Distraction Exhaustion: Experiencing Death and Life in My Doing

If, in your training, you’re not pushing yourself to the point of risking death, you’re probably just going through the motions.—Composite Mentor (CM)

I know this about myself...

In my training, be it physical, spiritual, or mental (it's really all the same), I have not, on a regular basis, pushed myself to the point of risking death.  So, in a manner of speaking, I really have been “going through the motions.”

Has my training been wasted?

No…not at all.  I’ve been training right where I am…and it has brought me to the point where I find myself right now.  And that’s a good thing.

Today is Tuesday, 31 May 2011, and it’s slightly after 5p (EST).  It is my intention to, in this moment, begin to take my training to an entirely new level.  And here’s how I’d like to proceed...

For the next 40 days (from today through Saturday, 9 July 2011), I will push myself to my limits and, once I've reached them, push beyond them.

The manner of “pushing” I'm writing about, though, is, most likely, NOT what you might think.

Rather than pushing myself to pure physical exhaustion, what I want to do is push myself in a little different way.  Quite simply, I want to push myself beyond the limits of my distractions.  To push beyond such limits means to train in such a way that I remain present—and I mean COMPLETELY present and accounted for—not just throughout each training session but throughout each and every single element of each and every single training session.

The practical "practice," here, is this:  When I “discover” or “catch myself” drifting from the state of “just being in my doing” to someplace else, I will, immediately, and with gentleness and humility, bring myself back to the present moment and concentrate on whatever it is I am doing in that moment.

Here's an example of how all of this could play out...

While I do have a global purpose in life to enjoy God fully and, as such, to reflect His glory, when I stand before my heavy bag and prepare to throw a muay thai roundkick, my specific purpose in life in that very moment is to enjoy God’s imminent presence in my life as I throw THAT PARTICULAR ROUNDKICK.  And, in and through the embodiment of my thorough enjoyment of Him, I will, IN THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT, more perfectly and completely, reflect His glory.

Yeah...so THAT's what I'm, talking about—well...writing about.

Again, the premise behind all of this is this:  If I am not completely present in whatever it is I’m doing in the moment, be it breathing, brushing my teeth, interceding in prayer on behalf of another, throwing a lead left, typing the letter “g,” or just listening to the words coming forth from the mouth and heart of a very dear friend, then I’m not enjoying God’s presence fully in that thought, feeling, or action, and that, my friends, is the definition of sin with a “CAPITAL S” in my life.  For me, not fully enjoying God's presence is what it means to fall short of His glory (see Romans 3:23).  By falling short of my complete reflection of God’s glory, I miss the mark of what it means to live as an image bearer of the Most High.  And for me, that’s sin, and I don't want to do that any more.

So...to facilitate such “repentance” and "rethinking" in my life, I will, over the next 40 days, practice pushing myself beyond the limits of that which I allow to distract me so that I might become more fully present in whatever it is I’m doing because then—and only then—will I truly enjoy God and reflect the majesty of His glory to those around me—even if I’m the only one around!

Peace...

Bling

P.S.  For anyone who reads this (and feels inclined), ask me how I’m doing from time to time.  It is my promise to you and to me that I will tell you exactly how I’m doing...and of how I’m both dying and becoming in this "practice" of ever-present-doing.

Transforming Hope Ministries

Good morning, everyone,

Yes…today is my Sabbath, and, in celebration, I am getting ready to head out the door for a much needed vacation with my parents in Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach.  I was supposed to go last night, but, with the weather the way it was and with the long work-day I had, yesterday, it just seemed best to wait until this morning.

I’d like to throw a shout out to my good friend, Abbi Tenaglia, the President and Founder of Transforming Hope Ministries and Emma's House—the first shelter in central North Carolina dedicated to serving victims of child-trafficking.  Great meeting, last night, Ab—I love the team you’ve pulled together!  And I feel so very honored to be able to serve you and the team!   

Soon, I will write much more about child trafficking and about Transforming Hope Ministries (THM); for now, though, I’d like to urge you to visit the website for THM at http://www.transforminghopeministries.org/

As I will be out of town until Monday afternoon, I will, most likely, not write anything additional until Monday evening.

Until then…have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend, everyone!!

Daver

Nostalgia

Nostalgia can be a little cruel sometimes…

I just finished a late night of work, and, before bed, I decided to turn on the TV.

I don’t remember on which network it was, but, after thumbing through the channels for a bit, I stopped at an old episode of Frasier that was playing.  I used to really love that program.

