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Don’t Look at the Rocks

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on October 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I got a kayak for my birthday last month. My son Sam already had a kayak and he was itching to go down the section III of the Chatooga River so the following week we headed to the river.  I probably should have taken a lesson or read a book or something, but I have canoed on some whitewater (class 1 & 2) but never anything above class 2.  I assumed we would scout each section and portage around if it was too challenging.  After the second rapid Sam said “Dad, this will take forever if we stop for each rapid.” so we only stopped when the roar of the approaching rapid was deafening.  I think that happened 4 or 5 more times.  The section III of the Chatooga is 18 miles of about 50 or 60 different rapids with several class 2, 3, and I think at least one class 4 rapids (I call it a waterfall) at the end.

Obviously since I am writing this and you are reading it we survived.  It was not the brightest thing we have ever done… okay maybe it was the dumbest thing I have ever done, but we did survive and I learned a few lessons along the way.

The first lesson was learning to read the river.  I have been on whitewater a few times and I knew enough to know I had to find the “V” where the main channel flowed.  Since we were going in September the river was quite low.  That might have been why we were the only persons on the river.  I did okay in the rapids that had a well-defined channel.  However when the river is low the channel tends to meander.  This is when I learned how important it is to strive for the channel to be followed rather than looking for the rocks to be avoided.

With each rapid my pulse would rise a little and I would try to run through cleanly without scrapping bottom and especially without running into the large boulders.  I noticed though that the more I focused upon the boulders the more I seemed to smack into them.  After about three rough runs in a row including my first spill as I piled up on a boulder and flipped, I decided to focus more on the channel and pull hard to stay on course and not strive just to avoid the big rocks.  And suddenly I began moving through the rapids better.

I think that is true in life as well.  I think we all know people (and perhaps at times have been people) who live trying to avoid calamity and bad times.  Their life is spent striving not to make mistakes or not to get hurt.  I haven’t done a scientific observation on it, but it seems like their success at avoiding trouble, difficulty, and pain is no better than the one who takes no particular precautions.  And I would say they often miss a lot of the fun, spontaneous, and thrilling aspects of life.  On the other hand I have definitely noticed that persons who strive to live a good and full life do so.  Again I can’t say that they are dramatically less inclined to experience challenges in life, but I am convinced they are better able to find the channel that carries them through.

Another lesson was the close proximity of fear and thrill within my heart.  I know that my lack of experience combined with the fact that when I was looking for a map of the river on the internet that morning I read how a man had drowned on the river when his raft flipped.  It’s surprising how that thought ended up being a subtle undercurrent in my mind when we got to a major rapid.  Sam tried to be helpful in this.  He knew a lot of the details since he spent a good bit of time up near the river over the summer.  He said, “Dad, the guy who drowned was old, out-of-shape, and in a raft.  You’re in a kayak so it’s different.”  I guess I need to remind him that what goes unsaid is sometimes more painful than what is said.

Because the river was low, travel time was slow.  I had anticipated a 3-4 hour trip.  After 5 hours of almost constant paddling I began to get a little anxious since the light was fading.  Fortunately the dimming light was only a shower and not true night, but we began to pull as steady and strong as our tired limbs would take us.  We came to a very chaotic waterfall which proved too difficult even for Sam to navigate (the one of two that day) so we both portaged.  While I didn’t have a map (did I mention this was the dumbest thing I have ever done) I knew that the last rapid was a Class IV rapid called Bull Sluice.  I confidently told Sam we must be at the end since this had to be Bull Sluice.  Into the river below the falls we began paddling again only to run into another, and then another rapid.  Oh my!  By this time I had hot spots on the palms of both hands while Sam was beginning to suffer from repeated hand cramps.

I realized we were not too far from being in trouble.  I hadn’t prayed a lot before this time, but now I realized my nonchalance about the trip could have put my son and I into real danger.  While prayer began in earnest so did the steady paddling.  I was really surprised how sore all of my body was becoming, not just my hands and arms.  But I had to block all that out and focus upon getting to the Hwy bridge that marked the take-out.  At about 6-1/2 hours we began to hear another roar indicating a significant rapid or waterfall.  As we got to the top we back paddled briefly before Sam said, “I don’t think we have another choice.” and he pulled briskly into the chute.  I watched as he descended through a couple of 2 – 3 foot drops and then he disappeared over the last drop and came back into view about 2 seconds later whooping and hollering.  At least that’s what it looked like from where I was up above.  Whatever he was yelling was lost in the roar of the waterfalling.

Since he made it I assumed three things (you know what they say about assumptions don’t you.)  I assumed it was a relatively simple and straight chute. I assumed he was yelling for me to come on.  And he was letting me know that it was fun.  Assumption 1 was correct except for the fact that when Sam disappeared it was because he went over a 10 – 12 foot waterfall… not exactly simple for me.  Assumption 2 was correct that he was yelling at me, but he was warning me of the waterfall and that perhaps I needed to reconsider.  Assumption 3 was correct for him, but not necessarily for me.

