Scars of Our Lives

Having some medical tests completed, I laid on the table and the technician noted the scars that remain from the removal of my thyroid glands. Our conversation then turned to the reason for the removal of the glands: the result of radiation therapy as a child of 12 and the high potential for cancer.  During the quietness of the tests, I thought about the other scars I possess.  Ones like the rat bite on my hand, the one on my leg from jumping off a hay wagon, Achilles tendon tear, plus many other surgeries, each one having its own story.

Years ago my daughter was in a traffic accident and cut a gash about four inches long on the center of her forehead.  In the hospital before surgery, we could see her skull where the skin and muscle were cut.  But at that time all I saw was my daughter in pain.  Closing the wound and taking away her pain was the only thing on my mind. She was my beautiful daughter.  Years later we talk about the scar and re-live the events of that day but even with the pain gone the results of the accident live on.   

Every one of us has scars and stories to tell the world.  They may be external scars and could be considered by the world to be ugly.  They may be internal scars that we keep hidden for many years, thinking no one can see our imperfections.  Yet keeping them inside makes them get bigger and deeper inside until we take that internal pain and push it on someone else.  Sometimes emotionally and other times physically.

We must set the goal to talk about our scars because this is part of the healing process.  We need to be a “Witness to Real Life” by talking about our failures and imperfections.  It will amaze you how many others have gone through similar experiences.  In doing that we also realize how the Lord has brought us through the pain and His love frees us for eternity.

What scars can you share with others?  What witness to real life can you be today?

Innovative Dreams

Sometimes it is difficult to be a dreamer when you are ahead of your time.  Most of us look at our life and measure success by awards, honors, and money.  But a real dreamer looks at life as an opportunity for something else to pop into our heads that could innovate people and things.

When it comes to successes it is easy to name things and events in our lives, but what about our failures or “yet to be” successes.  We want to forget them but they are an opportunity to grow and learn and help others.

Here are a few of my non successes in ideas that have yet to pan out with some of them going back to teen years. (Notice how a Dreamer has a tough time with the “F” word)   Some ideas today are still in the developing stages so Dreamers will not see them for fear of immediate rejection.

            A hand hoe that adjusts to clips weeds on both sides of the plants in a row;  A parachute that gets air fast for when you jump off a barn roof;  A rotating shelf for aging foods and goods in a cellar;  A replacement material for formed steel that is as strong as steel (I still have samples of these);  A fire truck hose bed that which cantilevers to the ground so it is easy for firemen to re-lay their hose in the back of a truck after a fire;  A consumer Christmas banner and pens that say, “Our Family Celebrates Christmas Because of the Birth of Christ”  (I still have samples of that one);  Taking Wildlife programs and incorporating them into Christian Camp programs;  Professional in training other organizations to use wildlife for training real life issues; Daily devotions on video (Brighter Days did have limited success on TV Shopping Channels)  An Attic Storage and Retrieval System (Still striving with this one); Label identification systems (new and in process); a high intensity contemporary church in Monroe County; a local community park that includes a self esteem training for young girls, GED training, a community center for all ages to build pride and growth in  their lives; and a place that local people can be a part of community; plus two more patent pending ideas.  And that does not even count some way out programs and processes for our church.

The Goal is to never give up on your dreams.  As my lovely bride tells me, I am ahead of my time but I believe that everything is in the Lord’s timing.  Some may never come to reality but I want to encourage you to never stop thinking about the possibilities.  The Lord never stopped encouraging you to your possibilities in life so make sure you never dampen the ideas that come to your head.  Maybe it’s the Lord’s way of telling you to take a leap of faith.

Krispy Creme Religion

What is it about Krispy Kreme donuts that draw the crowd early in the morning and after six at night? When the famous “Hot Now” sign is lit, people have to turn in and buy a donut (or dozen) dripping with glaze. There is nothing like the freshness you find from a hot Krispy Kreme donut.

The problem is that if you let the donuts set in the box for an hour, they are almost just like every other donut. As much as I love Krispy Kreme, I know that there is no long term nourishment to sustain me during the day.

Many people search for a church that offers the best “Hot Now” taste in religion. Some people are drawn to a group of believers because it is the right thing to do “socially”. Maybe it has to do with a program the church is offering. Once the initial excitement is gone, they feel like it is just another church.

They are not connected to friends and just show up for an hour on Sunday. It is sad to think of what they are missing. What we have to realize is that life needs times of freshness, but it will be the enduring development of relationships in our community that lasts a lifetime.

Years ago living in Florida, I was out of town for Hurricane Charley.  Reports came to me from friends and neighbors of downed trees limbs all over my property. Yet the next day I got a telephone call from one neighbor asking me who cut up the trees in my yard.

These quiet friends can never be replaced by a program or a social religion. They are so much appreciated, and I don’t even know who to thank.  It was our Small Group.

If you are just getting involved with a church, jump into a relationship through a Small Group. Find out from the church offices where you can help with many people in need. Right now people may need assistance, and we can not be afraid to ask for help or find out where we can help.

Ruth 2:12 “God reward you well for what you've done - and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you've come seeking protection under his wings."

Prayer Time on a Tractor

With all the snow on the ground now turning to ice, it was impossible for me to go to the office and yet I had important papers that were needed.  So guess how I got to work?   On my tractor with its grading blade and front bucket.

The two and one mile drive at 8 miles per hour gave me time to enjoy the crisp cold air but also I found it a perfect time to complete my daily prayer time.  Usually I take the time when I first get to work to work on my Planned Growth Program, but this morning in the home office I jumped right into work.  So passing the time at a slow speed made praying for family, friends, our small group and the business was easy.  

