It’s a beautiful morning out on
the porch. Margaret left in the pre-dawn hours to stay with a friend who’s four-month-old
is undergoing a procedure this morning. In respect for HIPPA laws, I won’t name
her friend, but I will ask that all lift them up in prayer for a successful
outcome.
One of the things that always
attracted me to Margaret (we knew each other for several years before we
married…) was her love for others. In the years since we married, I’ve been
blessed to see it up close. She’s much better at it than I am. I’m grateful for
the example she shows me every day. She is truly an amazing lady and the very
best of God’s gifts to me.
Her absence left me more time on the porch this morning than usual. I watched the sun rise and enjoyed a rare warm January morning. The birds were particularly soulful in their songs today. They were probably enjoying the mild weather as much as I was. The weather will change later this morning so I’m sure they’re soaking up the sunshine as much as I am. One learns to relish in the warmth anytime they can here in North Texas since it will change in an instant – a reminder that nature can never be tamed to our liking…
Three Dog Morning…
I get the rare opportunity to enjoy the solitude of the day and an empty house. Our dogs ran outside to send Margaret off earlier, but they didn’t hesitate to run back inside so they could have the bed all to themselves. I couldn’t even make the bed.
The “To Do” list is long today. After all, it is Monday, but the unusual quiet is nice. My thoughts seemed to be about everything but the day’s business ahead of me. Sometimes that’s a good thing…
“When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things will happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.” — Edward Teller
One of my favorite scenes from
the “Indiana Jones” movies where Harrison Ford’s character must step out in
faith over a giant chasm in order to reach the Holy Grail. With his nemesis
holding him and the people he loves at gunpoint, he’s at wit’s end and out of
options. He steps out into the darkness of the abyss. As he takes the first
step a narrow bridge begins to come into view. Unfortunately, it can only be
seen with each successive step, one step at a time. Each step requires more
courage, more faith, than the one before. I can’t recall how many steps it took
to get across the dark abyss, but I’d like to think it was twelve. I can
relate…
That scene’s been on my mind a lot lately. Margaret and I are experiencing some difficulties as late. Finances have been tough since my hospital stay earlier this year. Business has been slower than projected. Opal’s Farm still has a way to go before all the start-up costs are in hand and planting is scheduled for February 15th. How are we going to do this? It’s a little overwhelming at times (OK, a lot overwhelming…) The chasm looks awfully vast at times…
If I get honest, I’m a lot like
Indiana Jones (well, except for the whole “dashing adventure hero” thing…). I
usually need to be backed into a corner with no options or solutions in sight. I
know there’s absolutely no way I can get out of the situation before I’m
willing to step out into the darkness. I forget the fact that in looking back, a
path has always been carved through
the darkness and it’s always illuminated. If the path isn’t clear, I learn to
fly before I crash into the bottom of the abyss. Always! Though I usually don’t
see it until later…
You’d think that with such a
proven track record I’d push right through whatever obstacle was in my way. It
doesn’t always work like that. Taking that first step into the abyss isn’t my
first choice. I temporarily forget God’s faithfulness. As my friend Edgar likes
to remind me, “I’m not a slow learner,
just a fast forgetter”.
“Trials are not enemies of
faith but are opportunities to prove God’s faithfulness.” — Author Unknown
Ironically, my memory gets
sharper as I grow older: at least in matters of faith (in other areas, yeah,
not so much…) It doesn’t take as long to remember God’s faithfulness even when
mine is absent. One of my favorite reminders is Psalms 119.105: “Your word for my feet and a lamp for my
path”. The funny thing about a lamp is that it only shows what’s
immediately ahead. I can only see the path if I keep stepping out, one step at
a time…
I’ve spent far too much time stressed out about things beyond my control, so I’m stepping out. Whether I’ll be walking or flying, I’m not sure yet. What I do know is that I’ll see you on the other side…
My friend Jim used to remind me that “when you point the
finger at someone else, there’s always three pointing back at you”. I know
exactly what he meant. I tend to be judgmental when it comes to the use of
words. Take” irregardless” for instance. It gets used all the time and it
drives me nuts. It’s one of my pet peeves…
That being said, I have a confession to make. I’ve been misusing the word “sustainable” for the last few months. When I began telling everyone about Unity Unlimited, Inc. and Opal’s Farm last year I kept talking about being “sustainable”. I’m sorry, but that’s not completely accurate. Opal’s Farm is not simply sustainable, it’s regenerative. I beg your forgiveness because the difference is huge.
