Sunday Nugget- Man o' Plenty

From today's Gospel reading.

Many of us live our lives in a mindset of non-abundance. And we are so convinced of it that we expect it, week to week, year to year. God works in an interesting way. Your expectations, in effect, work as a prayer. If you ask for success in something but your inner tone conflicts with it, God gives you what He hears from you.

In this verse the disciples were ready to send their followers home because there was no food. Jesus simply said "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" The disciples argued "We have here only five loaves and two fish." All Jesus said then was, "Bring them here to Me." Never was there a shadow of a doubt about the supply or the supplier. Jesus' tone never waivered.

If we learn anything let us learn that when God says "Bring them here to Me.", He is asking what you want, and hearing what you think.

Peace and have an abundantly wonderful Sunday!

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Video of the Week - Sarah McLachlan and Robbie Robertson

Sarah McLachlan and Robbie Robertson
- World On Fire

Two favorite artists (Robbie Robertson is from the band, 'The Band') and one favorite animal.

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Last Minute Tranquility

This is this week's contribution to Illustration Friday. I know it's already Thursday. My wife saw this and laughed. I guess she could relate. She said something about "it's only 1/3rd of them..." or something like that.

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I'm Melting...

I hope everyone is enjoying the heat ok. A heat index of 120 can only mean one thing. A hot time is guaranteed for all.

Peace and Stay cool!

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Crabcakes, Seascapes, and Saltwater Cowboys

"From the beginning of creation, I think our maker had a plan
For us to leave these shores and sail beyond the sand
And let the good light guide us through the waves and the wind
To the beaches in a world where we have never been
And we'll climb up on a mountain, y'all we'll let our voices ring
Those who've never tried it, they'll be the first to sing"

--- from "You'll Be There" by George Strait



Living on the Delmarva Peninsula is wonderful. I had a great weekend with my family. We went to our favorite stomping ground (Chincoteague Island VA) for two days of fun, sun, and wild pony round-ups. There is nothing like it in the world. It's a little piece of heaven, a haven of peace.

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Video of the Week-Billy Joel

Flash Video by Shawn Kelley



Heard this song again over the weekend. It still makes me think...what a wierd, wild and wonderful world we live in. Go ahead!! Click on the "pop icons"...it's very cool!

Peace and Love.

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Night and Day

One week ago I posted my vent about being released from my sub-contracting job (see here). This is a follow up. Monday evening, after meditating on the beach, I was approached about a carpentry job by another contractor. I took his offer which is in effect the difference between night and day.

I enjoy the people I'm working with. They are pleasant to be around and they didn't turn on me when they could no longer evangelize me. As a matter of fact they didn't even try. This position is a thousand times better than my last and these folks hold no claim to god, or Jesus or anyone. It all comes down to the heart of the people. When Saija said God had something way better in mind...It must've been the spirit talkin'! :) Not only is it like night and day but it is pretty much all black and white.

Here's a theological question since Karma ( the law of sowing and reaping) was a topic this week. The set up: My former boss was thrilled when the home owner gave me a pontoon boat. I mentioned that I had been praying for a boat and when the homeowners uncle came for it, the boss said," He's been praying for it and God gave it to him. You don't want to get between God and him!"

Well the contractor has succeeded in voiding this agreement between me and the homeowner, seems a bit vindictive doesn't it?...And so now I ask what happens to the man who comes between God's intended blessing and another person? To me that's bad karma...

Peace.

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"How Could You Forget?"

Men...okay, forgetting a birthday or an anniversary is one thing...This is altogether different! Sheech! At least, charge him with reckless manhood! His wife will take care of the rest!!!

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Illustration Friday - Karma

This weeks "Illustration Friday" entry is one of my favorite subjects... Karma.


As one of my favorite bands put it, " And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

Peace.

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Home Gym

Gymnastics that is...! My two youngest are Olympic gymnasts in training. I haven't seen their coach yet but I always know where they've practiced.

