Empty Hammocks

When was the last time you saw someone actually resting in a hammock? I often take note that too many resting places are empty.

My family gave me a new hammock as my birthday and Father's Day gift this year. If my count is right, I think it's my fourth hammock. I wish I could say I wore all of the previous hammocks out by resting in them, but the truth be told, I may have worn one hammock out resting in it, while the others just plain dry-rotted.

Anyway, next time you see an empty resting place, give yourself permission to occupy it for a while. Take time to exhale.

Come unto Me and I will give you rest.
(Words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28.)

Thank You, Jesus, for being my Resting Place. I want to be a resting place for You, too.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Cry Out to Jesus!

Today at 2 p.m. I will conduct the funeral service for a 20-year-old, Joshua, who passed the line of worlds in a car crash over the weekend. The pain of the family is in my heart. These words from the Christian vocal band, Third Day, are echoing from the chambers of my soul:

To everyone who's lost someone they love,
Long before it was their time.
You feel like the days You had were not enough,
When you said goodbye

Cry out to Jesus... Cry out to Jesus...

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful (But Tearful Today because of Joshua's passing and because of his friend, Brandon's passing, too... Lord Have Mercy...)

We Have This Moment... Today...

In less than 72 hours Christmas Day 2009 will have come and gone. While the unstoppable passage of time is somewhat sad to me, these words from a Bill and Gloria Gaither song do offer some measure of inspiration to my heart:

We have this moment to hold in our hands,
And to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come.
But we have this moment... TODAY!

Let's remember...
"TODAY is a GIFT from GOD. That's why it's called THE PRESENT!"

ALL... JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful

The Passage of Time

James Taylor sings a song titled Secret of Life. One line from the old tune says: The Secret of Life is enjoying The Passage of Time.

Well, I'd agree that's at least one secret of life. But the greater secret, or mystery to me is The Passage of Time itself. It seems just days ago that my son and daughter were little children, Now, all of a sudden, our "little" son is a 22-year-old college graduate and beginning his chosen career in radio broadcasting. Our "little" daughter is 20 and already a university junior as a fashion marketer and living three-and-a-half hours from home. It's unbelievable how fast time has rushed past our family.

This morning as I had my usual quiet time on the front porch, our neighbor was playing with his little four-year-old boy on the sidewalk next door. Listening to his young son's little-boy-laughter penetrated my heart and reminded me of the mystery, yes, the mystery of The Passage of Time.

I am reminded of these words from a poem my wife and I used to incorporate in advertising when we were full-time photographers. It was an effective sales pitch that encouraged or warned parents to have their little children remembered in portraits before it was too late. Listen to these 13 words:

Whatever happened to yesterday?
It picked up our children and stole them away.

Now, rest assured, I have enjoyed The Passage of Time, but I am still confounded by it all. James Taylor's song advice may be very close to some of the the best counsel we can get about the mystery of life's brevity: Enjoy the passage of time. That is, enjoy the passage of time by being present in your present and by being up-to-date in your relationship with God and your relationships with others, especially your own family members.

Another old Gospel song by the Gaithers said it this way:
We have this moment to hold in our hands,
and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
but we have this moment... today.

The time that remains is very short... 1 Corinthians 7:29 (NLT).

ALL JOY!
Grateful

Note: This blog entry specifically spells out in part my life's joy-description, which includes, but is not limited to, these 7 words:
Live to help others minimize future regrets.