Saturday, February 28, 2009

Reflection

One of the books I am reading this week is The Story of a Soul; A New Translation of the Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux.

Two passages seemed to catch my eye, and give me pause to think.

First, on page 151: "It seems hard to lend, hoping to receive nothing; it is much easier to give outright, for once we have given anything away, it no longer belongs to us."

The simplicity of this statement really encouraged me. Some of the most bitter relationships I have had, and have heard about over the years have been because of loaning something to someone; this is especially true when it comes to money.

How freeing that can be, to have someone borrow something, and turning it loose, not knowing if it will ever come back again. Instead of wondering when it will come back, and getting agitated over it not coming back.

In my morning devotions, I am reading Growing Spiritually by E. Stanley Jones. He is currently speaking of resentments, and how debilitating they can become for us.

How quickly we may reduce our resentments by simply giving something away rather than "loaning" it. If we can afford to turn it over to the person to begin with perhaps it is better to just give it.

Secondly, on pages 164 and 165 I read: "The power of prayer is certainly wonderful. One might liken it to a queen who always has free access to the king and can obtain everything she asks.

"It is not necessary to read from a book beautiful prayers composed for our particular need before we can be heard."

"I have not the courage to make myself search for wonderful prayers in books; there are so many of them, and it gives me a headache. In any case, each one seems more beautiful than the one before. As I can't say all of them, and do not know which to choose, I just act like a child who can't read; I tell God, quite simply, all that I want to say, and He always understands

"Prayer, for me, is simply a raising of the heart, a simple glance towards Heaven, an expression of love and gratitude in the midst of trial as well as in times of joy; in a word, it is something noble and supernatural expanding my soul, and uniting it to God"

Wow! That says so much to my heart. Scripture tells us that God looks upon the heart and the intents of our thoughts.

The Isaacs' sing a song that simply says: He understands my tears.

"It's hard to believe He still loves me, knowing how wrong I've been.

"When all I can say is "I'm sorry, when all I can feel is my sin.

"He understands when all I can do is cry He feels the hurt that no one can see down inside.

"And when the words get in the way, I know He still hears, for He understands my tears.

"You may not believe that I'm broken, for all you can see is my smile

"Oh, but He hears the heart that's unspoken
and He gives me strength through each trial.

"He understands when all I can do is cry, He feels the hurt that no one can see down inside

"And when the words get in the way, I know He still hears, for He understands my tears."

Prayer is so much more than looking pious, and saying the correct words.

It even goes beyond asking for something I need.

Jesus said, that our Father knows what we need even before we do.

Seems to me, that we spend a lot of time worrying about a lot of things, when what is really important is being in a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

When this great nation was conceived, the thoughts of our forefathers was the freedom to love and serve God without any restrictions.

In the early years the villages and towns were constructed around the church edifice.

The teacher was generally the preacher, cuz he was the only one in town who had been educated.

In the navy, both ours and England's, the purser, or the person who kept the financial books was generally the parson, cuz he was the only one that had the education, and was trustworthy.

And look at us today, we are so worried about our mortgage, and having the right clothes and furniture, and we blatantly forget, or ignore God altogether.

We hear the fearful cry, that we cannot live in a theocracy. Sadly, living with God as our king, is more life giving than having a king who wants everything we have.

We generally believe that we want to live forever; or at least as long as it is possible.

I don't want to live here forever! I am looking forward to the day I step out of this life and back into heaven, and find loved ones there, and friends I have never known, who are of the same mind.

My baby died in 1967, and I have had a hole in my heart ever since...I am looking forward to seeing her, and holding her again.

The president of the United States, and the king of England, can never give me the peace of mind and heart that God can.

Why should I bow my knee to an earthly leader, when there is One who created me, and longs for me to be with Him for eternity?

What's up doc?

Sixteen bank failures this year?

Fed buying 40% of Citibank?

Here's an interesting thought...Some years ago I worked at Citibank, and while I was there, Citi bought some Bank of America credit card accounts.

