Wasted

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary wasted means - not used - spent in a good useful - effective way - very thin because of sickness or lack of food - very drunk or affected by drugs. Wasted is never used to describe anything that is good - always in a negative sense. Most frequently when a resource is cast aside - not used - thrown away - it is wasted - should have been used to better advantage. When illness strikes - very often the one afflicted unable to eat - digest food and ends up losing body weight - muscle mass - tissue is lost. Becoming so drunk so as not being able to control the body - walk a straight line - speak a clear sentence - embrace the reality of the moment - a waste of time. When anything is wasted - it reflects poor judgement - lack of skills - no previous planning - throwing money down the drain.

God grants to each of us His time - His attention - His care. Day after day - He sends His blessings down upon us - to accept - reject - to acknowledge - to ignore. He invests more time with each of us than we can ever imagine. His love goes beyond human understanding - waiting day after day for us to recognize Him and His love. In all our lives we will never truly experience God's love - unless we learn to pay attention - to listen - to acknowledge His gifts of life - love. Time is precious - now is the hour to awaken to God - not to let it be wasted.

Deacon Dale 

Name Calling

As children it was not uncommon to yell at another child who was not being nice - not playing fair - bullying others. Physical violence was out - usually the one being mean - bigger than anyone else - stronger - older. The only thing left was to call the offender a name - any name - mean spirited - poking fun at anything - trying to get even - level the playing field - attempting to get them to stop. Sometimes it worked - more often than not - an adult heard what was going on - made you stop - not polite - not the way to treat a fellow human. The majority of us gave up name calling as we grew - matured into responsible adults - citizens. Unfortunately name calling is again in vogue - especially among politicians - candidates for public office - failing any legitimate criticism of an opposing candidate - slip into the gutter - spewing lies - filth - attempting to steer attention away from the other person - to oneself in an attempt in becoming popular.

Jesus - guilty of name calling in His day - brother - sister - friend - teacher - healer - names to compliment - build up - reinforce ones self esteem. When speaking a truth about another - using kind words - gestures - focusing on the true value of another human. God calls all of us to be like Jesus - to put on His manners - positive characteristics - to become Christ-like. He is with us always - guiding - helping - giving good direction to our lives - actions. If you listen - you will hear God's voice - calling your name.

Deacon Dale

Sounds of Silence

The Sounds of Silence - a popular song by Simon and Garfunkel - popular recording artists of the 1960s - counterculture icons of the decade's social revolution - stirred people to rethink life - social issues. The true importance of the term - sounds of silence - is the concept of what silence really is. Silence is not only the absence of audible sound - a necessary part of making sound. Silence is what separates one sound from another - one musical note from another - one word from another. If there was no silence - all sound would run together into one continuous sound or hum. Anyone who has studied music is familiar with rest notes - moments when no sound is played on an instrument - no sound sung. These rest notes - moments of silence separate - embellish the sound just made - the note - sound to come. When using speech - pauses - moments of silence - introduced to bring attentions what was just said - what will be coming next. Without silence all forms of communication would lose much of its value.

When we speak to God in prayer - silence is golden - extreme value - in sitting in silence - not speaking - rather listening. In that silence God has an opportunity to speak to our mind - heart - to come close to us - giving us an opportunity - to touch the Divine. Many are uncomfortable with complete silence - choosing to speak rather than listen. In prayer - communicating with God - the sounds of silence - truly golden.

Deacon Dale

Guinea Pig

A guinea pig is a species of rodent - despite the name - not a member of the pig family - not from Guinea. They originated in the Andes and were not found in the wild - played an important role in folk culture of many South American groups - as a food source - in folk medicine - religious ceremonies. At one time - used a laboratory test animals - now replaced by mice and rats - more often found as pets. One wonders how many households would be host to a guinea pig if they realized it is basically a fuzzy plump mouse. The name in modern use is often applied to any animal used as a test subject for many different projects - often including humans. The term - guinea pig - often used to refer to an individual - selected as the target - without  prior knowledge to be the first to attempt - try something in which the safety is unknown - testing a rope bridge - particularly an old one of dubious construction - the first one to attempt a safe crossing for a group. 

Although God is known to test people in various ways - He rarely uses the guinea pig method. On occasion - He may ask an individual to do something first - not at risk of their life - rather as a role model for those who will later follow. None of us is expendable - all have value in God's eyes. Each person a precious jewel in His crown - to be loved - nurtured - protected by God. When you feel that God might be testing you - pray for strength - He will provide - assist you through whatever trial you face. 

