A beautiful West Texas morning was in the offing. As I pulled into my regular spot I noticed them. Ten, fifteen, maybe twenty reddish somethings were scattered around the parking lot. With the winds of spring, my first thought was that some flowering plant had been forced to give up its blossoms and that this [...]
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
For some time, I’ve wanted to have a website dedicated to ideas about conflict resolution and peacemaking. Well that site, PeaceBytes, is now online. There’s not much there at the moment — I’ve spent bits and pieces of today just getting the site operational. But if you’d like to go and take a look, go [...]
Friday, December 30, 2011
I’m intrigued with what’s happening in Samoa today . . . or perhaps tomorrow. As you probably know, the Samoan government decided to skip across the international dateline this year. So, by government decree, December 30th, was outlawed this year. Thus, today, in Samoa is actually tomorrow, December 31st. What would it be like to [...]
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Holiday Tradition (click to hear an audio preview of this post) I knew better. But I had a cup of coffee that I didn’t want to leave in the car. And this was my traditional trek to Wal-Mart to work the Christmas magic that only I can in finding semi-useful, yet unique, items for stockings. Despite [...]
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Time zones were about to shift two hours. I had three hours of flying, an hour grabbing my bag and a rent car, and another hour’s drive ahead of me. I would be teaching class tonight in Malibu. Having made this same trip 2 weeks ago, my expectations were pretty clear. So, rather than settle [...]
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Tune-ups and foul-ups . . . not necessarily in that order. For months I have been telling myself that I needed to improve some things about my website. For example: I should write more. (Granted, some readers won’t see this as a tune-up.) I should encourage my readers to subscribe to my website by email [...]
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
A little over a year ago, a small white car rocketed into a busy intersection. Several laws of physics were triggered as that vehicle attempted to occupy the same space as my own. At least, that’s what I was told. I don’t remember the collision, never saw the white car or its driver, and the [...]
Sunday, April 17, 2011
I was four hours early for my flight out of Denver. I was hoping that there would be an extra seat on the three flights that would leave prior to my 11:20 a.m. boarding time. The ticket agent laughed when I floated the idea to him. The first of those three had already been canceled [...]
Friday, February 4, 2011
A recent trip to the local doc-in-the-box found me well-prepared for a longer than usual wait. It was the flu season and a Friday, so I expected to be crammed into a reception area that was standing-room only. And, I was not disappointed. Fortunately for me, a chair opened up just as I finished registering. [...]
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Fragments of intensified light burst on his every turn. His costume – made for the spotlight – took every advantage of the barrage. His song was well-chosen. It suited his voice and his look. The audience surged with his presentation. Clearly, the singer was magnificent. Yet, as impressive as his vocal performance, I found my [...]
Hope seen . . . slowly softens the crust of worry. Hope celebrated . . . melts worry away. Melted worry is the compost that feeds faith and destiny.
An abundant life is not one free from worry, but one filled with hope.
Have you ever been in a really big hurry?
Have you ever been in a really big hurry . . . and everything seems to go wrong?
You drop your keys just as you get to the door. You leave your phone on the nightstand. You hit “reply to all” on the email that should have gone to one discreet individual. You can’t seem to hit the trash can with that one wad of paper. You find yourself face-to-face with the one person you don’t “really have time to deal with.”
Frustration builds inside. Anger, dismay, and depression grow like grass in a flower bed. What can you do? What is the most effective action step for the moment.
Slow down.
That’s it. Slow down. Take a breath. Whisper a prayer. Hum a song.
Slowing down allows tension to melt away. Slowing down allows your emotions to moderate. Slowing down allows you to gain control . . . by easing your grip.
So, slow down . . .
“Constantly Pleasant.”
That’s how she was described. Not a person attending the memorial service would have disagreed.
As I sat and listened to the accomplishments of this remarkable person, I was somewhat awestruck by the thought that I had been blessed to know an individual who touched so many and did so much . . . while being constantly pleasant.
What if I could become constantly pleasant? What would that change? How would I change?
Thanks, Colleen. For being constantly pleasant. It’s just one of many ways that God shone through you.
If you’ll just let go, your hands will be free to . . .
If you’ll let go . . . empty your hands of things and your heart of worries . . . you’ll be delighted with what you find in those sacred hollows.
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Friday, May 11, 2012
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