I can—but will it make me feel better ?
I can—but will it make me better ?
I can—but will it do any good ?
I can—but will anybody listen ?
I can—but would I want to listen ?
I can—but does anybody care ?
I can—but maybe I don’t have to ?
I can—but do I have something better to do ?
“I CAN COMPLAIN” ?
December 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment
NOBODY KNOWS, BUT . . .
December 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Got trouble ?
Do you instinctively think of what to say to tell someone about your trouble ?
I do.
– – –
+Somebody has to hear about my trouble and understand and help me—at least sympathize with me.
+Sometimes nobody could possibly understand my trouble—so I’m wasting my time and theirs.
+Sometimes there just isn’t anybody there—so NOBODY KNOWS my trouble !
I’m working on changing that default compulsion to tell someone my trouble—to play the speech in my mind—changing that, to this:
(And maybe this will help someone else.)
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble . . .”—practice doing that every time, every trouble, every troubled thought, F I R S T, along with “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Identify the trouble, specifically, in words, to God, and stop there.
WAIT for God, and do what He has given me to do while waiting—without figuring out or second-guessing His solution.
A major fallacy most of us encounter (in our thinking and in others’ expectations) is praying and trying to take care of it ourselves, or just trying to take care of it ourselves.
We miss the experience of God answering our prayer so He gets all the credit, all the glory, not us.
ALL THE GLORY belongs to Him, and He wants us to say so.
And He gets the most glory when we say it out loud to anyone with us, anyone, every time.
Perhaps now we can fully appreciate and practice the command, the promise, the responsibility of this verse (which I am trying to wear out daily):
THE COMMAND
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble . . .”
THE PROMISE
“. . . I will deliver you . . .”
THE RESPONSIBILITY
“. . . and you will glorify Me.”
– – –
A followup question here:
Why the day of trouble in the first place ?
Answer in footnote.*
– – –
“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen;
Nobody knows but Jesus.”
– – –
“There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one ! No, not one !
None else could heal our soul’s diseases,
No, not one ! No, not one !
Jesus knows all about our struggles.
He will guide till the day is done.
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one ! No, not one !”
Find over 300 inspiring testimonies on this hymn, many from Nigeria (hotbed of Christian persecution).
Follow this sequence on the internet:
hymnal.net
classic
first lines
J
“Jesus knows all about . . .”
testimonies follow after the lyrics
– – –
“Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail;
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.”
*You have to admit, God gets our attention in the day of trouble.
Then He has a question,
“Now that I have your attention—how long will I have your attention?”
LIVE _ _ _ _ FREE OR DIE
December 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment
I have recently added to the state motto “Live Free Or Die” for my personal life.
LIVE CARE-FREE OR DIE
I realize there are more things I have to let go—less to worry, and less to think.
The analogy is helpful to compare the mind and emotions to a computer.
There are limitations to multiple files open simultaneously, with hardware and memory upgrades not optional.
Adjusting is not easy, but necessary for survival.
Two back-to-back Bible verses have the secret.
“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.”
How do we humble ourselves ?
By turning everything over to God.
This becomes more vital with increasing age and decreasing ability.
Never too old to learn ?—let go of what I think I have to do, what I think I can do, what just isn’t going to happen (at least not today).
I’ve known “casting all may cares on Him” all my life—now I have to do it in real life if I want to live.
So, carefree—is that what it means—is it possible ?
Not a care in the world—
Just a God-given job/task to do right now.
Read—FAITHFULNESS—on this site.
“WITH CHILD”
December 12, 2023 By Leave a Comment
“With Child”
NOT
“with tissue”
– – –
Everyone knows this is true.
“You do not know how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child.”
—–His Book
EXPLAIN THIS . . .
December 4, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Explain this:*
Stunning sunrise, sunset.
Explain this:*
I am stunned by sunrise, sunset.
Explain this:*
I am blessed in my tracks, by a snowfall.
Explain this:*
Beauty of a woman.
Explain this:*
I can see, appreciate that beauty.
Explain this:*
I can create things.
Explain this:*
I can create ideas.
Explain this:*
I can think.
Explain this:*
I can share my thoughts.
Explain this:*
I know there’s more—
– more than I see.
– more than I understand.
– more than I know while I’m alive.
– – –
*Explain this, explain each of these things, that every one of us experiences.
Explain this with just a gob of chemicals that came from nowhere, that came together for no reason, that made molecules beyond reason, that happened to make reason from no reason, sense from no sense, that made us, and made us able to do all the above list and more.
Explain this with evolution ? ? ?
The only way to even try to explain anything with evolution is to discard what it means to be human—reason, common sense, logic, feeling, hope, faith, any thought of death ‘and then’.
All these things can’t be explained with evolution.
And without these you have nothing left to even imagine, discuss, defend, and explain evolution.
DOWN TIME ?
November 30, 2023 By Leave a Comment
DOWN TIME – good or bad ?
DOWN TIME – can I afford it ?
DOWN TIME – can I choose it ?
DOWN TIME – can I do it ?
Do I fear DOWN TIME ?
Do I avoid DOWN TIME ?
Could I face myself in DOWN TIME ?
Could I rest in DOWN TIME ?
DOWN TIME – would it reveal my attention deficit disorder ?
DOWN TIME – would it show my hyperactive disorder ?
