I love to laugh. It is good medicine. In fact, I believe that it is one of the most readily available ways to "be healed" from a tough day, a hard week, or even a difficult year.
One of the things that I have noticed is that when I try to be funny, I am usually not. There is a kind of natural humor that comes with just being transparent and honest. When I am not concerned about protecting my ego I find that humor is a blessing to me and to others. Canned jokes often go over like a lead balloon but a story that reveals my humanity and presents the joy of living life with family and friends who love you, even when you look foolish, is received with big smiles and often genuine laughter.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, "Joy is the serious business of heaven." I love that line.
There are things that you can talk about that are very serious and important matters, that are communicated much more effectively when presented in partnership with humor.
I have watched people burst out in joyous laughter and a few minutes later they are so touched by something serious that tears flow down their cheeks.
I love the scenes in Genesis where Abraham and Sarah laughed when God told them they would have a baby. They were both old and beyond the normal years of having kids. It was a moment of serious humor - who would not laugh at such an idea! At the same time, they were called to trust God in a way that was truly amazing and they did! (Gen. 17:17; 18:11-15)
Thank God for the gift of laughter - gracious humor - that can help us deal with some of the most serious things of living.
Just thinking and laughing, Steve
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
I Like People!
We laugh in my line of work and say that this job would be easy - a piece of cake - if it wasn't for people! The truth is I really like people. This job would be boring with out people and it is certainly not boring!
People are amazing! They deal with the most complicated lives, families, jobs, and situations and many of them keep a smile on their face.
People are surprising! I keep experiencing things with people that I could have never imagined. Just about the time I have decided I have seen it all and heard it all, a human being will do something so surprising.
People are mysterious! I know people who live the most mysterious lives imaginable. They work at jobs that even when they explain what they do, I still do not really know what they do. I know a guy who commutes to work over 200 miles each day, four days a week. Six plus hours in a car every day - wow, that is something that is beyond understanding to me. (My commute is 10 minutes each way.)
People are durable! My father was one of the kindest guys you could ever have met but he was so tough. He could endure things that seemed so daunting to me. Work three jobs at a time, caring for his dear ailing wife for years without one complaint, and giving people a second chance, time and time again!
Give me people - all kinds, all so interesting, challenging, and spectacular!
In the Psalms there is the line about human beings;
"You made humans a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor." Psalm 8:5
C. S. Lewis commented that we should be careful when we meet a person because there is the potential, because of God's design, for true greatness - the kind that would take our breath away if we could see all that will come of their life.
Enjoy people - welcome them into your life and get ready for something truly amazing!
Just thinking, Steve
People are amazing! They deal with the most complicated lives, families, jobs, and situations and many of them keep a smile on their face.
People are surprising! I keep experiencing things with people that I could have never imagined. Just about the time I have decided I have seen it all and heard it all, a human being will do something so surprising.
People are mysterious! I know people who live the most mysterious lives imaginable. They work at jobs that even when they explain what they do, I still do not really know what they do. I know a guy who commutes to work over 200 miles each day, four days a week. Six plus hours in a car every day - wow, that is something that is beyond understanding to me. (My commute is 10 minutes each way.)
People are durable! My father was one of the kindest guys you could ever have met but he was so tough. He could endure things that seemed so daunting to me. Work three jobs at a time, caring for his dear ailing wife for years without one complaint, and giving people a second chance, time and time again!
Give me people - all kinds, all so interesting, challenging, and spectacular!
In the Psalms there is the line about human beings;
"You made humans a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor." Psalm 8:5
C. S. Lewis commented that we should be careful when we meet a person because there is the potential, because of God's design, for true greatness - the kind that would take our breath away if we could see all that will come of their life.
Enjoy people - welcome them into your life and get ready for something truly amazing!
Just thinking, Steve
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hot Sauce
I could eat Mexican food everyday. I love spicy, tasty food. I love to try a new salsa, hot sauce or spicy dish. I want my taste buds to get a jolt.
In general, I do not like to live a bland and boring life. I want to try new things, explore new ideas, and read things that give me a jolt.
One of the problems people often point out about religion is that it tends to be boring. I confess that this has often been true. Institutional religion becomes so preoccupied with maintaining the status quo that it loses its vitality and sense of mission and purpose.
A genuine contrast to the bland, boring religion that we get so exasperated with is the life and times of Jesus. Jesus was anything but bland and boring. His greatest opponents were always the religious authorities and establishment because he did not follow the traditions of the established religion. In fact, he openly challenged their practices and became a focal point for their anger. The amazing thing is that modern Christianity has so "tamed" Jesus that we have made him boring. This really breaks my heart and I fight against at every turn.
