You know the expression: "Black Friday" is the day after Thanksgiving when all the stores have those super sales to entice you to shop so they can make enough money to move from the "red" financially into the "black". For many stores, they will do more than 50 % of their business in the last 30 days of the year.
So, I know you are wondering, where will Steve be on Black Friday? Will Steve be lining up at Old Navy at 3:00 A.M. in the morning? (they open at 3:30 A.M.) Not on your life. There are things that I am a sucker for: the wishes of my Grand kids, the creamy jalapeno dressing at Chuy's, and running in the cold on New Year's Day. But sales gimmicks have no appeal to me at all. I never read sale ads. I never watch commercials. (Praise for DVR - I never have to watch those commercials again!) I am the reason ad agents stay up all night trying to come up with cool, clever ideas to hook those reluctant buyers. I'm not buying.
Sometimes I am made to feel like I don't love my country because I am unwilling to go into debt and max out credit cards. Sorry Charlie - I'm not buying. If you enjoy long lines and buying cheap toys made in China and sold at Wal-Mart, more power to you. I'm not buying.
My Black Friday will be nice. A quiet day off. A great morning run in the cool Fall air. And no traffic jams at the mall. Ahhhh! Good stuff.
Just thinking, Steve
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
People, Pie, and Gratitude
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and my thoughts have turned to people, pie, and gratitude.
I think of the people in my life, both present and past, who have blessed my life beyond description. In the past, Dad, Mom, family, childhood friends, teachers, coaches, even those girlfriends who dumped me (it was pretty good while it lasted) - my dear Father-in-law and Mother-in-law who thought I could do no wrong, College profs, (the ones who marked "A" on my papers, especially!) minister friends and mentors. In the present, Linda, my partner in life for 35 years, the best human being I have ever known (besides Jesus), my dear daughter, Son-in-law, my two Grand kids, my co-workers, my dear friends, and all the "balcony people" in my life who keep cheering me on. I am so rich - I am loaded with people who have shaped my life in so many wonderful ways.
I am also thinking of pie. I love pie. Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan, Chocolate, Coconut Cream, Lemon Meringue, Key Lime - and more. With each pie I have a memory of people that made great pies and made my life better by sharing. Thanksgiving was the week of pies and they are on my brain.
I am also so grateful. Gratitude is the greatest way I know to transform a bad day into a good one. I know it sounds simple but counting my blessings can reshape the worst day into something remarkable.
People, pies, and gratitude - have a joyous Thanksgiving!
Just thinking, Steve
I think of the people in my life, both present and past, who have blessed my life beyond description. In the past, Dad, Mom, family, childhood friends, teachers, coaches, even those girlfriends who dumped me (it was pretty good while it lasted) - my dear Father-in-law and Mother-in-law who thought I could do no wrong, College profs, (the ones who marked "A" on my papers, especially!) minister friends and mentors. In the present, Linda, my partner in life for 35 years, the best human being I have ever known (besides Jesus), my dear daughter, Son-in-law, my two Grand kids, my co-workers, my dear friends, and all the "balcony people" in my life who keep cheering me on. I am so rich - I am loaded with people who have shaped my life in so many wonderful ways.
I am also thinking of pie. I love pie. Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan, Chocolate, Coconut Cream, Lemon Meringue, Key Lime - and more. With each pie I have a memory of people that made great pies and made my life better by sharing. Thanksgiving was the week of pies and they are on my brain.
I am also so grateful. Gratitude is the greatest way I know to transform a bad day into a good one. I know it sounds simple but counting my blessings can reshape the worst day into something remarkable.
People, pies, and gratitude - have a joyous Thanksgiving!
Just thinking, Steve
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Beyond the Call of Duty
I have been thinking about Military families recently. The horrible events at Fort Hood, the long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the observance of Veterans Day has kept these dear families in my thoughts and prayers of late.
What we ask of our Military families is far beyond the call of duty - it is not just the multiple deployments to far away hostile places but the toll all of this takes on their families. Spouses suffer with loneliness and children are often missing a parent for months and even years at a time. The stress and strain of it all must be an incredible burden to bear.