“Sustainable” has become a popular adjective, the new buzzword, especially in marketing. Everyone wants to be “sustainable”. I jumped on the bandwagon, too. Perhaps I heard it so much that I used it over and over when writing about Opal’s Farm. I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong.
3: renewal or restoration of a body, bodily part,
or biological system (such as a forest) after injury or as a normal process…”
Sustainability implies that we
maintain the status quo. That’s not good enough. The soil needs to be
regenerated: restored to the vitality nature intended. Commercial and residential
development as well as traditional agriculture has failed to address the issue
of soil health. Chemical fertilizers and land overuse destroy the soil. It
doesn’t need to be sustained. It needs to be regenerated. That’s what Opal’s
Farm does.
Regeneration goes far beyond maintenance.
It’s the process of revitalizing and rebuilding the soil, making it better and
healthier than before.
Healthy soil, built through
organic methods, produces healthier plants. In turn, healthy plants produce a
better harvest, both in quantity and quality. That goes on to affect the health
and vitality of the neighborhoods we serve.
If I make any resolutions this
year, I resolve not to use the word “sustainable”, at least when talking about
the farm. What we say – whether about ourselves, our society, or even an urban
farm – matters. Words matter. This year I prefer to be regenerative: to renew
and revive – both personally and for Opal’s Farm. You can learn more about the
farm at http://www.unityunlimited.org/opals-farm.html.
As always, we invite you to
become a “farmer” and join in the work at Opal’s Farm!
Thoughts From the Porch: My body clock tends to get thrown of schedule when Christmas and New Year fall in the middle of the week. When I was in corporate America, I was always grateful for a holiday in the middle of the week. Now that I work from home, not so much. I’ve become a creature of habit. It takes days to get back on a regular schedule. I’m becoming my father…
I wasn’t sure I should write this today. A “year in review” seems a little too cliché for me.. However, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks looking back and made some decisions about the coming year. It’s not about New Year’s resolutions mind you. I’ve paid for enough forgotten gym memberships and Blue Bell ice cream to know they’re pointless, no matter how well-intentioned. However, the post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s lull is the perfect opportunity to learn from the past, dive in to today, and look to the future. Year-long increments make it all easier to digest.
The past year hasn’t been the best of years as far as
finances are concerned. Starting a new business in a field I’ve been away from
for some time hasn’t been easy. There’s been a definite learning curve. I’m
grateful for the ability to learn today.
There’s been some lean times where more month was left than
money. Looking back, even those times afforded new opportunities for growth and
trust in the God of my understanding. God has never let us down. I can say that without reservation! However, I
tend to forget that when I’m in the middle of life’s difficulties.
Forgetfulness causes a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Fortunately, I’m
haven’t been as forgetful this year. I keep placing one foot in front of the
other. Let the proverbial chips fall where they may…
Whatever difficulties may have presented themselves this
past year, they fade in the light of God’s goodness to us. Many of you know
about Unity Unlimited, Inc., Ms. Opal Lee, and Opal’s Farm. For me it was a
dream come true. I’ve shared some of the events leading up to the farm. I see
God’s hand all over it: one miracle after another. We ended the year by
finalizing the Lease Agreement with the Tarrant Regional Water District and so
it begins! You can learn more about Opal’s Farm by going to our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/unityunlimited
or www.unityunlimited.org.
Don’t
forget that it’s the last day for a 2018 tax-deductible donation either…
I also want to take the opportunity to give a shout-out
to the new friends this last year who have become a favorite part of my week –
the members of the Fort Worth Development Group. I started looking for
networking groups and I received so much more.
Thank you to Brenda Ryan and The Referral Resource Guide (https://thereferralresourceguide.com)
for getting us all together.
I may not make New Year’s resolutions, but I plan on
spending some time asking myself some of the same questions I ask my clients. I
can easily get caught up in the minutiae of day-to-day work and lose sight of what’s
important: to my family, my business, my clients, and myself. I encourage you
to as well.
Who are you?
Who do you want to be?
How do you want people to see you?
I can’t think of a better time to ask these questions than at
New Year’s. Knowing who, and most importantly, whose I am fills the
coming year with joyous anticipation!
I also need to stop and say thank you to the WordPress community for making my first year with you all a blessing. I hope that you all have a blessed, prosperous, and Happy New Year!
