I’ll Tell You What…

How many people do you know that take a stand for what is right in the work place? Not necessarily against workplace standards or business practices but against loose talk and dishonor towards women among coworkers. I think I got to chew God’s Gum today…

What another beautiful morning it was! The sun was shining bright and the orange, yellow and brown leaves were rustling in the slight breeze. I love the fall. It’s quite the contrast to the leafless and harsh winter season. Fall has a way of lifting my spirits with all the natural eye candy that permeates New England.

Had lots of time again this morning but left a little later than usual because breakfast was late coming out of the oven. But we made it to school on-time again!

Work was slow relationally speaking but I did have opportunity to work in a lab with a coworker I’ve known for a few years. He’s a very friendly person who’s quick with a joke and a smile. But sometimes his jokes and language can drift a little too far out of my range of talk. Often times, I just let it slide because it takes a lot to get me offended.

Today I just had to say something after he pointed towards another coworker (many, many years younger than he is) who was walking down the hall and ogled and kept on with comments like “You see that?” and “Wow! Would you look at that?” I know this younger lady and she’s a very attractive woman who’s personality is equaled only by her looks. She’s a few years younger than I am and works out at the gym several times a week.

I immediately told him that he shouldn’t do that because she is a very nice woman. I also told him that, in fact, he shouldn’t say things like that about anybody. It’s not respectful at all and I sure wouldn’t want someone talking about my daughter that way! It took a number of protests on my part to get him to settle down but the wave of lecherous talk did eventually stopped. He’s going to take some work, that’s for sure.

Personally, I can’t stand it when someone speaks of a lady like that and I always look for ways to interject what I believe to be right and true. This doesn’t always happen, mind you, but, most of the time I do say something.

That younger lady will never know what I did for her today but it doesn’t matter. I did what I thought was right in the eyes of God and He’s the only One that really matters. Does that qualify me for a piece of gum? I don’t know. Maybe. Am I going to get it out of the pack and chew it? No, because I still want to offer it to someone because I followed God’s prompting and shared a word of encouragement and hope and not because I corrected another’s lewd behaviour.

God’s Gum is accompanying me on my trip to Phoenix on Sunday and hopefully God will send people my way so that I may minister to them in just the right way that will bring glory to God. Hopefully, I’ll have to buy another pack of gum to give away!

Stay tuned…

These days it takes more than a few disappointments to discourage me. In fact, I have more patience with others than I do with myself!

What a beautiful morning it was this morning! The sky was clear and blue and the sun shone into my bedroom through the sliding glass doors. It had been a while since I woke up feeling this good. I could get used to this! Realistically, though, I know that these mornings are rare blessings that I appreciate very much.

Both of us, my son and I, had time to share breakfast together. We were not hurried at all with anything that we needed to do. It was great. But, and there’s always a “but”, when we got to the truck I noticed that my right-rear tire was extremely low. So low, in fact, that I knew I shouldn’t get out on the highway. Time was now a premium. Should I get out my little rinky-dink air compressor and wait 15 minutes while the tire aired up or should I pay the $0.50 at Cumberland Farms for a much faster pump?

That decision didn’t wasn’t hard to make. Still not too worried or stressed out I set out for the convenience store and quickly aired up my tire. The whole thing didn’t take more than 3 or 4 minutes. Don’t sweat the small stuff, I thought.

That little situation made me think back on why I should give God thanks for everything. He is so merciful and kind to me. Even when everything appears to be going wrong and it’s all because of me and my actions and attitudes, God is patient and waiting (and wanting) me to turn to Him and ask for guidance. He wants me to always look to Him for all my needs. That’s something that I need to remember at all times.

I’m not saying that my Christian walk is constantly meandering. No, I’m saying that while I go throughout my day I get distracted by things that are not God opportunities, or rather, God’s Gum opportunites. Today was like that in a way because I spoke with others off and on but never really conversed with anyone. Shop talk was all it was today. And when I wasn’t talking about work, I was alone in a computer lab woking on a server.

