Injury update 20080131
This past Tuesday was my final follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon that repaired my torn Achilles tendon 17 weeks ago (October 2007). Physical therapy has paid off, so I’ve been released with a clean bill of health.
I am…
rehabilitated.
I still have to take things easy and not push getting back to the normal range of physical activities. So… in a few more months, it’s back to the normal routine of….
(stressful on the lower extremities though and sometimes a bit difficult to pull off in Oklahoma)
or
(whenever the joints don’t creak and groan)
and how about?…
(those landings might play havoc on the knees though!?!)
OK, none of the above activities that I proposed to return to are even remotely accurate. Thankfully though, throughout the injury, and recovery process, I was always able to…
Grace and peace be with you.
Whit, Werthers, Wal-Mart Raptors & Wallets
It’s funny how things can come full circle. About two weeks ago I left a reply over at Longing for a Holiday at Sea. The rundown is this: Lorraine had a post titled Sinning as I Post (and a Note For Those Among Us Who Are Divorced) (see the comment by Christopher), to which I responded in a half joking, sarcastic manner. Nothing negative between the two of us, just a few emails back and forth and some laughs. In the reply I explained to Lorraine that after consulting my pseudo “Sin Manual”, she needed to perform several “works” to atone for her sins, to include her un-Christ-like attitude toward the down and out old guy that she snubbed on the way into Wal-Mart. All of this was just playful banter mind you.
Sooo… last Friday where am I at after work? Yep, Wal-Mart; I have a can of sardines, half a gallon of milk/butter in the fridge, a loaf of bread that’s grown a green goatee, and something that I think was once meat!! My kids are coming over for the weekend and I need to get some vittles for the knuckleheads; however I decided to stop at Wally-World first versus picking them up from their mother’s house and then dragging them through the store with me.
So as as I’m walking from my Yota up to the storefront, I notice a 15 passenger van from one of the 300 churches in my town (+/- 3) in the parking lot. Now a year or so earlier, my radar would be on, as I diligently tried to scope out the location of the seekers of a donation, before they saw me or made eye contact; thus affording me the time to come up with an excuse lie to not give a “donation”. But hey, Jesus is working on my heart, I’m a changed man; my butt cheeks no longer clinch tight during Sunday offering, and if I feel so moved by the Holy Spirit to share/bless someone or an organization, I usually follow through. As I approach the entrance to Wal-Mart a gentleman from the church politely and kindly asks if I would like to donate to help out battered woman and children. I tell him that I have no cash on me, but would get some after shopping. As Kryptonite is to Superman, so there is my weakness! The other being a 2lb bag of Werthers Original.
Into Wal-Mart, I go, and about half way through the shopping spree I recall that I did in fact have $ on me from some T-Shirts that I had sold earlier! I’m all giddy now because I realized that the T-Shirts we’re fitting into a plan that the Lord had revealed to me in the latter part of last year. I’m so excited now and ready to go give this guy the money. So I make my way out of the store; searching for him, but he’s gone. Well, I’m a little disappointed now, and feel as though I missed an opportunity to witness a small piece of God’s plan at work. But I’m not too upset, because it’s not like I was deceitful, I had every intention of donating, I just wasn’t immediately aware that the source of the donation wasn’t out of my pocket, but rather out of one of my side gigs. So ends the day.
Saturday afternoon rolls around, and once again… I’m back at Wal-Mart!!!! Well, as I approach the store, the gentleman from the night before is there again. We exchange a few greetings, I leave a donation, then go into the store to get some vittles, for the knuckleheads and I. But wait….there’s more!!
So now I’m leaving the store, and another group of guys from another of the 300 (+/-3) churches in my town are outside “asking” for donations. I spied them earlier, so I’m in “Head-down” mode… to avoid eye contact. Well one of the seekers of donations “marks” me and approaches. He hits me with: “Hey big guy!, Why don’t you help us out!”CRINGE (I’m now reverting back to butt cheeks clinched mode by now). Well, I politely explain to him that I had already given to another cause, and I go about my way. However, I’m actually feeling a little steamed as the kids and I make our way back to the car, and all that I can reconcile, is that it’s not that my heart is in the wrong place as much as it is the way that I was approached, which turned me off. I felt like this guy was trying to make me feel obligated (guilty) to donate.
Since my kids we’re with me,I felt a need to explain them the difference in my actions regarding the two similar yet different situations, not for the sake of me giving them an excuse to make myself feel better, but merely to express that being a Christian does imply that we extend our blessings onto other, that we be good stewards of what God has given us, and that we be be mindful to be graciously willing to help out anyone that is less fortunate. See? I didn’t feel compelled, other than by the Holy Spirit to give in situation #1; because the gentleman approached me with the grace of an eagle, he seemed sincere in his mission, in situation #2 however it was an aversion, I felt as if though the guy was a vulture, hovering overhead to pick at my bones.
