I can't get my head around this....

The mass hysteria of the holidays has begun. I see the cars moving faster, darting in and out and acting more frantic in the shopping center parking lots. The shoppers have a quicker pace about them going to and from ther stores and scurry back and forth. No one seems to be at peace in this, 'the season of peace'. How sad.
I like to think back to a time of relative peace when the "Christmas season" started after Thanksgiving and ended on Christmas Day. People stopped to visit as they went about the Christmas shopping experience almost as though it was a great big party and everyone was invited and knew the other person; neighbors as it were even if they were strangers. It didn't have to snow or be all lit up with hundreds of sparkling lights. It was, well, "cozy".
The suspicions of the day have seperated us from each other. That and technology. So many are 'buried' in their screens, intent on whatever it is they are viewing and anythng elae is insignificant at best.
I recently watched part of a documentary on 13 year olds. I was amazed at what I saw. These young people have a totally divergent lifestyle. They 'live' on their phones. And to make matters worse, they ridicule each other on an almost constant basis. Now, to be clear, these youngsters don't reach outside of their 'group' to ridicule asnd slander and torment; they do it all within a tight circle of peers, tearing each apart in a terrible game of destruction. The examples were astounding. Trash talk and pornography, character assasination and deceitful language are the 'norm' for these young ones. How could this have happened to a whole generation of people? They are so disfunctional and self absorbed. What's going to happen ten years from now; twenty? I can't imagine the chaos as these people take up the leadership roles in government and social services and private companies that deal directly with the public. Seemingly, no one is addressing the issue in the schools for the most part. It's accepted as normal teen behavior. The parents are oblivious; engulfed in their own 'seperate' lives; texting....
I can't get my head around this.

... still so true

It's been so long. I haven't even thought to write anything here; even knowing I should. We have been involved with so many things of late that the writing has taken a hit. I know I should do better and I even have several thoughts to pass along that are already written down; it's just a time thing.

How often do we take stock? I mean really look at the value of a project or duty or better yet, commitments? Have we taken on too many things and the burden is weighing on us like a rock in our pocket that  just won't go away?

I'm happier than I have ever been. The world around me is much smaller right now and I think that's a good thing for me. I tend to stretch out too far and over extend, in an effort to cover all the bases when I know I can't. But don't we all?

Our lives have so many options these days. There are far too many choices. People say choices are a good thing but I disagree. When the world puts so many things in front of us that we get confused as to which one is which, then there are too many choices. That's all there is to it.

Now I've said it and I'll have to stick to it..... Ha!

I trust that all is well wherever you are tonight. I am appalled at the course of events in Paris. So many dead and for what? No good reason that's for sure.

I know I keep pointing to Revelations but it's so true, so real and so right on time! The words pounce on me as I read them. Here is the daily news written thousands of years ago and yet, it's current news and still prophetic, still coming on strong, still coming about.... still so true.

Lord, help me....

What happens to the time? I look up and its been another couple of months. How does the time get by so quickly.

We have so many things going on in our lives today. The weather factors in and the many tasks we line up for ourselves creates a never ending list of choices and duties and we just keep on keepin' on...

I have to get my mind off the financial. It has plagued me for far too long. That's not what really matters and I know it. Worry sure takes all the fun out of life, doesn't it? And it's a proven fact that worry is far to overrated and stressful to be of any value. 

I so admire my wife. She doesn't seem to let anything stress her out but me. I think I stress her out, but it isn't on purpose. She must really love me or something... I think that produces a certain amunt of stress in and of it's self. The love. The attention and the thought process of caring and wondering how someone is doing at any given moment in time. Our brains process and we 'conclude' and rethink and process all over again.
Funny how the brain works. How the mind runs over all the possibilities and makes judgements and decisions based on perceptions and feelinngs. We are truly amazing creatures indeed.

I am wondering how long it will be until the next post. Lord, help me remember.

enjoying the rain and studying something new.

I have really enjoyed the rain. Most people I know have been anxious for it to be over but I don't think they are remembering the years when we had nothing but heat to look forward to each day from May to September.
I've been in line at the grocery recently. Almost every time someone either in line or at the register had something to say about the weather. The tornadoes and the wind have scrambled neighborhoods all across the state leaving some homeless and in some cases severely injured. It's hard to watch the reports on television when they show the families standing alongside a ravaged home. I marvel at how blessed Dianna and I are, not having suffered any loss and yet being so close to the total devastation that took place only a short distance away. We could easily be right there with the worst of them,waiting on The Red Cross to bring us things like blankets and other necessities,having lost everything.
I have been studying a new course on Social Media this week. It is pretty extensive but I think that once I 'master' the material I should be in line for certification as a Social Media Strategist. Thus far the material is pretty easy to understand even though the teacher has a squeaky voice that is so irritating I want to scream by the end of the day. Each session is about 20 minutes long and she moves quickly from one area to another with the mouse and not necessarily pointing to what she is talking about. It's confusing sometimes but I am recording the videos so I can go back over them later as needed.
I'm certainly not used to 'studying' after all this time. It's been almost 50 years since I was in school so its taking a little getting used to, as it were, 'watching' the teacher go through her routine. She knows her stuff front and back but she doesn't explain herself very well, skipping back and forth at a pretty fast pace. I'll have to do some extra work if I'm to be proficient with each facet of the material. I can envision a lot better teaching method for things like this but its not my course so I'll just have to conform to her standard and make the best of it for now.
If it turns out as planned this will be a big step toward knowing how to get good results for clients on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogging, and other Social Media programs. We bought a Groupon for the course and I certainly don't want to waste the money, so I plan on passing the tests with good marks.
Look for major improvements on all my Social Media and hopefully, all of my clients.

