Ramblings and Reflections

Let me admit right up front, I am a sugar coated pessimist. I try not to be, but that’s what I am. What is a sugar coated pessimist, you may ask? On the outside I am all sweet and fluffy, but when you dig deeper, the roots of the lemon sucker come out. Have you ever seen someone suck on a lemon? There lips do these weird contortionary moves. While I’m not as bad as some so called Christians who go through life sucking on lemons, (I fight the urge) I have a tendency to drift that way.
Have you ever met one of these “Christians”? “I’m a Christian,” they snarl. “What are you gonna do about it?”
Honestly, they make the grace of God seem like hard work.
With all that said, let me get to the purpose of this blog.

We are betwixt the demons and elves. It’s time to put away the witch’s hat and goblins and pull out the stockings and tinsel; Halloween and Christmas.
In the in-between time we gorge ourselves on turkey and watch grown men toss a ball around a field. (Oh. My poor Patriots)
I am one of those people who believes Thanksgiving is being nudged off the table by a bigger turkey and chocolate chip cookies. Not only is this special day over shadowed by other holidays (kind of crushed in between them), the very meaning of the holiday is ignored even on the actual day itself.
A quick word of grace and it’s on to the drumstick!

Before the day passes like a flash of lightening across the sky, I’d like to give a couple of thoughts about Thanksgiving-
1. Out of the major holidays of this season, Thanksgiving is the only one that is about attitude.
—Halloween is about candy! Pure and simple. Greed for chocolate! There’s nothing wrong with that. I can remember the days when me and my friends would not come home until our pillow cases were full. We’d map out a route of the neighborhood; stressing maximum candy getting in the minimum amount of time. I’d keep my stash under my bed, doling it out. Making it last until the Christmas goodies came in.
—Christmas is about greed. Who will get what? How many lights can I fit on a tree? Will I have better decorations than my neighbor?
… I told you I was a pessimist on the inside. My attitude on Christmas should prove the point. Okay, okay. I know what Christmas is supposed to be about. I simply doubt that most people in the good old U. S. of A celebrate the birth of the savior of the world! Christmas is a wonderful holiday that is being highjacked from it’s original purpose. But I digress.
—Thanksgiving is supposed to be about thankfulness to God! Remembering all He has given us. An attitude of thankfulness. In my opinion, it is one of the most biblical holidays.

2. The Bible reminds us to be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
That’s because most people need to be reminded. Thankfulness does not come naturally. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Remember to breath,” because for the most part no one forgets to breath (Though that does remind me of a funny blond joke…but we won’t go there.)
On the other hand, giving thanks to God is something we have to be nudged into doing. Maybe we all have a tendency to be lemon suckers.
I find myself constantly striving to be thankful; remembering all the blessings God has given to me. Being thankful is a wonderful habit that can actually defeat lemon sucking! It’s good to remember Who we came from and how much He’s given to us.
How about if you join me? Avoid the holiday rush. Begin and end each day with a special prayer of thanksgiving. Tell God what you are thankful for.
With that in mind, you can help me out. I’m stuck on x, y, and z. You wonder what in the world I am talking about.
There’s a prayer exercise that I do. I’ll run through the ABC’s of thankfulness. In other words, I go through the alphabet, each letter standing for something I’m thankful for, or simply praise God for.
i.e.-“Lord, I am thankful for…your AWESOME love. I am thankful for my daily BREAD.”
Why don’t you give it a try?
Maybe you can help me out. I get stuck on X Y Z. Many times I have to be creative with x’s. “I’m thankful for your eXtra good care. As for z’s, I need more than Zebras and Zitherphones.
Before the big day comes (Thanksgiving), try running through your own ABC’s thankfulness. And if you get a chance, send me a comment, giving me some creative ideas for XYZ.
Remember. Don’t go sucking on the lemons of life. It’ll make you awfully sour.

