Wanderings

Wanderings

Yearly Archive: 2008

Wanderings > 2008

Freedom

July 9, 2008 News

Something we all participate in, but many refuse to believe that it exists. Yet, the protestors fail to realize that what allows them to protest is “freedom”.

Nowadays, we don’t hear much about “repression” and “slavery”, and is seems that when we do, it is usually the past acts of “some people”. People lose their freedoms everyday – some at the hands or practices of others, or just based on what they do themselves.

Some of the lost freedoms remind me of kids complaining about how their parents or teachers “punished” them by not letting them participate in something. Too bad that they did not get the message that if they had done the right thing, they would not be punished.

It seems that we are trained well in how to blame others for what happens to us. Kind of reminds me of the guy who rolled his car off the side of the road (while being pursued at high speed by the Highway Patrol), and then wanted to sue the County for not maintaining the road! It was like he contributed nothing to the accident – speed, alcohol or recklessness.

My life is under my control (unless someone else drugs me), and therefore what I do is what I do. Doing the right thing is not always easy, but all we have to do it stop and think a minute. Take time to see the light shining on the path you should take. Or…I could stumble around in the prison of darkness.

Swim, Swam, Swum

June 30, 2008 Faith

Kinda reminds me of being in english class, and having to say the words correctly for each tense of the world. Also, like the Greek classes in college – only there, we had more tenses (tension too) for words. Wasn’t enough to remember past, present and future. We had “perfect”, “future perfect”, etc. Enough to make some of us a little anxious when it came to completing our greek homework.

Connected with an old college-mate who is now President of Fuller Seminary. As we were talking, we reminisced about Henk who was not taking greek, but could sight-read like it was his native tongue. When we would get stuck, we’d look for Henk to find out what those words really meant in English. To top it off, Henk’s native tongue was Dutch, so he was reading Greek and translating it to English that we could understand.

We found out rather quickly that he had learned Greek while in high school in Holland – kind of like our high schoolers taking French or Spanish.

What made me think of swimming was watching the Olympic Trials last night. Then on the news, to hear that there were people complaining that the new swim suits (more like body suits) were helping the swimmers. Sorry, but I don’t think that one of those suits would make me swim faster than I do now. My way of thinking says that practice and exercise will eventually help me get faster. True, the suit may shave seconds and milliseconds off my time, but the suit is not what does the swimming!

Don’t worry, I’m not going out for the 2012 Olympic Team. Maybe a little work or muscle-building and endurance would help, but the suit does not do it! (Remember the Jackie Chan movie?)

This is also like what John says in the middle of 1 John 2 (verses 12-14). In effect, you get better because you have learned from life, how to live. As we practice how we ought to live, we get better. So, keep practicing the “right way”, and it will become the “way” you live. That kinda means I have to keep reading His directions so I keep walking in the light…

Fires Rage On

June 27, 2008 General

Seems that CalFire (California Department of ?something?) is working as hard as they can, but the fires burn on. Mostly, it’s a case of more fires than firefighters. Right now, they say that there are over 1000 fires burning – some in totally inaccessible places. Fires started by some of the hundreds of lightning strikes last week.

With more thunderstorms predicted in the next couple of days, look for more fires.

With the fires, comes smoke and soot. From our house, walking outside gets us a good smell of the fires – wherever they might be raging. Haven’t checked the cars or other outside stuff for soot remnants, but in some communities, there’s lots of it.

Maybe what “we the people” need is a lightning strike in our lives to get a fire burning about doing the right things in life. Whether it’s in dealings with our spouse, co-workers, employeer or our customers – there are ways of doing things that “help”, and ways that “hurt”. When we do the “right” thing it usually helps or builds up the relationship.

I know, doing the “right” thing is not easy. In fact, just by human nature, doing the wrong or hurtful thing is a lot easier. Saying kind or helpful words is hard – “they” might not be kind or helpful back so “why should I waste my breath?” On top of that, it’s sure a lot easier to see their mistakes and let them know they did the wrong thing, or did it the wrong way.

Pray for a lightning-like strike – it’ll make you burn with desire to “do good.”

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