In fact, she loved children, babies especially, so much that she served in the nursery at the last church she attended. I’m sure she spends part of her time in heaven watching the little ones, when she’s not singing in the choir.

My grandmothers were especially important in my life. In many ways they were surrogate mother figures for me along with the many teachers and friends who have “mothered” me along the way.

Ben and his Mommie…

I know today that my youngest son, Benjamin will spend some time thinking about his “mommie.” She is with him every day in his heart, but at some point he will probably wake up and realize that this is Mother’s day and his mom is not here to share it with him. I can’t begin to understand what he is going through, but I’ve walked the path of grief myself over the last couple of years so I am here to support and guide him through it.

I have many friends and loved ones who are going through testing times right now. Some have had to move out of the homes that they have loved for several years. Others have gotten a diagnosis that signals difficult times ahead. Others suffer for their children who are going through tough times. I pray that they know the comfort of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I know that even in the darkest times, Jesus will meet you and walk beside you, and sometimes carry you through.

Of course, there are a lot of mothers in the lives of my children. My daughter is a mother and I have step daughters and the mothers of my grandchildren who are going to be honored in some way today. This is definitely a good thing.

Loretta and her daughter, Elaina

Today is a good day to let our positive memories of our mothers overshadow those memories which are better forgotten. It’s a good day to forgive and simply love. That’s what I plan to do today!

Learning to live in the moment, to be present, awake and aware to the things happening around me, as my son Benjamin says, IRL: “in real life.” I think that this may be one of the things that Jesus is referring to when he says: “I have come that they may have life, and life more abundant.”

Stepping into an eternal way of thinking may help me to slow down, take things a little easier and to learn to not bite off more than I can chew. I am refining my ability to say “no.” I am learning to pencil in some space in my calendar and to not make every day some kind of rocket launch.

This is not easy for a person who has constructed a personality like mine. I pride myself on my ability to work hard. Ah, wait a minute, perhaps that is the problem. Pride. If I acknowledge that there is a God in heaven. That he has a “will” that might be done on earth as it is in heaven. If I see that I have a part to play in that “will,” even as I fumble around like the proverbial “blind squirrel” looking for my acorns in the dark, I can glimpse a certain kind of peace.

“Be still and know that I am God.” This sounds like a good adage to live by. It’s the being still that is the hard part for me. I get adrenalized pretty easily. When the fight or flight impulse is on me, it is pretty hard to “be still.” And “trying” to be still is counterproductive and frustrating for it is rest and peace that my soul seeks.

I have rituals that I have developed to help me. I start the day praying the “Our Father.” I sometimes walk around outside at the Ranch where I live. I think about all of the loved ones and friends who are struggling with trials, temptations and troubles. And I look to the center of my soul. Sometimes it helps.

Peace to you and yours today.

I hate it when the professionals (like myself) say, “You have a 50-50 chance…” Really? How about a 10-20-40-8-22 chance? You see there are way more than one alternative outcome to any situation. You might survive the head-on collision on the freeway but be in a coma for 15 years. You might be struck by lightning or be shocked in the bathtub.  According to the beliefs of many, one of the wisest and richest men who ever lived struck a surrendered pose in Ecclesiastes 3. “There is a time to be born, a time to die, a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to be born and a time to die…”

A classic song goes, “You can’t hurry love, you just have to wait, Love don’t come easy now, it’s a game of give and take…” Why are we in such a hurry to get through our lives, both the trials, tribulations and triumphs. We need to slow down, we move too fast, we have to make the morning last, right? Paul Simon had it right I think. Or the country poet Mac Davis, “You’ve got to stop and smell the roses.”

It’s trying to figure out what is going to happen and when it is going to happen that finds so many of us in that stressful state of mind, worry. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow…” Paul said, “Don’t be anxious about anything…” Think of all the billions of dollars that would be saved on anti-anxiety medications if the followers of Jesus could learn to live the Jesus way.

Ah well, that’s what I’m thinking about in the early morning hours this Saturday…

As a follower of Jesus I am trying to learn to live the “commandments of Jesus” as contained in the Sermon on the Mount. One of those commands is, “Judge not.” If you are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test you know what a “high J” person is, usually a big pain in the, uh, neck! They have an opinion on anything and you don’t have to ask to obtain their feedback.  Lately whenever I “judge” anything, I am starting to remember to pray the Larry the Cable Guy prayer, “O, Lord, please forgive me for that, that’s not right, and bless the pygmies in Africa,” ‘Git r done!

