Honest Effort

Let’s be honest. Or is that even possible?

I ask that question because of my own self-doubt. And why do I doubt myself you ask? Because as hard as I try and as important as honesty is to me, if I take a hard look back at my life, I can see that I often fail. Sometimes it’s just little things, like telling someone I’m too busy to do what they want me to do when in reality I just don’t want to do it. Or I might have told somebody they look nice when the truth is they look like they just got ran over by a mac truck. Or perhaps (and I’ve done this more than once), I “spin the truth” to make the story more entertaining, or to make myself look better, or just to be funny. But the truth is, no matter how you spin it… it’s not the truth, unless it’s nothing but the whole truth, so help you God!

And there’s the problem. I can hide the truth from somebody, which is something I did recently, which I feel absolutely horrible about, which totally sucks, which makes me so mad at myself, which is why I am writing this message. But I can’t ever hide the truth from God!

So why not just be truthful at all times, about everything? If we were always truthful my guess is, we would be a lot happier. But it simply isn’t that easy. Try it sometime. Try going just one week without telling any type of small lie, big lie, white lie, or half-truth. Don’t exaggerate, spin, or embellish anything you say. Can’t do it? That’s okay. Try to complete one day of total honesty first. Once you have one day down, you might be able to turn it into two days. And if you keep at it and focus on it, you might make it up to a week. Who knows, maybe a month! The point is… if you focus on being honest, you’ll recognize it when you’re not… and recognizing the problem is the first step towards fixing it.

I believe in the importance of honesty and integrity and have worked hard at it and preached it my whole life. But in the interest of full disclosure, I fully admit that I have failed at times. The good news is… I recognize the problem and I’m working on fixing it. The great news is… with God all things are possible!

A lie gets halfway around the world 

before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.

~ Winston Churchill

Stairway to Heaven

I like to think of myself as a fairly clever person when it comes to fixing things or solving problems. You know, kind of a MacGyver type of guy. But sometimes I realize I just can’t fix everything, and that can be frustrating. Unless I remember to look at it in the right light!

Recently I was working on a Pole Inspection Project in San Diego. It was getting late in the day, but the 20 light poles in the front parking lot were easy to work on and that part of the job went smooth. However, when I went to the rear parking lot, the poles were mounted on top of a retaining wall along a slope, which I could immediately see was going to be a problem.

My job is to inspect the metal at the base of each pole. Unfortunately, the base of the first pole was out of my reach. No problem. I grabbed an empty bucket out of my truck, flipped it upside down and stood on it. The next two poles were slightly higher, so the bucket trick didn’t work. No problem. I pulled my truck close to each one, flipped the tail gate down and stood on it. The next two poles were even higher. No problem. I flipped the tail gate down, put the bucket on top of it, and then stood on the bucket.

Then came the last two poles, which were even higher and completely out of my reach. It was getting late, the sun was going down, and I was getting really frustrated because to leave the job and come back a different day with a ladder would erase all my profit. But I couldn’t come up with a solution. So I packed up my tools and started to drive away. That’s when I noticed a maintenance shed in the rear of the complex. I got out, took a quick look around, and found a broken old wooden ladder laying on the ground. With a little bit of duct tape and a few wood screws, I had that ladder back in action and finished the job just as the parking lot lights came on. I admit the ladder was shaky and probably not that safe as I climbed each rung, but it felt good to get to the top and finish the job.

And that got me thinking… I am not a perfect person and I make a lot of mistakes, which I am sure does not make God happy with me. But if I can get just a little better, a little wiser, a little more clever each day, slowly climbing up that spiritual ladder that leads to heaven… I am pretty sure there will be a bright light at the top!

I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday!

~ Anonymous

The Shape of Things to Come

For the past 13 months, I haven’t been able to hug a single one of my four children or six grandchildren. I never in my life thought that would be an issue, but then I never in my life imagined I would be living through a worldwide pandemic that has killed nearly 3 million people worldwide so far. And just here in the United States alone more than 560,000 people have died.

It has been a game changing year for me for sure. I no longer worry about getting tickets to go see a ball game, I just want a ticket to go see my family. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel now that vaccines are available, and I did get to go see three of my grandkids over the weekend. I didn’t get to hug them, but I did get to stand out in the front yard and talk with them and one of them had a surprising request for me!

My 13-year-old granddaughter, Andie Rose, asked me if I would break in her new baseball glove for her. She and I have played catch before and apparently, she really likes it because she got herself a brand-new Rawlings HFP12 baseball glove. How cool is that!

I took her glove home so I could oil it, rub it, place a baseball in it, and then drive over it with my truck. That may sound strange but it’s a great way to stretch out the leather and form a nice pocket in the webbing. Then the secret is to play a lot of catch so the glove molds to your hand. You want to be able to squeeze it, but it’s got to be able to hold its shape.

And that got me thinking… Everything we experience in life is helping to shape us and mold us. We may be suffering through a life changing pandemic that feels like we’re getting run over by a truck, but I truly believe we will come out better and stronger when its over. And I may not be able to hug my little Andie Rose right now, but I can still help mold her and shape her by being a smiling and positive example for her even in the tough times. Come to think of it, how could I not smile… when two of the things I love most… come together!

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

~ Jackie Robinson

Vow #10 - "I Will Always Maintain Contact With My Creator"

I do not remember the exact day that it occurred, but somewhere along the path of my life I made a conscious decision to make talking with God a daily ritual in my life. I had so many bad habits at the time that I decided I could at least develop one good habit… and so I did. That habit has stayed with me to this day. Sometimes, even when I am working on a Monday Message, I will stop and ask for help and I seem to always receive inspiration.

Through triumph and despair, love and heartbreak, ecstasy and pain, applause and rejection, success and failure, I can always light up my attitude and renew my strength with a simple prayer. Prayer doesn’t have to be a long-drawn-out difficult process. For me, most times it is simply a heartfelt conversation with someone I love and trust. Sometimes, the fewer the words, the better the prayer.

I know that God hears what my heart speaks. Better yet, I know that God listens and cares!

Watch your thoughts; they become words. 

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny!