When it comes to being thankful, I need look no farther than my left hand when I catch a familiar glimpse of my wedding ring. I have worn a gold band proudly for twenty-one years and can never recall a day I have not worn it. To me, it is a reminder of a commitment to my wife that I will remain true.
Several years ago a car commercial by Hyundai was asking, why commitment doesn’t play a larger role in our lives? They flashed a picture of a bride onto the screen and said, “If you don’t like your spouse, get a new one.” Quite frankly, I don’t know why our culture places such a low priority on commitment. Perhaps it stems from the fact that we tend to be a microwave society and want everything immediately.
Here is my synopsis on marriage. The stats, from what I can gather, tell me one in two marriages will end in divorce. That is a flip of the coin. Marriage is a risk, like playing the stock market. So in my case, I am going to fully invest in my marriage. My wife and I have buried a child together and buried the hatchet on several other occasions. We have survived the worst and have grown through it.
One of the best moments of my life, was when my wife came down the aisle. Over time I have realized every day I am given a gift from God to love my wife a new, just like He loves me. How can I show her mercy, grace, love and listen to what she is really trying to tell me. Huge task I know, but that is what I agreed to when I put on my gold ring and that is why it takes a lifetime to complete.
During this Thanksgiving season, I will give thanks for the one woman who slipped a special ring on my finger, some twenty years ago. It will take death to remove it and in my case, weight loss.
“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.” ~ Leo Tolstoy
Swavel
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Whitens Teeth
Have you ever read something that made you say “duh”? The other evening I was at the kitchen table when I read this, “God is complex” to which I replied, “really”? Then later that evening I made another stunning discovery when I found myself reading a tube of toothpaste. Allow me to explain….
This is what I read: Whitens teeth; releases pure oxygen bubbles for a clean fresh sensation; and deep cleaning action removes plaque. Then I read the dentist’s advice which was to brush twice a day, floss daily, and visit your dentist regularly. All this made absolute sense.
Then I read some more stuff that made absolutely no or little sense. I read the ingredients: sodium monofluorophosphate, hydrated silica, sodium bicarbonate, titanium dioxide, calcium peroxide, pentasodium triphosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, carrageenan, cellose gum, FD&C blue no. 1, D&C yellow no. 10. This was far too complicated leaving me in a state of “huh”.
My bottom line is this, I understand the directions because they were simple and full of common sense, yet the ingredients were highly confusing. After a visit online I received a better comprehension, but it was still beyond me. So, despite the fact I have no idea what half the ingredients are I faithfully use the toothpaste. Why? I trust the results and the maker to do what it claims because the toothpaste makes my breath fresh, whitens my teeth and fights cavities. Good enough for me.
So, even if I can’t fully understand God with my finite mind I trust Him because I see his handiwork all around me such as the sunrise, the stars in the sky, the change in the seasons and how His mercies seem new to me every morning. Call me simple but if I can trust toothpaste to whiten my teeth I can trust God to do whatever He wants in my life.
“If we could always predict what God would do, then God isn't God. But since we can't put Him in a box and He works in such wondrous ways, He's proved Himself to be God.” Author Unknown
Swavel
This is what I read: Whitens teeth; releases pure oxygen bubbles for a clean fresh sensation; and deep cleaning action removes plaque. Then I read the dentist’s advice which was to brush twice a day, floss daily, and visit your dentist regularly. All this made absolute sense.
Then I read some more stuff that made absolutely no or little sense. I read the ingredients: sodium monofluorophosphate, hydrated silica, sodium bicarbonate, titanium dioxide, calcium peroxide, pentasodium triphosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, carrageenan, cellose gum, FD&C blue no. 1, D&C yellow no. 10. This was far too complicated leaving me in a state of “huh”.
My bottom line is this, I understand the directions because they were simple and full of common sense, yet the ingredients were highly confusing. After a visit online I received a better comprehension, but it was still beyond me. So, despite the fact I have no idea what half the ingredients are I faithfully use the toothpaste. Why? I trust the results and the maker to do what it claims because the toothpaste makes my breath fresh, whitens my teeth and fights cavities. Good enough for me.
So, even if I can’t fully understand God with my finite mind I trust Him because I see his handiwork all around me such as the sunrise, the stars in the sky, the change in the seasons and how His mercies seem new to me every morning. Call me simple but if I can trust toothpaste to whiten my teeth I can trust God to do whatever He wants in my life.
“If we could always predict what God would do, then God isn't God. But since we can't put Him in a box and He works in such wondrous ways, He's proved Himself to be God.” Author Unknown
Swavel
Friday, November 12, 2010
What Color is God?
The answer to what color God is lies in the title of my favorite book, “The Color of Water.” It is one of the most interesting titles I have ever heard. Why, I’ll tell you.
The title of this book was derived from a conversation the author, James McBride, had with his mother when he asked her what color God was and she responded, “the color of water.” The subtitle and premise of the book is this: A black man’s tribute to his white mother. The book is a unique blend of his mother’s life one chapter and then his the next. This book is a testament to how life can seem so messy at times, but as we progress we see the work of art our life becomes.
