The quiet of early morning gently envelopes me like the shell of a chrysalis protecting me while I prepare to emerge for another day. Enshrouded in blankets, warm and comfortable, my mind begins to drift again to the happenings of yesterday and the plans of today; another day on my lifeway.
I detest the cold; especially the damp cold of a Midwestern springtime. It is a cold that seems to delve to the core of my being, chilling until I can think of nothing but getting warm. My body and soul aches for the warmth of the Dixie springtime’s of my youth.
Ah, the memories of boyhood in the south… the sound of baseballs being hit and the slap of the glove as they were caught; the smell, and the feel of a well-worn mitt. My mind wanders; I can almost taste the dusty grit as the wind blows across the infield and I long to once again hear those words that would transform my world from one of studies and the tedious boredom of school, into one of challenge and dreams…’PLAY BALL!!’
Baseball was my escape from the harsh realities of city life. The wailing of sirens and sounds of the traffic were replaced by the sights, sounds and excitement of a game I learned to love as a child. On the field, I could be transformed into my favorite players, taking on the glory of their success while forgetting the menial cares of my young life. Baseball was, and is today, a means of escape for me. It consumes my consciousness as each play unfolds and I consider each option and analyze the strategy and tactics being employed. Yes, above all games, I love the game of baseball.
The alarm clock is beginning to sound, just as the recess bell would ring years ago. The sound calls me back from my temporary respite from reality. It is time to once again deal with the reality of life. It is time to forge ahead on the lifeway and find new challenges to overcome, new opportunities to explore and new relationships to establish as I nourish those I already have. These are what make the journey worthwhile, relationships. A relationship with a loving God and the relationships that He allows me to develop with others on this great journey of life. These things make the hard times bearable, and add pleasure to the times of joy.
Relationship requires investment, although not in the sense of investing for return. Love is the currency of relational investment. This currency should be invested with no expectation of return, for love that is given under the condition of an expected profit is not love at all, only selfishness. This is a hard concept for our society to grasp.
In order to do this one must always be evaluating one’s motives. Why would someone invest into another’s life and expect nothing in return? While I cannot answer for others, I can answer for myself.
In the course of my life, I have encountered those who approached relationship in this manner. They invested deeply into my life, and asked nothing in return. I, as many would be, was at first, suspicious of them. The question would burn within me, ‘What is their ulterior motive? When will the bill come due?’ There was none, and it never did. They invested because they cared. Some call it sacrifice, others duty, I call it love. When love, or agape, becomes one’s lifestyle, this behavior becomes the natural outflow.
I deeply cherish the relationships in my life. Each is as its own treasure. The Bible tells us to love God with everything within in us, and that loving our neighbor in the same way is just as important.
We need to discard the selfish, self-serving attitudes of our egocentric society and truly love those whose lifeways we share. We also need to cherish the love we receive; life is so much fuller and richer because of the love of good friends.
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Lifeway Obstacles
The day is warm. The birds are singing their songs in the trees as the wind gently rustles the leaves. I feel a comfortable kinship with the forest. The sweet smell of fallen leaves, and the occasional brush of a spider web against my face. These sensations transport me to a place of refuge and joy. It is here that I can be alone with myself and alone with God.
I have traversed many a forest pathway in my life. When the stress of everyday living reaches a critical point, I have always resorted to this refuge, no matter where I have lived. Much have I learned from the forest. There is a life lesson in every stroll across the forest floor.
At times during these journeys, I have come to places where a tree has fallen across the pathway. Most of the time, these fallen trees are small and easily navigated around. There have been times however, that the obstacle was large and difficult to overcome. I could see the pathway continue its meandering course beyond the fallen barricade, but getting to it was a problem. It is here that one must decide if continuing the journey upon the path that one is on is worthy of the effort to overcome the obstacle.
The same principle holds true in our journey along our lifeways. Many obstacles will block our path. Many times situations dictate that we must make a decision; whether to overcome the obstacle and continue along our chosen route, or to change the course and blaze a new trail.
