Engaging God He Makes Our Lives Engaging

One of my favorite photographic perspectives.  I call this hug a tree, looking up.  It is fun to find just the right tree, the right spot, the right illumination, the right camera placement amount of zoom, the right f-stop, and when all is done, the photograph becomes 'engaging'.

As I had opportunity to preach at the church I attend last weekend, it struck me.  I am thankful that I have 'the right God', am in 'the right spot', 'the right illumination', and the right placement and perspective with the right tools to capture my life of faith.  With honesty. 

While I am far from perfect, far from where I will end up and what I will become, my life, I hope, rises as testimony of God's love, grace and perfect leading through struggle.  I have discovered peace in faith, trust in my Almighty God, life through His son Jesus Christ, and power through the leading of The Holy Spirit.  Because I am looking, God shows Himself to me, encourages me, helps me, leads me, blesses me and chastises me, just as any good father would do, and I am filled with thanksgiving for His presence in my life!

He has shown me His love in the depths of my sorrows.  He comforts me, He provides perspective sooner or mostly later, but when I look, I see Him and trust in His work, for this soul and the souls of others. 

The above image was captured on a vacation with my girl, to celebrate 30 years of marriage.  The sweetness of it rises from the strength of working through MANY difficulties together.  This tree had to fight its way to overcome all that wanted to stunt it's growth, or from the competition of others, to stand tall, and it rises as testimony of victory through the fight. 

I am blessed to have a marriage that has stood the test of time, fighting to grow and defeat the challenges of other things trying to pull apart our union.  I have discovered that marriage is not made for me to seek satisfaction, but that in satisfying my loving Carrie, our relationship will rise to satisfy me.  As I serve, learn, love and appreciate her, it all gets returned, in spades, to me.  It took me decades to learn this, and, had we quit when it got hard, would have never found this truth. 

I am honored that God has provided such faithfulness to us as we stumbled and walked together through life thus far.  He is faithful when we are not.  It was impossible for me, on my own, to find myself here, at this place in this moment.  Thankful, that God led me to the right lady, whose love for God and me has transcended what we could do and accomplish on our own.  Thankful that we have been given His wisdom, guidance and grace along the way, through the decades.  Appreciative of His heart, poured into ours through all our struggles, showing us the way beyond them to a far more glorious state after we emerge. 

Rising up as a testimony of His grace, His blessing, His love, we can hold (hug) God and look up, seeing His glory revealed at His bidding.  It is humbling, He is the author and perfecter of our faith.  He is faithful to the end, and we, who choose to listen and follow will find Him such.  For it is in engaging God that He make our lives, engaging.

Simply Significant

There is nothing more beautiful than refreshment of rain at just the right time, and, if noticed, simple and significant is the event of refreshment; the beauty of a moment captured in time for eternity.

Life is to be shared, invested with those around you.  We won't be taking any of our 'stuff' with us when we check off the planet.  We may leave a lot of stuff, but wouldn't it be best if we left legacies of encouragement, care and wisdom gained from and placed in the precious lives of those who knew us?  Family, friends, co-workers, customers, neighbors, people we pass could all use and enjoy thoughtful care with real glimpses of selfless love, and, I am still learning that I need continual work in this area.  Maybe it is because the world around beckons and fills my head with thoughts of 'living for now', grabbing all that I can today, and that satisfaction only comes when I meet my own needs, but when we truly sit and think about it, our greatest satisfaction comes when others take time to know us, finding significant, personally perfect ways to give us something of great value; not monetarily, rather spiritual, simple, significant in it's perfect placement be it timing or need.

At its simplest, it could be a perfectly timed smile or phone call, conversation and care given in a moment where just knowing someone else cares to come alongside drenches us with joy.  It could be a card or note sent with specific prayers and thoughts included.  It could be someone taking the time to find out what your favorite guitar strings are, blessing you with a set of them.  It might also be timely words of wisdom placed with grace and love in a much needed situation, or deep appreciation for those of another placed in our lives as we have need.

The best gifts require significant knowledge of the one we are gifting.  The perfect gift not only expressed such understanding of a soul, but also places it in their lives at just the right moment.  It is a sacrifice, culmination of our best forms of research and gifts to invest with insignificant acts placed in ultra-significant, exacting moments.  They require looking outside one's self, peering deeply into the lives of another.  Knowing their favorite chocolate, cookie, meal or restaurant, guitar strings,  author, interests can all be used as clues to become a piece of legacy in another, leaving a legacy of care.

