Shouting time . . .

I am a bit distracted this morning.  Maybe because it is Friday or it's the amount of things that I need to get done today.  Maybe it's what I was dreaming about this morning when I woke up (but that is the topic for next week's blogs.)  Anyway, let's step off and think through this week a little bit.  I have shared  a few thoughts that I have had about joy this week.  Let me take a minute to share something with you; my blog this week has not even scratched the surface of what God's word says about joy. This exercise was designed for me to share a few thoughts that have come to mind. Let me encourage you to open your bible and spend some more time reading and meditating on His word.

Now back to my thoughts for this morning.  One use of joy that I have been avoiding this week, and by far is the one that seems to be used the most, is shout for joy.  I'm not sure why I have avoided this one so much.  Maybe it just seems that "shout for joy" is a term from a by gone era.  Do we even shout for joy any more?  We shout for ball teams.  We can shout with rage.  We can shout instructions.  We can shout on the phone.  It seems like we shout a lot, but do we truly shout for joy anymore?

I think that it does happen but I think we have to look in a certain direction to actually see it.  I think that children still shout for joy.  Maybe that is the reason that Jesus used children to teach us so many things.  A child is innocent and has not been affected by the world so much.

Many of you know that Irene and I love to go to Disney as often as we can afford it.  I think that maybe, just for a little while, we can be children again.  It really is fun to watch a child that has never been to Disney see it for the first time.  There are shouts of joy the first time that they see Mickey or the castle.  The first time that they ride Dumbo usually brings shouts of joy or when they round a corner and see their favorite character, prince or princess for the first time.

But as I think about it, maybe we do still shout for joy.  I have a niece in Charleston who is very much in love.  The young man that she is in love with is in school out of state.  I'll bet she shouts for joy when he comes for a surprise visit.  Occasionally I have come home with a special gift for my wife, that she didn't know about, and get a small shout out of her.
Maybe we do shout for joy.  But there will come a day, maybe here on earth, but definitely when we get to heaven, that there will be shouts of joy.  When we see our savior for the first time.  Oh the shouts that will be raised.  The older I get the more I look forward to that shout.

These are just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  Will you shout for joy today?  Will I?  Maybe.  Time will only tell.  I look forward to next week.  I will be sharing thoughts on renewing your mind.  Some days I would like to simply swap mine out, but that is a different topic all together.  I hope that you have a blessed day.

Joy and the crowd . . .

As I sit here this morning I have a thousand things running through my mind and none of them are the normal cares and worries of the world.  The normal quiet of the house is interrupted by the sound of the heat running. The house was a bit cool this morning so I turned on the heat to knock the chill off.  To me quiet is different when it is cold outside, but maybe that's just me.  But that really doesn't have anything to do with what I am thinking about this morning.

Can you be filled with joy because of someone else's joy?  Most of us seek out happy people to be around.  I mean, none of us wants to be around someone who is always down and acts like the world is coming to an end.  We seek out happy people, but as I said earlier in the week, I think joy is more than happiness.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.  If you could watch college football game by watching nothing but the crowd, I'll bet that you could tell how well each team was playing by watching their fans collectively.  You could tell when big plays were being made by their team that they were pulling for and you could tell when mistakes were made.  The mood of the crowd is influence by the things that are happening on the field but also by what is happening in the crowd around a single fan.  There are people that seem a bit distracted by their phones these days.  I know that may seem a bit of a surprise to some but it is a real thing.  Now let's say a fan is paying more attention to social media than the ballgame. If the fans around that person cheer or boo, so will they.  They will simply ask what just happened or maybe they won't and just trust it was worthy of a reaction.
 
The question is, can the same be said about joy?  The scriptures say in John 15:11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."  Before I go any further; you really need to read the context to get the fullness of the message from this piece of scripture.  With that being said; our joy is made complete (made full) by the joy of Christ.

Today, I will seek out His joy and see what kind of change that can bring in my life.  What about you?  These are just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  Have a blessed day.

Comfort and Joy . . .

This morning the air is cool in the house and all is quiet except for the clicking of the keyboard.  The coffee is good and is helping me focus this morning.  Have you ever had one of those mornings when the minute that you wakeup, all of the cares of the world seem to close in on you.  One would think that they would give you a day off every once and a while.

Your schedule is to tight; too many things to get done and that list seems not to have a end.  Maybe you have far more month than you do paycheck.  Could be that someone is ill and  the worry and concern just seems stifling.  Let's face it; every morning, this could be any one of us.

Those are the days that I want to run to a place of comfort.  Maybe that is a place where the cares of the world seem to melt away.  Maybe it's a wise person who always seems to have the right answers.  Maybe it's ten minutes by yourself with a cup of hot chocolate.

