Life's Purpose 8

Delaney Williams, our"new" teenage granddaughter.

Question: "What does the Bible say about how to find purpose in life?" As I interpret Scripture, our purpose in life, as God originally created man, is 1) glorify God and enjoy fellowship with Him, 2) have good relationships with others, 3) work, and 4) have dominion over the earth.

But with man's fall into sin, fellowship with God is broken, relationships with others are strained, work seems at times to be frustrating, and man struggles to maintain any semblance of dominion over nature. Only by restoring fellowship with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, can purpose in life be rediscovered.

In summary, the purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We glorify God by fearing and obeying Him and knowing Him intimately. We enjoy God by following His purpose for our lives, which enables us to experience true and lasting joy—the abundant life that He desires for us, plus keeping our eyes on our future home in heaven,
I like what Os Hillman writes regarding our topic. He begins with Psa. 139:1-4

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD" (Ps 139:1-4).
“Your purpose in life is chosen by God. It is not negotiable. It is like calling water wet-there is no changing that fact, and there's no changing God's purpose for your life. While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that He had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when He sent Him to the earth, He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.

“This doesn't mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it, too bad. It is my belief that you can achieve your purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off. You won't throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (Ps. 138:8). Isn't that comforting to know?

“Defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities that you should be involved in. Like Jesus, you should not involve yourself in activities that contradict His purpose for your existence. Jesus’ purpose was to do the will of the Father and become the salvation for mankind.
“Each of us must ask why we are involved in an activity. Is it a God-activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if He saw the Father doing it, and He was able to see what His Father was doing because of His intimate relationship with Him.

As I close my study on the topic of “what is my purpose in life” at the age of 70 plus, it is to focus on loving God, loving and encouraging others from either a mentoring or friendship setting, teaching at the Lighthouse Mission, building a strong marriage and listening for His whisper, “Ray, THIS is THE Way – walk in it.” This I’ll pursue until God nudges me into another direction.

What is your purpose? “Without a vision (purpose), the people perish.”

Life's Purpose 7

Because seeking one’s purpose for life seems to be directly related to our stage in life, I thought it would be fun to throw in another “stages of life” story. The Duration of Life comes from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

When God created the world and was about to determine the duration of life for all the creatures, the donkey came and asked, "Lord, how long am I to live?"
"Thirty years," answered God. "Is that all right with you?"
"Oh, Lord," replied the donkey, "that is a long time. Think of my tiresome existence carrying heavy loads from morning until night, dragging bags of grain to the mill so that others might eat bread, only to be cheered along and refreshed with kicks and blows! Spare me part of this long time."
So God had mercy and gave him eighteen years. The donkey went away satisfied, and the dog made his appearance.

"How long do you want to live?" said God to him. "Thirty years was too much for the donkey, but you will be satisfied with that long."
"Lord," answered the dog. "Is that your will? Just think how much I have to run. My feet will not hold out so long. And what can I do but growl and run from one corner to another after I have lost my voice for barking and my teeth for biting?" God saw that he was right, and he took away twelve years. Then came the monkey.

"Surely you would like to live thirty years," said the Lord to him. "You do not need to work like the donkey and the dog, and are always having fun."
"Oh, Lord," he answered, "so it appears, but it is different. When it rains porridge, I don't have a spoon. I am always supposed to be playing funny tricks and making faces so people will laugh, but when they give me an apple and I bite into it, it is always sour. How often is sorrow hidden behind a joke. I cannot put up with all that for thirty years!"
God had mercy and gave him ten years. Finally man made his appearance.

Cheerful, healthy, and refreshed, he asked God to determine the duration of his life. "You shall live thirty years," spoke the Lord. "Is that enough for you?"
"What a short time!" cried the man. "When I have built a house and a fire is burning on my own hearth, when I have planted trees that blossom and bear fruit, and am just beginning to enjoy life, then I am to die. Oh, Lord, extend my time." "I will add the donkey's eighteen years," said God.
"That is not enough," replied the man. "You shall also have the dog's twelve years." "Still too little." "Well, then," said God, "I will give you the monkey's ten years as well, but you shall receive no more."

