Worry can be a real pain in the neck...

I think that I have a problem with worry.  So does everyone else in the world.  Even those who say they don't worry.  I sometimes even worry about worrying too much or worrying about things I should not even worry about.  Does that sound like a problem?  It does to me.  And it worries me a bit.  It worries me that I have a problem with worrying about what I am worrying about and that I have a problem with worry.

Now does that sound like a problem?  It does to me.  I know people who worry about the littlest things, and even about the silliest things.

I don't understand why we worry so much.  It was not in GOD's original plan.  But then again.  Adam and Even changed history.  SIN was not in GOD's original plan either.  We chose SIN and in so choosing we now have worry.  Worry that we are doing the wrong thing, at the wrong time, we are with the wrong people, said the wrong thing, or saw the wrong thing.  We have more worries than can be listed here.  They would fill up books on all the different things people worry about.  Some are silly, at least to me, but to the person with the worry it is very legitimate.  On the other hand we all have fears that fall that way too.  So one person's fear or worry can be another person's silliness.

So we all have worries.  Now what do we do with them.  I am afraid it would be impossible to remove all worry from the world and from each and every person's life.  I don't have the answer to removing worry, but the Bible says a little bit about.  And it says that the answer to limiting your worry is faith.  See that Faith can limit Worry and if you work at it maybe it could remove worry entirely.  I don't know if this world or any one person can completely free from worry.  What I do know is that faith, lowers your worry level.

Trust is a part of faith.  Did you know that?  If I have faith that something will take care of my worry, than I must also trust in that something.  Trust and Faith go hand in hand.  Look at the following verses...

Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT)
²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.“

It says right there that worry will add nothing to your life.  Okay, so if it adds nothing to your life what good is worry.  For all the worry we have we create a desert of dryness in our life.  So what do you want a dry desert filled with nothing but worry, or to create an lush land full of moisture, grass and green trees.  I want the land filled with plants and mountains and rain and snow.  I do not want a desert.  A desert is dry, barren, boring and dull.

I heard in the movie and interesting quote, "I don't want to Survive, I want to Live!"  I too want to live.  Why do I have to survive on worry.  It drains, dries, causes stress, high blood pressure, sleepless nights.  Jesus put it right, when He said what can worry add nothing to your life.  I am tired of surviving on worry, and I want to live life to the fullest.  I want to put more trust and faith in GOD.  I want to live.

I will endeavor to trust more and have more faith in GOD and what HE has in store for my life.  I will live more by the moment instead of by the worry.  I will try to stop looking toward the future and seeing what I need to do to make the future happen.  I will try to stop trying to alter the future to what I think GOD wants.  I will try to let the future come to me in GOD's time.  I am going to try to stop surviving and start living. 

What do you want to do?  Do you want to Survive on your worries and be dry and barren in the desert?  Or do you want to turn your life around and live?

I want to live and to that end I will try to worry less and enjoy the moment more.

Patience, Patience, Patience.

When trying to listen to GOD and what HE wants for you I think that Patience, Patience, Patience are the three most important characteristics.  Location is good.  Timing is good.  Listening is best, but it all comes down to Patience.  Why?   Let me explain.

Without patience, you run off into a wall, over a cliff, down a steep hill, off a bridge, lost in a forest, or alone.  Patience on the other hand takes you gently down a path that is meant for you.  Even when you don't see the results or the goal until you are long into the journey.

I have been dealing with this for over 3 years.  I was working at one job.  Thinking that I would never get out of it and it was becoming difficult, both on me and on my family.  I had prayed and listened and was told to be patient and wait.  I did. Within a few short months.  I found a better job.  One that I am currently at now.  I enjoy it, the hours are better and the pay is a little better.  The most important part is that it is now messing with my family and I have a consistency that I needed.

Now I am being drawn toward ministry.  Yet I am being impatient.  I want to start down that path now.  Not later.  Not when it will be better.  Not when it will be more convenient.  Not when it will be in GOD's perfect timing.  I don't want to wait.  I want to start now.  I want to be doing what I feel lead to do now.  Not later.  Not when it is right.  Not when I should, but when I want to.

That's not right.  I mean it is understandable to want things, it is okay to want changes.  Where it gets messy, difficult, even confusing is when the time is the issue.  I for instance want a bigger Hammered Dulcimer.  The one I want is a more expensive than the one I have.  It is the Warbler by Song Bird Dulcimers.  It is the biggest one I can afford.  But I can not afford it, at least not right now.  I have to save up the money.  I also want my family to have a house of our own.  We have to save up for that right now also.  I must wait for these things to come to pass.  Why?  Because finances dictate that waiting is the only option.  While I wait for these things.  I want to change my occupation and work in ministry for the LORD.  More than I already do.  I am a Trustee of my Church and an active member.

What I want may coincide with what GOD wants, but a main thing to understand is when.  Now may not be it.  I probably have some more growing and changing to do.  There are things that I need to do before I can follow what I feel GOD is leading me towards.

I once asked for patience.  Isn't that how the joke goes.  "A man prayed for patience,  'Dear Lord, Please give me Patience, and give it to me right now.' "  I did once ask for patience.  I learned how to take things a little more slowly and a bit more patiently.  I have since not used that skill and it has gone unused for sometime.  I guess it is time to get that skill out of the storage and re-apply it to my life right now.

"Lord please grant me patience and do it in your time."

I am going to endeavor to be patient, with family, friends, people and definitely with my GOD's timing.  So that what HE wants I can allow to happen when the time is right.  That will make things so much better for me in the long run.

