Tag Archives: life

#PrayforParis

17 Tuesday Nov 2015

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I’m at a crossroads.  My heart of faith tells me I need to be open to all people regardless of their religion, culture or where they come from.  My heart as an American, husband and father tells me to protect those I love, to seal borders and to carry a gun.  Wow!  Talk about some inner turmoil in my head…you may not want to be me right now.

I know this.  No one I know or have heard speak/tweet/sing has all the answers.  I have immense trust in God and believes He works in all situations for the good of those who love Him.  I have also learned He takes His time in revealing His ways.

While I wrestle with what to think about the Syrians and ISIS, I also wrestle with something a little less glamorized currently in our media, homes and churches.  While we pray for those in Paris and commit to stand in solidarity with them, why don’t we also hashtag #prayforSyria, #prayforTerrorists, #prayforMuslims, #prayforTheHomeless, #prayforTheUnemployed, #prayforSinners, #prayforPutin, #prayforObama/Clinton/Sanders/Trump/Carson/Rubio/Bush/et.al.

My point is this.  There are a number of things we need to address in this world of ours and in this country.  There are so many people who are hurting emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually that are overlooked daily while we rally around heartache and heartbreak in Paris, France.  I would take nothing away from the outpouring of compassion we have given the people affected by the senseless tragedy, only hope we become more aware of the senseless tragedies around us daily that need our prayers, our support, our finances and our hearts.

I’ll add one more hashtag I’m very affected by…#prayformetoo.

Grace and peace.

Things That Drive Me Bonkers

06 Friday Nov 2015

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Skechers Donates $3 Million to Save Dogs’ and Cats’ Lives

That’s the headline in a footwear newsletter I get each week.  $3 million to save dog’s and cats’ lives.  Are you serious?  How many dogs and cats wear Skechers anyway?

People are living on the streets of every major and many smaller cities in America.  They have physical, mental and emotional health problems.  They have worn out, dirty, torn clothes and shoes with holes in them.  I wonder what they get from the shoe company?  I’m hoping quite a bit if dogs and cats get $3 million.

I love dogs and cats.  I’ve got 2 dogs, a cat and a goat and I like all of them.  I feed them and let them inside sometimes too.  My wife feeds them REALLY good and lets them in the house as much as she can so I’ve got that going for me too.  That said, if I ever get really rich I’m giving a lot of my money to PEOPLE who need it.  If I own a company that makes products for PEOPLE, I’m giving some of that money away to PEOPLE too.

I wonder how many people in our country that are clamoring for gun control give away money to be used for dogs and cats instead of for mental health issues.  How many people who suffer from terrible things that affect their emotional and physical health could use that $3 million?  How many people wouldn’t be able to obtain guns and use them for all the wrong reasons if we invested more money in ascertaining, treating and curing the problems that cause people to do the bad things they do?

I’m proud to work for a company in the footwear business who donates money to breast cancer awareness and to the VFW who supports the people who have defended our country and freedoms.  They are two organizations that were supported long before I got here and we continue to funnel money towards.  We sell people products and give back to people causes.  Not dogs and cats.

It just drives me bonkers to read that kind of stuff.  A friend of mine told me about a company in California that agreed to match employee donations to help folks in California earlier in the year who were affected by the big storms they had out there.  He said 2/3 of the donations went to animal organizations.  Now, call me crazy, but doesn’t it seem reasonable to take care of the people who need it the most so they can take care of their animals?  I don’t think the animals could take care of the people but I’ve never lived on the left coast so maybe I’m wrong.

$3 million to dogs and cats.  Heck, they could have at least given it to cows and other animals that provide the leather they use, right?

Yes, I know, morbid.  Dark humor is my thing sometimes.  Especially when something drives me bonkers.

Grace and peace.

The Arm on My Chest

16 Monday Mar 2015

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Anyone who has talked to me, read my posts or heard me pontificate from the soapbox knows I think life is hard.  Ailments, financial strains, aging parents, kids and spiritual warfare dinging our psyche and soul…all tough stuff.  So we are left with our minds to choose what we see in life and where we place our focus.  The tough stuff is.  It just is.  It won’t go away so we decide whether to live in the struggle we can see or the hope we have that reminds each moment is new and filled with possibility to love, laugh and live free.

That brings me to the arm on my chest.  I’m struggling to sleep lately.  I’ve been dealing with illness, with job stress, with kids in town and the balancing act of doing everything that needs to be done.  It would be easy for me to get caught up in all of that, and honestly, I have over the past few days.  Then there’s the sleep issue.  I woke up at 2:30 this morning and never went back to sleep.  Lots of thoughts on my mind and some stomach rumbling and no sleep.  I could look at it is a miserable night but for much of it, there was an arm on my chest.