As I read Psalm 94 this morning and thought about those who wrote those verses, all I could think was how insignificant by worries may have seemed to those men.  I am not the leader of a kingdom, or an army.  My life is not at risk.  I don't really have the weight of the world on my shoulders; although it does seem that way some times.  And yet, my cares are just as important to my Heavenly Father as those of the writers of Psalms.  Our Father in Heaven can be an endless source of comfort and that comfort brings Joy.  We just need to access it more often.  With the comfort that brings joy there is; wisdom, safety, relaxation, stillness, love and so many other things.

Today, when things get crazy, and they will, I think I will seek my comfort in the presence  of my Heavenly Father.  These are just a few thoughts from a cluttered minds.  I hope that you have a comfortable day.

"When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy." Psalm 94:19

Joy - a Stronghold . . .

I sit here this morning in the quiet; my prayers have been started, the word is open and my mind is just beginning to get really going.  I love this time of the day.  I love the quiet.  It gives to time to think without someone pushing me to focus on the loudest barking dog.  if you don't understand that last comment, I'll be glad to explain it one day.

This morning I am thinking about a word.  One that is not used today as much as it was once upon a time.  The word is stronghold.  It brings up pictures in my mind of movies.  It seems like that is one of the few places that you may hear this word used.  The word is defined as Stronghold - a fortified place; a place of security or survival; a place of strength.

I don't know if you are a "Lord of the Rings" fan, but to me it brings to mind the Keep from the second movie and the fortified city from the third movie.  Heavy, fortified, places of safety, places of strength.  A place where the bad things of life can't get to you.

If you haven't noticed lately, the world is a little crazy.  Storms rolled through our area yesterday.  Today there are still people without power.  Property destroyed.  Flooding in some areas.  There are times that watching the news can be a bit overwhelming.  Even at 58 years young, there are days I would just like to crawl inside my blanket fort where nothing could touch me. (If you don't understand that last statement, you really missed something special growing up.)

But, I was reminded this morning that when things seem to be a bit overwhelming, I do still have access to a stronghold.  The stronghold that we can access, that place of strength, is the joy of the Lord.  I am convinced that joy comes from only one place - the Lord.  That joy is not deendant on our circumstances.  It is not happiness, it is joy.  It is strength when times are hard and the world is crazy.  It is our stronghold; a place of safety and protection.

Today, when things get crazy (and they will) I will seek out this stronghold, this strength.  I will seek out the Joy of the Lord.  I will draw near to Him and rest in the knowledge that I am a child the He loves.

"Do not grieve, because the joy of the LORD is your stronghold.”  Nehemiah 8:10

These are just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  I hope that you have a blessed day.

The search for Joy . .

As I sit here this morning, drinking my coffee and trying to get the day started; the house is quiet, Irene is trying to go back to sleep, I hear the rain outside, Morris is walking in and out of the kitchen trying to get my attention.  My prayers have been started for the day.  My devotion read along with a few Psalms and I sit here and ponder the meaning of a word.  I have read the definition from the dictionary and yet I think that it falls short of what the word actually means.  The word I ponder this morning is Joy.

I know several Joy's and several of them are dear friends.  But the female use of the word as a name is not what I ponder.  The dictionary defines Joy as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.  The expression or display of glad feelings.  A state of happiness."  Good definitions, but, the Joy I seek is so much more.

The Joy that I seek is not dependant on my situation, or the people that I am with.  The Joy that I seek is not dependant upon an emotion (my happiness), in that, it is still there in the un-happiest of situations. I seek the Joy that can only be found in a relationship with my heavenly Father and being in His presence.  This week I think I will seek out and dwell in and study that Joy.  Would you like to join me?  Open God's word, grab a pen and some paper.  Let's seek His face together.

Post the treasures that you find in the comments and let's share the Joy that we find in this journey together.  These are just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  Have a Joy filled day.

My Soapbox . . .

I will usually try to keep this blog as an instrument of teaching, but today is a soapbox day.  If you choose to step away now, I fully understand, otherwise - hang-on and here we go.

I am 58 years old.  I have lived in my hometown all my life.  I have traveled a bit.  Some for pleasure, some on mission trips and some for business.  I have met and known a fair amount of people in my short life. (Rabbit hole - short life is relative to the length of time that you have lived.  People I use to consider old I now consider young.  The older I get the younger old people become.) But I do not understand people today.

I was reading a post this weekend about a restaurant owner who posted his views and opinions on one of the social media sights. (Rabbit hole - if you run a business, the quickest way to kill it in this day and time to to become political.  Look at what is happening to the NFL right now.)  There was such an uproar over this person's opinions; he lost employees because they feared for their lives, he had people say that they would burn the business down with them in it, and on and on. Ultimately, the owner had to close his business.  The hate shown in the comments to the business owner amazes me.  I don't understand that type of reaction.

