Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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its a dogs life

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As I open the door, I am met with the overwhelming scent of a fire. Again today, we have Canadian fires destroying our comfort and my ability to breathe. The dogs bound out the newly opened door and tear across the grass. I watch the dew drops disintegrating one by one from the fierce contact of Groots’ legs… Just minutes ago, he and the other two (Maggie and Drax), would be seen devouring the breakfast like they are eating for the first time in months. Maggie slips out after Groot and is on his heels until she decides to turn sharp to the right to do her “lady business”. Drax slowly moves towards the open door, cautiously looking out the door, pausing, continuing at his slow methodical pace, he steps out the door as if we are watching a rock and roll legend emerge onto the stage for his final performance in his life. “BARK’ the silence was broken by the majestic, deep and commanding sound… “BARK” again, as if to say “OK,  YOU DOGS, THE KING IS HERE, ALL BOW!!!!!!”

Life is always exciting here in the north woods, that smell like of fire but nothing here is burning. Yesterday my throat was burning, eyes watering and boogers accumulated from the soot induced snot I was breathing. Today is starting the same way.

I was looking into this “smoke thing” and some say it’s natural, Others say it’s because Canada has mismanaged the forests, some say “it’s global warming” but most just go to work and tolerate the situation… Whatever the cause, I want to file a class action against Canada for not managing the situation better… who is with me? Am I out of line?

It stops and makes me think, each of us at some point disturbs our neighbors, I just happened to have very few and not very close either, but I am sure there is somebody that drives by and has something to say about how I don’t manage the hay fields right or the rocks from my driveway are not perfectly contained… it’s easy to find fault in others, it’s hard to find fault in self, why? I guess it’s because we always see ourselves as being in the right… the thief can say “I shouldn’t have to pay my rent because I won’t have enough for what I want to do!” The speeder may say “I shouldn’t have to drive that slow because it’s a stupid speed limit” or the hunter may say ”it’s only one deer, and I didn’t bag one last year so this makes up for it!” we can all “JUSTIFY” ourselves…

I like dogs, they always think the best of me, they never question my intentions or assume the worst of me… This reminds me of a joke I heard once (it’s not funny but it is a good display of this point) here we go… “If you ever want to know if your wife or your dog loves you more, lock them both in the trunk of your car for 15 minutes and when you let them out, see which one is glad to see you!” see, that’s not funny at all!!!! 

Lets be like Dogs today, just be happy whenever we get to see “OUR PERSON” be excited to see them, let them know how much we love them, but maybe not roll onto our backs and lose control of our bladders, ya, lets not go that far.

Anyway, see you in court for our class action lawsuit against Canada for making our lives miserable. Stay inside, relax a bit and remember, the only one that loves you more than your dog, is “doG” spelled backwards.

C

Why I am always the perfect one!

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I remember a man who assumed he knew what I was saying, but he didn’t. In fact he believed my intentions were very bad. He felt attacked, personally attacked and never once did he ask qualifying questions until the end of the conversation. But, I was done! I regained control of the conversation and tried to make it very clear that he was assuming the wrong intent… By then, the conversation went from a civil dialogue to outright hostility.

I’ve noticed that my communication style seems to spawn this reaction too often… yet I honestly believe I assume the best of a person until they have proven the opposite. So, I guess I am the perfect one!

Why is it this way? When I talk to customers, I seem to do very well. I communicate clearly, informatively, and completely. I seldom have a hostile situation with customers, strangers and business… BUT, personal life is very different many times. I can only assume that the way I talk to those in the “inner” circle is different? Or do we make assumptions in the way we receive information from our closer friends? 

This got me thinking. Do we find grace as people get closer or do we increase our expectations of being talked to in a particular manner? Do we automatically determine the closer we are the more offensive a person should be to us? 

“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK PLAINLY TO ME! I WILL NOW ASSUME YOU ARE MY ENEMY, AND FURTHERMORE, YOU ARE NOW TRYING TO START A FIGHT WITH ME… FROM NOW ON, YOU WILL BE TALKING TO ME WITH HIDDEN MEANINGS AND EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS NOW A HORRIBLE ATTACK ON MY VERY EXISTENCE”

What an odd scenario, I must find a way to talk to those I care about in a way that is not offensive yet plainly spoken when I see a stronghold on those I care for… Jesus said something about this:

Mark 6:4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”

Could Jesus define this phenomena? I believe he wrote this for a specific reason, he wanted us to know that those who know you the best, tolerate you the least… How odd! You prove for years you have good intentions, always and still, and yet your intent is now assumed to be that of an enemy. 

