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Tag: freedom

The Good Life of Horror

September 11, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Many will never know but others will never forget. Many will only see pictures while others have the images branded in their minds for all of time. There is a generation being raised that know very little about the evil that lurks in plain sight. But others can’t get rid of the emotions.

Today many will pause to remember the events of September 11, 2001. The world kind of stopped that day for many of us. Classes canceled. Flights grounded. Police and military were everywhere and NO ONE had a problem with it. First responders were loved and admired. Service men and women were held in high esteem. Race. Creed. Color. Gender. Political persuasion didn’t matter. We were one people. One nation. One nation on her knees.

Then we stood. Like we always do. We dug deep. Found our resolve and placed our feet on the solid ground of our ancestors. We leaned forward in a fighting stance and raised our arms with fists clenched. We weren’t going to take this one laying down. We had to do something. Anything. Nothing was not an option.

But what has happened as the images of the horror faded has been disheartening yet predictable. Even though we said we’d never forget. Even though we add special banners to our social media for this 24 hour day. Even though we light the sky and fly the flags and even pause for a few seconds that day to remember, I’m not convince that we don’t really remember.

If we remembered, I mean really remembered, then things would be different. We’d have that same respect for local authorities we had on September 12th. If we remembered, we’d be able to see beyond color and gender and side of the aisle. If we really remembered the world would be a different place.

Sometimes it’s good to have a moment of horror hit. Sometimes it can be good to suffer the fear and heartache we suffered that late summer day. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I don’t ever want to feel the emptiness of that moment again, but I sure wouldn’t mind to live the good life of horror again. That was a day I could live over and over again.

Freedom

June 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This week we will gather with friends and family for fun, fireworks and lots of good food. We will bake in the sun. We’ll complain about the heat. We’ll spend time in the pool. Maybe we’ll set off some high altitude explosives. I’m not sure what you’ll do to celebrate this weekend known as Independence Day, but make it a safe celebration. Here are a couple of things to ponder before you go blowing crap up and getting roasted by your backyard pool.

What is this day all about?

It’s no secret that I’ve always been a fairly patriotic kind of guy. I’ve always stood for the National Anthem, put my hand on my heart when saying the Pledge of Allegiance, respected or at least politely remained quite toward those in office regardless of how I feel about them personally. But as I grow older and realize more and more about myself and the things we have in our lives as Americans, I can’t help but stand more firm in my stance on the power and amazing gift of the freedom we have as men and women in this country.

But what exactly is freedom?

Freedom is not making everyone do what you want the way you want it done. That’s dictatorship. Freedom isn’t giving everyone the same ends, meaning the same outcomes in life. Freedom isn’t erasing the bad moments to make the us feel better. Freedom isn’t even leveling the playing field. And freedom wasn’t cheap and it shouldn’t be to us either.

Freedom is giving everyone the a place on the game board, not ensuring that everyone wins. It’s giving people resources to run the race not giving them a trophy just for showing up. Freedom is a gift wrapped in the sacrifices of countless men and women across time and space. It by far is one of the most costly free things we’ll experience. There is only one thing more costly than our freedom as Americans and that’s the love of a gracious God.

Freedom is a gift that looks like a smile on a child’s face when they are adopted by a couple who can’t have children. Freedom is the sound of fireworks in sky instead of bombs in our backyard. Freedom is best realized when everyone works to raise the ceiling instead of pointing at the basement.

In our 21st Century modern world we’ve become basement dwellers instead of ceiling lifters. It was for the sake of freedom that men and women from varying backgrounds came together to lift the ceiling of oppression and bondage. It was in the name of freedom that soldiers stood at the ready to allow us the chance to have a backyard barbecue. And it should be in the name of freedom that we as Americans come together to raise the ceiling and in so doing help to lift those crushed under the weight of economic, health and relational challenges.

Freedom doesn’t mean we all end in the same place. That’s like saying every football game has two winners. Why keep score?! Why even play?! Freedom is being able to put two teams on the field at the same time, not always equal teams but teams that battle back and forth making both better.

