The Seed in the Ground

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24

Damn.

Stay strong, don't give up and remain alone. Die and you produce fruit. Seems ludicrous on the surface. Everything in us screams to get things done ourselves; no need to rely on others and, whatever you do, do not show weakness.

The issue is that our culture tells us, everyday, to live. You deserve a vacation. You deserve a nice car. You deserve an easy life. You deserve to get your piece of the pie.

Jesus says that the grain has to die before it produces; otherwise, it just remains itself and what is one grain of wheat?

In the ground though, it's cold and dark and messy and cramped. Death is not the preferred road. It's not fun and it's UnAmerican.

It is the way of Jesus.

Damn.

Peace.

40 Haikus

I had a pretty significant birthday last week. I have been on this planet for a long time now. I thought about doing a retrospective of my life but it seems a little arrogant to do it at this point and for public consumption. I'll do my real introspection somewhere else.

I went with haikus because they are to the point, they don't have to rhyme, they make my brain work a little and everyone enjoys a good haiku, don't they? (Not that these are good!)

So here are my 40 haikus, that is haikus about turning 40-there are not 40 of them. If you would like to comment, please do so in a haiku (five syllable first line, seven syllable second line, five syllable third line). Try it, it might be fun.

Look forward to hearing from you.



Four zero, that's me,
I'm too young to be this old.
How did it happen?

Forty's a number,
Large when related to age,
Halfway to eighty.

I just turned forty
Doesn't really bother me.
Bothers Mom a lot.

Forty years old now
Getting the most out of it,
Life has just begun.

Thanks, Lord, for this time.
Forty years have been brilliant.
Help me finish strong.

Is this middle age?
Body can't go like before,
Maybe I'll play Wii.

Really an adult
At forty, no more excuse.
What will happen next?

Peace.

Cone of Uncertainty

The last week or so here on the coast, we were reminded of a popular term this time of year, the "cone of uncertainty". It is used when discussing the projected path of a potentially dangerous hurricane. The cone of uncertainty describes the possible deviations of the hurricane path on either side of the eye. If you're wondering, it is not considered a good thing if you find yourself in the cone of uncertainty.

I started thinking about the cone of uncertainty as it pertains to life. It seems that we live most of our lives in that red area surrounding the main part of life. We make decisions and take actions when we can't really see the end. Occasionally, you get a very clear path, but mostly we fumble through the dark doing the best we can.

Here are a few tips if you find yourself in the cone of uncertainty of life...

1. Trust that God knows the path and that He is guiding your life. Believe that
He is with you.

2. Do what you know to do. For a hurricane, you stock up on water and food, make sure you have batteries and prepare to ride out the storm. For life, you live out Micah 6:8-"...to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God".

3. Be alert and aware. Read the signs, listen to people who know a little more; don't think you know it already and settle in. Things can change.

4. Remember that tomorrow is another day. The storm may hit or it may turn away. Each day brings new opportunity to move forward.

Peace.