Choices; it is the choices we are obliged to make throughout life that order the direction of our lives. While the list of options is seldom a difficult thing to develop, deciding upon the best is always an exercise in presumption. Not having the ability to know what the future holds, we must weigh the known quantities and choose the best course. The best course is seldom the easy course, making the decision even more difficult. Choose we must though, for not choosing is surrender, and surrender should not be an option. To sit at the base of the obstacle, fretting over the fact that it is there, delays our progress on our lifeway. To delay or cancel our journey is unthinkable, for no matter the size of the obstacle, the energy expended to overcome is small price to pay for the joy that always lies ahead.
One must begin to look at the possibilities presented by each obstacle. Possibilities for personal growth, the satisfaction of overcoming adversity, and the character that is built with every victory. These are but some of the possibilities, but the greatest possibilities include the people that God puts at our side to help remove the obstacle and allow us continue our journey. His faithfulness is the sunshine that warms our life and lights our path when faced with the biggest opportunities for success.
Every obstacle we face presents an opportunity for success or defeat. The defeat comes only as a result of our surrender. The choice is ours, surrender and miss the joy God has in store for us, or fight until the victory is won. What will you choose?
Today, choose well.
Enjoy the Java
Jim
I have traversed many a forest pathway in my life. When the stress of everyday living reaches a critical point, I have always resorted to this refuge, no matter where I have lived. Much have I learned from the forest. There is a life lesson in every stroll across the forest floor.
At times during these journeys, I have come to places where a tree has fallen across the pathway. Most of the time, these fallen trees are small and easily navigated around. There have been times however, that the obstacle was large and difficult to overcome. I could see the pathway continue its meandering course beyond the fallen barricade, but getting to it was a problem. It is here that one must decide if continuing the journey upon the path that one is on is worthy of the effort to overcome the obstacle.
The same principle holds true in our journey along our lifeways. Many obstacles will block our path. Many times situations dictate that we must make a decision; whether to overcome the obstacle and continue along our chosen route, or to change the course and blaze a new trail.
Choices; it is the choices we are obliged to make throughout life that order the direction of our lives. While the list of options is seldom a difficult thing to develop, deciding upon the best is always an exercise in presumption. Not having the ability to know what the future holds, we must weigh the known quantities and choose the best course. The best course is seldom the easy course, making the decision even more difficult. Choose we must though, for not choosing is surrender, and surrender should not be an option. To sit at the base of the obstacle, fretting over the fact that it is there, delays our progress on our lifeway. To delay or cancel our journey is unthinkable, for no matter the size of the obstacle, the energy expended to overcome is small price to pay for the joy that always lies ahead.
One must begin to look at the possibilities presented by each obstacle. Possibilities for personal growth, the satisfaction of overcoming adversity, and the character that is built with every victory. These are but some of the possibilities, but the greatest possibilities include the people that God puts at our side to help remove the obstacle and allow us continue our journey. His faithfulness is the sunshine that warms our life and lights our path when faced with the biggest opportunities for success.
Every obstacle we face presents an opportunity for success or defeat. The defeat comes only as a result of our surrender. The choice is ours, surrender and miss the joy God has in store for us, or fight until the victory is won. What will you choose?
Today, choose well.
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Course of the Pathway
Pathways are roads that provide an easy and directed route from one place to another. I have traveled many pathways in my life. Some were trails blazed through unpopulated mountainsides leading to a particularly good trout stream or hunting spot, others were the streets of the many different towns and cities I have lived in. Of the two, I prefer the first.
I find the concept of the ‘pathways of our lives’, to be most fascinating. I refer to these as our ‘lifeways’, as they are the trails that are blazed into our history, telling the story of where we have been physically, spiritually and socially. I also know that in my own life I have many times thought I had my future lifeway planned in the same manner I would plan a vacation trip.
There are many congruencies between pathways and lifeways. Both have a start and a finish, both must circumvent immovable objects to achieve their intended goal, and both are dynamic, or can change. It is the dynamic nature of a path that makes it either frightening, or a source of adventure, depending upon one’s outlook on life. How we travel the path, not the path itself proves the mettle of our character. It is upon these lifeways that the future history is written, for others and us.
