Walking The Journey

So many throughout the United States, and the world, have lost sleep these past weeks, watching their favorite athletes compete in the Winter Olympics. It is amazing to watch the human form in such grace and beauty, whether on skates or skis, completing physical feats that most of us cannot even begin to imagine, in awe and wonder. So many great athletes, so much polished talent, in two exciting weeks. This year’s Olympics have delivered into our homes exciting tricks on the snow board, amazing flights on skis, and magnificent poise on skates. What most of us see as the hazards of ice while driving or the play of snow for sledding, snow ball fights and igloos, athletes around the world use to demonstrate their skills for our entertainment (and their country pride). These athletes demonstrate the perfection of the creation of the human being. In God’s Greatness and Perfection, God created man in His image, unique to all other creations crafted by His hand. No other creation was made ...

The little girl often felt somewhat left behind, having older brothers who moved fast and quick, always on the go. She often felt, at age 4 or 5, that she would never be able to keep up with her brothers. On a rainy day in the later part of a long ago October, she began worried that she would be left behind as everyone began to run home, through the rain, only about 8 or 9 blocks, but miles in the mind and small legs of a 5 year old little girl. Her older brother, the youngest of all her brothers, seemed to understand her fears and looking over to her, told her, “Take my hand and you’ll be able to run as fast as me”. Trusting her older brother, she reached out, grasped the secure hand of her brother, and much to her amazement, was able to run faster than she ever had before, feeling not small as the little girl she was. The boy, the brother, young himself, never told his little sister that that time, and times that followed, that he really just slowed down to encourage his little sis...

Not everything we walk into that is called or classified as new is really new. The feelings, perceptions, and experiences may be new, or may feel new, but the thing we walk into is not necessarily new. We enter a New Year every year, and at the same time, the earth remains pretty much the same, as well as the planets, stars, wind, seasons, etc. The newness often is more in the different way we see life, ourselves, and our situations in life. The newness can also be what we dream for and desire, the changes we wish in our lives, and the wants we wish to see in not only our lives but in the lives of those we love and encounter. As we pass the first 10 days into a New Year, many of us have probably began to see the sameness on the horizon, or even worse, have begun to let go of the changes we hoped to see in our lives for this year. I have to wonder if most of the changes we desire in a new year are more externally focused than internally focused. Taking time to find meaning in self, in...

Exhaustion set in, the body and mind shuts down, and a great sigh was heard throughout the country, as all the packages were opened, the trash picked up, the parties completed, family came and left, and the New Year has moved into the present year. In exhaustion, finally finding the time to rest and recuperate, life slowly begins its transition back to normalcy, schedules, routine duties, car pools, work, and the life. It is over, for yet another year. And then there are those who are already beginning the plans and expectations for the next upcoming Christmas season. My son announced today number of days until Christmas as my daughter told me maybe Christmas will come faster this year. The eyes of children, the joy they see in what our eyes have grown dim to, is wonder and joy we should all do our best to emulate. Their world can be so much more than the reality of ours. Why we choose to allow our minds to grow old is beyond me. So, we will tell the stories of our Holidays for th...

And the big day has arrived, what we’ve been waiting for, it’s Christmas. So many writers, poets and songwriters have made attempts to pen the meaning of Christmas. Here are a few of the classic examples of songs we sing during the Christmas season, attempts to state in melody the significance of the birth of Christ: • Away in a Manger • The First Noel • God Rest You Merry Gentlemen • Hark! the Herald Angels Sing • It Came Upon a Midnight Clear • Joy to the World • O Come, All Ye Faithful • O Come, O Come, Emmanuel • O Little Town of Bethlehem • Silent Night, Holy Night • We Three Kings • What Child is This? Of course, there are also many movies, books, poems, and the like that attempt to tell the story of failure, rebirth, and redemption in modern terms, or in what were modern terms when written. Like so many “rewrites and remakes”, the original is often the best, and probably also the most simple. The Gospel of Luke tells the story in this way, “And an angel of the ...

Our fascination with spies and covert operations seems to come and go, as evidenced by the television series throughout the ages, which also seem to be driven by the movies of the day. It is probably safe to conclude as well that this fascination is also feed by the world climate and conflicts between nations. I can remember looking forward to the weekly episodes of “Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, sharing the excitement of young boys the next day with friends. It seemed spies and espionage trickled into many night time shows and many actors took their shot at being a super spy. And of course, the ultimate spy of all time is the one and only Bond, James Bond, 007, licensed to kill.  You can almost hear the famous music in the background, the popular song from your favorite episode ringing in your ear. There are varying opinions as to what actor was the best and greatest James Bond of all times (Sean Connery would be the answer, of course). Bond was famous for bravely and courageously walki...

In my solitude, when I can get it, I find at times drifting back mentally; reviewing the many paths I’ve walked in my life. Truly, none of them cause me great regret or remorse. Sure, there are paths of embarrassment, hurt pride, foolish acts, memories I’d rather not have, but no real regrets, as each road, each path, has taught me the true road towards life, towards Salvation, towards God. I still walk roads that will lead to future memories I’d rather forget before they occur, but in my humanness, I know that these roads will need to be traveled. In those moments of solitude and contemplation, I can rest in my serenity and appreciate the changes God has orchestrated in my life, and thus, in the life of those I encounter. Most of my friends of the past or my family of the present would never have imagined I would be were I’m at in life right now, and in that statement, rests the true power of God. And yet, the reality also exists that inside me lurks a beast that if I’m not careful,...