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Sunday Nugget- Gambling on God

Guidance is an important thing for any spiritual seeker. The process of "tuning in" is the topic of my soon to be released book The Mystical Elvis: How to See God Everywhere. The bible is unique in the area of guidance. While the bible itself is considered a revelation, it also recounts revelation in some interesting forms.

In the Old Testament, when the priests of the temple needed answers they would refer to the Urim and Thummim (see Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:21; Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65). Signifying light and perfection these were stones in the priests breastplate that were "read" to make decisions for the people of Israel. These readings were on the same par as dreams and prohpets (1 Samuel 28:6), which along with the casting of lots, were the heavy hitters of revelation.

In the New Testament we have the example of the Apostles. They were trying to find God's replacement for Judas in the Twelve. Had they been invented at the time, Joseph and Matthias might have played "rock, paper, scissors" for the job. They instead cast lots between the two acceptable candidates for the position and a game of chance sealed the spot.

So why would God turn to "sticks and stones" to provide direction? Because perhaps they were not a game of chance after all. Everything is from God, in God and an expression of God. When trust is put in God's expressions, anything can be a conduit for His direction and guidance.

Peace and have a great Sunday.

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A Breath Of Fresh Air

It is probably time for a brisk walk... This week has been corrosive to my spirit. I feel slimed and perhaps a walk in the rain will wash away the scum. I have learned this week that though God created man a little lower than the angels he also made man slightly higher than the devils. The Bible considers us the crown of creation but it is nature that quietly, truly and completely shows the fullness and beauty of God. So do yourself a favor...and take a hike.

Blessings!

Visit Room for Vent at My 2 Cents!


Happy 12th Birthday Joey!

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Video of the Week - Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz - Wordplay

A fun song that puts a new spin on getting stoned! Tough Crowd!!

Add your 2 Cents about this video here.

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Crazy? Maybe. Extortionist? Definitely.

I'm talking about a certain unnamed party who was the topic of the post "Excuse Me...your stupid is showing." Apparently he got the referring URL and visited me. Oops!!! He didn't like my post or my opinion so he resorted to extortion to get me to remove it. What extortion? Um...Withholding my paycheck until I took it down. Hey, the last time I looked we still fly the stars and stripes around here. Well, I've got mouths to feed and I took it down for their sake and not for St. Extortion.

Sooooooo... The unnamed "christian" party would rather be known as an extortionist than be accused of having some...shall we say...baggage? Hmmm. Well alrighty then!

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Some Things Never Change

I was reminiscing about the evenings spent in the laundrymat with my wife-to-be during college. We'd listen to U2 on a tiny red tape deck and talk about music, Christianity and culture, and the future. We are still washing the usual 4.2 coordinated outfits each. Now with six kids the load is much larger!

I heard a statistic the other day that most marriages, even Christian ones, last on an average of 8 years...Let's see that would be "the seven year itch" plus one year to finalize the divorce. I am a very blessed man. There has never been an itch that my wife couldn't scratch. Thank God for that bit of Bliss!

For Mitzi :

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Excuse me...Your "Stupid" is showing...

A while back An American Housewife vented with apologies. She, like myself, does not like to blog about personal problems. Surely no one wants to waste precious internet time on a "whinefest". I however believe that there is something cathartic about expressing yourself and so please bear with me.

First let me say that scripture is right when it says, "Judge not lest you be judged." But since my christian friend resorted to name calling with me, a form of judging which in fact, in this case, was a projection; I feel I can now shine some light on the truth. What he doesn't know about me is that I am trained in Spiritual Guidance and Counseling, working for the likes of Billy Graham and others in that capacity. And I have my own analysis of the situation. As for the name calling, well being called names that actually discribe the name-caller's traits simply confirms my suspicions.

I was released from my subcontracting job today. It was punishment by my "christian" contractor because I had to take some appointment time yesterday. A short discussion of my "responsibilities" ensued, then I was promptly dismissed. I'll not mention that this "contractor" has gone home for an hour at a time everyday this week. Oh wait! I just did!