The man went away, but he was not satisfied.Thus man lives seventy years. The first thirty are his human years, and they quickly disappear. Here he is healthy and happy; he works with pleasure, and enjoys his existence. The donkey's eighteen years follow. Here one burden after the other is laid on him; he carries the grain that feeds others, and his faithful service is rewarded with kicks and blows. Then come the dog's twelve years, and he lies in the corner growling, no longer having teeth with which to bite. And when this time is past, the monkey's ten years conclude. Now man is weak headed and foolish; he does silly things and becomes a laughingstock for children.

“God, spare (me)us of the human tendency to complain and whine. In (my)our quest for finding your will in what the purpose is in life (that often changes with life’s states), help me learn to be content in whatever stage or state I (we) find myself.”
Our next post will address what the Bible says about man’s purpose is in life.
Because seeking one’s purpose for life seems to be directly related to our stage in life, I thought it would be fun to throw in another “stages of life” story. The Duration of Life comes from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
When God created the world and was about to determine the duration of life for all the creatures, the donkey came and asked, "Lord, how long am I to live?"
"Thirty years," answered God. "Is that all right with you?"
"Oh, Lord," replied the donkey, "that is a long time. Think of my tiresome existence carrying heavy loads from morning until night, dragging bags of grain to the mill so that others might eat bread, only to be cheered along and refreshed with kicks and blows! Spare me part of this long time."
So God had mercy and gave him eighteen years. The donkey went away satisfied, and the dog made his appearance.
"How long do you want to live?" said God to him. "Thirty years was too much for the donkey, but you will be satisfied with that long."
"Lord," answered the dog. "Is that your will? Just think how much I have to run. My feet will not hold out so long. And what can I do but growl and run from one corner to another after I have lost my voice for barking and my teeth for biting?"
God saw that he was right, and he took away twelve years. Then came the monkey.
"Surely you would like to live thirty years," said the Lord to him. "You do not need to work like the donkey and the dog, and are always having fun."
"Oh, Lord," he answered, "so it appears, but it is different. When it rains porridge, I don't have a spoon. I am always supposed to be playing funny tricks and making faces so people will laugh, but when they give me an apple and I bite into it, it is always sour. How often is sorrow hidden behind a joke. I cannot put up with all that for thirty years!"
God had mercy and gave him ten years. Finally man made his appearance. Cheerful, healthy, and refreshed, he asked God to determine the duration of his life.
"You shall live thirty years," spoke the Lord. "Is that enough for you?"
"What a short time!" cried the man. "When I have built a house and a fire is burning on my own hearth, when I have planted trees that blossom and bear fruit, and am just beginning to enjoy life, then I am to die. Oh, Lord, extend my time."
"I will add the donkey's eighteen years," said God.
"That is not enough," replied the man.
"You shall also have the dog's twelve years."
"Still too little."
"Well, then," said God, "I will give you the monkey's ten years as well, but you shall receive no more."
The man went away, but he was not satisfied.
Thus man lives seventy years. The first thirty are his human years, and they quickly disappear. Here he is healthy and happy; he works with pleasure, and enjoys his existence. The donkey's eighteen years follow. Here one burden after the other is laid on him; he carries the grain that feeds others, and his faithful service is rewarded with kicks and blows. Then come the dog's twelve years, and he lies in the corner growling, no longer having teeth with which to bite. And when this time is past, the monkey's ten years conclude. Now man is weak headed and foolish; he does silly things and becomes a laughingstock for children.

“God, spare (me)us of the human tendency to complain and whine. In (my)our quest for finding your will in what the purpose is in life (that often changes with life’s states), help me learn to be content in whatever stage or state I (we) find myself.”

Our next post will address what the Bible says about man’s purpose is in life.

Life Purpose 6

Have been experiencing fear more lately. The pros tell me that is common for a man – fear of not being good enough; fear of failure; fear of the digression of physical prowess.

