You can come home again, but . . .

Something to Think About Returning Home:

Thomas Wolfe famously said, "You can't go home again."  Actually you can, but you can't make it feel the same.  For the second time in my life I have returned home and found it somewhat weird--not bad, just different. Nearly fifty years ago I returned home after being away at school for a couple of months.  Shortly after I entered the familiar surroundings of the house where I'd lived for most of my life, my Mom asked, what I wanted for supper.  As far as I could remember that had never happened before.  My home was an "eat what's put before you" kind of home.  When Mom asked my dining preference I knew things had changed.  I had the same feeling the other day. Kathy and I had embarked on a new ministry venture.  We pulled in our driveway after being away for a bit over four months.  We began to settle into what is now the new normal.  It's not bad.  It is different.  And it's a bit of a challenge.  I suppose I'll have to wait a while before my verdict is credible, but I think it is good. I'm changing all the time.  All I have to do to demonstrate that is get out some old pictures.  That guy with a full head of black hair is gone.  In his place is an older guy with wrinkles and a wisp of gray on his head.  If I don't look at the pictures, though, I don't notice the change.  It happens a bit at a time.  I constantly adjust to the incremental difference.  The fact is, though, everything in this world is constantly changing.  If you stay gone for a while and then come home you notice that. Enough of my rambling.  The Lord's brother, James, and Jesus follower, Peter, both refer to Jesus words about the transitoriness of all things in this world.  These surroundings that seem so solid and lasting are really like delicate flowers.  They spring up, and flourish, but soon wither and die.  (See here, here, and here for the Biblical references.)  Don't try to keep things down here the same.  You'll only frustrate yourself.  Don't depend on that which is sure to fail you.  You are sure to suffer loss.  Make sure you invest in eternity.   It’s STTA. Read here to explore that which is eternal.

This life is one transition after another.

Something To Think About, Transitions:

My wife and I are working through a transition from our "working years" to our next opportunity.  If you are interested you can read about it here.  Friends and loved ones have spoken encouragement into our lives.  Some express a bit of wonder that folk at "our age" would be seeking what is next, rather than resting on what is past.  There is nothing remarkable about asking, "How can I use what I have to God's glory?"  It's just what we ought to do. The reality is, whether we realize it or not, we are all in transition.  My two lovely granddaughters, above, have entered a year of change.  It's Kendal's first year in a new school and Carrington's last year of High school.  A good friend of mine is forty years younger than me.  He is negotiating a passage from here to there that looks remarkably like mine.  His dad is fifteen years younger than me, and just about everything in his life has changed in the past few years.  Then there is another friend:  Whether it is now or down the line, he is looking at that ultimate transition.  We are all headed there.  As the old song says, "This world is not my home.  I'm just a passin' through."   I just received this picture of my youngest grandchild.  She's not three yet.  She watched her big sisters get ready for, and head off to, school.  She's thoroughly convinced she is a big as they are so she got on her new school clothes to head off to her "school"--day-care class.  After that nothing is the same. Not really. There are some realities that are unchanging. Forty-five years ago, though I was on crutches at the time, I climbed a hill and took a seat on a log where I had an unimpeded view to the west.  I was going through a particularly difficult passage in my life.  I took great comfort in watching the sun set.  God had kept the sun and earth, and all the other planets and stars in working order since the day He created them.   From little girls with new shoes, they can't tie yet, heading off to "school," to the old and grizzled on the threshold of eternity, life is a series of transitions.  If I'm with my little granddaughter when she is going through a particularly rough transition--and her life is filled withfirsts-- I'll hold her hand or even pick her up and carry her.  The reality for those of us who have an ongoing relationship with the Lord is that He has promised to be with us through all of life. Hold onto that. It's STTA.   On this page there are multiple options.  All of them point to how we can have an ongoing relationship with our Lord.

Security?

Something To Think About, Security, 5/21

I live a really secure life. At least I think so. I went to bed last night without a worry that I'd be killed during the night.  I'll drive my car today, and, while I will take precautions like wearing my seat-belt, I'll do so without a great deal of angst.  Each month when I get paid I leave my money with a group of people, some of whom are utter strangers. I hope to get back to riding my bike.  Every time a vehicle passes me I trust the driver to not be a sadistic killer--a twitch on the steering wheel could take me out. Either my life is secure, or I am a real fool! Many--perhaps most--people in the world have no such security, either real or imagined.  I remember visiting my son when he lived in Asia.  One of the things that impressed me was the massive doors on the apartments.  Many were steel, and most had more than one massive, impressive locks.  Clearly they were not there to be decorative.  I've been to Latin America several times.  Bars on windows, and walls, topped with razor wire, around people's property is common.  Often big dogs with big teeth growl threateningly on the other side.  What I take for granted is a daily DIY project many places. The fact is I'm not secure.  Neither are my friends who live behind bank-vault doors, and prison-like walls. Neither my complacency nor their vigilance will get the job done.  Check the news. Security can only be provided by someone who is all powerful, all knowing, and who is never absent. Know anyone like that? It's STTA.

What Is Solid?

A friend recently had an experience with which I'm familiar. She was driving on the interstate, I was on a country road, but both of us actually saw a large tree fall and block the road. Neither of us were driving during a storm or an earthquake. I remember the day the big pine blocked my route there was some wind, but nothing that tree hadn't withstood thousands of times. Likewise for the day my friend saw the lumber fall.

Both crashes were the result not of some catastrophic event, but long, slow, gradual processes. Saturated ground, the pull of gravity, changes in the balance of the crown of the tree, combined with a fairly gentle wind caused something that looked immovable to instantly stop somethng else that should be moving.

I'm old enough to see in my life, and observe in others, the accumulation of small forces. I've seen lives crash with great disaster, because those influences were allowed to continue unabated.

What is undermining your life?

lt's STTA.