I felt very distant from everybody today. The three of us in my cube area all had work to do and we’re really good about getting things accomplished the way they should. We all have a good work ethic. We chatted for a few minutes off and on but it was mainly about work. But that was about it. During lunch, I looked for someone to sit with in the cafeteria but found noone I really knew that wasn’t already engaged in conversation. I sat alone.

I can’t help but think that I am tested in some way. What is the test and what am I to learn from it? I have a few ideas but I want to wait until tomorrow to jot them down.

Stay tuned…

Where does the time go during the day! Is it just me or do others find that work distracts them from staying focused on God?

I was up for most of the night because of my cold medicine and wee bit of job-related anxiety. I went to bed early (8pm) and woke up at midnight pretty much wide awake wondering why I was up. After working on some of the background stuff here and publishing the comment about the magnetic cloud hurling towards the earth at break-neck speeds I finally took a chill pill and went back to bed. The time was now 4:30am. My alarm was going to go off in a few short hours. Surprisingly, I didn’t have much trouble gettin gout of bed.

It was rainy again this morning but it wasn’t too bad, I suppose. We left a few minutes late but still made it to the school on time (yeah!) without stressing out and worrying. Being rushed is something I just cannot stand too much of at any given time of the day.

Anyway, work was busy from the very start because there is always something for me to do and that’s great. I’ve wasted too many hours at work just sitting around trying to find work and that does not lead to a healthy state of mind. And having a healthy state of mind is very important to me as it should to anyone, I suppose.

It was then that I should have paused and found an online devotional to read or at least said a prayer to ask that God would lead me into situations where I could be an encourager or share Christ with someone. But, I didn’t. I felt that the work that was on my plate for the day was too much to pause for a God moment. As I look back I realize how extrememly foolish that was of me. How could I put the God of the Universe before a pervieved priority that will not amount to anything at the end of the day? Amazing. But that’s what we do sometimes.

I could sit behind this screen and try to come up with ways that I might have given a piece of gum away but who would I be fooling except those who read my account? God knows and, when it all comes down to it, He’s the only one who matters anyway.

Maybe tomorrow.

Stay tuned…

I missed this story for some reason. It was found on Yahoo!s Reuter - Science news feed. Expect some disruptions to satellite television services as you normally would but this one is probably the worst disruption by far. This one may even mess up cell phone service.

Did you ever want something so bad that it was inevitable to not happen? That’s what today felt like.

Today started out much like yesterday. The wind was blowing and it was slightly raining but we left the house on time and that’s always a good start to the day.

Even though I really like my job, there are some things that are not very pleasant. Trying to correct other people’s scripts and code is like that to me. I find it hard to follow the thought processes another person took when developing a functional (or non-functional) peice of code but I can eventually get through it. Eventually.

I spent the day working on some web interfaces for a side project as well as trying to find out why a backup didn’t work correctly. These tasks took my attention completely and I didn’t really have time to do much of anything else. And that included talking with people! That’s something I usually have time to do or at least take time to do.

It also didn’t help that I started feeling slightly ill today for some reason. Not so much nauseous as feely like a head cold was coming on. This is day two of my sinus headache so that’s probably what it was.

In summary, I didn’t pass out any gum today or even come close. But, that’s alright. God’s going to give me another opportunity tomorrow!

Stay tuned…

With gum on my mind and none on my shoe, I set out to work with high hopes that God was going to place opportunities in my path. Would I be looking in the right direction when they came?

The first thing I saw when I woke up this morning was wind and rain. The blinds on my sliding porch door were wide open so I got the full effect. “Oh no,” I thought as I got out of bed. “This is really yucky.” I use really technical terms when I first wake up. It must be my degree in physics.

We made it to James’ school on time, which is always good, and work was only a few blocks down the road. After I parked my car I sat listening to closing comments on Songtime. They were talking about Job and what he went through. It may have been Chester McCalley but I can’t remember for sure because just then I looked up and saw a dear friend, Louie, walking across the parking lot in the light rain and heavy wind.

