Friday, April 29, 2011

words

     

well my dear ones,


I’ve been writing a lot more lately
In order to try and get caught up;
because, yes, I am aware of the fact
that when I say, “Have a great week!
some of those “weeks” have been 10 to 14 days
...not cool; my bad & my apologies!

However, as I’ve said before,
I pray a lot about what I write
and strive never to write on my own power
but rather ask that the Spirit of God
would give me the words
that will lift people up.

Also, the words of this journal
are meant to be like a buffet;
some things will speak to you;
they are the things meant for you;
take them and use them.
Some things will not speak to you;
they are the things meant for someone else,
and you can just leave them on the plate. =)

As for calling on the Spirit of God for help,
it must be working to some degree,
for a couple of the posts
that resonated with people
I took and placed on their own pages
which I just went back and read...

One Note of Perfect Beauty


and

Who Are You?


...and they brought tears to my eyes.
How would that even be possible
if I wrote them on my own?

As I’ve said, this journal is for you;
and I know all y’all have busy lives;
that’s why I’ve said (many times)
no one has to comment or reply to anything,
unless they feel really led to so do;
these words are here for you
to (hopefully) encourage you
without the burden
of even having to respond.

However, once a year or so,
I do ask the question,
“Should I keep on writing these words?”

You tell me.

If even one person finds any value in them
and says, “yes,”
then I will keep pressing on; thank you.

Have a great week!

grace, peace, and love to you,

dave

“There is a God, and it's not you.
 Objective reality exists,
 and you don't control it.
 Truth exists, and it can be known.
 You are unique in all Creation;
 your life has meaning;
 and there is always hope.”

   --- The Ever Encouraging Word

Thursday, April 28, 2011

turn, turn, turn


     
“To everything (turn, turn, turn)
 There is a season, (turn, turn, turn)
 And a time to every purpose under Heaven.”
   --- from Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds


well my dear ones,


I was around when they came out with that song,
a catchy old rock tune for me,
a real blast from the past for most of you.

The Byrds were quoting Solomon
from the biblical book of Ecclesiastes*
(*in English, “The Preacher”
 ...there’s your bit of trivia for the day =>)

I’ve been thinking about that old song lately,
especially as it relates to one of the cats
that live in the sanctuary of our yard.

Donny was a big tough old tomcat
and I used to chase him away
because he would beat up on many
of our little kitties...he was a bully.

However, some months back,
Donny got really sick,
sick enough I thought he might die;
yet try as I could,
I could neither catch nor trap him,
as he is a really wily old feral cat.

Getting as close as I could,
I did put food and water out near him;
and in the fullness of time,
he got better.

He also lost his mean streak;
he’s still pretty skittish,
but a lot more mellow now,
and I haven’t seen him chasing
any of the other cats.

He pretty much keeps to himself,
But I found myself wondering,
“why is he hanging around here?”

Lately, the wildest and most un-catchable cat,
had a litter of two kittens;
one’s a little foofy white cat with a brown face
who kind of looks like a chocolate Persian,
and the other is a little brown and black
speckled cat with huge brown eyes.

We named the chocolate Persian Cocoa,
but she disappeared shortly thereafter;
gorgeous thing that she is,
I am sure someone trapped her and took her
because they wanted her.
And the other little kitty, Tammy,
was abandoned by her mother shortly after that.

Having no sibling or Mom to teach her
the proper way to play,
Tammy would try and sneak up and pounce
on the other kitties,
who basically wanted nothing to do with her.

I would watch through the window
as she tried to approach first one cat
then another, only to be left all alone.
She wanted a playmate so badly
it was kind of a sad thing to watch.

Eventually, she would find a twig
or a leave, or a ball to bat around,
and she would play all by herself.

But one day, after all the other cats
had taken off and left her,
I saw her go to one of the food bowls
where Donny was eating.
Tammy nuzzled up to him
and he stopped eating
and licked her on the head.

He's too old to play,
but she follows him around everywhere
and I'll catch them in the yard
sunning together.

Some animals are fine
just keeping to themselves,
but Tammy is not one of them.

There's a time and place for all things;
and I think Donny was put here
so Tammy wouldn't have to be alone.


If you haven’t found it yet,
may you find your own time and place
with the one meant for you.
Love can find you at any time;
I have seen it
(recall my college room mate’s
 two grandparents, who both found new love
 ...in their late seventies!)

God is love
and not only gives love
but also loves you with a love
you can’t fully fathom in this lifetime;
hence, we can always live in hope.


Have a great week!


grace, peace, and love to you,

dave


"I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly."

                              --- Jesus

Sunday, April 24, 2011

just in time

 

well my dear ones,


A wise husband does not forget
his anniversary or his wife's birthday;
he shops early, and ensures he has it covered.

