Living in light of eternity

“There was no respect for youth when I was young, and now that I am old, there is no respect for age - I missed it coming and going.” John B. Priestly. I have to admit; there are times when I've felt like that. But that's not why I am writing this. I doubt that anything I say will change the way some young people look at their elders, but I want to speak out on the topic, just the same. If you do a cursory search on Google for the phrase "respect your elders"- watch out. You'll discover discussion boards where young "punks" rant and rave over things they know nothing about. I guess I shouldn't use the term "punks". I don't want to sound disrespectful of those that are disrespectful. Sodahead.com is one of the more popular sites for teen discussions. Under the topic, "Should teenagers respect their elders?" many give candid and explicit answers. They also rate what they consider the best answer to the question. The top rated an...

Trying to define "postmodernism" is a bit like asking a fish the temperature of the water in his bowl. You must get outside postmodern thought to be able to define and quantify it. We're so much a part of the culture around us that we have cultural blind spots. Postmodern means literally "after the modern.", and that seems to be the best way to understand it. Postmodernism is defined against it's predecessor, Modernism. Since I'm one of the older ones, someone who was raised in the 50's, squarely in the Modern Age, I have my own observations of Postmodern Thought. I've seen it reflected in those around me- my wife and I served as youth workers from the day we left college in 1974 until 2007. We have been closely connected to the column of progress culturally. Here's what we have observed... Postmoderns seem to be reacting to and attempting to correct problems they see in the modern world. There are four areas where they have made improv...

Plan "A" Goal: Meet up with Nona's side of the family mid-way Destination: Gulf Shores, Alabama Result: Deepwater Horizon blow-out. Alabama beaches closed during our vacation week. Plan "B" Goal: Gather the Texas Zeiler's for a family vacation. Destination: South Padre Island, Texas Result: Hurricane Alex makes landfall in South Padre. 3-5 foot storm surge predicted. I say to Mark, "I'm beginning to think our family vacation is not meant to be." Plan "C" Goal: Evacuate to higher ground with the family and find some place nice to "hang out". Destination: The Menger Hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio Result: Wonderfully relaxing days together seeing the sights in San Antonio, swimming in the pool, eating on the Riverwalk, shopping and "hanging out" together. Mission Accomplished! Psalms 133: 1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running ...

I've noticed a certain type of person that gasps for air. They breath normally, but every few minutes they snort, clear their throat, and try to get an extra dose of oxygen. First noticed it in a certain wing of a hospital when a guy walked past me and snorted. I wondered if he was snorting at me for some reason. I didn't think much of it until another person did the same thing. I even noticed doctors gasping for air. Once I became aware of this phenomenon, I began to notice it all over the place. Studies were done... It wasn't the air quality. It wasn't a problem with the lungs. More observation... The very young did not gasp, until sometime after they were potty trained. The very old gasped more frequently and often cursed as they gasped. The gasping subsided only when the subjects were in deep REM sleep. Interviews were done... They described breathing as a unsatisfying and laborious chore. They never enjoyed a deep-cleansing breath, that cool refresh...

Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy, TX is one of my favorite places to go. I walk, mainly. And I do a little "people-watching" as I walk... You will find there (by frequency of appearance): the athlete staying in shape; the guy and gal trying to jog together (they rarely can find a pace that works for both); the new mother taking her infant out for the very first time, all bundled in blankets; the group of experienced mothers chatting as they roll their toddlers along (a LOT of talking); the middle-aged man or woman trying to keep their heart healthy; the guy making a come-back from the stroke or heart attack; the new bridesmaids and brides preparing to fit into their gowns. Then there are the family combos: the siblings- brothers, sisters, or brothers and sisters together. (Any of these combos tend to waive their hands a great deal as they talk); the father and son combos or father and daughter combo. (They walk and talk very deliberately, or little talking at all). It...

Yep, I'm in love again! It feels a bit like those Junior High crushes, but cleaner and solid. It is exciting. It's on my mind quite a bit. There is a real longing to be with this person. This little person- my granddaughter. I spent the last two days babysitting her with my wife. And yesterday because of Nona's haircut, I had her all by myself from 10:30 until noon. It went great. She didn't even seem to notice it was just me. We put the little people inside the airplane and looked quite a while for the "Mommy". We got on the white board and made red and purple squiggles and pretended we were writing various people's names. We made tuna fish salad and she wanted to help mash the boiled egg and mix all the stuff with a fork. We played sword with a broom handle, then hide and seek for a while. I asked her if she would like to go to Wal-Mart and get some new pens, she said, "Stay here", which was just fine with me. It was play...

Over the years I've attended quite a few conferences, not to mention more sermons than I care to count. Somewhere along the way I heard a quote that has stuck with me. Stuck with me like a piece of roast beef between your bicuspid and molar. I honestly have no idea who said it, and I can't find it quoted anywhere on the Internet (which usually means it's old). I've never forgotten it because it never has set well with me. I never wrote it down but never forgot it. For many years I didn't know if I really liked it or not. I wasn't sure what it meant and didn't know if I agreed with what I thought it might mean. In the last couple of months I has come roaring back like an old case of shingles. It's come to mind on a daily basis as I've been studying scenes from the life of Christ: "Everything Jesus ever did He never did" Do you see why I didn't like it? It's hard to explain, but you might feel the same way. At first ...