There are many sources for the altering of a path. Nature sometimes does this violently, as the floodwaters or quaking earth changes the terrain. Other times the gentle but persistent wind transforms it. The resulting detour can sometimes be unnerving for the traveler when first they navigate it. New sights, and landmarks, which are not recognized, can cause stress and confusion, resulting in an unplanned change in direction.
Such is true with lifeways. Lifeways change not by nature, but by choices. At times, we make these choices. At other times, it will be the choices of others that alter our course. Sometimes the change is miniscule, sometimes massive. Sometimes the change is thrust upon us violently and against our will, and sometimes it takes place over an extended period, gently moving us. Either way, any deviation will affect our lives forever.
I believe it to be the course changes that bring us the greatest things in life, the greatest joy, and at times the greatest pain. My choices have skewed my course just enough to cause it to intersect with the lifeway of others. Sometimes at such a narrow angle as to cause us to travel a united pathway for great distances, others have merged for a lifetime, and yet others are more of an intersection, a short traversing of like paths that quickly diverge into different directions. No matter the duration, the impact upon our lives can be tremendous.
It is of great importance to remember our choices not only alter our lifeway, but the lifeway of every other person who shares in relationship with us. There are no ‘little’ choices in life. Some choices will alter lifeways for generations to come. We must remember to choose well. There are no ‘do-overs’ in life. We deal with what we get and what we get is not by chance. I rest in the knowledge that no matter what deviation of lifeway I face, no matter the opportunity or the pain, there is one who watches our lifeways and directs the degree of deviation to work things for our good, if we will let Him.
Enjoy the Java
Jim
I find the concept of the ‘pathways of our lives’, to be most fascinating. I refer to these as our ‘lifeways’, as they are the trails that are blazed into our history, telling the story of where we have been physically, spiritually and socially. I also know that in my own life I have many times thought I had my future lifeway planned in the same manner I would plan a vacation trip.
There are many congruencies between pathways and lifeways. Both have a start and a finish, both must circumvent immovable objects to achieve their intended goal, and both are dynamic, or can change. It is the dynamic nature of a path that makes it either frightening, or a source of adventure, depending upon one’s outlook on life. How we travel the path, not the path itself proves the mettle of our character. It is upon these lifeways that the future history is written, for others and us.
There are many sources for the altering of a path. Nature sometimes does this violently, as the floodwaters or quaking earth changes the terrain. Other times the gentle but persistent wind transforms it. The resulting detour can sometimes be unnerving for the traveler when first they navigate it. New sights, and landmarks, which are not recognized, can cause stress and confusion, resulting in an unplanned change in direction.
Such is true with lifeways. Lifeways change not by nature, but by choices. At times, we make these choices. At other times, it will be the choices of others that alter our course. Sometimes the change is miniscule, sometimes massive. Sometimes the change is thrust upon us violently and against our will, and sometimes it takes place over an extended period, gently moving us. Either way, any deviation will affect our lives forever.
I believe it to be the course changes that bring us the greatest things in life, the greatest joy, and at times the greatest pain. My choices have skewed my course just enough to cause it to intersect with the lifeway of others. Sometimes at such a narrow angle as to cause us to travel a united pathway for great distances, others have merged for a lifetime, and yet others are more of an intersection, a short traversing of like paths that quickly diverge into different directions. No matter the duration, the impact upon our lives can be tremendous.
It is of great importance to remember our choices not only alter our lifeway, but the lifeway of every other person who shares in relationship with us. There are no ‘little’ choices in life. Some choices will alter lifeways for generations to come. We must remember to choose well. There are no ‘do-overs’ in life. We deal with what we get and what we get is not by chance. I rest in the knowledge that no matter what deviation of lifeway I face, no matter the opportunity or the pain, there is one who watches our lifeways and directs the degree of deviation to work things for our good, if we will let Him.
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Pathways
How sweet are the memories of childhood. As children, growing up in North Little Rock, my sister and I spent countless hours playing at Burns park. Burns park is a huge city park nestled between the plush rolling foothills of the Ouachita mountains, the noisey busy streets of the city and the Arkansas River. It is known for it's many nature trails which are cut into the dense pine and oak forest. It was a great respite from the streets of the city.
