Opus 2026-292: Thanks for the Silent Majority

I am going to divide government employees into three categories today.  I imagine there are many more and various ways to break them down but this is what I am looking at right now.  I do not have any recent experiences to stimulate this train of thought.  It just kind of emerged.

I am thinking of dividing government employees into workers, drones and queens.  Honey bees have my apologies for the comparison.

I think the largest group of government employees are the workers.  These are those usually unnoticed men and women who show up for work on time and do their job.  We don’t notice them because when they do their job there is no reason to notice them.  I know they exist because much of what I expect to happen just happens.  When I renew my driver’s license, it arrives.  When the electricity goes out, it comes on again.  Just because we run into that clerk who has it in for us does not mean that others are not doing their best and if this was not the largest group much of what we take for granted would cease.

Then you have the drones.  When they are in a back office the work seems to find a way around them because they don’t earn their paycheck.  When they are in contact with the public they make us want to join the revolution.  You have all been there.  You can see the piece of paper they need to get you on your way but they won’t turn around and look for it.  They keep quoting a non-existent regulation or mis-interpreting the rules because they get more joy out of your frustration that a job well done.

The third group is small.  It is a blessing that they are rare.  These are the ones who are really motivated because they literally get joy out of making you miserable.  It gives their petty existence meaning to stop you cold.  In too many cases they will actually go out of their way to be violent or betray the trust placed in them.

If this last type were really common we would all be living in chaos.  As it is the disasters seem to be rare enough that most of us don’t need to worry.  If you can, report them.  If they are reachable, vote them out.  Make sure that you don’t join them because much of our safety is in numbers.

And be thankful for the ones faithfully doing their job.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-272: Now That You Mention It

I spend time every morning being thankful for all the blessing that God has bestowed on me and mine.  After the usual things such as the attributes of God, knowledge of salvation, and just being in Texas I try to think of things I take for granted.  Here are a few that I have come up with.

The nose pads on my glasses
Glasses themselves
Coffee
Electricity
Running water
Laundry soap, or soaps of any kind
Zippers
Flashlights
Matches
Flush toilets
Toilet paper and Kleenex
Windows and glass
Cars and affordable gas
Ice cubes

I also like to add a bit of thanksgiving for the things I don’t even think about.  It is a good way to start the day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-211: Thanks Thoughts: Lamb not Mutton

I continue to keep having the question of “Why me?” pop up in my thinking and thanksgiving. Why am I so blessed. I try to avoid the question and just rejoice.

I have also learned to be thankful for whatever level of blessing God chooses to give me. Think of it as the difference between lamb and mutton. Since I rarely eat lamb I can’t speak from experience, but I understand the difference is dramatic. Lamb can be tender and delicious. Mutton can keep you alive and that is about it. Mutton is old, stringy and tough. It will supply you with the nutrients to stay healthy but it is not a joy to eat.

I feel like God supplies me with lamb much more than mutton. What I need to keep in mind is that I should be thankful for either one. God knows my needs. He knows the nutritional value of different foods and the emotional value of different experiences. I rejoice in His level of providing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-047: If I Had Been in Charge…

Have you ever had those moments when you were being attacked by mosquitoes or irritated by those little flies that somehow appear in your house and you have either said or thought that if you had been in charge of creation, you would not have included these little pests?  If you’ve never had a thought like that, then you truly are a wonder of creation.

As I was glorying in the incarnation and the mysteries involved, I was thinking about the many areas where God might pat us on the head and say, “We’ll talk about that when you get a little older.”  Then I got to thinking about Job and the conversation he had with God.  God came to that point when He asked Job, “Where were you when I created the universe?”  Of course that’s a bit humiliating to contemplate.

In spite of that I contemplated it.  What occurred to me was how dull and boring the universe would be if I’d been in charge of creation.  You can look at the giant sweep of space, the nebulas, the galaxies, the red dwarfs, and black holes.  Most of this would’ve never occurred to me. Then when you get into the intricacies at the other end of the scale, DNA, mitochondria, our immune system and so much more how simplistic would it have been if I had been the one who had to arrange how it all fits together?  I might have come up with something like evolution.

I’m glad you were not able to create the universe because you might be one of those people that likes liver and onions.  You might be somebody that likes contemporary worship.  I can think of all kinds of reasons why I wouldn’t want you creating the universe.  You should be glad that I could not create the universe because you would not have the glory of truly well done steaks and the complexity of the harmonies you find in modern hymns when they are played well.  Picture what autumn in Vermont would look like if someone with my color limitations had been programming it.