Back to the beginning…

In short, freedom isn’t about being able to do anything we want or even letting everyone have the same treatment. It’s about being given the chance to play, work, live. There will always be some who are more talented, gifted, popular, welcomed, rich than you are, but there will always be some who are less of these things as well. Freedom is being given the ability to operate inside the boundaries. Wisdom is knowing where the boundaries are. Compassion and love are realizing that differences are valuable and seeing worth in someone who might very well be different than you.

In short, today you can be free become someone chose not to be free in a moment of time. Today you can celebrate where you are in life but do it without belittling someone in the process. Today you can celebrate the fact that while you may not be where you want in life, you are able to live, breathe, eat, work and play with some pretty wide open boundaries.

I’m going to drop a song here at the end that shows why you have the freedoms you have. This song is special to me for many reasons, mostly because my son shared this with me and said this is one of the reasons he chose the path he chose.

Be well. Stay safe. And thank Mr. Red, White, and Blue for the things you can do today.

Do You Have Room?

April 15, 2021 / / 0 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve been in a crowded place. No not because of covid but because I really don’t do crowds that much to be honest. But I remember the last time I was at Disney with my family, the ride attendant wanted everyone to move forward and fill all available space. Those words made me cringe. I don’t want to fill all available space. I didn’t want the sweaty man behind me pressing in closer to me. I didn’t want to lose any opportunity for air to flow through the hot line as we awaited entry on the ride.

We need to leave some room to breathe.

Maybe you’re not a ride person or have never been to a busy park like that. But what about reading. Have you ever read a book that had such tiny print and the margins were so small that there was literally no extra room on the page? Or how about when you take notes in class, were you the kind of person who filled the page in every possible direction and filled all available space?

We need to leave margin.

This is a really important principle that we need to really take to heart. Margin is critical. When we pack too many people into a small space and leave no extra room (aka margin), we can feel claustrophobic and have a hard time breathing. It can even cause a panic attack in some people.

The same is true in our schedules. If we don’t leave some margin in our lives, we end up pushing too close to the edges of our ability and have no room for emergencies or small changes in our schedules.

I find in my life, there are seasons when I run from place to place and fill my nights with meetings and games for the kids and projects around the house. When these things happen I have so little margin that I tend to miss some key moments in life. Or I miss just simple opportunities that pop up unannounced.

For a season I worked two full time jobs. I was gone all the time. From sun up to sun down and then after all went to bed I was on the go preparing for the next thing. I missed parties and outings and even some holidays. I had no margin. My neighbors and friends and family didn’t know who I was because I was never around. I missed being able to have a beverage with my neighbors around their fire pit. I wasn’t there to help a friend through a challenging time. I even missed some key moments in my children’s lives.

Living with no margin means we miss out on far too much important, spontaneous stuff in life. I’d like to challenge you to evaluate your schedule and be honest. What needs to go? What needs to stay? Who can do some of the things on your calendar that you really don’t need to do? What are the things that only you can do? And what are the things that someone else is just as qualified and just as capable of doing?

See if you can create some margin in your life. You’ll be glad you did.

I’m An American

March 25, 2020 / / 0 Comments

There seems to be a lot of confusion today over who we are. So let me remind you by explaining who I am. This country was built around certain ideals, values and core beliefs. We were not founded to be a two party system that couldn’t see past their differences to the lives they were affecting. Our nation was founded for the benefit of the people whom it was established to serve. Not as an organization offering handouts. Not as a micromanaging boss. Not as a hovering helicopter parent. This nation was established to allow freedom from tyranny and oppressive rule over the people. It was established to provide a system whereby all those who work hard and support one another can truly succeed in life. Let me be completely clear. I am not a republican. I am not a democrat. I am an American!

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Sing It From The Shackles

March 9, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Another week begins and with that comes another Music Monday. As I dug through the top hits in Christian music this morning I found this song. I had never heard it before, so I decided to give it a listen. Imagine a life where we’re bound and tied. Shackled to every bad decision, poor choice and evil thought that ever came from us. That’s the image I have in my mind when I hear this song.

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Chain Breaker

November 14, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Chain Breaker

Sometimes life just flat sucks. I know that’s not something new but it’s not something we normally say aloud. I know that it can be hard to see how something good is going to come from the current situation you’re facing. I know because I’ve been there myself. Actually, for many of us it’s a daily occurrence trying to bury the past and work through the present.  Continue reading

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