1 John 4:18 tells me… perfect love expels all fear… The origen of perfect love is,of course, God.
Thus, If I know God’s love at a deep affective level, fear should subside. And that is what is happening. I am sensing Abba Papa’s love in a new way. It is hard to articulate the procees or explain the sensing. But I’ll take a stab at it.

The process began a month ago in Denver when I lost most of my leg strength causing great fear. Fear of losing ambulatory ability, a result of Parkinsons Disease. I was distraught with my fear reaction which meant I wasn’t trusting God to “work all things for my good.”

After repenting of lack of trust, I studied “fear” from a Biblial perspective. Good information but little practical application. Then that verse came to me, “Perfect love casts out all fear.” Only one source for perfect love, that being God.

So I gathered my Scripture memory passages on God’s love, drawing mostly on Romans 8, John 15, Psalm 91, and Ephesians 3. John 15 told me that love is measured by obedience. Ephesians 3 and Romans 8 overwhelmed me with the description of God’s free gift of love to the Believer. I personalized Psalm 91, giving me great comfort.
Then that good old standby Psalm 23 capped off my daily bringing to recall God’s love for me.

Those passages regarding God’s love for me brought great cognitive awareness but
the “sensor mechanism” hadn’t been activated. Here’s where it gets mysteriously exciting.

Because stress exacerbates the PD symptoms and because I was fighting a lengthy bout with a bronchitis/sinisitus malady and because Theresa and I were gone from home traveling to our children’s homes, I backed off of nearly all activity, being gone and when not gone, staying in the house most of the time. No performance actitvity. Just a little mentoring and Lighthouse teaching 1 hour per week. Most unusual, for I had always been very performance oriented. People who weren’t, I pridefully and judgementally labeled as lazy. Along with the performance focus I felt called to the ministry as a teenager, fought it for a year because I thought God wanted me to be a preacher. It was during the time I stuttered so profusely I could hardly say my name. Why would He want me to be a preacher? But I finally yielded. The call left. Looking back at my fifty plus years of college basketball coaching and private practice counseling my life style has been one of ministering.

20-20 hindsight makes me wonder how much of my activity was a search for approval/recognition and how much was pride motivated. I thought that I had annihilated the messiah complex long ago during my first years of counseling. However as I put this all together, I see that in all this ministering I was not only seeking approval but the messiah complex was kicking in. To the coaches “a subtle prideful “I can help you coach, grow spiritually and help the team.” – whether they wanted it or not. To the theology department where I could straighten out some of their imperfect thinking. To individuals for healing and growth A subtle spiritual pride trip that I didn’t even recognize. The messiah complex.

Here I found myself doing very little ministering. Doing nothing for approval and recognition. And God came close and wrapped me up in his warm strong and loving arms as I sat on His lap – doing nothing. A strong sense of His love that is hard to describe. I’ll try.

An assurance that He’ll take care of me. A peace and contentment like I had never experienced before. No fear. Total acceptance of me just as I am. I didn’t need to fix anyone or save anyone or heal anyone. At this stage in my life I was to just “be”.

How long will this lack of activity last? It seems so incongruent with Scripture that admonishes me, “faith without works is dead.” So dissimilar to my 70 year lifestyle. However, I trust that I’m listening accurately to God and am accepting the challenge to “be still and know that He is God.” I will pay attention to His promptings that will encourage me when to “do” – to minister – but totally prompted by Him – at His time. I desire no hidden agendas for my edification. So help me, Abba Papa. I believe I hear your voice saying, “Be still Ray. Just let me love on you.”
Am I enjoying God? As we used to say in North Dakota, “ yah, shore, ewe betcha.”

My (your) greatest purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Life's Purpose 5

The second part of the Westminister Catechism is that man's chief end is to enjoy God for ever. How do I (we) enjoy God?

The enjoyment of God. Right now. It is great to enjoy the benefits of God's ordinances (authoritative statutes), but to enjoy God's presence in the ordinances is that for which a follower of Christ aspires.