Sometimes it’s just better to accept things as they are.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-036: Thanks Thoughts: I Am Puzzled

I am thankful this morning for things that I don’t understand.  You could apply that many different ways but what’s on my mind at the moment is the mystery of the Trinity.  How can one God be three persons?  That’s the reason we called it a mystery.  I’m sure that we have similar issues in philosophy, physics, biology, and any other area of intellectual pursuit and thinking.  The difference between theological mysteries and other intellectual mysteries is that many of ours are indeed impossible to understand.  They go beyond our frame of reference as physical human beings in such a way that our minds cannot wrap around it.

At the same time, what is also interesting to me is that while I can’t understand it, and recognize I can’t understand it, I can grasp the concept and the reality.  Again going back to the Trinity, I can emotionally except the idea that one God can exist in Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  In the same way, I can grasp that an entire computer functions on ones and zeros.  But again, whereas I might eventually understand that if I wanted to wrap my head around computer programming, I know I will never understand the Trinity.

I’m good with that.  It points out to me that God is too sophisticated for me to understand and yet personal enough to let me know I’m included in His creation.

It’s a weird place to be. It’s a wonderful place to be. And I am thankful.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-020: Which Is Harder?

Who has a harder time appreciating the glory of God?  Is it the person sitting on a porch in Texas with a cup of coffee in his hand or the elderly peasant sitting on a bench in front of his house made of pounded earth?  Which one really understands what it means to trust God?

I asked this question from my front porch in Texas.  I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  I am surrounded by blessings.  I am aware that those blessings and the physical world’s are wonderful, but I am even more aware of the blessings of the incarnation, of the word becoming flesh and John 3:16.

I’m convinced that if all of the doom-sayers are correct, and our country descends into a totalitarian state where churches are closed, Bibles are confiscated, and true believers are locked up, I will still be able to praise the glory of God.  To be honest, I don’t want to find out, but I hope that my focus is accurate enough that it would be true.

Pray for the people in Nigeria.  Pray for believers in the Muslim world.  Pray for believers in the desert of Europe.  And don’t forget to pray for those of us who are living in plenty.  Our temptation is just as real.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-005: Shadows of Thanksgiving

Does that tree block my vision or enhance my experience?  I was on my morning ramble through my blessings and I looked around quickly and was overwhelmed by the obvious all around me.  I have run through those before.  So I asked myself what about things I’m not really seeing in a quick survey?

So I looked more slowly.

I noticed one of the giant oak trees we have in front of our house.  I use the term “giant” loosely.  It’s not a sapling.  It’s at least 30 years old.  It’s big enough to be beautiful and impressive, thus a giant oak tree.  I asked myself what kind of blessings are there once you get past photosynthesis, holding down the soil, providing shade, and I came up with the idea that there is the artistic element.  Of course, being the skeptic that I am, I asked that question with which I started.

Is the tree blocking my view of the horizon and the stars, thus subtracting from my total experience, or is it adding balance, contrast and variety, which enriches my experience?  It’s another one of those great both/and moments.

Are you in the doldrums?  Are you bored?  Assuming that you feel those pressures I would also assume that your mind is still alive, so look around you.  Look past the surface.  Look for things you haven’t noticed before.  There is so much to be thankful for.

Make your eyeballs happy.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-520: On the Street: Freedom Comes with Four Wheels

I am driving across the metropolitan area of Texas around San Antonio and I am in bumper-to-bumper traffic which is caused by road construction.  Instead of getting frustrated, which would be normal for me, I’ve been thinking about blessings and how God blesses all of us and I’m looking now especially at the blessing we have of the automobile.

When I sit out on the porch in the morning and hear people going to work, I am impressed with all that flexibility that the automobile gives people looking to better their lives.  As I look at the different roads and how they get really congested at certain times, I am glad I live in a world where I don’t have to walk or ride a horse everywhere I go.

We tend to forget the tremendous influence automobiles have on our liberty and our freedom.  We are capable of getting places on bicycles, I guess.  I heard one commenter on a YouTube channel commenting how when he got to where he could not afford a car he was fortunate to be in a place where there was public transit.  He used it while saving up for something better.  Well and good.  I have no problem with that.  That’s probably a good step forward in accumulating wealth.  If you’re in a position where you can have mobility without owning a car, go for it.  But for most of us a car is how we get to shop where we want to shop.  It’s how we get to the church we want to attend.  It’s how we get to vote.  It is an awesome key to flexibility.