My late wife, Brenda, and I used to watch it like all the time.

I didn’t really think about that very thing until the end of the show when the tossed salads and scrambled eggs song came on.  As I sang along (like I always used to), I found myself thinking of Brenda, and, for a moment, I just let myself feel the feelings of missing her presence here next to me.

A week from today (3 June), will be the nine-year anniversary of her death.  Well, given that it's now a few minutes past midnight, techincally, it's only six days of, but who's really counting that closely, anyway?

Anniversaries can be tough for me—you know?—as I tend to be a very nostalgic person at heart.  With each anniversary, I never know just quite how I’m going to feel, but, as I instructed myself a long time ago, I just go ahead and let myself feel whatever it is I feel like feeling.  Some years, I cry like a baby; during others, it's as though Brenda’s last day on earth feels no different to me than the day before last Tuesday.  My heart is still so mysterious to me.  Is yours to you, or am I the only who feels like that?

Anyway, I know I’ve been rambling a bit, and I didn’t really mean to do so.  It’s just that I didn’t expect to be hit by stuff, tonight, you know?

Even though the sting of Brenda’s death departed long ago, I still miss her, and I know that she will always be a part of me.

I know she’s in heaven with God, now, and that all is well with her.  And for that, I am and feel so very grateful.  And she really is well—of this, I am certain.

And—you know?—things are well with me, too.

Brenda...has left...the building...

Yeah...and someday, I will, too.

Thanks for listening, my friends, and for just allowing me a little airtime to let out an old ache for a few minutes.

God’s peace to all'y'all—especially, to those of you, in this very moment, who are feeling something very similar to what I am.

Happiest of Memorial Day Weekends to you...

Bling

Directions

Two weekends ago, I finally found the perfect café table and chair set for my wrap-around porch at my apartment.  Wrought iron, just beautiful, comfortable, unwobbly (which is pretty cool), and not too expensive either.

Anyway, as I got stuff home, I, with great anticipation, opened everything up (to see what I had) and laid out all the pieces.  I then proceeded to read through the directions, only to, almost immediately, stand to my feet, walk over to my little laundry room, and deposit said directions into the little paper-recycling bag I store on top of the dryer.

Yep…I recycled them.

I mean, can you really blame me?  The "directions," if you can call them that, were COMPLETELY useless and, perhaps, the WORST set of directions I’d encountered in a really long time.  They were almost as bad as something along the following lines…

Assembly Instructions:

Step One:  Open box.

“Ummm….yeah, I already did that.”

Step Two:  Carefully lay out all the parts.

“Yeah…did that, too.  Okay!  So far so good!”

Step Four:  fkkdusofofmkeksjoldljcf.

“Una que pasa?  And where did step three go?”

Step Three ("Oh...there you are!"):  Enjoy your table and chair set.  Oh, and, for safety’s sake, please DO NOT operate "equipment" in front of a moving bus.

“Nice.  And exceedingly helpful, too!” wrote the man sitting at his computer.

This sort of thing reminds me of a writing exercise I was challenged to work on during a creative writing class I took through my work about fifteen years ago.  The assignment was to write out a set of instructions for tying one's shoes.   

Now…before you dismiss such a thing too quickly as elementary, my dear Watson, you need to know that writing out useful directions for such a thing can be incredibly challenging.

The whole class was given twenty minutes to complete the exercise.  If I recall, there were close to fifteen people in the class, and I knew all of them quite well as I had worked with most of them pretty closely over the previous four to five years.

I took the entire twenty minutes—and then some—to complete the assignment.

Yeah...so, anyway, at the end of the twenty minutes, we each began, one by one, to read our instructions.  Prior to each person reading, we were instructed to untie our shoes and then try to tie them in the manner proscribed by whomever was the “designated directions reader” at the time.  I wish I’d caught all this on video or something because, within a very short time, the whole thing seemed to deteriorate pretty much into a hysterical time of disorganized knot tying.  And—you know?—maybe that was the point. 

Without fail, every set of directions was unable to produce a single pair of adequately tied shoes.

And then it was my turn (I like to go last in these kinds of things).  And this is where the and then some, I wrote of above, came in to play, for during the time when one of the group was reading his instructions—I think it was my long-time friend and work colleague, Scott Ramsey—I worked feverishly to “modify” mine in accordance with what I thought to be a flash of brilliance (This is, of course, debatable; so I will let you judge that for yourself.).  Anyway, as Scott finished, my turn came up, and, like everyone else, I now was granted the opportunity to, in fact, produce what had, heretofore, eluded every other instructions writer, and that is, the production of a pair of adequately tied shoes.  So...away I went…

Ahem…

Okay...Hello, everyone...

