Server

Last weekend my family gathered at a restaurant for lunch. We were acknowledging by brother-in-laws birthday, without wanting to celebrate, because this is year one without my sister. It has been just over eight months since her death. Life goes on, and we are still here, and that is to say, it matters to be with each other, even if our time together is tinged with sadness. 

Upon entering the popular local restaurant, the hostess greeted us warmly and ushered us to a booth. Not long after this, a waitress came to our table and introduced herself, and then left, never to return to take our order. As time passed, my brother-in-law said something about her not returning. We watched her attend to customers at other tables, and she passed us by without a sideways glance, many a time. Growing slightly impatient, I stated, I wish we had a different server, and as she passed us yet again, I said, Excuse me. The waitress turned, lifted up her pointer finger to silence me, and stated, Give me a minute, I have to speak with my colleague, and almost immediately, we had us a new server, a very gracious and attentive waiter. 

This was a curiosity to me, and as our time in the restaurant went on, I considered the possibilities, of why the first server pawned our table off to another:

1. She was overrun and needed help

2. She was somehow offended by us

3. She wasn't feeling well and wanted to end her shift early 

In pondering these scenarios, I observed:

1. The restaurant was not at all busy when we arrived

2. Our exchange with the waitress was pleasant and easy, in other words, I could not think of any untoward occurrence in the brief span of time between her introducing herself and departing

3. She continued working the entire time we were there, and as the restaurant filled up, she served two tables adjacent to ours, the table directly behind, and several on the other side of the restaurant. She was busy, efficient, attentive, and quite capable of serving without any signs of illness or slowing down. 

So why the disregard and dismissal? Why make it clear to us that she was willing and able to do her job and serve others, but was unwilling, quite obviously, to serve us? 

What do you think of this behaviour, dear reader? My son stated, I would fire her on the spot, and I agreed with him. I ask you, Is it okay to pick and choose who gets service, and who does not? 

This did not sit well with me, in fact, it harkens back to the days when prejudice was openly displayed, and people were denied decency, disregarded as being beneath worthy of service. I tell you right now, the rest of the staff were extraordinarily gentile and hospitable, making this waitress appear shamefully wanting. After experiencing ostracization because of my stance against all things covid, I am not willing to ever again, put up with the nonsense of being deemed ineligible to be served. That woman is a WAITRESS, and we were at the RESTAURANT she earned a LIVING AT, as an EMPLOYEE ... she has no right to treat anyone the way she did, and I decided I wanted to say something. 

After stewing about this issue for a bit, I put a call into the restaurant manager; I learned her name is Courtney. During lunch, Courtney had been exceptionally gracious with my mother. My mother's meal was subpar, and after our amazing waiter noticed her not enjoying her food, he offered to replace it with something else. Shortly thereafter, the manager, Courtney, came to our table and reassured my mom, that she was very glad my mother had said something, and that they really wanted her to enjoy her experience. Courtney is the quintessential professional, and she went out of her way to let us know that she valued us as guests. 

When I called, I thanked Courtney for how sweet she had been with my mother, and I also shared that our service was amazing ... except for how our initial server treated us. Courtney apologized profusely, and while I told her that it wasn't her fault, she explained that she wants people in the neighbourhood to feel welcome and have a good experience from entry to exit. I appreciated this very much, and at the same time, I wanted to make it clear, how unacceptable it was for one of her serving staff, to treat customers with such obvious disdain. She understood and given her professionalism, I am confident she has already addressed the issue. 

Now, dear reader, all of the above was the backdrop, the set-up for what I am about to say and suggest. We simply must not tolerate this type of behaviour, because if we do, we are giving permission to prejudicial people to be extraordinarily rude, randomly unprofessional, and suggesting to them that it is okay for them to pick and choose whom they will condescend to serve. 

• What say you? 
• Do you agree? 

How would it be if perhaps, a city worker just doesn't like your house, and decides to leave your garbage curb-side, while picking up everyone else's all around you? Or what about a gas station attendant turning off the pump for number five, your pump, because your hair isn't parted just right, and he doesn't think you deserve to fill up? Or maybe, your child is brown eyed, and the triage nurse prefers blued eyed children, and only lets them in to see the doctor? Or maybe, you won't wear a mask, or get a "covid" injection, or socially distance, or maybe you are black, red headed, Chinese, caucasian or Indian, and you are denied this that and the other, because the person with the decision making power, deems you detestable and simply not worthy to look at, let alone serve? 

Dear reader, we are heading in this direction every time we tolerate rudeness from someone that ought to treat us kindly. I am not suggesting you become scrappy and retaliate, I am suggesting that we all serve one another with each others best interests at heart, and that we treat each other fairly and with the utmost respect, as image bearers of our Creator. 

I did not like what the waitress did, and I do believe that that was not her first time treating people this way, but I sure do hope it was her last time, because she needs to know that she not only insulted customers, she partially damaged and sullied the reputation of a local restaurant that has a lot of competition, and relies heavily on repeat business. The waitress wantonly indulged an urge to refuse service to patrons, and did not consider the ramifications of her arrogant actions. 

Not acceptable ... 

I never liked this restaurant - my brother-in-law had a gift card - but to the cooks credit, the meal I ordered was delicious and the service, once we had some, was stellar, but the bad taste in my mouth remains, because of this waitress. Manners and reputation are valuable assets in a wicked and weird world. Let's make sure we band together and work toward excellence with all we say and do when serving others, for their sake, and for humanity's sake as a collective. 