For the past few days this has nagged at me, partially because I knew that I would write about it, but had been putting it off and; because I didn’t know how or where to address this from a Scriptural perspective. This evening I found the answer to my question in 2nd Corinthians (I like the NIV wording a little more):
2nd Corinthians 9:6 (KJV)
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Bountiful
- Giving freely and generously; liberal.
- Marked by abundance; plentiful.
2nd Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Generous
- liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish: a generous patron of the arts; a generous gift.
- free from meanness or smallness of mind or character; magnanimous.
- large; abundant; ample: a generous portion of pie.
- rich or strong in flavor: a generous wine.
- fertile; prolific: generous soil.
Grace and peace be with you
The Parachuting Used Car Salesman
Filed under: Commentary, Journal, Scripture, Something to think about
At some time or another we all have probably engaged in some type of debate. What may have started out as conversation or discussion at some point simply has the potential to become a debate. Why? 
The truth of the matter is that we simply don’t all see eye to eye on everything; it’s true in politics, religion, Christianity, child rearing, and our sense of social justice, to name the few ideas that come to mind. Depending on the demeanor of a person or as I prefer to relate to; the Fruits of the Spirit (Galations 5:22-23) operating in one’s life, debates can end on a civil and respectful note, while differing or they can erupt into heated differences when the Fruits of the Spirit are absent.
This post however is not over the Fruits of the Spirit, it’s actually about what happens sometimes at the end of a debate or discussion and some related rambling(s). You know what I’m talking about… you and your “opponent” are sparring back and forth on a topic. They shoot you a jab, you counter. You’re on the defensive, shielding off the oral jabs that your “opponent” is throwing, you dodge, you bob, you weave. Uh oh, here comes a haymaker.. up with your dukes! You get a couple counter punches in here and there, maybe a body-shot to wind ‘em…. “Ooooh, that one had to hurt!” Now you got ‘em Crawdadding back into their corner. And then… nothing.
For all of the punches you land, nothing. You and your opponent walk out of the ring, a little bruised. And then the next day, you get to mentally replay the “fight”, and you realize that if you had said this or if you had bought up this point, maybe it would have been the landing “punch” to persuade your “opponent” to see things your way.
The analogy I gave was a cryptic recounting of my experience yesterday after presenting some facts to someone concerning Bible prophecy. That story is still developing and perhaps one day; God willing, I’ll be able to expand on it. Until then… on with the rest of the story.
So after merely presenting some facts, and making clear that my intention was just that, to give the facts. I found myself being witnessed to, at least that’s how I took it. Anywho… no big deal (The Holy Spirit & discernment are blessings!), I cautiously listened, or rather I heard the argument made, and watched for “holes” in the presentation. Now of course there comes the question & answer segment, where questions are proposed to me in the manner “Now having read that, doesn’t it make sense to you that the Bible does not teach or say _____ (insert your own take here).
Now some would say that when a Christian closes their mind to ideas, doctrine or something that’s counter to what they understand and what they believe, that they the Christian, are operating with a closed mind. I suppose that there is some truth to that argument, then again, I’m not sure that Scripture tells us that we are to have an “open mind”. By “open mind” ,I’m referring to, a broad world view sense of studying or rather using scripture with the mind only, versus studying Scripture with an open heart.
With an “open mind”, I’d be willing to bet that I could rationalize just about whatever I wanted to in Scripture, to make it fit my desires. Speaking of “open mindedness”, reminds me of the popular quote: “A mind is like a parachute, it’s only good when its open”
While in the military, I was in a Sports Parachute Club, & here’s what I learned one day about parachutes, as I watched a fellow jumper plow into a parked car on the Drop Zone at 30 MPH. That parachute was open and operating; but he failed to maintain control of his parachute, so he drifted into and collided with a hazard on the DZ.
1st Timothy 4:13-16 (KJV),
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
So having this event take place yesterday prompted a recollection, no.. actually I was in the shower when all of this hit me. So, I started to remember back to the lean day$, shortly after separating from the military.
I went into $ale$ for a while, first at Radio Shack (Hmm? That’s gonna be another post), then I had a friend from high school days that got me on with a local car dealership. I only lasted in that racket job for about six months. I was a terrible salesman!
Looking back at that experience, I now realize that I didn’t understand how to pro$per in that game, because it often required a certain finesse for creating your own truth to make the $ale. See part of the pitch is that you had to either appeal to the customer’s vanity or their sense of logic, all the while using circular “logic” tactics, to get the customer past the fact that they were paying $20,000 for a car (circa 1997). You had to move them out of the mind set that they were paying 20K, and have them focus instead, on only a $330 a month payment. What I knew going into the “main event”, what I left with still in my heart, and what I left for my “opponent” to consider was this: God can not be constrained to the limited mental faculties of man. The moment that your view of God becomes less than Him being exalted above all things, you risk creating your idol. Applying man’s logic in an effort to understand or explain God, does Him no glory; to which we are obligated to give unto Him.
1st Corinthians 1: 21-25 (KJV)
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Grace and peace be with you.
