Random thoughts on the season

Well Thanksgiving is over - the kids went back to school and we are back in the regular swing. I have to admit that I am not ready for the regular again - at least not yet. We were able to spend 3 days at a cabin outside of Estes Park thanks to the generosity of a dear friend. It was a wonderful time and I didn't want to come home.
Have you ever had the I don't wanna's? I do this morning. I'm sitting here looking outside at the snow falling and the wind blowing about 50 miles per hour. Its a yucky day! Seems like a good day to curl up with a book in front of a fire. Ok can I go back to the cabin!
Unfortunately I have lots to do. I need to write and submit my final project proposal to my Doctoral committee and I need to be getting things together for Wednesday night Bible study and Sunday too.
I've really tried to focus on being thankful lately. I hope that you are like me and will be taking some time to be thankful for a warm place to watch the snow from. We can be thankful for meals, wheels as well as health and wealth. Maybe if we are thankful we'll not only get off our duff but maybe we'll also be a blessing to others. My question is "What are you giving for Christmas?"
Trent

I survived two thanksgiving meals!

Wow yesterday was a wonderful time of worship and food. The morning service was tremendous followed by a fellowship hall completely filled with folks enjoying a meal together. But that's not all. We also were able to go to the Wiggins church in the evening for more worship and even more food.

The thing I have been thinking about this morning is that Thanksgiving is supposed to be a celebration. In scripture God always invites others to join in the celebration. He has prepared a table and is wanting folks to come and join Him.

You know what - I hate to eat alone. Maybe I'm weird - ok there's no maybe to it, but I really dread having to stop at fast food places when I'm traveling by myself. What do you do when you're by yourself. Sit there, eat and stare at everybody else. I always try to take something in with me to read or write on so that I at least look like I've meant to be alone and have lots of important things to do. I wish! Sometimes I'll even take it to go and just sit in the parking lot in my car eating rather than sitting by myself in the restaurant. Eating alone is no fun!

As I think about my community, I know there are lots of folks who "eat" alone. Loneliness pervades their lives. As a believer in Jesus Christ who has been accepted into a loving community and has experienced a love like no other, I am supposed to be going out and loving those folks by serving them and inviting them into the community.

This Thanksgiving look around you and see if there is somebody eating alone. They don't like it anymore than you do.

trying to grow
Trent

I am blessed

During our seminar on relationships we were to share our pilgrimages. Having to write my life story and share it with our cadre was somewhat hard. My life like everyone elses has had some very hard times. We lost our farm when I was 14. I also lost a lot of my posessions when we had the auction at our farm. My parents had to take my savings to buy a new home. So I had to do college on my own. There were times in my life when I became very bitter about those losses.
As I have gotten older I have realized that God was involved in those hard times in my life. He may not have caused those hard times but He has turned them into blessings. I am so blessed today. I also have to say that I am blessed because of those losses earlier in my life. I have grown and have been put into places where God has taught me.
I am blessed, I am blessed!
Thanksgiving should be thanks living!

Can you recognize your luggage?

Have you ever spent time at a luggage carousel at an airport? I have! During seminary I spent a couple of years working as a chaufer. I picked up lots of folks at the airport and helped with luggage. Since seminary I have been blessed to travel quite a bit and have spent time waiting on my own luggage. One thing that I have watched is that a lot of times people pick up the wrong luggage, mostly because their luggage looks a lot like others. Some bright folks find ways to personalize their luggage. They will put all kinds of tags or stickers on their luggage to make it easy to identify. I try to buy luggage that is unique.

Today in my seminar we were discussing the need to recognize the lenses the we look through when others communicate something to us. In other words people speak words in order to share meaning from their minds to my mind. Those people when they speak words, there is luggage or meaning in their minds attached to their phrase. But when I hear their words I automatically attach luggage or meaning to their phrase. Lots of times our luggage doesn't look the same.

One challenge is for me to take a moment when an event happens or someone speaking to recognize and take ownership in the luggage that I feel and attach. So it is important to our communication to be able to say "I feel . . ." or "I think . . . " instead of saying "You make me . . ." Pick up your own luggage. Others can't make you feel or think a certain way. Maybe that is a generalization, but torture aside, we think or feel something because we have luggage of our own.
Think about how you communicate. What does your luggage look like.

learning today
Trent

My first Blog

Hello and welcome to Trent's Soap Box. This is my first shot at blogging and I am excited about sharing my personal journey, what God is showing me and what I am learning in my Doctoral studies. I hope you'll read and share.

the question for today: Have you thought about your spiritual lineage and your spiritual journey? Can you write and share your testimony? Your testimony is so powerful because it is your story of God's leadership in your life. Prepare to share!