I made it through the first two drops in good shape and quickly moved to the last drop.  There is a moment when you realize you have made a mistake but there is no way to undo it.

That was what I felt as I launched over the waterfall.

Now for an experienced kayaker I am sure Bull Sluice with low water is a minor thing.  For an inexperienced, tired, grandfather that was a true “OH NOOOO!” moment.  I had just enough time to think “This is when I die.” as I went over the edge and disappeared under the water.

Looking back I’m sure I could have managed it if I had a clue what to do.  As it was I was flipped and under my upside down kayak in the cold, churning water in a heartbeat.  I floated that way slamming and bumping against rocks for probably only a second or two before I realized, “why don’t you get up there where there is air and you don’t have to bang against all these rocks.”

Sammy, for his part, did ask me if I was alright before he started chuckling.  I didn’t chuckle, I had to belly laugh.  I had experienced terror, I thought I was going to die, and survived.  And I KNEW we were almost at the end now!  A few strokes later we saw the bridge and 30 minutes later we were loaded up and heading home.  We had been paddling for 6-1/2 hours and had covered 18 miles of river with many exciting twists and turns, but we had overcome our own inexperience and short-sightedness to make it to the end.  We had conquered the river.

Sam mentioned that he would like to have another friend that he could come up and kayak the river with him.  I mentioned Michael, his soon-to-be brother in-law.  He liked that idea and said, “Yeah, Michael would be good.  He can carry his own weight.”  As I tried to think of another friend he could ask Sam quietly said.  “You know Dad, you carry your own weight too.”

At that moment I don’t think there was a nicer thing Sammy could have said than that.

It was a good day.  A good day indeed!

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True Prosperity

Posted in Uncategorized on August 19, 2012| 2 Comments »

My oldest daughter mentioned the other day that one of the challenges with her new faith is the bias in favor of those who will do anything to get ahead.  Rhi does not do anything halfway so in giving her life to the Lord she has taken her work habits which were pretty ethical to begin with and made them spotless.  No more cutting corners for the sake of “getting better numbers”.  Prior to her conversion Rhi was a company ladder-climber with many persons envious of her rapid rise and her consistent high performance.  Since her very public conversion (the Lord used work confrontations as one of ways to get her to look to Him) Rhiannon has had many work challenges thrown her way.  I can so see the Lord working through these to strengthen her, but it is admittedly not easy.

Rhi, like me and many others, is sorely tempted to look at our performance in the workplace as a key barometer of how successful we are.  When others surpass us, particularly when we know they are not practicing sound, ethical behaviour, it can get under our skin and cause frustration and irritation.  We may even be moved to complain to God about this.  Fortunately David, who is refered to as a man after God’s own heart, did on several occasions.  We can see this best in the Psalms.  I think the best one is Psalm 37.

David acknowledges that the wicked flourish at times and it is tempting to wonder if our efforts at righteousness are of benefit.  If those who cut corners are richly rewarded it seems like plodding along faithfully will always have us playing second fiddle to those who do not have the same scruples.  But David correctly observes that the success of the wicked does come to an end… sometimes sooner, sometimes later but they always come to an end.  Even as I write this I can think of wicked rulers that have come to an end within the recent past.  Moamar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak, Saddam Hussein were all rich and powerful dictators who have fallen.

All of Psalm 37 is good, but I want to point out what I believe to be the key verse, verse 4.  “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.”  The Lord spoke this to me once when I was laboring in intense intercessory prayer.  I stopped immediately and said, “No Lord not my will but Yours,” to which He replied.  “That is exactly why I am going to give you the desires of your heart.”  When our heart becomes so supple in God’s hand, when our intimacy with Him becomes the source of our greatest joy and delight, then we are in a place where we will want what He wants more than anything else.  And when that is our greatest desire, then things like worldly recognition and praise diminish in importance to nothing.

For me the prayer above was followed up by a move from Louisiana to Tennessee within a few months.  I was not praying for or seeking the move at the time, but it was something I did deeply desire and God brought it to pass.

Now concerning those who chose to do whatever it takes to get ahead in the world, I will only point out that each one of us have cut some corners in life and transgressed against the God who loves us so.  My response today is a bit different from when I was younger.  Very few of the persons I have known well who practiced this have lasted.  In the end it seems their actions came back to be their undoing.  A few have even faced their past with true conviction and repentance and come into a living relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.  But the point I am trying to make is that I don’t dwell on any perceived advantage that they might have.  I know it is short-lived.  Rather I focus upon the One who loves us so much that I can find my joy overflowing in His presence.  In Him I am whole, I am happy, I am fulfilled, I am called, I am equipped, and I am able to do anything He calls me to do.  And whatever He calls me to do is of greater worth than the things I might gain if I cut corners.