Psalm 63:2, "To see thy glory so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." This sweet enjoyment of God is when we feel his Spirit co-operating with the ordinance, and pouring out grace upon our hearts.

John Wesley had been dogged by doubt for many years. Then, he had the experience of meeting God at a “felt” level. He described it thusly; “In the evening I went very unwilling to a society in Aldersgate Street….About a quarter before nine…I felt my heart strangely warmed.’ He never was the same person hence.

Scripture speaks to the affections regarding God. Luke 24:32, "Did not our hearts burn within us?"
An encounter with God transforms the heart. 2 Cor. 3:8, "We are changed into the same image, from glory to glory."
This comforting fellowship of God’s love revives the heart, giving confirmation that He is truly one to be enjoyed

My first wife Ann’s death presented an opportunity to connect with God on a feeling level that lead to enjoying Him more deeply. Unless you've walked in the place of death of a spouse, there is no understanding of the desolation, the hopelessness. It's like walking into the house and shouting "I'm home," hoping someone beside the four walls would hear and respond. Selfishness seems justified.

The book "A time to Grieve" describes it thusly: When we lose a loved one, almost everything in us and around us seems to change at the moment of the death. We are likely to feel isolated. And we may feel, too, as if the world is a vastly confusing and chaotic place. We long for just a few moments with our loved one. We reflect on the happiness that person brought into our life. Nothing else makes sense to us but the rare and meaningful relationship, which we cherished - which is now gone. Consumed by our devastating loss and our longing, we see ourselves and the world much differently than we ever have before.

Shock and processing pain filled my first few weeks of grief, along with staying busy long hours of the day, six days a week. The seventh was designed to feel - feel God's presence through music at church and feel the raw pain of the loss in the afternoon and evening. Journaling was a significant tool for that expression. Part of my journaling read, “God, if according to Isaiah you want to be a husband to the abandoned wife. I ask you to be as a wife to an abandoned husband. He gave me the verse in John 14:23 that God and Jesus would come to me in my home “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.”

Even through the pain, God’s presence was palpable in my home. My enjoyment of God was amazing and hard to describe. And then He gave me the great gift of Theresa as my wife.
“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

More on enjoying God in the next post.

Life's Purpose 4

The Burwick grandkids of Kentucky

Continuing our reflections on man's purpose for living, we pick up where we left off yesterday.
What is the chief purpose of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. This, in my opinion, is getting to the foundation of our quest for knowing man’s purpose.

The glorifying of God. 1 Pet. 4:11. "That God in all things may be glorified." And l Cor. 10:31. "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
What is meant by “God’s glory?” God has in himself an intrinsic glory. He is called the "God of glory," (Acts 7:2), to which we strive to bring glory to him. 1 Chron. 16:29, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." And, 1 Cor. 6:20, "Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit." The glory we give God is our lifting up his name in the world, and magnifying him in the eyes of others. Phil. 1:20, "Christ shall be magnified in my body."

Glorifying God involves at least five things: admiration, adulation, affection, submission and gratitude.
Admiration / appreciation. To glorify God is to set God highest in our thoughts, and, to have an honored esteem of him. Psalm 92:8. "Thou, Lord, art most high for evermore." Psalm 97:9, "Thou art exalted far above all gods." To know God brings forth both wonder and delight. We glorify God when we admire His attributes, His promises, His power and wisdom in making the world. Psalm 8:3.

Adoration /adulation. Glorifying God consists in adoration, or worship. Psalm 29:2. "Give onto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Neh. 8:6,"they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces towards the ground." We glorify God by praising him. Doxology, or praise, is a God-exalting work. Psalm 50:23, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me. Psalm 96:12. "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, and I will glorify thy name."

Affection / caring love. This is part of the glory we give to God, who counts himself glorified when he is loved. Deut. 6:5, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."

