Ever wonder why some wines taste so much better than others from the same area, and sometimes from the same vineyard? Terroir- where the vines are located.
The best fruit, when it comes to the noble grape, is when it is stressed and starved and generally located in the poorest soil on the hill. You would think if you put Miracle Grow and fertilizer on, and pampered the heck out of them, that the wine created from those grapes would be fantastic right? Nope- ruined; good for $2 Chuck or worse yet, relegated to become vinegar.
I sometimes wonder why I can't catch a break so to speak, why life has to be so hard. Could it be that God is allowing the stress and strain of this life to create one with character and seasoning that is used for a blessing to others? They will know us by our fruit.
I hope these blogs can be used to help others when crap happens.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Stretching the Comfort Zone
Mittens and Squishy. Yep, Squishy. Our two cats as different as night and day. Mittens is the wild cat; catches everything; crickets, frogs, squirrels, rabbits, turtles and of course, birds. Her daughter, Squishy, is just the opposite; we have raised from a kitten, is domesticated, couldn't survive a day on her own, unless "treats" grew on trees. What's the point of putting yourself into hostile environments just to prove you can survive? Just in case right?
For this very reason, I tend to watch shows like Man vs Wild, Survivorman, Discovery and Animal Planet. Picture a wild goat. He is aware of his surroundings, able to leap and bound over rocky terrain, find food and water sources, and defend himself against hostile animals. By contrast, his domesticated counterpart sleeps in a barn, chews the grass at his feet, drinks water provided for him, and lacks the vigorous survival skills of his wild cousin.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%201:1-4&version=NLT
Sometimes, God allows circumstances to shape us by stretching us physically, Spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. While we may not enjoy the trial, we can be assured God is in control, and that perseverance, trust, faith and hope, and patience are all being perfected. Unless we have gone through trials personally, many times we otherwise may not be qualified to help others in similar circumstances. Even Squishy, catches the occasional crunchy cricket if stuck outside for a few hours.
For this very reason, I tend to watch shows like Man vs Wild, Survivorman, Discovery and Animal Planet. Picture a wild goat. He is aware of his surroundings, able to leap and bound over rocky terrain, find food and water sources, and defend himself against hostile animals. By contrast, his domesticated counterpart sleeps in a barn, chews the grass at his feet, drinks water provided for him, and lacks the vigorous survival skills of his wild cousin.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%201:1-4&version=NLT
Sometimes, God allows circumstances to shape us by stretching us physically, Spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. While we may not enjoy the trial, we can be assured God is in control, and that perseverance, trust, faith and hope, and patience are all being perfected. Unless we have gone through trials personally, many times we otherwise may not be qualified to help others in similar circumstances. Even Squishy, catches the occasional crunchy cricket if stuck outside for a few hours.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Following Instructions
These last four years have been to say the least...turbulent. Four moves in four years, cancer scare, home loss, job loss, broken cars, broken hearts, broken dreams. Yet, through it all is an inter-woven peace. I can't imagine not having this kind of peace. The Bible is full of instructions, guidelines and guardrails, to help lead us into the kind of peace of which I'm talking about.
But what is it about the instructions we don't like? Are we smarter than the manufacturer? Does it take too much time; or is it that, deep down we don't like being told what to do? Are you like me; one of those people who never reads the instructions when putting together a child's bike, grill, or piece of furniture from IKEA, etc? Even after four moves, we always seem to have a few leftover pieces.
Not reading the instructions when putting something together will only cost us time and pride. But when it comes to life, not reading the instructions can cost us and the ones we love, or so much more. God gives us His instruction manual through His Word; the information in it is far too valuable to disregard.
But what is it about the instructions we don't like? Are we smarter than the manufacturer? Does it take too much time; or is it that, deep down we don't like being told what to do? Are you like me; one of those people who never reads the instructions when putting together a child's bike, grill, or piece of furniture from IKEA, etc? Even after four moves, we always seem to have a few leftover pieces.
Not reading the instructions when putting something together will only cost us time and pride. But when it comes to life, not reading the instructions can cost us and the ones we love, or so much more. God gives us His instruction manual through His Word; the information in it is far too valuable to disregard.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Taxi!
Have you ever been scared riding as a passenger in a car? I mean really scared?
A few years ago on one of our family vacations, we took a taxi to see the high divers dive off the cliffs in Alcapulco. You know where I'm going with this... Two things are very obvious as you make the drive up; No traffic signs, and every other business sells VW fenders and bumpers. My first obsevation was to ask myself why would there be sooo many auto shops, I don't mean a few, I mean like hundreds on these streets?
The trip up wasn't too bad, but the trip back down, and I mean flying back down these cliff hugging streets with no gardrails was a different venue all together. I counted no less than 3 close-miss accidents as we worked our way back down in the VW taxi....Whew, we made it back bodies intact.