Today my wife and I are successful.  We count our success first by the relationships we have beginning with our relationship with God.  Next is our marriage and the intimacy and joy we share in being best friends and lovers.  Right behind that is our relationship with our children – they are all great people in their own right, but even more special because we share so much in common.  Next is the good health we walk in.  We realize this is a special blessing and we don’t take it for granted.  Notice that I have not mentioned our jobs anywhere in the list thus far.  That’s because we both enjoy, appreciate, and work hard in our jobs, but they do not define us nor are they our primary measure of success.  We both have good jobs and we do well in them, but if the Lord should separate us from our jobs, He would still be our delight.

My prayer is that this helps you to see that God’s frame of reference for success is bigger than the momentary success achieved by cheating or cutting corners.  I wish you a blessed day and pray that your delight will be in the One who loves you beyond comprehension.   To Him be the glory and honor and power and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen.

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An Update on My Absence

Posted in Uncategorized on August 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I don’t know how many followers my blog has – I’m not really to worried.  I think I am supposed to write so I write.  I want to be an encouragement to others and hopefully by being totally open and honest the Lord can use my experiences – both good and humorous as well as the difficult and challenging to help others.  My life today is so much richer because of the words or advice, encouragement, and wisdom others have shared.  I want to do the same for anyone who stumbles upon my blog.

I started a new job after 23 years in my old job and I have been swamped.  It is exhilarating to be in a new role where I can interact with so many persons.  It is also fun to be in a leadership role where I help set direction for the site.  But being a new facility means there is SO MUCH to do.  We are building work processes, hiring new people, developing and delivering training, all while we have production lines that are coming up to speed producing our product.  For the past 5 weeks I have averaged over 65 hours a week at the plant.  I go to work each day invigorated by the challenges ahead and I return home with that happy weariness of feeling like we’ve made progress.  (Truth in reporting requires that I admit a few times I’ve come home just weary, but most of the time we can see progress.)

So this is why I have not been able to post much.  While I am hopeful I will see a bit of a moderation in these hours, it may still be a few weeks.  I will endeavor to get back to blogging though because I feel it is something I am called to do.  Also I wrote a bit on our vacation and I will reread and post those as appropriate.  And finally I took photos on the trip so I will try to add in a pic to two.

I just wanted to give readers a reason for my absence.  Take care and have a blessed day!

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Florence and the Medici Legacy

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on August 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Florence, Italy is a beautiful and historic city.  We visited on day 3 of our Mediterranean vacation.  Aside from the stifling heat and crowded conditions I was enthralled by the architecture, culture, and food. One of the highlights was entering the Duomo which is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Admittedly the day was one of hustle and hurry from place to place as we tried to cram as much as possible into the day. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the Duomo is because we were able to slow down and just sit quietly for several minutes.

I have studied only a little of the history, but I understand that the Medici family was particularly powerful and influential in supporting / leading the development of much of the most beautiful of what we see in Florence. Not everything about the Medici family was magnanimous though. In fact a lot of the stories were anything but flattering. However their efforts were used to create the beautiful place Christin and I were able to sit.

Gazing upon the frescos and sculptures my mind rested upon the God who gives wonderful gifts and talents to man. A thought struck me that persists – the art in Florence and specifically within the churches was sometimes helpful to me in my meditation upon God. But at other times it was distracting by degrees. So the question arises – what is the true value of art?

It seems to me that the highest purpose of art is to speak to the deepest parts of our consciousness and point us to God. Admittedly I begin from a standpoint of knowing that God exists and that He wants to be involved in our lives. While He chooses to remain out-of-sight for the most part, it is not because He doesn’t want to be known. On the contrary He desires a relationship with us, but He wants that relationship to be one of faith rather than sight. So when I think of the highest purpose of art I see that it is to draw us into an acknowledgement of the one who gives gifts to people and creates beauty in this world. For many people art speaks more eloquently to the spiritual part of them than rhetoric ever could.

Another purpose of art I believe is to stretch us, to see things that we might overlook otherwise. I know the few moments in the Duomo made me realize I had allowed some of the negative “press” about the Medici family to cloud my perspective of Florence and this powerful family. That is not to condone things they may or may not have done, but it does mean I can look upon them as I do every man and acknowledge, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Hopefully their religious acts did not get in the way of meeting the savior personally. Jesus was able to stretch me as I sat on a little bench against one of the cool, stone walls gazing upon the grandeur of the place. My hope is He did that for the Medici family and for the hundreds and thousands who have passed through this beautiful city as well.

As we leave Florence I am stirred by the many generations that have gone on before me who have sought to honor God in their day and in their way. I pray that you and I may leave a lasting legacy, perhaps not with stones and blocks, frescos and sculptures, but with good deeds done and faithful obedience to the One who has called us to Himself.

Have a blessed day today and always!

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Grace Period

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 13, 2012| 3 Comments »

On my last flight home, I arrived in the Atlanta airport early enough to jump on the flight an hour prior to my scheduled flight.  “Now your backs probably won’t make it until your scheduled flight” the agent said.  “Do you still want me to book it?”  I paused only briefly before saying yes.  I figured I could eat supper in the airport restaurant while I waited for my bags.

