THE BEAUTY OF SILENCE

OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS I HAVE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF SILENCE. RALPH WALDO EMERSON ONCE SAID, "LET US BE SILENT, THAT WE MAY HEAR THE WHISPERS OF THE GODS."

ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME WELL CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH OPINIONS TO GO AROUND, AND I'M GENERALLY WILLING TO SHARE THEM WITHOUT RESERVATION. I AM ALSO ONE WHO LIKES TO THEORIZE ABOUT EVERYTHING AROUND ME. HOWEVER, I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING I WAS TOLD A WHILE BACK. I WAS COUNSELED TO TAKE AN EXTRA MINUTE TO THINK A LITTLE DEEPER ABOUT EVERYTHING. SINCE I'VE STARTED TO PAUSE, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE LEARNED. THE LORD HAS BLESSED ME WITH ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT I KNOW I WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN WITH MY TRADITIONAL "FIRST THOUGHT IN, FIRST THOUGHT OUT" APPROACH TO LIFE.

THIS LIFE IS GOD'S PLAN FOR US AND IT'S HIS DESIRE IS THAT WE LEARN EVERYTHING WE CAN WHILE WE'RE HERE. HOWEVER, WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LESSONS AVAILABLE TO US, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD HIMSELF. HE IS OUR FATHER! WE ARE HIS CHILDREN! HE HAS EVEN TOLD US HOW TO KNOW HIM BETTER... "BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD." PSALMS 46:10 THAT IS THE KEY. WE HAVE TO SLOW DOWN. WE HAVE TO TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE SILENCE AND EVERYTHING WE COULD POSSIBLY FIND IN IT. THIS LIFE IS SO BUSY AND IT'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO AVOID THE DISTRACTIONS ALL AROUND US. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, TAKE A MINUTE AND JUST LISTEN. TURN OFF THE ELECTRONICS, GET AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION, AND LET YOURSELF GET TO KNOW YOUR FATHER. HE LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO COME TO KNOW HIM BETTER.

RENEWED MOTIVATION

IT HAS BEEN WAY TOO LONG SINCE I'VE WRITTEN ON THIS BLOG. (2 1/2 YEARS, WHOOPS) DURING THAT TIME THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS, A LOT OF EXPERIENCES, AND A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED.

LAST WEEK MY COUSIN, BRIANA BOULTER STEPHEN, PASSED AWAY AFTER A 2 YEAR BATTLE WITH CANCER. SHE WAS A BLESSING IN THE LIVES OF EVERYONE THAT KNEW HER AND WILL BE SORELY MISSED. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE OF THE ETERNAL NATURE OF FAMILIES AND THE BLESSING THAT WE CAN ENJOY OF BEING WITH THOSE WE LOVE AFTER THIS LIFE HAS ENDED.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BRI TAUGHT ME DURING HER TIME ON THIS EARTH WAS HOW MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE OUR WORDS AND EXPERIENCES CAN HAVE ON THE LIVES OF OTHERS. SHE SHARED HER LIFE, CHALLENGES, AND TRIUMPHS THROUGH HER BLOG AND IT TOUCHED PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. THAT EXAMPLE HAS GIVEN ME A NEW MOTIVATION TO UPDATE MY OWN BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY.



AS I SIT ON MY PORCH AND THINK ABOUT HOW SHORT LIFE IS, I CAN'T HELP BUT BE GRATEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHARED MY LIFE WITH ME. GOD IS WONDERFUL AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT I CAN GIVE TO REPAY THE LOVE THAT HE HAS SHOWN. BRI, MAY I LIVE UP TO THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ALL OF US THROUGH YOUR OPTIMISM, COURAGE, FAITH, AND LOVE. YOU WILL BE MISSED.

NEXT BEST THING TO THE PORCH SWING

IT HAS RECENTLY COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE READ SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WRITE ON THIS BLOG OF MINE. I HAD NO IDEA. BUT NOW THAT I KNOW THAT I HAVE AN AUDIENCE I GUESS I SHOULD ACTUALLY WRITE SOME THINGS OF SUBSTANCE.

AS THE END OF SUMMER DRAWS CLOSER...THE SCHOOL YEAR SNEAKS UP BEHIND US READY TO STRIKE. HOWEVER, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN QUITE A FEW YEARS I AM SUPER EXCITED FOR FALL. WHY? YOU MIGHT ASK. IT ISN'T THE FALL COLORS, ALTHOUGH THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL ATMOSPHERE. THE ANSWER FOR ME IS VERY CLEAR...FOOTBALL!

