TGIF
I had to set some priorities and make some choices.
I was going to have a medical procedure that required I spend a lot of time laying down and I have the promise of an inevitable surgery that would lay me out for even longer.
Thus, I needed to move some things closer to my bed and some things farther away.
There was a headboard, a bookcase, and a nightstand all within arms reach.
What was important…and what wasn’t so important?
First, the books.
Charles Bowden…right here.
Always.
Assorted theological treatises… over there.
Way over there.
How the hell did Dave Hunt sneak in here?
Packer and Calvin are always close and that’s always good.
Even their names scare away demons…
Laptop on the nightstand, iPad next to it, phone right in the headboard, chargers all easy to plug in.
Make room for the cat and a small bottle of Crown sitting on a bible…it’s good for the heart in moderation, they say.
I’m set….but I’m not.
Where do I put the pictures?
My loved ones are way over there…beyond the books, and the electronic toys, and the stuff.
I need to move them close…closer than all the other things.
I want them right here.
I want them to be the first thing I see in the morning, the last before I close my eyes at night.
They matter more to me right now than anything else.
Then comes the epiphany…
I’ve lived my life lately with all the stuff close at hand and the people I care the most about…over there.
My life is spent online or in a book.
I’m either always writing one or reading one.
I allow people online to encourage or depress me and I put off the “live” people to accommodate them in their efforts.
I count their affirmation or scorn as meaning much…even though they disappear with a simple click of my mouse.
They are not really here.
I need to draw close to those who are.
Sometimes you have to face death to learn how to live.
Make your own application…
Now, don’t forget Harvest, the awesome story (seriously) of how God used a failed Pentecostal minister to start a movement, which began mostly with rejects.
…
Now I guess God only wants those who are suck-ups, yes-men, healthy, married and to a healthy wife, 2.5 kids, and who can talk themselves (and others) into almost everything.
Then there’s the attacking skills, just like from their author of church government-Moses, who got mad at the people, struck the rock and threatened the people about “touching the Lord’s anointed”…
uh, that’s right God basically gave him the death penalty for His anger.
Ok, never mind.
——
Stay positive my brother.
Oh dammaaarnnnet (good save), I forgot.
[Poison alert] – insert that above.
wow
This is very good Michael. Glad you are thinking about balance.
sometimes i like online peeps best because they do go away with a click 🙂
if life was simple and we were all rich you’d wake up one morning and find all the PhxPeeps in your driveway… now there’s something to think about and be grateful for what is … lol
God keep
Wow. Absolutely wow.
Nothing quite like the Mortality Card to open our eyes..
Love you my friend!
Thanks, folks.
Much love to you as always, Paige. 🙂
Thank you Michael.
Bravo!
God ordained times of stillness can produce wonderful moments of hearing the Living Word of God.
Beyond the entertaining insightful level of mere words.
Actually hearing God more clearly!
May you increase hearing with listening ears during your God ordained time of stillness.
You certainly hear God, but may you hear Him even more than you already have and do!
The cost is great for this,your own time of stillness, but His cost was even greater on our behalf.
Hearing from God is what it has always been about for all of us.
That is what we treasure about you the most Michael.
You are being gifted with a rare opportunity to hear from God like never before.
I know you will do well.
http://shekinahfellowship.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-timely-teaching-on-hearing-god.html
I live alone. As such, it is a quiet life. I have no TV, although my computer can substitute as I subscribe to both Netflix and Amazon Prime. I have books and the Internet for company, although I don’t participate in things like Facebook. This blog is a frequent destination, and I enjoy the comments of many of the people I’ve “met” on here.
I have some family, but none nearby. I have several good friends down at the coffee shop, and I think I have a good relation with many of my co-workers, or so it seems to me. I am very friendly with several neighbors and they stop by and I visit them.
But still I’ve chosen a solitary life. That’s OK. It is what I’ve chosen, and I am actually very happy with that choice.
I know many good people at the church I attend, and I do associate with several of those folks pretty regularly. Then there’s all the friends I meet at the grocery store and stop and talk. I’ve even joined some folks when I encounter them at the restaurant.
I don’t think I’m anti-social, but I seem to just be a bit of a loner. I suppose each person must find their own “center,” there own “balance.”
I do feel that the current trend of staring at a screen in place of true social interaction seems a negative thing. Never mind the danger of texting and driving, or even facebooking while walking across the street, I pray our society won’t become so stuck to the electronic interaction that they completely forget about real human warmth and love.
I’m saddened by how harsh and critical and down right insulting people seem to be on the Internet in general and on this blog frequently. I don’t think they would act that way or speak that way in a face-to-face situation. The anonymity and downright coldness of the Internet seems to encourage such behavior. I think we would all interact better in person, and possibly over a beverage either hot or cold. That is really my greatest complaint about social interaction via electronic communication. It seems to be a cold medium, and we seem to be affected and act cold in response.
My best wishes and WARMTH to you, Michael, and to those that fill your life. Quiet time is good for the mind, heart, and soul. At least that’s how it works for me.
Thanks to all for the kind words…hope what I wrote is helpful.
Excellent.