So, my friends and I got high the other day… we were on a spiritual high, a baptism high that affected our lives for most of the day… and beyond!

Our church had baptisms at the beach. Many people stepped up to the waters and declared themselves followers of Christ. That’s what baptism is, an act of obedience and yielding to the Lordship of Christ in one’s life.

Of course, when you live in Central Florida and do something like what we did, there are always a few concerns: sharks, available parking spaces, and a rough surf. But our brave brushed off their worries, showed up, and celebrated. I was really excited about the several that were baptized but I noticed something beyond the actual water-dunking that can give anyone’s life the boost it needs. It has to do with being a part of a good fellowship of believers.

Just before putting a person under water I would yell out (because of the noise of the surf and crashing waves) his or her name to our crowd that was watching. Then, almost as an immediate response, a few people would call out loud the name of the person being baptized along with words like, “Yeah, Bill, go” or “You can do it.”

The last time I heard this kind of positive affirmation happened at an AA meeting I attended with a friend. In that setting, before someone speaks, he/she says, for example, “Hello, I am Bill…and I am an alcoholic.” Then, the crowd in the room responds by saying Bill’s name out loud and cheers for Bill. That sort of thing was happening at the beach for the folks in the water.

Feeling accepted is one of those psychological needs we all have. Our church group that had gathered was definitely making the person in the water feel loved! Continue reading →

 One of the major problems facing people today is dealing with their insecurities.  That is, the damaging idea that one doesn’t measure up physically, emotionally, or intellectually. How those insecurities are formed varies greatly but the results of being insecure are usually the same: stress, anxiety, and hurt feelings.

I found the carcass of this bug (image) near my front door this morning. I don’t have a clue what it is (if you know, please leave me a comment and tell me). Although you can’t see it, there’s an opening at the top of this brittle shell as if whatever occupied it is no longer there. The thing is almost see through.

It made me think of how many of us feel sometimes, as a mere image of what we once were. It can be one empty, hurting, disappointing feeling. We’ve got to fight that! Continue reading →

This is a funky picture of the knob that leads to my youngest daughter’s bedroom in our home, the place where she had lived for over 20 years. But, she moved out a couple of days ago and is ready to start a new chapter in her life.

On the other side of that door is now a semi empty room filled with memories. I won’t lie to you, I have a flood of emotions threatening to gosh out when I turn the handle and enter the place. So I am delaying the inevitable!

So I am wrestling with the idea of how to let go when all I want to do is hold on?

Maybe you’ve journeyed through a similar trail. Or maybe your ‘letting go’ has nothing to do with a child moving out of your house, but with someone who passed away, or with a pet you lost that was like your companion… regardless… how do we let go when all we want to do is hold on? Continue reading →

When you feel like giving up, DON’T!

One thing about harvesting pineapples after you’ve planted them is that they take a while to produce results.

Take the two in the picture on the left. They are about the juiciest, sweetest pineapples you’ve ever tasted; but those puppies took about 3 years to get that way.

My wife and I have 28 other pineapple plants in front of the house and they all take about the same amount of time to produce. I’ve heard (but haven’t confirmed) that if you put an apple core in the middle of your plant, the acidity of the apple will act as a catalyst to help the plant produce quicker. But for the most part, pineapple growing is a ridiculously long slow process.

There’s a delicious BBQ place near where I live called Slow and Low. The name says it all. Their amazing food takes a while to get that way.

The same with life, anything worthwhile is often long in coming and requires discipline, patience. Continue reading →