Maybe you should build a little icon to Henry Ford.  After you get through thanking God for your automobile, you might think warm thoughts about Henry Ford for the idea that he had that made the automobile affordable for the lower and middle classes.  The elites, the upper class, the one world government people already had cars, and chauffeurs.  Instead of finding ways to pass on such benefits they are working overtime, trying to take away your freedom of movement.  The issues that bring the cost of driving up and drive cars out of the range of people put a sparkle in their eyes.  They love the regulations.  They limit your freedom.  Remember the Cash for Clunkers program?  What it really did was removed the access to inexpensive cars from poor people who could not afford something better.  How many million cars were removed from the market?  How much did the cost of an automobile go up?  How many people are now stranded because they can’t afford it anymore?  That’s all part of the plan from the elite.

Anything that makes it harder for you to afford a car, to pay for the gas you need and to maintain it should be fought with great vigor and enthusiasm.  One of the factors in liberty is mobility.  You hear about voting with your feet?  Well maybe we need to learn to vote with our wheels.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-516: Not a Mighty Oak

As I was thinking about God‘s blessings, I was searching for something new.  I go through a litany of things that I am so much aware that God has done for me but every once in a while, I stop and say, “What am I not thinking about?”

Today I got to thinking about all of the little contributions, the different people and experiences have me into what I am today.  I think of the guy who was a total atheist and yet it was discussions with him that helped me to think.  I think of the youth leader who was held in low regard by the parents in the church because he tended to be a bit crazy, but it was his immaturity, shall we say, that helped me to grow and develop leadership skills.  I think of Vietnam.  There are so many things that have made me what I am today.

I think most of us like to think of ourselves is being mighty oak trees, or perhaps a piece of furniture made of solid oak.  In reality, most of us are more like particle board, or even worse, whatever that stuff is that’s made up of sawdust.  We are little bits and pieces that have been put together in a certain way to produce a certain result.  As much as we want to be awesome oak trees in reality, we will be that little bookshelf with the individual shelves that tend to bend with time and have to be turned over to compensate.

There’s a place for mighty oak trees.  I have a few in my yard.  I’m not sure I would call them mighty, but they are pretty nice.  One of the things that we tend to forget is that there are many types of oak trees, and some are good for nothing much more than holding the soil down, shielding the grass and looking good.  Others are good for building things.

There’s probably a place for partical board also.  There’s a certain humility in being made of little pieces and still being useful.  Think of how much of your furniture you would have to throw out if you required everything to be solid wood.  Of course there are places where it’s necessary, but that’s up to the designer and the architect, which is certainly not us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-450: I Am Ready

Ready for what you ask?  Or maybe you don’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway.  I’m ready to start celebrating Thanksgiving.  Of course I do this on a regular basis.  You might want to try it.  Get up a little early, find a place where the presence of God is easy to sense or comprehend, and spend a little time concentrating on the blessings in your life.

This morning, as I was just starting off and thinking about how focusing on God could bring everything into perspective, a chorus came to mind.  I’m going to try and get the words right, if I don’t, deal with it.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

I could choose to focus on my thorn in the flesh.  I could choose to focus on my failures.  I could choose to focus on my creaky joints and my stiff muscles.  I could get upset that my coffee is getting cold.  There are many things to focus on if I’m ready for a pity party. I don’t know about you, but I am always too willing to have a pity party.

I find, though that if I listen to what God is saying to me, focus on Him, and start thinking about who He is, and how He blesses me then, the things of earth grow strangely dim.

Try it, you might like it.  There is no reason to wait until the end of November.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-263: Dark Thoughts: Parallels

As I was being thankful this morning, I stop to think about how my old car made it from Central Texas, to Central Michigan and routed back through Western Illinois and into Kansas City without a hiccup, a burp or even a momentary bad attitude.  The car is 23 years old and it ran like an Olympic athlete.  I was impressed.  Although I am aware that it’s a machine I still at times personify things and I thanked it several times.  I gave it a few pats on the dash.  I had the oil changed to celebrate, and wonder of wonders, I drove through a car wash.  Now you know I was impressed.  I’ve had the car for about two years and hadn’t washed it yet.  I may make it a the regular event just to encourage its pistons.

Since I’m still in thankful mode, I began to thank God for my health.  I have a lot of similarities to that old car.  In the car the fan for the AC will only run on high.  That’s OK because that’s the only way I want to run it.  There are a few other things that are not quite up to factory original, but none of them affect the quality of the ride or the dependability.  I can say the same thing about me.  I am getting old.  I wonder how old I am in car years?  I have my aches and pains.  I have ears that are on a downward spiral.  There are times when even I am aware that my mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be.  Even then it seems to be sharper than most of the people I run into on the street.