Most of us would feel safer, if we knew there were gardrails in place, or that other people would obey traffic signs. That drive in that city had none, and my wife and kids were scared, and there may have been a couple momments for me as well.
Bottom line- God doesn't want us to have to live our lives without any guidelines, gardrails, yield and stop signs. His book is full of them, there to help keep us safe; when we choose not to trust in them, the risk of bodily harm increases.
A few years ago on one of our family vacations, we took a taxi to see the high divers dive off the cliffs in Alcapulco. You know where I'm going with this... Two things are very obvious as you make the drive up; No traffic signs, and every other business sells VW fenders and bumpers. My first obsevation was to ask myself why would there be sooo many auto shops, I don't mean a few, I mean like hundreds on these streets?
The trip up wasn't too bad, but the trip back down, and I mean flying back down these cliff hugging streets with no gardrails was a different venue all together. I counted no less than 3 close-miss accidents as we worked our way back down in the VW taxi....Whew, we made it back bodies intact.
Most of us would feel safer, if we knew there were gardrails in place, or that other people would obey traffic signs. That drive in that city had none, and my wife and kids were scared, and there may have been a couple momments for me as well.
Bottom line- God doesn't want us to have to live our lives without any guidelines, gardrails, yield and stop signs. His book is full of them, there to help keep us safe; when we choose not to trust in them, the risk of bodily harm increases.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Suprise, Suprise, Suprise
I'm watching Mr. Netanyahu's interview on CNN.
If you go back a hundred blogs or so, you'll see I mentioned that maybe Israel is in fact sitting on oil. Mr. Netanyahu, just stated that "We found oil" in them there hills...
All the Middle East countries have oil, yet, for some reason Israel didn't have any???
Earthquakes, rumors of wars, food shortages, famines, crumbling economies, weird weather, evil is good and good is evil? Countries wanting to obliterate Israel off the face of the earth... Hmmm. Maybe there is some truth to Biblical prophesy?
Now that nuclear disasters are causing peeps to rethink energy policy, some countries may ramp up efforts behind the scenes to get more oil... Iran has enough nuclear material for three nukes...
If you go back a hundred blogs or so, you'll see I mentioned that maybe Israel is in fact sitting on oil. Mr. Netanyahu, just stated that "We found oil" in them there hills...
All the Middle East countries have oil, yet, for some reason Israel didn't have any???
Earthquakes, rumors of wars, food shortages, famines, crumbling economies, weird weather, evil is good and good is evil? Countries wanting to obliterate Israel off the face of the earth... Hmmm. Maybe there is some truth to Biblical prophesy?
Now that nuclear disasters are causing peeps to rethink energy policy, some countries may ramp up efforts behind the scenes to get more oil... Iran has enough nuclear material for three nukes...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Adversity and Blessing
Although adversity may never seem to be a blessing, God in His grace can bring blessing out of our adversity. The key is releasing the hurt and pain to the Lord so He can bring the needed healing to our lives.
As I've mentioned in past blogs, when I meet someone who is going through a business failure or a financial loss, there's an instant bond between us of shared experience.
God can take our adversity—a heart attack, cancer, an automobile accident, violent crime, bankruptcy, a marriage crisis, the loss of a loved one—and transform that pain into encouragement for the people around us. We come out of those experiences stronger and better able to comfort others.
As I've mentioned in past blogs, when I meet someone who is going through a business failure or a financial loss, there's an instant bond between us of shared experience.
God can take our adversity—a heart attack, cancer, an automobile accident, violent crime, bankruptcy, a marriage crisis, the loss of a loved one—and transform that pain into encouragement for the people around us. We come out of those experiences stronger and better able to comfort others.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Distressed For Your Comfort?
I have to say I had a pretty tough week last week; surgery, radiation, nassea, headaches, body aches etc. The job I got three months ago isn't too happy either, so extra stress of the idea of looking for work again...
Then I read this verse from 2Cor 1:6
"If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer."
An excerpt from TGIF
"God must love you a lot! He doesn't allow someone to go through the kinds of adversity you have experienced unless He has a special calling on your life." Those were the words said to me by two different mentors at two different times within a three-year period. Later I would learn another related truth from a respected man of God - a man who lives in another country, a man whom God uses throughout the globe. "The depth and width of your faith experiences are directly proportional to your calling."
So what's next?
Then I read this verse from 2Cor 1:6
"If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer."
An excerpt from TGIF
"God must love you a lot! He doesn't allow someone to go through the kinds of adversity you have experienced unless He has a special calling on your life." Those were the words said to me by two different mentors at two different times within a three-year period. Later I would learn another related truth from a respected man of God - a man who lives in another country, a man whom God uses throughout the globe. "The depth and width of your faith experiences are directly proportional to your calling."
So what's next?
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