Day, heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink icing and the much anticipated valentine cards delivered from friends.  George Washington’s birthday was always celebrated on February 22.  Again, more black silhouettes, and more cookies.  The concept of a national leader who should be respected was embedded in our heads and regardless of political affiliation; we were encouraged to learn more about our current president. 

            Today we have Presidents Day, which honors all presidents who have served, or Lincoln and Washington, or just Washington, depending upon your point of view.  Most retail outlets refer to the third Monday as “Presidents Day Sale” day and try to move out the remainder of the merchandise left over from Christmas.  Usually only banks and government offices close on this day; even schools have all but forgotten our presidents.

            So today might be a good day to reflect on the office of the Presidency of the United States.  After all, our national leader may well be the most powerful person on the world. Pray for our president today, and for all of our national leaders.  They have a tough job and even though we may not always agree with their policies, they deserve our respect and certainly need our prayers. 

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: late

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            I think it’s rude to be late.  But theoretically that’s what this blog is today.  I usually write it at about 5:00 in the morning each day.  It is on the internet by 7 or so.  But today wasn’t one of those days – things came up and I had to wait until now to write.

            I really don’t like being late.  It used to be one of my worst faults but my daughter broke me of it.  She hates being late and is always early to any function she attends.  In fact one time she said to me: “Mom, if you are on time, you are almost late!”  At our church, the unusual phenomenon is that folks always arrive early for events.  It might be the factor that so many of them are retired, but if a program starts at 5:30, then just about everyone is there by 5.  It kinda threw me when I first arrived here and I had to adjust my planning for it.  Now I always plan to be ready a half hour earlier!

            When you think about it, being late is really a very selfish action.  It says, “I am more important than you” and “I don’t really care if you have to wait for me.”  One of my friends, whom I wouldn’t describe as selfish otherwise, was always late.  It annoyed us so much that we started telling her that the start time was a half an hour earlier for any event she attended.  She started arriving on time!

            So I apologize for being late!  And I thank you for reading my blog anyway …

            hmmm.....