Fort Hood is a huge operation - more than 50,000 people in this military community and base. The signs of stress are everywhere. One sad reality is that so far this year there have been numerous suicides at Fort Hood. Our military families need support, encouragement, mental health care, and spiritual direction - I can only imagine the difficultly that they face. I have them on my daily prayer list.
When my Dad was drafted into the Army during WWII he was already 24 years old and had two kids and one on the way. No one wanted to go into the service less than my Dad, but he answered the call to duty and gave it his all. He was trained as a Medic and worked in a Military Hospital in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The hospital was in one of the large hotels that had been transformed into a medical facility during the war. I remember him telling me about all those boys coming back without legs, arms, eyes, and many more suffering from post-traumatic stress - many of his patients were put on suicide watch as soon as they checked into the facility. The stress was there in the 1940's just as it is in 2009. The strain on my Mother must have been unbelievable - a young Mom with two little girls and expecting the third child.
We owe these families more than just a nod of appreciation on Veterans Day - they need our daily prayers, our support, and our love. And when they get home, and God speed the day, we need to help them build good lives and healthy families.
A friend of mine has a Son and a Daughter in the Army - both are graduates of West Point - her Son has been to Iraq twice, the daughter will soon be in Afghanistan. Every day for this Mom is a prayer meeting - she and God talk daily, I know.
Let's join her in spending much time in prayer for these who give beyond the call of duty.
Just thinking, Steve
What we ask of our Military families is far beyond the call of duty - it is not just the multiple deployments to far away hostile places but the toll all of this takes on their families. Spouses suffer with loneliness and children are often missing a parent for months and even years at a time. The stress and strain of it all must be an incredible burden to bear.
Fort Hood is a huge operation - more than 50,000 people in this military community and base. The signs of stress are everywhere. One sad reality is that so far this year there have been numerous suicides at Fort Hood. Our military families need support, encouragement, mental health care, and spiritual direction - I can only imagine the difficultly that they face. I have them on my daily prayer list.
When my Dad was drafted into the Army during WWII he was already 24 years old and had two kids and one on the way. No one wanted to go into the service less than my Dad, but he answered the call to duty and gave it his all. He was trained as a Medic and worked in a Military Hospital in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The hospital was in one of the large hotels that had been transformed into a medical facility during the war. I remember him telling me about all those boys coming back without legs, arms, eyes, and many more suffering from post-traumatic stress - many of his patients were put on suicide watch as soon as they checked into the facility. The stress was there in the 1940's just as it is in 2009. The strain on my Mother must have been unbelievable - a young Mom with two little girls and expecting the third child.
We owe these families more than just a nod of appreciation on Veterans Day - they need our daily prayers, our support, and our love. And when they get home, and God speed the day, we need to help them build good lives and healthy families.
A friend of mine has a Son and a Daughter in the Army - both are graduates of West Point - her Son has been to Iraq twice, the daughter will soon be in Afghanistan. Every day for this Mom is a prayer meeting - she and God talk daily, I know.
Let's join her in spending much time in prayer for these who give beyond the call of duty.
Just thinking, Steve
Thursday, November 5, 2009
An Open Mind
One of the signs of getting older is to simply close your mind to anything new. As the years start to stack up, we tend to suffer from closed-mindedness.
A friend was telling me recently about growing up on a ranch in Oklahoma. His father raised cattle for years but one year he made the decision to start raising a new breed of cattle called a Beefmaster. In their area, most ranchers at the time raised white-faced cattle called Herefords. The Beefmaster calves were about the same size when born and were born with little difficulty and normally very healthy. The difference was that when they were taken to be sold at market they had grown at a faster rate and would weigh about 150 to 200 pounds more than other calves. One day after the sale, his Dad was telling another rancher about his success with the calves and how well he had done at the sale. The other old cowboy said, "Well, we get a better price for our Herefords." His Dad showed him the receipts that the price was the same, but that his calves were bigger. The old cowboy looked at the two receipts paused and then said, "I don't care if they do make more money - I still like the white-faced better."
