Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

Sometimes I ask myself why I leave my family every week to endure the hassle of travel. Occasionally I get weary and wonder why would I eat junk food and sleep in lonely hotel rooms in order to stand on a stage and deliver the one gift God has given me.  Then I meet a girl like Kallai, and I vow that I will do this until God takes my breath away.

The other day a friend asked if I could recall my very first memory. I thought it was losing my teeth, but Diane reminded me that happened just last year.

The search became quite an interesting quest.  When you open doors to the past, you often find yourself in rooms with other doors slightly ajar.  Those doors lead to other rooms and older memories. Many wondrous and some magical moments are uncovered until finally you are at the last door.

When that door creaked open for me, I was standing beside a large radio.  I’m talking large! This thing was a piece of furniture, the size of a desk that also contained an LP record player.

Over 2000 years ago a Child changed the world forever.   This Christmas I was surrounded by grandchildren for more than a week.  Oh, it was noisy and messy and chaotic at times.  There were wars and rumors of wars.  It was real…. It was wonderful!

I managed to capture a few images of some special moments where I saw a glimpse of what was in the heart of that CHILD born so long ago,  a glimpse of what he came to bring the world and a glimpse of what I pray for you in 2011.

After a thousand miles of flying today, I am sitting at the gate where they just announced another delay in my flight and I think I may be in need of some serious prayer.  In Galatians I read that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. There were other fruits like kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. I have no problem with those fruits but my airline experiences have made me think I might be a little short on patience fruit.

I looked up patience in a Bible dictionary. This is what it said – of course I have added my comments.

“Patience is the ability to take a great deal of punishment from evil people (airline personnel? ) or circumstances (like delayed flights), without losing one’s temper, without becoming irritated and angry, or without taking vengeance (I think this has to do with jumping the counter and choking someone). It includes the capacity to bear pain (like the middle seat in row thirty five), or trials (like no food), without complaint, the ability to forbear under severe provocation (like a TSA pat down), and the self-control which keeps one from acting rashly (like taking off all ones clothes and throwing a tantrum), even though suffering opposition or adversity (like being handcuffed and led to a small interrogation room).

So as I sit here I realize I desperately need more of the patience fruit.  What I am facing today is nothing compared to the trials so many are facing.

Good leaders, good parents, good neighbors, and good friends are people of patience. Pray for me……..  I want to be better.  I need some fruit.

Am I the only one who needs more patience?

I am on a bus headed for a Compassion project in Fortaleza, Brazil. Marco, a handsome, tanned man with wispy white hair has just boarded the bus.  Marco has labored on the behalf of poor children in Brazil for 27 years. He talks so fast the interpreter can barely keep up.

In broken English and with a face creased with lines from a thousand smiles he asks, “What could be better than excellence?”