Squid’s Word

My list:  (well some of it anyway) Be warned, no Crystal here….

1. Gevalia coffee in the morning.

2. Gevalia coffee in the morning with my wife.

3. The look of discovery on my daughters’ faces.

4. Clean underwear.

5. Clean underwear right out of the dryer.

6. Star Trek.

7. Homemade Pizza.

8. A car that runs.

9. Sleeping in on Saturdays….

10. …with my wife….

11. …and my kids.

12. XBOX!

13. Birth pics of my son.

14. My ‘93 Ford F-250 (love that truck!)

15. My relationship with God.

16. Just about anything by Aaron Sorkin

17. Euchre with friends. (if you’re not from Michigan, don’t ask)

18. my ‘82 Epiphone

19. Any Disney Channel movie or TV program with an intact nuclear family.

20. Just about anything by Tom Clancy.

21. Casting Crowns

22. breadbox

23. The public affirmation of a friend……

24. …..when you’re not present……

25. ….and you find out about it afterward.

26. My daughters snow angel.

27. The way my son pronounces Burger King (berber king)

28. My wife’s cooking (she can take an empty beer can and a head of lettuce and make a feast!)

29. a tax refund!

30. Taco Bell (oops that’s from my wife’s list)

31. Tim Horton’s Coffee

32. The promise of eternity with God

33. SCI-FI Channel

…I could keep going.

But I won’t bore you. How ’bout you? What’s on your list?

Squid

     I love this quote. Absolutely love it! These are words I try to liveby. I believe it is important to be about the business of attempting the impossible (or at least the highly improbable) You get one shot. This is not, repeat NOT a dress rehearsal! Chances are you are God’s man (or woman) for such a time (and place) as this. When you die, that’s it.

 It is a harder thing we do to choose the fight before us. To step into the ring….

To stand before the flood  and say I will not be swayed. I will be the one who makes a difference. I will speak to the future. I will be the righteous fighter. I will do the righteous fight.

….and I will fail….

….and succeed. I have never known anyone who has attempted great things who has not known both. And if you attempt great things, you will know them both as well. Intimately.  What’s more, you have my admiration.

The sad thing is you will also know more than your fair share of critics and nay-sayers. They’re as inevitible as barnicles on a boat, and about as useful.

I’m not talking about sage advice from someone who’s been there. Someone with your best interests at heart. Those people are priceless. They are to be cherished like precious gems.

No I’m talking about the idiot in the cheap seats who uses their overblown sense of entitlement to comment on something they know nothing about.

And the reason they don’t is because they have never gotten in the ring and gotten whatever semblance of brain matter they may have smeared on the canvas.

It’s happened to me (can you tell? hmmm?) and it’s happened to people I care about.

People in the ring standing before adversity, slugging it out, bloodied by the blows of opposition. They win a round, they lose one. And some idiot opens his or her mouth.

Hey friend, here’s a thought: SHUT UP!!  Tell you what I’m gonna do; I’m gonna grab you by the belt loops and toss you in the ring. Let’s see how well you do. That is , if you last.

I am soooo sick of watching good men and women (notice I said good, not perfect) making good, intelligent decisions, and working the good side of the struggle being crucified by those who couldn’t find a clue with both hands and a flashlight.

In my opinion a critic without experience is nothing short of nauseating. If that’s you, then go away. You have nothing to say to me that I can use. You will never know the depth of my despair, agony, and pain. And worse, you will never know the height of my joy and pleasure in the face of great achievement and victory.

Go away and live your warm milk and dry toast life. But don’t you DARE open your mouth and complain.

Or better yet, (pardon while I put on my best Jack Nicholson  ala “A few good men” face) ….pick up a weapon, and stand a post!

Squid

You ever have those times where you can’t decide what to drink for a meal? Coffee, tea, milk, water, soda? (something stronger?)Soooo many choices.

Or what to wear to work? Shirt and tie? Jeans and tennis shoes? Suit coat and pants? (will it be a pants optional day?) Again, soooo many choices.

Well, this is not one of those times.

My job with WDIV has taken me to the North American International Show here in Detroit. Press preview week. Lots of work, lots of overtime. One caveat here:I’m not complaining!

but…

While thatis going on I’m trying to finish updating my resume, prepare for praise team rehearsal at church on Wednesday, eat healthy, spend more than 43 seconds of quality time with my kids, prep for recording team rehearsal, take my wife out on a date, prep for a couple of concerts with breadbox, next weekend, pray, sleep more than 4 hours a night, clean out the gutters (again), take down the Christmas decorations at home, do my Bible study, finish reading the Confessions of St. Augustine (I’m about a third of the way through)

and…

begin the foray into the blogiverse. Notice I called it the blogiverse, not blogasphere. (there’s something absolutely Freudian in a guy talking about “spheres”. But I digress.) 

I guess my life is like yours: BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!  Again, I’m not complaining. Soooo many ways to spend my time. Sooo many choices.

…well, not really.

You see, I claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. And, if I understand what it is He asks of me then I am to be about the process of becoming more like Him. I am to look to the example of His life (and death) and emulate Him.

I think what I’ve learned over the years is that, Christian or not, the choices we make drive us closer to, or farther away from sanity. The reason being it’s not always about choosing between right and wrong, or good and evil. Those choices are relatively easy to make.

 More often it’s about the difference between good, better, and best. Those are the choices that really twist your pretzel.

Factor in the will of God and you then get the privilege of dealing with a whole new set of parameters.

It’s like: OK God what are you after here?? I’ve got these choices here; any one of which I imagine would be fine with you but I’d really like to know what you’re thinking!

And since the will of God is different for everyone my list or answers probably won’t resemble yours. Oh there will be some similarities, but not many.

One thing about Jesus. He was in submission to God the Father. I think that may be part of the reason He could be at peace in the midst of the torture He faced on our behalf. And while I face nothing like what He faced, it occurs to me that if I am practicing the same heart the same peace is available to me. If you get a chance, read John 14:27

That peace is available for me, even when I’m trying to decide what to do next; or what I’m going to do instead.

Some of the best lyrics I’ve heard on the subject God’s peace were penned by Scott Krippayne:

Sometimes He calms the storm with a whispered: “Peace be still”

He can settle any sea, but it doesn’t mean He will.

Sometimes He holds us close and lets the wind and waves go wild.

Sometimes He calms the storm, and other times He calms His child. 

OK so it’s not life and death. But it istrying to discern the will of God. For me that’s enough!

Maybe that’s what He’s after. Give Him control. Give Him the reigns. Let Him work His mojo. Be like Jesus. Yeah. OK. I can work on that.

Trade my trust for His peace.

From many choices down to one. Whew! Glad that’s done. Man, what a time saver!

Think I’ll go take a nap; the gutters can wait.

Squid