This story is classic. Today the term used for such thinking is "resistance to a new paradigm" - meaning simply denial that something has shifted or changed. Sometimes because of fear or frustration or any number of things we just resist change - we close our mind.
I am fighting hard to not become an old geezer in my thinking - it is never easy to keep your mind open. I love being around people who challenge my thinking and present new ideas for me to work on.
Now if I can just find my keys, I am going to lunch. Where did I leave those keys?
Just thinking, Steve
A friend was telling me recently about growing up on a ranch in Oklahoma. His father raised cattle for years but one year he made the decision to start raising a new breed of cattle called a Beefmaster. In their area, most ranchers at the time raised white-faced cattle called Herefords. The Beefmaster calves were about the same size when born and were born with little difficulty and normally very healthy. The difference was that when they were taken to be sold at market they had grown at a faster rate and would weigh about 150 to 200 pounds more than other calves. One day after the sale, his Dad was telling another rancher about his success with the calves and how well he had done at the sale. The other old cowboy said, "Well, we get a better price for our Herefords." His Dad showed him the receipts that the price was the same, but that his calves were bigger. The old cowboy looked at the two receipts paused and then said, "I don't care if they do make more money - I still like the white-faced better."
This story is classic. Today the term used for such thinking is "resistance to a new paradigm" - meaning simply denial that something has shifted or changed. Sometimes because of fear or frustration or any number of things we just resist change - we close our mind.
I am fighting hard to not become an old geezer in my thinking - it is never easy to keep your mind open. I love being around people who challenge my thinking and present new ideas for me to work on.
Now if I can just find my keys, I am going to lunch. Where did I leave those keys?
Just thinking, Steve
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Too Many Treats
As a child there was nothing more amazing to me than the annual adventure of "Trick or Treating". The idea that I could go from house to house and simply say, "Trick or Treat" and these normally restrained adults would come to the front door and give me handfuls of candy and goodies until the grocery bag I was carrying would be completely full was almost beyond my understanding. It was crazy. I grew up with severe limitations on the amount of candy I was allowed to have but on this day, it was as if all the rules were suspended.
Thankfully this only comes around once a year - I would be a candy junky if this happened more often. Somehow even though I am not a child and have not gone "trick or treating" for quite some time, I still manage to eat a boatload of candy corn and chocolate during the last two weeks of October. I am eating too many treats. Get behind me, Candy Man!
Too much of anything can become a real problem in life - have you noticed? Work is a wonderful adventure, but too much will turn you into a "work-a-holic". Fitness is good for you - good for you physically and emotionally - but too much fitness can turn you into a fitness junky. Moderation is a word that has almost been lost to our manic way of life. We tend to be people who go overboard - busyness is the addiction of Western Culture. When I am busy, then I feel important and most of all, needed.
The word for moderation in the Bible is self-control. It is presented as evidence of maturity, both spiritual and emotional (Galatians 5:23; II Peter 1:6). Aristotle and Socrates both saw moderation of spirit as a sign of character and wisdom.
Around the corner and down the block from my house is a fellow who has lost all sense of moderation - he has huge inflatable bright orange pumpkins all over his front yard, along with orange lights strung all over his two story house. He has lost control. Next he will be decorating for Ground Hog Day and his house will be covered with hearts on Valentines! He needs a support group to attend to help him with this addiction to going overboard!
Just a few more days left until I can stop eating Candy Corn for another year - Thank goodness!
Just thinking, Steve
Thankfully this only comes around once a year - I would be a candy junky if this happened more often. Somehow even though I am not a child and have not gone "trick or treating" for quite some time, I still manage to eat a boatload of candy corn and chocolate during the last two weeks of October. I am eating too many treats. Get behind me, Candy Man!
Too much of anything can become a real problem in life - have you noticed? Work is a wonderful adventure, but too much will turn you into a "work-a-holic". Fitness is good for you - good for you physically and emotionally - but too much fitness can turn you into a fitness junky. Moderation is a word that has almost been lost to our manic way of life. We tend to be people who go overboard - busyness is the addiction of Western Culture. When I am busy, then I feel important and most of all, needed.
