Wisdom’s benefits seem to be quite far reaching. With promises of a long life, a good name, riches, honor, prosperity, straight paths and sweet sleep…the search for and the application of wisdom to my life should be a no-brainer. After all, I’ve been frustrated by poverty lately and certainly have not experienced sweet sleep in quite some time. In fact, my sleep is occasionally and sometime regularly disturbed by worry, regret and mostly frustration in general. I LONG…I L-O-N-G, mean I deeply desire and l-o-n-g for the day that sweet sleep arrives to accompany all the other benefits of discernment.
Oh Lord, give me "wisdom" in all arreas of my life, relationships, finances, thoughts, actions, in all areas Lord. Leave no area unaffected.

Proverbs 3:1 “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.”

"30 Days of Wisdom"

Today begins for me a new endeavor Im calling “30 Days of Wisdom”. This isn’t a result of much seeking or an extended research time, but one of immediate frustration. For a while words have flown thru my head such as: confusion, frustration, empty, poor, broken, directionless etc. But today unexpectedly, I added, deeply hungry and desperate…for truth, direction, vision engagement, and life mission.

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of the faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of the wicked men, from wise men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perseverance of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

It will save you also from the adulterous, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the faithful will be torn from it.” Proverbs 2

I think this will be a Nehemiah type journey, which interestingly was what I preached from in a church in Lexington, VA this past weekend, AND the name of our wireless. Not sure what that all means, but it's probably not coincidence. 

My initial plan here is to study word for word and pray thru the corresponding chapter/day each day. Already today was eerily appropriate and insightful to a few questions about life. Already today we understand that WISDOM must be accompanied with applied UNDERSTANDING which in turn leads to the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God, which I desperately need here. 

And so it begins...

4,500 years and counting.

Last Saturday we spent the day in Manhattan, in part to have some fun because my daughter Ashley was home from college, and also to show her roommate from Southeastern the city that never sleeps for the first time. The Dad tour... started on the 100+ year old Staten Island Ferry system, past the Statue Of Liberty, Ellis Island and on to Battery Park to walk thru the fort that defended NY in 1812...walk up to Ground Zero to see what happens if there is no fort to protect...then hopped on the subway to head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After that it was on to Times Square.

What hit me Saturday...was the lasting effect of what we create. And the question...are we building/creating something that will last? Do we have in mind that our present efforts can last...4,500 years and beyond? After all the church that Jesus built is already 2,000 years old, manuscripts in the Bible are 3,000 years old...and there is this head-mask in the Met dated 2400 bc. Did that particular artisan shaping a warriors head-mask ever think...that his creation would be around 4,500 years? After all...he was probably making hundreds of them...just another day with the boss yelling faster.

Sure...our human lives will last a mere 70-90 years, and possibly not even that long if your name was Tutankhamen, he died around 17-18 years old. So it seems that the actual life we live is not so much of the point as the effect of the life we live is. Meaning... we should be thinking in terms of leaving a legacy instead of just reacting to the moments. Our children can certainly be a legacy, our work can be also...including what we create with our hands. What I am thinking is...our lives matter. Our contribution to mankind is significant...to the point that it carries beyond the length of our breath.

Each room of the Metropolitan Museum of Art brought a new collection of items created by someone at sometime. Each item is proof that whatever we attempt, even taking a picture can be a source of inspiration that has the opportunity to stand the test of time. But...I think I am more interested in leaving a legacy of lives instead of art. But where is the museum housing the collection of lives? Heaven? In my life as others have shaped and molded me?

I know there is abundant source of teaching in the Bible as it relates to a life well lived. I want m life to matter…for a longer time than the amount time I take breaths.

January 8, 2011...a day that will live in infamy...a lesson in atrophy.

