Mystery

"I just want to know", she said.

"I know," he replied.

"Why, you know. That's what I want to know, why."

"I know".

"And how...my god, how does something like that happen? How does it happen?"

"I don't know."

"Who else knows about it? Do you know?"

"No."

I have been mulling over the thought of mystery lately. From the trivial question of who ate the last cookie to the life question of why is my life the way it is, mystery is at every turn. There is so much that we don't know. There is so much that we can't know. We can study and read and pray and talk but at the end of the day, we have to come to the place where life is a mystery.

We're not good with mystery. We don't like to not know. Whether it is why or how or what happens now, it is imperative that we get to the bottom of the situation and get things figured out. God forbid that there is a little mystery in your life.

But life is full of mystery. We don't get all the answers and when we do get answers, they are not necessarily the ones we wanted. Mystery is that place where we trust that God is good, He is for us and He sees the purpose and the end of what is happening.

The first part of this post was going to be a prompt for people to go off of and let me know what you think is happening in the scene. It's not that now. What is happening will remain a mystery known only to the creator (that's me!). I know what is going on and how it will play out. All of your thoughts are only speculation at this point. You will have to trust that it will end well.

Kind of like life.

Peace.

Inspired

I heard a story on the radio the other day and I don't remember many details but it caused me to think about inspiration. The story was about a man who had a stammer when he spoke and this man was inspired by King George the Sixth of England, who also stuttered when he spoke. That is all I can recall about the radio story.

It caused me to start thinking about inspiration. I don't know if King George ever knew that he inspired this man who obviously went on to do enough with his life that he was featured in an NPR radio broadcast. It caused me to think about people who have inspired me and if they knew they had done so. It caused me to think about people that I have possibly inspired, for better or for worse, I might add.

It's a strange thing, inspiration. How does it work? When does it strike? How do some people inspire others so easily? Is it a conscience decision to "be an inspiration" or does it just happen?

I don't know that I have answers. Maybe a few more posts on inspiration are in order. For now though, I want to know a few things from you.

Who has been your inspiration? Do they know they have inspired you? What if you let them know?

Who are you inspiring? How are you doing it? What are you inspiring them to?

Can't wait to hear from you.

Peace.

To the Point

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

Yet again

Once again, it has been over a month since the last posting here. I seem to find myself caught up between wanting to write, and write well, and wondering who is reading and who am I writing for. (As a side note, I think everyone I have talked with who is an aspiring writer has had these same thoughts.)

I suppose, when it all comes down, that I am writing for myself and when I don't write, it is out of fear...fear of being "wrong", fear of not writing well, fear of putting thoughts out there that might confirm that I am not "normal".

It is amazing the power that fear can wield. No one has told me that I am wrong or don't write well. No one has said "I wish you would stop writing because you are way off and I don't like your style". It is an internal voice that persuades me that things are not going to work out the way I want them to. It can be paralyzing.

My mother once told me that she thought I was a perfectionist. I thought she had missed it because things don't have to be perfect for me (check out my college transcript if you doubt me!). She explained that I was a perfectionist in that, if I didn't think I would be very good at something, I would just walk away from it. I would be done with it and not even give it a second thought.

For me, perfectionism is the same thing as fear. No one gets everything right all the time. NO ONE! I know this and still, I hesitate. I hedge. I talk myself out of opportunities and dreams because...well, because. Fear slips in and continues to back me away from things that God may have laid in front of me.

I am working on it. I have several irons in the fire that could become reality and they scare me a bit. I am doing my best to trust God and His hand on my life. I am asking Him for boldness believing that He will answer.

Peace.

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.