Today,
if you hear God's voice,
turn to Him not away.
Don't harden your heart,
don't dither
& go bitter
& isolate
& what-if.
Turn to Him.
While it's still
Today.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Psalm 95 on my mind...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
I Haven't Forgotten Y'all . . .
Really. I'm not ignoring y'all -- it's just that fighting this dragon is really putting a hole in my days. Mouse-clicking, copy/paste, and post reading pretty much max me out. [Is it lurking if I'm on my sites?] Know that I'm still praying for you and there'll be more posting as I'm able. ;^) God be with you!
Monday, December 20, 2010
What are you working on?
In case you missed this...
What are you working on?
If someone asks you that, are you excited to tell them the answer?
I hope so. If not, you're wasting away.
No matter what your job is, no matter where you work, there's a way to create a project (on your own, on weekends if necessary), where the excitement is palpable, where something that might make a difference is right around the corner.
Hurry, go do that.I meet so many folks (even in ministry!) who answer this question with a job title not with a goal or a project. Sad, isn't it?Posted by Seth Godin on December 18, 2010 | Permalink
Trust me, life's too short. As Seth Godin points out, you need to solve this one...now.
Oh and don't make the mistake of assuming that the way you make a difference has to be the way you pay your bills.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Church, Honor Your Leaders (a meditation on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
Dear brothers & sisters, always -- but especially at this time of year -- honor the leaders who are working so hard for you, those whom God has given responsibility for urging and guiding you along in your obedience to Him. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
You'll never know how demanding their work can be or the price they pay for their service; never pass up an opportunity to show them that their efforts among you are not wasted. Embrace them and their families so that even those who came to you as strangers will have no doubt about your love and welcome.
Also make sure each of you does your part to get along among yourselves--when you don't, it makes leadership a burden you can't imagine.
God be with you and bless you all! -- db
Friday, November 26, 2010
One More Thanksgiving
This seemed especially appropriate this year. Thanks to a treatment we were trying, I spent last Thanksgiving and Christmas fighting a migraine, unable to even think about food, crawling around on the bathroom floor. (Isn't it funny how soothing that cold tile feels...?)
Anyway, yesterday I was able to feast with my family and celebrate with some of you online. It was time worth savoring and I'm grateful:
May God be praised now and forever.
Let us praise our God
of Whose bounty we have partaken
and through Whose goodness we live.
Praised be He, and praised be His name.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe:
You sustain the world with goodness,
with grace,
with love and mercy.
You give food to every creature,
for Your love endures forever.
Through Your great goodness,
we have not lacked,
and may we never lack,
our daily bread.
God is great;
He nourishes and sustains all,
and deals bountifully with all,
providing food for all His creatures.
Blessed are You,
Lord who provides food for all.
Sustain Jerusalem,
the Holy City,
now and forever.
Blessed are You, Yahweh,
Who in His grace builds Jerusalem.
May He Who makes peace on high,
make peace for us,
and for Israel,
and all His people.
May God give strength to His people.
May God bless His people with peace.
Amen
(adapted from the Bir’khat haMazon,
the traditional Jewish Grace After the Meal)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Untitled
It's that time again... The annual Project Valour-IT fundraiser has launched. What's that you say? Check this out from the Soldiers Angels website:
Project Valour-IT helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Technology supplied includes:
This is an outstanding project that really makes a difference. Navy's goal this year is $15,000. Do what you can!
(And of course I sent you to the Navy link! Duh. If that's a problem for you then here's the generic link for the project.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Meditation
God Almighty--He is Lord
above us all .
He is the only true refuge--He alone can save.
above us all .
He is the only true refuge--He alone can save.
He spoke and the result? All Creation!
He faithfully preserves those who walk with Him.
He communicates with anyone willing to listen.
Other "spiritualties" are just distractions.
You know that you know this!
Isn't it time to turn and give Him your attention?
Friday, June 18, 2010
Has It Been 100 Years Already?
From USA.gov
When did Father's Day begin?
Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:49:14 -0500
Sunday, June 20, 2010, is the centennial celebration of Father's Day. Visit the FAQ at USA.gov for the history of the observance, a link to U.S. Census information on fathers, and more.
Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:49:14 -0500
Sunday, June 20, 2010, is the centennial celebration of Father's Day. Visit the FAQ at USA.gov for the history of the observance, a link to U.S. Census information on fathers, and more.
What are y'all doing to mark the day? You are going to mark the day, right?
(And, yup, that's this Sunday--better get movin'!)
