Bob's Blog

Psalms 23 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Most everyone I know has heard or even memorized the verses above.  The trouble with being so familiar with something is that it breeds, well...familiarity.  Which in turn, can breed apathy.  I wonder how apathetic we have become to the message, when we have heard the verses repeated over and over since our childhood. This morn

Many times, when I post a blog entry, I include a photo.  This entry will not include a photo! A few days back, I wrote a blog entry about a new practice I have implemented, every morning if I can, of reading through some notes and scriptures to remind me of who He is and who I am in Him.  Over the years of my life, I have tried at various times to practice "morning devotions."  I was never very successful.  After only a few weeks, sometimes only a few days, of setting my alarm to get up early to read my Bible and some book of daily devotions like "My Utmost for His Highest", I would start hitting the snooze button.  But, I have realized that I have been thinking of "morning devotions" all wrong. Firstly, even the term sounds more religious than imperative.  I looked at these times as something that would be nice to do, maybe even gain me some points with God.  But, I did not see them for what I now understand them to be.   In one of the Lord o

Saw a movie a few weeks back, called Remember Sunday, that told the story of a man who had lost his ability to retain short term memory.  When he awoke in the morning, he had no memory of the day before.  Nor, any day for that matter since suffering a brain aneurysm.   His sister had created a folder that was just above his alarm clock that was labeled, "Read Me Every Morning!"  It contained the story of what had happened to him and helped him reorient himself to who he was and what he should be doing.  It was absolutely necessary to reintroduce those things into his memory to frame the rest of the day.   This morning, I realized I needed to do the same thing.  I have short term memory loss when it comes to remembering who I am in God, what I need to focus on and what kind of man I should be.  It will serve to frame my day.  

I know it is a cliche! But, the arrival of spring always makes me think "new beginning." After the cold grays and browns of winter, warm greens and bursts of all kinds of colors emerge. In the midst of these and the fact that today is Easter, the resurrection of Jesus is top of mind. Gospel means "good news." There could be none better. We are sinners and hopelessly condemned to death. But, God, the only one who could represent all of mankind, comes to earth in the form of Jesus. He dies on the cross paying the sin debt that we owe. Then, is raised from the dead. We not only share in His death, but in His resurrection! That truly is the best news ever!

I found one of my journal entries from the beginning of the year today. In it, I was reflecting on 2012 and the challenges it brought. Then, I added these statements... There have been many significant upsides this year as well. I hate how all of the negative things seem to overshadow the positive times. Even if the negative things are only a small subset of all of our experiences for a given time. I think it has to do with how much we relive the negative times, either through worry, unforgiveness, guilt, etc. We let them soak in, rather than shedding them like a windshield that has been treated with Rain-X sheds water. Makes me wonder how much this has to do with unbelief. Was Jesus that way? Did He dwell on the hurt caused by others? Did He self protect or worry?  I don't think so.

From a journal entry during a vacation to the beach a few years ago... I really do prefer the mountains over the beach. I do like the waves and the beautiful sunsets. The stars are impressive as well, assuming the ambient lights are not much of a factor.  But, the mountains feel more like home.  I am sure that sounds strange coming from someone raised in Illinois and now living in Indiana, where the elevation changes could really be measured in inches.  But, I am not talking about it feeling like home because it reminds me of my childhood or teen years.  I am referring to a deeper longing.  A home that is an echo of something from the past.  A past in which I am only vaguely familiar.  A memory that may lie somewhere in my genes. At the beach, I feel like an intruder or at best, a guest.  It is a place at which I am never entirely comfortable. But, a mountain!  I belong there!  I may not know all of the ways, but my roots are there.  My soul is there.  My heart is there.  In the

A few days ago, I pulled this blog up in my browser and looked at some of the posts I have written over the years. I noticed a trend. In 2009, I wrote 23 posts. From 2010 through 2012, I wrote 9, 4 and 1 respectively. Almost all of the posts in 2010 where written the first part of the year. The decline correlates to a particularly difficult time at work. Looking back, I can see that this experience bled over into all areas of my life. To be honest, I think it rocked my world more significantly than it should have. There have been many other challenges besides work. I wish I could say that I have passed all of the trials with flying colors. Not so much. But, I am starting to realize that they have come my way for a purpose. God is continuing to Father me. The past few years have revealed some areas in my heart that still need healing. But, I have felt more whole the last few weeks than I have felt in a long time. I am so grateful for God's unending love! And, for the