The Borrowed Hankie

It was Wednesday…  

The day of her Play Date with Jesus…

She had chased the butterflies from the fields of Heaven down into the pit of my stomach where they performed an erratic flight pattern of epic, Blue Angel fighter jet proportion...

I worried that my words would be interrupted by my emotion, and I would be overcome with tears as I eulogized an angel…

The previous day, knowing Annaleigh deserved only the best, I picked up my new suit from the tailor, not taking the time to try it on.  (A display of a completely different kind of trust…)

Normally, tucked within the inside pocket of my suit, is a fresh handkerchief, but not today…

As the family gathered before the service, I asked if anyone had a hankie I could borrow…

Dad, with a mischievous grin, pulls one from his suit jacket and says, “Don’t worry. I have not used it.”  I believed him not….  J

I briefly glanced at it before tucking it into my jacket pocket, joining the family in prayer, and entering the service.

Apprehension was just beneath the surface of my relatively calm demeanor as I walked to the stage to deliver my portion of the service.

For the next few moments, it was my privilege to speak about the precious life of Annaleigh and the joy she shared with so many.

When I finished, I walked from the stage, dropped off the bubbles that I had promised Annaleigh, rang the door bell of her playhouse, and took my seat.

The borrowed hankie had never left my pocket…

I meditated on that fact for a few moments, and God began to speak…

“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

“Son, when I am with you, you do not need props to handle your grief.  See, you did not need the borrowed hankie, for My strength held you together during your time of sorrow.”

HE never leaves us…

HE never forsakes us…

In your moments of stress, worry, and uncertainty, turn to Him…

All it takes is a slight turn….

For HE is there…

As close as the mention of His name…

Many times, in ways similar to me borrowing Dad’s hankie, we add things to our lives in effort to prepare for our emotional crises…

Things such as money…

Things such as relationships…

Things such as possessions…

You know what yours are…

We become frantic when we cannot see them…

They become the security blankets of our lives, and we panic when they are not present…

“I can’t deal with this situation without my _________!”

When, God says, “If you will trust ME, you will not need THAT.”

God, help me to lay down all of the unnecessary things that weigh me down and learn to trust You.

After all, who wants a borrowed hankie anyway?!?

I Will Act Now

In the busy-ness of our business, we often find ourselves wondering, “What next?”  After all, there are reports to run, stuff to sell, teams to train, fires to extinguish, plans to write, emails to read, emails to send, and on, and on, and on….

When we look at our in-box, legal pad, or iPad, we are often intimidated by the sheer amount of ‘stuff’ that we need to do.  You aren’t the only one who has spent an afternoon compiling a list of tasks, then, realizing that the day has ended, you place the legal pad on your desk with intentions of attacking it ‘first thing in the morning.’ 

Yeah, right…  The morning arrives with more calls, letters, messages, emails, blah blah blah, and your organized to-do list becomes lost beneath the last email you printed.

Og Mandino, in his book, ‘The Greatest Salesman In The World’, penned the following words:

 “I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, everyday, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action, which follows, becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success. I will act now. I will repeat these words again and again and again. I will walk where failures fear to walk. I will work when failures seek rest. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.”

I encourage each of you to purchase and read this book.  You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Salesman-World-Mandino/dp/B000GR1ZXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334952496&sr=1-1

It seems we get stuck in the mode of meeting, compiling, strategizing, and never get around to doing the things we put on our list. Act now!

I am inviting each of you to join me on a journey to personal productivity…  A clean desk…  A sense of accomplishment…  A less stressful work environment…

C,mon!  It will be fun! 

For the next few weeks, I will be forwarding on my book recommendations, ideas, tips and tricks to becoming a more organized, productive individual. 

If you have read this far, you want that badly, anyway…

Let’s grow together… 

Stay tuned.

Coming Attraction!

Quarterly book reviews!

I will be posting my thoughts regarding various books/authors and making recommendations for your reading lists.

There will be books of various different genres. If you have a favorite book or author, feel free to let me know!

Enough of this... I have to go read a book....

What Christmas Could Not Do - A Tribute to the life of Annaleigh Smith

I love the holiday season. Few occasions present themselves to us in this life that provide such joy, peace, and happiness.

Families eat together...

Remember the birth of our Savior...

Play dominoes and cards...

Watch football...

