Sunday Mornin' Hope : Change

Re 21:1 -
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.


Re 21:2 -And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.


Re 21:5 -
And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."



Two nights ago I decided it was time for my computer to run right. "Hey! I can fix this. How hard is to change the date to an earlier time when it logged on right?" Well pride definately goes before a fall. After trying 5 times to log on at an earlier date I decided it was time to start over. Sure I might lose a cookie or two, so what? So I hit a button and 20 minutes later I had a new computer with absolutely no memory of pics and documents. Boy did I hear about that one! Not one of my brighter moments. I wanted 'change' and I got it. Thank God for a wiser one in the home. My wife reloaded some things and we're back in business. My kids lost their music library, and that's somewhat of a bummer.


"Change" was the platform President Obama ran on and won without breaking a sweat. Why? Because.... well you decide for yourself. Last thing in my life I want is change. Ok maybe I'm getting old and like the classics. I enjoy watching tv that is actually funny. Lucy, Andy, and John Boy seemed to be good enuff for me. Yes we still have VHS tapes and a phongraph in the cabinet. I even have a 4 track reel to reel with 12 inch reels. Sure I like the mp3 on my bike. That 8 track wouldn't fit on the triple tree. The cassettes kept binding on the hub and stopping. The a.m. stations around here are not like WLS in Chicago. I remember working half a day drilling and wiring a cd player in the trunk of my 1500 wing, only to get frustrated with each bump on the highway from here to Pensacola. So I love my xm/siris radio in the left pocket and the Garmin gps near the clutch lever. Some changes are great. Some need to be tweeked. I'm still learning about ram mounts.


It's good to become or stay teachable. The wisest men say "I don't know." or "You're right dear. I really was wrong this time." After 30 yrs of marriage I think I'm learning to fight fair. In times past, I would shut down and not say anything when an argument started. That would drive my wife crazy. Now I tell her she's wrong and why she is. She likes that better for some reason. And I don't care if she is reloading, I'm still gonna tell her. Now I don't insult or attack her character. I never lift a finger to her. I just smile and say "You are so wrong!" There's something very liberating about that. I'm beginning to enjoy arguing. I seldom win, but it's worth the shot. If you keep the lines of communication open and hit the valve once in awhile, you WON'T have volcano eruptions. Your wife won't be like "Old Faithful" blasting into the sky. So change. And if you're the one that does most of the 'talking' in an argument, stop and evaluate. Maybe you've ran over them so many times, they have no hope of resolve; and just want out. Most marriages are worth saving. But we must engage with a humble changable heart. Let the words of James be your guide on how to deal with differences.


Jas 1:19 -
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;




You can shred a person with one sentence. "words can never hurt me.." is a lie. Words are soldiers sent forth with a mission. With our tongue we bless and curse friends and family. Ever said something you regretted? I sure have. I thank God for new beginnings and children that are forgiving. Are you forgiving? What is it really worth when something happens to your bike or personal property? One of my friends recently got a nice new van. It had everything on it. The paint was perfect until his son decided to take a pen and write his name down the side of the doors. That ball point pen ran out of ink so he had to press harder.





Embrace change and thank God for what you DO have. Sure strive for better, but enjoy the journey. I have a mental list of things I want to change on my bike, but I still ride it everyday. There are things around the house I want to fix, but I still live in it. Mostly, there are things I want to change in my heart, and I'm doing it one step at a time. There's a good song called "Moving Forward" that says:



I'm not going back. I'm moving ahead..

watch it here:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfGfAOOiJHI&feature=related





Let go of your past 'mistrakes' and move forward with new hope. I'm praying you have the best week of your life. Enjoy what you have and stay changable.

Thank you, Dino. When I went on my first mission trip ever, the pastor leading it said, after laying out our schedule for the 7 days, "Now, take this paper, fold it up and don't look at it again. It'll be useless before we board the plane to leave." His point was that, on the mission field as well as in life, we need to be fluid in our spirit. Change is an every day occurrence and if we don't embrace it, we'll be miserable.

good message dino , and thanks

Very good and true Dino.
Sometimes it is very hard to do, especially if you lose someone close to you.
Thanks for your words again today, you are extremely important around here. We too hope you have a stellar week...