Nervous System

Dear reader, is your system, what equates with you being you, nervous? Do you often feel angst, dis-ease, a general sense of discomfiture and unsteadiness on a daily basis? 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27)

• Do the words of Jesus, the ones you just read, mean anything to you?  
• Do they somehow grab hold of the hidden part of your soul that longs for peace but as of yet, you haven't a clue how to discover that peace, pull it close, and hang on to it for dear life? 

Look again at the words of the Saviour, before he is crucified:

Peace I leave with you

My peace I give unto you

Not as the world giveth, give I unto you

Let not your heart be troubled

Neither let it be afraid

Sympathetic Nervous System - a definition taken from the internet

"Your sympathetic nervous system is best known for its role in responding to dangerous or stressful situations. In these situations, your sympathetic nervous system activates to speed up your heart rate, deliver more blood to areas of your body that need more oxygen or other responses to help you get out of danger."

Let us call this system Red Alert

Parasympathetic Nervous System - another definition taken from the internet

"Your parasympathetic nervous system is a network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger. It also helps run life-sustaining processes, like digestion, during times when you feel safe and relaxed. The informal descriptions for this system include the rhymes "rest and digest" or "feed and breed". Let us call this system Blue Balm

I ask you now to self-assess by scanning your life, your existence, to establish which system you most readily recognize as the one you experience most often. Both are natural and factory installed, meaning God gave us these automatic kick-in systems, that are utilized for our benefit, depending on the circumstances we face. When a system goes into Red Alert, it is a self-preservation mode, when Blue Balm is in affect, calm is the norm, and life becomes pleasurable because of the peace afforded to the individual. 

Before Jesus was crucified, he spoke two statements, a comparison, and a set of instructions: 

 

1. Peace I leave with you

2. My peace I give unto you

Not as the world giveth, give I unto you

1. Let not your heart be troubled

2. Neither let it be afraid

The Devil loves when we are in a heightened state of panic, in what I am calling Red Alert. He is keenly aware of the damage that we incur when were are chronically on edge and perpetually anticipating awful occurrences. Our sympathetic nervous system, recall, speeds up heart rate, and sends oxygen to the extremities for the possibility of fleeing or fighting. You may think all that bad news you soak up with your eyes and ears on social media isn't affecting your mental and physical well-being, and that you can handle what is happening, but your body may be telling you otherwise; your body may be signalling that it senses danger, and it must be prepared, just in case. 

Now let us look closely at the wise words of guidance from Jesus, without me quoting them again. He speaks of giving his followers peace, his peace, a type of peace that counters what the world would label as peace. He instructs us to not let our hearts be troubled, nor afraid, and to me, this is a Blue Balm, meaning an ointment, a soothing salve, for the soul. 

Funny how the men of this world propose that by killing those they perceive to be their enemies, peace will be the result. Interesting how Jesus the Christ, willingly died as the Prince of Peace at the hands of killers, of murderers, that did the Devils dirty work, and yet he speaks to his disciples of an out of this world peace, and for them not to be troubled or live in fear. Does this strike you as funny, and interesting too, dear reader, to see the difference, the diametrically different messengers and messages? 

Out of this world peace is heavenly, it is Blue Balm, an offering from The King

Dear reader, our world is dying and the killers roam freely. They want our sympathetic nervous systems to be cranked to the maximum and never turned off or switched over to the "rest and digest", "feed and breed" parasympathetic mode of restoration. 

Think with me. Endless news of the catastrophic variety with the environment being destroyed and humanity being blamed for being two prolific for the world to sustain us. Cancer and other deadly diseases, along with anxiety induced mental illnesses are commercialized along with the medications that people must take to stave off and control sickness. Politicians push and pull the populace as they finagle their way into minds and hearts, selling salvific solutions for problems they instigated. Violent videos flash in front of our eyes before we have a chance to choose to look away ... 

Rest, digest, feed, and breed ... God gave us commands, and they are so very lovely! God gave us natural rhythmic systems of wake-fullness, sleepiness, hunger and satiety, along with our urges to mate and make babies! How joyful and wonderful, to populate the earth with little ones. To get to my point more poignantly, we must, we simply must, take the time to figure out how to settle our collective nervous systems down, so that we are feeling safe and relaxed, no matter what is happening in the world and lives of those around us. Attending to our own well-being will benefit all. 

I speak to you from concern and a sense of understanding, as I recognize how very cognizant I must be, how aware and attentive I must choose to be, so that I am not living Red Alert as super imposed upon me by the enemies of my soul. I am doing my utmost to ensure that Blue Balm is the state I reside in most often; I know where my peace comes from, as someone that is in this world, but not of it. 

I will leave you with a suggestion for your reading time. Get your hands on neuroplasticity books. Your thinking can change your brain, and rewire your life. I have included pictures of the books I highly recommend. 

NOTE: I do not believe in evolution - scientists lean heavily in the direction of pushing this make-believe theory - AND I do believe that God's handiwork is displayed in all creation, with men being the quintessential creatures, brilliantly and masterfully crafted. 

You are a fabulous living and breathing being, and I pray for the peace of Christ to rule and reign in your mind, your heart, your body, and your very soul in this world and in the next, for all eternity. 

Five Forms of Government

The Greek philosopher Plato aptly stated there are five forms of government; I have listed them below. NOTE: an  internet search will reveal a slightly different list; go there to see for yourself. For simplicity I am using the list I heard spoken from a philosophy professor of old, to demonstrate what ought to be, and what we now see. 

