Friday, January 24, 2014

Tattoo Your Mark

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
—Proverbs 16:9
I didn’t think he’d do it.  This man, so particular, so neat and tidy, one who values what he has and works hard to keep things in like-new condition.  He’d rather maintain and fix than buy new. An old school kind of guy.  Old trucks, old cars, old movies, old music. One who wished he’d been born decades earlier. In a simpler time.  Nary a rebellious streak in him.  A former police officer who obeys every traffic rule.  Yup, that’s him. Regimented. Not a wild hair to be found. He uses coasters religiously to prevent water marks on his furniture—surely he’d never mar his body. That’s what I thought.  But there it was as plain as the nose on his face…uh, his arm…a tattoo!
He told me ahead of time he made the appointment—even described his design, but I didn’t think he’d go through with it.  But he did.  And I have to admit the tattoo suits him. A piston and wrench in crisscross fashion surrounded by music notes.  By my description of him, you probably agree that it fits.  But there’s another part of the tattoo—a pair of dice.  A gambling man? Not really. He doesn’t play the lottery or cards or slots. He doesn’t bet on the horses or the games.  And he doesn’t gamble at making decisions—not a risk-taker. Every decision is well-thought-out.
So why the dice? Because that’s Kevin’s outlook on life. Like rolling the dice, you never really know how it will turn out. You may plan well and think through every decision.  But certain situations arise that are beyond your control. And things happen so unexpectedly that it’s…well… as shocking as Kevin getting a tattoo.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Dust Free, Debt Free

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.—1 John 1:9

Really?  I just dusted two days ago!  And there it was—sunbeams penetrating the blinds bringing it to light—a trail of dust once again making its home on my picture table.

I abhor dusting—all that moving items to dust beneath and then dusting the items themselves.  I guess that’s why it’s always at the bottom of my list.  But I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer and set out to conquer the thick coating on my furniture. What a chore it was dusting all those picture frames.  And now to have the dust return in two short days makes my work seem in vain. 


Saturday, January 4, 2014

The Handwriting on the Wall

Please note:  The following reference to Mike Shanahan in no way reflects his character or faith.  It is used only for the sake of comparison. 

And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.
—Psalm 25:9-10 

If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times. “The handwriting was on the wall.” This is how reporters referred to the firing of Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan on Black Monday, the day following the final game of the regular season—the day after his team completed a 3-13 record.
“The handwriting was on the wall.” With a four-season record of 24-40 and rumors flying around about Shanahan’s demise, the coach’s firing came as no surprise to most of the team’s followers.
“The handwriting was on the wall” is a familiar idiom used to mean there were obvious warning signals.  For Shanahan, the numbers on the wall—the scoreboard—were his warnings.