I meant to get my wife an Easter card
and some of her favorite chocolates...
No, really, I did.

However, "stuff" kept coming up.
You know how it is,
got to do this,
have to do that.

Next thing I know,
I'm out of time.
So, as I went to sleep Saturday night,
I figured, "well I'll get up really early;
I'll sneak out to the pharmacy;
they're open 24 hours a day."

Yes, they are...but not on Easter.
I googled all the 24 hour pharmacies
just before I left the house at 6 AM,
but when I got there,
every single one was closed.

As I left the last one,
I was sitting at a stop light
and I felt the prompting,
"Go there."

"There" was a gas station.
It made no sense.

Yet when the Spirit of God speaks,
I at least try to listen. =)

I got a cup of coffee,
and the nice lady (Hazel by her tag)
asked, "anything else?"

I told her I'd love to get an Easter card
for my wife, but I figured they didn't have any.

They did not, she said,
but added that the store down the road
had cards and was open already.
(never would have thought to go there
 had she not told me; did not know
 they were open)

The husband and wife cards were all sold out,
but there was one card left,
a card for a woman who gardens (my wife, in spades!)
with purple boots (her fave color)
and a red watering can (just like the one she has).

They also had one thing of dark chocolates
(another wifely fave)
and one bouquet of purple Easter flowers
(which she absolutely loved)
...talk about Divine Providence!

And all this happened
in the space of a minutes
just as the sun was rising,
in other words,
at the very same time two millennia ago
when the women came upon
an empty tomb,
and were told,
"You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He is risen! He is not here.
See the place where they laid Him..."

So, yes, I went back and thanked Hazel,
and thanked her for hooking me up
with flowers, card, and candy (woot!)

I told her God used her to hook me up
(now she'll have a story to tell her friends).

I thought I was too late,
but, as is often the case
when you call on God for help,
everything happened just in time.


A blessed Easter to you and have a great week!


grace, peace, and love to you,

dave


"I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly."

                              --- Jesus

Friday, April 22, 2011

small things

[Shakespearian aside: some see this as an e-mail,
 some as a LiveJournal, some on FaceBook,
 and some as a blog, “The Ever Encouraging Word.” 
 For any latecomers, you may wish to know that
 dave has a mentor and muse, Titania.
 Unlike in a Midsummer Night’s Dream
 {written in jest of her by the Bard},
 there is no Oberon; however,
 she is Queen of the Faerie realm,
 and, created just after the angels,
 she has been around since the dawn of Creation,
 when the One, the Spirit of the One,
 and He-Who-Rose-with-the-Dawn(who is the One)
 sang the Song of Creation
 and called all things into being. 
 In addition, White Tiger,
 the physical embodiment of human courage,
 sometimes has something to say;
 & between the two of them,
 they try to speak a word or two
 to teach dave a thing or two,
 which is not easy, since he is hard to teach.]

*in the shade of some Georgia pines
 in a favored patch of Oakey Woods,
 Titania sits with dave on a tree
 felled by the recent wind storms*

dave: “do you remember Norman Bourlag?”

Titania: “yes, I knew him well.
      Millions upon millions had their lives saved
      by his drought-resistant seeds.
      He lived his life in alignment with the One,
      and the song of his life was strong.”

dave: “well, that’s my point;
      he made himself available to God
      and he was allowed to do huge things.
      But what about the rest of us?
      What about when we try and tune in
      and tune out the noise,
      and try and make ourselves available to God,
      but we don’t get asked to do the big things.
      Sometimes the things we get asked to do...
      seem pretty small.  What about that?”

Titania: *gently laughing*
      “You jest well!”
      *looking at dave more intently*
      “No, you’re serious!
      *looking heavenward*
      “Lord how long must I
      abide one such as this?”

*dave hears naught but a rumbling thunder;
 however, to the Faerie Queen,
 it is intelligible*

Titania: *bowing with upraised hands*
      “Yes, let it be even as You say.
      *to dave*
      “Look and learn;
      and to him who has ears, let him hear.”

*passing her hand over the forest floor,
earthpower flows; clay becomes sand,
sand melts into glass,
and glass becomes more than glass,
the mirror of Titania*

*darkness in the mirror shifts
 to a side street of a small town
 that looks like it could be anywhere*

*at the very end of the street,
 a small house is on fire*

Titania: “the town is tiny,
      possessing little equipment;
      the alarm has been raised, however,
      those who fight fires
      are away on another call;
      they will not arrive in time. 
      Behold.”