It was about 22 degrees at 7:30am...snow was in the forecast to add to the already 25 inches on the ground, but the roads were clear...mostly. On this particular Saturday we had a 18 mile training run to finish before the snow became heavy. I on this morning was nursing  a little runners knee, trying to be careful, but not very motivated to run quickly. This was a important training run though, as the marathon was only 10 weeks way...and I had to run it well to qualify for Boston in 2012. As we progressed along my knee offered up a little pain, and the distance between me and my two running partners gradually increased. At about 9 miles we were about 1/3 mile apart but was on my way back and this quiet run amongst gently falling snow would soon be over. Soon...my family I would be celebrating Michele's Birthday by spending the day in NYC before Ashley left for college. As I crossed an intersection, about the middle of the street I stepped on what I thought was freshly fallen snow....only to discover in the most painful way...it was covering black ice! BANG! I went straight down in the middle of the street... which began 7 weeks in a cast to heal my ankle which was broken in 2 places. Needless to say...I'm not running the marathon in March...and apparently it may take a month now to learn how to walk again. The recovery into marathon running shape, may actually take 6 months to a year. This really stinks...but means that I need to adjust my training regimen that I have grown accustomed to.

What I've learned now is, the 7 weeks my ankle was in a cam-walker type cast was not just a healing of my broken ankle, but the atrophying of dozens of muscles in my foot and calf. What that means is...just walking is a medium sized effort accompanied with pain. And regretfully...the ankle/foot has also lost most of it's normal movement. I'm shocked that...when you don't use something...it gets weaker not stronger from the additional rest. Muscle strength degrades when not used. The lesson here physically and spiritually is...the more I use what I have, the stronger and agile I am.

Today that got me thinking, is there any correlation to any other parts of life? Well, there certainly is spiritually. The more I pray...the stronger I am spiritually. The more I read the word...the stronger I am spiritually. If I stop reading, praying, witnessing, living for Christ daily...I atrophy. Sharing Christ with those who don't know Him becomes more natural when done regularly. And of course the opposite of all those is true.

I have been in the sweet spot before. Its where your training and habits correlate with each other to bring you to a performance level that you have never been. I actually deeply desire that in all areas of my life...spiritually, physically, financially, relationally.

Time to go to rehab.

Missed opportunities and procrastination

Somewhere about 2003...the dream of running the Boston Marathon came to mind. 26 miles, something they call Heartbreak Hill and strict qualifying times make it a difficult endeavor for most recreational athletes. After several marathons, in 2009 I began training for 5 1/2 months at 5am most everyday to run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC. I had to finish with a qualifying time for my age group of 3:20:59. in order to register and run  Boston that following spring. That beautiful and chilly morning in the nations capital standing amongst 20,000+ runners the fruit of my arduous labor would be put to test for the 26.2 miles. The result? I came in #750 out of 20,000 runners, but the clock said 3:21:41...42 seconds too slow. I could not believe it!!! 42 seconds? So great my disbelief and so great my determination,  that I ran another marathon just 3 weeks later thinking I could reverse my bad fortune...only to be plagued with an injury that made the effort pointless and even painful. Sadness eventually turned to hope when I found I could still qualify for the following year with my Marine Corp time for the 2011 race because of changing age categories (I'm getting older). So here we are...fall of 2010 going online to register for the 115th Boston Marathon in the spring of 2011....what did I find??? Registration Closed. It closed within 8 hours of opening...unprecedented! That's where missed opportunities and procrastination comes into play.

So now what?  Where do I go from here? I think scripture is making a significant message to me..."make the most of every opportunity". A quick perusal of the word would reveal that each moment of our life counts for something. God has indeed planned great opportunities for us all, many times all we need to do is...act.
"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation". 2 Corinthians 6:2 and the list can go on. Missed opportunities are sometimes not big mistakes...just little errors when we are not "Managing the Moment"...(I put that in quotes because that is huge for me and plan on teaching on that in the near future).

The lesson for me today, and lifelong...make the most of every opportunity. Don't delay, procrastinate, assume there is more or much time. If I've been called to LOVE, then LOVE fully and completely now, if called to LIVE by FAITH, then LIVE with abandonment, if called to GIVE, then GIVE wholeheartedly. LIVE LIFE with a PASSIONATE pursual of all things HIM. 1 Corinthians 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

So whats next? Time to go look to run another Boston qualifier Marathon within the next 11 months. Even if it does mean 5 1/2 months of training and running in 10-95 degree weather at 5 am....remembering...that physical training has "some value"...and that the physical pursuit must match the spiritual pursuit where the prize lasts forever.