The word for moderation in the Bible is self-control. It is presented as evidence of maturity, both spiritual and emotional (Galatians 5:23; II Peter 1:6). Aristotle and Socrates both saw moderation of spirit as a sign of character and wisdom.
Around the corner and down the block from my house is a fellow who has lost all sense of moderation - he has huge inflatable bright orange pumpkins all over his front yard, along with orange lights strung all over his two story house. He has lost control. Next he will be decorating for Ground Hog Day and his house will be covered with hearts on Valentines! He needs a support group to attend to help him with this addiction to going overboard!
Just a few more days left until I can stop eating Candy Corn for another year - Thank goodness!
Just thinking, Steve
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Anger Danger
Why is everyone so angry? Everywhere I go I see people exploding in irrational outbursts of anger. Go to a High School football game and some of those guys who have not played football since 1965 are about to have a stroke because of the bad play of the team or the call of a football official. The guy on the freeway is ranting and raving at his fellow drivers for being such imbeciles - screaming obscenities and using sign language to communicate his disgust. A Mom is screaming at her child in the produce section of HEB, with steam coming out of her ears.
Anger is a genuine human emotion. We all get mad. But the way we express our anger says so much about us. You can also tell so much about a person by what makes them angry.
Jesus was angry but never with something done to him personally. He was angry with those who refused to help the hurting and used religion as their cover. (Mark 3:5) He was angry when greed set up shop in the temple, treating the poor with contempt and ruining a place for prayer. (Mark 11:15-17) When people did things to offend Jesus and hurt him he never responded in anger.
There is the line in the Bible: "In your anger, do not sin." (Ephesians 4:26) This is actually a quote from Psalm 4:4 which Paul borrowed for his discussion of how to handle our anger. Paul basically says don't let your anger "brew" - get it processed soon, before it becomes too hot to handle.
Anger like all our emotions has its place but it also has its dangers. People get crushed by anger and often it will take years to recover from it. One friend told me of how his Father's anger gave him recurring nightmares that still haunt his nights even as an adult and even after his Father's death.
One line from the Bible says to be "slow to become angry" - don't have a short fuse. It goes on to say that human "anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James 1:19-20)
One thing that truly helps me with anger is to see others with compassion not with a desire to get even. There are people I disagree with, those who seem so insensitive and unkind - when I am around them I try to imagine what might be going on in their life. Perhaps they have financial problems, or marital difficulties or maybe they have suffered a recent loss, perhaps someone always reacted in anger toward them - I redouble my effort to treat them with respect and genuine kindness.
Instead of getting so mad about all the mad people why not become more patient, a better listener - be a person of grace, it may be just what they need to help them change the way they deal with their anger.
Just thinking, Steve
Anger is a genuine human emotion. We all get mad. But the way we express our anger says so much about us. You can also tell so much about a person by what makes them angry.
Jesus was angry but never with something done to him personally. He was angry with those who refused to help the hurting and used religion as their cover. (Mark 3:5) He was angry when greed set up shop in the temple, treating the poor with contempt and ruining a place for prayer. (Mark 11:15-17) When people did things to offend Jesus and hurt him he never responded in anger.
There is the line in the Bible: "In your anger, do not sin." (Ephesians 4:26) This is actually a quote from Psalm 4:4 which Paul borrowed for his discussion of how to handle our anger. Paul basically says don't let your anger "brew" - get it processed soon, before it becomes too hot to handle.
Anger like all our emotions has its place but it also has its dangers. People get crushed by anger and often it will take years to recover from it. One friend told me of how his Father's anger gave him recurring nightmares that still haunt his nights even as an adult and even after his Father's death.
One line from the Bible says to be "slow to become angry" - don't have a short fuse. It goes on to say that human "anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James 1:19-20)
One thing that truly helps me with anger is to see others with compassion not with a desire to get even. There are people I disagree with, those who seem so insensitive and unkind - when I am around them I try to imagine what might be going on in their life. Perhaps they have financial problems, or marital difficulties or maybe they have suffered a recent loss, perhaps someone always reacted in anger toward them - I redouble my effort to treat them with respect and genuine kindness.