...even if I don't 'get even'

I wanted to lash out in anger today but I held back. That's progress, right?
I was dissed in a round about way and ridiculed about my work. It hurt and I became angry; an old defense mechanism that kicks in.

How do we handle criticism? Are we to be silent or speak out? Are we to 'get even' or 'let it go'? Are we not human and vulnerable when attacked by our fellow humans, whose words often hurt more than blows? I wonder. The Bible tells us to 'be still' and let God fight our battles. I have a hard time with that one, as do most. We want to return evil for evil and retort in a way that makes us 'more than even'.
I am often saddened by my thoughts. I have such a vivid imagination anyway, it's not too much of a stretch to envision some drastic measures being carried out to 'get even'. I'll leave it at that and not explain further, but I suspect there are those of us out there that know some of the things I may be thinking.
What does 'getting even' really mean? Does that mean we do the same thing to an adversary or worse? Does that get us 'even' with them or do we always have to surpass their level of 'blow' to make an even heavier blow and overcome the enemy? Is that what people call "getting even"? I wonder.

At times like this I fret, I steam and fume inside and wish I didn't have to go through all of this, but here I am. Why doesn't everything just line up in a perfect row and let me go through my day with great joy and anticipation of what is coming next? Ideally, I would be king and all of my subjects would bow and scrape and make my life the pinnacle of success. Everyone would adore my music and my writings and I wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand.
Oh brother! What a disaster that would be. I am so far from perfection it isn't funny; not even humorous.
I better stick to repenting and going on my merry way and leave it at that. This whole forgiveness thing and not losing my joy is tough, I know, but I see the value in it; the reasoning, the end results. That's what makes it all worth trying even if I don't 'get even'.

....that speaks volumes...

The rain has gone away for a few days. We have all enjoyed a beautiful day under bright blue vistas decorated with small far away clouds high up in the sparkling sky. I love days like this.
I mowed some of 'my yards' earlier. They had gotten a little out of hand with all the moisture being so geneously applied, but I 'conquered' them in a little over two hours and made it back to the house in pretty good shape for once.
I usually end up having to take a nap when it's all over but not this time. I felt refreshed when I got out of the shower and eventually headed out for the studio to get ready for church.
It's aWednesday night service and we are studying Revelation right now. My expectations have changed after sitting through a few of the classes. I was thinking that it might be a little boring, having been through previous teachings on the same subject, but not so here. Brother Ray Libby is well versed on the subject and keeps us busy turning pages all through the Word in search of all kinds of verifications and insights about the various topics revealed in this powerful book.
I am learning alot and that's what makes it so great.
Often times the 'teacher' has a 'slant' on his or her subject and it always wears thin after a bit, leaving me with far less than expected and sometimes a there's even a disappointment attached to it for having attended. Not so here.
I am looking forward to what he has to offer. That speaks volumes....

....its what keeps us alive

Are we free? Do we have say over what we do or do not do? Can we do whatever we want without reservation? What is freedom anyway? Is it just a byword or a catch phrase or a public direction waiting to be activated by some unknown power?
It it flesh and blood, metal or plastic, wood, hay or stubble? What is freedom, really?
Where does freedom come from and how does it connect us and make us one? Is your freedom the same as my freedom or do you have more of it to use than I do or vice versa?
Are we in search of freedom or is it always with us, present and powerful and operating the way it is intended?
How do others see freedom? Do they keep it to themselves or do they pass it around 'freely' to one and all as they would a glass of water to a thirsty man? What constitutes real freedom? Is it just a mental state that can only be reached by and through the minds of the wise or the rich, or do the poor and the needy have access to freedom like the rest?
Why do we need freedom? Are we in danger of being held captive by some thought or deed or power that takes our freedom away from us and keeps it captive?
In what hour did freedom come and in what hour will it leave? Have we built a towering altar to freedom and shut the door to it's graces or have we flung wide the gates allowing all to enter that will so they may drink from the sweetness of it's depths?
Freedom will never leave on it's own, it will have to be taken; surrounded and conquered and led away in chains to some dark and dreary place that no one can find.
It is our duty to nourish freedom; build it and make it stronger than any oppression or oppressor.
We must take and keep our freedom like we do a good medicine, made for our benefit and sustenance. Its what keeps us alive.