Christmas lights, Impatients & Mums...embracing Change.

OK it's here. Fall. I can't ignore it any longer as the drive this past Friday afternoon to drop my daughter off for a youth retreat fully indicated...leaves are changing and it's no longer 90 degrees, sadly. This past weekend I performed my normal fall transition ritual...with regret, but with an understanding of it's necessity...pulling out the still pretty but fading annuals in place of the cool weather hardy Mums. Michele a week earlier began to antagonize my "fall resistance" with a few candles and decorations, which I must admit are very pretty.

I started to think...how often to we hang on to something long after it is useful, effective or even appropriate? Know anyone with Christmas lights still hanging in July? Now I may not have Christmas lights still hanging...but I do a have a collection of items in the garage that needs to go thru a little "transitioning". In our house recently major change has occurred, kids off to college and junior high, new work schedules, the house is drastically different. It's called "change"...it's neither good or bad, can be resisted, but many times is just simply necessary.

Jesus' life brought much change to a people who prided themselves on not changing. I really think on a very basic level, this is what brought Him to Calvary. Matthew 24 & 16 and the discussion of the "signs of the times" is also a teaching that we need to be very aware of what is happening now...what is changing and staying the same...so that we may be prepared. "Prepare" is a word the Lord brought to me in early 2010 for which I admit, have not done a good job at aligning myself to, but will get better. Prepare for the "seasons change". It's October and the first frost will soon be upon us. I cannot go out and plant Impatiens...because I love them or have always planted them or even because people love them (which I do!)...because it is simply a different ...."season". They will not grow now, and if they do will die at the first frost, it's time for something different.

I looked back Saturday and smiled on my effort. The Ivy was trimmed, Mums and pumpkins placed appropriately amongst the fading Hydrangeas...it looked just right...for this "season". It was still my house, same color, same driveway and cars... but now it is ready for what lies ahead. The next step? Clean the gutters. Question. What is God calling you to next? What are you preparing for? What is God changing in you (your perspective, approach, philosophy, attitude, etc) for what He wants to do in and thru you next?

Whatever is is...don't fear, resist or ignore the change like I have sometimes done, and OK, sometimes still do. But embrace it...God may be looking to give you a whole new perspective.

Ps. The chair runner under my office chair fell apart..was costly to replace, and I didn't really want to...but it revealed shockingly...that the carpet was dirty. I didn't notice it till I took up the plastic runner. Perspective is amazing. Now I have  to clean the gutters and clean the carpet.

Embouchure...still somewhat intact but needs ALOT of tuning.

It was maybe 1973-74 that we took a trip to the Russo's Music Center on Broad Street in downtown Trenton. I had decided that the instrument of choice for me in elementary school was to be the "Flute". Well this required going a picking one out for rental from the store to begin my illustrious career as the only boy playing the flute in school district. "Jethro Tull" is the man who saved me in junior high from being laughed at all day long. The flute...like many wind instruments is not easy to pick up...as it requires the learning of how your lips, pressure, inflection effects the sound, or no sound, coming from the instrument. This is called "Embouchure"...involving the facial muscles and shaping of the lips. Trumpet players like jazz musician Maynard Ferguson became famous because of their ability to produce such amazingly clear sounds. Once you get your "embouchure" down...those muscles need to be kept up by regular practice. If you stop practicing...everyone can tell.


Fast forward 30+ years...and my daughter takes up the flute in elementary school on her Dad's now ancient relic flute. Unfortunately...getting a clear sound is beyond her grasp without an abundance of tears....and she gives up. I learn...that my lips need a little tuning also...not mention my memory of the correct fingering. Let's just say...you may never forget to ride a bike...but that doesn't qualify you to enter a BMX competition either.


Joshua 1:8 says "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua was a fully adult man of God at this point...having followed and worked with the legendary Moses for quite some time. Yet the Lord wants to remind him....that what you do everyday...is significant to your success. I draw a parallel between the regular practice habits of every great musician and the instructions given to Joshua. Want your life to be significant? Practice make perfect...blocking and tackling...master the basics...you have to keep your embouchure up.

