Versus to Verses – Overcome by writing, not fighting.

How are you tuned?

As some of you know, I like playing the guitar. I especially enjoy playing boleros, the music my parents and grandparents enjoyed. Many years ago, my wife and I went to Bolivia, and I bought a requinto, a smaller version of a classical guitar. I have been playing with that requinto for many years. Recently, I was changing its strings. I discovered something that I was not aware of. I learned that the requinto is not tuned the same way as the classical guitar. All these years I have been tuning the requinto the same way as the classical guitar. No wonder my songs have sounded a bit off, not the way they should sound on a requinto. Well, perhaps that is not the only reason. LOL

This got me thinking about something. I started thinking about how I am tuned, and whether I am properly tuned, spiritually. Like the requinto, I have been a bit “off” for some time. Like the requinto, I have the right “strings,” but the tuning is just not right. Also, when one puts new strings on a requinto, or any string instrument, it takes some time for the strings to settle in, for the tuning to “take.”

I realized that my spiritual tuning needs some adjustment. I pray that God adjusts my tuning so that I am not “off.” I understand that any tuning by God may take some time to “take.” So, I suppose a little patience is in order.

How does my requinto sound with the new strings? Stay tuned…

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June 10

The Shape of a Tool

Hi. It’s been a minute, or two, or three… This week I’ve been working on a yard DIY project, a paver and stone walkway. I cleared the path by removing the old walkway and edging the grass to accommodate the new pavers. Of course, the path has to be flat and level. I tested it with a paver. It was pretty flat, except for the edges. When I was working on it this morning I discovered the reason why. You see, the shovel that I used is not completely flat. The edges are curved. Shovel with curved edges, well, you get ground with curved edges. That reminded me of a poem I wrote more than twenty years ago. I went looking for it and reread it. The experience with my shovel reminded me that I need to take a closer look at the tools that I am using every day, today and tomorrow, and how I am using them. After all, the tools that I use in life will dictate the path that I take (how about that for a segue…wink wink).

Here is My Little Toolbox:

I have a little toolbox, with everything I need
I carry it wherever I go, wherever life will lead
My toolbox never fails me, it always helps me through
So many of life's problems, when I don't even have a clue

Whenever I'm in trouble, I search for the right tool
For me to look outside my box, makes me nothing but a fool
I look until I find it, because I know it must be there
I know that when I find it, the answer will be clear

Sometimes I use my toolbox, to help someone in need
No matter who they are, no matter their faith or creed
Sometimes the tools I use, are frowned upon by others
But that's OK by me, for they still are my brothers

The more I use my toolbox, the more I understand
That on my own I can do nothing, without God's helping hand
I know that with my toolbox, all things in life are possible
Because the tools are God's words, and my toolbox is the Bible

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January 30

My To-Do List

Hi. It’s been a while. But that’s because I don’t like to write just to write. I wait for inspiration and one never knows where that might come from, or when. Yesterday my wife, humorously, told our son that I had my week planned out. She explained about our “Weekly Planner” on the refrigerator and that I had it filled with substitute teaching, tennis, and pickleball, something for each day of the week. She said, again humorously (I think), that she did not see herself on that list. Although she exaggerated just a little bit, she was not wrong.

Early this morning I went to one of my “Bible websites” to do a little reading. I saw an article titled “10 Key Bible Verses on Time” and decided to get into it. One verse was James 4:13-15:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

This verse brought my attention back to the “Weekly Planner” on our refrigerator door. I was reminded of a couple of things. First, any one of us can take verse 4:13, i.e., “today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”, and fill it with our own “to-do list,” like so: “this week I will go substitute teach a couple of days and play tennis and pickleball.” Well, that’s not all I will do, but you get the picture. Second, as the cliché goes, I am not getting any younger. Here is another key bible verse in the article: “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty…” (Psalm 90:10-12). I am 63. Need I say more? “A mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes…” (James 4:14).