Thoughts from the Porch: It’s become harder to get in the Christmas spirit this year. The exact reason has proven elusive. It could be that Christmas music starts blaring the day after Halloween, but It probably has to do with the fact that Mom and Dad are both gone now. This is the second Christmas since Mom passed and the sixteen of them without Dad. You’d think I’d be past it by now, but grief is what it is. It wasn’t until this morning that the season rushed over me and my soul felt revived with Christmas spirit.
I have a scheduled meeting every Sunday morning at 9:00AM.
It’s one of the highlights of my week. I get to carry a simple message of hope
to hurting people. I don’t know who benefits more – them or me. The spirit of
giving tends to do that. Uncommon sense again – the more you give, the more you
receive. But I digress…
I drove to my meeting yesterday morning somewhat short of my
required coffee quota. I wasn’t paying attention to the radio or much else
until I heard an angelic rendition of “Silent
Night” come flowing from the speakers. I wish I could tell you who the
vocalist was, but I had to hop out of the truck and get to my meeting before it
finished. All I know is that I felt different. I was more “Christmas-ee”…
My family never celebrated Christmas as a religious holiday.
Being good fundamentalists, we couldn’t celebrate something that the Bible
didn’t state for certain. To most folks that sounds silly. Now that I’m older I
can’t say that I disagree. Still, we celebrated Christmas as a secular holiday
of giving and family. Santa Claus was alive, and Jesus’ birthday was up for
debate.
Ironically, Christmas carols were always in order even if
they were religious in nature. The Sunday church service before Christmas always
included religious carols, and mentioned the birth of Jesus (you know, since
the rest of the world was focused on it) but it was “to celebrate the season”,
not the birth of our Savior. I never quite got the logic in that. Anyway…
I no longer hold to the strict religious traditions of my
youth. Jesus may or may not have been born on December 25th. It
makes little difference. This is the season which people have chosen to
celebrate his birth. I can’t find anything wrong with that. The point is that
he was born. Emmanuel – “God is with us”.
Listening to “Silent Night” this morning it hit me full
force; “God is with us”, and just like us. Just like me. Just like you.
My sons may be adults now, but I can remember the day each
was born as though it were yesterday. I didn’t need a manger, livestock,
shepherds, or wise men to make both moments holy, just as that moment some two
thousand years ago. Maybe that’s why God chose to enter in to our world the way
he did. I’d like to think so.
The authors of the four Gospels tell of the man and his
teachings, but they record little of Jesus’ life growing up. I’d like to
believe that he wasn’t much different from my boys. I don’t know what was
comparable to spaghetti in First Century Palestine, but I’m sure that most of
it ended up everywhere but his mouth. Mary probably had to give many an
after-dinner bath during those first couple of years.
At the risk of sounding a bit sacrilegious, I would like to
think that Jesus ducked out of Hebrew school to go fishing with his buddies.
After all, He had an affinity for fishing and hung out with his fishing buddies…
The only reference we have to Jesus’ young life is an
incident when he was twelve years old. Instead of going home with the rest of
his family he hung back in Jerusalem. I can only imagine the panic Mary and
Joseph felt when they realized he was missing. I freaked out when one of the
boys hid behind a clothing rack at the store…
I’m no Biblical scholar, but I’m pretty sure that Jesus was “just
one of the guys” for most of his life: content to live like everyone else in his
town. It’s telling that the townsfolk response to his first recorded teachings
in the Gospel of Luke is “Isn’t this
Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was a youngster?” (Luke 4.22).
It’s easy to concentrate on Jesus as divine, as perfect, and
forget that Jesus was one of us. That, above all, is the miracle of Christmas.
God chose to enter His creation through Jesus, an everyman, dirty diapers and
all. He lived and worked among us as an ordinary guy. He laughed and hung out
with his buddies. When all was said and done, He stepped up to announce that,
“God’s Spirit is on me;
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor.
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the
blind.
To set the battered and burdened free,
To announce, “This is God’s year to act” (Luke 4.16-21 The Message)
The rest, as they say, is history.
So, I’m in a bit more of the Christmas spirit this morning.
If Jesus could walk among us, “Loving God and loving others” then I’m inclined
to follow in his footsteps. It isn’t always the popular thing. After all, he
tended to upset the proverbial apple cart. “You’ve heard it said… but I say to
you” tends to rub some people the wrong way. I guess we all tend to do that…
I’m so glad that God chose to enter the world the way he
did. “Emmanuel” – God is with us.
gregoryjoel.com 