The things we can learn from everyday life

Ok for some reason today I thought it would be a good idea to do my normal exercise this morning (2.5 miles) + ride my bike to work. Maybe somewhere deep inside I have aspirations to participate in a triathlon. And to be truthful it wasn’t all that bad.

On another note, I have recently been teaching on the schemes of the devil. And one of the things the enemy of our soul will use is the lust of the eye. (Stay with me for a min) You know how it works. You see something someone else has and you want it. You see something in the store and you know you can’t afford it but, you want it. Its all about your eyes losing focus on the important things.

Back to the morning biathlon. I’m finishing up the ride after climbing Mount Charlotte (a road that has two massive hills) and headed to the finish line of the back parking lot of the church. All the sudden a neighbor that wasn’t paying any attention pulls very quickly out of her driveway. She almost hit me (lady drivers ; ). I, very nicly, got her attention with a few hey, Hey, HEY!!! All was well I thought.

I pulled around to park my bike and catch my breath. And there was beauty standing in the parking lot. She grabbed my attention. My eyes were focused on her. So I stopped to talk to her. And at that very moment, because she had my attention and I was no longer thinking about my ride and the fact that my right foot is still clipped into the pedal, I leaned to the right and busted my butt on the gravel filled concrete. Pain, a little embarrassed, and blood were added to my morning.

The things we can learn from everyday life

Contagious

I remember one summer I was so impressed by a group of friends and their knowledge of baseball. They knew it all, every stat, every player, and every position. Now I didn’t really care for major league baseball, but their commitment to know the game was very contagious. So I did what any young man wanting to fit in would do, I picked a team and committed to knowing everything about this team. My team was the Atlanta Braves.  I would come home after each day and force myself to watch the games, listen and learn. I have to admit that I didn’t really like watching baseball. Other than the occasional highlight play, (opinion alert) baseball is boring. But there was something about the commitment I saw in my friends that pushed me to want to learn baseball. (I will say that today I still enjoy a baseball game every now and then.)

Have you ever looked at someone committed to something and thought wow I want that? It may be someone’s relationship with their spouse. It may be a fulfilling career or maybe someone finically stable. You may look at a family that really loves each other and desire to have that for your family. Now don’t confuse the thought with comparing yourself with others, which is foolish. However to be inspired to commitment is good.

So here’s the thought – is your commitments contagious?

One thing I have learned is no one is inspired by casual commitment. If you love casually, so what. If you give casually, who cares. If you live casually, you blend in.

Exposed

I know a few people that like to be exposed to the sun. At any moment during the spring/summer they will be outside with little covering soaking in the rays. It seems that a depression will set in if it is a cloudy day. They love the sun! And you can see it. Their skin reflects their soaking rituals. You cannot be exposed to the power of the sun without being effected. (truth, I have a few friends that burn really easy and just a little exposer will leave them red and tender)

The real truth is there is very little that we expose ourselves to that don’t affect us. From media to relationships to A/C (yes air condition, if you live in the south you understand the great effect of cold air) to love to hate we are affected by it all. Take love for example, a person that has been exposed to love will reflect the results of that love. The reason kids hate is that they have been exposed to hate.

So I guess the right question would be what are you being exposed to?

In the Bible there is a story of a man named Nicodemus that was exposed to Jesus (John chapter 3). At first he wasn’t sure how to take this new rabbi. He had more questions than answers. He knew Jesus was a good teacher but not sure where to go from there. He was exposed to something that affected him.

We don’t know much about Nic, but this initial exposer sparked something in him. You can read in John chapter 7 where Nic came to the defense of Jesus. This was a risky move, but he couldn’t help it- he was exposed.   Then in John chapter 19 you can read about the death of Jesus and guess who is right there with myrrh and aloes (about a 100 lbs worth) good old Nic. His exposer to Jesus is now reflected in his love and admiration for Jesus. You can see that the more Nic was exposed the more he was affected.

So again what are you being exposed to?       

You probably have heard the old saying “count your blessings.” Your grandmother may have said this to you when she heard you complaining about not having enough of something. I know this is an old saying, I don’t know who came up with it, but it may not be a bad idea.