In my new book there is a section about how to know if you are tuned into the Spirit or not. I would say that J. is probably not. Oh he says the holy spirit speaks to him all the time and gives him things to say. This is to the extent that he was saying something "spiritual" one day and I didn't hear him well. I asked him to repeat what he said and John said, "I don't know, you've got to listen when I talk..." That scared me a little. Had my intuition been properly focused I'd have run screaming from the spooky man.

Honestly, J. is an insecure person. He is constantly bad mouthing and insulting other builders, pastors and neighbors, and even bad mouths the home owners behind their backs. He has no problem biting the hand that feeds him. Perhaps the holy spirit could talk to him about that. He has some serious father/child issues from his childhood that has carried over into his own relationships with his children, friends and co-workers. He uses scripture as a crutch, interpreting very clear scriptures to conform to his will, relating every word of God to his own circumstance in sometimes odd and always egocentric ways.

J. has had a couple of bad marriages which ended, by his account, because of no fault of his own. He has a son who J. is fighting for custody over. The son wants to be adopted by his stepfather. He has spent untold amounts of money to get his son back. And on the jobsite J. discusses ways he or God could end his trouble (ie. his ex-wife, her husband, and their Jewish psychiatrist)...sometimes to a violent end. More Scary!

I never really put too much into his rantings. I mean here is a guy who will tell you to nail down some sheathing (before he checked it is square) then yell at you for nailing it. It's just a nail not even driven all the way in. Yet when he takes a costly log ($1200 to replace) for the porch of the log home we are building and cuts it 2 inches too short, "It is well, it is well, with my soul."


Because of this Father/Son conflict J. is dealing with, he expresses himself in a rude and authoritarian way, while playing childish head games with you. He thinks good teaching is making you guess what the next step is, and then belittling you because you don't know. It must be something his father did to him.

J. is a person of one-upmanship to his own detriment. He must always be on top. He thinks he knows more than everyone and is not afraid to say it. Unfortunately the things he says betrays him. For instance, he has a christian website with a unique graphic on it. I asked him about it and whether he hosted it or image sourced it. Instead of answering the question directly he wanted to sound knowledgeable by stating that image sourcing without permission was stealing "broadband"! True, it's stealing, MR. IT tech, but it's bandwidth that is being stolen. Later he explained how the logs for the pillars looked like "Stonehedge"! What the heck is Stonehedge? Excuse me...but your stupid is showing. What can you expect from a guy whose main slogan on his religious website is "Our mission is to pass The Word of Jesus Christ". Well perhaps Testamints (a strange evangelical mint linked on his page) comes in laxative form.

Ok maybe I'm being a little hard and cynical about him. I do feel compassion for his situation. And it isn't like I haven't prayed for him since day one, tho. I did tell him he had issues. But because of his egocentric power-grabbing persona, my prayers are all I can offer him now.

Related material:

A few buttons missing;: The case book of a psychiatrist -my used book on Amazon.com


Pray for J.

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Illustration Friday-Metropolitan

Well, here's my design for Illustration friday this week. This is how I felt sometimes when I lived in the Minneapolis area.

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The Devil's Radio

Just a comment this morning about hearing christian gossip. I hear alot of talk about a certain person from another christian. The comment was made that the reason he talks about him is so if he falls into the occasion of sin, this one being adultery, then enough people will know that he will be warned away from it. Does this sound Christian? It may have a wee bit of logic and service behind it but there seems to be too much glee in the conversations.

Perhaps another reading of Matthew 18 is in order.

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Bluefin Acrobatics

Through the eyes of a child...what can this 873 lbs. fish be doing? Let my 2 year old son, Jadon, explain. We were in a grocery store where the "Coastal Fisherman" newspaper was on display. I picked up a copy and went to the car with the groceries, giving the magazine to my wife to show her the HUGE fish I wish I'd caught on the cover. Crossing the street, my wife came over after showing Jadon the picture. She then asked Jadon to tell me what he thought about the picture..."Fishy doing handstand!", he said.


Well obviously!!!