While I was wanting to go to sleep, I was also feeling thankful that I had an arm draped over me and that arm belonged to a wonderful woman who has brought so much joy and hope and peace into my life.  That arm belonged to a beautiful woman who was sleeping pretty soundly and I was thankful because I knew that meant she was at peace at that moment.  That arm laying across me was a reminder that I am loved.

I laid in bed for the better part of 4 hours with an arm on my chest for a great part of that time and the arm was a reminder that I can choose to see the beauty of life in the midst of the storms.  The arm laying over me gave me a sense of contentment and thankfulness that I appreciate.  I rejoice in the arm on my chest.

Grace and peace.

 

Learning at 50

04 Wednesday Feb 2015

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I turned 50 back in December.  YES!  I know!  I am OLD!  That said, I am old AND I am still learning.  I believe my desire to learn about myself, about technology, about finance and economics, about cattle raising…I believe the desire to keep learning keeps me feeling younger.  Some days I think I’m 25.  Some days 35.  Some days I start to roll out of bed and think I’m 85 but I digress.

Learning about me and how to make me better has to be one of the most exciting things in my life.  Learning about me starts with learning about God and his love and desire for me.  That is both challenging and comforting.  The other thing I’m spending time on right now is the power of the mind.  It is an incredible tool.  I recently hear Dr. Caroline Leaf speak on the power of the mind as the single greatest power we have.  Our ability to choose how we think, what we put in our brain and how we see life.  It is powerful.

I used to poo-poo this idea of positive thinking and still think it is abused in some arenas.  Where I am right now is beginning to understand that I can use my mind to do great things but it takes work.  I still don’t buy in to “name it and claim it” thinking.  Life is tough and stuff keeps coming at me to make it difficult so it requires work on my part to keep my thoughts on the right path.

I’m still learning at 50 and I hope there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t try to keep learning.  I only have 50-60 years left on this earth and I want to make the most of them so I can make an impact on the people around me and to build the kingdom of God as we know it here on this earth.

Grace and peace.

It’s Friday. Time to Laugh!

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by in funny, Life, phone, Tripp and Tyler

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The Catalyst conference is the best leadership conference I have ever attended.  Maybe the best conference I have attended period.  Tripp and Tyler help keep it flowing and interested and are a couple of funny guys.  So, for Friday, I give you their latest video on phone tips.

Have a great weekend!

Grace and peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDSGh8i4hcs&feature=em-subs_digest

Life is Good, Then People Show Up!

07 Thursday Aug 2014

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“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~Marcus Aurelius

I have an antagonist in my life.  It is someone I have known closely for many years and someone who seems to thrive on pushing my buttons.  Typically I am an easy-going guy and I have put up with the antagonism with varying degrees of success for a long time.  Now, I’m just tired of it.

The most recent antagonistic choices affect my children.  Maybe that’s when the largest bowl of forgiveness should be poured out but I am ready to stand and fight.  I feel a line has been drawn in the sand and it is either stand up or put up with this for years to come.

A counselor once explained “righteous anger” to me.  He said righteous anger is what we feel when we know we are being abused or accused wrongly.  He talked about Jesus’ righteous anger and God’s righteous anger.  He let me know it was OK to fight for what is right.

I can take a lot of punches but if you punch one of my kids, well, the righteous anger comes quickly.  My children are being told lies and led to believe something that isn’t completely true.  It’s time they know the whole truth.

I have often found in my life that my greatest growth comes with some of the worst pain.  I do not ever want my children to feel pain but it may come at a price of not allowing them to grow either.

As I walk this road of learning to live fully and freely, I must also accept that it isn’t all sunshine, sandy beaches and rose strewn pathways.  It is a privilege to be alive and I have much to live for.  A VSW who is now my fiancee and will soon be my wife.  Great kids.  Great friends.  Great hope.  Living fully and freely also means I need to face some difficulties head on and quit trying to always make it easy for me and others.

It is a privilege to breathe, to think, to enjoy and to love.  I will strive to do it better and better each day, even when righteous anger may cause me to deal with the more unsavory things of this world.  However, dealing with them and moving on leads right back to breathing, thinking, enjoying and loving.  That’s where I am headed.  I’m headed there today.

Grace and peace.