I had a great trip.  I renewed connections with family.  I saw friends.  I had a lot of time for silent meditation driving through the farms and fields of America.  I found my way home.  I’m sure my wife had questions about the possibilities of that but my son has a tracking device on my phone so they could find me if I started wondering into New York City or some such nonsense.

Life is full of blessings.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-257: Blessing the Hands

As I sat worshiping this morning, it came to me to put on a certain CD that had been made by the pianist at our church.  She made it maybe 20 years ago when she was at the height of her talent and expressing her gift.  It’s all piano music.  I’m told that she went through the entire disk of 20 some songs, and only had to redo one of them.  That was because the motorcycle went by and broke through the soundproofing.  It is a glorious worship experience.

That made me think of all the different people, known and unknown who contribute to my worship experience.  I think of the unknown hands that went into making my Bible, assembling, my iPod, picking and packing my coffee beans.  What about the chair that I sit in?  Those are the unknown hands.  Then there are the people who have gone into making the room I sit in.  I am sure I have said this before but it keeps coming back to me.  You can go on and on, and they will never know how grateful you are.

Above all there is the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit as He continues to remind me of the glory of God.  He reminds me of what it cost Jesus to become a man, walk the path, die on the cross, and come back to life.  What a glorious heritage we have.  What a solid foundation for coming into the presence of God.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-106: Thanks Thoughts: The Blessing of Toilets

It occurred to me this morning that one of the great blessings that we have in our day and age is the blessing of hygiene, or if you wanted to say the blessing of sanitation. We take for granted flush toilets.  We take for granted soap and hot water.  Neither one has been a part of history and the lives of our ancestors.

I have read that one of the greatest extenders of the average life span is something as simple as soap and water.  Right up there with it is the flush toilet.  Yes, the same flush toilet that the government has been messing with by reducing the water flow.  These simple tools have done the heavy lifting in stopping the spread of disease.  We inherited them.  Thank you, Ancestors.

What a blessing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-228: Thanks Thoughts: Happy Extra’s Day

Did you ever stop to think how the dance scenes with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would look without the extras?  Where would Superman have been without a crowd to stand, looking up and shouting, “Look!  Up in the sky....”  Where would you get an excuse for being late if it were not for all the peasants clogging up the highway in front of you?

We don’t stop to think about what unknowns strangers do to make our day.

Somewhere in the world is the worker who put the ink in the bottle that I use to fill my fountain pen.  Someone picked my coffee beans.  Someone assembled the drawers on my grandfather’s desk that I use every day.  You get the picture.

There are so many people who make so many little contributions that make the world go round.  Where would we be if they did not show up for work.  Where would they be if I had not made my littel contributions through the years.  It is awesome how a free market makes it all come together and we can enjoy it.

So, take a moment and thank God and all those unseen faces for the contributions to your life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-028: Thanks Thoughts: Hone Your Blades

I was pondering how things like TV have been so destructive to so many.  It has also offered a window into a world of wonder and learning.  The problem was not so much the TV as the couch potato.

It occurred to me that I should thank God for all the things in my life that I can misuse.  Of course, that include just about everything.  The point is that God blesses us in so many ways and often we take that gift and trash it.

The computer has been a life changer for me.  I rejoice in the ability to cut and paste as I do Bible study.  I rejoice in the vision expanding Bible study software.  I rejoice in an internet connection that allows me to access the wisdom of the ages for free.  Unfortunately I have also wasted a lot of time on computer games and surfing the net.

I am still thankful.

God’s blessings are all around us.  Some we recognize but don’t thank Him often enough for.  Others we have ignored and need to spend some time thinking about.  I wonder how many people pull a dull knife out of the wooden stand and struggle to cut things when just a few strokes on the honing steel would bring it to a new level.  Others may have been removed and given to someone else.  I have a feeling there are more in store.  

Start being thankful and keep your eyes open and your heart receptive.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-363: Thanks Thoughts: Live Like There Is a Tomorrow

I was reveling in the blessings of 21st century America.  I thought about all the benefits of cheap, abundant electricity.  I marveled at the dependable transportation and all the doors it opened for a rich life.  I had not gotten around to the miracle of books and reading when I got side-tracked by the thought of abundant food with all of the variety available to me.

