The thought came to me the other day that I rarely take the time to just be still and listen to the voice of God and discern what He is trying to tell me. Sure, I pray and read the Word, but often I am so bombarded by media, cellphone, laptop (x2) that I actually don't take the time to be still and know that He is God.
So here is my list of things that could happen when I'm still...
- I could relax in His love.
- I could find things that He wishes that I would do.
- I could appreciate the love that is around me.
- I could lower my blood pressure.
- I could find the source of these nagging headaches.
- I could work through the issues that I have about trying to be noticed and probably find that all I need is Him.
- I could hear the plans He has for me.
My only hope is in You. I long to hear Your voice. Lead me in Your path.
What were your New Year's resolutions for 2006? How did you do?
My New Year's resolutions were to lose weight, exercize on a regular basis & change jobs. All of those things were accomplished by the middle of the year. Boy am I glad!
I recently heard a message from the Pastor of the church that my son & daughter in law attend. His quote of the day goes something like this...
It's not the worst thing to have tried and failed. The worst thing is not to have tried at all.
As I reflect on the end of the year and where I am in employment and in life in general, I have come to a couple of conclusions.
- A few years ago I tried to become police dispatcher and succeeded to some degree, but I left after not completing all of my certifications. Why? Because I was just too slow at performing the tasks required to be really good at the job. Did I try my hardest? Oh, yes I did. Did I fail? Yes again. Do I feel bad about that? Sometimes, yet I do believe that God is in control and led me away from that job to another and then finally to where I am.
- I look at the lives of my sons Derek & Colin and see that, even though they grew up in a house that had their brother Christopher hogging most of the emotional and physical attention of their parents, they both turned out to be good men. I think that their natural inclinations towards being gentle with others who are in distress is a great thing. Both are highly creative and tend to march to the beat of a drummer previously unknown to the masses. Have I failed them in some ways? Sure. Have I tried to give them the tools to be Godly men? Yes. Did I fail in that? No, they will serve our Lord for the rest of their lives because they maybe saw something in me that drives me to want to serve God all of my days. Are they loving, caring guys? You bet.
- I'm now in a job that probably best suits my capabilities. I have to be a self starter, the deadlines are not harsh, but are timely. I like the people that I work with, in coming back to a company that I worked with for a decade, it sometimes feels like a comfortable pair of shoes to be back here. In quite a different capacity, with more responsibility, yet with the freedom to do things the way that I would like them and the opportunity to treat people the way I would have like to have been treated by one of the "bosses".
- This last year my relationship with Terry took a surprisingly pleasant turn. There was substantial growth in understanding my needs and her needs. We took a class on relationships and found some very interesting and wonderful things about each other. I have come to appreciate her so much more and I attempt (and fail mostly) to find things that will please her and just do them without any fanfare. The more I can become proficient in the execution of these tasks, the more I will truly be a servant husband as the Lord wishes me to be.
- My health. In this past month or so, I have had a very serious upturn in my blood pressure, headaches that I thought would never go away, trips to the hospital and doctors & blood sucking labs. I pray that God will use these trials that I am going through with my health to improve me as His man. I pray for my healing; that it would be swift and perhaps I would even find out the cause of some of these problems.
In all things will I give thanks to my Father in heaven, that He would bring me to be the man that He wishes me to be and that I will do the things that pleases Him. I wish to hear His voice and sing His praises with clarity, love & joy.
What were your top 5 TV shows of 2006?
1. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
2. Everyday Italian on Food Network
3. CSI - Las vegas is the best
4. NUMB3RS
5. NCIS
What are you thankful for?
I'm thankful that while we don't have everything we want, we certainly have everything that we need. God has blessed us greatly and for me that it something to be very thankful for.
This sticker resides on my office window.
What's your favorite kind of Girl Scout cookie?
Submitted by My Lovely One.
Peanut Buter Cremes, for sure.
Here we are again....another Friday night at the local Starbucks. Just blogging away and watching the folks come and go. Had a great day at work and didn't even have to fight the traffic.
Just have to say the Christopher has been having great days. His meds seem to have settled down and his distress level is almost nil. I'm so very happy that he is not hurting himself or making life awful for us. What a huge blessing!
All is well and now, I must go on to finish up with some work.
Have a great weekend.
I just have to share a little about my wonderful wife. For 27 + years she has been for me a loving friend, gifted mom, great lover & fantastic role model.
I can not imagine just how barren my life would have been had I not met Terry and married her. There was a time in my life just before meeting her that I surely thought I would not find the woman of my dreams. Am I ever glad she came along.
I have not ever met someone with such a strength of character and wisdom. An example: a few years ago Terry decided that she would like to return to college and get some training for a business idea that she had. So she went about it with gusto and came out with a few more degrees and did it all with a top of the class grade point average.
The trials that Terry has gone through with all that she has invested with Christopher (our handicapped son) is just one of the many ways that she shows her strength. For years she had to feed Christoper with him laying on his back and her feeding him with an eye dropper. Just try to think of the stress and strain that would put on your body.
God has been very good to me and my sons in giving us this wonderful woman.
Definition of grace: undeserved favor. That is what I'm talking about. I did not deserve Terry, but God favored me enough to let me have her in my life.
Honey, I love you!
What's the most drastic change you've ever made to your appearance?
Submitted by Laurie.
Probably have to go with losing the 40 pounds this year that I have been carrying around with me for the last 20 years.