Louie is a member of my Wednesday lunch-time bible study group at work, Ray of Light. He was diagnosed with a form of throat cancer a few months ago. As of this writing, he has only recently finished his radiation treatments and is in the middle of his chemotherapy. He was walking a little more hunched over than usual and my heart immediately went out to him.

I left the car knowing that I could not catch up to him but my prayers for him were present in my heart. After I entered the building, coffee sounded really nice so I dropped my backpack and jacket off at my desk and preceded to make the long trek to the cafeteria. I approached an intersection and I saw Louie walking past me to the left.

I loudly (well, not that loud, I suppose) called out to him with a big smile on my face. He turned around and we chatted a few minutes. He told me he wasn’t doing too well and I felt so helpless. Louie’s the kind of gentlemen that would always bring a smile to your face. Mild-mannered with a quick wit and a deep love for the Lord. He has always been the constant in the group.

I tried to ask him questions that a simple nod yes or no would answer because his throat is still very sore due to the radiation. I asked him when his head was going to look like mine and he related that he had already lost all his facial hair. Not bad for a guy with a full head of white hair!

I didn’t keep him because I knew he was going to get some work started. We said our goodbyes and I told him that we missed him very much at our Wednesday bible study.

I need to start a prayer request area for prayer request postings because he needs to be on there big time. Another prayer request that needs posting is for a woman I met on my trip to Oklahoma and Texas for my grandmother’s funeral. Her name is Joy and she just found out she had a cyst on one of her ovaries. Her doctor thinks it’s an infection of some kind so he put her on antibiotics.

Was this brief moment a time when I handed out God’s gum? I think so.

Stay tuned…

Today was the last day of a five part series at church entitled How to “Make Soup from Stones”.

I was running late this morning, as usual, even though we set our clocks back an hour because of standard time but we made it there only a few minutes late. There were a lot of people at the second service so we had to sit near the back, which I dislike quite a bit since it makes me feel a little unconnected. But, we were surrounded by friends and that made it alright.

Anyway, this morning was different. I felt distracted because I was sitting in a different place. I was a little cramped and uncomfortable. When I get to felling like this at church, I know God has something in store for me. I was right.

You see, God gives us different abilities and talents that we are to use for God’s Kingdom. To some He gives the gift of gab, to others singing, to others success in business…you get the idea. The point is that we all get something and that something is all we need to start something for God. And it’s when we start that something for God and give out of a sense of generosity that we find true life.

Pastor Dave LaChance gave us three conditions to finding true life:

1. You must recognize that all you have does not belong to you, it belongs to God.
   

   Romans 12:1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. (Msg)

2. Invest your life in a way that extends God’s Kingdom.
   

   2 Cor. 4:15 All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thansgiving and God will receive more and more glory. (NLT)

   Each morning we need to ask God for three things:

   1. A discerning heart
   2. A generous heart
   3. opportunities to be generous
3. Share the results of your testimony
   

   Prov 11:25 The generous soul will be rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. (NKJ)

What we have doesn’t belong to us! That phrase kept echoing in my head. It’s not just about money and tithing like most people would think. No, it’s about who we are, what we are and what we do with what we have. Are we hiding our abilities from God? Are we intentionally not reading our Bibles because everytime we do God reminds us that we were made to serve Him? It may not be intentional but it happens to us all at some point in our lives. Because whenever God gives us an ability of any kind, He intends to give it to someone else.

Pastor Dave related the story of a bus trip to a Promise Keepers gathering he once made a few years ago. While talking to a small group of men in the back of the bus he offered a friend next to him a piece of gum. His friend took a piece and then proceeded to give everyone around a piece of Dave’s gum! Dave said that he didn’t mind that everyone took some gum but it was someone else who gave away his gum without his permission.

And that’s the way it is with God and what he has given us. He gives us talents and abilities that we did not earn or deserve and He intends to give those things away so that He may be glorified. We are only stewards of what God has given us. We don’t have anything of our own because it belongs to God!