We live in a society today, that cries for tolerance.  Yet, no one understands what tolerance means anymore.  By definition, tolerance is defined as "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry."  Yet what I see called tolerance is nothing but a demand to agree with one's opinions.  For the most part, those that I see calling for tolerance are the true bigots.

Just maybe we should look at a different way to arrive at a middle ground for blending our differences.  A way to agree to disagree and still be able to move forward and be friends.  Respecting someone else's opinions is a great start.  Opinions are like finger prints, pretty much everyone has one and they are usually different.  I can treat you with respect and not agree with you.  I can care about you and not agree with the life style that you lead.  I can stand side by side with you and not agree with who you voted for.  If respect is the beginning then love is the completion of this journey.  Love is one of the greatest things that we can offer to our society today.  God's word states - "Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity." Colossians 3:14

For now, I climb down off my soapbox.  I hope that each one who reads this has a blessed day.

Crazy Weather . . .

Is it just me or is the weather around here a little strange lately.  I mean, I live in the upstate of SC and it is almost the middle of October.  We should have leaves changing color and cooler weather.  Yesterday we had mid to upper 80's and storms.  Humidity out the roof.

Turn on the news and hear of damage in the area because of the storms and tornados recently.  Trees and power lines down.  Even a house north of here which had it roof torn away by a tornado.  Thank goodness no one was home and it was just the house that was damaged.

Now; you may read that line and think, losing a house is a big thing, and I would agree with you, but it can be replaced.  Most of the things that we lose in life can be replaced.  Some things can not.  But as a child of God; one thing that we do not have to worry about losing are the things that are dependant on God.  In a time of loss, we can always turn to the One that supplies our needs.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. PSALM 62 : 5 – 8

Just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  Looking forward to our time tomorrow. Blessings.

Plans, plans and more plans . . .

As I sit here this morning, I wonder about those that will stumble across this post and take a moment to read these few thoughts.  I always wonder, what do I have to share that someone might want to read.  This morning I share a little bit about how my mind works.  If that doesn't scare you, then continue reading.

I am at my core a planner.   I'm not sure if I have always been that way but that is the only me that I can remember.  It is what makes me a little better than average at what I do for a living.  My work involves deadlines that must be met, schedules that need to be adhered to, or it throws other peoples schedules off track.  Sometimes, if a date is missed, the consequences are not so bad.  Other times, a missed date can cost a get deal of money and trouble for everyone.  My reputation at work lies in my ability to meet a date and turn out complete and accurate plans for a project.

So, everything I do is usually planned.  The crazy thing is, I have done this so long that it now has taken over the balance of my life for the most part.  Everything gets panned.  The funny thing about that is, I married a planner too.

It makes me feel uncomfortable to be in a situation that things are not planned.  But to be honest, sometimes I just wish that everything did not have to be planned.  I have a week's vacation next week.  We were going to travel, but the money was spent on things more important than vacation, so we are going to stay home.  There are plenty of things that need to be done here at home, but even now I am beginning to plan.

I just want to rest.  Not so much my body as my mind.  No planning.  No having to be somewhere at some time for some function.  Funny thing, God's word addresses this.  God commands us to rest in the book of Exodus.

So, next week, I will rest.  No plans.  No deadlines.  Just rest.  Now that sounds like a good plan.  These are just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  May God bless you today richly.

Blessed . . .

I sit here this morning in the quiet, drinking my coffee and I am safe and dry.  In all honesty, when measured against what some are going through this morning, my life is really pretty good.

I don't know which part of the country that you live in, but around here the weather got a little crazy yesterday evening.  There are several thousand without power here and yet I think of Puerto Rico this morning and they may not see power for weeks.

I saw on the news this morning the a house trailer had been turned over, the owner safe and not hurt.  Yet there is an island in the Carribean, that after one of the four hurricanes so far this year past over the island, nothing is standing.

Four hurricanes have hit the US this year so far.  I don't think that has happened in my life time.  Not that I remember either.  And yet; we still have power, for the most part.  There are those who are still dealing without, but workers are here on the ground making things better.  We have clean water or at least access to clean water.  There are places around the world without access to any clean water.

Even at our worst, we are still blessed beyond most.  I wonder when we will realize this?  I wonder when we will thank the one who provides and protects?  I wonder at what point do we turn back to the God who keeps His hand on this country?  The God who provides and protects.

These are just the ramblings of a cluttered mind.  I pray that you have a blessed day.

Another Reminder from the NQC . . .

As I sit here trying to best convey things that came to mind at NQC, I naturally think of music.  If you know me very well, you know that my taste in music is really pretty wide.  I like everything from classical and opera to blue grass and country.  I love beach music and oldies (from the 40's to the 60's).  My favorite music through most of my life has been southern gospel, although I didn't realize it until the last 20 years or so.  But, the music I am thinking about this morning are the hymns that I grew up with.