We arrived and sure enough the bag did not.  However I hadn’t counted on all the restaurants being closed.  As I headed to my car in the economy parking lot my dilemma was how to pick up my bag when I came back without having to pay an extra parking tab.  Now as silly as this is to say, this was a big deal in my mind.  I saw an airport employee and mentioned my concern.  She told me surely the officer who monitors the pull-up parking area would be understanding and let me zip in and get my bag.

A Chic-fil-a sandwich later I arrived 10 minutes before my bag was scheduled and I parked in the “Absolutely No Unattended Cars” area in front of baggage claim.  I quickly ran in to verify that my bag hadn’t arrived, which is hadn’t.  I also looked for but didn’t see any police officers.  I waited in the car until I saw people begin streaming out with big roller bags and I realized my bag must have arrived.  As I hustled back to the door I saw a large, very observant policeman constantly scanning the cars at the door.  As I tried to scoot past him he said, “Is there someone in your car?”  I’m just running in to…  “Is there anyone else in your car?”  I’m caught and I know it.  While I am committed to the truth I have to admit the thought zipped through, “Say yes and you can probably run in and get the bag before he knows any different.”  Instead I began “No, but I…”  “You can’t park here.  You have to move it.”  But where am I to park?  “Pull into the parking garage. it’s only a dollar.”  Aaargh – that’s NOT what I wanted to do!

Admittedly this sounds so silly now, but I was angry.  I have to admit I gave the guy one of my best, steely glares…  Okay maybe it wasn’t that intimidating, but it was shouting my displeasure.  Of course it would only work if he would make eye contact which he never did.  He was too busy being observant and watching for “parkers and leavers” such as myself.  I pulled away mad, but immediately the Holy Spirit started correcting me about my attitude.  I turned on the radio as I pulled into the parking garage right next to the baggage claim.  Not surprisingly there was Focus on the Family interview in progress where the husband was explaining how the Holy Spirit had helped him see the error of his ways in being a-less-than-understanding husband.  Aaargh again!  Can’t I just be a little angry about not being able to rush in and get my bag.  I walked briskly up to the door which took an entire 45 seconds.  The Holy Spirit was beginning to get through as I realized it was only a dollar and I WAS trying to break the well-intentioned rules.  Of course I then spent a little mental effort casting blame on terrorists and I still thought the officer was rude, so I didn’t even try to make contact as I walked past him into baggage claim.  (I really showed him what happens if he is rude to the paying customers.)

It took me all of 20 seconds to find and pick up my bag and I was right back out.  While I was feeling good that I was finally heading home, I was beginning to feel some regret for my thoughts and even a few of my actions… the old steely glare, while not noticed, was really a bit rude.  By the time I was pulling out of the parking spot and figuring out which way to the exit, I had to admit the police officer was only doing his job, I was trying to break the rules, and it didn’t really cost me much time.  I was moving toward contriteness as I pulled up to the booth to pay my dollar.  I handed the woman my ticket and a five.  The guy on the radio was still explaining in rather humorous terms what a dolt he had been (somehow it sounded vaguely familiar).  The woman in the parking booth smiled sweetly at me as she handed me my five back and said.  “You get it all back.  There is a 15 minute Grace Period so nothing is owed.”

Okay Lord, hit me with a two by four, I think I get this one!

My daughter recently put in her blog how she desires to go beyond just controlling her actions and reactions to having her thought life under control.  I can identify with that desire.  I know that I have made progress in submitting much of my life to the Holy Spirit and there has been transformation, but as this painfully true story illustrates I still continue to be challenged.  I doubt I am alone but I am determined that I will press on until every thought has been brought into submission.  Two scriptures come to mind as I wrap up.  Romans 12:2  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  This is my step 1.  And when I do slip up I go to step 2 – Philippians 3:13  “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14　I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

God has created a grace period in this life for us to benefit from.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit is persistent, loving and kind.  He wants to meet with us, to relate to us, to live IN us.  I encourage you to live large in God’s grace today.

Have a blessed day.  God’s peace in abundance to you and yours.

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Exit Interview

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on April 26, 2012| 5 Comments »

I am in Montreal having my exit interviews before leaving my company.  There have been the obligatory where do you stand with this project and who are your primary contacts for that activity?  A lot of information given and a few war stories shared.  It is down to the last few hours of employment with the company I have worked for 23 years.  I guess I am getting a little nostalgic.  As I think back over the time I see mostly faces and remember mostly shared experiences – experiences that have shaped me, changed me, helped make me the man I am today.  While many of the experiences were hard and challenging at the time, growth and maturity were most often the result.  And many of the experiences that were so uncomfortable at the time are now the source of laughter and merriment in hindsight.

As I have thought about my last words to the friends I have made and the persons who make up this company I am leaving, I realize I probably won’t be able to effectively communicate all that is on my heart…  lessons learned but not yet common practice…  opportunities that stand right before us but often overlooked or unrealized.  A few thoughts stand out.

We make it harder on each other to be successful sometimes when we really need to see that we are on the same team.

The importance to be more diligent at communication than we often are because poor communication only makes it harder the next time.

