Life at 3 miles an Hour

We live in a culture where appearance is everything. I just came from a place where appearance means almost nothing. After spending a week in New Orleans I’ve come to appreciate people much more than I ever have, regardless of their appearance. For most of the people I encountered, there is no way to fabricate any type of façade that will hide what’s really happening in their lives. The only facades that have been created are those of the media and the government, primarily local, that would give people who don’t know any better the impression that things are OK. The reality can be found in the faces and attitudes of the people our group encountered during the week. They’re desperate, they’re longing, they’re hopeful, they’re compassionate, and they are acknowledging of the reality that they all share. In St. Bernards Parish we we’re privileged to encounter a place called “The Made With Love Café”. The hand painted sign at the entrance communicated boldly what you would encounter once ...

I think that I’ve come up with something. You might think it’s quite foolish. How would I know that since you’re most likely not going to respond to this. Maybe you should. It would take a minute or so….but here’s the point. It goes with my discovery. I think that I’m realizing that life is an accumulation of moments. Did you get that? Not so earth shattering is it. In fact I’ve known this for quite some time. Here’s the thing though. I’ve know it in my head and never done anything about it in my heart. I’ve realized this well known concept but it’s remained a concept and not an acted upon truth. My guess is that the overwhelming majority of those who are reading this right now, if you’re honest, if you reflect, maybe even if you respond, will come to the realization in your own life that you’ve never acted on that knowledge. As I’ve been writing this (at Starbucks of all places) I’m listening to a song called “the way I was made”. It’s a song lifted up to God pledging to ...

I’m not really sure of my place at the moment. Have you ever felt like that? Most people do at any given time in their lives. For some, the revelation that follows can lead to drastic changes, for others maybe just a brief nod of acknowledgement and then life trudges on. When I get like this, I usually try to get my bearings by finding the familiar. In my younger days growing up in the East I would wander the woods quite often…often enough that I didn’t need a compass. I was blessed with an inner sense of direction and combined with a familiarity of my surroundings, even deep in the woods, I was very comfortable. I did always carry a compass though. Arrogance could have caused me to leave that crutch behind, but there was something comforting about knowing that it was with me. My method was always the same, take a reading before heading into the woods and then securing it in my pocket. I never used it on the journey, but I always knew that I could. I relied mostly on the fam...