Instead of getting so mad about all the mad people why not become more patient, a better listener - be a person of grace, it may be just what they need to help them change the way they deal with their anger.
Just thinking, Steve
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
More Than a Genius Bar
Recently my I-Pod Nano quit working. I had just finished a long run listening to my favorite music as I cruised along. I tried everything to make it work. I hooked it up to my PC and reloaded all my favorite tunes, which turned out to be about 1500 songs. I charged the battery and thought it would be fine. Nothing.
I went online to find out about service for my I-Pod and found out that I just needed to go to the Apple store and visit the "Genius Bar". So I made my appointment and arrived to see my name on the big screen just above the Genius Bar. I looked around in this strange place and there were nerds everywhere. I have never felt so out of place and nervous. I was sure that the Geek at the counter would ask me all kinds of technical questions and I would stand there like a dunce.
To my delight and surprise, the guy who helped me spoke my language. And within minutes, I had a bright blue I-Pod Nano in my hand and I was on my way.
I have to say my visit to the Genius Bar made me think. What I wanted was a quick and easy solution to my problem and that is what I received. Honestly, I don't work for Apple and have no real knowledge of the company other than I have an I-Pod and I love to listen to music. But they are on to something - people want simple, easy solutions to their problems. I am sure it does not always work this smooth.
The problem with life is that most of our real problems can not be solved in a few minutes at some kind of spiritual "Genius Bar". Oh, I wish it would work that way - but it doesn't.
I read recently about a remarkable woman who is today a successful educator, writer, loving Mom, Grandmother and devoted spouse. When she was a child she worshipped her Father, thinking he was the spitting image of the Lord God Almighty. He turned out to be a horrible person. He abused her without mercy, making her feel she deserved it. He had countless affairs and treated her Mom like property. She admitted that it took her 20 years of her adult life to feel whole again after this pain and to move on to the rich and wonderful life she now enjoys. There was no "Genius Bar" that she could step up to get a quick fix. But through faith, love, and the support of people who believed in her she now lives free of the baggage of her painful past.
Her story inspires me and reminds me that even though real problems take time to solve the real solution is worth the effort.
Just thinking, Steve
I went online to find out about service for my I-Pod and found out that I just needed to go to the Apple store and visit the "Genius Bar". So I made my appointment and arrived to see my name on the big screen just above the Genius Bar. I looked around in this strange place and there were nerds everywhere. I have never felt so out of place and nervous. I was sure that the Geek at the counter would ask me all kinds of technical questions and I would stand there like a dunce.
To my delight and surprise, the guy who helped me spoke my language. And within minutes, I had a bright blue I-Pod Nano in my hand and I was on my way.
I have to say my visit to the Genius Bar made me think. What I wanted was a quick and easy solution to my problem and that is what I received. Honestly, I don't work for Apple and have no real knowledge of the company other than I have an I-Pod and I love to listen to music. But they are on to something - people want simple, easy solutions to their problems. I am sure it does not always work this smooth.
The problem with life is that most of our real problems can not be solved in a few minutes at some kind of spiritual "Genius Bar". Oh, I wish it would work that way - but it doesn't.
I read recently about a remarkable woman who is today a successful educator, writer, loving Mom, Grandmother and devoted spouse. When she was a child she worshipped her Father, thinking he was the spitting image of the Lord God Almighty. He turned out to be a horrible person. He abused her without mercy, making her feel she deserved it. He had countless affairs and treated her Mom like property. She admitted that it took her 20 years of her adult life to feel whole again after this pain and to move on to the rich and wonderful life she now enjoys. There was no "Genius Bar" that she could step up to get a quick fix. But through faith, love, and the support of people who believed in her she now lives free of the baggage of her painful past.
Her story inspires me and reminds me that even though real problems take time to solve the real solution is worth the effort.
Just thinking, Steve
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