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Sunday Nugget-Fiery Preaching

Recently I was asked about my education. When I said I majored in Christian Counseling and Spiritual Direction, my friend dropped his jaw and nearly dropped his tool belt! "What are you doing here?", he said baffled by my employment choices. I've since began to ask, "What AM I doing here?" How is it that a man who worked for years with Billy Graham in Spiritual Guidance, Pat Robertson in Teleministry, and many counseling settings in new church plants, is now working as a carpenter/cartoonist?

The best way I can explain it is that my life is my ministry. I draw all things together and point them heavenward. What God has offered I accept. I try to live uprightly with God everyday, all day long. My hope is that my human failings are outdone by my spiritual convictions. My goal is to act then speak because, as St Francis of Assisi said, we must...

"Preach the Gospel...use words when neccesary."

St. Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan theologian and preacher, expressed it further:

"Language comes alive when it speaks by deeds. Enough of talking: Let actions speak. We are bloated with words and empty works."

He could have very well been speaking to bloggers there. Not to be too harsh...I'm preaching to myself here. I have to earn a living. Carpentry pays the bills when book sales are slow. However my comics and commentary have always been ever so slightly autobiographical. They have to be. So whether they are fantastic (as in fantasy) or introspective they are almost always about self discovery and in some way about my life...which again is my ministry.

This month my new book titled, "The Mystical Elvis : How To See God Everywhere" will be released. It is an illustrated (of course) exploration into experiencing God in the world around us, and what hinders us from doing it. This too fits into the who and what of me.

Peace and have a beautiful Sunday!

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Video of the Week - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd Reunited- Wish You Were Here

I chose this video for the video of the week not only for it's historical value but for it's sentimental value. Pink Floyd is one of my favorite bands...it is perhaps another reason there is a tic in my mind's eye. I like them for their musical genius and for the introspective lyrics that they gave to the world even as bad hair bands threatened to take over the musical universe. Even after the "breakup", when Roger Waters left the band, the Floyd maintained their mystique and I've since followed them, even attending their show at the Metrodome in 1992, and owning their "Delicate Sound Of Thunder" VHS. A word about concert videos--never lend them to co-workers...enough said.

This show completed a circle for me. Because not only do I resemble a bleeding-heart liberal regarding causes for the poor (sorry guys)... I'm also a utopian when it comes to the reunions of my favorite bands (images of at least one more Gilmour/Waters Pink Floyd album dancing in little Floydian synapses up and down the right side of my brain).

There is another reason...today I was in a Sam Goody record store when I heard guitar playing from the right side of the store. On a wall was a rack of various guitars and on the floor in front of them was a girl playing a Squire acoustic guitar. She reminded me of my daughter except that she was a woman of color and a bit more hippy-fied than Tina is. My interest was peaked when she played a song I thought I recognized and I asked her if she was just making it up or playing a song. It was a song of course, but as a songwriter I always make that a top ten question. Picking up a Silvertone guitar which was unstrung and out of tune, I listened as she plucked away. She then broke into "Wish You Were Here". I wanted so badly to play the beginning lead part but I felt embarrassed and ill-equipt with the 4 string acoustic I had in hand. It reminded me of my Woodsmen days, before caffeine became my drug of choice, when I played bass for awhile and one "fan" called me Mr. Floyd. That fan of course was influenced by Cannibus Maximus so I probably did sound like Roger Waters to him. On the ride home I thought of what a unique experience that was...and I vowed next time to be ready to play...six strings or not ( after all I have played on less.).

Shine on, all you crazy diamonds.

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With Sincere Apologies...

I thought I'd post an apology to my readers...especially my regular ones. It has been an amazingly crazy week. It seems I have been physically overwhelmed with my job since the Independence Day weekend. That and working on my new book in the am.'s have completely worn me out. That is why my daily cartoons have been appearing weakly (spelling error intended).

And with heartfelt solidarity...




Praying for the people of London.

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Sunday Nugget- God's Anger Management

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. --Buddha (the laughing one, of course!)

Anger might not ruin a first impression. But it will always make a lasting one.

Remember these words of wisdom...

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Video Of The Week

Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father

Like Golfwidow says..."Smooth!"

Give me your 2 cents on this video here.

Rest in peace...Luther.

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Swimming with Sharks

Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend.

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