God’s Eternal Perspective - Blackaby Devotional
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2
Big assignments require big characters. God will give you a responsibility in proportion to the size of your character. In Bible times, a person’s name was to know what the person was like. That’s why God changed the name of some when He transformed their character.
For example, the Lord wanted to bless all the nations of the earth through Abram, yet Abram’s character was too weak for such a great task. God said He would make Abram’s name great so that He could make him a blessing to future generations. Then over the next twenty-five years, God developed Abraham’s character to match the name He had given him.
God sees your life from His eternal perspective. He will take whatever time is necessary to grow your character to match His assignment for you. If you have not received a divine commission lately, it may be that your character needs maturing. Are you impatient to begin your work before God has refined your character? A small character will fail in a large responsibility every time. Don’t be too hasty to get to the work. Character-building can be long and painful. It took twenty-five years before God entrusted Abraham with his first son and set in motion the establishment of the nation of Israel. Yet God was true to His word, and thousands of years later, people continue to be blessed by the account of Abraham’s life and by his descendant, Jesus.
How is God building your character? Do you sense He has a task for you that will require a far greater man or woman than you presently are? Will you yield to God as He works in your life to prepare for your next assignment?
Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day
Dog-Fight in Thessalonica
Late yesterday evening I took a spin around the usual neighborhood of blogs I’ve been visiting as of late; Jen over at WalkTwo has been busy on another project, so not too much new there. Anna at Hope Road, had a nice post on Christian Politics, that I recommend checking out.
Pistol Pete over at Necessary Therapy has had his ups and downs this past week, read Saturday’s post as well as the previous few days worth to get a better idea. Joe of Joe Tucker’s Weblog seems to be maintaining, even though he has a Thesis, a class, and a teaching gig hanging over him this semester. Then there’s Mark of Meanders, who seems to have had a similar mode of reflection, though I think he has a much better flair for expressing himself in his writing than yours truly.
I went through the pains of explaining all of this because I needed some “filler” material for the page. Ok, that’s not true. No… the initial “plan” was to just dive right into tonight’s post covering 1st Thessalonians 5:27, and the expanded meaning of “brethren”. (The gist of which is that; Paul wrote a letter to his “brethren”, both as a command I suppose but also to lift them up in their trying times [on a collective & an individual level])
As I prepped to hunt and peck away at the keyboard however, I realized the message from the meaning of “brethren” having been revealed via my little jog around the blog block. OK, maybe it’s not verbatim, just entertain me.
1st Thessalonians 5:27 (KJV)
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all brethren.
Summary of 1st Thessalonians: The recent converts from paganism we’re left with minimal support externally in the midst of persecution. Paul’s writings were to encourage the converts while in their trials and to keep them mindful to live godly lives, and to be persistent in the face of their trials.
- Ch 1 - Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
- Ch 2 - Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica & Paul’s longing to see the Thessalonians
- Ch 3 - Timothy’s encouraging report
- Ch 4 - Living to please God & The coming of the Lord
- Ch 5 - Final instructions
From the spiritual and mental vault of Rick Renner here’s what he has to say on “brethren” from 1st Thessalonians 5:27.
The word “brethren” which comes from the Greek word ADELPHOS (one of the oldest words in the New testament), has two distinct meanings.
1. ADELPHOS - in it’s oldest sense this word was used by physicians to describe two people who were born of the same womb. Early Greeks would address each other as “brethren” to convey the idea:
“You & I are brothers! We come out of the same womb of humanity. We have the same feelings; we have similar emotions, & we deal with the same problems in life. In every aspect, we are truly brothers!” - Renner
2. ADELPHOS - during the reign of Alexander the Great, ADELPHOS was used to describe a faithful soldier. These fighting military men who were united to fight the same fight, handle the same weapons, and win the same wars held between them a special bond of:
- brotherhood
- comradery
- partnership
ADELPHOS in this sense was a term used to describe military men specifically, brothers in battle. These men stood together through the good and bad, the highs and the lows of battle. To have this bond; to sense the connection, required having to have been in battle & having stuck by your buddies side. (Quoting Renner)
When Paul wrote to his “brethren”, he knew that each man had, in addition to the pressures and stress of the ministry, their own pressures from their personal lives to contend with. These men however,were faithful men that persevered, in spite of the tremendous pressure on them. Throughout their ordeals and persecutions these men kept on fighting for what they believed.
Now I don’t think that any of the folks that I mentioned earlier are being persecuted, however it did occur to me that within the little circle of blogging “friends” that I mentioned, there are a few that might be having some extra things going on in their lives. These things affect each of us differently, and we each react to a particular situation in our own unique way. Since these fellow bloggers are all Christians, I make the assumption that there is just as much of a Spiritual reason as there is a personal reason, for each one investing their time and energy into their respective blogs. With that said, I’d like to say to my “brethren”, be strong in the faith, persevere and remember…
It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog.
Grace and peace be with you all.
