It's the little things that matter

One of the things that really salvages my regard for all of humanity are times when I notice nice gestures that are given without regard to receiving credit... Some examples are:
Going to a fast food restaraunt and a guy sees that there aren't many tables and when he gets up he leaves a clean table for the people that are getting it next.

When I have been camping and people have left their extra firewood...

Those are thoughtful gestures that expect nothing in return. However, leaving "something" behind when you exit a bathroom...well, that's quite the opposite.

Be careful what you leave behind. Especially if it's from the behind !!!

Yep, it's in the little things.

The importance of punctuation

Many of us take for granted the little dots and squiggles. However, truth be known, they are extremely important in conveying the meaning the author intends to relay to the reader. There are no age limits in the requirements of understanding punctuation. As soon as someone learns to read, proper use and understanding of punctuation becomes very important. For example, if a 7 year old is reading an Abeka reading book and comes across a sentence such as..."My, but, isn't that fine?" the total lack of following the punctuation rules gives that sentence a totally different meaning and causes a huge disruption during class time.

My butt isn't that funny..

Beyond

Beyond

 

from our view

a moment in time

it passes quickly

both yours and mine

 

we can't see

what is to come

we barely see

what's already done

 

it's all laid out

nothing is hidden

there are no suprises

from circumstances we get in

 

To a mighty God

He sees it all

Our mighty mighty God

Not a sparrow falls

Our God is an amazing God

Beyond time

Beyond the way we think

 

He's not bound

to any limits

His timeless majesty

shines from within it

 

His ways are not ours

His thoughts are much higher

Nothing can squelch

His mighty and blinding fire

 

He's a mighty God

He sees it all

Our mighty mighty God

Not a sparrow falls

Our God is an amazing God

Beyond time

Beyond the way we think

 

 

song by Mike Taggart all rights reserved.  :-P

 

---

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.

Continuation of a previous post

The thing that the pups death also revealed was my very restricted ability to interact with people. I found that when they were sad, I didn't know how to respond...to the extent that it kind of made me uncomfortable. One of the girls came by the house the next day with cookies and offering up a "thanks" and I didn't even go to the door. I stood back the in the house and yelled out a pitiful, "Sorry about what happened"..pathetic really.

 

I spent the rest of that day thinking about how poorly I handled that and really wanted to make it right. I thought about what I'd say or what I should have said. Since we bought a sympathy card for them, I thought I could do it when I delivered it. Well, they weren't home then...I have resolved to just doing better next time.

 

But, at least it was revealed that it's something to work on. Another item to add to the ever growing list!

 

---

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.

Woah...pretty cool.

Yeah, I'm gonna start looking in the air behind me when I walk outside from now on.

Sadness for the neighbors

Saturday was a beautiful day. It was mid 60's and sunny. In my opinion, as nice a day as ever could be...a few houses down there was a little girl playing in a teepee in their front yard. She had 2 dogs freely roaming about while she played. The big dog is a a lab. He's old and, when I approached him, showed me how sharp his teeth would be, and I moved along. The other dog is a long haired dachshund. The little dark just kinda chased us (Mayf and I were riding our bikes) barking incessantly. It would also bark and chase at cars that passed by...

 

Well, as fate would have it, the little dog got a little more assured of itself with each passing car and got too close to a very large SUV. I watched as the SUV passed by and glanced back up the street expecting to see the dog trotting off as it had done many times earlier. Not this time. It lay in the street, silent, twitching...

 

I ran over. Scared and unsure of what to do. The little dog didn't look alive, even then. I ran up to the house and the little girl (unaware) ran to get her sister. A neighbor joined me and soon a couple of other neighbors were out consoling the survivors. The dog was put in a box and given to the older sister. We all went to our own homes...

 

When I witness stuff like that it always reminds me of my own mortality. I thought about how wasteful it appeared for that dog to have died doing that, chasing cars. After giving it more thought, I have reconsidered my position. I don't think it was wasted for that dog to die doing that. That dog was being all the dog it could be. It was doing what God designed it to do the best it could do it and it cost him his life. It might have been that dog was (in it's mind) protecting it's home from these unfamiliar intruders. What more valiant way to die than protecting its own.