Deacon Dale 

Best Dressed

Almost weekly one group or another seems to publish their list of best dressed - celebrities - international figures - men - women - children - senior citizen - teen - child actor - dogs - cats - ad nauseum. We seem to be obsessed with how people look - how clothes look on certain people - who wore it the best - worse. If we believed the media then looks would be the criteria upon which we valued people. Personalities - manners - attitude - aside - only what pleases the eyes - not the mind - heart. Being caught up in these mindless games - not a sign of maturity. Everyone knows that what really matters - is inside - who the person really is - not what they look like. A beautiful woman - man - might just be the shallowest - meanest person alive. 

God knows each of us so well - He does not look at our appearance - clothes - jewelry - homes - cars - bank accounts. He looks into our hearts - minds - where we love - whom we love. Inside where no one can see - except God - is what really matters. The same goes for us - we should not judge a book by its cover - nor people by their possessions - rather their words - actions. When God call us to serve Him - He did not ask us to first buy a new suit - dress - rather He accepted us as we were - no changes needed. As we continue in this Easter Season - we need to continue to celebrate the gift of New Life offered by God - for ourselves - for others - just as we are.

Deacon Dale  

The Glass of Water

As the story goes an instructor asked her class how much the glass of water weighed that she was holding in her hand. Guesses varied from eight ounces up to twenty ounces. She went on to explain that the actual weight meant nothing - rather the time she held it up was the important factor. She explained - even if on the heavy side - she could hold it in her hand for many minutes comfortably - after an hour her arm would begin to ache - after many hours she would develop a cramp - end up with a very sore - tired arm. The point she was attempting to get across was that there are burdens - and there are big burdens. The most common burden anyone has to cope with is mental - emotional. When a person is troubled - the burden weighs on the mind - dampens the spirit - causes depression. The longer we attempt to cope - the longer we stress - the greater the burden - the deeper the depression. Learning to deal with issues immediately - seeking resolution promptly - goes a long way to good mental health - a happy spirit. Often help is needed from others - sometimes professionals. Learning to cope early on - decreases the burden - make it manageable - makes time for other more important issues - like living a happy life.

Jesus told us that He came that we might have life and live it to the fullest. Some say He promised a rose garden - a beautiful garden filled with green leaves - red roses - thorns. Yes - in the midst of the beauty - thorns. Thorns - that stick - prick - hurt - sting - pierce the skin. Just as in real life - among all that is beautiful - pleasant - enjoyable - we have to contend with the thorns - the things that are not pleasant - loss of a loved one - unemployment - unreasonable taxes - politicians who distort the truth - divorce - illness - dozens of unpleasant things. These hurt - cause physical - emotional pain - make us bleed from our inner spirits. Trusting in God - leading us into a full life - He heals the hurts - minimizes the time we suffer - quenches our thirst for relief. If you have been holding your glass of troubles too long - give it to Jesus. He will lift your burden - offer it to God - who in turn will give you the joy you seek. 

Deacon Dale 

ESL

Today I had my first experience with ESL - English as a Second Language - helping local people to become fluent in speaking English. I was a little concerned as this was my first teaching session - obviously I wanted to do well - to help my student. Adding to my discomfort - I was scheduled to teach Level 2 - jumping over Level 1 - where to start - what had the student picked up from her first instructor. As it was - no problem! She was very pleasant - had learned a fair amount at Level 1 - completely ready for advanced study. In the process we are instructed to only speak English - avoid using their native language even if we knew it. Following the teacher's manual was easy - adding in a few words in Spanish - greatly improved the comfort level of both teacher and student. For me this was not only teaching - also ministry - offering myself as a volunteer - to help a fellow human. Facilitating communication - among others - the first step in better relations - understanding.

After God confused the language of the world at the Tower of Babel - the need to slow down - speak in simple words - hand gestures - looking into each other's eyes - to communicate common needs - wants - desires. We have been given a gift from God - the ability to listen - speak - talk - feel - understand. It is in our understanding each other that we begin to better understand ourselves. The better we understand - know ourselves - the closer we come to God.  The closer we come to God - the closer we come to the Divine. That is the goal of most people - seeking to know - God.

