A Christmas Message from the Chainsaw Carpenter

On this day in which the Christian world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, I would like to express my feelings and wishes for you. I hope that each of us has taken time to reflect on the majesty of the Saviors life. His examples of perfect love and sacrifice should inspire us all to greater heights of love toward our fellow man.

I hope we have all taken extra time to be with our families, not just shopping for things for things to give them, but just being with them. Serving each other, talking, playing a game, it doesn't really matter what we do, just that the time was given to our family.

I hope that we have gone out of our way to serve someone. Whether it is shoveling snow, feeding the hungry, singing a carol to another. Service will break down barriers and soften the hearts of those who have been served but even more so the one who serves. Today's world could definitely use a softer heart.

I hope that we can feel the Savior's love in our hearts and that we can carry that love with us when we go back out in the world. We can have nothing greater than charity in our hearts and nothing will change the world around us faster than that pure love for others. No legislation or program will replace the love for our fellow man that we ought to show others each day.

I hope that each of us will think about what we do each day. Are we doing that which would be of greatest worth to the world? Are we doing that which would be of greatest worth to ourselves? Today's world needs a big infusion of love and service, let's get to it!

Merry Christmas!

If you have to use lies and deceipt, how good can it be?

What are the first words that come to mind when you think of a used car salesman? Lies? Deceit? Dishonesty? If any of my readers are used car salesman, I apologize up front for using this generalization, but I use it to make a point. Many of us would use these words to describe this profession because we have been hoodwinked by not so honest sales people.

I don't know why they feel they have to lie or deceive us to sell their product. Do they feel that it is inferior? Are they so unsure of their ability? Do they want to intentionally deceive us because they know their product is bad?

I have had all these thoughts these past weeks when I have watched the debacle surrounding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.) Now, to be honest with you I have never been a big fan of the Act, but I thought that those on the other side of the aisle had good intentions when they pushed it through.

Now after the admissions of deceit by our President I am having very big doubts about the merits of the legislation. Were the promoters of this law so unsure of their foundation that they thought they had to lie to us? If they knew that it was a lemon, why push it on us? What was their motive?

Whatever that motive was, they have lost the trust of the American People. How can we ever trust that whatever they tell us is true? How do we know that it is not some new way to deceive us into supporting yet another bad law? Have we sunk so low that we would do anything to forward our agenda?

I really try to stay positive here with my thoughts but this has been on my mind all week. We need to ask the question, "What other lies have we been told?" If our government reflects the values of the people, have we become a nation of liars? If so, then we are in real trouble. If not and we have elected some bad apples, then we need to hold them accountable and move forward. We can't just let this slide or be swept under the rug. If we do it now it will keep getting worse.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in a country whose government feels that they have to use lies to keep us happy. Anything built on a lie will fall because more lies must be told to keep up the facade.  As citizens we need to demand accountability. This one can't be swept under the rug. If we allow this, many of our elected officials may see this as a way to get things done. I shudder at the thought of this kind of future.

If you feel the same I would invite you to do something. Write your Congressmen and demand accountability, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, get the message out that this is not acceptable. As Margaret Mead said; "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

"Vote The Bums Out"

"If all those liberals would go to Kimodo Island, then we could get our country back on track!" Did you ever hear or think this?  Glenn and Rush have assured me that getting rid of the other side will solve all of our problems. On the other hand Bill Maher and Harry Reid are sure that the conservatives have to go. Who's right?

The reality is that neither political party can fix our country. You see, the problem is that Democrats are sure that big government is the answer and Republicans are sure that big business is the answer. Guess what, neither big business nor big government will solve the problems which currently vex America.

Our problems run deeper than any politician can possibly deal with. Our problems begin on a personal level. Here are a few examples.

•  Americans spend $1.20 for every dollar they earn. How can our government get its fiscal house in order if the citizens aren't willing to do so first?
•  Most of us are unwilling to do the homework to elect good candidates, we instead rely on the media or advertising to vet our candidates.
• We claim that we have certain rights but few of us understand where those rights come from. (Here's a hint, they don't come from the Constitution or the government) .
•  Most of us haven't educated ourselves in the foundations of our republic (not democracy).