Execution

Many great ideas, dreams, plans for life and ministry have passed us by, due to among many reasons, but save one...our failure to execute. Larry Bossidy wrote a book that many times comes back to haunt me "EXECUTION - The discipline of getting things done". I think by nature I am a dreamer. A few years ago I had intense expectations of what I wanted my favorite holiday to look like, Christmas. I love the lights, sounds, celebrations, traditions that we have invited to accompany the central remembrance of the birth of our Savior. At the end of each December I would calendar in dates, events, occurrences to make our celebration and family time more memorable the following year. It was fun as the next season approached to follow the previous years directives while being sensitive to new things that came along. This past summer was textbook un-execution. We had dreams, hopes...but without a plan put in place we did'nt go or do really any of the things we had hoped. No Cape May, Ocean City or Beach Haven family beach days...the list could go on to bonfires bike rides and walks on the boardwalk. We allowed the "moment" to dictate the event. While that sounds romantic at times, the reality is that you find yourself without a plan to move you or it becomes too late to act.

What I realize now is...that time is short. Days pass by quickly and for sure they turn into weeks, months and years. I guess what I am thinking is...I don't really have left the number of years that have gone by already. I desire...deeply...to execute the God given plan and destiny that he has for me and those around me. Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps". I do not want there to be a disconnect between the planning of whats in my heart and the steps taken. I truly want each day to count...to matter. I am making the "to do" list. I will not be over whelmed by its largeness or incapacitated by the inability of where to begin...for I confidently know that the Lord will determine my steps.

I'm the Woman at the Well...

Well not "literally", but in some aspects there are some similarities. Today is like no other day around here...handling the days responsibilities, doing business, ministry, etc., then out of the blue...God shows up... Wow! It's good to know in reality, that God does know my name. That sounds like a silly statement, but recently I've been thinking and living a little like He's not sitting there talking with me. Certainly not like Jesus does not exist at all...just "unaware" of the significance of each moment and breath. Maybe taking life for granted, or assuming that...my life...has lost the interest or attention of God himself. It's scary how easy is is for us as creation to slip into "spiritual obscurity"...like our very life has no meaning.


My guess is that's how the woman at the well felt. Life was just passing her by, maybe didn't turn out exactly like she had planned...and now her daily routine was interrupted with a significant conversation that challenged all she had ever heard about the Messiah.

What am I really thinking here? God loves me. He cares about my day and thoughts and actions. He cares for me...me. And certainly you too. If it's been awhile since God suddenly showed up at your well...go ahead and talk to Him now like He's actually there. Because the truth is...He hears every word.

New territory.

The house is different this September. First, the signs of stress from the summer are all around, not just the hottest & driest summers of memory and that the lawn and landscaping are thirsting for water and some cooler temps, but two children have left the house for college! Second, its the adjustment to our new reality of parenting a new generation junior higher, new school year, new ministry responsibilities and STILL sensing the winds of change blowing across my heart and mind. Typically...September is a new beginning...clean the office and dive into fall. But somehow this one is very different...more introspective, compemplative and unsatisfyingly curious and hungry for a new reality. In some cases I have been here before. 13 miles into a full marathon, knowing that the last half will determine the success of the ending. Knowing that the second half...is where it counts. I've cruised thru the first half of a 26 mile marathon before...only to discover the second half requires a different skill set for victory. It's strategically different. I think...that's where I am at in life, approaching the second half...at 45.

I HUNGER to walk/run in this new territory confidently with great faith knowing and as the songwriter put it..."everythings gonna be allright!" Interestingly...this week in actuality, will physically bring me to new territory in the Grand Canyon. A 46 mile journey covering an 11,000 foot elevation change from one rim to the other and back. I've never been at this point in life before, and I've never ran the Grand Canyon before. This guy from New Jersey is experiencing New Territory indeed.