Simple yet significant can be the choices made daily as we walk through life.  Though rain falls regularly in Hawaii (where the Antherium photo was taken), each refreshing event can become significant when well placed by one who cares.  As this year opens, my desire is that I am led and find simply significant ways of investment into the lives of those I love and care about.  Perfectly placed, perfectly timed little treasures from this soul into another as I take the time to care with them, share with them the legacy of simple, significant living.

While It Is Still Today

We all sit here, amazed at the brevity of the year previous, looking longingly to the one that lay ahead.  Every year, we are relieved, making passage through the difficult, hoping the next will be better, and for some it will, others may find it to be the hardest one yet, and for most, it will be mixed, just as the past ones, but it too will pass.  My wife and I went to bed exhausted from a season and day of work, sleeping through the moment when passage of earthly time forces us to change our final entry on contracts, checks (assuming we even write them anymore), and in the corner of our computer monitors, to 2013.  As I 'mature', the blur of life finds impetus not in years, but in each day.  The Bible tells us not to worry about tomorrow for today has enough cares of its own.  So I choose to focus more on today (not that I don't think of what is ahead, or make plans for the future) for a life is relegated to foolishness if its primary concern is tomorrow or what is ahead that may never come to be (the punchline of the Bible verse).

Truth is, all I know I have is right now.  Another truth is my writing of this blog is and has been about my wrestling to find and live in absolute truth, sharing what I believe it be, not that I am right, but rather that I am honest about what one, who attempts listening and following God might think, do and share.  He may speak a confirming affirmation in you heart as you read, or, as you read and disagree, you are free to take another road.

In a previous blog (No Longer Drops, Flowing Streams), I metaphorically spoke of our lives as drops of rain joining streams, hinting of becoming rivers of life to other places, and the metaphors continue bouncing around in my musings, maybe for another day.  This blog's title, "Of Footprints and Faith" metaphorically links faith to passing imprints left behind and these, left in cyberspace for as long as 'the cloud' permits, will exist beyond the days and years of this ordinary man's life. 

In all I do, my heart's desire is that by sharing, what I believe, a life of faith might look like, others might find attraction, not because I am better than any, nor because I think I do a better job at life and living than others, for surely there are abundant those whose lives do far better at helping others, loving and caring for others than I.  Rather that I choose to try, to seek and to live, moving forward with faith and truth, finding truth as I engage in relationship with God.

I am amazed that He has led me to Bosnia for two years, seemingly leading me return again in March.  This time my return venture will be joined by my lovely bride exploring use of her gifts with mine as I always feel the two of us together multiply our effectiveness, and, it seems others have felt desire to financially and prayerfully send me, and us.  I am humbled having other opportunity to serve Him and those in my church as I press toward ordination, this month becoming a licensed minister in California.   I am thankful for part-time employment at Lowe's given opportunity to help customers, working alongside some very nice fellow employees.  I also get to work with wonderful staff as I manage the facility at a preschool, so the tools of teaching are not hindered by safety or efficiency issues.  I also receive great joy from the hugs and love I get from my grandson who, for some reason, finds my love for him something he enjoys desiring to spend time with me.  And I am extremely thankful to be part of an amazing family with an abundance of wonderful friends!

So I drink in all that is today, and do dream a bit about tomorrow.  I make plans but don't always expect to live them out.  I listen.  I pray.  I seek truth and desire to live a life that has meaning.  This ordinary man hopes that all of us ordinary people might live extraordinary lives because we engage and amazing God compelling our lives forward with His power, His grace His love.  Will you join me in the adventure of a lifetime?  Can we, together change the entire complexion of our world as we open the door to see God's amazing love revealed to all?  Effectual and effervescent is a life tuned and honed by God.  Yes, even in the midst of difficulty and trial, always part of life but not always all of life, our ordinary lives can become extraordinary, beyond what we could become alone.  That for me, is miracle enough.  That this ordinary guy gets to do extraordinary stuff in ordinary circumstance with ordinary people is evidence enough that God is active and working, leading me to His place of eternal bliss.  I am fortunate to have abundance here, but ah, the glory of that which awaits, soon to come.  Yes, another year, should we have fortune to endure it, will pass, with another year ahead.  But some day, I will find myself on the other side of life here, where the clock won't be ticking, it being just another day.  The only difference?  Absence of evil, pain, suffering and toil, all of that work accomplished, never to weep, hurt or be cold again.  Where are you heading?  How do you know?  Why don't you talk with God and find out what He wants of you?  While it is still 'today'.