We weren't in church every time the doors opened as I was growing up.  We went sporadically. We went to vacation bible school and occasionally Sunday School.  I didn't get serious about church until I had graduated high school and bought my first car.  At that point I could drive myself to church.

Now there are things that I remember about church, even when it was just vacation bible school and occasionally Sundays.  I remember church pews before padded seat cushions.  I remember no air conditioning and windows open in the summer. I remember funeral home fans (if you don't understand, find someone as old as me.) Every church had at least a week of VBS and revivals were two weeks long. But two things stick in my mind more than anything else; the preaching and the hymns.

The preaching is a topic for another day, but today I want to talk about hymns.  Just as a side note, I really like the praise music sung in churches today, but I miss the hymns and I think there is still a place for them in our worship.

Isn't it funny how a song can take you to a place or time in your mind as quick if not quicker than a picture.  As we sat and listened to the singers at NQC, some of the songs being sung were some of the old hymns.

I heard one group state, that if they ever had a chance to sing for congress they had a song already picked out - "This is My Father's World".

"Amazing Grace" still moves people to tears.

"In the Garden" will always remind me of my mother.

"Unclouded Day" reminds me of a dear friend's mother and Wednesday night singing.  She would always wait her turn, but that was her song.

What is your favorite hymn?  When is the last time you sang it or heard it?  Where does it take you in your mind?  Does it take your to the feet of Jesus?  Those are the best.

These are just the ramblings of a cluttered mind.  I hope that you have a blessed day.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. . . ."  Come on and sing along.  You know that you want to.

Seeking Wisdom . . .

(I will be honest; I struggled writing this blog this morning.  I spent as much time taking things out as I did putting things in.  There may be a time that I use this forum as a soapbox, but seeking God's face and asking for His wisdom was the purpose of this morning's blog.  I hope that you find this helpful.  I did. Keep your eyes on the Father.)

As I sit here in the quiet of the morning, I think about things that happened leading up to this point in time, what will happen today and what could happen in the future.  With sadness I still think of the shooting in Las Vegas.  I listen to the news media and those in congress and they all say that they have the answers, and yet, I see no outcome from the wisdom that they offer that makes any sense.

Before you note me as a gun owning flake and dismiss me without knowing my heart, you might want to read on a little further.  I am a gun owner and I will be the first in line to turn them all in as soon as they start getting up, moving around and having a mind of their own.  No one can blame that shooting on the gun any more than they can blame obesity on a fork or a buffet.

The problem is not the guns that this person had access to.  Without the guns, he could have done as much damage any number of ways.  Guns were just the tool that he chose to use.

So, how do we deal with the aftermath of an event like Las Vegas?  I would hope that we seek wisdom in preventing it in the future.  So where does wisdom come from?  According to the scriptures, it comes from the Lord.  We as a nation need to turn back to the wisdom that only comes from a loving God.  We need to spend time in the scriptures, on our knees in prayer, gathered in worship, seeking His face and asking for wisdom.  And as important as anything else, doing what He has directed us to do.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.—PROVERBS 1:7

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.—JAMES 1:5–6

Just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  I hope that you have a blessed day.  May God grant you the wisdom to truly make a difference today.

Things Reminded of at NQC . .

As I sit here at the keyboard this morning simply thinking of everything going on in the world today, I am thinking about things that I was reminded of while I was on vacation last week.  You see, last week at this time I was asleep in a cabin outside of Pigeon Forge, TN.  Later that evening Irene and I would go to the National Quartet Convention.  If you do not know what NQC is, take the time to google it.  It was a fun time.

Four day later I wake up to go back to work after a week off and as I turn on the news, I hear of this shooting in Las Vegas for the first time.

And here I am, three days later, still thinking about that shooting and NQC.  You see, I was reminded of some things while at NQC that sometime I lose focus of.  In the coming days, I will rethink and refocus on those things and hope to find the time to share my journey with you.

As for the shooting and NQC and what I was reminded of; as much as it seems that He isn't, God is still in control.  Do I understand why He allowed this to happen, no.  But, I still believe He is in control.

My heart breaks for the victims and the people that went through this tragedy.  And yet, God is still in control.  His line of sight, what He sees, is so much better than our vantage point.  All we see is the storm raging around us.  "God sees the storm from the other side . . . He sees the rainbow when we see the clouds . . ."

"He Already Sees The Rainbow" by The Collingsworth Family. https://youtu.be/pGJbJCw-n4c

Go to Youtube or Google the song above and give it a listen.  I heard it for the first time at NQC. Give it a listen.  Maybe it will change your perspective.  It is helping to change mine.

These are just a few thoughts from a clutter mind of one trying to fight the good fight.  May you have a blessed day.