Without judging anyone, what’s on your “to-do list” (written or otherwise) this week? This month? This year? Whatever it is that you have on that list, please keep James 4:15 in your heart and mind: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” I know I need that reminder from time to time.

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November 3

Strangers or Angels?

Yesterday morning, I went to Wawa to get lunch. As I was coming out of the Wawa, I saw a gentleman walking towards the entrance. He was an older man and was walking a bit slow. When he saw I was holding the door he tried to hurry up. I told him to take his time, not to rush. As he entered the Wawa, he thanked me. Then I saw someone else walking towards the door. I thought I heard this second gentleman yell out my name, Eugene! I heard the first gentleman respond. I said to the second man, did you say Eugene? He said yes. Then I realized he was calling out to the other guy, not me. I asked the first gentleman if his name was Eugene. He said yes. I exclaimed “wow, that’s my name!” He chuckled and extended his hand, saying “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Eugene.” I shook his hand, and we all had a good laugh. It was a funny moment, but also a very pleasant exchange.

As I drove away, thinking about this encounter, with a smile on my face, I remembered the following verse from the Bible:

Continue to love each other with true Christian love. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Hebrews 13:1-2

Yesterday morning I held the door for that gentleman. I mean, it is something I aim to do when the opportunity arises. 🙂 This time, however, I held the door for another Eugene. I had a good laugh, totally unexpected, with Eugene, and the other gentleman. Together we shared a very pleasant moment. Who knows how the rest of the day went for the other two fellas. Hopefully they had a good day. I did.

I am no angel, and I don’t know whether either of the other two fellas were angels, but I’d like to believe that – for that very brief moment – angels were in our midst. And that, my friend, is a rare moment, one to treasure. So, yes, “don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.”

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August 25

Alexa, what’s the weather?

I woke up this morning to very heavy rain. Have you ever caught yourself sitting in your living room or lying on your bed early in the morning and saying, “Alexa, is it raining?” Have you ever heard Alexa respond, “it’s pouring you dimwit, just look out the window!” Oftentimes, that’s what we do. We ask Alexa, or Google, questions that we either should know the answer to or could easily find out by, in the case of rain, pulling up the blinds and looking out the window. Sometimes, you could simply ask whoever is sitting next to you, like your wife.

Recently my wife told me something that I did not need her to tell me, for me to know. The details are not important. What is important is that I should have seen what she was saying even before she said it. What she said should not have been a revelation. I should have seen for myself what was happening. I should have pulled up the blinds!

Now, staying with the rain metaphor, what was happening with my wife was a little rain, at least from my perspective. But as we have seen so often, especially lately, a little rain can become heavy rain, and heavy rain can lead to flooding, property damage, and even loss of life. In other words, tragedy, and disaster. And to think that it all started with just a few drops of rain!

In my case, I realized that my wife had seen the raindrops and, while they were just raindrops to me, she worried that if I did not do something about it, it soon could be pouring. Now, I do not need Alexa or Google to tell me what that means. I know what pouring rain means, but I was refusing to pull up the blinds and see for myself. I also was not seeing that while it was just a little rain now, well, you get the picture.

The rest of the story involving my wife? Crickets…

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May 11

The fridge that wasn’t there

Every morning (ok, almost every morning) the first thing I do is get my wife a glass of OJ and put it on her night table. She really appreciates that! This morning I walked to the kitchen and turned towards the fridge, but the fridge was not there! No, I was not dreaming. This morning we are having a new fridge delivered and we had the old one taken away last night. I chuckled when I turned to the fridge and, half asleep, reached for the door, finding nothing there. So, I went to the basement to our small fridge and got my wife her OJ.

As I type this, sitting in the dining room, I am looking across where we have certain family pictures. There are pictures of my father-in-law and mother-in-law, God rest their souls. About six months ago my mom passed away and we placed her picture alongside. I miss her so much! Just last week my dad passed away and we added his picture to the “memorial.” My heart is sad. Both my parents gone in a matter of months. I am 62, however, and blessed to have had them for as long as I did.

