Reveration Blog
6/16/2005 0 Comments Self-DenialIt must be difficult to be a professional basketball coach. It seems with each passing year that an increasing number of players are disrespectful to their coaches, referees, other players and the fans themselves. What should be a poetic team exercise of unselfish sportsmanship has turned into a circus of “I-isms” where a player’s attitude and action state, “It’s all about me.”
It must be difficult to be God. Daily He observes unruly, disrespectful children who seem more than willing to grieve His Spirit, ignore the commands of His Son and disdain His appointed leaders. What should be a marvelous demonstration of unity and fruit-bearing instead is the First Church of Me.
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11/25/2004 0 Comments FoodThe Thanksgiving holiday is supposed to be about remembering how blessed we are by our Almighty Father in heaven. If gratitude is the point, food is the reminder. In truth, a hearty feast is a wonderful custom for celebrating our blessings. Not a Thanksgiving goes by for me that I don’t think back to traveling to Newburgh, NY with my roommate and best friend, Dave Mead. We would totally stuff ourselves at his grandmother’s house—eating was a competitive sport for two young cadets.
12/13/2003 0 Comments OrderlyWhy is it that the one year you get a flu shot you get the flu? Why does your dog shake off muddy water next to you when you’ve just changed into good clothes? Why does your husband get sick on the day you’re supposed to go on a family vacation? Why is it that the day you’re ready to complete your project the power goes out? Why do microphones work fine in rehearsal but then screech during the play? Why do people get mad at other drivers right after leaving church? Why do camera batteries go dead just when your son takes his first steps? Why does some stranger’s toddler pitch a fit at the climax of your daughter’s recital?
10/11/2003 0 Comments MaintenanceDo you remember the 507thMaintenance Company and it’s infamous soldier—PFC Jessica Lynch? She was badly hurt, the sole survivor in her Humvee which crashed into a disabled truck attempting to escape an ambush. Lynch did not fight the enemy as the media first reported. But another fellow soldier did—PFC Patrick Miller. He won the Silver Star for his valiant efforts and a Purple Heart. Miller was fortunate to have survived and later as a captive to be rescued by a Marine patrol. You see he and those who could fight almost all experienced jammed weapons. Their rifles barely worked because they rarely cleaned and maintained them. It had been seven months since Miller last fired his M16! Evidently, the soldiers of the 507th took their weapons for granted. Their primary job was to repair and maintain equipment in the rear. They did not expect to be involved in any fighting.
9/25/2003 0 Comments WorkersIt was a bright and hot Saturday outside Palm Springs as my family wandered through the Living Desert. Inside one of the exhibits we encountered a fascinating tunnel system full of Heterocephalus glabers—naked mole rats. These pale rodents are the only known mammals that live in a eusocial (truly social) system. All members of the group huddle together when sleeping in colonies that may consist of 20-300 creatures. Like bees, ants and termites, naked mole rats divide into classes of hierarchy. First in order is the dominant queen who may have up to five litters in a year with 1-27 newborns. Next, there are one to three breeding males followed by two to three soldiers who protect and care for the colony. Finally, there are many workers. These asexual workers exist to dig the tunnels and find food. A mole rat can live 15-20 years in captivity and has the strongest jaw muscles for a mammal its size.[1]
8/23/2003 0 Comments SteadfastOur neighbors have a new puppy, Sadie. She is a lovable Pit Bull full of energy and eager for attention. To keep her from getting lost or running away, it was necessary to finish fencing in their yard. So, with help from family members, holes were dug, cement was poured, and metal posts for a chain-link fence were sealed into the ground. That fence is not going anywhere; Sadie is quite secure.
4/19/2002 0 Comments Self-ControlBefore I write about self-control I must share a disclaimer. I struggle with this area personally. I wrestle against impure thoughts. I don’t always use my time wisely. I say or do things I shouldn’t. In short, I have a long way to go to be like my hero—Jesus. It is recklessly foolish to think I can control myself by my own doing. My sin nature guarantees the impossibility of self-earned perfection. What is a fallible man to do?
2/5/2002 0 Comments SpeechI picked up the sports section of The Oregonian dated February 5, 2002 and read Selena Roberts article about a sixteen-year-old ice skater, Sarah Hughes. Selena wrote:
“You know Sarah Hughes? She flutzes.” The words usually have come in the form of a whisper in some back corridor of a rink, in the back alley of a figure skating competition, from adults turned adolescents . . .Who started it, no one really knows. Maybe an opposing coach, a certain judge, a chatty critic. But from every direction, Hughes is hearing and reading how she takes off on the wrong edge as she enters her lutz, making it what’s called a flutz. 10/12/2000 0 Comments SubmissionI’ve never put a floating floor in before but in theory it looked simple. All I had to do was line and glue the tongue and groove wooden slats together tightly and presto my floor should be complete. But by the fifth row of sliding wood together a problem arose. Gaps were appearing. So I took a hammer and tapped on a metal crowbar against the offending pieces to make them fit. Alas, that resulted in the fragile tongues breaking. The harder I pressed the more damage I caused and the greater my irritation at anything that moved or breathed.
8/8/2000 0 Comments LazinessMeditation
Proverbs 6:9-11--How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit. 7/31/2000 0 Comments Spiritual ConcentrationWe could feel the tension increase as the Willamette Star Cruise continued to struggle. What should have taken a few minutes stretched to almost half an hour. The Captain was unable to bring our boat to the dock. Jokes passed across the deck below as some from the wedding party waited to disembark. “Now you can see why I never joined the Navy.” “Hmmm, wonder what he’s been drinking.” “Must be a rookie driver.”
5/30/2000 0 Comments Struggle-MoralClimbing the staircase to LTC Mark Armstrong’s office one cannot help but notice the words painted between steps: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity and Personal courage. These are seven key values the Army seeks to instill in all its soldiers. They are values that Mark takes seriously as the Battalion Commander of the 1st Battalion of the 46th Infantry.
2/3/2000 0 Comments HabitsMeditation
1 Corinthians 9:26,27--Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 3/16/1999 0 Comments ZealMeditation
Romans 10:2--I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 7/31/1998 0 Comments DisciplineMeditation
Titus 2:11,12--For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age. 4/16/1998 0 Comments PrayerMeditation
Colossians 4:2--Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. I have neverencountered a mature Christian who is not strongly devoted to prayer. Certainly I know talented believers. There is a great abundance of disciples who are full of knowledge of the Bible and equipped with great people skills. I know many Christians who possess a solid business savvy and a knack for administrating. There is no shortage of believers who were raised in Christian homes and have faithfully attended church all their lives. But I have never encountered a mature Christian who is not devoted to prayer. |
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles