New Discoveries

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka' (I found it!) but 'That's funny...' Isaac Asimov

I was at a young leader's gathering on Saturday morning, when I asked the youth to come up with an icebreaker to open our time together. This 11-year-old pipes up with a doozie... "What's your most secretive habit?"  

While the most interesting answer was "to change how the toliet paper is hanging at people's houses if it is on the 'wrong way'", it certainly got me thinking a bit about my own life and habits. 

Most of us have room for improvement in our lives. We have those nagging areas, those bad habits that we struggle shaking, the ruts that we naturally fall back into so we never seem to make the progress we hope for. 

I wonder if part of the barrier for us is our approach.  Are we looking for the 'Eureka' moment when really it's probably a string of 'That's funny...' moments that begin to make us think a little deeper, a little more connected, and a little more freely. 

Think about it.  Looking for the 'Eureka' can be a lot of pressure. It's pretty much black and white, we've found it or done it - or we haven't. 

On the other hand, taking note of the funny or unusual aspects give the freedom to maybe take a step or experiment a little just to see what will happen if we try. No pressure, because we're just going on what we're seeing and our hunches. 

Beyond our secretive habits, I wonder if this applies to more areas of life... our relationships, careers, hobbies, and more.  Maybe we need to remember life is more of a step by step discovery than a 'Eureka' moment. 

And maybe, just maybe, one day we will wake up and have a 'Eureka' moment where we realize all those steps have brought us right to this wonderful moment and opportunity.

I bet so. Wanna try? 

It's All Raw Material

Cross made by my brother Bob years ago.
A favorite keepsake for me as Bob went
home to be with the Lord in 1989.  

"By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade." Desiderius Erasmus

I grew up surrounded by carpenters. I have seven brothers, and every one of them is a craftsman of wood. From clocks and cradles to winding staircases and homes... I've seen more wood projects built than I can count.

In the hands of a carpenter, wood is transformed. From a pile of boards, the skillful use of tools and some planning can create about anything. Who knows what would happen with that same pile of wood in my hands...probably nothing. 

The same is true in life. There is a Master Carpenter who is skillful and has quite a plan.  Our lives are the raw material in His hands. 

It's so easy to walk through life making judgments on situations, calling things "bad" and "good".  We work hard at getting more "good" than "bad", because it works more into our picture of life and what it should be.  We look at it like we're the carpenters and craftsman of our life and so we naturally reject what we consider "bad" material and do everything we can to escape, fix, and eliminate those things from happening. We work just as hard at finding and seeking more "good", because surely life will finally be completely wonderful when we find enough. 

Problem is, we're not the carpenters of our lives.

When we surrender our lives to the Master Carpenter, we can accept every situation as raw material and place it in His well-equipped and loving hands. He can build and rebuild, fashioning it into His good and amazing plans. And as I look at the wonderful wooden cross, I know down deep there is no better way to live than in His hands. 

How about you? What raw material in your life needs to be put into His hands? 

Wishes vs. Hope

I went for a bicycle ride tonight with my daughter and her friend. Strolling down the quiet sidewalk, I heard a loud "Stop!" and turned around to see Natalie's friend jump off her bike.

Down she goes, bending over and then quickly popping up with a dandelion to blow in the wind. With closed eyes she takes a deep breath, and blows out as the light breeze carries away the fluffy seeds. 

"Okay... Let's go!"  And we were off again.

Wishes. They're magical hopes, we want to believe in; but down deep we know their chances of really coming to pass are pretty slim. 

Now, take a look at hope. 

This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

Never cease. Never fail. New every morning. Great is God's faithfulness. 

Now this is something we can believe in, and experience the power of hope in the deep places of our hearts. They are "root words" that will hold you steady and encouraged through every storm and change of life. 

Hope. It isn't magical and doesn't blow in the wind. But it is the power of God to hold you close to his heart and purposes.  It will hold your life together, come what may.

May your roots sink deep today in the love and faithfulness of God. 

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." Ralph Waldo Emerson



Every 3.6 seconds, someone in our world dies from a hunger-related cause. A startling thought to most of us born in this land of plenty. Meals from the Heartland began here in Iowa in 2008. These last few days, together with thousands of volunteers, Natalie and I help package another 5 million meals to be shipped across the globe to hungry people.It's a humbling experience that puts life in perspective. Let's not seek to be happy, but rather to be useful, honorable and compassionate.  Let's make a difference because we live well.