I believe we need to rediscover the real Jesus. Religion has often been an ugly thing in our world - Jesus, on the other hand, is universally seen as a remarkable teacher, visionary and an example of a person who put his words into practice. Many people are drawn to Jesus and repelled by organized religion - why is that?
Part of the reason is that churches spend far too much time trying to protect their "interest" rather than shape their ministry and their message through an ongoing relationship with Jesus.
I have been spending hours each week just reading and reflecting on the life and the ministry of Jesus and it is often shocking! Jesus is one "spicy" person - he will challenge your thinking, your lifestyle, your values and leave your breathless. To be sure, it is exciting and often scary!
I hope you will give it try - get to know the real Jesus. He is never bland or boring and he will call you to a new life lived for the sake of others. (Read one of the gospels from the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke or John - I think you will be surprised at the Jesus you encounter.)
Just thinking, Steve
In general, I do not like to live a bland and boring life. I want to try new things, explore new ideas, and read things that give me a jolt.
One of the problems people often point out about religion is that it tends to be boring. I confess that this has often been true. Institutional religion becomes so preoccupied with maintaining the status quo that it loses its vitality and sense of mission and purpose.
A genuine contrast to the bland, boring religion that we get so exasperated with is the life and times of Jesus. Jesus was anything but bland and boring. His greatest opponents were always the religious authorities and establishment because he did not follow the traditions of the established religion. In fact, he openly challenged their practices and became a focal point for their anger. The amazing thing is that modern Christianity has so "tamed" Jesus that we have made him boring. This really breaks my heart and I fight against at every turn.
I believe we need to rediscover the real Jesus. Religion has often been an ugly thing in our world - Jesus, on the other hand, is universally seen as a remarkable teacher, visionary and an example of a person who put his words into practice. Many people are drawn to Jesus and repelled by organized religion - why is that?
Part of the reason is that churches spend far too much time trying to protect their "interest" rather than shape their ministry and their message through an ongoing relationship with Jesus.
I have been spending hours each week just reading and reflecting on the life and the ministry of Jesus and it is often shocking! Jesus is one "spicy" person - he will challenge your thinking, your lifestyle, your values and leave your breathless. To be sure, it is exciting and often scary!
I hope you will give it try - get to know the real Jesus. He is never bland or boring and he will call you to a new life lived for the sake of others. (Read one of the gospels from the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke or John - I think you will be surprised at the Jesus you encounter.)
Just thinking, Steve
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Time to Think
I just returned this week from a brief sabbatical designed to allow time for quiet, reflection, study, meditation, preparation, prayer and thinking. I did a lot of thinking.
There is a statement from one of the greatest thinkers, Albert Einstein, that captures the challenge of good thinking. Einstein said, "We cannot resolve problems by using the same thinking that created those problems." So true.
We say things like "Think outside the box" to try to get at this idea of new and creative thinking. I reflected on Jesus as a great thinker. The results of his life demonstrate that he was a truly creative thinker. For example, his disciples were having an arguement about which one of them was the greatest. (Matthew 20:20-28) Jesus response to this kind of thinking was to say this is the way the world thinks but there is a better way - to think soberly about ourselves - with humility. We don't promote ourselves as powerful and all knowing, we choose to think and act like a servant. This Jesus says is the way to true greatness.
This is creative, out of the box, thinking. In a world of self-promotion, preoccupied with gaining power, control, and dominance this is a dramatically different way to think and live.
I want to think deeply - to mediatate on things day and night for a while before I take action. Often it is days into thinking and meditating on something that clarity about a good way to respond comes. For sure, good thinking should lead to good actions that solve problems and help others solve problems.
I recalled that once Jesus' disciples came to him and said we have this huge crowd of people and they are hungry and we need to send them away so they can find food. Jesus said no. Do something - find a solution - don't ignore the problem. (Luke 9:12ff.) This is bold thinking and acting.
I read recently about an avid runner who came up with an idea to help people who did not have shoes. He starting asking fellow runners to donate their slightly worn running shoes to the cause. The first year he collected and gave away 500 pair of shoes - more recently he collected 5000 and gave them all away. He came up with a creative way to help rather than not think about it.
So as I close with my "tradtional" way of closing my blog each time, I am still ....