We would play for hours on end in one particular section of the park. This was a section that had a mixture of very old, very tall pine trees, and some stands that had recently been planted. The trails in this pine forest were padded with pine needles that had fallen from their hosts, making them particularly quiet to walk on. This made the games of hide and seek, cowboys and Indians, and whatever else our fertile imaginations could conger, even more enjoyable. Many of these pathways would cross themselves, always lending an element of surprise to our games.
Pathways are important if one wishes to traverse the forest. They allow us to avoid the underbrush, and provide a more direct route than could be achieved by walking around the trees. Yes, pathways are important, not only through the forest, but in life.
The pathways of our life are very interesting. They are like the paths we followed as children. I always found the most pleasure in walking a pathway for the first time. It was the adventure of not knowing what might lay around the next curve, or where the path would eventually end up that made it so much fun. Forty years later, as an adult, I find the same childlike sense of adventure when I explore a new trail. I find this to be true in life also. Each day the path we travel is new, uncharted territory. Along it's way we find many new and exciting things, we meet new people and develop new relationships. At times the path becomes difficult or our progress is impeded by obstacles, but it is the adventure of the journey that makes life worth living. Knowing that the eventual end of this pathway is a home which is greater than we can imagine, adds to the anticipation of each days journey.
I will be blogging about pathways for the next several blogs, and the different aspects of the 'pathway' concept in our lives. I hope you find this a pleasant journey.
Enjoy the java
Jim
We would play for hours on end in one particular section of the park. This was a section that had a mixture of very old, very tall pine trees, and some stands that had recently been planted. The trails in this pine forest were padded with pine needles that had fallen from their hosts, making them particularly quiet to walk on. This made the games of hide and seek, cowboys and Indians, and whatever else our fertile imaginations could conger, even more enjoyable. Many of these pathways would cross themselves, always lending an element of surprise to our games.
Pathways are important if one wishes to traverse the forest. They allow us to avoid the underbrush, and provide a more direct route than could be achieved by walking around the trees. Yes, pathways are important, not only through the forest, but in life.
The pathways of our life are very interesting. They are like the paths we followed as children. I always found the most pleasure in walking a pathway for the first time. It was the adventure of not knowing what might lay around the next curve, or where the path would eventually end up that made it so much fun. Forty years later, as an adult, I find the same childlike sense of adventure when I explore a new trail. I find this to be true in life also. Each day the path we travel is new, uncharted territory. Along it's way we find many new and exciting things, we meet new people and develop new relationships. At times the path becomes difficult or our progress is impeded by obstacles, but it is the adventure of the journey that makes life worth living. Knowing that the eventual end of this pathway is a home which is greater than we can imagine, adds to the anticipation of each days journey.
I will be blogging about pathways for the next several blogs, and the different aspects of the 'pathway' concept in our lives. I hope you find this a pleasant journey.
Enjoy the java
Jim
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Meaning of Freedom
The life of a pastor is always interesting, sometimes more so than others. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit with two groups of people who will not see their families for the next twelve months. That's not all they have in common. Both groups find themselves in this state because of choices they have made. This is where the similarities end though.
One group has lost their freedom because of bad choices and behavior. They are incarcerated in the county jail, awaiting an open bed at a larger facility. They abused the freedom that is ours in this great nation, and therefor lost their freedom. When they have completed their sentence they will be released back into society hopefully as productive members who cherish the freedom they so wantonly discarded in favor of the satisfaction of their own selfish desires.
I met with the other group at the send off for the 1168th Transportation company of the Iowa National Guard. These men and women have chosen to serve because of the freedom we enjoy. Their commitment to preserving this freedom has lead them to choose to put their lives on the line. Tears of pride as well as sorrow were shed last night as family and friends said farewell to these brave men and women.
Quite a contrast, on the one hand those who had freedom and gave it up by abusing the freedom of others, and on the other hand those who have freedom and cherish it enough to risk their lives to keep it, not only for themselves but for the rest of us. In fact these men and women will be fighting to ensure the future freedom of those from the first group. Selfishness versus selflessness.
There is a tremendous spiritual message here. We were created with the utmost of freedom. We gave that up in search of something greater, and therefor lost the freedom God gave us in the garden. However, He loved us so much, and wanted to re-establish the freedom He intended for us, that He sent His son who was willing to give His life for it.
