Be QUIET!

There is a Starbucks coffee shop on the boardwalk in Kemah, TX.  If you’ve been there, you can picture it resting in the shadow of the mighty roller coaster.  When there, I loved being the first one to grab my early morning Joe and take a slow – very slow – walk around the pier and pathways that encompassed the amusement rides.  Sometimes, I’d meet my friend Sam Brown but mostly I would notice the rides.  That early, they were quiet.  No roar of the steel tracked kiddie cars.  No hum of the carousel.  No churning of the “Vominator” as I call it.  Simply the few workers who were testing, cleaning and inspecting every hinge that would keep the riders safe.

Solitude is not a luxury but a necessity.  God set up the cosmos for the ebb and flow of activity and quiet.  Yet, we fight against the value of being still.  We wield the sword of our schedules against the rejuvenating, calming and refreshing time of inspecting and fine-tuning our lives.

Why is that?

This morning, as is my custom, I woke up before my household, keuriged my coffee and spent time in prayer, calm and thought.  I am ready for the riders of my day.  I am set for the bustle of the crowds of my schedule.  And all it takes is a few extra moments in the quiet of His presence.

Peace,

My new website:

Do You Live on an Island or Bridge?

I’ve met many people during my years of ministry.  Wonderfully flawed, beautifully imperfect souls whose journeys have been dotted with ups and downs, victories and losses.

One observation that has proven to be true more times than not is shaped by the question, “Do they live on an Island or a Bridge?”  Here’s how this goes.

The Island is what one would define as a ‘normal’ life.  Daily schedules, common frustrations and everyday tasks all contribute to their steady rhythms of life.  Stress levels ebb and flow just like everyone elses.  Those who live mostly on islands are what you’d call normal.

The Bridge is defined as the more-than-normal struggles in their life.  A failed class, job, business or relationship.  A tragic loss, a major health issue, a sudden drama.  The Bridge is a place of transition.

Island dwellers are uncomfortable with being on the bridge but see it as a connection to another island; an island where they can set up home again and settle into normalcy.

Bridge dwellers are uncomfortable with Islands. When life seems to be going well, i.e. they are on an Island, they become fidgety.  As a result, they consciously (or unconsciously) create drama so they can live on the uncertain, swaying of the bridge.  Their ‘normalcy’ is chaos and think that something is wrong unless they or someone around them is have a hemorrhage!  Oxymoronic!

Examine your life’s attitude.  Are you an Island dweller or a Bridge dweller?  Can you identify people who live mainly on the Islands or Bridges?

Peace!