The absolute necessity of being able to admit we have made a mistake when we have and to turn around and make things as right as we can.

The need to know and understand our co-workers at a deeper level.  The best sports teams have that special ingredient outsiders often call “chemistry”.  That comes from knowing and valuing those you work with.

Twenty three years of immersing myself in my work has marked me.  I do not want to leave feeling I have not done my share to “pay it forward” for those who have poured into my life.  Today’s few words, and this blog for that matter, are my attempt to do that.

As I spoke with my brother last night the thought hit me that every one of us will have times of exiting.  It may be a job like myself, it may be a group you’ve belonged to for a long time, or certainly the exit of this life for the next.  I am curious, what is the key point or points that you would want to be sure to share if you are given an exit interview before you leave this life?  What one thing have you found to be the most helpful truth in this life that you would want someone to know?  Please comment back to me with your thoughts.

May the Lord make His face shine upon you.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May all your experiences enrich you.

And may your life be full to overflowing.

I wish you all the best today, in Jesus Name.

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He Will Direct Your Path

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on April 16, 2012| 4 Comments »

I have a story that has been in the making for a few months that I am finally at liberty to share.  After 23 years with the same company, I have decided to make a job change.  I announced my resignation last week and I will be starting at the beginning of next month.  I wasn’t looking for a new job, but Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”  This is what I have tried to do and I will be “starting over” in just a few weeks.  Let’s look at how this works.

For the past 3 – 1/2 years I have travelled all over North America helping our paper mills put reliability in place.  I have been away from home about 70% of the time.  At the end of the year the mills slow way down through the holidays so I get to spend the last two weeks close to home.  I noticed during that time that stress and tension were more the norm than relaxation and peace.  I was really concerned because I recognized that for a marriage of over 26 years, my wonderful wife and I were not communicating very well.  We took a vacation the last week of the year to Orlando that turned into our worst vacation ever.  I can admit it now, I was looking forward to getting back on the road.  I had the first seven weeks of 2012 filled with week-long travel.

One week into the new year, Lisa had an accident where she badly breaks her leg.  The compound, open fracture resulted in a week-long hospital stay, two surgeries, and a 12-week prognosis before she can put any weight on her leg at all.  In fact the doctor was very guarded about how the recovery will go.  Lisa’s leg wasn’t the only thing that was broken at that time though.  Part of the hard shell that was developing over my heart toward my wife was broken.  I am not proud of the fact that I was becoming hardened toward Lisa, but I realize that I was.  And I thank God that He has changed my heart and is continuing to make me a better man and husband.

Obviously I saw that I had to make some changes in my schedule.  I notified the people at the mills that I would have to scale back my on-site support a bit while Lisa was in the recovery mode.  I still travelled, but people I work with were very accommodating.  Instead of 4 & 5 days at a plant I started having more 2 & 3 day weeks.  And we were able to get various family members to stay with Lisa while I was gone since she was immobile.

As I was praying about what to do, I began to wonder if I needed to consider a job change.  I recognized that my heavy travel was at the very least a major contributor to the malaise we experienced at the end of the year.  Having to call upon others to help Lisa while I travelled also brought to light the demands my schedule made upon others.  At this point I think it is important to understand what I was praying and how this worked out.  I was not seeking another job.  I was simply open to whatever God wanted me to do.  While I have often prayed, “Lord, thy will be done.” I usually am looking for a particular answer.  Or perhaps even more accurately, I am not considering certain answers that might come up.  At this time I got serious about being open to anything God wanted me to do.

God works things marvelously.  About two weeks after Lisa broke her leg a good friend asked to have lunch with me to talk about a potential career change for himself.  As we chatted he asked if I would be interested in being a site maintenance and reliability manager.  The position at his plant wasn’t open, but it was a potential.  Working with Jim would be great and because of that I entertained the idea.

A week later I went into the Linked In website which is a career based social networking site that I am on.  When I say I am on, I mean that I visited it once four years ago when it looked like my job was going to end back in 2008.  I have gone to it about a half-dozen times since then.  While I am there I see that my resume info is the same as it was in 2008 so I update it.  Again I am not specifically looking for a job.

The next business day I get an e-mail from a new tissue plant starting up in the area.  Because my conversation with Jim had gotten me thinking about some real positives of working locally, I give them a call back.  We set up an interview and over the course of the next 6 weeks I have three interviews.

Now I need to reiterate that I was not really looking for a job.  I thoroughly enjoy the work I have done.  I have very good working relationships with the people at the mills and I know we have been successful at making tangible progress at the plants.  The calculations at the end of last year indicated that the plants I have worked with on reliability improvement have seen over $30 million per year improvement in the past two years.  I enjoyed my job and we were successful.  If my only consideration was my career, I would be foolish to be looking for a job.