Through Her Eyes

17 Tuesday Jun 2014

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I was talking recently with a very special woman (“VSW”) the other day.  I was telling her my hurt and the pain I am feeling for time that has been lost with my son.  It is a very real, very physical pain but it is also a very real emotional pain.  I have an incredible relationship with him and my time with him has meant so much to me.  We talk.  We laugh.  We share food and stories and dreams.  We had a routine every Thursday night for almost 4 years where we ate dinner at the same restaurant and spent time together.  The routine of those Thursday nights became a part of what charged me up and edified me.  A teenage boy who wanted to spend time with his dad.  It was powerful.

Now it is all gone.  I have missed those Thursday nights for 7 months now.  I have missed so much of his last year in high school and in the town he has grown up in.  Those things are very hard for me.  This season of life has elicited tears and I am not afraid to say it has elicited bitter tears towards God.  He has the power to change everything and he has not done that in this season of my life.  The bitterness of the tears and some of my words to God during this season can be a little scary for a believer but I have held onto my faith and trust that God understands my pain and gives me grace while I wrestle with what I have lost.

Back to the conversation with the VSW.  She talked about what she sees through her eyes.  My dedication to coming back for his baseball games during the middle of the week.  My dedication to spending time with him on the weekends he is still with me.  She talked about lessons he is learning about doing what you have to do to support your kids/family even when it is very hard emotionally and physically.  And spiritually.  She talked about what he will learn and he will know as he grows as a man.  Through her eyes, she sees a different story, a better story, a story of good.  I admit, it is hard for me to see that story or appreciate it right now but as I think on her words, I do hope there has been something good coming from what has been very difficult for me.

She shared with me through her eyes and I still struggle with the truth of her words because of the pain.  The bitter tears.  Then, in my Bible reading, I came across Isaiah 38.  King Hezekiah is dying and God tells him that he will die.  Then scripture says this, “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”  He wept bitterly.  Did you catch that?  I sure did.  God told Hezekiah he would die and Hezekiah wept bitterly.  Wow!  There is someone I can identify with. 

So what did God do?  It may be important to note that in the preceding chapter, there is a story about God sending an angel to kill 185,000 bad guys.  God has the power to do some big things, good or bad.  So, what did God do about Hezekiah?  God granted him 15 extra years of life!  He heard Hezekiah’s request, he saw Hezekiah weep bitter tears and because of Hezekiah’s heart for God, granted him 15 more years.

Oh Lord, forgive my bitter tears.  Help me see my life more through her eyes than my own.  Oh Lord, let me see my life through your eyes too.  Speak to me Lord.  Make you voice clear and my mind and heart open to hear.

Hezekiah, after being granted life, wrote this: Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.  In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.  For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.  The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness. (Isaiah 38:17-19)

I do not want to go down into the pit.  I want to live, to sing praises to God for deliverance, to gain his favor and the favor of men.  I want to see life through her eyes and through God’s eyes.  Surely this season has been for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.  Now, I pray will all the fervor I can muster, that new life is right in front of me.

Grace and peace.

Can They Read My Mind?

29 Tuesday Apr 2014

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Yesterday was a post about hard things.  Then I read a post on a blog I write for periodically and I wonder if someone is reading my mind.

In the Storm

In the sixth chapter of Mark, we see an amazing story. Jesus fed 5000 men with five loaves and two fish. After this miracle, He sent His disciples across the sea and went up on a mountain to pray.

A storm came and the disciples were struggling. Verse 48 says He saw them struggle, but did nothing. The disciples bailed and rowed for hours. Then Jesus went out on the sea but His intention was to pass them by. Only after they saw Him, did He rescue them.

This story is hard. Not because they were in a storm, but because Jesus knew about it and left them in it.

From the disciples’ point of view, there was nothing worse than a storm. And the proper response from God must be rescue. We are reminded of another storm when they said, “Do you not care if we perish?” From Jesus’ point of view, the storm was not all that important. What was important was the faith or lack of faith His disciples possessed. They had been in storms before. They were with Jesus when He stopped a storm. They had seen Him in the very act of creation when He fed the multitudes. They should have grown in faith and not been afraid.

Storms are for testing. They reveal where we put our confidence. If it is in our strength of rowing, we will surely be afraid.

If it is in Jesus, we will have faith.

Dear Heavenly Father, in my head I know you love me and always take care of me, but sometimes when the storms get rough, I forget. I know you love me but sometimes I forget. I know you have all power but sometimes I forget. I am tempted to believe that when I am in trouble, you either do not care or do not have the power to help. For this, I am sorry. Help me to remember there is at least one other alternative. That is you do love me and have the power to rescue me but know it is better for me to stay in the storm at least for now. Help me Father, to love you, praise you and trust you while I am in the storm. Help me to become what you want me to be. Help me to learn what you want me to learn. Help me to row, bail, pray and learn. In the name of Jesus, who rescues us from the storms and protects us in the storms. Amen.