Deacon Dale 

Family Feud

Family Feud is a television game show in which two families compete against each other in an attempt to win - money - cars - chance to return for future games. Hosted by Steve Harvey  it is a fun game to watch. The questions - as well as answers - often beyond ridiculous - sometimes embarrassing. Overall - fun to observe - trying to outguess the contestants - all in the name of sharing the experience. All family conflicts should be filled with as much laughter - fun - rather than anger - fighting. It is unbelievable how many families fail to get along with other families - often each other - leading to both verbal - physical abuse. It is especially sad when members of the same family argue - fight - over issues which end up splitting the family - destroying relationships - often in the name of pride.

God created mankind as one giant human family - many fail to acknowledge this fact. Differences both visible - intellectual - spiritual - emotional - divide the one great human family into thousands of smaller groups. This was never God's plan - He sent Jesus - to heal  the hurts - close the gaps - stimulate conversation - to restore the family as one. In many instances families have been reconciled - many more have yet to heal the hurt - close the gap. As people of God it is up to each of us to - pray - work - help - to defend the family - restore it as God planned. We start in our own family - venture out from there - to the community - the world. It may seem an impossible task - with God - all things are possible.

Deacon Dale 

Speaking in Tongues

Glossolalia - speaking in tongues - according to those who study language - is the action of vocalizing speech-like syllables which lack any easily understandable meaning. Sometimes this is considered merely babble - other times in religious use - a divine language which the one speaking does not know - has not been trained in that language. The most common place where one might hear someone speaking in tongues is at a Pentecostal or Charismatic religious service. Many are confused - apprehensive - of those who speak in tongues - not sure of the validity of this phenomenon.  It has been explained that this happens when one has connected intimately with God - unable to express in their native tongue the - joy - happiness - reverence - they have for God - receive this gift from God - to be able to continue their praise - worship - at a much higher level of communication - known only by God. 

When God created the world - one language was all that was needed - when mankind became too caught up in themselves not listening to God - at the Tower of Babel - He confused the people by creating a multitude of languages - a means to slow them down - to stumble - to pause - reconsider - what they were doing. Today it is estimated that there are approximately 6500 languages in the entire world. Add to that number - different dialects - one can see how difficult it may be to communicate with each other. Solving the world's issues means that all of us need to be able to speak a common language - not in tongues known only by God - a language that although spoken with different sounds creates a sense of cooperation - a common bond - serving the people of God. The one language shared by all peoples - the one spoken by Jesus - God - the language of Love.

Deacon Dale 

Reader's Survey

It is very fashionable today for everyone to perform surveys to see how they are performing - if they are meeting goals - expectations - keeping everyone happy - addressing issues if and when they arise. Sometimes one wonders - do these surveys really mean anything - does anyone really care - does the data collected have any affect - benefit anybody. I believe that the majority are well founded - intended - to keep customers - clients - happy with the product - service they receive. A few - very likely - lead nowhere - benefit no one - basically a time waster - keeping some corporate official happy that the survey was designed - implemented - although never followed up on. As a blogger - I wonder from time to time - who am I benefiting - is my blogging a waste of time - energy - or do people really read and benefit from these wanderings of my mind. I reviewed my statistics earlier and I found it interesting the countries where my readers come from. Obviously since I am based in the USA - that is where the largest group of my readers live. Following is a list of countries identified as following my blog in descending order of page views - you might find this interesting. 

                                                          #1 USA

                                                          #2 Russia

                                                          #3 Ukraine

                                                          #4 Germany

                                                          #5 France

                                                          #6 Canada

                                                          #7 China

                                                          #8 Latvia

                                                          #9 United Kingdom

                                                        #10 Poland

                                                        #11 Portugal

                                                        #12 Japan

                                                        #13 Sweeden

                                                        #14 Netherlands

                                                        #15 United Arab Emirates

                                                        #16 Brazil

So I ask you - the readers - if you are able - to please leave a brief comment on who you are - not your name - rather - student - teacher - priest - housewife - writer - and your country. Hopefully;I will receive some interesting feedback.

Jesus asked us to trust in Him - although none of us has ever seen Him or the Father - we have been asked by Our Lord to - give Him the benefit of the doubt - to believe His words - what has been written about Him - that He is the Son of God. He does not ask us to answer questions - do surveys - jump through any hoops - fill out sheets of papers. His request is that we become people of faith - living as He did - open - honest. Following with out questions - accepting Him - just as He is - just as He accepts us - no questions asked.

Deacon Dale