At the beginning of the service a small pack of gum was handed to us with the instructs not to open it until told to do so. Well, towards the end of the service, Dave told us to hold it up. He said the gum does not belong to us, it belongs to God. We are to be generous this week with what God has given us. When we talk to someone about the Lord, offer encouraging words, show God’s love towards someone, etc., we are to offer that person a piece of gum. If they don’t want it, no big deal. We could chew it then, I suppose. But, the point is that we are stewards of that gum and we are to give it away to someone who needs it. Can you see the metaphor? I sure hope so because this has gotten me excited about sharing what I have with others. (This website is a way I have found to share what God has given me.)

So, this week I am going to give out my gum and make sure it’s empty by next Sunday. Unfortunately, I will not be at church next Sunday because of a business trip but I will share my experiences here.

Stay tuned…

When unions go on strike, they draw a lot of attention. Especially when that company is a public servant.

KCAL 9 in Los Angeles reports that the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) mechanics strike cost “$4million a day in lost business, wages and personal income tax revenues.”

This responder to a comment made in a Yahoo! Message Board believes that unions only benefit unions and NOT the employees or communities…

If these worker’s don’t want to work, they don’t have to. They won’t get paid either. It’s called a strike. It’s a free country.

“These same unions will also force a company to give them their back pay for choosing to strike. They will also intimidate people in order for them not to cross the line and “take their jobs.” Give me a break. If they go on strike, they should go to the unemployment office.

If the city is worried people’s lives will be disrupted or that people will lose their jobs, then they can pay the MTA workers more money. Or they can refuse and live with the consequences. It’s not that hard of a concept to figure out.

Extortion is not a valid method of getting a raise. In today’s society unions have long out-lived their usefulness. They use bully-tactics to get what they want for no increase in productivity. The most productive companies are those where unions do not exist.

More money doesn’t make people work harder, employeess have to want to work harder. And companies achieve that goal through the right kind of motivation, pride in one’s company, and having a sense of purpose. Without those three crucial ingredients, a company is doomed to have disgruntled workers who think it’s all about them and no one else. Unions have made workers fat, lazy, over-paid, under-appreciative, and low in morale.

I found this in the Yahoo! Technology - Reuters Internet Report area. click here

The ’Canterbury Tales’ was first published over 550 years ago.

I tell you, her sins-and they are many-have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The sun is just now coming up and today looks like another beautiful day. The newness of the now and the potential today holds is brought to mind. Does yesterday really matter when considering can be accomplished today? If that something is an on-going project, then yes. Otherwise, the new day is wide open.

This fresh start is just the way it is with the woman in the story. We don’t really know anything about her except that she was “immoral,” which may mean that she was a prostitute, and that she had many sins. One other thing that we know about her is that she was changed by Jesus.

We can only speculate about her past. She was probably brought up in a traditional Jewish household and learned the scriptures by talking with her mother and observing the Hebrew traditions. And, like today, she had friends that may not have had the best influence on her decisions in life. Or, maybe she did have Godly friends and found that the only way she could make a living is through prostitution. Was it suggested by a friend or was it observed? We do not know and never will. If we are wise, we realise how easy it is to fall into any kind of lifestyle that contradicts God’s word. And, how foolish it is to believe that we are too Godly to fall to such depths. Proverbs 16:25 say, “25There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Have I fallen from great heights? Yes. Has the Lord always forgiven me when I ernestly ask Him for forgiveness? Yes. Am I a fool to continue in a lifestyle that I know is contrary to God’s will for my life? Most assuredly! Then, what am I waiting for?!

Great Father in heaven, I have been such a foolish child and have willfully disobeyed you. I am coming before you to humbly ask for your forgiveness, again. I have brought shame upon my life because of my actions and want to change. Give me a desire to grow in your favor and learn to be the child of God that I am supposed to be. I can’t do it on my own; that’s why I am asking for your help and guidance. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise.” Proverbs 9:6

Written by Larry the morning of September 7, 2003.