• The biggest problem I see is the dismantling of the family structure. (Nearly 60% of children are born to unwed mothers.) If there is no family structure, how can a solid government structure be expected to function.

  What I am trying to point out here is that America's problems are stemming from very personal issues and we cannot fix the national issues until we address the personal ones. So where to start?

A very good step would be to become educated in the foundations of our freedom. Where did the founders get their ideas? They read authors such as John Locke, Montesquieu,  Bastiat, Cicero and many others. Our system of government was established on the learning of centuries. It would behoove us to take in some of that wisdom so we can understand how our government is supposed to function.

We should work to get our own houses in fiscal order, then we can hold our representatives to our standard.

Most importantly we need to work to keep the family structure safe. Lifelong commitment to a single spouse is becoming obsolete. We need to spend more time nurturing family relationships. If the family continues to break down society's break down won't be far behind. Contrary to what's being touted on the news, a robust economy won't save our nation, but a strong family just may.

America will be saved only if we as individuals will have the commitment and put in the effort to save ourselves and our families first. We can only treat the symptoms for so long before the disease takes over. Let's get down to the root of what is dragging our country down.

Our dysfunctional  politicians are a reflection of us as citizens. What do you say, let's make a better reflection.

Get Off The Beaten Path

Do you ever get tired of being in a crowd? I know there are some who love a big crowd or the hustle and bustle of a busy place. That person is not me.

For example, for our annual hunting trip this fall my family decided to try something new. You see, we usually take our atv's off road to some wild place and hope we can find someplace that has not been overrun by other hunters. That task becomes harder each year.

We decided this year to back pack in to a non-motorized area. It was hard work to pack everything in and became that much harder when we harvested a big bull moose, which had to be packed out on our backs. The trip required more work, but in the end was very rewarding.

I had forgotten how nice it is to not hear anything when out in the wilds, usually I can hear the rumble of atv's around me.

I could go on about this trip but that isn't really what I wanted to write about. When we get off the beaten path, we will find that the reward for our efforts will increase.Why is it that we think we will find happiness by following the crowd? The crowd will always take us to the that place which is average or lower. I know that none of us want to be just average.

In order to rise above the crowd we need to get out of it. We need to do the things that others aren't willing to do. Are you willing to work smarter and harder than the crowd? If you are then you will find yourself at a whole new level in your life and achievement.

For many years I had thought that backpacking would be too much work, but the thing I found was that the moose were bigger and the enjoyment of the trip was greater. What do you think you will find when you leave the crowd behind?

' Tis The Season

Well friends, I did it again! I told myself that I wasn't going to do it this year,but it happened anyway. I let myself get so busy that I neglected some of the important things in my life. Work in the Summer always seems to get out of control. Not to mention the fact that in the midst of the frantic Alaskan building season we also must take time to recreate. We also try to

fill our freezer and pantry while playing.

We did pretty well, we fished a few times and this fall we hunted for moose, harvesting a very large bull. We took a family road trip into interior Alaska for a few days and I got to float a river with my son. As you already know I neglected my writing, which is important, at least to me. I don't really feel too bad about it though because I think what I did was probably more important.

I guess this brings me to my point. We need to live in the season of life that we are in. I have spent a lot of time in my life trying to fight against the seasons and at times this has really done a number on me.

For example, a couple of Summers ago I decided to study some "heavy" books. I worked at it for a while but it became so frustrating because there were so many other things to do that I never got around to studying. I then put a guilt trip on myself for not following through. It was a vicious cycle and when it spit me out I vowed never to try it again. I decided then that Summer was for Summer things. It made a big difference, at least for me.

Well, Winter is now fast approaching so I figure it's time to buckle down on a few more academic endeavors. I would invite you to do the same. Pick up a book that is going to take some hard work to get through, start writing, do some real meditation. After the frantic pace of the Summer, I am looking forward to slowing down a bit and exercising my mind, why not join me?