Think about this. In your life there are a number of things that surround you that most of the world does not have….

When was the last time you counted the blessings of flushing the toilet? (2.6 billion lack basic sanitation)

You may work hard for little money, but you have a little money. (over half the population of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day)

Maybe last night’s dinner was not that good, but you had a dinner. (over 800 million people suffer from starvation every day)

I took a shower this morning without even thinking about the blessing of running water. (over 1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water)

BTW if your reading this that’s a blessing too. (nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names)

I know the statistics may vary according to which source you look at however, the truth is I am blessed. Chances are you have more blessings than issues. Stop today and take a look around at all your blessings!  

missing the point

I recently saw this picture which looks pretty darn cool. (I wish I could ride my bike on water) the article can be found article

As I was reading the article and some of the post in response I thought some people can’t see the point if it was right in front of them. The young man that staged the stunt was doing it for awareness for flood victims. Apparently there is a bike ride that will raise money for these victims. To which I say “good job and very creative way to bring awareness.” The picture gets your attention.
The response to the picture is really what got my attention. There were many different people trying to explain how this happened. Some did give props to him for raising awareness, but not the majority of the ones I read.
Here let me state the obvious. You can’t ride your bike on water. (deep sarcasm) There has to be some other trick this guys is doing. DUH! But that is not the point. The point is to think about others that have been devastated by flooding.
Truth is I miss the point sometimes by trying to explain things that really don’t matter.

Just a thought

I Spy

Have you ever played the game I spy? You know the one where one person spots something nearby and everyone else tries to guess what they see. It goes something like this – I spy something red and green. Then you guess and if you get it right you get to spy. Its fun you ought to try it. This stirs my thought about a story in the Bible.

Have you ever heard the story of the 12 spies in the bible? It’s recorded in the book of Numbers ch. 13. 12 men chosen to go into the promise land to search it out and bring back a report.  These men were leaders in each tribe. All 12 were strong men, men of good judgment, men that should have understood the promises of G-d. The Bible calls them heads of the children of Israel.  You probably could name 2 of them, Joshua and Caleb, but what about the other 10.  Here are their names; Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel. (We probably remember Joshua and Caleb because we can actually pronounce their names)

They all spied the same things. I spy a land with great things in it. They even brought back evidence of the good things in the land. (Large grapes, pomegranates, etc) I spy giants there, strong giants.  I spy fortified cities. They all saw the same things.

The issue was not what they spied in the land; the issue was what they spied in themselves. 2 of the spies said lets go take the land. We can Do It! 10 spies said no we can’t we are too small. The 10 leaders influenced the whole group to believe what they believed. If we are too small so are you. I spy something feeble in ourselves can’t you see it?  

We all spy giants (difficulties, issues, struggles) in our life. They usually are standing in the very place we desire to go. They are real and huge. You can see them, others can see them, and everyone can see them. But the solution to the giants is what you spy in yourself.   

I spy someone strong, wise, resourceful, beautiful, and able. I spy someone that knows the G-d of the promise land. I spy someone with a fight to move forward. I spy a warrior!

I spy __(insert name her)______.    Now it’s your turn, what do you spy?

BTW – What you see turns into what others see. And what you see will be your legacy. (You don’t hear anything else about the other 10 spies)  

ILYSM

Wow its been a minute since I last posted! Sorry to the many fans! HA


After 18 married years with the same woman (Nikki and I have been together since the 7th grade), some would say it must get old. Waking up next to the same person day in and out for 18 years. That’s 6336 mornings. Not only do we live together but we work together (gasp) and have worked together for many years. And after each day I swear it gets better with time.

I still believe in the sacredness of marriage. I do believe one man can be married to one woman and they can enjoy life together. I do believe the two become one flesh (more than sex). I do believe, with G-d at the center, you can overcome any hurdle. I do believe you can fight together instead of fighting each other.

There are unseen powers that are after our families. They desire to break up and cause lasting issues. The Devil is a LIE!


Much honor to my wife, BFF, lover, My Nikki I really enjoy you more as we (you) grow older together