Submission / obedience. This is when we dedicate ourselves to God, and stand ready to listen to His voice of guidance. We glorify God when we are devoted to his service. The wise men that came to Christ did not only bow the knee to him, but presented him with gold and myrrh. Matt. 2:11. So we must not only bow the knee, give God worship, but bring presents of valuable obedience. God has given every man a talent; and when a man does not bury it, but improves it for God, he demonstrates his submmission to God. Obedience also means fulfilling the great commission: Go into all the world, preach the Gospel and make disciples. And when we do “accomplish” for God, He gets the glory, not us. In short, we glorify God by living a holy life and sharing it with others.

Gratitude / joyful spirit. We glorify God by a lifestyle of gratitude and joy. It brings glory to God, when the world sees a Christian cheerful even in the worst times. Followers of Jesus Christ have ground for cheerfulness. They are made right with God creating inward peace, fulfillment, contentment and joy for the now, plus eternal life with Him in the hereafter.

Tomorrow we'll examine "enjoying God."

LIfe Purpose 3

Three generations of Burwicks seeking to understand purpose in life.

As I’m ruminating on this topic of “What is my Purpose for living,” prompted by my stage in life, I’m reminded of Stages of Life from Aesop’s Fables.

The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
"ne winter's day, during a severe storm, a horse, an ox, and a dog came and begged for shelter in the house of a man. He readily admitted them, and, as they were cold and wet, he lit a fire for their comfort; and he put oats before the horse, and hay before the ox, while he fed the dog with the remains of his own dinner.

"When the storm abated, and they were about to depart, they determined to show their gratitude in the following way. They divided the life of man among them, and each endowed one part of it with the qualities which were peculiarly his own. The horse took youth, and hence young men are high mettled and impatient of restraint; the ox took middle age, and accordingly men in middle life are steady and hard working; while the dog took old age, which is the reason why old men are so often peevish and ill tempered, and, like dogs, attached chiefly to those who look to their comfort, while they are disposed to snap at those who are unfamiliar or distasteful to them.

I trust that my pursuit of seeking my purpose for living will help prevent my being “like a dog.”
Continuing our exploration of the meaning or purpose of life let’s glance at Judaism which has at it’s central core the worshiping of a single, omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, transcendent God, who created the universe and governs it. In the Judaic world view, the meaning of life is to serve the one true God and to prepare for the world to come.

Then to Christianity, with its roots in Judaism, shares much of the latter faith's ontology, (the systematic study of one’s being) but whose central beliefs derive from the teachings of Jesus Christ, as presented in the New Testament.

For the follower of Jesus Christ, the Westminster Shorter Catechism addresses the purpose of man by asking the question: “What is the chief end of Man? That is, what is Man's main purpose?. The answer is: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever. God requires one to obey the revealed moral law saying: love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and your neighbour as ourselves.The Baltimore Catechism answers the question "Why did God make you?" by saying "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven."

What is the chief purpose of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. This, in my opinion, is getting to the foundation of our quest for knowing man’s purpose.

What does it mean to glorify God? We'll check that out tomorrow.

LIfe's Purpose - 2

Bella Rose Burwick Ft. Thomas, Ky.

I’m incapable of delineating all the nuances of the meaning of life, nor am I interested in delving into all the philosophical, scientific and theological explanations for man’s purpose.

Questions like the following have been bantered around by cultural and idealogical gurus for years on end:
• What is the meaning of life? What's it all about? Who are we?
• Why are we here?
• What is the origin of life?
• What is the purpose of life?
• What is the significance of life?
• What is meaningful and valuable in life?
• What is the reason to live?

These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations all of which can muddy the Purpose of Life waters.

At this stage in my life I’m not interested in a lot of philosophical mumbo jumbo. I just want to know who I am. What I’m to do and who I am to become. I think I’ve got a fair handle on who I am – a child of God and loved by Him immensley and as a follower of Jesus I am endowed with the power of His Spirit. Who I am to become – in the process of becoming more like Christ (Romans 8:29). But out of this “being”, what am I to do? What is my purpose? Let’s explore.

If I turn to Søren Kierkegaard, he would tell me that life is full of absurdity, and one must make his and her own values in an indifferent world.

