Reveration Blog
8/18/2006 DefectsRecently, I was talking to John, one of our attendees at The Road Home who works at Gunderson, a manufacturing and assembly plant that makes cast steel parts. John shared how he and a team of workers had to travel to China to investigate why the parts they were receiving from the foundry in China were breaking. What they discovered was profound.
11/16/2005 ImpressionableNine young men sat on the hardwood court as I read to them a short sport story and then gave two applications. They listened attentively to the lesson on courage. After sharing I handed them each a copy to put in their notebooks. The practice was over but one player lingered to read the story on his own. Another stood silent as his dad animatedly discussed the paper with him. One of the mothers came and commented on how much she appreciated the character lessons.
4/18/2003 0 Comments GentlenessWe must have looked funny to the children and women watching us. Here we were, six men—each of us incapable of separating two plastic buckets. We tried twisting and pulling to no avail. One man used his pocket knife. I tried dropping the buckets on the floor. We could bend the plastic but we could not get one orange pail free from the other. It was like someone had super glued each set of buckets together. It felt like our manhood was on the line—this was getting embarrassing!
11/16/2001 PastorsMeditation
Acts 20:28--Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. 8/18/2001 0 Comments Fruit TreesIn my backyard are several fruit trees. Each one is shielded to some degree from the traversing sun by fir, cedar and maple that are older and tower above them. What is fascinating is how the apple, cherry, plum and apricot contort their branches in the best direction possible to capture maximum sunlight.
11/30/2000 0 Comments TundraFive men camped along the Tulik River in the remote tundra of the Arctic Circle near the Brooks Range. Our intent was to hunt caribou and ptarmigan and fish for grayling. For many men, few things exceed the thrill of hunting. It is a great test of wit, skill, perseverance, and careful planning which, if executed properly, results in the successful acquisition of food. It was a time of camaraderie and challenge.
7/14/1999 0 Comments LimitationsHe rolled up to the sidelines in a wheelchair and I couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts crisscrossed his mind. Soccer is not a game for the lame. Yet he came out to watch perhaps wistfully at what he could no longer do, or at peace—able still to enjoy an event in which his friends were engaged. He reminded me of Bryan, my 12-year-old hero.
5/4/1999 0 Comments PrideThere are moments in life we never forget—life-changing encounters. One of mine came as a “firstie”, a senior at West Point. I asked an older friend known for his wisdom to meet with me to discuss the topic of serving. On the day we met, he looked me in the eye and said, “Danny, we don’t need to talk about serving, we need to talk about pride.” He then lovingly shared three specific examples of pride he observed in my life from one dinner conversation in his home.
2/14/1999 0 Comments WaitingThe subway trains at SEATAC Airport run every two minutes connecting terminal to terminal. They are efficient, effective and psychologically comforting to those who dread the thought of missing their flight. After all, we live in a culture that does not like having to wait.
12/4/1998 0 Comments ReputationAcross the table sat a man of large girth and hostile demeanor—one who formerly had served as his platoon sergeant. This noncommissioned officer faced legal charges that if successful, would eject him from the army dishonorably. He had been caught stealing equipment from his own soldiers, lying and shirking his duties. Now, less than a year later, enough charges had accumulated to bring him to trial.
9/14/1998 0 Comments MoneyThere are few things which reveal a person’s heart so well as money. Consider the rich young man Jesus met (Matthew 19:16-22). He honesty wondered what good thing he must do to gain life without end. He had been faithful to keep God’s commandments. Jesus said, ““If you want to be perfect,”Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me” (vs. 21). Faced with the prospect of relinquishing his wealth, the rich man sadly departed.
9/8/1998 0 Comments ModelThis morning a woman climbed into her car. She stopped by a Starbucks to get her caffeine jolt for the morning. Later she pulled into the parking lot at work and said “hi” to a few other employees who also just arrived. Once inside the building she encountered many people who work there—some of whom she engaged in conversation while others she passed by because they were busy. During the course of her day she will lead or serve many different people. She may talk on the phone, send and pick up email messages, and converse with her boss, those who work for her, and others nearby. After work she will drive home, have dinner, possibly call someone special, relax in front of the television or read a book before going to bed.