Where do you spend your time praying?    I will admit that I did have my eyes open but me and the Lord had a great conversation.    

Living the Life of a Dreamer and a Christ Follower is fun every day!  Have you found your spot today to talk to the Lord?

Dreaming in the Snow

Winters are so unpredictable for the meteorologist here in Tennessee as they talked about winter back in October.  From week to week they change the forecast and say it will be cold, it will rain, it will snow, it will be warm, or it will be dry.  Yet after the short stretch  of winter we have experienced in Tennessee, they never pay attention to the signs that the Lord gives us all.

While out plowing snow yesterday, I looked once again at a squirrel coming out of its nest.  It reminded me that the Lord has placed it in the animals and small creatures the knowledge to prepare for the seasons ahead.  The squirrel's nest was built 2/3 to 3/4 up the in the tall trees.  The size of the nest was a medium size.  So what's that mean?

My father taught me that the Lord lets the animals know what kind of a winter to expect and they prepare accordingly.  As for the squirrels the height of the nest says how wet a winter we will have and the size tells us how cold a winter we will have.  As I have seen for so many years before  the squirrels know more than our meteorologist.  My Dad also said to look at the woolly worm in November as its colors will accurately tell about the winter.  

This year the woolly worm was black in the front (meaning cold temperatures) and medium brown in the middle and light brown on the back.  So I am looking to an early spring here in the mountains.  Year after year in studying what God puts right in front of our faces I have found Him to never be wrong.  (Imagine God being wrong)  Now I am waiting for the green frogs to come back but that's another life lesson.

Today even if you are getting snow or are experiencing cabin fever, go outside and just listen for a few moments.  Can't you hear the Lord speaking in the whispers of this day?  At least I can while dreaming in the snow.  Nature is listening, aren't you?

 

My Little Talk with God

Psalms 85:8    “I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to his people and to His saints.

For a Dreamer I sat by the peaceful Tellico River and thought about having a direct conversation with God.   In my mind it went something like this:

God said, "So, you would like to talk with Me?"

"If you have the time," I said. God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

"What concerns you most about people?"  I started.

 God answered: "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.  They lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.  By thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, resulting in that they live neither for the present nor the future.  People live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived.

" God's hand took mine and we were silent for a while and then I asked . . . "As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile: 

• To learn that people cannot make anyone love them.  What they can do is to let themselves be loved. 
• To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
• To learn that I loved them so much that I gave my Son as a sacrifice for their sins, so they can be in heaven with me someday. 
• To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group.
• To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least. 
• To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them. 
• To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness. 
• To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.
• To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.
• To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different.
• To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them . . . and likes them anyway. 
• To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves.  People will forget what you did and said, but will never forget how you made them feel." 

I sat there for awhile enjoying the moment.  I thanked Him for his time and for all that He has done for me and my family.

He replied, “Anytime. I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer.  It’s called prayer!" 

My Parable Stick

Matthew 13:3       “Then he told them many things in parables and illustrations saying, . . . “

When you are teaching people new truths about life, sometimes just saying the words isn’t enough.  You must make an impact with a demonstration. 

As a youth minister working with high school students, it was difficult to provide illustrations that related to their lives.  This was the case when we looked at forgiveness from our past failures and sin.  During the 70’s, the drug culture had worked its way into every fiber of our society.  In order to bring young people to the realization of grace and God’s love, I needed a parable to get their attention.

While walking at the edge of some woods one day, I saw some odd looking trees.  They were dead but their trunks had a strange twist.  I broke one off and took it to my father to ask what type of tree this might be.  He told me that it was a common ash tree.  I asked, “What caused all the twists in the trunk and made it die?”  He said, “Honey suckle”.  My response was, “Right!  Honey suckle is a thin vine that has a smelly bloom.”

Then we headed to the woods for my object lesson.   There we saw several young trees alive with honey suckle vines all around the trunk.  The thin vines were easy to break and appeared to be harmless with their beautiful blossom smell.  The trees and vines were both alive and growing quite well.  Upon closer examination though, the vines had wrapped themselves around the tree several times and gotten bigger.  At the same time the sapling had grown its bark around the vines. 

At first glance you could not even see the vines because the bark had grown over them and they were hidden from site.  But then as we looked around, we saw similar trees withering and dying.  I broke off a couple of dead trunks and took them back to the house.  Then a few weeks later on a trip to a craft shop in Gatlinburg where a tree with that same condition had been made into a walking stick.  The craftsman had carved a picture into the top, polished the stick, and then coated it to make a beautiful possession. The dead trunk had been given new life.

With the new walking stick in hand, I now had my parable.  That visual illustration has made a big impact on the lives of people with which it was shared.  The scars are still there, but the master craftsman has turned them into something beautiful.

Society feeds us so many things that the Lord says is bad for us.  They are just little things that we welcome as not harmful or a major sin.  Over a period of time these things wrap their way around our lives but we don’t notice them.  Soon they get a choke hold on us and we cannot get rid of them. 

Every Christ Follower has scars from the past.  They may not be visible from the outside, but they are always there.  But the amazing thing about the Lord is that he can take those scars, through his grace and forgiveness, and turned them into a beautiful person who can relate to others who have similar scars.  His forgiveness in our lives may never wipe out the scars of abuse, drugs, or other events from our past, but it will allow us to focus on how beautiful we are when we turn our lives over to Him.