Existentialism tells me that each man and each woman creates the essence (meaning) of his and her life; life is not determined by a supernatural god or an earthly authority, one is free.

Friedrich Nietzsche, says that life is worth living only if there are goals inspiring one to live.

King Solomon, recorded in the book of Ecclesiastics, tells us that all is vanity – eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die.

The Bahá'í Faith emphasizes the unity of humanity. To Bahá'ís, the purpose of life is focused on spiritual growth and service to humanity. Human beings are viewed as intrinsically spiritual beings. People's lives in this material world provide extended opportunities to grow, to develop divine qualities and virtues, and the prophets were sent by God to facilitate this.

Viktor Frankl's 1946 book Man's Search for Meaning, which is in the top ten best selling books in America, chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method (logotherapy) of finding a reason to live.

Frankl concluded after experiencing and observing much suffering in the camp, that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death. Frankl concludes from his experience that a prisoner's psychological reactions are not solely the result of the conditions of his life, but also from the freedom of choice he always has even in severe suffering. The inner hold a prisoner has on his spiritual self relies on having a faith in the future, and that once a prisoner loses that faith, he is doomed. Frankl's meaning in life is to help others find theirs.

Our exploration continues in tomorrow's post. Barron Olaf Burwick

Life's Purpose

Our Kentucky kids, sans Ray II

"Whose life is it, anyway?" A plea by the late Sue Rodrigues, a high-profile, terminally-ill resident of British Columbia, Canada, who suffered from ALS. It is reported that she was helped to commit suicide by a physician in violation of Canadian law in the presence of a Member of Parliament. Neither the doctor nor the MP were prosecuted. A number of states have legalized doctor-assisted suicide.

The Bible says, “Without a vision, the people perish.” Without a purpose for living, a significance for existence, a meaningful life is impaired. The ultimate impairment is the destruction of oneself, quickly by suicide or chronically through dysfunctional thinking or behavior.

Be it the male midlife crisis, “Is that all there is to life?” Or the aging process, “What do I have to live for?” Or the sickness/disease model, “My quality of life is such that I want out.” Or the empty nest where kids were the focus. Whatever the case, life must have meaning, a purpose, or some dysfunction surfaces. Like depression, moodiness, anxiety, or chronic illness.

My situation is fairly typlical. Over the age of 70. Forced retirement. A debilitating disease (Parkinson’s) that stifles my normal life activity. Performance-orientation brought to an abrupt halt. Plus an advanced pattern of stuttering, curbing speaking oportunities.

Without a purpose for living, it leaves me these options, from which to choose:
• Self pity – look what I’ve lost. See what I can’t do now.
• Chronic entitlement – “life owes me.”
• Relax, have fun. Enjoy retirement with no focus on responsibilities.
• Be grateful for what I’ve had and what I have. Enjoy life. Seek to listen to that quiet voice from heaven saying, “this is the way, walk ye in it.” Show me my purpose, Abba Papa.

More tomorrow on life's purpose

Eulogy part 2

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Been thinking much lately about the word “purpose.” What is my purpose in life at the age of 70+, retired and without significant responsibilities? “Without a vision, the people perish.” Without a purpose, life becomes mundane, dreary, and for some depressing.

Takes me back to Tom Osborne’s book that recommends following Covey’s suggestion, “Write your own euology follwed up with writng your mission statement.” As this is carried out, purpose for living should stand out loud and clear.

One person responded to my eulogy query, saying, “The one my grandfather sent to my own father often was, "Be faithful son, it's better farther on." That speaks to purpose for the future – later, even for life after death. And we can be in such a state of emotional or physical dissary, that the only hope we have is for an eternal walk with God after we die.

But how about for now? Gary writes, “The story of a good life—boy, you really can come up with challenges! So much easier to just think about it than to do it and then live accordingly. Deciding what is most important, what we would like to be known for, the legacy of our lives, and then living up to that desire… you really give us little wiggle room. If I commit it to paper, I should then follow up with appropriate actions.”