Not to compare a missing fridge to missing parents, but it occurred to me that there is something worth noting. The fridge was there every single morning. Every morning I would reach out to it. Every morning I would open it’s door. But this morning the fridge was not there. I could not reach out and open it’s door, although I did reach out. This morning, the fridge was no longer there.

My parents are no longer here. I am not able to go to them. I am not able to reach out to them. I am no longer able to “open their doors,” the doors to their hearts and minds. It was so much a part of my life, being able to do that. It was the most natural thing to do. There might not be anything more natural in life. And the thing is, unlike my fridge, I am not waiting for new parents to be delivered.

My message to kids of all ages is to enjoy your parents. Always reach out to them and look to open the doors to their hearts and minds. The day will come when you will no longer be able to do that. When that time comes, you will feel like you are dreaming or like you are half-asleep. You will want to reach out to them, but they will no longer be there. Love them, cherish them, and be there for them, now, while you can.

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March 10

Cracked Spines

Have you cracked any spines lately? Let me rephrase that, have you cracked any book spines lately? Like many of you these days, most of the books that I read are digital or eBooks. I still read soft and hard-cover books, the “old-fashion” way (I hope that you do too), and I have definitely cracked some spines, perhaps too many!

Some people purposely avoid cracked book spines or any other kind of damage to books. On the other hand, a cracked spine or things like “dog ears” might indicate a well-read book, right? Here is one writer’s take:

Dog-earing sections, leaving the book open to a chapter on the bed and cracking the spine, is all the mark of an incredible book. If I see someone reading a book in that condition, I make a note to myself to look that book up. Something kept that reader up late at night, and I want to know what it is. Don’t you?
“In Defense of the Cracked Spine,” from Natalie’s Desk, www.coffeeandabookchick.com

Like I said, I have cracked many book spines. I guess that means I have read many books! Some of those cracked spines might indicate what part of the book I find most interesting; I must have spent a lot of time in that part of the book. For example, one of my paperbacks, a book that helps me in my spiritual walk and that I’ve had for more than forty years, is cracked precisely at the chapter on “the effects of sin.” I probably spent a good amount of time in that section of the book.

How about you? What books do you read and do they have any cracked spines? Do those cracked spines tell you something about what you spend your time thinking about? Do those cracked spines tell you something about yourself, about your life? If you are an e-reader, perhaps there are “e-cracks” that say something about you, something about where you are and where you’ve been, and even perhaps where you are going. “E-cracks” are a little harder to spot, but — believe me — they are there.

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January 16

The Shape of the Ball

Tonight (eastern time) starts the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament! Very exciting for us tennis players and those who follow the sport. Now, looking at the title to this piece, you might think that I am referring to something round, the shape of a ball. What I have in mind is what we refer to in tennis as giving shape to the ball. In tennis, when we swing at the ball the purpose is to give the ball “shape.” Let me explain. A player can hit a tennis ball flat with very little arc. A player can also hit the ball with a lot of arc using topspin. So, in short, if a player hits the ball flat, there is not much shape to it. But if the player hits the ball with a lot of arc and topspin, then he or she is giving the ball more shape, technically known as “net aerodynamic force” (see above diagram).

The swing is the biggest factor in determining the shape a tennis ball takes in flight. So, that is why a tennis coach, when teaching tennis strokes, focuses so much on “mechanics.” You know the old children’s song about how the bones in our body are connected? The head bone is connected to the neck bone, the neck bone is connected to back bone, and so forth and so on. The song is popularly known as “Dry Bones” or “Skeleton Bones.” There is even a dance for it. Did you know that the original song, called “Dem Bones,” is a spiritual song based on Ezekiel 37:1-14? Each section of the song “Dem Bones” finishes with “hear the word of the Lord.”

