Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Monday, September 25, 2006

Friday, September 08, 2006

THEY'RE WORTH MILLIONS....REALLY



Have you ever been so stressed in your job that your heart races...you feel like your head is spinning and you just don't know if you can make it through another day? What kind of jobs have you had? What industries? Me? Beer distributor, ministry and radio. You won't see those words in the same sentence again for awhile. I used to tell the people that worked for me, when I sensed their blood pressure rising, "Hey...we're not doing brain surgery here....ain't nobody dying on the operating table." The nice thing is....you can say that when you're working in beer and radio and for the most part...ministry. Have you ever watched the Discovery Health Channel? Mary is fascinated by it and convinced me to watch one night. "I can't watch...too much blood...it gives me the creeps." Once I got past how it made "me" feel, I saw the miracles. It totally reinforced what I had been saying to the people I have supervised and to what I tell myself in order to keep things in perspective. 'What? The commmercial didn't start on time? What, we didn't get the beer there on time? What, someone is mad at us because the music was too loud?" Are you kidding me? "That" caused my blood pressure to rise? Watch the Discovery Health Channel one night. Recently, we saw a team of surgeons stand on their feet for more than 14 hours and reconstruct a 14 year old's chest after an accident with a fence post took out half his chest. We saw another surgeon re-attach a guy's head that was hanging on "by a thread." He met with the family before the extensive operation and explained how he would do it before he did it. "Months" later, "the patient" the husband, the father, the son....went back to work in the family business. His family was unbelievably thankful to say the least! Thrilled they had been given more time together. The patient....thankful for the second chance. The doctor....just another day on the job. We saw these "patients" walk away from these type of injuries that would have killed them just 5 years ago. They walked away and were able to start their lives over. Does that register with you? Can you imagine holding a scalpel in your hand and cut into someone's chest, brain or body? I can't. I'm lucky to carve the turkey on Thanksgiving in an organized manner. I have had the utmost respect for surgeons my whole life. They absolutely fascinate me!! You want to talk about courage and persistence? You go through years of schooling, residency and then years of on the job experiences with people's lives in your hands and tell me that's not courage. "THEY'RE WORTH MILLIONS!" They keep people alive and they give people second chances at life. You know what surgeons who save lives worry about? Getting sued. You know what Paris Hilton worries about? Me neither....but the pay sure doesn't = the results.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Life Is A Book


I encourage you. Look for the beginnings and the endings; look for the lessons in each chapter. It’s a big book. The lessons are there. But, you have to slow down, you have to look for them and you have to pull them out. You have to look deep within to find them. Each chapter has a beginning and it has an end. What am I learning? In that last chapter…what was it? What was that all about? Who are the players? What do you want from me? The chapters never start and end when we think they will. We never know what lies ahead. But are we teachable? Are we patient enough to learn? We have to dig to see the lessons. We have to identify them and understand them in order to learn from them. For the most part, the chapter entitled “Raising Kids” is over for us. But, my have we been blessed! Not sure why; other than God’s grace. But we have been blessed. Our kids know, love and trust God. What more could a parent ask? But gone are the days of going to ballgames, school/church programs and playing basketball games in the back yard. Gone are the days of fishing in Clear Creek. Gone are the days of coming home from a day’s work and having the day’s “crap” erased by a hug and a smile from a kid. We’re in a new chapter now and it’s OK. That last chapter…. an incredible chapter! Thank you Lord. But a new chapter has arrived and it’s entitled; ”I Love My Wife More Than Ever” and it’s a great chapter too. Our focus may change from one chapter to another. God changes your focus, if you’ll let Him. Twenty-eight years and we reached the societal cliché called “empty nesters” and guess what…. it’s OK. I am thankful for my wife!
God is the author…. He is writing the book. As much as I want to look ahead, I am learning to trust God, the author of our lives.
How about you? What is the title of the chapter you're in?

Sunday, September 03, 2006