Gary goes on to relate a personal challenge. “Curious you held off until the day after my annual performance review at work. For the umpteenth year, I was given rave kudos for everything except what means the most to me. I am known for being more than blunt with fellow employees (and managers) when they under perform our company standards or my expectations. It was mentioned this year that others dread finding out who came to work, me or the other guy. After more than a dozen reviews with the same intent, I am faced with the realization that I definitely do not represent the image of Christ to my peers or leaders in the marketplace. If they were to eulogize me, I would not be happy at all with their honesty. Time to deal with my frustration differently and effectively. Christ died for these folks.

"Interesting how we can express a character so far from our intent, our heart, our mindset, and so far from who Christ is that others take our mistaken identity as who we really are.

"It will be a while before I write a eulogy for it cannot be based on intent but rather expression.”

Gary’s writing is so refreshing, so authentic. I’ll be excited to see what he comes up with.

In thinking of my own eulogy, I sure would like it to read as did Noah’s and Enoch’s
Genesis 5:22 And Enoch walked with God … Genesis 6:9 …Noah walked with God.

I’ll have to live to 120 years of age for God to have time to purge all that is within that keeps me from living out that desire completely. “Ray walks with God” is much more apparent now than a few years ago. ' But a ways to go.
If my mission is to walk with God, then I need to fine tune a plan to meet that objective. And carry it out!

The U in Jesus

We left Cincy in a snow storm. Got back last night. Great to be with my son and his. Great to be back home. It is 2 a.m.. Body says “get up.” So I’m connecting with you. An email I received while gone came from a special cousin, Larry. It moved me deeply, so wanted to share it with you all. (Author unknown).

THE U IN JESUS

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God stuck U in the name of His Son.

And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.

You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.

And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crUcified.

Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan?

The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
and this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.

When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.

'Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all - Just like I love U.'

So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too?

It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know, But it all starts with U.

Eight deadly / godly virtues

Kendall's volleyball team took second place in their tourney yesterday. It's fun to watch genes passed on to second generation. Kendall's 8-year-old sister was part of a dance team that performed at a local mall for a REd Cross benefit. Of course, she was the best dancer :-)

Been reading "Longing for God" by Foster and Beebe. They present Evagrius of Ponticus (345-399) whose key concept in spiritual theology is that our ability to know and love God is tied directly to our ability to cultivate godly virtue. This cultivation proceeds by stages. Unless we face an untimety demise, Evagrius believes that each of us will be assailed by all eight deadly thoughts - listed as gluttony, anger, greed or avarice, envy or vainglory, pride, lust or impurity, Indifference or impatient discouragement - sloth, and melancholy or depression.

Evagrius believes that we overcome the disorientation of the eight deadly thoughts only through the orienting effects of the eight godly virtues, which correspond directly to the deadly thoughts:
temperance overcomes gluttony. Mildness over anger. Generosity over greed. Happiness over envy. Humilty over pride. Chastity over lust. Diligence over indifference. Wisdom over depression.

He claims that these virtues develop as we conquer the deadly thoughts arising from our interactions with other people and social institutions. The virtues like the deadly thoughts are cumulative. Positive resolution at one level leads to positive resolution at subsequent levels. Just as the deadly thoughts creat disorientiation, the moral virtures create an orientation that helps us make progress in our spiritual journey.

Interesting food for thought.

If we don't get snowed in, we're back in Nampa Tuesday.

Eulogy

We're in snowy Kentucky, currently in a Lousiville motel, awaiting an all day volleyball tournament that Kendall, our 13 year old granddaughter, will compete in tomorrow. She is on a select traveling team, playing center blocker.

Been reading Tom Osborne's book, Beyond the final Score. A great read. He has been a successful football coach at the U. of Nebraska, served in Congress 6 years and is currently athletic director at Nebraska. His strong Christian stand and successful career leads me to "lend my ears." He suggests writing your own eulogy, followed by a personal mission statement that is built on provision for that eulogy. Interesting concept.

What do you think? rburwick@mindspring.com