The bitterness of life has a nasty taste. It can be further stated that the aftertaste can remain for a long time on the taste buds too. There are many things that offer up the unsavory things of life. Some of these ‘meal creations’ we create on our own. When my grandmother Stella Mills would whip up some of her biscuits or even better yet some homemade syrup all I can say is it was great! But that great taste came through years of perfecting the art of throwing flour, eggs, salt and other ingredient together and mixing them with her unique fist roll. I am extremely confident that grandmother’s cooking was not always so great. I can imagine as a little girl she watched her mother and my great-grandmother cooking as a child, observing the process. Gradually I suspect they began to hand over a few details until grandma could prepare a meal all by herself.
As a child I know my first love of the kitchen began to really grow when my mother would be mixing up a cake. I always made sure I had frequent stops in the kitchen when that was happening so I could hear my mother ask if I’d like to lick the spoon. Now we are talking right? If you are not smiling as you read this you must be allergic to cakes or never been asked to clean up the cake batter mix with your finger. I guess there must be something that separates all of us apart from the other and if that childhood experience is my stepping stone I’ll accept it gladly knowing I also have the extra pounds to show just how many of those special clean up jobs I’ve taken care of.
Focusing on the toughness of life is another experience that no doubt sets people apart. One fact for sure, we’ve all had some bitter tasting moments that we had rather not experienced. I could wager my left foot that all of us know of moments that just make you sick because of things that must be dealt with. Tasting the moments of life individually I personally would not recommend. It’s like tasting the individual ingredients that make up biscuits. Buttermilk alone could be good but I never could drink that all alone. I love a fried egg but raw I never could stomach. Salt is ok of course but that’s just one item out of several, which is much like life. When we are experiencing tough moments we should not try to swallow all of it at once. Chocking was never a favorite experience of mine either. Life sometimes is like trying a new food. Taste just a little and see what you think before you take a big ole bite. In cooking all the good cooks always taste their food as they prepare the meal. Adding just a little of this or pinch of that to create the perfect dish for enjoyment.
Today you could have experienced a perfect day in your books, but tomorrow heartache maybe just around the corner. The test for our skills tomorrow is to remember yesterday was a good day and this bad today we are having will be over in a few hours and we have a new opportunity with the next sunrise. Many individuals will let a single bad taste or experience keep them from ever trying something different or believing that a bunch of single “not so great tasting items” mixed together can come out right, but it can.
Romans 8:28 says that “God works all things out together to the good, for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose”. You may not always like every moment of every day but one bad day a week is nothing. One bad week a month is nothing and even one bad month a year is a small fraction of time when you look at the big picture. Don’t give up, keep pressing on and give a little time for everything to mix together and then you may find yourself going back to the kitchen waiting, watching and looking for the good stuff.
Until then
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Lots of thoughts......
This past week I had a big moment, in my mind at least. I was listening to talk radio and the discussion was all about the November elections and who would control Congress. News forums are all talking about the Democrats losing control of the Senate and House of Representatives if the Tea Party candidates win and are seated as Republicans in the new Congress. The Republican Party issues are that those who just won their primaries discovered their biggest opponent to be the Old Republican Party and the Tea Party Moment appears to be the New Republican Party which includes lots of debate and unrest. In the radio commentary the statement was made by a Member of Congress that he believed in what he was doing and he wanted to represent all of the people of the United States.
Listening to that statement being said struck me as most interesting. My big mind moment was don’t we elect our individual Members of Congress to represent our specific districts? Maybe my Civic teacher in high school left that lesson out and we never had a discussion about that issue, but I remember well, we did. Congressman Harold Rogers could in a general way, say he represents all the Citizens of the United States of America, but his primary focus and his energy should be in representing the people of his District. Kentucky’s entire Congressional Delegation should all work together for Kentucky’s good as a whole, yes, that’s general, but that is an interested shared in common that is easily understood. I would agree that you don’t hear or see that taking place unless everyone’s in the same political party and affiliation. That would mean elected officials see the good in each other and see the value of others over a political party idea, position, or platform. That would be corporation if that occurred but because of political unrest and continued indifference even within the specific political parties nobody seems to want to help anyone except themselves and no one believes in appreciating any opinion that is different from theirs.