You see, I can’t afford the second part of that commandment, “Unless you want to be judged yourself.” (Charlie Wear paraphrase). I’ve made enough mistakes, failures, and have enough people extremely irritated with me that I can’t afford to be doing much judging myself.

I especially get irritated at drivers who swerve around me when I am hightailing it down the highway at about 75 miles per hour! Sometimes they honk! Really? If you are in such a big hurry, why not find the crematorium you have picked out in your well-planned pre-paid cemetery package and go park outside of it! Early! That way you will be on time for your own immolation. Just because I drive like a senior citizen with a light foot on the accelerator in order to save on fuel costs, is no reason to flash me the Hawaiian sign of peace and love when you pass me buy red-faced, eating a breakfast burrito and texting with your other hand, driving with your knees!

There I go again, “O Lord, please forgive me….etc.” ‘Git r done!

Being judgmental robs me of my joy. And that’s not good for me. I want to learn to be like our dear brother, St. Paul, who wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord Always,” and in case you didn’t catch that, “Again I say Rejoice.” I think living a joy-filled life requires a forgiving attitude that takes into consideration another party’s story. This is what I am asking the Spirit to work on in my life. Today! Anyway, “Have a day!,” and enjoy it, if you can.

I discovered in 2012 that adrenaline is not the best “drug” for my system. It leads to sleep deprivation, which, if I medicate it with caffeine or energy drinks begins a cycle that can leave me furious and confused. Throw in a little dose of high blood pressure and you have a recipe for disaster.

There are lots of ideas about what “I” can do about this problem. “Well, calm down, don’t get so excited.” I had two death threats in a two month period! It’s hard to take that kind of thing “caaaaaaaalmly.” Now, it is unlikely that the threats were serious, however, they seemed kind of real at the time. In other words, enough has happened to stimulate adrenaline production which is an uncontrollable response.

What I have done in the last period of time is cut way down on caffeine. I eliminated energy drinks. Driving down the road, listening to the radio at high volume, taking and making phone calls, occasionally looking at a text that has been sent on my way to the first of three appointments, is not a recipe for “balance.” So I have simplified, stopped overbooking and simply began to schedule less.

It is helping. The rest I place in the hands of God by praying the Lord’s Prayer every day and focusing on “thy will be done,” surrendering to the idea that God is at the helm of my ship, the steering wheel of the automobile of my life, and that in spite of all of my efforts, I am on a path that he is directing. For me, it brings some peace. And peace is what I am seeking for 2013.

I have been thinking about a lot of plans for the coming year. Bringing in money to support my family and missionary endeavors is important. But more than that I want to be focused on God’s purposes for the coming year. Timing is important. Relaxing into God’s plans is not easy for a guy like me. Right now I am praying the Luke 10:2b prayer, “God, send workers.” There is no way I can accomplish all that God wants done without more workers.

And more than that I am praying this simple prayer, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” A good prayer for a new year I think.

Everything has a time — This is Ecclesiastes 3, written by the wisest man on earth at the time, King Solomon and made popular by the Byrds song. The seasons of the year bring changes in weather, and different opportunities. So also, the seasons of life bring changes. If you aren’t watching for this you will miss it completely.

Slowing down is a way to speed up — Songwriter Mac Davis wrote, “You’ve got to stop and smell the roses, you’ve got to count your daily blessings every day…” or something like that. Living a day at a time decreases anxiety and worry, and who couldn’t stand a little more of that.

Pushing a noddle up a hill is not easy! — Trying to speed up other people is a lot like herding turtles. They are slow to get moving in the right direction and you just can’t whip them into a frenzy. They have shells!

Things that were put in motion five years ago are coming to fruition. Seeds that were sown, actions that were taken are having the consequences manifest today. Boy! I sure hope those Mayans weren’t right! I’d like to see what 2013 will bring…Blessings!

The only thing that is certain in life is that things are going to change. And there have been a lot of changes in the last 14 years. When I started Next-Wave I was still in my 40s (barely). Now I am about 1/3 of the way through my 60s. Wow! Those of you who know my personal story know that there have been a lot of other changes, BIG changes, even this year. For each of us who have taken the journey from postmodern ministry, to emerging, to emergent, to incarnational, to transformational, to missional, we have all been on a journey of change. In our own ways we have been following Jesus.

I am praying that the new year will bring fresh beginnings for all of us, brothers and sisters in Christ, and that the tradewinds of the Holy Spirit will blow through our lives bringing us to new destinations advancing the Kingdom of God. Let it be!