Monarchy - one good man ruling citizens

Aristocracy - a small group of good men ruling citizens

Democracy - citizens ruling over themselves

Oligarchy - a small group of bad men controlling citizens

Tyranny - a wicked man oppressing and tyrannizing citizens

Before I go into where we ought to be in regarding governance format, I ask you, Where do you peg the people and the leadership or government we are currently experiencing? If you quickly replied, oligarchy, then we are in agreement. We are being dominated by a small group of bad, the very worst in fact, of controlling men. Is it not rather unfortunate, for one and all, that tyranny follows closely on the heels of oligarchy, if the list above is accurate as a warning for what is to come? 

Think now, history buff, whether you be of the faith or not, about the Israelites of old. They lived a monotheistic life; they depended upon One God, and he called them his chosen people. Unlike their pagan neighbours, the Israelites had the Creator as their Sovereign, their King, their majestic Monarch. As soon as the Israelites decided they wanted to be ruled just like nearby residents, they gave up the Goodly Godly Ruler, for many a wicked king, and man alive, did they suffer the consequences for this poor judgment call. How very unwise are men, when they forsake themselves and their families, by putting their trust in mere men, rather than believing in the One that made them, to rule and reign justly on their behalf? 

I stated in the last sentence that there have been some unwise decisions made, but I am going to up the name calling anti, to foolish. A fool believes that men have their best interests at heart. Fools turn their backs on God in favour of bowing down before feeble minded and foul men. And does it not serve them right, when they get exactly what they have asked for? 

While we move toward tyrannical rule, many still believe that they have a choice, and that they the people, have democratic obligation and opportunity, to select their governing body. I don't know about you, but I do not like to be ruled over. I like the law, as handed to us by God through Moses, iterated in Leviticus and reiterated in Deuteronomy, but I am really not keen on anyone telling me what I can and cannot do, except of course, as bidden by God through his Commandments, doctrines, principles and precepts. As soon as any guy or gal tries to insist otherwise, imposing their will rather than God's just law, I get a little irritable. In more obvious words, I am letting you know, that I do not appreciate the many massive headed full of themselves oligarchs, and the one popular vote soon to be tyrant, thinking they can do as they wish and want; believing they won't get any resistance from God's people. 

God's people have always objected to the devils spawn imposing on them. God's children refuse to bow and bend before men, because they will not forsake the living God: we would rather die than succumb. We watch, we see, we know the direction we are all going in. The oligarchs are savages. They are treacherous and arrogant, and consider themselves to be untouchable. Phooey, they are just plain old dumb: don't they know how things turned out for their bigger than life and soon dead, predecessors? 

Matthew Henry made a poignant point, that I do not quote directly, but only give you a sense of: a man can own (Bill Gates) millions of acres in title and deed while he is alive, but takes up the space of one tiny grave site, once death takes his last breath. 

Dear reader, a man or woman whose mouth overflows with the bullsh*t that baffles, bewitches, and belittles brains, will one day be disabled from uttering one more word, while their tongue lies inept and speechless in their very dead, head. 

I stated in the beginning of this piece of writing that I would indicate where we ought to be as a people. I vote for God as our King, our Monarch, our Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Ghost Ruler. This is not the popular vote of course, and the majority prefers the creepy oligarchs, and they will ultimately pay with their lives eternally, for nudging and applauding the final tyrant into his damnable place as wicked oppressor. 

Now you may not be a religious sort, and perhaps The Bible is mockable in your sight, but that just means you have yet to learn what is really happening. The Bible foretells, meaning it has predictions or prophecies imbedded in the most obvious of ways for seekers to stumble upon and consider. What is happening is old news, already written about ... history is unfolding for us in "real time" but was already in existence long before you and I spoke our first mumma and dadda. As Solomon said, over and over again in the book of Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun. 

By the way, we cannot vote for God, that is just plain old silly. God rules and reigns whether we agree with him or not. Human, he made you, and he will take you out too. 

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape (Thessalonians 5:3)

Tippy Toe Fabulous

Maggie: I'm going to buy us lattes for our trip 

Me: Ok, one day won't hurt me (I am sensitive to dairy)

We are in Maggie's vehicle and she orders into the TV like screen that you can speak into, Two regular lattes. At the window, Maggie pays, and I sip. Almost instantaneously, fake flavouring hits my tastebuds, and shoots headache warning signals through my sinus' straight to my left temple. I tell her, That tastes nasty, like marshmallow (I like marshmallow), like chemicals - I can't drink that. She sips too, and scrunches up her face in disgust. She paid over ten dollars, which was a shocker for her, only for us to both be put off and disappointed. 

What follows has me admiring my friend greatly. She is bound and determined to replace these pathetic excuses sold as lattes, for the real deal. 

Maggie: If I pay for something as a treat, I want it to be right

Me: Normally I would out of politeness, choke down the drink, so that you weren't out money. I just can't do it. 

Maggie: I'm going to another McDonald's (we were heading toward the highway) and they are replacing these, without the flavour shots! It's the principle of the thing

Me: I admire your attitude

On the road, Maggie looks for the golden arches signage, and spots one. We pull off the highway and she talks into that TV like screen, and shares with the disembodied speaker voice, what she wants.

Disembodied Voice: I'm sorry, we don't sell lattes here

Maggie: Okay ... and as she pulls away from the building, she says to me, What kind of McDonald's doesn't have lattes? This cracks me up, because determination and Maggie go hand in hand, and nothing is going to stop her from getting those lattes!

We are back on the highway, and on the hunt.

Maggie: Is that a McDonalds?, is that a McDonalds? She says this while she steers into an exit that leads to a gas bar and En Route restaurants. They have a Wendy's, and I suggest maybe we try to get them to exchange our fraudulent lattes for the real deal. We both laugh, as she continues the completion of our semi-circle, in, and then out, minus a remedy for our drink situation. We are on the road once more. 

