Getting back in a (different) saddle

Well, I'm back.  It's been nearly a year and a half since I posted.  I quit writing because I ran out of things to say.  My wife would laugh at that and kindly point out that's not possible.  I also quit because I "got busy".  It's all too easy to drop something that is important if it isn't urgent.  I'm writing again because as a parent I need a continual reminder that the most important things in my life are the ones that don't scream for attention.

My son is nearing his 2nd birthday, and his blog has half of the traffic that this blog has.  This encourages me, because it makes me feel like someone is listening and perhaps benefiting from my voice.  It is work to put value into this blog, and it can get tiring if no one is listening.  At the same time, I feel called to put my time into a blog with a different emphasis.

Kristen and I believe the scriptures, and we read them as guides for our behavior.  As such, we see a storm coming from our society's poor decision making.  I am going to be putting my writing efforts into a new blog, focused on the topic of how to create a household that will weather the storm better.  I am kicking off prepareforthestorm.blogspot.com tonight.  I will still post here when appropriate, but please check the other blog out when you get the chance.

-nathan

Moving Mountains

God built them.  He can move them.

Nothing we face today, individually or as a nation, is insurmountable to God.

Everything can be healed, in His time and through His power.


We stand on the brink of great challenges and adventures.  Those butterflies you're feeling as you look over the edge of the cliff are real, and they're good for you.  Get yourself and your family ready.

The News

I chased around all over the Salt Lake valley today for my new job.  I spent a lot of time in the car and listened to the world ending according to the voices across the airwaves.  The funny thing is, I was at peace even as I listened to chaos and worry.

I guess what's going on in my own head impacts my happiness more than what's going on in the world outside.

Interesting...

Spiritual Beings

We are not meant to live by bread alone.  We are not meant to scratch in the dirt for bare sustenance.  We are spiritual beings, sent here by a loving Heavenly Father.  We are meant to live with rich spiritual abundance in our hearts.  We are meant to live free.

Satan has set his hand to oppose God's work.  In this, he seeks our captivity.  In this battle there is only ever good and evil, light and darkness, virtue and vice.  As uncomfortable as it is to live in a world without shades of gray, when it comes to the spiritual contest it is pure love against pure evil.  Rise with me this morning, sing a song of praise in your heart, and set yourself in a firm covenant to serve the Lord.  In doing so, the scales will fall from your eyes and you will begin to see the glories of God's work all around you.  He speaks even now to your heart, is it quiet enough to hear His small voice?

and...GO!

I finished my training with flying colors, I returned home and enjoyed a blissful week with close friends and family.  I had the opportunity to serve my brothers and sisters and be served in return.  I asked my father for a favor tonight, and was reminded just how nice it is to have him here to ask favors of.  He is my friend and I am grateful to have his influence in my life.

I begin again tomorrow to go out into the world and seek to conquer it through the strength of my integrity and my wit.  To battle!

Quiesce

I have to focus on the labors right in front of me for the next three weeks.  I am pausing the blog while I finish up here in Massachusetts.  I will return on October 3rd.

10,000 days

A godly man leaves an inheritance to his children's children.

The long view is the only view that makes sense.  God's view encompasses the eternities.  This is why He is no respecter of persons.  If we are to become more like Him, if we are to see Him as He is, we must set aside the "Me, Now" perspective and embrace the eternities.

What are you doing today that is of enduring importance?  I find that my son is a useful barometer for this question.  Right now, I ask myself: will this thing I'm focused on be of importance when he is old enough for me to explain it to him?  I hope a little further down the road to stretch my views further and ask: will this be important to Ethan's son?

Lastly, the 10,000 days.  10,000 is just shy of 30 years.  It's just about the amount of time I have been on this earth, and it is the scope for the planning that my wife and I are doing.  When we make decisions, we try to ask ourselves how it will impact our lives 30 years from now.  This is one of the meanings.  The second meaning is more personal, and I share it with you now.

I have been shaped by 10,000 days under the burdens of sin and addiction.  I will spare the details, but it is enough to say that I seek a new life and new heart for the next 10,000 days.  I keep a journal in conjunction with this blog and every day that I spend seeking that new heart, I increment the journal.  Today was day 56. Tomorrow is day 57.  I put my trust in the Lord to carry me through each day from now until 10,000 and beyond.