Soaking Prayer

Today seems to be a day of "soaking"...if the bolt won't get unstuck, soak it in penetrating "oil"...if  grease seems stuck to the pan, soak it...if the ground is dry, place a soaking hose on it...if your heart seems confused, mind unsure, then laying out before the Lord and allowing His presence to penetrate deeply will certainly be the solution.

This is my prayer..."Lord I desperately need the fullness of your presence, fill me, flow thru me, envelope me today. Blow any chaff away, wash away any impurity, fill the cisterns of my heart and life with fresh living water. As the rain has been gently falling from heaven, so the rain of your spirit fall upon me bringing life and sustenance to my soul. God soak this home, this property with your presence may all that live here reflect your fullness."

"Back in the day"....David Ruis came out with a song "True Love", the Winds of Worship albums were in fill swing at that time, I'm listening to "True Love" now. A phrase speaks of coming before the King. Well "back in the day" there was preparation before coming before the King...some of it included "soaking" in various oils and perfumes.

Lord prepare me, fill me today and everyday for what you have for me. I love you....

Being FIT and Pisteuo...

80+ degrees today and bright sun...I'm in my glory...only to be eclipsed by 100 degrees and on an island, but we must be happy where we are. Day 2 of back to running. Already you can tell that it's warm, and for some working out in the heat is even harder. I happen to be one of those crazy...or stupid people...your call, but probably very close...that actually loves working out in the heat.

My quiet time with the Lord today had me in Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists..." That certainly does sound reasonable...pleasing God...and believing that He exists. What got me thinking was, as I ran huffing and puffing down the road running in the beautiful 80 degrees...my legs feeling like logs...my lungs feeling stretched...and my body feeling tired...could I realistically say..."yeah, I'm fit...or yeah, I work out..yeah, I'm healthy"...if I've ran 4 times since January? Well...no really. But don't we do that with a lot of things? What we do occasionally, do we sometimes pass off as a lifestyle that we own? I'm especially guilty of this when it comes to questions about my surfing...but more about that later. But wouldn't that be dangerous for your surgeon if asked has he done this before? And do we do that with our faith in Christ? We say "yeah....I'm a Christian" but actually do not practice regularly any of the basics of the faith. John 1:12 says "to all who received him, to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God". The "believed" word is actually a form of "pisteuo" which con-notates a active on going perseverance of faith and a putting into practice on a continual on basis. John 5:24 "whoever hears my word and believes (pisteuo) him who sent me has eternal life". Meaning...my ongoing, regular, faithful, continual reflecting of what I believe and even exercising and running puts me in the category of being fit...not that I ran one time awhile ago and each day since then ate brownies...so now I'm a athlete.

The thought seems silly really. Until I ask myself...what are my actions, lifestyle today reflecting? Athlete or lazy...believer or... once had a belief that God was real and now I think I'm part of the christian club?

I guess...I'd better keep running each day.

FAT or F.A.T.?

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things THRU Christ who gives me strength". Those words jumped off the page this morning directly into my heart. Of course, I have read them countless times before, but today...direction accompanied them. Since the beginning of the year I've endeavored to do four things...simplify, eradicate debt, prepare & friendship. Today...is a day of preparation...get ready as Joshua said, "For TOMARROW..." I know I am preparing on several levels...spiritually - my heart closer to Christ and in tune with His leading, theologically and leadership wise - to lead a people as lead pastor, relocation - preparing our house for sale, etc., and physically - getting ready to run the 2011 Boston Marathon...but first run the rim of the Grand Canyon...a 46 mile trail run in 2 days.

Today I go out to run in beautiful sun and a warm breeze. Mind you last fall I averaged @ 50+ miles a week clocking about 7:20 per mile in preparation for the Marine Corp Marathon. But today?  After 5 months of nothingness...3 miles in 24:50 huffing a puffing like a overweight three legged dog. During this jog...the Lord spoke...you're "FAT". Or the key to your preparation is FAT. Last year you were "fit" because of your "F.A.T.". WHAT??? Yes, "F"aithfulness...each day you arose @ 4:45am and ran...in the snow, rain, ice and blazing heat. Become faithful...."your faithfulness is what I desire". "A"ccountable...you ran with people, in relationship, they were waiting and depending on you each day. The course was laid out, improvement was expected. Some one said to me a long time ago..."without accountability there is no motivation to grow". "T"eachable...learn, apply wisdom...sometimes we need to stop doing some things and learn from others and the Lord. Are you applying what you are learning? If not...then you are not teachable.