Tell the same old, tired jokes...

Exchange gifts...

Gossip...

I treasure these special times when we attempt to unplug from the hustle of life, clear our minds, and reflect on the blessings of God.

This past Wednesday, at the bidding of a fifteen month old little angel, we were given a special, unexpected moment in time.

When we were first informed of Annaleigh’s drowning, we immediately felt the panic, hurt, fear, uncertainty, and questions which are natural to situations such as these. Soon, however, we realized that God was truly in control, and began to trust Him.

As I sat in the hospital, waiting on the helicopter to arrive with Annaleigh, I immediately sensed that we were about to have a special moment in life. We were going to witness sweet Annaleigh do what Christmas could not do.

It would be the performance of a lifetime.

For the next 36 hours, she battled. Not for herself, but for those of us gathered near her. We thought we were there for her, but in all reality, she was there for us.

36 hours of prayer...

Friends, family, and colleagues, united around one cause...

No arguing about political candidates...

No debate regarding the upcoming election...

No cards or dominoes, but we did manage to work in the same, old, tired jokes...

36 hours of unity...

People on every continent across the globe... focused...

New friendships created...

Old friendships renewed...

Reconciliations...

New commitments made...

Old commitments rekindled...

Each tremor of seizure in her hands, was Annaleigh stepping to the conductor’s pedestal, orchestrating the performance of her lifetime...

36 hours of healing

36 hours of love revival

36 hours of preferring others

36 hours of devotion and servitude

To the naked eye, her little arms, spread beside her body seemed so weak...

But with each tremor, she was gripping families, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues and pulling them together. With each moment, with each breath, she did what Christmas could not do...

Thank you, Annaleigh, for the giggles...

Thank you, Annaleigh, for the smiles...

Thank you, Annaleigh, the clarity of life...

Thank you, Annaleigh for the performance of your lifetime.

See you soon.

Kim and I will bring bubbles...

Foundations

Dad always said he loved the smell that accompanied dirt being rearranged by the bulldozers that roamed the lots where he built his houses. I can remember him standing there at the edge of a piece of land, where the street ended and the trees began, with a far away look in his eye. This aroma triggered a creative 'saliva' that would send him on a journey to build something. I have never known another individual that had such a drive to build something. He was never happy unless he was creating/building.
While visible progress was desired, it was not the main focus. This seems a little weird to me. While working on these projects with Dad (oh yeah, I was working on them from the time I could manhandle a broom!), I liked the days when the frame was erected, and huge progress was noticeable from the street. I was bored to tears by tractors. I was bored to tears watching Mr. Max, the concrete contractor, dig beams (I think that is what he called them) in the forms for the foundation. I was ready for these guys to get out of the way so that the REAL work could begin, and we could, as they called it, "Make a showing."
Dad 'got it.' He got excited about those initial, boring afternoons. I couldn't care less about tractors, Mr. Max and his shovel, concrete trucks, or exterminators. (I liked nail guns, and similar power operated tools) Why did he enjoy this part so much? I understand now. He spent a lot of money and time during this stage of the project, because he understood the value of a good foundation. He wanted all of the other contractors' work to be the icing on the cake. He wanted it to be level and sturdy.
Dad- "Max, make sure you build those forms 'squarr' (square)."
Max- "Yes sir, Rev. They'll be squarr. Don't they need you at the church right now? Or anywhere other than here, peering over my shoulder?"
Matthew 7
²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The only distinction made in Scripture between the wise man and foolish man is the type of foundation that was constructed. Both built houses! No one ever accused the foolish man of failing to build a house! The success of ministries, churches, families, and organizations is not measured by how quickly buildings are constructed, but by how they endure the storm.

The foundation is the stability of the home. How's yours? The foundation is the stability of the heart. How's yours? The foundation is the stability of the emotions. How's yours? Most individuals could trace the turmoil in their lives back to a lack of order and stability.

There is nothing cool about a foundation. No one slams on their brakes while texting and driving, to pull over and stare at an 'awesome' slab of concrete! However, 50 years from now, when great grandchildren gather at this house, huddle around the kitchen table and cheat at checkers, they should thank folks like Dad and Mr. Max for slowing down and construction a proper foundation.

Psalm 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

At the beginning of this new year, take some time to verify that God is building with you, and that you are doing life upon the right foundation.