Anyhow, I digress, or do I? Back to my tennis analogy. If you have been following me – the few that are 😊 – you know that I frequently use analogies. My analogy here has to do with that thing we do not like to talk about, sinning. Usually, but not always, before we sin, we do something, usually with our mind, to give the sin flight. To stay with the analogy, sin’s flight takes shape from our thoughts. In other words, it takes shape in our minds before it takes flight. How much flight that sin takes depends on how much shape we give it, in our minds first, and then with other parts of our body, all of which, of course, are connected like in “Dem Bones.”

Have you been giving much shape to any sins lately? Ask yourself, how is that sin taking shape? What are you doing in your mind or mechanically to give flight to that sin? And, finally, what are you doing to give that sin less shape, or no shape at all?! Because sin’s foothold is in the mind, our best weapon is, as “Dem Bones” proclaims, hearing the word of the Lord. And since sin usually starts in the mind, we best fight it by “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

In conclusion, we all give shape to sin, and we all give it flight. As in tennis, we can choose (and it is almost always a choice) to give the sin less shape (hit a flat ball) or give it flight with lots of arc and topspin. In the end, what we do beforehand, as in tennis with our swing, will determine the path of that sin. To take the analogy a step further, we can also choose not to swing at all. Of course, that is not something you want to do in tennis! LOL So, take that swing and send that sin crosscourt back where it came from, saying that you are hearing the word of the Lord!

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December 3

Nothing wrong with the hat!

The cold weather has arrived! Time for ski hats and the like. I have this one hat that just does not seem to fit right, no matter how I wear it. I like it because it is very soft and pliable. Pliable…hmmm… I realized that the reason my hat does not look right when I put it on is not because there is anything wrong with it, but because of my hair! The hat is so soft and pliable that, depending how my hair is combed, or not, the hat will take on a different shape and will not look right.

Sometimes we as Christians feel like there is something wrong with how this aspect or that aspect of our faith fits. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of the armor of God:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:10-18

This is powerful armor! When we put on this armor, we are so much stronger. Are we invincible? If we wear it all and have faith in it, we are, spiritually speaking, as invincible as we can be in this world. Now, sometimes – for one reason or another – a piece of that armor just does not fit right. Perhaps something we’ve done or said, or something we should have done or said. My friends, just like my hat, there is nothing wrong with the armor! The armor was perfectly made, by the master blacksmith Himself. Some days this piece or that piece, or for that matter all the pieces, might not fit just right. That’s Okay…wear it we must, every piece of it! Wear it believing that our spiritual life depends on it. It does!

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November 3

Walking the Walk…

I have a book titled Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado. The title begs the question: Is anyone just like Jesus? The short answer is no, no one is just like Jesus. I have another book titled The Imitation of Christ. Those of us who seek to be like Jesus Christ try as best we can to imitate him. Can anyone looking at someone seeking to imitate Jesus see Jesus in that person? That all depends on how close we walk with Jesus.

The picture above is of me and my mom. One day I was taking my mom to church and my sister surreptitiously took the picture. I am walking arm-in-arm with my mother and our steps appear to be in sync. I ask myself: Am I walking arm-in-arm with Jesus and how in sync are we? It is a simple question, but one with great ramifications. How close is my walk with Jesus? That is a question that I ask myself from time to time. Unfortunately, if I am honest, the answer is…not very close. It is a work in progress.

In 1 John 2:6 we read: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” That is the challenge…how well do we walk the walk? So I undertake this exercise: I imagine that in the picture above it is not me and my mom, but me and Jesus Christ, walking arm-in-arm and, to the best of my ability, in sync. I know, that is a very lofty aspiration, one that is attained by so few, but one worth pursuing. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul states: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” If we seek to walk arm-in-arm with Jesus and imitate him as best we can, then we are, I think, as best we can given our human limitations, striving to be “just like” Jesus.

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