" but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) "

As for me I will try to wait upon the Lord.

Parents who home school are one in a million...

My wife is home schooling our child.  She started early and he has not been to public school at all.  Except to visit where his father works.  I have it on good information that home schooled students are also one in a million. 

My son is in 3rd Grade and is 8 years old.  He is doing very good in school.  His mother teaches him and they just started doing a journal writing exercise this morning.  He wrote seven sentences and wrote some words that we were surprised he knew how to spell correctly.  He is doing very well.  I am very proud of him and his mother for all the hard work they do, in which they are educating each other each day.

I really think that more students should be home schooled.  It will lower attendance at public schools, but that will help students in public schools learn better too.  Since the class rooms won't be so overcrowded.

More Home Schooling is needed, because Home Schooling Rocks!

A New Year is Here....

Well Happy New Year to everyone once again.  I am glad that I survived the Ball Drop.  Yes my wife and I stayed up late and watched the ball drop @ Times Square, from our bedroom, about a 4 hour drive from NYC.  We last stayed up that late 10 years ago the year we got married.

Now I am back to work and back to learning.  I am trying to learn what GOD has in store for me.  My wife is trying to instill in me a little bit more patience and trying to keep me from striving so hard for perfection.  So I am a "Work In Progress".  I will always be one.  But I will try to let GOD handle the work more and I will just try to enjoy life and do what I love to do.  Read, Play my Hammered Dulcimer, Talk and Listen to my Family, listent o music, shovel snow, cook, write, watch a little T.V., go to Church and Learn, Learn, Learn.

I am attempting to learn "Just As I Am" and "Amazing Grace" for the Hammered Dulcimer.  I already know them both, but "Amazing Grace" I am trying to add on some chords and make it better than just the sum of its notes.  With "Just As I Am" I am trying to do the same and pay homage to my good friend Rocky Reed.  Who has a great talent with an Organ or Piano to make music come alive.  I am hoping that I can also learn "Hold Me Jesus" by Rich Mullins some day.  It is a little tricky, but it is coming along, little by little, that is when I have time.

I find that there is a lot of things I want to do and not enough time to do them.  So I end up just doing what I can and to the best of my ability.  Here is what I can do I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I can attempt to follow my dreams and see where GOD leads me.  I can do something for myself once in a while.  I can be the man my family needs.  I can just be  . . . . . . ME!  And that is what I am going to do.

You will find attached a recording I did of myself.  I played this arrangement for Christmas Eve service at my Church.  I recorded it 4 days later, as I needed some new equipment to just do the recording.  Next time I might use the Church for the recording, we will see.  So anyways this is what I played and how I played it.  Just happened to be 4 days later and at home.  If interested let me know what you thought of it.

Greensleeves and Silent Night

Thanks to all and any that read here.

A Year End Review !

Well 2009 is almost over and I have found out a lot of things this year.

My mom needs help and does not like to ask for it.  I hope that healing comes for my mom.

I found out that after owning a Hammered Dulcimer for almost 4 years that I can learn to play it and I can learn to play it well.  I also spoke a lot at my Church, in small parts and small skits.  I also performed Greensleeves (What Child Is This) and Silent Night for Christmas eve service and actually did them well on the Hammered Dulcimer.  I have learned a lot about my wife and myself.  I also learned that I may have a future in Ministry.  Possibly speaking and/or musically.  I also took my advanced Lay Speaking class, so I can be certified as a Lay Speaker in the Methodist church system.

I am glad to see my wife growing and healing each day and each week.  I continue to grow and flourish.  And  I  hope and pray that the new year finds you growing and changing each day and each week.  My son is being taught by my wife @ home and he is doing a wonderful job learning, so is my wife.  She learns something new about herself often.  Which lead me to learn something new about her and myself.

I am going to try and become a Pastor in the Methodist church system.  I really want to do what GOD wants me to do.

Well I think that is enough chatter, since no one reads this blog anyway, except my wife.  Love you Honey!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hammered Dulcimer is Awesome!

I remember hearing Hammered Dulcimer back in the days when I would listen on occasion to Rich Mullins.  I just did not know what it was.  I think I thought it was a harpsichord.  But little did I know it what it really was.  I am so glad I finally found out what it was, because then I went and tried one, and then I had to go and buy one.  Now I play Hammered Dulcimer!  I don't play like the professionals, but I play well enough.  I enjoy playing and it brings satisfaction to me and it brings enjoyment to my wife.  It is a wonderful thing to learn and play an instrument.  It is healthy, fun and all around a joy and a blessing.  Thank you GOD for the wonderful gift of music you gave your creation.  Thank you GOD for the gift you have given me that I can learn and play a musical instrument.

Like I said......Hammered Dulcimer is AWESOME!

10th Anniversary

My wife and I are celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary this month.  With that wonderful milestone comes some reflection.

The two of us have grown a lot.  We have changed a lot in the last 10 years and that is such a good thing.  We have both grown a lot and have become closer and more open to each other.  It has been a wonderful Journey so far.  We have been together through thick and thin, through good times and through bad times.

I know that I have grown and changed a lot myself.  I can also see a lot of change in my wife too.  We both treat each other better and a lot more respectfully.  I can see that things are going to continue to change for us.  I am so excited about what the next year has to hold.  I am hoping that it is better than this year.

To all that want to know their spouses better, open up  and communicate.  It is the key to a Happy Marriage.