We have a choice to make. Will we continue in the incarcerated state of sin, not being able to enjoy the inalienable freedom with which we were created, or will we accept the freedom that was purchased at Calvary? If we chose freedom, we should stand boldly and be willing to risk all in order to bring this freedom to others.
Do you choose freedom today?
Enjoy the Java.
Jim
One group has lost their freedom because of bad choices and behavior. They are incarcerated in the county jail, awaiting an open bed at a larger facility. They abused the freedom that is ours in this great nation, and therefor lost their freedom. When they have completed their sentence they will be released back into society hopefully as productive members who cherish the freedom they so wantonly discarded in favor of the satisfaction of their own selfish desires.
I met with the other group at the send off for the 1168th Transportation company of the Iowa National Guard. These men and women have chosen to serve because of the freedom we enjoy. Their commitment to preserving this freedom has lead them to choose to put their lives on the line. Tears of pride as well as sorrow were shed last night as family and friends said farewell to these brave men and women.
Quite a contrast, on the one hand those who had freedom and gave it up by abusing the freedom of others, and on the other hand those who have freedom and cherish it enough to risk their lives to keep it, not only for themselves but for the rest of us. In fact these men and women will be fighting to ensure the future freedom of those from the first group. Selfishness versus selflessness.
There is a tremendous spiritual message here. We were created with the utmost of freedom. We gave that up in search of something greater, and therefor lost the freedom God gave us in the garden. However, He loved us so much, and wanted to re-establish the freedom He intended for us, that He sent His son who was willing to give His life for it.
We have a choice to make. Will we continue in the incarcerated state of sin, not being able to enjoy the inalienable freedom with which we were created, or will we accept the freedom that was purchased at Calvary? If we chose freedom, we should stand boldly and be willing to risk all in order to bring this freedom to others.
Do you choose freedom today?
Enjoy the Java.
Jim
Friday, October 24, 2008
Dreary Days and Sunshine
We in the midlands awoke to yet another cold, drizzly, dark grey day.
I suppose this is a regular occurrence this time of the year, yet every year it seems to be unusual. These are the mornings that I recall, vividly, all the abuse my body has taken over the years. Each area of my body relays it's ire to me for the way I have treated it by taking advantage of the cold to scream painful rebukes at me for the carelessness of the past. I really don't like these kinds of days, I'm a 'sunshine' sort of guy.
As I was driving to work this morning, generally feeling sorry that the Lord had not called me to the beaches of Florida or Hawaii, I began to wonder what it was like above the clouds. Ah, the wistful thoughts of one whose dreams of summer were waning.
The fact of the matter is this, the skies are thick with clouds, barely allowing the light and heat of the sun through. It is also a fact that the clouds, unlike the sun, are not a constant. The clouds will eventually float away revealing that which was always there, clear blue sky and a bright warm sun. The clouds are but a temporary situation, and the constant is always there.
This really is reflective of life. There is a constant Son in our lives if we will recognize Him. Though the clouds of life come, sometimes dimming the light and causing our souls to experience the pains of our previous abuses, they are transient and the Son is always there.
We need to focus our thoughts not on the clouds, but on what will be when those clouds roll away. We tend to assume whatever state we are currently in is the permanent state of our lives. This is of course not true. Our lives are dynamic, they change and shift. The dreams which we see as lost today, can in fact become the reality of tomorrow if we keep our eyes on this reality; God is always there.
Dare to dream today,
Enjoy the Java
Jim
I suppose this is a regular occurrence this time of the year, yet every year it seems to be unusual. These are the mornings that I recall, vividly, all the abuse my body has taken over the years. Each area of my body relays it's ire to me for the way I have treated it by taking advantage of the cold to scream painful rebukes at me for the carelessness of the past. I really don't like these kinds of days, I'm a 'sunshine' sort of guy.
As I was driving to work this morning, generally feeling sorry that the Lord had not called me to the beaches of Florida or Hawaii, I began to wonder what it was like above the clouds. Ah, the wistful thoughts of one whose dreams of summer were waning.