(And, yup, that's this Sunday--better get movin'!)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
John Wooden Made Me (look like) a Genius
Even at 99, it saddened me to hear of former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden's death. You see Coach Wooden once bailed me out of a really tight spot and in the process made me look far better than I deserved.
It was back in the mid-80's and I was pastoring a small, rural church in the mountains of Kentucky. Kentucky, where basketball is king. To make ends meet I needed a part-time job and someone told me that the local elementary school was looking for someone to coach 6th/7th grade baseball and that their expectations weren't very high. While still in high school I'd coached and umpired a few years of little league and played/umpired a little slow-pitch along the way. It couldn't hurt to ask, right? So I interviewed.
And surprise, surprise, I got hired! (This would be a really short, pointless post if I hadn't, right?) The money was just right for what I needed and, as a pastor, what a great way to plug into the community.
That's when the principal dropped the bomb that I wasn't just the baseball coach, I was The Coach.
Fine, I can do softball, too.
Good, but we also have boys' basketball starting in two weeks.
My heart almost stopped. I'd played C League (as in, "no blood/no foul" basketball for wrestlers and football players) Intramurals in college but that was the end of my basketball experience. I could probably muddle my way through running a practice but I'd never even seen a play diagrammed let alone tried to execute one. Could I handle it?
Two things turned out in my favor:
1. They didn't ask much. In this four-team league, they had a history of finishing fourth.
2. I was their only candidate.
I was in. Now, what to do...
A friend with connections snuck me into a university library where I checked out four or five books on basketball coaching. One of them was "Practical Modern Basketball" by John Wooden.
I recognized Wooden's name but I was intimidated by both his reputation and the thickness of the book. I had picked it up more out of desperation than out of any illusion that I'd be able to put it to work at Sparksville Elementary. Was I ever wrong. Turns out there's a reason for Wooden's reputation!
Even with his reputation in coaching, I don't think Wooden ever stopped referring to himself as a teacher, The reason for that came through in his book.
There were much thinner books among the five I picked up that day but none were clearer or more helpful. I had finished the other four before bedtime that evening and didn't particularly feel smarter for the effort. Out of resignation more than anything, I turned to Wooden.
I should have started there. Coach Wooden taught me how to run a practice and how to run a fast break. He talked about the chemistry to look for in your starting five and how to pick who to keep and who to cut (a problem I didn't have--you can't cut anyone when you only have eight players!) When I was finished reading I still didn't feel qualified but I at least felt ready to face the boys.
The league consisted of three outlying rural elementaries and the central "town" school. Rural kids could go to their local school or choose the bus ride into town every morning. Just before practices started our biggest/strongest/most gifted kid decided his future was in town. Foreshadowing, anyone?
So, four team league with an eight game home and home schedule. Coming into the end-of-season league tournament we were 5-3, a record-setting second place regular season finish! We won our first game in the tournament and faced the "town" team in the final.
Now, this isn't Hoosiers (although it kind of looked like it--we had the pre-game talk about not letting the size of the gym and the crowd get to you.) We lost. But my boys looked good. And in the end it was much closer than anyone expected (except me--I didn't know all the history). See, in our county district there was no question about who would finish first--the town school--so the real bragging rights went with second place. Think of it as finishing first in the small school class.
John Wooden had briefly made me a local hero, a genius. Of course, fame is fleeting but that remains a very bright spot in what became a high-adventure period in my life. i owe it to Coach.
In his basketball retirement, Coach Wooden wrote many great books on life and faith and leadership. Like Practical Modern Basketball, the ones I've read are worth your time. And along the way, I've seen several of Coach Wooden's former players write that Coach never steered you wrong. It was certainly true for me that year.
Thank you, Coach Wooden.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
He's Not Lost, He's Home
I've been telling y'all about Tom's death. Here's a video his wife, Margo, made that was played at his funeral. In it she embodies the warrior spirit that has kept our nation safe. There's nothing I can add to her example of strength, courage and faith so I'm just going to respectfully step aside and let her speak.
May God bless and keep you, Belkofer family.
May you experience warmth and grace as His face turns toward you.
May you always experience the tranquil security of being under His unfailing watch and constant care.
May you experience warmth and grace as His face turns toward you.
May you always experience the tranquil security of being under His unfailing watch and constant care.
Monday, May 31, 2010
A Different Perspective on Memorial Day
TheBeth says Happy Memorial Day and introduces Jay & Sara:
.
.I’ve know Sara since she was seconds old. In fact, I cut her umbilical cord. Jay is my son’s best friend.
Their parents, Frank & Tiff are very good friends to David and me.
I think that every parent out there would agree that the birth of a child is one of the greatest highlights in life. Being there to witness the arrival of such a precious miracle- is a gift itself.