Freedom Lessons From a Chicken

Photo courtesy photobucket.com

The wily fox slunk through the underbrush, darted quickly into my yard, grabbed a hen, and dashed back into the woods. The only signs of the attack were a pile of feathers and the cacophony of sound from the remaining chickens.

To unfold the mystery of this caper one must look to the owner of said chicken and to certain decisions which he made that led to the demise of this hen. As a keeper of poultry, I like to let my birds graze from the grass in my yard. The chickens get better feed and more exercise. My feed bill is also cheaper. There are risks of course, neighborhood dogs or foxes can prey on my flock.

Since the attack occurred I have kept the brood locked in their pen and plan to until I can solve the problem of said vixen. My poor chickens have lost their freedom because I have a security issue.

The parallels that can be drawn from this scenario hit real close to home. Looking back to many of the tragic events caused by terrorists we can see the knee-jerk reactions which followed them. After 9/11 our government set up a huge new bureaucracy in the Dept. of Homeland Security. Under this umbrella our airports turned into quasi-military establishments. Privacy rights were trampled upon in the form of new wire-tapping laws ans unwarranted surveillance. While many see this as making us safer, I see these events as a great loss of freedom.

Another example of this occurred following the bombing of the Boston Marathon. The city of Boston was essentially put under martial law in the name of protecting its citizens from danger. Warrant-less house to house searches were conducted regardless of their constitutionality.

I know you've heard all this from the "fringe", but I also see some real problems with this. We seem to be all about freedom and our rights until there is an emergency. When something bad happens the government doesn't seem to have a problem with trampling on those rights. We are a less free people since these two events happened. In this sense, the terrorists won and we lost, even after twelve years of war trying to prove other wise.

The government seems to look at us like their flock of chickens. Do we dumbly go along because they know what is good for us or do we stand up and say, wait a minute? Do we question the loss of freedom that has occurred? Is more supposed security really worth being "penned up" inside more government regulation?

The American people need to put down their "foot" and say enough is enough. Freedom involves risk, no government program can take the risk away, but repeated attempts to do so by government, have resulted in minimal changes to risk and great lessening of freedom. Until we decide that we aren't a flock of chickens, our perceived masters will see us as such and keep trying to "save" us. I for one don't want to see a world without risk, for if and when that happens, there will also be no freedom and that will be the greatest tragedy.

The Best Things In Life Aren't Free

image courtesy of PatriotIcon.org

Free truck, come pick it up. 555-5555. This was my Craigslist ad the other day when I was trying to get rid of a junk car from the yard of a home I was rehabbing. I received twenty calls in 35 minutes. The car was gone within two hours. I was floored by the response. Why would so many people want a junk car?

I believe it's because we have become a culture of people wanting something for nothing. We eat terrible food because our kids get a free toy with the meal. We expect our children to get a free education and then complain because they didn't learn much. We expect to remain free, but are we willing to do what it takes to remain so?

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. Many of us will go camping or have a barbecue, without really thinking about why we can do so. Do we stop and reflect on those who sacrificed all so we can be a free people?

Do we think about the Pilgrims who colonized our shores? Are the heroes of the Revolution in our thoughts? Do we reflect on the soldiers of the Civil War who fought to keep our country united? How about the millions who gave their lives in WWI, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and the seemingly endless campaigns of the Middle East? Do we think on those who may not have died in our service but who lived their lives working to keep us free?

Without taking these thoughts to heart we cannot appreciate the immense sacrifice made for us. I always hear people saying how we are so blessed to live in a free country. I agree we are blessed to live here in such prosperity. I worry that we think that this will always be our state. We seem to think that our freedom will be perpetual.

We can only remain free if we jealously guard the freedoms we have and work to become more free. Each and every day we need to spread the message of freedom. We need to become involved in our local governance. The first thing we must do is govern ourselves properly so that the government doesn't need to do it. We need to stop feeling entitled to anything.

