Fade To Black

Be still and know that I am God- Psalm 46:10

This will be short, due to the fact that I am experiencing concussion-like symptoms. 

With that being said, I am trying to spend a lot of time without visual stimulation. These are some of the things I have been hearing and noticing lately when I fade to black….

1) DOGS BARKING.  My dog and others seem to do this incessantly when they want to be heard.  It may be annoying, but often is highly effective in getting our attention.

2) BIRDS SINGING.  This is my personal belief that in heaven there will be sounds like birds singing. It is quite relaxing and is an unspoken language of beauty.

3) THE WIND BLOWING.  Now, I know I can’t see the wind, but I see its effects. However, it has a unique sound, especially at night when it is quite soothing.

4) SILENCE.  Too often I just like to hear noise.  It is far better to be alone with God and hear Him speak and then be alone to mull over what He has spoken to me.

5) MOTORCYCLES AND VEHICLES.  Since I was a young boy, the sound of motorcycles and vehicles passing by fascinated me. From inside my house with the windows open, you can hear them coming and then going. It is just a surreal, calm sound of people going about life. 

6) TRAIN WHISTLES.  There is nothing like this sound because it commands your attention.  Not to mention, if the train is coming, it demands you to stop and wait for it to pass. 

So, that’s it. Simply listening is a skill set we all should invest much more time in than we do.

Every now and then, just close your eyes, fade to black, and just listen.

Swavel

Be A Gentleman

 

Why is it we try so hard to be someone, instead of just trying harder to be more helpful.

  

Back in November, after having been laid off, I found myself back in the bug killing business.  In search of good advice, I sought out a former colleague of mine, who I esteemed greatly from my first term as an exterminator.  The question, as best as I can remember, was this : what should I strive most to do as a pest control tech?  The answer was simple - BE A GENTLEMAN.

So, what exactly does being a gentleman involve?  Here are my favorite definitions of a gentleman, from various sources.  A GENTLEMAN is a man with very good manners; chivalrous, polite, courteous, or honorable.  In a day and age when this is not always easy, it certainly seemed appropriate for my vocation.

Before we go any further, I must make a confession.  Sadly, I am still a work in progress when it comes to being a gentleman. Far too often, I allow my feelings to get in the way.  Instead of acting properly, I sometimes still overreact when faced with difficulty. 

For example, the other day I was suffering from a severe sinus headache and acted grumpy toward the staff at my doctor’s office.  A gentleman, at all times, would have risen above his adverse conditions, while seeking to be more polite and less abrasive.  To be a true gentleman requires consistency, not just holding the occasional door open for someone else.

This reminds me of a drawing my son gave me about twelve years ago, during my first stint as a bug guy.  My son was eleven or so at the time, and drew the note like a cartoon, which he suitably wrote in red magic marker. 

The first frame: Spray, spray, spray, (was accompanied by a picture of me spraying for bugs). 

 

The second frame: Eat, eat, eat, (had a picture of me sitting behind a steering wheel eating a sandwich).

The third frame: Complain, complain, complain, (was accompanied by a woman chasing me out of her garden because she didn’t want me spraying in it).

The fourth and final frame: Drive, drive, drive, (had a picture of me sitting behind the driver’s wheel, this time minus the sandwich). 

 

The point is all four activities, though mundane, when handled like a gentleman allows one to maintain a certain dignity.  So, I guess the point is simple, no matter what we are faced with we should seek to be pleasant about it.  Well, at the very least, attempt to be a gentleman about it.

Often my circumstances in life will change, but my commitment to be a gentleman must never.

Swavel

Hands On

Be it a thorn, or a bullet, or a nail, even when taken for someone else, it still hurts.

Easter came early this year. With that said, every year I have a pseudo tradition where I try to find one thing that sticks out in the Easter story.  This year it had to do with hands.

It came to me weeks before Easter. While checking for evidence of mice in the shrubbery, my hand accidentally got a rose thorn embedded in it. It was during the discomfort and several days of trying to dig the shrapnel out of my palm that I got to thinking.  There was a man two thousand years ago named Jesus, who had something much worse happen to his hands. 

On Good Friday, angry men did much more to my Savior than just pricking him in the palm.  As per Roman crucifixion tradition, Jesus was brutally beaten within inches of his life, mercilessly whipped, made to wear a crown of thorns, and had to carry his own cross. 

And if that wasn’t enough, then those same angry men nailed his hands and feet to the cross.  Hmmm.  Just think about that excruciating pain for a moment. Talk about being treated cruelly and utterly unfair. 

So, why did Jesus do it?   Jesus believed in the hands on approach and here are 5 examples of how He lived it out:

1-God willingly became man when Jesus gave up all He knew to come down here for us, so He could stretch out his hands on a cross and we could eventually kill Him.  Talk about an unselfish act of love.

2-Jesus had a gentle, but firm approach.  Kind of like a good handshake, not a fishy one.  He had tender hands, especially when it came to children and those in need.

3-The virgin born man lived a simple life of a carpenter’s son, eventually using his hands to become a wood craftsman himself.  Ironically, in the end, those very nails and wood he had become an expert in were used against him to hold Him fast to the cross.

4-Jesus never had a place he could call his own. His hands never had his own kitchen table he could rest them on after a long day at work.

5-With those hands Jesus broke bread at the last Supper with his disciples.  With those hands he drew in the sand and pardoned a woman many wanted to stone.  With those hands he showed compassion.

Quite frankly, Easter should always be about more than just candy and pastel colored eggs.  It should be about the one who is still reaching his hands out to you and me.

The best approach to show others we care about them is always the hands on one.

Swavel