But, I was trying to be obedient to God’s leading.  As I prayed I felt a gentle nudge to keep investigating this opportunity.  The job I am going to is a very good fit for me.  I will be in the role of the people I have been working with at our paper mills over the past 3-1/2 years.  Instead of consulting, I will be in the doing mode.  The work will mean long hours.  Having had similar roles before, I also know it will mean different stresses to what I have experienced during my time in corporate roles.  The decision to leave was by no means an easy decision.

I have shared with you before about how I have experienced God speaking to me.  While this particular decision has many of the same characteristics, it was not exactly the same.  Having only made one job change 23 years ago, I am very out-of-touch with all the expectations and practices.  I do not like negotiating, but I understand that is part of the process.  In the end, I don’t think I did a good job with the negotiating, but it is probably a moot point.  The offer my new company gave me is very fair.  In some ways I am better off than in my old job, in some ways I am not as good.  The result is that the compensation was NOT the deciding factor.  And this is a good thing.  I only negotiated enough to get the package somewhat close to my current package.  I did not want to be chasing money and miss God.

I was looking for an overwhelming peace in the answer.  Interestingly what I had for about a week was calmness, but not the definitive peace I have experienced in the past and I was hoping for at this time.  I scheduled a quick follow-up visit to clarify a few points.  I was not able to give them an answer, but I spent about an hour and a half speaking with the gentleman who would be my counterpart at the sister plant.  It’s funny now because a lot of what we discussed reminded me of the difficult and hard aspects of the job.  He left me with a zero-pressure feeling.  If the job was not for me, then we would all be better off recognizing that now.  As I shook his hand I felt great about his candor and the decision was simply a matter of what the Lord directed me to do.

As I walked out to my car I asked the Father… “So what do you want me to do?  Do I accept the job?”  And the answer was a clear “Yes” and then the peace came.

This morning I begin the wrap up of my old job.  I have two weeks to talk with friends and co-workers at my current company.  I want to leave them with as much good as I can.  For me that first means leaving them with a clear understanding that God loves them and desires to be fully involved in their lives.  He is real.  He is love.  He is our true hope.  Next it will be to share whatever information or encouragement I can to keep the reliability train rolling.  Please join me in praying that these final days will be God-filled, God-directed, and God-blessed.

Thank you for joining me in this journey.  I pray God’s richest blessing upon you today and always.

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Promises, Promises.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Promises, promises, are you a promise maker?
Promises, promises, don’t be a promise breaker.

I have learned that the only way to not be a promise breaker is to never make promises. I would like to say that extenuating circumstances are the reason promises get broken, but at the best that would only be half-true. Whether we intend to or not, when we make promises we put our reputation on the line and make ourselves vulnerable for failing the trust of others. Yet making promises is a part of our lives. I suspect that most persons make between 1 – 10 promises everyday. Some are small… “Come straight in and do you homework.” “I will Mom.” while others are life altering… “Do you Dan take Lisa to be your lawful wedded wife… to cherish… til death do you part?” “I do”. Every time we sign a credit card slip we are promising we are going to pay the credit card company back (plus interest if we don’t pay back immediately.)

To say that our society functions on a foundation of trust comprised of thousands upon thousands of promises is not a stretch. So how are we doing? A building is only as good as its foundation, so how are we doing? An honest assessment has to say we are not doing very well. With divorce at over 50% of marriages, personal and business bankruptcies skyrocketing, and 40% of all children raised with no Dad in the picture we are not doing very well keeping our promises. So if promises are essential and commonplace, but keeping promises is apparently becoming harder – what are we to do?  What are the consequences? Should we be worried? What can be done about it?

My first comment about never making promises was obviously a bit tongue in check. Promises are essential. Every agreement includes within it a promise usually more than one promise. Lawyers exist to “help” interpret promises and see that promises are adhered to. I was raised in the day when a person’s word was his bond. I still live by this belief and I find many people who would like to, but they have been burned by others to whom a promise is superficial chatter and not a binding agreement. Even though I believe a promise is sacred, honesty demands that I admit I have said things that I fully intended to fulfill which have not come to pass. I want to hike around Mt Ranier with my youngest son and I have told him we would, but time is getting on and we have not made the trip. While technically not a promise broken since there is still time, it is definitely not a promise fulfilled.

I saw a political commercial last night which showed a candidate making many promises in the last election and then it showed him breaking those very promises.  It was obvious that the person made promises that they did not keep. If the most powerful people in the world struggle to keep their promises, then what shape are we really in? Well if our hope, trust, and faith are in them, then we are in pretty dismal shape.

Fortunately there is a higher authority that we can and should look to. And His track record on promises is perfect. He never fails to keep His promises. The bible says that it is impossible for God to lie. A broken promise is at its heart a lie. Since God cannot lie, He cannot break a promise. I have found this to be true as have millions of others throughout history. God is a promise maker AND a promise keeper.

God’s first promise to me was “Dan, I will never leave you or forsake you.” And that has been true. God has always shown up. In the most difficult times of my life He has been tangibly present. Sometimes it is through the extended arms of His children. At others it is through a perfectly timed verse. Sometimes it is a gentle peace within my spirit. The point is for 28 years God has kept His promise and I know He always will.  While this promise was whispered to me when He brought me to Himself, this is a promise He offers to each and every one of us if we but put our trust in Him.

Now it is important to mention something God does not promise.  He does not promise a life free from pain, difficulties, challenges.  No, these are a part of life that we will from time to time have to walk through.  But what we can hold on to are specific promises God has given for us at these times.  From Isaiah 43 we see God promising that when floods threaten to overwhelm His people He will be with them.  When fire is upon them, He will cause them to walk through and not be burned.  It does not say we won’t have times that threaten us and cause us pain, but it does say He will carry us through.

Now I have to say I have learned that “carrying through” includes two important considerations.  First, is a relationship with Him.  God will respect our decision to keep Him at arm’s length, but that makes His help less tangible.  It’s not His decision, but ours that makes this so.  (And people often blame Him for this?)  Second, some of His promises have a complete fulfillment in the eternal perspective.  I have a friend whose son was diagnosed with leukemia.  He fought it bravely and experienced a couple of years of remission.  The disease returned and an auto-marrow transplant was determined to be his best option so this is the path they took.  During the window of time immediately after the transplant the patient is extremely susceptible to any illness.  My friend’s son caught something and went downhill until he finally went into a coma.  For 40 days we prayed for Chase.  Our focus was upon Chase getting better and coming out of the coma.  For 30 days I prayed for this, but as time and prayer continued with little change in Chase, I began to realize that God was speaking something different into my spirit than what I was praying.  I began to see God revealing a bigger perspective – an eternal perspective to my prayer for Chase and his family.  The last days of Chase’s life here were more peaceful for Chase and his family because they recognized that God was walking with them in the working out of His will.  Chase’s life and death led to others being reconciled to God and being inspired to live a life of faith.

We are called to let Christ reign in our lives.  As His Holy Spirit resides in us and we cooperate with His transforming work, we become more and more like Him.  We become promise makers.  I started off by saying that the only way I have found not to break a promise is to not make a promise.  A more accurate statement would be to become so surrendered to God that we only make promises He prompts us to make, and become even more surrendered to Him to allow Him to help us keep them.

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Conversion?

Posted in God, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I mentioned to a loved one recently that I was so thankful for the conversion of our oldest daughter.  They got this bewildered look and said, “Conversion?  What did she convert to?”  When I said, “To Christianity”.  He said, “But wasn’t she already a Christian?”

If you had asked her for a religious preference she would have put down Christian.  She could have recited some bible verses for you.  She would even tell you that Jesus was God’s Son and that He died for the sins of the world.  But was He Lord of her life, I know she would tell us no, he was not Lord of her life.  And this makes all the difference.

Judas was one of the 12 persons closest to Jesus.  From the hundreds of followers Jesus selected just 12 to become His disciples.  These men were given intimate access to Him for 3 years as He healed, taught, traveled, and preached across Israel.  Judas knew Jesus personally… closely.  Judas was committed to the cause.  He had given Jesus his life.  But, he had not given Jesus his heart.

There is a school of thought that Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was based upon a misguided attempt by Judas to “force Jesus hand” to make Him declare Himself king.  The main thinking is that Judas was simply a greedy manipulator that Jesus selected knowing he would be a willing pawn in satan’s plan to have Him killed.  Either way, Judas chose his own way rather than to put his whole trust in Jesus.  At this crucial point in history his heart guided him to forsake an intimate life with Jesus and the family of God to do his own thing.

Although everyone’s story is unique, our daughter’s conversion has the characteristics that define a heart surrender to Jesus.

  • She had lived her life following her own rules for a long time, long enough to know that it didn’t fulfill her.
  • She recognized that there was something more, a sense of joy and peace that some people possessed that she couldn’t seem to attain.  She could do happiness and laughter, but these were always for the short-term.
  • She recognized that she did some things that broke even her own rules.  And that she broke God’s rules even more.
  • She came to a point of a broken heart.  She wanted to be a better person.
  • She trusted God.  She asked Him to help her.  She surrendered her heart to Him.
  • He entered her life and made her a “new creation”.
  • The transformation on the inside began immediately and it is visible on the outside as well.
  • She had worn a lot of masks and her life contained a good bit of lies and half-truths.  Part of the transformation is that she and God are identifying and discarding these.  This process, which the bible calls sanctification, is a life-long activity.
  • Today she is practicing reconciliation on a consistent basis.
  • She has given up several habits that were either harmful to her and others or were simply not helpful to growing in her new life in Christ.
  • She and her husband are closer than they ever have been as they are growing together.
  • She is devouring the bible and the Holy Spirit is opening her mind to the truth it contains.

I could go on, but the point is established – there is a fundamental difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.  When you know Jesus, His love captures you and your heart is His.  You can know about Jesus and not experience the life-change that comes from a conversion experience.

On Easter 2000 years ago, Jesus emerged from the grave alive.  He is the living Lord.  No one else has ever died for you and risen.  Since He is alive, He is available to meet and talk with you.  It is His desire to meet with you.  To talk with you.  To help you with your needs.  To show you the right path.  To be your friend first.  But to also be your Lord.

