Beautiful Rain

Rain showers my spirit and waters my soul.~Emily Logan Decens

It is all a matter of perspective. You can choose to be sullen by the cloudy day or rejoice in it. The following video is from John Poland and it is said, "Tears add to the rain. Happiness makes the sun shine."


Beautiful Rain © copyright John Poland & Stanley Rumm 2009

Of course it all comes back to, "is the glass half empty or half full?" I'd say half full and the rain only fills it more. So much is good about the life we live and if a little bit of 'Beautiful Rain' falls, enjoy the wonder of it.
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Strength To Decide

"It is truly said: It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide what to do." -Chow Ching

Early in the morning, the alarm awakens us to another work day. Rattling our mind from the quiet recess of dream and slumber. We may roll over and take refuge in the snooze button for a few more minutes. Yet we eventually remove ourselves from the bed and prepare for the day ahead.

It certainly didn't take much physical strength to move from the resting state to a state of movement. The strength came in your will to rejoin others in the daily tasks at hand. It is the 'will' to do something that takes the most strength.

In every decision you make, there is a battle within the mind to either stand still and do nothing, or take a step forward in action. But as you notice each morning, it isn't the physical act of taking a step but the decision to take that step which requires strength.

When I begin a new book, I always battle the negative aspects of doing so. Will people purchase it, will people like the book and will they actually be able to take some measure of goodness from it? The battle of time and work involved sit like a rugged mountain in the middle of my path. Is it worth the effort to climb it one more time? But with each book, the will to proceed grows easier. I have reached the peak, seen the other side and know the effort is well worth it.

You can develop the strength of will by continually moving forward. You fight off the desire to remain complacent. If you do not, laying in bed all day will eventually result in bed sores and a not very pleasant life. Get up and move out into the day with the strength of your decisions.

The results will surprise you when you decide to step out in change. It is the decision which is the hardest part. The rest will seem easy.
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Happy Mothers Day of Firsts

It is a special day for Mom's all around the world today as we celebrate Mothers Day. A day in which we get the chance to thank our Mom for all that she is and all that she has done for us.

In my life, it is the first Mother's Day since the passing of my Mom back in October of 2008. It is another of those 'first things' that we go through with the passing of a loved one. The first Christmas, the first birthday, the first of many, many things.

But my brother reminded me of all the joyful firsts we can look back upon with our mother. Each of you have the same 'first' memories of what you mother has done for you as well. She told my brother to, "never be afraid of firsts." The first day of school, your first fight, your first wrestling match, girlfriend, kiss and job.

Never be afraid of the first argument with your Dad, getting married, having children, grand children or even the first loss of a truly close relative such as your mother. There are so many 'first' things in your life to not be afraid of and your mother is telling you not to be afraid.

Even when your mother is not around anymore, her guidance will live on inside of you. Comforting you and guiding you in even more 'firsts' that will occur in your life. Take the time to honor and thank your Mother today. Let this be a 'first' of many ways you will show her the love and wonder that she deserves.

Happy Mother's Day Mom...we miss you but your constant love for all of us lives on inside forever.
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Faith As 'Proof Of Existence'

Those that regularly read my blog posts, I normally stay away from what some may call 'religious' speak. The following was on my heart and wanted to share with others. I am not trying to convert or preach to you in this piece, just sharing and allowing you to take what you might from it. So please allow me this little bit of leeway for today and as always, your comments are always welcome.

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As our great pastors at C3 - Atlanta always do, they always preach on those things most relevant in my life. I guess that I should feel sorry for other members of the congregation as those sermons are always written for what is going on in my life. For that I apologize to each and every one of you.

This past Sunday (May 3, 2009) was no different in Pastor Dean Sweetman's return to the pulpit, speaking on faith as a tangible and real thing. All of my life I have had faith in a 'believing' sense of what I can not see, hear, touch, taste or smell. Those are most of the physical senses that we have and are those which give us 'proof of existence' in life. Yet I never thought of faith as having a substance to itself. It has always been just something I was supposed to have.

At this point, you may wonder about a man nearing the age of 50 and still questioning faith. It happens to all of us and we continually learn through out our lives. For me, I've always questioned and tried to learn more about my belief. Faith has never been in question, but the example of it being a bridge between the natural and the spiritual shines a new light for me.

Now why in the world would I need a new perspective on faith in my life? Well, my wife Laura and I have eight kids, three grand kids; both of us come from large families with aging parents. This doesn't make our circumstances any harder or more intriguing then anyone else. It simply makes us human and like you, we have our opportunities in life to get our faith tested.

With those tests of faith that we are working through, I have been searching for new inspiration on how to let faith work for us. It isn't enough to just say, "I believe and all will be well." God has expectations for us and so many times we will simply go to the natural. It is those things that I previously mentioned, the physical 'proof of existence' that we run to many times.

Yet the bridge of faith from physical to spiritual is just as real as anything we could touch or see. So it is this bridge that I am envisioning to help us achieve what God has called for us. If we step out in faith, knowing that the bridge will be there, even though we can not see it, keep walking and the bridge will appear. With each step I take, the stronger the connection of my faith to what God has planned for me becomes.

It will be the bridge of faith that gives me proof of God's love for me, for you and for all the world.

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