There are some indignities that I will tolerate. You can call me ugly. You can step on my toes. You can even cheer for the dreaded Yankees (I’m a Red Sox fan)!
But whatever you do…Don’t steal my french fries!
My wife and I were grabbing some supper at a local pizza shop. The place was almost empty, with only one other group seated a few tables away, munching on their already delivered food; three adults and a couple of kids.
My wife had ordered some cheese bread sticks. How someone can survive on only cheese bread sticks I don’t know. I, on the other hand, had ordered a large chicken cutlet sub, french fries, and a root beer.
After a few minutes I saw the waitress approaching with a tray of food. Like Pavlov’s pup, my mouth starting salivating. French Fries!
I will admit to having a french fry addiction. When the government, with their “nanny-state” mentality, eventually outlaws my grease ladened spuds, I will go underground, buying plain-wrapped, oil stained packages from shady characters on street corners; midnight meetings to get my fix.
Until then, I will be happy to order them from fast food places and sub shops.
I watched with anticipation as the waitress drew closer. Much to my dismay, though, she walked by and placed the food in front of the much bewildered people at the other table. The man shrugged, picked up a fry, dipped it in ketchup and began to munch.
“Wait a minute,” my brain cried out. “Those are my french fries.” I glared at him, trying through the sheer sense of my will to get him to stop eating what was rightfully mine. His only response was to shove another fist full of fries in his mouth, all the while smirking at me.
“What’s the matter?” my wife asked.
I relayed my fear that the waitress had mis-delivered our food. Those fears were verified, by the way, when I overheard the cook chastising her for what she’d done. We waited patiently. Eventually newly cooked food was brought our way, along with an apology.
It begs the questions, though. When is stealing… stealing? If you get something totally by mistake and you know it, is that stealing?
All the people at the other table had to do was say, “Excuse me waitress-lady. This isn’t our food.” Case closed. Correction made. Instead they behaved like they’d won the lottery.
We’ve taken God’s command, “Thou Shalt Not Steal” and added a dozen or so “Unlesses”.
“Thou Shalt Not Steal, unless you think you deserve it.”
“Thou Shalt Not Steal, unless it’s from someone who deserves to be stolen from or from a nameless corporation that can simply submit their losses to an insurance company.”
“Thou Shalt Not Steal, unless it’s something you really, really want!”
I have a cousin who owns a vegetable farm. He tells the story of driving by one of his fields, which bordered the road. A man had pulled his car to the side and was grabbing fists full of corn, filling the car’s trunk. When my cousin confronted the man, who was with his small son, he explained, “We needed some corn for supper.” as if that’s an excuse. What a great lesson for the son.
When you get extra change at McDonalds and keep it, when you take 15 ears of corn at a farm stand and say it’s only a dozen, when you get someone else’s french fries and don’t correct the mistake, please remember, it’s stealing.
The world may proclaim it’s okay, but God holds Christians up to a higher standard.

Lately, I’ve been noticing a weird trend. Maybe you have, too. It first hit me when I was in the locker room at my fitness center.
Those who know me may be amazed that I belong to a gym. You might think that the most exercise I get is pulling myself out of a chair, or the heaviest weights I lift are a quarter pound burger and large soft drink. But we won’t get into that. Let’s get back to my minor revelation at the gym.
When I was a teenager I’d go to the local Y. Back then men’s locker rooms were rough and rugged places. Manly? Yes! They’d smell of sweat and exercise; metal locker clanging shut, room-sized showers with unidentifiable stains on the floor. Just stepping in this atmosphere transported you into a “Rocky” movie. “Yo! Adrian!”
Over the years, things have changed. My gym’s locker room is clean and well lit. Patrons chat about stock tips as they help their little children get dressed after daddy/son swim time.
Times change. I can handle it. That’s life. But what struck me as odd was the two flat screen televisions hanging on the wall.
“So what?” you may say.
I simply find it interesting that men, drying off from showers or relaxing with sweat dripping from the foreheads after a hard workout, need to stay connected to a television. Have we become that “plugged in”?
So I began observing society around me, looking for signs of “connectedness”, and was amazed at what I discovered.
While picking up my son after school, I came across mobs of kids sticking wires in their ears and turning on their mp3 players; others walking in groups, yet with cell phones stuck to the side of their head, oblivious to the other students next to them.
At my local mall, televisions are conveniently placed at the food courts so that MTV types of videos can be blasting. You can even text in a request for which one you want to watch.
At the food store, parents paying for their groceries while carrying on a conversation on their cell-phone. Meanwhile, their young children are sitting in the shopping cart, eyes transfixed on a portable gaming system.
Perhaps the oddest experience I had was on a recent trip to Virginia. At a gas station, positioned right over the gas pump was…a television.
What have we come to? Do we need a constant barrage of radio or video signals to keep us going? Are we afraid of being unconnected for even a short time. For any Star Trek fans out there…Are we becoming the Borg???
Now before you think I’m advocating the tossing out of all electronic devices and a return to the days of Fred Flintstone (I wouldn’t want to drive Fred’s car. It would be hard on the feet. Though I have to admit, having a small elephant as my vacuum cleaner would be cool), let me explain my point.
Is our staying connected creating a deeper problem? Has being over-connected come between you and God? While we are feeding our brain a constant flood of stimulus are we neglecting thinking, meditating, listening for the voice of God?
Several years ago I helped out at a Youth Retreat in Wisconsin. Coming from an suburban area, I was amazed by the night sky. At midnight I headed out into an open field. The stars literally stretched from horizon to horizon, enveloping me in their twinkling lights. I’d never seen anything like it before. No interruptions from houses or apartment buildings; no street lights, masking the effect.
I stood in awe and the words of the Psalmist came to me. “Be still! Know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10)
God commands- “Be Still!” There’s something to be said for blocking out all the stimulus; disconnecting from the outside world so that you can connect with the Lord.
I urge you to disconnect for a time every day. Try it today! Find a quiet place. Pull the wires out of your ears. Turn off the television. Shut off the cell phone. Remain still and quiet. Listen for the voice of God talking to you.

Is God saying to you, “Be quiet and listen”?