How to Tie One's Shoes…

By Dave Brown, PE, March 8, 1995…

Step 1…

On one shoe, carefully grasp the left lace with your left hand and the right lace with your right hand...

Step 2…

Tie your shoe.

Step 3...
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the other shoe.

Step 4...

Proceed forth with your day.

Step 2a…

If you were, unfortunately, unable to complete step 2, please see someone who can tie his or her shoes, and ask that person to "show you" how to do it.

The end. 

Within two minutes of my finishing the reading of my instructions, nearly every person in the room was, once again, wearing a pair of adequately tied shoes.  If I recall, there were two or three women in the class who had on sandals or flats of some sort, which didn't need tying.

You know?...It's interesting, but I learned a very valuable lesson that day.  And that’s this:  There’s only so much you can learn from a book or a set of written instructions.  In fact, there’s actually very little you can learn from such things.  Most of what we learn in life—and this is not intended to be disrespectful of reading, for I LOVE to read, and I STRONGLY encourage it—is caught from others, simply through being in relationship with those around us, and with those who’ve been around the block a few times...with those who ALREADY KNOW whatever it is that we want to know.  That's why teachers and mentors are soooo vitally important in life.  I learned something else that day, too, and that’s this:  The best conditions for learning are those characterized by light-hearted banter in the arena of a safe playing field on which to practice and explore.

Oh, that I might provide such an atmosphere for those around me.

Peace…

Bling

BTW, and this is just a side…I think the John Deere Company writes the best instructions of anyone or any company in the world.  Check them out some time…for, in my opinion, nothing reads like a Deere…  :o)

Do "ALL" to the Glory of God

1 Corinthians 10:31 read as follows…

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

If God is most glorified through our personal and collective enjoyment of Him (and I believe that He is), than would it not stand to reason that doing all to the glory of God means finding pleasure in God as or while or in or through whatever it is we are doing in the present moment?

Again, I believe it does.

So…the question that needs to be asked is this:  How do we do the above while, say, washing the dishes or brushing our teeth or picking up after our dog?

As I was thinking to myself while just sitting here wondering (adapted from Winnie the Pooh), I began to ask myself how I could begin to tangibly enjoy God in that which comprises, for lack of a better word, the mundane parts of my day-to-day life.  I’ve decided upon three activities to think more upon.

And, yes, I did just end that sentence with a preposition, and I enjoyed it.  And I enjoyed GOD in it, too!  :op

Okay…so here are my three…

1.  While taking my morning shower.

I will bring glory to God as I take a shower each morning by allowing myself to thoroughly enjoy the warmth and cleansing the water and soap brings.  I will also allow it to remind me of the warmth and cleansing power of God’s Spirit, Blood, and Holy Word in my life.  I will reflect God’s glory by not wasting His gifts of soap and hot water so that others might be able to partake as well.  To do this, I will turn-off the water when I’m not using it, which will also allow me to identify with those throughout the world who are in desperate need of God’s warmth and cleansing.  Doing these things will also enable me to “remember” those—my precious brothers and sisters—throughout the world who lack ready access to sufficient quantities of clean drinking water, let alone, water to heat up for bathing purposes.

2.  While driving my truck (especially, to work in the morning).

I will bring glory to God while driving by inviting Him to be a part of each aspect of my driving experience (i.e., depressing the clutch, shifting gears, slipping the clutch, depressing the gas, breaking, turning, etc.) and by driving in a way that is both aware of my conditions and conscious of the needs of those around me.  I will reflect God’s glory by allowing my truck to become its own little sanctuary—or oasis—of God’s Holy Presence.  Together, as we are driving, we will enjoy intimate conversation, and, as talking with God is so enjoyable for me, I know that this will magnify God’s glory in my own heart and, it is hoped, in the hearts of those around me.

3.  While walking.

I will glorify God by walking with purpose in life…even if that purpose is just to relax and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of that which surrounds me.  I will reflect God’s glory by walking with my shoulders held upright, with my head lifted high, with a smile on my face, with an energetic spring in my steps, with a warrior’s fire in my spirit, and with gentle and peaceful feelings in my heart.