So how did it happen that I was in the delivery room with Tiff- and not Frank? How is it that I saw Sara’s bright, blinking eyes- heard her pissed off cry- before her own father?
Frank is in the United States Air Force. He found out that he was being deployed overseas when Tiff was eight weeks pregnant. He left for a six month tour when she was four months along....
Be sure to read the rest. It's common to talk about death and injuries but y'all civilians rarely bring up what business folks call "opportunity cost." The price of missing major family events and just plain watching your kids grow up. After awhile you stop counting the funerals, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, births and birthdays...
We retired from the Navy and discovered that while we'd been following Uncle Sam around the globe, y'all had been building equity in your houses and getting on a cycle that made that second (or third) car fairly easy. Y'all had been building up a nicely stocked household while we'd been having to ditch the iron, the fans, the mixer and such 'cause they'd only work on the local electricity supply we were leaving behind.
I'm extremely grateful that I was there for every one of our kids being born but I've got strong memories (and extreme gratitude) of a night when some folks escorted my wife and (then) two daughters into a conference room for a Valentine's Day videoconference. My wife says the ~20 month old went around for weeks pointing to the TV and wanting to talk to Daddy!
So one more reason to stop that person in uniform and say "thank you." And cut 'em some slack if you see them eying that iron at your yard sale! ;-)
More for Memorial Day: God of the Living
No only will we remember them but none ever are forgotten by God.
I learned of this hymn because it shares a tune with The Navy Hymn. I often recite it at the graveside service for funerals and it seems especially appropriate for Memorial Day.
God of the living, in whose eyes
unveiled thy whole creation lies,
all souls are thine; we must not say
that those are dead who pass away,
from this our world of flesh set free;
we know them living unto thee.
Released from earthly toil and strife,
with thee is hidden still their life;
thine are their thoughts, their works, their powers,
all thine, and yet most truly ours;
for well we know, where'er they be,
our dead are living unto thee.
Not spilled like water on the ground,
not wrapped in dreamless sleep profound,
not wandering in unknown despair
beyond thy voice, thine arm, thy care;
not left to lie like fallen tree;
not dead, but living unto thee.
Thy word is true, thy will is just;
to thee we leave them, Lord, in trust;
and bless thee for the love which gave
thy Son to fill a human grave,
that none might fear that world to see
where all are living unto thee.
O Breather into man of breath,
O Holder of the keys of death,
O Giver of the life within,
save us from death, the death of sin;
that body, soul and spirit be
for ever living unto thee.
A great reminder that none of us ever passes from God's mind. He's always watching over us no matter what our human perception of the circumstances might be.
The Navy Hymn
The original four verses of The Navy Hymn. Many more verses have been added to cover the Navy's various communities.
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
Why Memorial Day?
Here's the order that made it official:
HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.If our eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.II. It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to lend its friendly aid in bringing to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.III. Department commanders will use efforts to make this order effective.By order ofJOHN A. LOGAN,
Commander-in-ChiefN.P. CHIPMAN,
Adjutant GeneralOfficial:
WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G.
I don't have any original sources to cite but it's my understanding that General Logan was formalizing something good that folks had started doing on their own initiative. I've seen claims for both North and South as the originators of the tradition, going out to tend the graves of the fallen "enemies" in the hope that wherever their boys had fallen someone was doing the same.
So Real It Couldn't Be Aired!
They push the limits so much... Doesn't it make you wonder what they don't show you? Here's one example that didn't make the cut!
Funny Mythbusters episode that won't be aired
Adam Savage, host of Discovery Channel’s show Mythbusters, shared a funny story at Maker Faire about a rejected episode that will never see the light of day. Did your mother ever tell you not to eat sugary cereal because the cardboard box was more nutritious than its contents? Well, make her watch this video:
Heard any others like this?
Reveille
Reveille for Memorial Day
Thanks to all my shipmates, soldiers and airmen serving and who have served. God bless you all.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Why "Daniel"...
...and not just "Dan?"
Two factors here:
1, The Bible has many examples showing the spiritual significance of a name; and,
2. Shouldn't your name inspire you, give you something to aspire to, or both?
So given that Dan means "judge" (value-neutral and something we all routinely do dozens of times a day) but Daniel means "God is my judge," this seemed like a no-brainer.
(Can you think of a better reminder to do what's right than thinking "God is my judge?")
That said, my last name apparently refers to "the open-space suitable for rough pasturage" where some very long-ago ancestor lived.
Yeah... I don't know how you apply that either.
A friend once explained that his full name meant "a wee pile of stones" -- a reminder that things could always be worse!
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