The free car I gave away was a piece of junk as are most things we get free in life. The best things are always those which come most dear. This Memorial Day I hope we can reflect on the sacrifice made for us. I hope we can ponder on what our great grandchildren will think of us in their reflections. Will we be remembered as the generation that turned things around? Or will we be remembered as the one who let freedom slip through our hands?

I think we will be great in their eyes, so let's start paying the price now. Freedom is the greatest blessing and it comes at the highest price.

Drive Your Friends Crazy!

That guy drives me nuts! You've seen him, I know you have. Walking around, stupid grin on his face, oblivious of what's going on all around him. How could he be so darn happy all the time?

Putting the aggravation aside for a moment, could he know something we don't know? Is life easier for him? Does he have lots of cool stuff?

The difference between him and us is that he found out one of the great secrets of life. Happiness is a choice we make.

We all have challenges great and small. We can allow them to get us down or we can choose to be happy through the them.

I'm not saying that we just dumbly ignore them. According to my wife, challenges are the whole purpose of life. All of our best progress comes during trying times. These are the times when we innovate and learn. So instead of getting us down, when we are in the midst of a trial should be our best moments. It means that good things are coming, we are getting pumped up for the next big opportunity.

By choosing happiness we accept the challenge into our lives. We embrace it and it becomes a positive force. Letting trials get us down is what keeps us from progressing. Self-pity never got anyone anywhere.

So here's the challenge, next time things aren't going so good, put on that smile and chuckle. The bumps in life will keep on coming, why be miserable, be like the smiley guy. I guarantee life will be easier if we choose to laugh at it.

Live Life on Purpose

While hiking up a steep canyon, gun on my shoulder and pack on my back, I became extremely thirsty. I rested a moment in my quest for the high ridge and reached in my pack for a drink of water. As the water hit my tongue I felt this feeling of revulsion in my throat. The water had become warm and stale during the long day. I drank from sheer need but without enjoyment, barely quenching my thirst.

Jesus taught that we should be either hot or cold, if we were lukewarm we should be spit out.

It's easy to become wishy-washy in life. If you find yourself in this situation it is time to jump off the fence and stand up for your life. When you live your life on purpose, you're liable to ruffle some feathers. When we live on purpose we will find those who disagree with what we are doing. They will know what we are about. They will taste our water, so to speak, and it will not be spewed out. The flavor may be good or bad to them, but it won't be flat and tasteless.

Give some flavor to the world, live your life on purpose.

Don't Let Cows Get in Your Way

"Mom, why are you cutting off the end of the ham before you cook it? Because that's the way my mother did it. But why did she do it? I don't know dear, she just did. Oh, okay... Mom, can I call Grandma?"

"Um, sure."

"Grandma, why do you cut off the end of the ham before you cook it? Well dear, my roasting pan is too small for the whole ham"

Do you do things because that's the way things have always been done? An honest examination of our behaviors can reveal habits or practices that are perpetuated with no real reason. Some of these behaviors can be damaging. Many can impede you from going where you want to go.

In his book, "Killing Sacred Cows", Garrett Gunderson explores many of the financial myths that he says are keeping us from going where we want to go financially.

He teaches that you need to gauge your financial success, not by net worth, but by "human life value." In other words, is what you are working for making you happy, are you fulfilled and living your purpose?

If not you should reevaluate what you're doing.

A good honest look at your self can be painful, but truly great change can only begin with that first step.

Are you living the life you want to live? Are you making the difference you know you can make? If not then let this be a wake-up call. Life is short, make the most of it.

Double-bit Therapy

Wood chips flew as the axe sunk deeply into the soft green log. So badly, at times, he wanted to just be like everyone else. Why couldn't he relax after a long hard day? Something within kept at him until he was driven from the house out to the log pile. It had been this way for years.

You might think he was just out for some fresh air or exercise. He didn’t need it, cutting trees all day keeps you in top shape.