I truly have the power to choose the above.  All that is required is that I look unto Him Who is already glorious and just reflect it to those around me…much the way a mirror or a lamp stand and glass shade might reflect or enhance the light from, well, a light.  I can think of nothing more enjoyable.

God’s blessings on your evening,

Dave

"CHiPs," Ponch, and the Third Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me

Do you all remember the TV series CHiPs?

It aired in the late 70s and early 80s and followed the lives of Frank Poncherello (“Ponch”) and Jon Baker, two California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops.  As a young kid, I thought the show was fantastic.  Even the opening theme song was pretty cool.  I always looked forward to the point in the song when Ponch would shift gears on his motorcycle just as the song jumped forward from the bridge into the last part of the melody.  If you’re a guy, you probably remember the gear-shift thing.

Okay…maybe some of you girls remember it, too!  :o)

Anyway…I used to just love that show, and I watched it religiously week-in and week-out for several years.  And then one night, one particular episode reached right down into my soul and changed my life forever.

Forever?

Yep.

That's a pretty strong statement, Dave.

Yeah…I know.  But I can vouch for it as I was there and paying rapt attention when it happened...

It was in the spring of 1981, and I was fifteen years old.  I remember watching the episode as if it had played just yesterday.

The title?

“Karate.”

Yeah...so for like 60 minutes, I just sat there mesmerized as I watched Ponch use his karate skills to subdue the bad guys (who also knew Karate) and to inflame a few latent warrior longings that had been stirring within me for quite some time.  That show changed my life, as I've already written.  I remember, as I was watching it, telling myself, “I’m going to learn karate and be as cool as Ponch.  Then, maybe, no one will mess with me again.”

And no one has (well...outside of the ring).  At least, not in THAT way.

And so began, on that spring day in 1981, a martial arts odyssey within my soul and body that continues even to this very day.  As of this moment, I have been training in the martial arts for almost 30 years, now, and I can say that it is, in fact, the third best thing that ever happened to me.

The first, was finding my salvation in Jesus Christ.

The second...being born into the family I was born into.

And, of course, the third...discovering the martial arts.

My exposure to and training in the martial arts has brought a richness to my life that is hard for me to describe.  My training has been nothing short of a God-breathed journey of self-discovery and self-knowledge.  I know God brought it to me—gave it to me as a gift (His gift), and I am so grateful to Him for it. 

During some of the darkest points in my life—points where I felt almost homicidal toward my late wife’s abusive family (this was years before [and after] Brenda’s suicide in 2002), God used those thousands of hours of facing opponents in the ring and of wailing away against that lonely heavy bag that hung downstairs in the basement of my parents’ house (and, later, against the many water-filled, free standing bags that graced my adult residences) to draw out, into the Light of His Countenance, the anger, rage, and hostility that burned within me.  And it was in such drawings out that I felt God embrace me as I was and begin to exchange my "mournings" with the life-giving—life saving!—Oils of His Gladness.

For those of you who have been reading my blog and wonder where the title theme comes from, well, it comes from this very personal context as well as from a particular passage of scripture that has meant so much to me down through the years.  The passage is found in Isaiah 61:1-4…

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the OIL OF GLADNESS instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.  Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations; and they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.

In future posts, I will write more of my love for the martial arts and how God has used such a thing in my life to cultivate the fruit of His meekness and gentleness.

I wish all of you a fabulous evening.

God’s peace, my friends,

Bling

Thou wilt make known to me the Path of Life: Thy Countenance is Fullness of Joy; at Thy Right Hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11

May the Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make His Face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His Countenance upon thee, and grant thee peace.—Numbers 6:24-26

"CHiPs” Theme Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci8Ga-gCqno

Final Showdown, “Karate” Episode, “CHiPs,” March 8, 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq3Myc6mDjo&NR=1

I Haven’t Felt Much Like Writing This Week…Sorry

For those of you who read my blog faithfully, please allow me to apologize for the sparse nature of my writing practice this week.  Honestly, it’s been a really lonnnnng week, and, to put it kind of bluntly, I just haven’t really felt much like writing.  In fact, I’m not going to write any more tonight.  Instead, I’m going to go pour myself a glass of red wine, grab a little dark chocolate, and watch a movie out on my porch.  :o)

I hope that all’y’all have a really nice night and a wonderful time with God’s people in the morning.

Peace,

Dave

Plan A: The Fragments of Holy Writ

Provided below is my Plan A...