You would think, dear reader, that the time and effort required to replace the drinks purchased, would be considered as a trade off for new ones, meaning, aren't we spending extra time and money to replace or fix what is broken? I admit, i would have poured out my drink, absorbed the cost, and shrugged off the disappointment, forgetting about it almost immediately. I also admit, that this attitude may be the very one, that has helped with the drop in our expectations of excellence, for and from one another. Have we become accustomed to mediocrity, to the point of not even noticing how it has taken over our thinking, diminishing our desire to want and have, the very best for ourselves, and for others too? Maggie is teaching me a lesson, and she is exactly right: it is the principle of the thing!

We have arrived in Mississauga, and I spot the gold coloured M ... I point it out and Maggie beelines toward it. She will get us those lattes, and we will enjoy them too! We are at the familiar talking screen, and Maggie explains our dilemma (it feels hyperbolic to call our situation a dilemma, or a situation for that matter - it felt more like a mission at this point!). The woman at the window understands we did not purchase our drinks at this location, and needs to speak to a manager. Maggie is muttering, sotto voce, You're a McDonalds ... she is fugitively getting ready for a feisty argument if the employees dare to refuse her replacement request. 

We hear confirmation, that yes indeed, two frothy hot lattes will await us at the service window. Not only that, but as we pass the ladies at the window our old poisonous original versions of the drink, and Maggie begins to explain again what happened, the manager is very comforting and reassuring, It is okay, we give you the drinks, it is okay, giving us a sense that we were not only heard, but understood too. 

Maggie is a petite and adorable creature. She is a stellar human being, and despite her stature, she tippy toe reaches for the top shelf. She will climb to the top and look at the view from there and always see and want the very best, not only for herself, but for everyone she holds near and dear in her life. I have seen her repeatedly, ask others to step-up, to not only try but actually do their very best. She never stops short of fabulous and I do believe, that in relationship with Maggie, her iron sharpens mine. 

Our lattes were absolutely delicious, and worth the effort that turned into a fun game for both of us, and as I stated previously, a lesson for me. 

Cheers to Maggie, and all the people that along the way, show us to not only expect the best, but to strive for excellence in all we do. 

NOTE: I often fib to myself that one day of dairy isn't going to hurt me: invariably it causes congestion sinus headaches because hello, if a person is sensitive to something, it does't just go away because we pretend it will! Dairy consumption affects me, period.  

Getting Away With It

You didn't think you could get away with that, did you?

I said these words while looking in the mirror after weighing myself this morning. Then I laughed, recalling what I ate yesterday while on a road trip with a fun loving most excellent friend. 

Bulbous noses, veiny and red; raisin wrinkly faces; circular midsections; slumped shoulders: the body gives us tell tale signs of the activities we engage in. Just when we think we may have gotten away with something, as in, drank too much over the years, causing the nose to become a beacon telling the world a person is an alcoholic; or perhaps an overly wrinkled face suggesting a person is a wine imbiber, or maybe someone's midsection extends out and away from the rest of their body, letting others know that eating is a past-time, or slumped shoulders as a give away that a backpack has been camel carried for year after heavy year, we realize, the body cannot tell a lie, cover up what we have done, or fake out the eyes of others. Now think, dear one, about sin ... You didn't think you could get away with that, did you?

Sin is insidious 

Sin is insidious. One tiny little sin may irk the sinner, cause them some pause after the fact, having them feel a little shame, regret, and even remorse, and this might be enough soulful stinging to stop them from repeating the offence. To use the body again as an example: One alcoholic drink may give a buzz to the brain, making the drinker desire another. If one is added to the next and the next, the day after may be a head hurting, stomach revolting mess. Becoming an alcoholic takes a lot of practice, with one binge event followed by many more, to get the drinkers tolerance up to the point where they can be a wreck, and still semi-function, or in some cases, fully-function, the next day. Rinse and repeat this methodology, for decades, and a Rudolph red and veiny nose may be the telltale result. 

I had some girlfriends years back that loved their wine, and could drink close to a bottle in one evening. Massive wine glasses were all the rage, and when I think about it, a 750 ml bottle of wine is only three glasses: polishing one of them off in one go would be an easy feat and become habitual, if one wasn't very carefully aware and mindful of consumption. Back then, my friend's faces had up and down, vertical wrinkles ... they had begun the transformation into resembling the dried version of grapes ... raisin like wrinkles lined their skin. 

Reversibility 

The battle of the bulge is a common one for rich and fast food societies. Yesterday I was able to drink a regular latte, eat rice crackers, pad tai, some chocolate, all while sitting comfortably on my duff, burning pretty much zero calories the whole day. In fact, I burned 37 calories and only took 1224 steps according to my phone tracker! Thus, my increased weight, and my accusatory look myself in the mirror comment, You didn't think you could get away with that, did you? Now the very good news, dear reader, is the reversibility of our outcomes: I will return to my healthy habits today, and that too, will be reflected in my weight, tomorrow. Course correcting affords us the opportunity to put an end to the progression of decline. We can choose differently, and when we do, our bodies show the results of our healthful activities.