Just thinking, (but hoping and praying to be a better thinker with each passing day)
Steve
There is a statement from one of the greatest thinkers, Albert Einstein, that captures the challenge of good thinking. Einstein said, "We cannot resolve problems by using the same thinking that created those problems." So true.
We say things like "Think outside the box" to try to get at this idea of new and creative thinking. I reflected on Jesus as a great thinker. The results of his life demonstrate that he was a truly creative thinker. For example, his disciples were having an arguement about which one of them was the greatest. (Matthew 20:20-28) Jesus response to this kind of thinking was to say this is the way the world thinks but there is a better way - to think soberly about ourselves - with humility. We don't promote ourselves as powerful and all knowing, we choose to think and act like a servant. This Jesus says is the way to true greatness.
This is creative, out of the box, thinking. In a world of self-promotion, preoccupied with gaining power, control, and dominance this is a dramatically different way to think and live.
I want to think deeply - to mediatate on things day and night for a while before I take action. Often it is days into thinking and meditating on something that clarity about a good way to respond comes. For sure, good thinking should lead to good actions that solve problems and help others solve problems.
I recalled that once Jesus' disciples came to him and said we have this huge crowd of people and they are hungry and we need to send them away so they can find food. Jesus said no. Do something - find a solution - don't ignore the problem. (Luke 9:12ff.) This is bold thinking and acting.
I read recently about an avid runner who came up with an idea to help people who did not have shoes. He starting asking fellow runners to donate their slightly worn running shoes to the cause. The first year he collected and gave away 500 pair of shoes - more recently he collected 5000 and gave them all away. He came up with a creative way to help rather than not think about it.
So as I close with my "tradtional" way of closing my blog each time, I am still ....
Just thinking, (but hoping and praying to be a better thinker with each passing day)
Steve
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
What You Know
I admit it - there are plenty of things that I do not know. I love learning and discovering new things. One of the ways I do that is to hang out with my Grand kids - Ella, my almost 9 year old Granddaughter, is a storehouse of information and knowledge. We often say in our family that if we don't know the answer we just "Ella it" (not Google it). She often knows the answer - for example, when I asked her about a "sloth", she asked "Do you mean a two toed sloth or a three toed sloth?" Silly me I thought they all had five toes! My Grandson, Owen, is an expert on cars - he has hundreds of Hotwheel cars and can show you and tell you the unique features of each. I often say "Wow!" when he shows me something that I did not know.
So, as you can see, I don't know everything. But I do know many things and I have learned that it is helpful to others to live from the foundation of what you do know.
I know that honesty and integrity are essential to a good life. I know that commitment is the glue that holds my deepest relationships together. I know that hard work and sacrifice are their own reward. I know that love and forgiveness are critical to daily living. I know that I live daily by the grace of God.
People are always asking me questions about things that trouble them or they don't understand. I consider those questions very seriously. When I attempt to answer, I do it from the foundation of what I know, not from what I don't know. Sometimes I will mention a favorite scripture that has spoken to me on the subject or share an experience where I learned how to cope with what they are facing -- sometimes my answer is to ask if I could pray for them. All these responses come from my place of "knowing".
What we know is a powerful anchor for our daily lives - rather than focusing on what we do not know, I find that what I know is a rich resource for me and others.
Jesus is described as living from the foundation of knowing - he knew that he had come from God the Father and he knew that we would return to the Father and he also knew that God would grant him great power to make a difference in the world. (Read John 13) Then from that knowledge he acted - he lived. Which included taking the role of a servant and washing his disciples feet - he could do that because of his foundation of knowledge.
So take what you know and act out of what you know and be a blessing!
Just thinking, Steve
So, as you can see, I don't know everything. But I do know many things and I have learned that it is helpful to others to live from the foundation of what you do know.
I know that honesty and integrity are essential to a good life. I know that commitment is the glue that holds my deepest relationships together. I know that hard work and sacrifice are their own reward. I know that love and forgiveness are critical to daily living. I know that I live daily by the grace of God.
People are always asking me questions about things that trouble them or they don't understand. I consider those questions very seriously. When I attempt to answer, I do it from the foundation of what I know, not from what I don't know. Sometimes I will mention a favorite scripture that has spoken to me on the subject or share an experience where I learned how to cope with what they are facing -- sometimes my answer is to ask if I could pray for them. All these responses come from my place of "knowing".
What we know is a powerful anchor for our daily lives - rather than focusing on what we do not know, I find that what I know is a rich resource for me and others.