It comprises the portions of scripture I run to when I need immediate direction, comfort, strength, refocusing, recalibration, or help in time of need.  It comprises the personal Sword of God’s Spirit in my own life.  I prayerfully “run to and through these” passages many times throughout the day.  Oh, how I love God’s Word; such an anchor to my soul are these very “fragments of holy writ."

Peace…

Daver   

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still and quiet waters; He restoreth my soul.  He guideth my paths in righteousness for His Name’s sake.  And yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.  Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory.  Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.  I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your Name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.  On my bed, I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night.  Because You are my help, I will sing in the shadow of Your wings.  My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

The man who tries to be good, loving, and kind finds life, righteousness, and honor.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The Lord will keep in perfect peace, the man whose mind is stayed upon Him.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret ambitions of your heart.

The Lord directs the steps of the righteous; He delights in every detail of their lives.

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and very courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged; for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

A righteous man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.

And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

I have made a covenant with mine eyes to ever again look upon another woman lustfully.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and restore a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from Your Presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You.

The Joy of the Lord is my strength.

The Lord giveth; the Lord taketh away.  Praise be His Name.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord.

“For I have loved you with an Everlasting Love.”

“Happy is the man who longs to be just and good, for he shall be completely satisfied.”

“Our Father, Who art in heaven.  Hallowed be Thy Name.  Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever.  Amen.”

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received it, and it will be yours.”

“Anything is possible to him who believes.”

“I do believe.  Help me, Lord, to overcome my unbelief.”

“...and you shall know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free.”

In your anger, do not sin.  Let not the sun go down on your anger.

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slower still to become angry.

A man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Let no unwholesome talk proceed out of your mouth; speak only that which is beneficial to the building up of others according to their needs.

Place a bridle on your tongue.

A soft answer turneth away wrath.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue.

Speak the truth in love.

Love is patient, Love is kind.  It does not envy, It does not boast, It is not proud.  It is not rude, It is not self-seeking, It is not easily angered, It keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is True, whatever is Noble, whatever is Right, whatever is Pure, whatever is Lovely, whatever is Admirable--if anything is Excellent or Praiseworthy--think about such things.

“Take up your cross and follow me…[for] whoever looses his life for My sake, will find it.”

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.

Greater love hath no man than this:  but that he should lay down his life for his friends.

For God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.

He whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

“Come unto Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I AM gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Perfect love casts out all fear.

“For I have not given you a spirit of fear,” says the Lord.  “Rather, I have given you the Spirit of Power, Love, and Soundness of Mind.”

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But will, with the temptation, provide a means of escape so that you can stand up under it.

Be not unequally yoked.

“A man can receive only that which is given him from Heaven.”

“He must increase; I must decrease.” 

“Not My Will, but Thine.”

“Into Your Hands, I commit My Spirit.”

“And, lo, I AM (and will be) with you always…even unto the very ends of the earth.”

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the Right Hand of the Throne of God.

Thou wilt make known to me the Path of Life: Thy Countenance is Fullness of Joy; at Thy Right Hand are pleasures forevermore.

Recession Positive

Wouldn’t you like to be recession proof?  I would.

Who wouldn’t?

What if I told you that jockeying yourself for recession proofness will, most likely, do nothing but make you more recession prone?

Becoming recession proof, typically, involves the amassing of wealth to sustain you during difficult times.  As unlikely as it might seem, there may come a time soon when the amassing of wealth may become about as futile as the amassing of monopoly money.  If inflation skyrockets, what will you do then?  Would it not be better to divest yourself of the materialism, debt, entertainment attachments, and inordinate financial obligations that bind you like a straight jacket and that limit your movements like a prisoner's ball and chain?

But let's just say such inflation doesn't occur, what then about the amassing of wealth and stuff?

If you have a million in the bank, but have a leanness of soul that keeps you from enjoying what you have, are you really that wealthy?  I would argue that you aren’t.  The world boasts of many who are monetarily well-off, and yet poverty-stricken in heart.  It is the happy men and women in the world—those who are happy irrespective of the “available balance” in their check books or the number of vintage cars in their garages—that are, in my estimation, the wealthiest people on earth.  What I would like to suggest here and now is that rather than being recession proof, they (those happy few) are recession positive.  Recession happy, even.

Recession positive?  Recession happy?  This all sounds so very strange to me.  What, in heaven, are you talking about?

Just this...being positive about things in the midst of what has turned out to be a significant economic downturn.  Being happy in it—perhaps, even, over it.

Positive?  How can you be positive about such things?