So, I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and get an email offering me a Steelers branded credit card. Nothing in the email alludes to what company it is from; so, I clikk the link and start filling out the application.

Then I find a link that allows me to look into the parameters surrounding the card.

Well, shucky-durn, right there in black on white, is "Bank of America".

Funny, how that all works out!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Deja vu

"Our combat mission in iraq is finished."

B Hussein has announced that our "combat mission" in Iraq is finished. However...he is leaving fifty thousand non-combat troops in country.

Now, to my military mind, our non-combatant troops arrived in south Vietnam in 1954 to assist the French in training the South Vietnamese army. No combat troops were committed.

Remember 1965? When we really began sending combat troops over there?

Now, which President was in office in 1965?

Would you like a hint? He also expanded welfare beyond our wildest dreams.

Did you say LBJ(D)? Right-a-roony!

And when did we pull our troops (one and all) out of South Vietnam? 1972?

So, we are talking 12 years of combat mission as opposed to 11 years of non-combat mission.

And what happened in South Vietnam, after we bailed out?

Ahhh, you don't remember do you?

So, we are back again to those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to live it again.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Pieces of my mind...

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago.
Gone to graveyards everywhere;
when will it ever end, when will it ever end?

Clowns to the left of me;
Jokers to the right
Here I am stuck in the middle

Last week, one of the middle skool students on my buss, rhetorically asked "What is Communism?"

I don't know how much liberty I have as a buss driver, but as I thot about his question, I devised the idea of how to explain Communism to someone.

I begin by inviting the student to sweep out the buss every day for one week, for which I will pay him $200.

On Friday, after he finishes the sweeping duty, he asks for his payment.

I pull out $200 in five dollar bills, and proceed to give the other thirty-nine students on the buss a five dollar bill, ending up with giving him five dollars.

When he complains that he has done all the work; I explain to him that the other students need the money also, and it is only fair that they have what he has.

I explain that this is a good picture of socialism {From him according to his ability, to him according to his need}, and then state that when he complains about how unfair it is, Communism would either kill him or have him locked up in prison as a political prisoner.

Then to cement the idea, I would further explain, that once he is identified as a political prisoner, and he has a family, his wife would not be able to get employment, and his children would forfeit any and all state support. No skool, no medicine, no welfare.

Gee, how sweet it is...our gummint skools are teaching our chillun that it is better for the gummint to make decisions for us, rather than for us to be intellejunt and make our own decisions.

Save the whales and otters and dolphins, but kill the unborn babies.

Arrest Christians and turn murderers and rapists loose on society.

Ummmm, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it?

There is only one truth, and it cannot be denied. Man is not capable of creating a world like ours, and inversely is not capable of totally destroying sed world.

The Creator, has promised a day of judgment, that day will come whether we are ready or not. And we will not be judged by how we lived; but by what is in our heart, and the intents of our thoughts.

May God have mercy on us.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Kiosk And Cathedral

"Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the great English architect, had an extraordinary distinction. He designed Liverpool Cathedral and the street telephone kiosk! Vast grandeur and unadorned utility came from the same man.

No truly great man ever despises small things.
Giles Gilbert Scott gave his genius to a great modern cathedral, but was equally dedicated in producing a telephone kiosk.
How true this attitude of mind is of our Lord. Carpenter and Saviour! He who saved mankind hammered into shape yokes for the oxen.
To be faithful in little things is a great qualification for great tasks.
But isn't there another great truth here? I think so.

In a cathedral men talk to God: in a telephone kiosk, they talk to each other.
The man who is at variance with his brother can't be in fellowship with God. The man who is in fellowship with God will be in fellowship with his brother man.
The kiosk and the cathedral stand for communication between man with man and man with God. We cannot have one without the other.

Whatever we do, we must do it with our might. It is often easy to get people to do the public thing, and hard to find people to do the humble task.
But, in the service of God, there is no great and small, no important and unimportant.
Kiosk or cathedral - do it with all your might!"

Daily Celebration, William Barclay, Word Books Publisher, Waco, TX, 1972, pg 52-53