Don’t get me wrong, I too judge others intentions by the words. Yet as for myself, I am perfect, so I judge my words by my intentions.….. My intentions are always measured by myself, your intentions are also measured by me.. I can perfectly measure my intentions every time, so obviously that makes us experts on measuring everyone else’s intentions as well… 

My message for you today is to start assuming the best in others and when you start to feel like someone close is “attacking” or perhaps “criticizing” you, stop, take a good look, seek first to understand and then to be understood.

James 1:19 You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

Proverbs 18:13 One who gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.

Generally, ask this before you assume and become angered “This person I am talking to, are they my friend, do I trust they care about me? Are they invested in my life? Am I trying to just pick a fight because I don’t like what they are saying? Am I just being a snowflake? And lastly…. Is the person I am talking to from Generation X, because if they are, they probably don’t do the following:

  • Talking in circles means repeating the same point without making progress or getting to the core issue.
  • Beating around the bush means avoiding the main topic or being evasive, often due to discomfort or fear of directness. 

And they likely communicate within the following parameters:

  • Concise and clear: They get to the point efficiently and avoid unnecessary words or details.
  • Direct: They address the issue at hand directly and honestly.
  • Forthright: They express their ideas or needs openly and candidly.
  • Frank: They are open and honest in their communication.
  • To the point: They focus on the essential information rather than tangents. 

In essence, these individuals value efficiency, clarity, and directness in their communication. 

Please don’t become offended, but rather value frankness and assume the best of intentions. The person you are talking to is likely very passionate and cares deeply, otherwise, they won’t waste time talking to you.

And if you are like me, stop being so “efficient” these are people not computer programs you are talking to… FEELINGS MATTER, at least to them. 

As always, God Bless, C.

DAD’S day

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When is a good dad great?

On fathers day, I wanted to look at and understand the complexities of a good father vs a great father. 

A good father loves

A great father loves

A good father says “I love you”

A great father says “I love you”

A good father provides

A great father provides

A good father supports

A great father supports

A good father is present

A great father is present

A good father is a positive role model

A great father is a positive role model

A good father is a friend to his kids

A great father is a great friend to his kids

All in all, there are many principles to be followed in these statements, and none of them are bad, they are all levels of good fathering…

Dr Google says :

The key difference [between a good and great father] lies in the level of active engagement and the depth of the relationship with their children. 

The world is measured by the world, and basically the difference is found in the “degree of goodness” a father has for his kids. 

“A good father is good to his kids and a great father is gooder to his kids”

But the bible sees it very differently… The bible says “fathers” with no distinction between “good” and “great”. So what does it mean to be a father in the bible? Here are a few key illustrations from scripture:

raising them in the Lord’s instruction

 guiding children towards a right path

 righteous and wise, highlighting the impact of a father’s example

 leading with reverence for God

You can clearly see the Bible has turned the relationship of

“father / child”

to

“father/God, child/God, father/child”

and does not talk about the child and father without God, a great father is a three way relationship putting God at the center and father/child on each side.

“father/GOD/child”

If you want to be a good father, be good to your kids, if you want to be a great father, be gooder to your kids but if you want to be the father you are called to be… put God in that relationship first and always point back to God. 

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you think you are a good father, God says you are actually evil (by comparison or actually evil by human standards, it matters not). “evil” and you still make good choices for your kids…

A godly father should be our goal, not a good father and not a great father. We should be friendly, not friends. We should be models, not peers. We should be God focused, not person focused. Take back the role of father today and serve your children well, teach them in the ways of the Lord first. 

May God richly bless your sacrificial service to your family today as you discover God’s sacrificial service to you. 

Special side note: There are a group of men that give extra, not all are “GOOD” but remember the “step fathers” who make a decision every day to be a father to a child that usually rejects that man daily, remember those men that “step in” as a father…

C