Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Changing Glasses

I had my glasses changed this week. I'm 60/20 on distances it seems.

I'm becoming more dependent upon them as time passes. Since I'm a heavy reader and frequent computer user, I really put them to work.

I have bifocals. My wife, Josh, has tri-focals. Neither of us can see clearly without them.

There are many things I still can't see about life, even though I've changed my glasses. There are people, events, and circumstances that I can't seem to see clearly. I don't have 20/20 vision yet, when it comes to spiritual things.

The Word says, "Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face..."

To see God's plan clearly, I'll have to change glasses and get spiritual 20/20 vision.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

No Drawers on My Desk

I have three offices. One at the church complex. One at my business and another at home. All three have desks.

I like my desks organized, but I don't like drawers. Drawers make it easy for me to stuff important but non-essential things out of sight. Once out of sight, they are usually out of consideration. So, I usually have desks with very few drawers or no drawers at all.

This week I cleared desktops. A matter is removed from my desktop when it is handled. Then it is filed away, otherwise it stays on the desk, in a neat stack of other items that must be completed.

With three desks, it took me some time to clear them all: Church, business and personal matters. However, since there were no drawers, I had no choice but to deal with them sooner or later.

Paul preached before Felix and Drusila about temperance, judgment and righteousness. (Acts 24:25) He laid it on their desk, but they put off their decision until a "A more convenient season." They never got around to dealing with the matters that Paul presented.

They must have had drawers on their desks.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

She Won't Do Shirts

The owner of the local laundry was pleasantly amused to learn why I spend so much money for the laundry of my shirts.

The fact that I have more than 30 shirts a month cleaned, starched and pressed was a curious plus for her business. This week a casual comment in passing, required an explanation.

When I married Joslyn 31 years ago she told me that she would go anywhere with me, do anything with me and support me in almost anything I did. However, there was a warning, "I don't do shirts."

With a few emergency exceptions, she's kept both promises.

Busy pastors use many shirts. Sometimes I have time to press them. Sometimes I don't. Hence, the laundry loves to see me walk in the door.

The Word of God says, it's better not to make a vow than to make a vow and break it. My wife has kept all of her vows to me. I hope she feels I'm doing the same.

There's one vow she keeps for sure...

Except for unusual circumstances, she won't do shirts.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Frustrated

Our church has been working to get Hurricane Katrina evacuees out of shelters into homes or back home. My wife, Joslyn, has been an energy dynamo in this area, taking one family by the hand and sifting through the paper, politics, propaganda and pushing to get them a house, utilities, financial assistance and a job.

She's one of several in the congregation who have re-routed their time to help stranded families return to normal life.

We're both frustrated today. One family absorbed a week's work. Joslyn and the church committee quickly worked to get finances for the family, take the mother to view an available housing unit, get deposits paid and to weave the family through the back door of the process that involved long waiting lines.

Mission accomplished. With keys in her hand and utilities on, the last step was to bring a small army of church women to the house to turn it into a house where a home could thrive.

Today, a group of church women were set to help, mop, sweep and help the family move into a three bedroom unit.

Yesterday, after all of the hard work, with new washer, dryer, stove and refrigerator on the the grounds, the mother decided she didn't like the house. She refused our efforts and won't move in.

Boom! Crash!

A weeks work went down the tubes. We were both so frustrated at the money and time lost, we went home, ate ice creame and watched T.V.

So what now?

We'll look at the next name on the list and start all over again.

We were not promised that our efforts would always be rewarded everytime by grateful recipients. There will be times, as we do God's work, that the only thank you will come from God.

As we work on the next family...

We'll keep a half gallon of ice cream ready.