I knew that piece of logging equipment called a skidder was going to roll over and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. Hanging on and waiting for the drama to be over, I didn’t even have time to pray. How many times I came close to death or serious injury while working in the woods industry can’t be calculated.  I’m here now with all the body parts God gave me at the time of birth. What do I attribute this good fortune to? Here it is:

Psalm 23:6

Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Scripture enlightened my understanding of life’s journey. Is that the case with you? Give it some consideration.

Gary

I really need to increase the amount of dopamine released in my striatum, which is a key region in my brain related to motivation, action and cognition. This has been made perfectly clear to me, but like the Apostle Paul I can’t seem to be able to pull it off.

Romans 7:15

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

It is so refreshing to know that one of the greatest saints that ever lived had the same problem as I have.  Don’t you just love the Scriptures? Even if you don’t produce enough dopamine, you’ll still be okay. Keep on keeping on.

Give it some thought.

Gary

When his tour was up, Bob was in the jungles of Viet Nam. He had to turn in his rifle and hitch a ride out on the tank that brought in the mail. He couldn’t get in the crew compartment, so he had to ride on the back. As the tank approached a bridge that had been taken over by the enemy, the tank crew started firing at the bridge. Can you see him hanging on and the thoughts that would be racing through his mind?

Today, he’s a seventy-five-year-old retired teacher with his son’s kidney in his body and a pleasure to be in the presence of. It was just one ride of many he had to take that didn’t kill him.

Life is like that. It is just a pile of different experiences.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-6

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;

A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;

What time is it anyway?  Give it some thought.

Gary

This is how discipline was meted out in my third-grade class. Every time your name was placed on the blackboard, you would get one whack with the ruler administrated by the teacher after your handwashing for lunch. Sometimes, I would get three whacks. I really just never connected the punishment with my behavior throughout the morning. Because of that disconnect in my make-up, the behavior never changed. I don’t think some of those teachers had had child psychology.

Looking back, my assessment is that, as a kid, I was lacking in discernment.

Proverbs 12:1 

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 29:15 

The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Just to let you know, I’m doing much better now that I understand the process. Give it some thought the next time you’re disciplined.

Gary

Ran into my old third grade teacher some years back, and she made an interesting comment. She said, “Gary, I knew you would be a preacher or a politician because you would never shut up.”

All I can remember is that she was always pulling my ears, but I never connected the dots. She should have told me to be quiet. People need to be more specific. Looking at my big ears sixty-four years later, I wonder if my year in third grade has anything to do with their appearance today.

Proverbs 17:28 

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Now I understand why she checked off the comment on my report card every quarter that said, “Needs Improvement.” Teachers, be more specific. Just look at what it cost this little boy.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Creedence Clearwater Revival sang it in 1970 and it flew to the top of the charts. It can still be heard in doctors’ offices all over the country. The song uses bad weather as a metaphor for catastrophic times, following a biblical tradition that dates back to the flood.

Long as I remember the rain been comin’ down

Clouds of mystery pourin’ confusion on the ground.

Good men through the ages tryin’ to find the sun.

And I wonder still I wonder who’ll stop the rain.

Life is an unending succession of confusing situations and people vainly try to find an answer for it all. Let me tell you, it’s not the sun we need, but the Son. He is the source of understanding what life is all about and how we should navigate through it.

Proverbs 1:7 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Psalm 2:12

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Give it some thought because it’s bound to rain again.

Gary

He said, “I don’t care if your hair turns gray. I didn’t fall in love with your hair; I fell in love with you. If it all fell out, I would love you anyway.”

Love based only on physical appearance is shallow and can never carry the weight of time. Does the Bible address this? Glad you asked.

I Peter 3:3-4

Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

I’m not saying a little time shouldn’t be spent in preparation in some situations. I’m saying the inside is of more value than the outside.

Give it some thought.

Gary