Jesus is described as living from the foundation of knowing - he knew that he had come from God the Father and he knew that we would return to the Father and he also knew that God would grant him great power to make a difference in the world. (Read John 13) Then from that knowledge he acted - he lived. Which included taking the role of a servant and washing his disciples feet - he could do that because of his foundation of knowledge.
So take what you know and act out of what you know and be a blessing!
Just thinking, Steve
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Alone
Did you see the story about the guy in a little town in Wyoming who is the only resident of the town? The population number on the sign is 1. He is also the Mayor - he won by one vote. He owns the only gas station, only grocery store, and general store in town.
Just one. There have been several towns that have claimed a population of one over the years - one town in Maine, one town in New Hampshire, and another in Indiana. One of those towns had a 300 percent increase in the latest census - they now have 3 people in town. People are beginning to complain about the rapid growth and the crowding.
While it is quite a novelty to live in a town with a population of one, how can you call it a town? A town is where people live - where they work together, worship together, and even argue on occasion. We were designed by our creator for community not for isolation.
There are times when I want to be alone. Time for quiet, reflection and to unwind but being "alone" most of the time by choice seems rather strange and unhealthy.
As difficult as it can be to live in community with others, it is the place where our faith, our love, and respect for others is demonstrated. We need each other.
The one another calls of Christian faith are numerous: Love one another, serve one another, encourage one another, forgive one another, and many more. Each one is a reminder that we are not alone and that we have a responsibility to care for one another.
We are designed for mutual love, fellowship, and care for each other - where 2 or 3 are gathered together God is present and at work.
Just thinking, Steve
Just one. There have been several towns that have claimed a population of one over the years - one town in Maine, one town in New Hampshire, and another in Indiana. One of those towns had a 300 percent increase in the latest census - they now have 3 people in town. People are beginning to complain about the rapid growth and the crowding.
While it is quite a novelty to live in a town with a population of one, how can you call it a town? A town is where people live - where they work together, worship together, and even argue on occasion. We were designed by our creator for community not for isolation.
There are times when I want to be alone. Time for quiet, reflection and to unwind but being "alone" most of the time by choice seems rather strange and unhealthy.
As difficult as it can be to live in community with others, it is the place where our faith, our love, and respect for others is demonstrated. We need each other.
The one another calls of Christian faith are numerous: Love one another, serve one another, encourage one another, forgive one another, and many more. Each one is a reminder that we are not alone and that we have a responsibility to care for one another.
We are designed for mutual love, fellowship, and care for each other - where 2 or 3 are gathered together God is present and at work.
Just thinking, Steve
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Best Rest
Like many of you, I have had a very busy week. Last night when I crawled into bed I was aching tired. I slept all night without stirring a single time. Long days and late nights make any of us tired. My life is not like that all the time but sometimes it is.
There are different kinds of fatigue. Staying at the hospital with a sick family member is about as exhausting as anything that I have ever done. I remember how tired I was when I played High School football and we would do those August "two-a-days" - grueling work outs that lasted for hours in the blazing heat. That was a deep, bone tired, with sore muscles and the dread of the next day lurking just around the corner. Waiting up for your daughter to come in from her Prom night is brutal and then when she arrives home safely you are so tired and wound tight you cannot sleep.
A good nights rest is wonderful. It does help to recharge us but sometimes we need to find rest for our souls and our psyche. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ...you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)
An old hymn from my childhood has echoed in my head lately:
Peace, perfect peace,
By thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus---
This is rest.
There is a rest - a soul rest - peace, perfect peace that comes from just doing what Jesus has called us to do. Even when we are physically exhausted this kind of rest is the best.
Rest for your soul...so good.
Just thinking, (and resting)
Steve
There are different kinds of fatigue. Staying at the hospital with a sick family member is about as exhausting as anything that I have ever done. I remember how tired I was when I played High School football and we would do those August "two-a-days" - grueling work outs that lasted for hours in the blazing heat. That was a deep, bone tired, with sore muscles and the dread of the next day lurking just around the corner. Waiting up for your daughter to come in from her Prom night is brutal and then when she arrives home safely you are so tired and wound tight you cannot sleep.
A good nights rest is wonderful. It does help to recharge us but sometimes we need to find rest for our souls and our psyche. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ...you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)
An old hymn from my childhood has echoed in my head lately:
Peace, perfect peace,
By thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus---
This is rest.
There is a rest - a soul rest - peace, perfect peace that comes from just doing what Jesus has called us to do. Even when we are physically exhausted this kind of rest is the best.
Rest for your soul...so good.
Just thinking, (and resting)
Steve
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