That got me on the squirrel trail of having an adequate pantry.  Some would call it disaster preparedness.  Some would call it common sense.  I have seen the shelves in people’s homes on which there was little thought for the future.  I am not talking about people who could not afford to stock up when there was a sale.  I am talking about people who would rather order a pizza delivered or go out to a local fast food place than spend any time in front of a stove or behind a grocery cart.

I would have thought that by this time people would realize that even if the world as they know it continues to exist there are events that might shut down the app they use to order food or cut off the power to their local hamburger chain.  I have lived through several.  I have read about others.  Life went on a few miles away but for them the water was gone and the microwave would not even ripple.

I do not prepare for hard times out of desperation but out of obedience and an awareness that there are bumps in the road.  I might be a good motive for you if you are one of those with only a can of soup and some hardened peanut butter on the shelf.  Another motive might be that you don’t want to be a drain on someone else.

Start being part of the solution rather than the basis for the problem.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-314: Thanks Thoughts: Interesting Times

This is an unusual Thanksgiving.  As we once again sit down to a meal celebrating our blessings we think about all the bad news coming in from around the world.  It is like reading Matthew 24:  Wars, famine, pestilence.  

We need to pray for those facing famine.  Focus on governments run by selfish narcissists.  In modern times most food shortage is a result of government malfeasance.  Policy has called for burning food on the docks.  Regulations keep farmers from doing their best.  Partisan bickering causes spoilage.  There is plenty of food to go around, or there has been.  That may change.

We need to give if we can find a trustworthy organization.  That is a tall order.  So many of the “charities” are fronts for people giving themselves big salaries.  Often your local church can be a funnel for funds.  

We need to begin focusing on the real blessings we have.  For a moment build a worse case scenario.  What happens if next year we are eating on paper plates with plastic forks?  What if the main course is what we call “Blue Box” macaroni and cheese and the desert is plain green Jello?  What if they are store brand instead of big name?   We can still be blessed and thankful if our families are together and the heat is still on.  If the heat is not on then we can be thankful for the coats and sweaters we have.

Most people I read who believe they know more than I do think that we may have shortages here but will not starve or freeze.  I am not sure they know more than I do.  What I do know is that God will provide for those who are His.  

I am blessed and overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  Blessings.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-289: Thanks Thoughts: Yard Work?

This morning I found myself in a strange position.  I was grateful for being able to push the lawn mower.  That does not make sense.  I have never enjoyed yard work and have been able to avoid it most of my life.  Now suddenly I am thanking God for the task.

It is amazing what a little thinking and change in perspective can do for you.  I just had my annual physical, excuse me, wellness check.  In the waiting room there was a good example of people in my general demographic.  There were obviously a lot of problems present that I did not have or expect to have.  Or picture going to the grocery store and seeing the people in the electric go carts.  Every morning when I go for a walk the first thing I do is thank God for my mobility.

I think we all have a lot to be grateful for if we stop to consider.  I am not yet to the point of being grateful for the ability to get down and scrub a toilet, but the day may come.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-097: Thanks Thoughts: Aaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh!

If you are old enough you might remember the BC comic strip.  I don’t know if it is still out there.  One of the personalities involved was Willie.  Willie had an aversion to water.  When he came in contact with water he would go streaking across the landscape yelling something like, “Aaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh!”.  That is a paraphrase.  I found myself saying the same thing this morning.  His was panic.  Mine was joy.

In my Worship of Thanks I was thinking about salvation and Jesus dying on the cross for my sins.  I was saying, “Thank You, Jesus.”  I was struck by how lame that was.  My thoughts went back to Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ and a few moments of thinking about what the Spotless Lamb of God went through for me was enough to convict me of my shallow conception.  So I said to myself, “Aaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh!”

Good Friday is coming.  Soon after we will celebrate the resurrection.  There is much to be thankful for.

Aaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh!

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-039: Thanks Thoughts: From the Children

In my prayer time I have a group of friends I lift up to the Lord.  In many cases that involves their children.  Some of them I have never seen.  Others I watched grow up.  This smaller group has so much to offer yet seem to be content with comfort and prosperity.  They are wonderful human beings.  You would love to live next to them.  They pay their bills, don’t litter or play loud music late at night.  I imagine they would gladly help a little old lady across the street.  But they are not making any difference.  

My children have taken stands.  They are making a difference.  They have threatened to write me out of their wills if I talk about them in public so you will have to trust me.  It is possible that you would never notice what they are doing.  I like to think that the children of my friends are the same way, I just don’t see what they are doing.

If we want our country to survive we are going to need more people taking stands.  They don’t need to be splashy, just real.  

There is hope for the future.

homo unius libri