Looking back, I believe he was restless. While mopping his brow, his eye would wander to the mountains, much like the mountain men of yesteryear. Given the choice, I believe he would have trekked off into them with his “possibles bag” and his gun. The responsibilities of a family kept him grounded, but I think he never quite felt like he was living the life that would have pleased him most.

Later in life, he channeled some of that energy. He built a business with his sons. He ran a trap-line (to satisfy the mountain man). He educated himself, served in his church and wrote poetry.

Poetry? From the man who couldn’t relax? This may seem odd until you realize that everything he did was an effort to tell his story.

I don’t know if my father ever felt at ease with himself. He slowed down in his later years but that same old restlessness still persisted. I don’t think he realized all he had accomplished. His persistent effort to tell his story lifted his family out of poverty. He opened the way of spiritual fulfillment to his family and many friends. He instilled a love of learning in his son.

The story he told was messy and challenging. I don’t know that it was the story he wanted to tell. All I know is because he had the courage to keep telling it, lives around him were changed for the better.

When your story gets messy and the challenges mount up, keep swinging your axe. You never know where the chips will fall.

Snow Glorious Snow!

April 7, 2013... Here I am gazing out my window as the snow slowly sifts past my window. Yes, I said April 7 and snow in the same breath. The funny thing is, I know Spring will come, someday, it always does. Within a few weeks from today Summer will spring forth in all its glory. New leaves will erupt from those dead looking trees which surround us, sentinels of the cold winter. Since the forecast is calling for even more snow, I thought I could pen a few words of encouragement for my friends in Alaska.

You folks in warmer climes are asking the obvious question. "Why do you people live there?" My answer is this; When it is 106 degrees in a couple months where you live, I'll be standing on the bank of a world class fishing river, breathless from the panoramic view of jagged mountains jutting 6000 feet straight up from sea level. The temperature will be a balmy 70 degrees and there will be nearly unlimited daylight. Life will run at a frantic pace for a few months because, frankly, I forget to go to bed.

Take heart fellow Alaskans, as my Dad always said, snow in April just makes Spring come faster. I'm not sure of his science on this subject, but it always seemed to work. Soon the glory days of Summer will be here. This is just a test to see if you have the mettle to deserve a glorious Alaskan Summer. So, hold out a little longer, winter's reign will soon be over. (Oh and if you have any pull with the Man upstairs, pray it don't rain too much.)

Make Some Time

The past couple of weeks I've gotten myself into an uncomfortable position. My son was having trouble with his Chemistry class in school, so the hero, me, opened my big mouth and said I would help. You must realize, it has been 25 years since I have cracked open a chemistry book, so to jump in, in the middle of the second semester, has been a bit challenging. This is how it works, I read the chapter he is going to be studying next, work through the study questions, familiarizing myself with the work, so if he gets stuck, I can help him work through it.

It has gone fairly well and I soon remembered that chemistry class was kinda fun, a lot of work but enjoyable. The best part though is the extra time I have been able to spend with my son. We get a couple hours a night to talk, laugh and agonize together, what a deal!

It is not often that an opportunity like this comes around. If you get a chance to do something like this with your child, don't squander the blessing. One on one time with a child pays some of the greatest dividends in family life. Remember, they are only with us for a short time, so make the most of it.

Riding The Storm

Ever driven through a blinding snowstorm? You strain your eyes to see what's ahead, knowing that a car is there only because the snow is billowing up behind it. You pray that if they stop, you will see them in time.

Life is much like driving in a storm. As you attempt to move ahead with your goals and plans it is difficult at times to see just what's ahead. If only we could clearly see the obstacles ahead, they would easily be avoided.

It is tempting in the storms of life to slow down or stop completely. But, like a snowstorm, if you slow down too much the snow sticks on your windshield and we lose sight of where you are going.