*the woman of the house is outside
holding on to her small daughter;
in the kitchen window,
a small puppy can be seen
against a background of flames;
eyes wide in terror,
her little paws beat against the glass*

the girl: *trying to break her mother’s grip*
“Momma!  Fiji!  We got to save Fiji!!!

*crying along with her daughter,
 the mother holds the girl even more tightly
 to prevent her from going back in
 to certain death*

*a homeless man walks down the street;
 his age hard to guess,
 he seems older than he is
 for he wears his years hard
 upon his gaunt frame*

*with a glance,
 the man takes in the entire situation;
 without hesitation,
 he rushes through the front door
 and into the flames*

*in the kitchen, he finds one towel;
 he wets it in the sink,
 then wraps the frantic puppy in it
 before plunging back through
 the smoke and flames of the living room*

*outside the house,
 the puppy peeks out from under the towel
 as the man hands her to the little girl*

the girl: *hugging the man and puppy together*
      “Thank you, Mister!!!”
      *to her mother*
“Momma, Momma, Momma look!
 He saved Fiji!”

*overcome by smoke inhalation,
 the man lies down in the yard*

*he watches, smiling,
 while the girl hugs the puppy
 as she licks the girls face;
 it is the last thing he sees
 just before he dies*

*the mirror goes black*

Titania: “Well?  You just saw the present.
      You just saw a man give up all that he was
      and all that he ever would be
      to save the life of a small puppy.
      That’s but a ‘small thing,’ yes?

      “Here’s what you did not see, the past.
 Just this morning, he prayed
 he might be used by God in some way.

      “Here’s what else you did not see,
       the future.
       This girl’s father abandoned her as a baby;
       she has never known a Father’s love,
       hence, she has struggled with the concept
       of God as Nurturer and Savior.
       Yet in one selfless act of love,
       this man has altered the course of her life.
       Having seen God’s love
       in this saving of her puppy,
       the song of her life
       will henceforth pull in countless others
       who will see Deep Heaven
       because her finger
       will point the way to the One.

      “Now do you see?
       Nothing done out of love
       is ever a small thing.
       All such are part of the warp and weave
       of the Master’s hand,
       with reverberations you may not see
       this side of heaven.”

*and once more, for the umpteenth time,
 Titania speaks to dave of the things that were,
 the things that are,
 and the things that must yet come to pass*



[this was written in memory and honor of Fiji,
 a much-beloved little puppy
 who went home to heaven too soon
 to suit those she loved and left behind]

Monday, April 18, 2011

tuning out the noise

 
well my dear ones,


Recently, I was talking with a friend
who wants to add a stereo to his motorcycle,
and he wanted to know if I might ever do likewise.

I said "no," because riding is my way
of "tuning out the noise."

Our lives get filled with so many distractions,
so many things that clamor for our attention,
that I really enjoy the quiet time of riding
with nothing more to listen to than the wind.

The entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes,
after taking a spin on his chauffeur's Harley
and then deciding to buy his own,
used to keep a small recorder on him
whenever he was out riding
so he could stop and record ideas,
since his best one, he claimed,
came to him while riding.

Personally, I don’t find myself
coming up with any great business ideas *lol*
however, when I ride,
with the noise tuned out,
I find myself more able
to "hear" the promptings of God,
to see the things God would wish me to do.

I think God has plans and purposes for each of us,
but if we don’t tune out the noise,
we may miss our chance,
even miss our calling.

One guy who didn’t miss his calling
was Norman Bourlag,
the man credited with saving more lives
than any other human being.
His genetically-altered drought-resistant seeds
are credited with saving the lives of
several hundred million,
and perhaps as many as a billion, people.
(it was back in the 60's;
 google the Green Revolution)

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech,
he closed with a quote from the prophet Isaiah,
". . . And the desert shall rejoice,
 and blossom as the rose. . .
 And the parched ground shall become a pool,
 and the thirsty land springs of water."
(Isaiah 35:1,7.)

A man of humility
(which is one reason he is not more well known),
he felt like he was partnering with God
to save the lives of many in the poorer nations.

Now, you may be thinking,
"yeah, dave, that's great for him;
 dude save a billion people, that's huge!
 But what about the rest of us?
 What about when we try and tune in
 and tune out the noise,
 and try and make ourselves available to God,
 but we don’t get asked to do the big things.
 Sometimes the things we get asked to do...
 seem pretty small.  What about that?"

An excellent question
(one I have asked myself, many times),
and one which I will try and answer next time. =)


Have a great week!


grace, peace, and love to you,

dave


"I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly."

                              --- Jesus

apologies, link to missing blogs

wow, my apologies!
This blog should have been updated
each time I posted in my journal.

All the past blogs from 2006 till now
are available here:


Peace & Blessings