Paul Shero

San Angelo, Texas

http://gsccwordfortoday.blogspot.com/2014/04/in-storm.html

Grace and peace.

Hard Things

28 Monday Apr 2014

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The weekend has left me drained.  Hard conversations.  Death.  A lack of understanding of what or if God is working in my life.  It was a weekend of hard things and it is a day of reflecting on hard things.

Someone I knew fairly well and though very highly of was killed in a car wreck this weekend.  Sadly, the wreck involved another family and they were killed also.  It’s a tragedy.  There is no other word I know to describe it.  Why does a mother have to die?  Why does and good woman, a servant, have to die so young?  Why did another family have to die?  God, we cry out for revelation.

Why does God sit idly by while the storms of life beat us down?  Why does God sit idly by when I want to crawl in a hole and hide?

Life is hard right now.  It’s nothing like the script I would write for myself or for so many others I know.  I know evil exists in this world and I believe in the unseen spiritual battles.  I believe in God’s power.  I just can’t understand nor have the revelation to understand why He lets me get battered around and beaten down.  I can live with the idea that there is a reason and I can live with the idea that my faith trumps my need to know what the reason is.  But, when I reach that place where my spirit is almost defeated and my faith is weak, why then?

A sweet, sweet person in my life keeps telling me I’m strong.  I appreciate the perspective because all I can feel is my grip slipping and the imminent danger of falling off the ledge.  Oh God, I cry out for revelation.

I cry out to be filled with hope again.

I cry out to be restored and be given favor.

I cry out to be returned to the people I love and who love me.

I know God has the power.  I believe He can make it happen.  So, I continue to cry out to Him.

Life is a hard thing.  So I cry out to the one who created life and beg for his mercy and grace and blessings.

I cry out.

Grace and peace.

Heart Transplant

03 Thursday Apr 2014

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Several years ago I did a sermon based on a friend who had a heart transplant.  The idea of the lesson was that is what God does for us when we decide to be a disciple of Jesus.  He gives us a new spiritual heart.  The desires, the hopes, the goals that pumped out of my heart changed when I decided to follow Jesus.  My new spiritual heart gave me new life.  Eternal life.

Last night I got to hear another story of a woman who had undergone a heart transplant.  The story of her suffering and her fear was real and left many people with tears streaming down their face.  The story of the life that was lost to give her a new heart was heartbreaking.  The story of the victory and the incredible recovery that doctors cannot explain is uplifting.  There were several comments she made that resonated with me.

Our misery is the worst misery we know.  She struggled at times.  She questioned God at times.  She didn’t understand why she was going through all of those things.  She could also look at others and think she was grateful she didn’t know their misery but it didn’t make her misery less painful.  Oh, how I experience that every day.

Our story is meant to be shared.  Others going through difficult times need to know they are not alone even when our walks may be somewhat different.  We don’t share so we can tell them what to do though.  We share so they know we are there when they need to grab onto something to keep from falling into oblivion.  I know that feeling from both sides.

We are victors.  Psalms 23 says, “when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”  David didn’t say when we are made to live forever in the valley or that we would be stuck in the valley.  We walk through it.  I feel like I have been walking through the valley for years but I keep walking.  Along the way I am reminded that I have great kids, that I have met a wonderful woman and that I have friends who help carry me at times.  I’m still walking through it and “through it” is something I need to remember.  Winston Churchill is credited with say, “when you are going through hell, keep going.”  He stole that from Psalms 23 I think.

I am reminded that we are not promised easy days.  Man, how I want some easy days.  I dread coming to work many days but I need the paycheck and I want to make a difference.  There’s so much opposition to me making that difference and it comes from the attitudes of the leadership.  That’s hard to face but I keep walking through it.  Maybe, one day, the valley will lead me out of here in a different direction.  Maybe, one day, I’ll find myself on the mountaintop and out of this pit.  So, I keep walking through it.

Heart transplants, like all good things from above, don’t come without pain, without surgery, without course corrections, without misery and yet it leads to life.  I can’t wait to have an abundant life.  A life with less turmoil, less stress, less worries.  Some of that will come from inside of me and much of it will come from God.  I pray he is speedy.  Until then, I keep walking through it.

Grace and peace.