If you will just keep up your pace the snowflakes of life will just blow on by. You may have white knuckles at the end of the trip, but remember that the great stuff in life always comes at those white knuckle moments. So buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Muscle Up Your Mind

I have always been good at working with my hands. For as long as I can remember, if something needed doing, I could generally figure it out. Physical work just came naturally. Now that I am getting a little bit older, just a little mind you, my body doesn't cooperate like it used too. My joints hurt, my back creaks, I sound like a bag of pop rocks when I get off the couch. All this noise brings me to my subject. For those of us who have depended on our muscles, when our body starts to wear out, we need to start using that oft neglected part of our body, the brain.

Some people figure out early in life that the brain is quite useful and amazing. For some of us, this realization takes a bit longer. For the last few years, I have been trying to exercise my brain muscle a bit more and I have discovered a couple of things. First, when the brain muscle has atrophied, it takes a while to get it back in shape. I have first hand knowledge in this area. Second, our brain doesn't know the difference between what is imagined and what is real.

I want to talk about this second discovery. Now, I'm quite sure that someone much smarter than I am discovered this long ago, but for me personally,it was a great discovery. It took reading a few books on the subject and looking back on my life for some personal confirmation that what I could believe, I could achieve.

Australian psychologist Alan Richardson did a study in which he took thirty people, had them all shoot free throws and recorded the amount of free throws they made. The people were then divided into three groups. The first group was instructed to practice shooting free throws every day for a month. The second group was instructed to visualize shooting perfect free throws every day for a month and the third group did nothing. The results of the study showed this; The first group improved 24% in that month. The second group improved 23% without ever touching a basketball. The third group was, of course, unchanged.

How is it that the second group and the first were virtually the same in their improvement when group two didn't even touch a ball? The brains of group two had shot just as many free throws as group one. Their brains had taught their muscles what they needed to do to improve. This floored me when I read it. To a hands on guy, this didn't make much sense.

In the Bible it says that "as a man thinketh, so is he". There is a book with that title that is a good read on the subject as well. What we visualize in our mind is what we will get. I'm not talking about wishful thinking. Visualization is an action word, it takes work to visualize what we want. We have to picture our goal in our mind, make it real so to speak. We have to visualize the actions needed to make this thought a reality, just like the free throw shooters had to see themselves making the shot over and over again. I am convinced that our brain is the most powerful tool we have if we will put it to work. Let's dust ourselves off and start exercising that most important muscle, the results will be astounding.

True Heros

In every great story there is a great hero. In fiction, there are characters like Ivanhoe, Gandalf, or Sherlock Holmes. In real life the heros seem even greater, heros such as John Chamberlain, Corrie Ten Boom or Ghandi. The fictional hero is always larger than life and somewhat superhuman while the true hero seems more like you and I, unsure of their path, but confident that what they are about doing is the right thing.

I don't know about you, but I don't feel like a hero most days. I wake up, go to work, come back home and try to be a good dad. I feel pretty good if I'm on top of the bills and trying to be a contributing member of society.

If you look a little closer, those things are heroic. What can make a bigger difference in todays world than being a loving parent? What a big difference is made in each community by people who contribute, even a little, to making their town a better place to live. It's funny, in this world of instantaneous, worldwide news, we can get so caught up in national or international politics, that we forget how much influence we can truly have within our own families or communities.

Reading with your kids, or volunteering at your local school or church, can make such a big difference in the lives of those close around us. The fight for freedom will not be won by writing your congressman, it will be won in each and every family. Teaching principles of freedom to your children and friends will make a lasting difference in peoples lives and outlooks. This grassroots effort will eventually result in good honest people being elected to political office. No amount of protest or argument will produce more lasting results than instilling of good character in our children.

It's time for all of us to step up and be the real heros that the world needs. If we don't do it, who will?

Parenting 101

I'm going to tell a story that you might not expect from an old nail-bender like myself. I hope you will take a minute to read it because it was a life changer for me and it could help you too.

I attended an education seminar several years ago, weird right? Anyway, my wife and I went because we had decided to home-school our kids and we wanted to know all the best methods and tools available to help us do a great job.