NOT ONLY IS IT TIME FOR THE COUGARS TO SHOW THEIR TRUE COLORS AND COME OUT TO SHOW THE NATION WHY THEY ARE RANKED IN THE TOP 20 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON, BUT OHS FOOTBALL IS KICKING OFF AS WELL. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORLD TO COMPARE WITH FRIDAY NIGHTS ON THE BLEACHERS OF A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL WATCHING KIDS, THAT YOU ACTUALLY KNOW, HIT EACH OTHER IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL BATTLES FOR DOMINANCE ON A WELL-LIT FIELD. THE SMELL OF THE GRASS, THE YELLING OF ANGRY MOTHERS AND COACHES, THE HOT COCOA, THE OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC CHEERLEADERS, AND THE PAINTED FACES. THERE'S NOTHING BETTER.

THE CALMING OF A STORM

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PERSON OF MANY WORDS...BUT IT SEEMS THAT IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED. THIS ISN'T TO SAY THAT I DON'T STILL HAVE MY OPINIONS, THEORIES, AND IDEAS. ON THE CONTRARY, I THINK I HAVE MORE RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD THAN EVER BEFORE. BUT, I HAVE FINALLY LEARNED A SMALL PORTION OF THE LESSON OF PATIENCE THAT THE LORD HAS BEEN TRYING TO TEACH ME OVER THE COURSE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. I AM FINALLY WAITING AND WATCHING THE SAVIOR AS HE CALMS THE SEA.

FINALLY I HAVE LEARNED, THAT WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE LORD'S WILL IN OUR LIVES, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE AND THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
I FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT ROLE "GRACE" PLAYS IN OUR LIVES. THE LORD DOESN'T WAIT UNTIL "AFTER" ALL WE CAN DO. HE HELPS US "AS" WE DO ALL WE CAN DO. I HOPE AND PRAY THAT I AM READY AND WILLING TO ACCEPT EVERYTHING THAT THE LORD HAS FOR ME...EVEN IF I HAVEN'T PLANNED FOR IT.

LOUD AND PROUD

I HAVE NEVER BEEN A PERSON OF MANY FACES. WITH ME WHAT YOU SEE (OR HEAR) IS WHAT YOU GET. AND IF I'M THINKING SOMETHING YOU GENERALLY KNOW IT. THAT COULD BE SEEN AS A FAULT, BUT I SEE IT AS A BENEFIT TO THOSE AROUDN ME. NOT ONLY DO I PLAY THE PART OF A P.A. SYSTEM, MAKING ALL OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT ANYONE COULD WANT, BUT PEOPLE NEVER HAVE TO WONDER WHERE THEY STAND WITH ME.

I AM ALSO A VERY PASSIONATE PERSON. WELL... I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT THE THINGS I BELIEVE IN, AND THAT LIST IS CONTINUALLY GROWING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE IN STRONGLY IS COINCIDENCE. IT DOESN'T EXIST!

AS YOU SIT ON A PORCH SWING AND WATCH PEOPLE WALK BY, YOU NOTICE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT DRAWS THEM TOGETHER. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS, BUT IT'S THERE. YOU CAN'T SEE IT, BUT YOU CAN FEEL IT. I CAN'T ANSWER ANY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED ABOUT IT, I JUST KNOW THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND THAT PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER FOR A PURPOSE. THERE IS A PLAN FOR ALL OF US. WE JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE A MINUTE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR PART IN THAT PLAN IS.

EVERYTHING WE DO AFFECTS THOSE AROUND US. WE HAVE AN AFFECT ON PERFECT STRANGERS AND PEOPLE WE HAVE KNOWN ALL OUR LIVES. IT'S LIKE A RIPPLE. IT STARTS WITH A SINGLE DROP, A SINGLE PERSON, A SINGLE DECISION. THEN, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, A WHOLE SEA OF PEOPLE IS MOVING BECAUSE OF OUR ACTIONS (OR INACTIONS). THERE IS NOTHING TRULY PERSONAL. WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER AND WE CAN MAKE IT. AND WE WILL IF WE TAKE THE TIME TO SIT ON THE PORCH AND REALIZE WHERE WE NEED TO GO, WHO WE CAN INFLUENCE FOR GOOD, AND HOW.

THAT'S WHAT THIS BLOG IS FOR. THIS IS ONE WAY I HOPE I CAN INFLUENCE PEOPLE FOR THE BETTER. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. THEY HAVE ALL HELPED ME IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, AND PROBABLY WILL NEVER KNOW THE FULL AFFECT OF THEIR INFLUENCE. THIS IS ME SAYING, "THANKS!"