My Look Back at 2010

Ted’s 2010 Remix

(Heavy obnoxious beat box rhythm)

So many experiences,
in this past year.
Wait,
There’s nothin to fear

I started the year
running a church.
Wow.
Nothing to fear
just left in the lurch

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

A brand new lesson.
Time for a sabbatical?
No, not really
I’m just messin
just being radical

Just having it all just
fall into my lap.
Nothing to fear
What’s my job?
Just keep it on the map.

Managing relationships,
balancing personalities,
Nothing to fear
Hey what’s with all this reality?

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

Making the decisions
to keep it open,
to keep it relevant,
anyone know what happened
to the pink elephant?

Hiring a pastor. (what a nerve)
Nothing to fear
Just another man
called to serve.

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

Another experience, totally new,
Nothing to fear
Just not sure of what to do,

What to ask?
what to require?
just another guy
thrown into the fire.

What do I do?
For this I have no affinity
Just lead by God,
and the rest of the Trinity.

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

Now in the second chair,
Now in submission
How will I fare?
Now what is my mission?

Now where is my place
is in this process.
Now maybe I can get back
To making sauces.

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

A new grandson
a new son-in-law,
didn’t Jordan teach Krav Maga?

A daughter in college,
a new adult,
trying to figure out
how did that happen?

Getting renewed,
getting refreshed
my vision, my purpose
it’s starting to mesh

((wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

A year of highs,
a year of lows,
where it leads
I don’t know

Nothin to fear
That’s the goal,
I can do nothing,
God is in control.

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

My thanks to all
who hung in there,
knowing all the time
that God was there.

Will it work?
Remains to be seen
Hey what does snizzle mcfizzle
really mean?

Xtreme is destined
To do something great
hang in there as we pursue our fate.

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

We got a new pastor
Just what we were after
A man with vision
Yep, right decision.

Now there’s less fog
Things are more clear,
Maybe now I can get back to my blog
This year.

Finally got our space,
almost done.
A brand new place,
Boy was that fun.

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

We’re getting our rhythm,
getting this thing done.
Help us,
as we add to the King-dom.

The transition’s been radical ,
almost done.
Anyone know
how to spell sabbatical?

so comes the new year
so much to be done
changing the world
its going to be fun

That’s all

(wiggy wiggy wiggy wig)

Remember

It’s the soldier, not the reporter who has given us
Freedom of the Press.
It’s the soldier, not the poet, who has given us
Freedom of Speech.
It’s the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the
Freedom to Demonstrate.
It’s the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the
Right to a Fair Trial.
It’s the soldier who salutes the flag,
serves under the flag and
whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who gives the protestor the right to burn the flag.
~Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

Peace Out?

“I understand about indecision
But I don’t care if I get behind
People livin’ in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.” Boston: Peace of Mind

Peace Of Mind

Wow. Peace of mind.  Wouldn’t that be great?  if you could get up every day with “Peace of Mind”?  Count me in.

What is Peace of Mind?  How do you get it? Where do you find it?  How do you keep it?  Who do you know that has it? I suppose it is different for many.

What brings you peace?  What is it that gives you that feeling of no worries, no dangers, and no concerns?  Or rather what keeps you up at night?  What distracts you from enjoying life?  What keep you from being fully engaged in the lives of your friends and family? Is it no money in the bank? What about job security?  Are you worried about your spouse?  Is it that the bill collectors’ filling your mailbox or calling 3 or 4 times a day?

So, you have money in the bank, all your bills are paid your spouse loves you,  your car is working fine, you just got a raise at work, and your rent is up to date.  So you’re feeling pretty good.  Even with all that there can still have peacelessness about you.  Because you know that all that can change so fast.  You can suffer setbacks in every area of your life that is in the world.  You can lose your job, your spouse can stray, you can suffer illness, your car breaks down, your house gets caught in a flood.  This thing we call life can change so, so fast.

There is a peace that transcends all the earthly concerns.  Money, power, security. A peace that surpasses all understanding.  A peace that makes all the concerns of this world seem so unimportant.  Do you have the peace that surpasses all understanding?

The list of things to be worried about gets longer everyday but the thing that gives us an eternal peace is always the same.

Does your Peace come from the right source?

Do you ‘Sense” God?

Do you wonder what God is like?  What he looks like, what he ‘feels’ like, what He smells like?  We think we will never know until we join Him but we are so wrong.  If you have ever had a child or been present when your grandchild was born you have seen a glimpse of God.  The smell of newly mown grass, honeysuckle in the evening, a good steak on the grill.  The smoothness of hand polished wood.  This is God revealing Himself to us in ways only we can appreciate. When you child hugs you and falls asleep on your chest, that’s God revealing Himself to us.  When you child falls down and skins his knee that feeling you get is God revealing Himself to us.  He loves it when we come to him and fall asleep on His chest.  He hurts for us we fall and wishes He could take away the pain.

He reveals Himself to us every day, all day.  But we don’t listen, we don’t see? He makes it plain to us but we are so concerned with our priorities we miss it.  The beauty of a new born child.  The grandeur of a sunset.  The sounds of birds welcoming the new day.  God shares his love for us all the time in ways we just miss.   God is here with us every minute of every day and we miss it.

Take the time to not miss it.  Our time here is limited and we only get one chance.  There is so much to notice of God’s work.  Every day that goes by is another day gone forever.

People lying on their death beds never say they wish they had spent more time at work or more time in front of the television.  They say they wish they had spent more time with friends and family.  That they had spent more time enjoying life.

Get up early one morning and listen to the sun come up. Smell the new day.  Watch the birth of the daily creation.  Start your day with God.