Little did we know that the presenter had a dirty trick up his sleeve. He didn't teach us one thing to do to teach our kids. He just said over and over again, "if you want to fix your kid, fix yourself." He gave many examples, for instance, if your kid wasn't interested in reading, he said that I as a father should start reading books where my child could see me, and soon my child would want to read. If he didn't like math, then I should do math. Practice their music? You guessed it, play music on your favorite instrument.

I was a bit incredulous, this sounded like a lot of work. After two days of having this pounded into me, I thought, okay I'll give it a try. I went home and began the experiment. I started reading some tough books and I learned to pluck a few chords on a guitar (I am still struggling with the math thing). I put consistent effort into this and you know what? It worked! I noticed that as I put effort into self-improvement, my kids just naturally put more effort into their studies. There is an old saying that says we must practice what we preach. If our children see us working and struggling to understand a concept, they won't bat an eye when they face a challenge, because they know that it just takes some work, they saw their parent do it.

If you want your kids to be great, you need to be great first. This is one secret weapon of great parenting that we all need in our quiver. So just remember, if you've got problems in your home, one of the first places you ought to look is at yourself. If you start there, most of the problems will iron themselves out.

The Tempered Soul

Have you ever experienced that moment when you think that you are all that? You're on top of life, well adjusted, going places and then you have an experience that shows you where you really are?

I was flying high today, things had gone pretty well and then I went to visit a friend. This friend has been having some struggles, and I wanted to give her some words of faith and comfort. So, in all my shining wonder I went to spout my wisdom to her. I took a message of faith that I thought might help in her situation and began to share it when she began to speak.

She related experiences from her life which were horrific and beyond anything that I have ever experienced, then she related how each of those trials had served to increase her faith. I began to see that I have much to learn, which she, and others like her, who have been through the grist mill of life, could teach me if I were to come down off my high and mighty place to listen.

There is a strength which comes from test and trial. A resoluteness that seems to say, whatever comes, all will be well.

It is never easy to admit to yourself that you have been seeing yourself in a greater light than actually shines. Though the experience, if allowed to sink in, opens up an honest look at your inner self. You begin to ask important questions, such as, how would I do in such a test? Would I grow strong or wither under the pressure? Can wisdom be gained by learning from others or do we only learn true wisdom from the trials? What do you think?

Dreamers

There is an old saying out there that tells us that we are what we eat. If this is true then I am made mostly of sugar and Colby-Jack cheese. In reality, I believe that which shapes us, in ways that matter, has more to do with our thoughts than what we eat. Early in my marriage I had an experience that brought this to light. This isn't one of those life-defining moments but one which clearly shows the power of concentrated thought.

Valerie, my lovely wife, and I were building our first home and we had designed a large deck off our master bedroom. As we were building it we thought how cool it would be if we had a hot tub to sit on that deck. We talked about how cool it would be to sit out there on a cold night and watch the stars. Now, you must realize that any extra money we had was going into building materials for home and a hot tub did not fit into our budget. Regardless, we kept thinking about it and imagining how awesome it would be to have one.

We kept on with our building project and out of the blue a neighbor came by our home one day and asked if we wanted a hot tub. He was moving and would take a little work in trade for the tub. We agreed to the deal and we owned a great hot tub. This must have just been a coincidence, you may be telling yourself. As this experience is one of many, I now believe it was the result of focused thought.

I recently re-read "As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen in which the author writes that "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." In this short book Mr. Allen shows the effect of our thoughts on our character, our circumstances, our health and our achievements. "Dreamers are the saviors of the world" and "dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become" are two of my favorite quote from this book. If we dare to dream them we will dare to try and that is what will make all the difference in our lives. If we wallow in self pity, or bemoan our circumstances, nothing will change.

Christ taught that as we sow so shall we reap. With our thoughts we sow the fields of our lives. We should expect the harvest of the thoughts we have sown. So let's lift our thoughts to a higher level and we will arrive at a higher place.