The fact of the matter is this, the skies are thick with clouds, barely allowing the light and heat of the sun through. It is also a fact that the clouds, unlike the sun, are not a constant. The clouds will eventually float away revealing that which was always there, clear blue sky and a bright warm sun. The clouds are but a temporary situation, and the constant is always there.
This really is reflective of life. There is a constant Son in our lives if we will recognize Him. Though the clouds of life come, sometimes dimming the light and causing our souls to experience the pains of our previous abuses, they are transient and the Son is always there.
We need to focus our thoughts not on the clouds, but on what will be when those clouds roll away. We tend to assume whatever state we are currently in is the permanent state of our lives. This is of course not true. Our lives are dynamic, they change and shift. The dreams which we see as lost today, can in fact become the reality of tomorrow if we keep our eyes on this reality; God is always there.
Dare to dream today,
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Freedom
I love watching eagles and hawks fly.
Just north of Moline Illinois, there is a park nestled up against the Mississippi River. In this park there is a very high cliff that was probably carved out by the rushing waters of the ‘Mighty Miss’ over the eons. Spread across the face of this cliff are several nesting areas used by Bald Eagles.
Many are the times I traveled to this park in search of a distraction from the pressures of life. One of the diversions I would indulge was watching these beautifully majestic birds as they flew high above the river, watching for an unsuspecting dinner guest. I could do that for hours on end. It fascinates me to watch as they simply turn into the wind and rise from the ground to effortlessly glide higher and higher.
I would sit and try to imagine how that feels, the total freedom of being suspended in the air, defying the laws of gravity, sentient only to the wind in my face and the magnificent view below. Unfortunately my wife and my insurance agent have no sense of adventure, therefore I have never ventured into the world of hang gliding. Someday…yes someday.
It occurs to me in some ways, the trials of life act as gravity upon our souls. While we watch others who are free to rise above the fray, and ‘catch a thermal’ rising ever higher enjoying the wonderful gifts of a loving God, we are many times bound to earth by the situations we find ourselves in. Our imagination, and sense of adventure are not great enough to look beyond the ‘way things are’ and consider ‘how they might be’. How sad.
Throughout the scripture we are called to be as eagles; mighty, fearless, majestic and free. True, even the eagle must return to earth, and we will always have to deal with the realities of life. However, we need to spread our wings and allow the wind of the Spirit of God to lift us from the facts of living, and allow us to dwell within the truth of His freedom.
We don’t have to long for what is already available to us, if we will only allow God to expand our vision.
Let’s take a flight today…
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Just north of Moline Illinois, there is a park nestled up against the Mississippi River. In this park there is a very high cliff that was probably carved out by the rushing waters of the ‘Mighty Miss’ over the eons. Spread across the face of this cliff are several nesting areas used by Bald Eagles.
Many are the times I traveled to this park in search of a distraction from the pressures of life. One of the diversions I would indulge was watching these beautifully majestic birds as they flew high above the river, watching for an unsuspecting dinner guest. I could do that for hours on end. It fascinates me to watch as they simply turn into the wind and rise from the ground to effortlessly glide higher and higher.
I would sit and try to imagine how that feels, the total freedom of being suspended in the air, defying the laws of gravity, sentient only to the wind in my face and the magnificent view below. Unfortunately my wife and my insurance agent have no sense of adventure, therefore I have never ventured into the world of hang gliding. Someday…yes someday.
It occurs to me in some ways, the trials of life act as gravity upon our souls. While we watch others who are free to rise above the fray, and ‘catch a thermal’ rising ever higher enjoying the wonderful gifts of a loving God, we are many times bound to earth by the situations we find ourselves in. Our imagination, and sense of adventure are not great enough to look beyond the ‘way things are’ and consider ‘how they might be’. How sad.
Throughout the scripture we are called to be as eagles; mighty, fearless, majestic and free. True, even the eagle must return to earth, and we will always have to deal with the realities of life. However, we need to spread our wings and allow the wind of the Spirit of God to lift us from the facts of living, and allow us to dwell within the truth of His freedom.
We don’t have to long for what is already available to us, if we will only allow God to expand our vision.
Let’s take a flight today…
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