8/20/1998 0 Comments IntegrityIt was in part what the President wouldn’t say that disturbed a nation. Liberty lowered her torch and sat on her pedestal of stone weeping from the bitter blow his pride struck. She cried because he lied. She sobbed because he robbed—he stole the trust of a nation to enjoy forbidden pleasures. Tomorrow she will rise and light her torch. But it will not burn as bright. Around her base swirls water blackened with the slick oil of deceit. It’s mixture runs downstream leaching through soil at an alarming rate. Her children are poisoned by this hazardous waste of rationalization that dares to call evil good and good evil.
7/17/1998 0 Comments DistressI was driving down Lombard when a red light illuminated my dashboard with the words “Check Engine”. Now I’d be the first to admit I’m a mechanical dummy but I know that when that light comes on it doesn’t mean to pop the hood and check to see if there is still an engine in there! That cerise glow is a nonsubtle directive to get to a mechanic who can run a diagnostic test and hopefully discover why the warning message is activated without charging me an elbow and a thigh.
5/15/1998 0 Comments SincerityNo one likes to be manipulated. An individual may express an outward message that is incongruent with an inner motive. Once I placed a large order of cassettes for a music project I was working on. The sales person assured me of the solid reputation of this “Christian” company. He did not tell me the company was deeply in debt and about to declare bankruptcy. His motive might have been to help the company pull in more business. Because he withheld information, I made a purchase decision which resulted in losing my money and not receiving the products I’d paid for.
4/29/1998 0 Comments WisdomI get the “heevy-jeevies” whenever I walk into an antique store or specialty shop with my children. When the manager hangs signs next to items that say, “Do not touch,” or “If you break this you pay for it,” one can always count on the fact that those are precisely the first items kids will grab. Now to be fair to my children, they have never broken anything in a store. Still, one can never be too careful.
12/2/1997 0 Comments SarcasmThe furnace of character development is heated for many by speech. Growing up, I was the butt of “short-people” jokes. Remember the song that came out in the ‘80’s making fun of short people?—“short people got no reason to live.” Unfortunately, I learned early on that an effective defense against cutting remarks was the use of sarcasm. A witty putdown can become an art-form. It feels good to sting the stinger. But does it really?
10/15/1997 0 Comments RestorationWhen we bought our house the floor was covered with an ugly (trust me), soiled green '70's style carpet. To the owner, the carpet was special and no doubt held some sentimental value. We could not replace it fast enough! To our amazement, when we pulled up the carpet we discovered a beautiful hard wood floor. Friends came over and lovingly applied the proper finish to reveal the wood's texture in all its beauty. When the carpet (aside from the color), was new it looked good. No one would have thought much about what was underneath. Slowly it began to wear and fray and soil. Eventually it became an eyesore. Finally, it was so bad it was fit only to be destroyed.
10/14/1997 0 Comments VirtueHave you noticed how desperately our society yearns for good moral role models? Yogi Berra, the master of chaotic one-liners once quipped, “If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.” God says in Leviticus 11:44, “Be holy, because I am holy.” In other words, “Be like Me.” Virtue doesn’t come easily it takes effort. Just ask the employee whose integrity is tested by the boss who wants to cut corners. Often our virtue is measured by our words. Either we strive to be honest or we become masters of “spin” slighting altering the picture to our benefit. If we were born holy virtue would come easily. Instead we strive to overcome a nature that at its core is selfishly wired. By following the example Jesus set for us on earth, we allow God the privilege of making us new creations! Take courage, your character matters!
7/16/1997 0 Comments CrisesI will never forget December 12, 1985. On that day I received the news that 256 of our soldiers had just died in a horrible plane crash. Gone was my best friend Brian Haller and 25 of my soldiers, virtually all of them married men.
Kathleen and I will always remember Valentines Day 1991. We sat in the office of a neurologist and watched as he placed an MRI under the light to reveal the inoperable brain-stem tumor growing in Bryan, our three year old son. |
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles