The Fifth Sense

I like riding motorcycles. There’s just something about the sensation of being out there on the edge. Its much more participative than driving an automobile. For one thing, your senses are much more involved. From the seat of a motorcycle one Sees, Hears, Feels, and yes, sometimes S-m-e-l-l-s… everything. Sometimes that smell might be the pleasant aroma of wild flowers. At other times it might be the stench of ripe road-kill!

Elevators are another place to experience any array of sensations along that specter from Aroma-to-Odor… Sometimes we passengers step into an elevator atmosphere that is ~ whew… ICKY! At that point we just hope against hope that the elevator doesn’t stop for anyone else on along the way… Let’s leave it that shall we!

Smells and aromas... What thoughts do they conjure up? Sometimes its pleasant, sometime its not. Smells and aromas, they entice or repel, many times with good reason.

I Corinthians tell us, “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”

Let’s look at the broader text,
· But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
· For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
· To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.
· On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

When someone picks up “your scent” what thoughts and reactions does it conjure up? How encouraging it is to know that “God… always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

Have a blessed and fragrant week!

Heaven Cheers

Young man running ~ Zaneis cheers!

Duty calls far away

Soldier ~ Wanderer ~ Entrepreneur

Christian helpmate ~ Father dear

Four blessing arrive, then six more...

On this Rock

All in God's plan

Old man running ~ flesh and bone failing...

Family in fear ~ Life in order

Fourth and long ~ Goal in sight

Soul breaks free ~ Shoulders squared

Jonesie scores ~ Heaven Cheers!

On this Rock

All in God's plan...

M&M's

M&M’s ~ this one’s for the kids, sorta…

Next time you are in the grocery store, stop and buy a bag of plain milk chocolate M&M’s. You remember, “they melt in your mouth ~ not in your hands”. After dinner, guess what… its time for dessert and a little object lesson.

Separate the M&M’s by colors, one of each color for each person at the table.

Read Acts 10:34-35 and I Corinthians 12:12-31 aloud.

In your own words, discuss the meaning of these passages, soliciting input from your family.
· God is no respecter of persons. We are all equal in His sight.
· Everyone has a talent, or talents. All of which, be they perceived by our fellow man as great or small, are valued by God. Especially, when employed in service to Him and the cause of Christ.

Now comes the fun part, each M&M has a shiny coat of candied color, each obviously different than the next when observed from the outside. Now, each one at the table take turns taking a small bite out of each colored M&M. Next, line up the remaining pieces and peer into the inside, the heart of each little M&M. Guess what? They are all the same inside.

Just like each of you. Each one has its own unique appearance or “talent”. Each one also, is the same at its core.

Just like the church, made of diverse individuals, all with a different talent to put to work in service to our Lord.

Each unique, yet of equal value, in the sight of our God.

Tribute to a Friend

We buried my friend today, and with him, a little of myself

Elementary school playgrounds and sleepovers, Baseball & Scouting – games won and lost, adventures shared

The outdoors was our realm; all things were possible then, a bit of me died today

Mini-bikes and horses, fishing poles and 410’s

The outdoors was our realm; all things were possible then, a bit of me died today

Camping trips and swimming holes – midnight horseback rides

The outdoors was our realm; all things were possible then, a bit of me died today

Orneriness & sneaky tricks, brown sugar brownies & homemade soup, palm-frond tree-forts & great leaning oaks to climb

The outdoors was our realm; all things were possible then, a bit of me died today

Fast cars and high-school girls, road trips to the ocean and Disney World

The outdoors was our realm; all things were possible then, a bit of me died today

Adulthood, love & marriage, we hope and pray it lasts… Li’l bundled blessings are born to them ~ life begins a new

The outdoors was our realm; all things are possible now, a bit of us survives today

Leaping to the future, what might “they” say, they were faulted and fragile, nay-say? Perhaps?... are not we all…

The outdoors was our realm; all things are possible now, our life’s work, that labor of love, with God’s Grace, moves on…

We buried my friend today… a piece of him lives on

Good-bye Gray…

Dig'n Moses' Grave

“I was digging my dog’s grave when he came to lie down beside me as I labored.”

My friend Gaye enjoyed -for several years- a companion of some stature, her dog Moses, a full grown Mastiff. The American Kennel Club describes the Mastiff’s Appearance as follows, “The Mastiff is a large, massive, symmetrical dog with a well-knit frame. The impression is one of grandeur and dignity.” The writer describes Moses as having a head the size of a basketball and the hind quarters of a horse! Moses probably outweighed me.

The Mastiff is one of the largest dog breeds on the planet. Like many large dogs, mastiffs can suffer from genetic hip dysplasia, a crippling hip condition. Moses, unfortunately suffered from same and was facing a life of pain and immobility. Gaye chose to humanely end his suffering. Before their veterinarian made …the house-call… Gaye had some work to do… thus the opening sentence of this story.

After being told this story {once my eyes cleared and I could speak again} my first thought was Wow ~ what a metaphor!

Christ stands innocently by as we dig our graves of worldly deception and vain pursuits. Then, lovingly, selflessly ~ takes our place.

Philippians 2:5-8

"Sixth Sense" the movie

In one of its most gripping scenes, the young character played by Haley Joel Osment utters to Bruce Willis’ character “I see dead people…”. The hit movie was of course a work of fiction, however, now that I have your attention ~ don’t we all believe in the afterlife and eternity?

Luke 16:22ff shares with us the post-death status of -and dialogue between- Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man. It describes in some detail, the sobering contrast between the glory of the Saved and the torment of the Lost. In verses 27-28, the rich man pleads …

'Then I beg you, father that you send him [Lazarus] to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

So, hypothetically, I ask myself ~ how might those that have passed on before see me? Would my day-to-day behavior and activities (remember, there is no “secret sin”) make them confident in my faith and salvation, or might they, like the rich man ~ be fearful for of my eternity…?

Consider Ephesians 5:8-14
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. …."

As the old saying goes, “Work like you are going to live forever, and live like you are going to die tomorrow…”

Slave to the eye

If you enjoy watching Animal Planet as I do, you’ve likely run across the Eukanuba Dog Shows. It fascinates me how dog breeds have been refined over years-and-years of selective breeding to perfect mental tendencies, and physical attributes.

In 2003, following a few years of going without man’s-best-friend being part of our family dynamic, we decided to get a new dog. Based on a fair amount of research, and forethought we selected a “basenji”. In part, our decision was based on the desire for a dog that did not bark, shed, or smell. Sound impossible… its not! Our basenji “Jinx” is all those things, plus… and that’s where things get interesting. In our research, we failed to read the small-print. Basenji’s are of the Hound variety, specifically “Sight Hounds”. Like greyhounds, basenjis are bred to pursue moving objects. A VERY active breed...!

Question: Do you have any moving objects in your household?

Visual: Imagine a silent, 22 pound fanged-missile cruising your household, targeting anything that moves ~ ah, you get the picture…

Its not that Jinx wants to be a bother, she is what she is, the product of centuries of selective breeding. As a sight-hound Jinx is a “slave to her eyes”. Accordingly, she will obey that natural impulse, regardless of danger or end result.

So, the question begs asking. What is my nature? What are my motivations? Am I, are we also “sight hounds” – Slaves to our eyes…?

The positive: If our motivation is the Word of God and spiritual pursuits – wonderful! You won’t have any trouble staying on-task.

The negative. If our motivation is the world’s eye-candy and material pursuits -- Goals and successes pursued to the detriment of worship and family, we are in trouble…

The difference: Jinx is, despite all our personified treatment, a “dumb animal”. Dogs can learn tricks and behaviors, but… cannot reason. They will always revert back to being just what they are, animals. We on the other hand are made in the very image of God, blessed with the ability to reason, blessed with the guidance of God’s inspired word, so - you choose…

I Peter 1:8-9