As I ran...frustrated by my lack of present fitness I realized...."I CAN do ALL things...so Lord "What are you calling me to?"....because it's those things that the Lord PROMISES to give me STRENGTH...abundant STRENGTH...abundant VISION, abundant LEADERSHIP, abundant ENDURANCE for the race placed before me!

So...bring ON the 46 mile Grand Canyon rim trail run....bring ON the Boston Marathon...bring ON the leading/pastoring of a people......."thru Christ"...."who gives me strength".

Direction, Clarity & Confirmation...of Flight 212

Just two weeks ago I flew to Milwaukee to do some school assemblies with a very good friend of mine from Montana. When making flight arrangements I usually work at eliminating all delays, connections or flights not usually on-time. I'm really not a fan of waiting I guess...for Dr. appointments or anything else. But on occasion, despite my best of intentions or meticulous planning...delay's happen.

I guess the most annoying of delays is the ones in which you are not informed of. It's little bits of valuable info that I crave...how long...why...what are we doing in the meantime. When dealing with airlines it seems like Air Traffic Control is king. Sure you can ask other passengers on the journey with you, the stewardess, the captain...but it's only "the tower" that really knows what's going on.

I think I am definitely on a plane...waiting to land, for a year. Yes twelve months of being delayed or circling the runway in a holding pattern is enough! Let's land already! Well there are certainly several good reasons not to land yet, and we can imagine several that would have to do with safety and the right timing.

Well...today the tower called out of the blue...just for me. It was like the captain came up to me personally on the phone and said, "Sir, I know you have been thinking about CLARITY, DIRECTION, etc...just wanted you to know things will happen." There was more to this, but essentially it was someone I had never met, who had me on their heart specifically, to ask me some pointed questions that I had been thinking. For me it was a confirmation from the tower..."Flight 212...we have you in a holding pattern for a specific purpose, your direction and the location for your landing is coming." Wow...I'm not alone or forgotten in the air!

I think God is Air Traffic Control...sometimes we have no idea in the plane what's going on on the outside, and rarely we get a glimpse of the sophistication that the Lord is arranging for our safe landing in the location specifically prepared for us.

This may not make a lot of sense just yet...just wait...the story of destiny will be amazing when this plane finally does land...the runway is just not ready yet.

Lonely...but not really alone.

I wonder how many people among the over 8.5 million that call New Jersey their home, or for that fact the 6,807,900,000 people living in the world today that feel they are...lonely. The reason I think about this is because I do feel...lonely, even while being surrounded by family, wonderful friends that I do not see often enough or share deeply enough with. Truth be told... I long for friendship, love, passion even, support, encouragement...that "to be fully known, and fully know" type thing. I find it amazing that we can in fact be "lonely", and yet in fact be surrounded by so many.

This morning I sat contemplating in the form of a spiritual quiet time...life. My reading brought me to Matthew 1:23 "and they shall call His name Immanuel", which is translated "God with us". Max Lucado points out that the "Immanu" means "with us", and "El" refers to Elohim, or God. We understand that to be "God with us". You know what?,...I LOVE for someone to be "with me". When the kids were little it was easy to get them to go "with me" to Home Depot, always eager for a trip to anywhere. My youngest daughter when she was about 5 even went "with me" to a garden show at an expo center to look at flowers and landscape designs...a memory I still cherish.

"With us" and "with me". I think the truth is the solution to my "loneliness" is found in understanding and living by the truth that God...truly is "with me"...everywhere at all times in all places. Even in the midst of my temporary thoughts of loneliness I am truly not alone. So in light of this...I must seek Him out. The difference between God and a spouse or friend is that He is always available to respond to our need of championship. So Lord today I cry..."Come and dwell in the midst of us...me". Allow me to reflect to your creation your friendship, love and value of being "with us" to all who are seeking and need to know you are there and the answer to our...loneliness.