Now I am a Christian and I believe in Biblical principals. I feel quite strong about my beliefs and I am firmly committed to those positions. Yet, I realize I often fall short in my witness of Christianity and there are many questions that I’d love to have answers to right now, but that’s not so. I am a Maroon and White Bobcat. No disrespect to the Blue and White Bobcats of Bell County today, but I love a different color. In Bell County I had great friendships with students who went to Long Jack but I know others who hated people just because of one school over another; In Knox County I had a great experience teaching at Lynn Camp High School. My parents both graduated from Knox Central and the gym is named after my cousin Don Bingham. Opps, I forgot, Danny Green at Lynn Camp and he is an old high school and family friend, who am I to support? Maybe I should not write anything and just be quite? No doubt -- I could be upsetting someone for sure and some will think I’m picking sides!
Not sure when doing the right thing whenever and wherever was lost, but it’s clear it is missing in many situations, organizations and opportunities. In today’s world there is one connection I can suggest that still has a singular focus. The leadership is truly about putting others first and the plan works. For God so Loved the World He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes shall be saved. Now that’s different!
Until then
Listening to that statement being said struck me as most interesting. My big mind moment was don’t we elect our individual Members of Congress to represent our specific districts? Maybe my Civic teacher in high school left that lesson out and we never had a discussion about that issue, but I remember well, we did. Congressman Harold Rogers could in a general way, say he represents all the Citizens of the United States of America, but his primary focus and his energy should be in representing the people of his District. Kentucky’s entire Congressional Delegation should all work together for Kentucky’s good as a whole, yes, that’s general, but that is an interested shared in common that is easily understood. I would agree that you don’t hear or see that taking place unless everyone’s in the same political party and affiliation. That would mean elected officials see the good in each other and see the value of others over a political party idea, position, or platform. That would be corporation if that occurred but because of political unrest and continued indifference even within the specific political parties nobody seems to want to help anyone except themselves and no one believes in appreciating any opinion that is different from theirs.
Now I am a Christian and I believe in Biblical principals. I feel quite strong about my beliefs and I am firmly committed to those positions. Yet, I realize I often fall short in my witness of Christianity and there are many questions that I’d love to have answers to right now, but that’s not so. I am a Maroon and White Bobcat. No disrespect to the Blue and White Bobcats of Bell County today, but I love a different color. In Bell County I had great friendships with students who went to Long Jack but I know others who hated people just because of one school over another; In Knox County I had a great experience teaching at Lynn Camp High School. My parents both graduated from Knox Central and the gym is named after my cousin Don Bingham. Opps, I forgot, Danny Green at Lynn Camp and he is an old high school and family friend, who am I to support? Maybe I should not write anything and just be quite? No doubt -- I could be upsetting someone for sure and some will think I’m picking sides!
Not sure when doing the right thing whenever and wherever was lost, but it’s clear it is missing in many situations, organizations and opportunities. In today’s world there is one connection I can suggest that still has a singular focus. The leadership is truly about putting others first and the plan works. For God so Loved the World He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes shall be saved. Now that’s different!
Until then
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Final
There is one word that I believe most of us do not want to hear. Final is a word that could be positive without a doubt. In grade school the teacher would often say, “use that word in a sentence”, and I can. It is final, we have accomplished our goal. Now that’s positive but there is an aspect of the word final that is not so welcomed. There is a popular television show where the question is asked, “Is that your final answer”? Certainly if someone is asking us that question there is some weight that goes along with our answer because it sounds as if the next action means a change with no correction.