Everyone has gods that they serve.  Some are obviously bad for us.  Others, like religion, promise to help us please God.  Religion is man’s attempt to reach God.  But God came to us.  He wants relationship, not religion.  Religion is like the workaholic father who buys his wife and kids all the stuff they want but does not invest time with them face-to-face.  Stuff and activity on their behalf is not what is needed.  Intimacy… time… relationship is what is important.  Religion can never substitute for relationship.  The best it can do is help give depth IF the relationship with God through Jesus already exists.  The worst it can do is kill people in the name of god.  More on this in another post.

God sent His Son, Jesus to live, die, and live again for you and for me.  Trust Him.  Seek Him.  Give Him your heart and you will KNOW that He is, that He loves you, and that He will live with you from now on.

If you want an intimate life with God speak to Him now.  You can pray this prayer.  You can be specific about where you miss the mark.  And about your needs.  He knows them already, but it helps us when we give them voice and share them with Him.

God, I come to you right now asking for your help.  I have run my life for so long and frankly I have made a mess of things so many times.  I am sorry for the times I have missed the mark.  I am sorry for the times I have sinned against you and others.  Please forgive me.  I turn away from my sin and I turn to you.  I want you in my life.  I want to be a new creation.  Thank you Jesus for hearing my prayer.  Thank you Lord for forgiving my sin.  Thank you Father for guiding my life from this moment on.  I give you my heart.  I accept your Lordship over every area of my life.  I give myself to you.  And it’s in the name of Jesus that I pray.  Amen.

If you prayed that prayer tell someone.  Tell me if you do not have any other believers around.  Just comment back to me.

Scripture to read – 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 5:1-5, Ephesians 2:1-10

God bless you today and always.

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He’s ALIVE!!!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on April 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

An hour and a half before sunrise the women found the spices and death dressings they had made for the Body and quietly slipped outside. As they gathered few words were used although silent embraces spoke of the pain and grief each one felt.  The past few days were a blur of confusion.  Just days before He had entered town to such fanfare and adoration – “Hosanna!  Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.”  They had thought that perhaps this was the time He would be proclaimed as king.  The miracles that they had seen with their own eyes… even unto to some of them, was surely a testament to God’s great power that was with Him.  And yet today they were going to dress His body for the final time and His tomb would be sealed… forever.

Someone broke the silent contemplation with a very practical question.  “Who will roll away the stone?”  They had been there as Joseph and Nicodemus hastily prepared His body on the eve of the Sabbath.  The large stone weighing 2 tons or more was rolled down over the opening just before they left.  “Perhaps the guards will help us.” another said.  Word had gotten to His followers that a Roman guard had been posted at the tomb.  There would be four soldiers when they arrived.  They all remembered the centurion who was stationed at the cross when He had died.  He knew He was not a common criminal, but a righteous man.  He showed kindness toward the family.  “Perhaps…”

As they neared the tomb, the ground shook violently for a few moments.  On top of the grief, now they had a new terror seize them.  But as quickly as it came, it subsided.  They picked themselves up and now hurried to the tomb.  When they arrived the guards – seasoned, battle-hardened warriors, were on the ground looking as though they had seen a ghost.  The women’s attention did not remain on the guards, but rather jumped to the tomb.  The stone was gone and the tomb was OPEN.  What has happened?  When they looked inside they could see the clothes and spices used to wrap the Body, but the BODY WAS GONE.

“Do not be afraid.”  They looked and a man dressed in a white robe was sitting inside the tomb.  “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified.  He has risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  Go tell His disciples and Peter.  He is alive…”

Jesus suffered death, but death did not… could not hold Him.  Death was introduced into the world when Adam and Eve first sinned.  And since then life’s end was always death.  But with sinless Jesus and His selfless, loving sacrifice the whole order of things was turned on its head.  Death suddenly gave way to life.  Jesus made a new way.  Jesus is the new way.

Mary Magdalene did not put all these thoughts together at that time, but she knew that hope was rekindled in her heart.  It still fought with the fear and confusion of the strange things she was seeing and hearing, but hope had begun again.  Why Jesus picked Mary as the first to see Him is a mystery.  She was a woman who had suffered much, but who had been touched by the Master’s hand and delivered by His word.  It may have been because she pushed herself past her grief to do what had to be done and she was in a place to see Him.  It probably had to do with the hope that was attempting to rise up in her heart and convince her mind that He really was alive.  I am certain at least part of the reason was because Jesus knew her need and stepped in.  But Mary was the first to see the risen Lord.

As I watch the sky brighten in the east this morning signalling a new day about to begin, I think back to that new day.  Everything changed that day.  Death is no longer the end for those who know Jesus.  The power of sin can is broken as we surrender to the One who died to break sin’s hold over us.  God is real.  God is love.  God cares for us.  And God is a person who can and does relate directly with us if we but take the time to seek Him.

Alleluia, He is risen.  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

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