 

Backpacks and electronics

I will address the slumped shoulders now, because we are seeing young children bending their necks and backs in unnatural ways that will eventually cause injury. Backpacks and electronic device usage are the culprits, and I must tell you that looking down at the ground with shoulders rounded forward, and heads dropped at strange angels, influences how a person feels about themself. Posture has a great impact on our sense of self-worth, and our young ones are not being told, shoulders back, head and chin up, look straight ahead, and this: look people in the eye. Adults very rarely greet one another in passing anymore, and children have taken to the same pattern, of seemingly not even noticing that others exist! I know some amazing children that have meet and greet attitudes, because their parents are gregarious and friendly, and this is how it ought to be, dear one. We must make an effort with one another, seeing each other and saying, Hello, Good Morning, Good Evening, Nice day ... something, to let one another know that we notice each other.  

When I think of sin, and how it runs interference in relationship, how it divides a couple, parents and their children, or whole groups from other groups, I see how calculated it is to affect, to destroy, to devastate. Sin as insidious sneaky serpentine slithering monster, creeps into thinking, sips from inky darkness, snakes from the tongue and next, poisons one, then two, then four and more with its venom. If this resonates as true for you, then perhaps it is time to address your own sin.

I did not shine flood lights on worldly sin, pointing an accusatory finger at those that love to take the stage in front of microphones. That fruit is hanging so low to the ground that it will drop and rot rapidly on its own ... I don't need to shout out what the wicked ones are doing daily to destroy themselves and their families; most of us see it already. I am looking at myself, and asking you to look at yourself too, because dear reader, we can't get away with our own sin, it is impossible. God sees all:

Am I a God near at hand, says the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the LORD; Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD (Jeremiah 23:23-24)

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. In this you have done foolishly, therefore from now on you shall have wars. Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at this time (2 Chronicles 16:9-10)

Sin is a separator

There are people whose hearts are loyal to God and when they sin, they can barely stand being in their own skin; when they repent, they ask God for the strength to sin no more. Then there are people like Asa that become angry when they hear they do not have God's favour, because they oppose him by indulging their lusty desire - this type of person will punish messengers, take out their rage by oppressing innocent people, and always be at war with God and men. 

Think now with me, about clinging to that sin of yours, and how it wreaks havoc in your relationships, how you would prefer to do dastardly deeds, rather than be close to people that admire, love, and want to intimately relate with you. Can you see how sin is a separator, from God and from godly relationships? 

Dear reader, none of us can get away with anything untoward. If you don't learn from humanities history books, I sure do hope that you learn from your own genealogical past and present. Sin is often a generational legacy, and if you don't stop it from being passed on to your next of kin, who, pray tell, will? 

Fast Like Bunny

Have you ever raced ahead, dear reader, as though you were able to outrun God, maybe get to that finish line first and figuratively, shove him out of the way as you pass him? The thought makes me laugh as utterly ridiculous ... and yet ...

I have a lot of energy, and I am fast like bunny. I used to run outdoors with a good friend that I thought was slow, at first: I learned quickly, she wasn't slow, I was too 

fast. Shortly into a run, I would say, I gotta walk. Eventually, she was my pacer, my slow and steady wins the race running partner, and I discovered the only way to keep up, was to slow down. I needed an outside of me monitor, someone that knew this truth: The race, is not to the swift:

Ecclesiastes 9:11

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 

How annoying! This wisdom, the one from Solomon, is informative:

• Fast bunnies don't always beat slow turtles
• Flexed and massive muscles may not matter against the scrawny and seemingly weak
• Wise people may suffer hunger 
• Men of understanding aren't promised riches
• Skilled men aren't guaranteed favor, and;
• Time and chance happen to all of us - we are all subject to aging and decaying, plus the feeling of happenstance, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or right place at the right time

Now if I were a pessimistic sort of person, I might shrug my shoulders and say, Why bother, if effort doesn't change my "fate"; maybe I need not run, need not grow my physical, mental, financial, skillful muscles. If this indeed was the approach I had to this existence, it would be a spiritual statement: that winning in this life is all that matters; being the fastest, strongest, wisest, richest, most talented, able to beat the odds like no one else can, to win against the wiles of time and the uncertainty of chance. But I am not a pessimist, I am, a believer. 

I believe that God made me, and that while I did not get godly leadership from the world, I tried desperately hard to lead myself, run to catch up, and at times, thought God was far to slow, meandering even. Lately, as my outside in moderator, he has taken me from a fast like bunny pace, to a slow as a snail glide. Even writing this has me hunching my back, as I try to hide from the truth, that man alive, any and all capability I have to run, to walk, to crawl, to stay still, come from him! 

Ability is a gift from God, dear reader. How delightful?! 

Realizing that all blessings, including learning that I am not the boss of me, are from the hand of God, is humbling. The lights in the sky, the air we breath, my ability to type my thoughts and your ability to soul brush with my concepts and perhaps agree ... feel the same spirit of godly love, is astounding. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with the psychical realm, and yet it impacts how we feel in our bodies. How magnificent, that thought and then our senses, are positively and gloriously impacted! I practice these words of wisdom, and I want them to be my daily reminder, to keep my eyes on what God wants me to see. 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8)

And, I shall.

Benchmark

Years ago, I read that three months is a benchmark amount of time to see results for consistent and regular exercise. When I discovered weight training, I was enthralled and miffed at the same time. It felt so good to strengthen my muscles and I wondered, Why didn't anyone tell me about this long ago? Why did I have to stumble upon the feel good benefits of fitness? This should have been a part of my everyday life, for goodness sake! It ought to be a part of everyone's life ... more fitness, less 

lazing about and eating non, pretend foods, that pollute the mind and body and cause any number of maladies. 