DOWN TIME – could I lose status ?
DOWN TIME – too foreign for me ?
Does DOWN TIME sound a bit too close to God time ?
How could I have time for DOWN TIME ?
What would I have to change for DOWN TIME ?
I can’t do it – DOWN TIME !
I’ve bought in to –
I’ve locked in to –
– a mental, emotional, social, perpetual-motion machine –
– must keep going round and round –
– can’t get off now –
– can’t stop the merry-go-round
DOWN TIME struggle is nothing new – just ramped up now
DOWN TIME – old days –
– “sold your soul to the company store” –
– no choice but to keep going –
– even get deeper in debt
DOWN TIME – now days –
– “sold your soul to the company cell” –
– no choice but to keep it up –
– or get behind –
– and get deeper enslaved ?
“Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Come apart by yourselves to a secluded place and rest awhile.’ For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure, even to eat.”
‘Come apart’ to rest—or come apart.
HOW TOUGH IS YOUR TUMMY ?
November 18, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Maybe your stomach, etc., can handle all the following better than mine can . . .
(maybe not)
+cell phone at mealtime
+cell phone in bathroom
+serious talk while eating (business lunch)
+rushing back to work (physical or mental) right after lunch”
+”I can handle it—it won’t affect me.”
– – –
Maybe this “word for thought” could be food for thought, for your well-being (starting with your digestive system).
I have uncovered profound insights that apply to most people, when observing and analyzing special needs of a few* with handicaps or disabilities or peculiarities that label and limit them.
Some overcome, some don’t, some cover, some cower, some divert to strengths, some shrink, some despair, some blame, some lash out from frustration, many just get lost.
The momentum to pursue the American dream supersedes common sense, horse sense, and tummy sense.
We wholescale endorse that pursuit, while assuming our body and soul (psyche) can sustain subjection to second place.
It appears that most people get by and get on with overriding the overload, while we wonder what’s wrong with those who don’t fit—with emotional, social, criminal, crisis behavior.
And so, when our body, or mind, or emotions object, many rely on modern medical miracles (headache pills, stomach pills, energy drinks and then relaxers, including prescriptions), to cover up the damage, like a judge in court overruling objections !
“Truth Be Told” gets left in the dust—too busy for that.
So stress has it’s way with most Americans.
The tummy takes the brunt, the abuse, the beating—instead of being the monitor, the warning light, the uncomfortable call for change, “to stop and rest”.**
Consider this two-part word for thought:
— “Stress holds a gun to your head and yells, ‘RELAX, OR I’LL KILL YOU !'”
— The problem with relaxing—it takes so much time.
* Playgrounds—child development opportunity for physical and mental together—the most obvious, under-addressed, universal need today—with insights for answers derived from analyzing the special needs of a few and finding solutions that apply to healthy development of all !
* Education—“SIBA – SImple BAsics Revolutionize Education—addressing the needs of a few—that apply to all !
** “You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest.”
LEAVE ABORTION UP TO THE STATES
November 18, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Leave abortion up to the states.
Leave slavery up to the states.
What’s the difference ?
The difference is this:
Abortion is a thousand time worse than slavery.
ABORTION IS SIX MILLION TIMES WORSE THAN SLAVERY.
ABORTION IS PREMEDITATED MURDER, EVERY TIME ! ! ! ! !
– – –
Three years before becoming president, Abraham Lincoln said,
“’A house divided against itself cannot stand.‘
I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing or all the other.“
– – –
One day after Roe was overturned, I wrote,
Rephrasing from Lincoln’s speech:
“‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.‘
I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half death and half life.”
– – –
Read my article, on this site—search HALF LIFE.
MENTAL DECLINE ? – – – MEMORY ? – – – RECALL ?
November 18, 2023 By Leave a Comment
I don’t, I can’t, remember much of what I write.
Actually, that is why I write—because I can’t remember important things.
When I re-read what I wrote, even years ago, God uses it to inspire me.
Hope it will do the same for you.
IT’S SO EASY TO GET LOST THESE DAYS
November 11, 2023 By Leave a Comment
“It’s so easy to get lost these days, in the shuffle and the noise.”
There have been tough times before, all through history, that called for extreme courage and extreme faith.
But, today “the shuffle and the noise” added to the crises everywhere in the world, and the stress in our own lives, leaves most of us too dizzy to deal with it all as humans.
We are not designed to keep track of this much at this speed—it finally becomes just so much noise.
Too much coming at us too fast and too loud—we can’t afford to stop and think about who we are, really.
We continuously plunge into the next priority for our attention, and skip our own health and well-being, our human-being.
“When can I do something for me ?”
“What can I do for fun ?”
Busyness covers what we don’t have time for—“Who am I ?”
We can’t escape.
We’re lost.
We choose to participate in evermore technology.
Technology gives answers about ‘everything’, and fast, but . . .
Technology does not give answers about us, where we need to be for real.
The speed and volume of stuff just ends up adding to the noise, quickly.
The “shuffle and the noise” becomes its own coverup to hide what we need to hear and know—most especially being heard and being known.
I sing this short verse often, because I need to:
“Thank You, Lord, for hearing me.
Thank You, Lord, for knowing who I am.
Thank You, Lord, for seeing me.
It’s so easy to get lost these days,
In the shuffle and the noise.”