It’s quite easily, actually.  To illustrate its ease, I’d like to ask a very simple question of you parents out there.

Are you ready?  Okay, here it is…

When you began to wean your child off breast milk (or formula), was such a thing positive?

Of course it was.

Okay, why?

Because it allowed my son to begin to eat solid food and, eventually, grow into the healthy child he is today.

Cool.  Well…that’s the very purpose of recession:  to wean you off of that which doesn’t satisfy so that you might pursue that which does.  Many, many years ago, a brilliant man wrote about such things when he penned the following in Isaiah 55:1:  “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy, and eat.”  He who has no money, come, buy, and eat.  Buy with no money?  That, my friends, is the purpose of recession:  to bring you to the place where you see your real needs and "buy" that which you need (and really can purchase) without money.  Acceptance, forgiveness, love, happiness, cleansing, peace, significance, rest, and purpose...these are the commodities of God's Spirit, and, in His economy, money is worthless when it comes to such things.

Please think about all of this prayerfully, my friends, and, perhaps, we’ll talk more about this subject at a later date.

Good night,

Daver

The Paths of Greatest Resistance

Tonight, I'd like to write a little about something very near and dear to my heart, and that's PAIN.

Pain?

Yep...PAIN.

We all feel it, struggle with it, suffer through it, don’t we?

I, for one, am exceedingly grateful for pain, for it, in and of itself, can be so illuminating.

Pain, if I’m feeling it…and listening to it, can tell me a lot about my current conditions…

It can tell me when something’s wrong within myself.

It can tell me when a perceived wrong is being committed against me.

It can tell me tell me what my limits are….like when I’ve pushed myself too far (the physical pain of a broken bone) or when I haven’t pushed myself far enough (the feelings of guilt and unhappiness that arise from engaging in wimpy behaviors).

It can tell me how important something is to me (I love her so much it just tears me me to pieces when I’m with her…when I’m not with her.).

It can tell me that I’m doing the right things in the right way…that I’m doing a good job well.

Given the above, it’s hard for me to conclude how pain could be anything but a really good friend.  To befriend “my friend,” though, requires something of me.  Essentially, three things, in fact:  (1) that I feel it; (2) that I listen to it; and (3) that I respond accordingly to it.

In my earlier years (as a young chiltlen), I was confronted often by my parents for taking what they called “the path of least resistance” or, as some have called it, “the easy way out.”  Are you familiar with those phrases?  I certainly am, as I have done more than my fair share of blindly traversing such fruitless paths. 

In my 45 years of stumbling around on this pebble called earth, I’ve concluded that the path of least resistance—the easy way out, if you will—is nothing but the path of the loser.  Ooooh....kinda harsh, don't you think, Dave?  Ummmm....No.  It really is the path of the loser.  You want to know why?  Because, ultimately, everyone loses out when such highways are taken.  And, in fact, the easy way out more often than not becomes a path fraught with peril, painful stumbling, and great resistance.  But...the path of great resistance, the way that hurts, the way that requires heart, is often the best way in life and, in fact, really is the easiest way.  This is paradox at its very best.

I, personally, think traveling the paths of resistance is the ONLY way to live.

Jesus seemed to think so, too.  In fact, He went out of His way to take the difficult road.  And, in Him, we have a fabulous example of how to live.  All He asks is that we follow Him.  And what joy there is for us when we do so humbly and resolutely and allow the glory of His Father to be reflected off our faces as they, like Jesus, become "set like flint" toward the accomplishing of God's grand purposes in and through our lives.

Pain is your friend—your good friend, if you will allow me to write so boldly.  Embrace it, and it will change your life, for so many good things come from it.  As Mr. Miaggi once said to a young Daniel Laruso in Karate Kid:  “Not Miaggi rule, Danielson.  Rule of life.”  Amen

Bling


P.S.  Provided below, are a few memorable quotes I picked up about fifteen years ago.  I recommend memorizing them and, perhaps, adopting them into your own personal lexicon of life slogans.  Doing so might really be helpful to you at some point.  Especially, right now, at the points of choice in your life.  Peace...

The more thou sweatest in training, the less thou bleedest in battle.—Richard “Dick” Marcinko, Commander, United States Navy (Retired), Former SEAL, and One of My Many Mentors in Life

If thou hurtest in thine efforts and thou suffer painful dings, than thou art, most likely, doing it right.—Dick Marcinko

Sometimes, one hast not to like it, one hast just to do it.—Dick Marcinko