McBride wrote this book to honor his mother, even though while he was growing up he didn’t understand her and a lot of the things she did. She was a Jewish woman born in 1921 who was considered dead by her family when she married an African American man. The author was raised in Brooklyn’s Red Hook projects with an eccentric mother who was widowed twice and was the mother of twelve children. Her two driving forces were God and that her children get an education, primarily college.
There are few books I actually read all the way through, yet it was a welcome elixir for my soul at a time after I had suffered great loss. This book brought me back to reality and also helped me escape my hardships at the same time.
Although I enjoyed reading this book, I probably would never have picked it up had I not met James during a service call, while I was an exterminator several years ago. He was a unique and engaging man in his forties with a quick wit, someone you would want to hang out with. After we talked for a while he gave me a signed copy addressed to all the members of my family. Usually an author’s signature is not something I value, but genuine thoughts like his are. It was his personal touch that helped me embrace this book.
So that is why "The Color of Water" is my favorite book. Not because James McBride is a renowned jazz musician or a onetime writer for the Washington Post, but because he became real to me and I wanted to know more from someone whose perspective fascinated me. It was as if he were speaking the words to me and only me. His book encouraged me to keep on trying despite how hard life can be at times and never be afraid to ask questions, even if the answers are illusive.
“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” James Bryce
Swavel
The title of this book was derived from a conversation the author, James McBride, had with his mother when he asked her what color God was and she responded, “the color of water.” The subtitle and premise of the book is this: A black man’s tribute to his white mother. The book is a unique blend of his mother’s life one chapter and then his the next. This book is a testament to how life can seem so messy at times, but as we progress we see the work of art our life becomes.
McBride wrote this book to honor his mother, even though while he was growing up he didn’t understand her and a lot of the things she did. She was a Jewish woman born in 1921 who was considered dead by her family when she married an African American man. The author was raised in Brooklyn’s Red Hook projects with an eccentric mother who was widowed twice and was the mother of twelve children. Her two driving forces were God and that her children get an education, primarily college.
There are few books I actually read all the way through, yet it was a welcome elixir for my soul at a time after I had suffered great loss. This book brought me back to reality and also helped me escape my hardships at the same time.
Although I enjoyed reading this book, I probably would never have picked it up had I not met James during a service call, while I was an exterminator several years ago. He was a unique and engaging man in his forties with a quick wit, someone you would want to hang out with. After we talked for a while he gave me a signed copy addressed to all the members of my family. Usually an author’s signature is not something I value, but genuine thoughts like his are. It was his personal touch that helped me embrace this book.
So that is why "The Color of Water" is my favorite book. Not because James McBride is a renowned jazz musician or a onetime writer for the Washington Post, but because he became real to me and I wanted to know more from someone whose perspective fascinated me. It was as if he were speaking the words to me and only me. His book encouraged me to keep on trying despite how hard life can be at times and never be afraid to ask questions, even if the answers are illusive.
“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” James Bryce
Swavel
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
I Shall Not Want
Who has not gone to a funeral and flipped the bulletin over to read the most famous passage on comfort of all time, Psalm 23. You need read no further than the first line, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want…..” For some reason, it has become a theme in my life that I have begun to embrace. Here is why.
When I look at this passage, I am reminded how much I am like the stinky sheep the shepherd in this verse is tending. I do not have it together, not even by a long shot.
Here are the two things I want to say about sheep:
The bad news first, sheep stink and they tend to do their own thing. They are irrational and blind to the needs of others. Sound familiar. Hey, that is what I do a lot. I sure don’t like being called out, but it certainly is the truth. Often because of their foolishness, the shepherd must waste his time rescuing them from barb wire fences, mud, or from walking around in circle. Sheep are easily led astray and often are lured to their death by their enemies.
Now here is the good news, when they listen to the shepherd they tend to ‘go all out’ because when they believe something they are all in. I think that is the, "I shall not want" part. When I do what I want, the end result is often difficulty, but when I do what the shepherd wants life becomes good.
So where am I going with all this sheep stuff, actually it’s pretty simple. Whether we like it or not, or at least for me, I know I am a mess on my own, but when I follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus, everything turns out alright. For me it is not a case of what I know, but who I know. I think all sheep like me should adopt Lord Alfred Tennyson famous quote, “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die”.
Swavel
When I look at this passage, I am reminded how much I am like the stinky sheep the shepherd in this verse is tending. I do not have it together, not even by a long shot.
Here are the two things I want to say about sheep:
The bad news first, sheep stink and they tend to do their own thing. They are irrational and blind to the needs of others. Sound familiar. Hey, that is what I do a lot. I sure don’t like being called out, but it certainly is the truth. Often because of their foolishness, the shepherd must waste his time rescuing them from barb wire fences, mud, or from walking around in circle. Sheep are easily led astray and often are lured to their death by their enemies.
Now here is the good news, when they listen to the shepherd they tend to ‘go all out’ because when they believe something they are all in. I think that is the, "I shall not want" part. When I do what I want, the end result is often difficulty, but when I do what the shepherd wants life becomes good.
So where am I going with all this sheep stuff, actually it’s pretty simple. Whether we like it or not, or at least for me, I know I am a mess on my own, but when I follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus, everything turns out alright. For me it is not a case of what I know, but who I know. I think all sheep like me should adopt Lord Alfred Tennyson famous quote, “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die”.
Swavel
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