 

Then, I started wondering what someone else might think on my departure. Have I wasted my life? Is it evident that I was all the man that God made me to be doing the things that God designed me to do with all my might? It sounds weird, but, that little pup got my attention in a very positive way.

 

I also noticed something else. But, this has to do with what happened after...I'll blog on that later.

---

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.

How insensitive

It was about an hour after dinner. I was checking my fantasy football team, a couple of kiddos were finishing up kitchen work. They were on the final task, mopping.

Meanwhile, my 3rd daughter comes around the corner headed to the kitchen at an elevated pace. There's a small obstacle in her path right before she steps into the kitchen. Apparently, she doesn't want to change pace nor direction, so, she hurdles the obstacle. It was painfully obvious that she had no idea that the floor was wet. Her feet flew out from under her. She landed flat on her elbow...the one holding her favorite glass mug. It shattered with a loud crash and glass flew everywhere.

Immediately, I view that she's ok...without getting up...and I am actually annoyed that she broke the glass!!!

Yep, I feel pretty lowly about that. Next time, I want to be the first to help her up. THEN get on to her about the glass. ;-) well, maybe not that last part.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.

embarrassing discovery

What does love feel like? I don't know the answer to this. I mean, not in explicable, easily defined terms. Is loving someone simply enjoying them? I can't see how this could possibly be. Scripture states we are to "love our enemies". I don't think we have to enjoy their company. "Love your neighbors as you love yourself." gives a little more insight. But, still I struggle with what that actually means in "take action" terms. I know I give myself preference and to loving my neighbor as myself might indicate that I should give them preference as I would myself. But, what is the LOVE part? I mean, I doubt that preference = love. It may be part of it...

 

Love can't be just feeling sad if someone departs or dies. I think there is a somewhat selfish aspect to that kind of feeling in that it relates to yourself in "missing the company of" that loved one. But, perhaps to a degree it's not selfish.

 

So, we're at: LOVE - Giving preference to someone.

 

Then, there's:

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love".

"This is my command: Love each other."

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

 

Ok, so the definition now looks more interesting: LOVE - someone you'd die for.

 

I would like to think that I'd die for anyone in my family. That if it came down do it, I would, without hesitation, do the needful. However, until I am actually faced with that, I will never truly know. So, is love presumptuous? In addition, would I choose to die for my brothers in Christ? Wow...love is scary. Furthermore, there are some brothers that I "love" because I HAVE to. I really don't like them at all. What about those dudes? Am I supposed to be willing to die for them? I think the answer is painfully obvious... and not what I'd choose to hear.

 

How? How do you truly love someone that you can't stand? Apparently, it doesn't mean I have to invite him over for dinner....just be willing to die for him.

 

I think there's more to this "love" word than meets the eye....

 

Please comment with any insight. Thanks!

---

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.

Notes on blessings sermon

I go to a lunch on Thursdays at 1st baptist church and pastor Dale gives some great insight during the meal. Here are some of my notes from last time:

_____________________________

Notes on blessings

False understandings

-Criticism is a good tool for change.

-We keep believing that negative reinforcement will help change people

-feel that encouragement or blessings would be too extravagant

 

Need to:

-stop cursing - negative words are curses

 

Blessings are not to be used to reward bad actions.

 

If you are not careful you can only become a corrector and not a blesser.

_____________________________

Those are what applied to me. The actual message is available from their recording ministry...I highly recommend it!

---

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.

Pearl of Great price

·         "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Have you found that field? If you did would you sell all you had, give up everything to purchase it?

 

As a christian, I have found that field and the treasure in it is Jesus. However, have I sold everything else to buy the field where He is? No. The heart of man is desperately wicked. It needs redemption. I have that redemption. It's like I got the field and haven't sold all I have to get it. However, until I do sell all I have I'll never enjoy the FULLness of the treasure. How do you be "sold out"? What is holding me back? Oh, not much...selfishness, pride, laziness, slothfulness, doubt, independence, self sufficiency...I am sure I missed a few.

 

Time for a garage sell I think.

---

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE:
This e-mail message and any attachment(s) (collectively,
this 'Email') are intended only for the confidential use of
the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message
is not the intended recipient named above or an agent
responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient
named above, you have received this Email in error.
Please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
this Email and any copies thereof.