Caramilk centre sweetness

The gym became my haven, a seemingly secret world populated by very few people compared to the populace, that had discovered the Caramilk centre sweetness of life (years ago, there were commercials about Cadbury Caramilk chocolate bars, and I borrow the imagery ... how does one insert caramel into the centre of a square, that bursts in the mouth with delicious flavour, once the outside sealed chocolate enclosure is bitten into?) Consider the mind as the sweetest part of the body, and the shell, our bodies, as the outside protective shield that preserves us, maintains our integrity, and gives us the capability to move and live for daily adventures, and mundane tasks too. Your body craves movement and activates the brain. I speak from experience; I am not a neuroscientist. I am an advocate for those that know they must do something to improve their sense of self-control and well-being, and fitness is the vehicle to achieve these goals. 

Hula hooping

I am just past the three week mark of daily hula hooping. Some days, while on the phone, I spend one to two hours swinging that weighted thing around my waist while chatting. My clothes fit better, and I can see my abdominal muscles returning. My weight has gone down very gradually, and because of the wisdom I am afforded with age, I understand that incremental change is more valuable than a drastic drop. Our bodies try to protect us from extreme alterations: you have heard of homeostasis? We are built to maintain and this is why three months of consistent effort, is so worth while. If you endeavour to add lean calorie burning muscle to your body, you must take your most excellent medicine in the form of fitness and wholesome eating. There is no other way that will satisfy, and give you a sense of accomplishment. Time and effort in, equates with results; these are the facts. 

Think, then take action

An inside out approach to life is what we must work toward, meaning we must think about what we want, followed by a reasonable plan to complete the tasks required to get to where we say we want to be, without short cuts or cheating. Ozempic is now the weight loss drug of choice, and from what I have heard, it does, like most pharmaceuticals, more damage than good. If weight loss is the only goal, then I guess the quick fix will suit the impatient among us, but if efficacy and a sense of self-control in choosing the good for us over the bad is part of the plan, then a wise and prudent person will take one day at a time, measuring the pain and pleasure as valuable, with every workout and weigh in. NOTE: I know that Ozempic is considered a drug for diabetics ... and we all know that people take drugs for numerous reasons, and not all of them are "medicinal", thus the abuse of the body via poisons and potions concocted by drug pushers that make their millions from susceptible and sometimes desperate consumers. 

What am I really saying, you ask? This is it, dear reader. 

Exercise, daily. Eat food, not "fun stuff" that is flaked and reformed and grotesquely coloured, resembling a painters palate. Drink water, or blended whole fruit and vegetable juices that you have made, instead of odd chemical concoctions that bubble and fizz when the lid is removed and the liquid hits your tongue. Eat whole foods that you have to prepare with your own hands, in your own kitchen. Come on now, you have time to go to a restaurant, peruse the menu, order, wait for someone to bring you your "food" after some bubba in the kitchen has done all the chopping and compiling for you, followed by looking over that desert menu and ordering something overpriced and artery and heart damaging and waiting for that too, and next, waiting for the big bill ... Perhaps, worse than the scenario you just read, you know exactly what to order and lickety-split, it is in front of you and hoovered down in no time at all, because you frequent the joint so often you have the menu memorized. YIKES!

I add to my YIKES ... WHY? 

• Why would you do this to yourself? 
• Why wouldn't you take all that time and go to the produce section of the grocery store, after planning some healthy, nutrient dense meals? 
• What about your body? how do your joints feel? 
• Are your clothes cutting off your circulation? 
• Do you feel tired most of the time? 
• When you walk, are your thighs rubbing together, wearing out your pants, or are you perhaps hiding under oversized clothes that were loose only a month ago, but seem to have "shrunk" since then? 
• How about that self-esteem of yours? 
• Are you feeling confident or perhaps, a whole lot of self-conscientiousness?

Part One

Dear reader, I can describe how you feel so well, because I have been there! All my life I was on the slim side, until I started putting on weight while working at a young offenders open custody facility. Eating the food cooked for the residents had me packing on pounds. Fortunately for me, I was invited to a fitness class by an instructor friend, and when I went, I thought I was going to pass out from the effort. Older overweight people were able to keep up, but young and unfit me felt like I was close to death with every side step and arm lift. I became determined to turn things around, and the gym became my home away from home, and in no time, I knew I wanted to help others feel great too, so I became a personal trainer and fitness instructor, and have enjoyed this work since 1996. NOTE: I no longer work as an instructor. 

Part Two

Here is the second half of the story. I was extremely fit, and then I was pregnant. I admit to having gained forty-three pounds, but I do believe there was a little more on me than that! I wasn't even hungry, I just felt fat, and kept eating, even things that did not agree with me. My son weighed 7.11, and I weighed far too much for my bone structure. Returning to the gym was necessary, but man alive, I didn't fit into any of my clothes, and had to resort to wearing my husband's t-shirts (we are no longer married). He was a slim guy, and those shirts were tight across my bulging tummy. It wasn't just pregnancy weight I had gained: it was chocolate weight ... 

When I returned to the gym, those adorable girls in the fitness classes I attended looked so great that I wanted to reclaim that fitness feeling, and the body that had served me so well when I fell in love with the gym and became a gym rat. It took some time, but because I knew what I was working toward, the energy, effort and time, were well worth the investment. I am finding the same to be true now. Three weeks, will turn into six, then nine and eventually, that three month mark will arrive. 

Time passes whether or not you choose to workout. If you decide to become fit, in three months you will see results. If you decide to continue doing as you have done that has caused weight gain, you will get similar results, and perhaps you will have the added expense of having to head on over to a store or two to buy baggy clothes, once again. If I sound harsh, then know this: it is for the love of God and his people that I speak truth, so that we can freely move and be all that he has made us to be, and not trapped and immobilized in the skin we are in. 