Final is a difficult word to embrace. In attempting to understand how we get to that final moment we should establish a couple points that we can agree on.: 1 – There are many steps to reaching a final decision; 2 – A clear understanding comes with a statement like, “we are in the final stages”. We can clearly hear the additional steps even in a final stage; 3 – The last moment often arrives and catches us off guard even while we know the presence of difficult things, or a day that approaching that is final.
Attempts to recapture moments that were so awesome once often are unsuccessful. For something to have been so positive and valuable we find ourselves only able to cherish it as a memory. We can give good faith and effort to be the same type of person that helped create that great moment but in honest truth, that moment has a final element in its character and we remain with only the pleasure of having been there to experience it. I’ve been in final moments of life many times with families, couples, employment and even friendships. Finding a new connection after a decision has been made is often challenging and the moment provides us with many questions about our decision that leave us wondering what we have done, or experienced.
In the Bible scripture says that we can be confident of one thing. If we believe that God started something, then we should just relax and trust Him because He will finish the task. That sure seems pretty final. Scripture also instructs us to press forward toward that goal, and that sure seems like a lot of work, but there is another scripture that also says that you and I can do anything through Him. Hum?, seems like a pretty final statement about outcome if I will only work, press and believe.
Today I am confident that many who are reading this column are facing some final decisions. Some are final decisions about financial matters, relationships, medical choice, and these decisions could include what we believe, or what we accept. No one wants second best, we all want the very best. Folks don’t wish people some success, and folks don’t pray that people will experience a little faith. We wish BIG and we pray BIG. We want a complete miracle before us, we want the wish to actually be bigger then we can dream so we can be totally overtaken when it arrives. We humans are funny in our way of thing and we are no doubt greedy in our expectations of all things, except final things.
The Bible says there is a day that the Savior of the world will return and He is returning for his Bride that will be ready. WOW, I’ve been in enough weddings to understanding last minute task, and rushes that create headaches and stress. For some reason I just don’t believe that’s the way He is expecting to find us, on his final return.
Until then
Final is a difficult word to embrace. In attempting to understand how we get to that final moment we should establish a couple points that we can agree on.: 1 – There are many steps to reaching a final decision; 2 – A clear understanding comes with a statement like, “we are in the final stages”. We can clearly hear the additional steps even in a final stage; 3 – The last moment often arrives and catches us off guard even while we know the presence of difficult things, or a day that approaching that is final.
Attempts to recapture moments that were so awesome once often are unsuccessful. For something to have been so positive and valuable we find ourselves only able to cherish it as a memory. We can give good faith and effort to be the same type of person that helped create that great moment but in honest truth, that moment has a final element in its character and we remain with only the pleasure of having been there to experience it. I’ve been in final moments of life many times with families, couples, employment and even friendships. Finding a new connection after a decision has been made is often challenging and the moment provides us with many questions about our decision that leave us wondering what we have done, or experienced.
In the Bible scripture says that we can be confident of one thing. If we believe that God started something, then we should just relax and trust Him because He will finish the task. That sure seems pretty final. Scripture also instructs us to press forward toward that goal, and that sure seems like a lot of work, but there is another scripture that also says that you and I can do anything through Him. Hum?, seems like a pretty final statement about outcome if I will only work, press and believe.
Today I am confident that many who are reading this column are facing some final decisions. Some are final decisions about financial matters, relationships, medical choice, and these decisions could include what we believe, or what we accept. No one wants second best, we all want the very best. Folks don’t wish people some success, and folks don’t pray that people will experience a little faith. We wish BIG and we pray BIG. We want a complete miracle before us, we want the wish to actually be bigger then we can dream so we can be totally overtaken when it arrives. We humans are funny in our way of thing and we are no doubt greedy in our expectations of all things, except final things.
The Bible says there is a day that the Savior of the world will return and He is returning for his Bride that will be ready. WOW, I’ve been in enough weddings to understanding last minute task, and rushes that create headaches and stress. For some reason I just don’t believe that’s the way He is expecting to find us, on his final return.
Until then
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