There comes a time in one’s life when you have to look into the mirror and not just see the familiarity of the reflection that stares back at you. There comes a time when one really has to look into those familiar eyes and beyond the blackness of your pupils to really see the life that has been recorded in the experiences behind them. A few years ago, I did that very thing, and I was not at all pleased by what I saw. There was a lot of clutter…
Of the seven deadly sins, why did I start with Lust? Quite simply because it was the sin that most defined what was pervasive in my life. Does my use of past tense mean that lust is no longer a part of my life? Hardly. It is a daily struggle. It is part of my world…our world. It is an addiction. Addictions are never really cured; they are only avoided, replaced, or distracted, or we remove ourselves from them…but they are always there. Lust is always there waiting to tempt…
Here goes nothing. This has been a risky piece to write. I suppose confessions are that way. I fully anticipate judgements to come from my words here, but it is okay – I have the comfort of knowing which judgement matters and Who makes it. (more…)
It was Friday afternoon when my son and I returned home from the video store, part of a typical pre-weekend routine. My attention shifted automatically toward a little green house along McKee Road. The house was small and sat on a patch of farmland that had not yet succumbed to the advance of the city. The large trees provided shade and seemed to stand guard over the house. My eyes searched the porch for him, but he was not there. His chair was there, but he in his denim overalls,…
Saturday mornings had become something of a ritual in our family, not out of habit or tradition, but out of expectation. Since my wife's job required working on weekends, more often than not, I had the job to orchestrate The Feed. Our morning offered a special time to bond as we experienced the routine of The Feed and things part of that ritual. Breakfast served as the launching point of The Feed event, and the steps we took to get there were a journey worth reliving. That makes this a…
Have you ever experienced an adventure when none had been expected? Better yet, have you experienced the adventure in two stages, years apart, and both again unanticipated? And has that adventure been something to shake your belief systems and even challenge your faith? The first chapter in this adventure story happened in 1986 with the closing chapter three years later in 1989. I did not have plans or anticipations for either one; the second event shook my faith and beliefs deeper and more profoundly than the first. This adventure is…
I have heard people say that "life is a constant struggle". I am a partial believer of that statement when things like “getting-up-in-the-morning-to-beat-the school-bus” is a part of my regular reality. Every weekday morning I am confronted with another "beat-the-bus" struggle to motivate my kids to get up…get up…get goin.’ I suppose that each of us can identify with our own "struggles" we deal with each passing day. Struggle builds character they say. This is something you would expect a mother to say, or a coach, or someone else equally…
The Thickness of Relationship Is every castaway someone marooned on a deserted island? It is the first image that comes to mind for me; however one can be a castaway who has been cast away in the midst of a thriving population. This circumstance can be precursor to depression if not addressed by finding and maintaining meaningful relationships with the Spirit and others more worldly. Both are essential to remain whole. I found one such worldly opportunity one morning on my routine walk. I did not recognize the potential for…
Have you ever repeated a saying you’ve heard before to fit a circumstance perfectly and have no clue where that saying came from or know exactly what it means? I’ve done it for no other reason than it fits the occasion, and I’m guessing you have too. It was -1 degree this morning here in Batesville, Indiana and that did not include the wind chill. That’s cold; colder than a witch’s [bosom]; colder than a well digger’s [rump]. You get the idea… In your mind’s eye you can probably make…
Have you ever seen a dog with head thrust out a car window just reveling in the breeze during a car ride? Ask any dog, “Wanna go for a ride?” and they know exactly what you mean and start going crazy happy in anticipation. Cats? Not so much; they are more like, “Screw the ride…got any treats?” (more…)