Fit mind, fit body, more confident choices. It is that simple. 

Doggy Paddling & Escaping Fire?

And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died (Genesis 7:21:22)

The flood, dear reader, must have been quite surprising. Could the ancients swim? I imagine they could, and a little more naturally than most of us. I learned how to swim in a massive pool, and almost drowned twice, despite being "instructed". My older sister saved me both times, praise be to God. Where, pray tell, were the paid swimming instructors while I sputtered in the water after being forced to jump into the deep end off the very high diving board? Okay enough about me, I am safe on solid currently non-wet ground - let's return to the ancients. 

The urge to enter water is natural, and learning how to swim instinctive, especially when introduced gradually. When you can walk in, feeling the gentleness or intensity of waves, and choose your wading pace, becoming accustomed and acquainted with the ebb and flow will teach the senses how to respond. Arms are employed to keep us afloat when we are in neck deep, and a wave threatens to wash over us. Comparing learning in a pool to learning in the ocean helps us see how drastic the one is over the other: babies play at the sandy edges of the salty ocean, while adults have the confidence to go further away from terra firma into the deep. What a metaphor this brings us to, dear reader. The purity and delight of little children, completely unaware of the dangers of the deep, juxtaposed with adults choosing to swim out far and away from solid ground toward their own destruction, with spring waters raising them up, and rainy water driving them down, until they could doggy paddle no more, and died in a watery grave. 

The heavens opened and store houses of rain poured forth. The springs of the earth spilled from their encasements and boarders: if you were in a boat, dear reader, it wouldn't have to have holes in it to sink, if the water from above filled up your vessel, and the waters from below, wave after relentless wave, entered into the space you occupied. 

Did people get alarmed by the rain, something they had never seen before? In panic, did they head for the hills, since their towns and homes were suddenly and rapidly filling with streams of water? How about trees? Did they think to themselves, run, let us run to the nearby forest, and climb as fast as we can to wait this out? As the water rose and rain dropped and deluged simultaneously, covering the earth and first killing the low to the ground creeping things, and next all of the animals, followed by resourceful humans, were there screams of terror amidst gasps for air as their lungs filled with liquid? Did anyone take charge? and say, This way, follow me, I have a solution! 

Dear reader, we have waded neck deep into sticky coat the world red blood. The things I have heard recently give me sleepless nights. I awake desperately praying, alarmed, panicked, and wondering if there is an escape for the masses that have committed heinous sins that I cringe at the thought of ... sins that God sees! My goodness, I cannot un-see much to my chagrin, and God sees every single one! If we truly are living as in the days of Noah, we are heading for purification by fire. God will burn the dross, and refine the gold, the godly, those that love him and want his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Flood, fire ... drowning, burning. Are these far fetched ways of dying? I told you I almost drown twice, but my sister, always protective of me, saved me. I knew several people that had survived being burned, and perhaps you know someone too? The kind of flooding, the kind of firing I am on about, are universal, impacting the whole world and all its creatures. Just like water, fire can be destructive: when it rages and flames lick up and incinerate everything and everyone in its path, it does not consider who or what, it just plain old burns to ashes all before it. 

Noah and his wife, their three sons and three wives, were a human remnant. Imagine that, one man and his family:

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot : Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 6:9-10)

Compare, or juxtapose what The Bible states about Noah in God's sight, to this:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thought of the heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. So the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:5-8)

O my, this is in Genesis, the first book of The Bible. God wiped out whole populations because he couldn't stand what he saw and clearly, was disgusted by the despicableness. I ask you, do you feel similarly? Are you repulsed by what you are seeing and hearing? Have you ever wanted the wicked to shut their mouths and keep their dirty filthy hands off of the innocent? 

God created all of everything and we choose how we treat one another and what he has generously provided for us. Whether we kid-glove handle things and people with care and concern, or manhandle to the point of mishandling and strangling, is clearly up to us: while God sees ALL. God decides how much is enough, while giving us plenty of time to repent. And, AND, dear reader, we are forewarned, that a time is coming when Justice will not be ignorable or escapable, Revelation 19:11-16:

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He has a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written: 

KING OF KINGS 

AND LORD OF LORDS

Only Christians look forward to the arrival of this day. Only God's saints are thrilled at the prospect of all wickedness, debauchery, and blood shed, coming to a final end. I shared a snippet of what the end of humanity on earth looks like, and you can do what many before have done: ask God to give you wisdom and understanding. Pick up a Bible, a King James or New King James Bible, and Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible, and learn first hand what has been, what will be, what to expect and anticipate. It isn't up to mere murky smirky minded men to determine your now and future, it is up to you to educate yourself and choose rightly, for the sake of your own soul and the souls of the next generation. 

One way or another, you and I will die. I know where I am going after my spirit departs from the shell I currently reside in. Do you know your eternal destination? 

It Isn't Just Me

Oh good, it isn't just me. This was my thought after reading the following:

The best saints find themselves dull, and dead, and slow, and therefore pray to God to quicken them, an except taken from Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible, page 751.

Grief has snuck up on me once again. Thoughts of my sister flood in, with her moving about and being her full of antics self. The images would make me grin if it weren't for the flood of tears that soak my face. I grieve too, for a marriage that died early on the vine, despite how long my former husband and I were a couple. Gone too soon, sister; ended too early and not soon enough, romantic love? 

I haven't been able to get it together, so to speak. I haven't been able to shake inertia, which is always a symptom for me of sorrow unattended. I feel dull, dead, and slow ... with no where to go, and why go anywhere? When death comes to visit and wants to have a  terrible tete a tete, who am I to walk away? I must converse, I must stay, and hear it's garbled grotesque message. Thief, you dirty rotten thief, that is what I want to yell to the deafening silence, but I don't want anyone to hear for fear of disturbing their peace too; my family has their own grief, and timing to express it. 

It isn't just me. I know it isn't just me: others feel this too. Some days we carry on as though nothing is amiss, as though nothing has changed and yet it has, and we cannot get back what was, no matter how we try to reconfigure things in our thinking to accommodate the desire for a different outcome. I can't, I just cannot get people back, pull them close and say, Let's do this again, shall we? 

Why ask for a quickening when I am dealing with the harsh reality of death, of departing, of the close of life, of relating, with one, two, three, or more people that float in the peripheral vision of my minds eye as reminders of love had, and love lost too? The never agains come a calling with death: they are ugly twins. 

My son wisely said these words, years ago: Life goes on. He did not coin the phrase, but it has echoed and reverberated in my memory when I need it the most, to remind me that while I am here, there is a reason, and that feeling dull, dead, and slow, is part of being alive in a world gone mad, even if it feels like I am swooning and disengaging. Grief is like that; it makes us feel like we are coated in molasses, disabled from moving about and perhaps a little exhausted from trying to. 

Today I grieve. It is different from just plain old crying. Grief interrupts everything and demands attention. Ignoring it only makes it more demanding, and one simply cannot run and hide, not for very long that is. 

It isn't just me ... isn't that right, dear reader?

When my younger sister entered the dying area of the hospital to be with us while we stood bedside, while my older sister's soul still remained in her body, she made me proud. She wailed loudly, her soul crying out for mercy. She didn't give a damn who heard her ... she could not help herself, and that, dear one, is what sorrow ought to look and feel like. Death, the dirty rotten thief, must be greeted as an enemy; by God in heaven, people have yet to understand this, since platitudes and well wishes of RIP are the stupid minded norm of thoughtless people, that have yet to learn that never again is forever. 

May the peace of Christ be yours, dear one. It is the only peace that works as salve for the soul. To live, truly is Christ, and to die, is gain ... this means I live past the life Jesus saved me from (my sins are forgiven) to live the life he saved me for ... eternity, with my Redeemer. 

While people die, the Redeemer lives and grants us what we do not deserve: forever in his Presence when we belong, to him. That, is the quickening. 

I Am A Christian

I am a Christian. I declare this to be true but what of it, if I don't speak and live like one? What does this declaration mean and how does it matter, if my mind is not transformed and tracking in The Way? 

One of my greatest challenges is this command, found in Matthew 5:44-46

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

I have always wanted to obey the commandments, but the how to part has been difficult, since my inclinations run along the lines of, I hope those dirty bastards get what's coming to them ... Red faced, I have to look down and away, kicking the dirt at my feet rather than looking heavenward, because I know that I know this is not what God wants for one of his children. He doesn't want us to retaliate in hate, disgust, or despair. He does not play favourites, and he is just, so we are told this:

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19)

Yesterday, I read this prayer on page 750, in Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible:

Lord, deliver me from my persecutors, either tie their hands or turn their hearts, break their power or blast their projects, restrain them or rescue me, for they are stronger than I am, and it will be thy honour to take part with the weakest. 

I chuckle as I compare this saintly approach, taken from the life of king David and written about by Matthew Henry (based on Psalm 142), and the one I took from a page in my own book! Clearly, I have some work to do.

When I look to the skies, wanting to see into heaven, and I can't get past the smearing that has been placed there purposefully by pilots polluting the air with chemicals, I am diligent in my prayers, and this is how they tend to go:

Lord, Thank-You for today. The sun, the moon, the air, water, and land, are all yours. Everything and everyone belongs to you. Please thwart the plans of the wicked. I pray the pilots can't take off, that there are mechanical malfunctions, and that whatever they have done to cause damage thus far, turns to harmless vapour. Lord, redeem them, and if they will not turn from their sins, I pray for their disablement, so that they cannot continue in their wicked work ... 

Dear reader, I want people protected from persecutors and predators, and I trust that God hears my pleas and will act, according to his will, way, and perfect timing. While there is breath, there is hope of repentance for all of us, including those that hate humanity and are hell bent on hurting and killing as many people as they possibly can. 

I am a Christian, and if you are one too, then you love the Word of God, and you will ask God to reform you in every way, so that you are an image of Jesus on earth. From the cross, he spoke these words:

Luke 23:34

Then said Jesus, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots

• Was he praying only for the soldiers before him, or for everyone, then, and now? 
• Would you put Jesus on the cross, and gamble for his raiment/clothing? 
• Would you do to him what he would never do to you? 
• If he asks the Father to forgive us, and tells us to love, bless, do good, and pray for our enemies, is that not what we must do, to be children of the living God? Is this not precisely, what Jesus did for all the world, when he died for our sins?

People don't always know what they are doing and how catastrophic the results will be after they engage in certain thoughts that turn into actions that have long term consequences. The forgive them, for they know not what they do, pertains to each human being that derails, driving a wedge between them and the Father in heaven that loves them. Have you done this very thing, dear reader? gone against God's commands and found yourself in a heap of trouble?

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

It is easy to love those that love us, but much harder to love our enemies unto Christ. Matthew Henry's commentary helps me immensely, to understand the how to part of being a Christian. We want redemption, not ruin for our fellow humans, and when we look to the love that Christ displays for us, we must humble ourselves and ask to be as merciful and gracious as the Saviour.