“Let’s go out there and show the love of Christ to the broken, the numb, the mean, the addicted and the overlooked.” – Beth Moore
Show love today.
Blessings.
Category: Random Thoughts
Games
David here again! Looks like these posts may become a weekly thing. 🙂
In keeping with the title, today’s post is related to games. And in keeping with the topic of games, today’s post is being constructed with a particular rule in mind. Based upon an article about creative writing exercises, this rule is serving to make this post difficult to complete. However, the attempt must be made, if for no other reason than discipline.
With a collection of boardgames numbering well into the hundreds, it is fair to say that games are a personal favorite. Games have the capacity, it seems, to at least approach a level of “transcendence”. By moving one “above and beyond” the material universe (given that, in the essence, all games take place in the imagination), it could be fairly said that games can allow one to “transcend”. How many times have you played a game with family or friends, only to be shocked to discover how many hours have flown by once you were done?
Perhaps that sense of moving beyond the mundane is what makes games so appealing. The sense of experiencing things, even via imagination (does the brain know the difference?), that one would never experience in “real life”. The exploration of the unknown, and the thrill of discovery as another level is achieved, another card is turned, another battle is won, another point is scored.
Although, ironically, it is possible that another appeal of games is just the opposite: a sense of “knowing what the rules are”. In a very literal sense, when playing a game, one is in control. You know what the rules are. You have a limited amount of information to process, and even unanticipated events that occur do so within the context of the game itself. (You’re not surprised when your opponent cashes his cards in for reinforcements in a game of “Risk”, for example, but you would be shocked to see him place a dinosaur on the board and proceed to play Godzilla all over your pieces…) Particularly if you have played a game before, you know what to expect.
The universe, however, imparts no such assurances to its players. 🙂 Every day is a new roll of the dice, every moment brings with it the potential for a new, entirely unfamiliar rule. That may or may not ever be applied again. The universe offers an innumerable amount of opportunities and challenges to its players, but a sense of being in control is not one of them.
Anyway, games are cool. 🙂 So, have you figured out the rule constraining the above paragraphs yet? Here’s a hint – I just broke it. 🙂
National Read A Book Day
Today is National Read A Book Day. Go grab a book, any book and read today!
Carmen always goes back to the Harry Potter series when she wants to read something. I like to pick new books to read for leisure. That is on hold right now due to my college classes and homework.
Share with me what you are reading today.
Blessings.
Sunday Thought
Restoration.
“Praying this is a season of restoration. Â Sometimes it’s about swallowing our pride, owning our own part, and saying a real, live “I’m sorry.”” – Beth Moore
Restoration.  So many hurting right now.  So much loss in Texas. So far most of my family is okay. One cousin is washing and drying clothes for those in need. Another set of cousins rescued some people in their canoe. Everyone is doing what they can with what they have.
Everyone has something going on.  Every day we have the opportunity for restoration.  The sun rises everyday whether we see it or not, no matter what we are going through. Harvey has placed this in real time with lots of things that need to be done. First, waiting on the water to recede so that clean up can happen. Second, ripping everything down to the foundation. Third, rebuilding.
It is the same in anything we go through. Some things are more devastating than others, but we all have something that gets destroyed, rips through us, and we have to rebuild. Most of the time the hardest part is letting go to get the let the new in.
I feel this way with my anxiety.  It is something that I have to psychically push my way through it.  I know that staying calm in a situation is the best. With my anxiety, most things appear to be a huge mountain, and in all reality, it is probably more like a mole hill. A gentle bump in the road to slow down, take a breath, and just be okay.
Hoping all is well wherever you are.
Blessings, always.
Football
And so it begins: Â SEC Football.
There are lots of lions and tigers and bears but only one Razorback. Â Tusk is our one-of-a-kind mascot. Â Wooo Pig Sooie isn’t just a hog call. Â It’s The Hog Call. Â There’s no place like Fayetteville on game day. Â When you hear the Razorback Band play Arkansas Fight Song…
…and see the Razorbacks run through the “A” in Reynolds Razorback Stadium…
There’ll be no doubt about it. Â THIS IS ARKANSAS FOOTBALL.
Hogs and kisses!
Age
Howdy – David here again! This time out I thought I’d offer up some thoughts on something that everyone can relate to – aging! I turned 54 last week, and had to get my driver’s license renewed, complete with a new picture. Given that the last picture I had taken was 14 years ago, I guess it was time… But the physical changes reflected in those pictures were definitely noticeable! A lot less hair, and what was there was a lot more grey.
I think our society as a whole has a real fear of growing older. We worship youth, and desperately cling to it. And advertisers are more than happy to play to those obsessions.
But you know what? Getting older isn’t that bad! I mean, I miss the resilience of my younger form. I find that I get tired more easily now, and it takes longer to recover when I do push myself. But, overall, as I often say, getting older “beats the alternative”! I would certainly rather have another birthday than not!
Seriously though, I like being this age. I have a level of confidence and comfort with myself that I lacked as a younger man. I have experience and knowledge that can only be gained by living. And, more than anything, I think I have gained an appreciation for the power of the passage of time.
How many times do we hear, when we’re younger, that “time heals all wounds”. Surprisingly enough, I have found that is true. And that is something you don’t learn until you experience it a time or two yourself.
The final thing I’ll mention in this meditation on aging is one of the most important lessons I have learned – everything changes. Nothing stays the same forever. And that is a powerful concept to internalize. It gives me a greater appreciation for the joys in my life, because I know they won’t be there forever. And it gives my hope during the trials of life, because I know they won’t be there forever either.
So in summary, my hope for you is that you embrace today, whatever age you are. Cherish those things that bring you joy, and try to look beyond whatever challenges you may be facing. For both will pass.
National Beach Day
I love where I live as I live 15 minutes from the beach. Â I am posting older pictures for this holiday as I am at work, and have homework to do after. Â Ugh. Â But…
Today is National Beach Day.
Again, I get to live here.
Blessings.
Sunday Thought
Storms. Â Hurricane Harvey. Â Life. Â Anxiety.
“A bad storm can blow in a beautiful season. Â The Bible proves over and over that how something begins does not get to dictate how it ends.” – Beth Moore
The storm and flooding from Hurricane Harvey is devastating today and it will continue for a while longer. Â I have family in Houston, and friends close by. Â Worried about them, and will be there if needed.
The quote above reminds me that in the midst of whatever we are going through, God will shine if allowed. Â I have to remind myself that homework is a gift. Â That I get to do it. Â I know that homework is nothing in comparison to a hurricane – please know that.
I have had many opportunities to do different things in my life. Â This one has caused more anxiety that others. Â I have to be perfect, right? Â No. Â Only Christ. Â Only Christ is the perfect one. Â I can strive to be perfect, but will fail daily. Â Failing is okay (okay, maybe not with class). Â Stumbling is better. Â Remembering to get back up after the fall is even better.
Remembering that storms bring rainbows. Â We just have to wait for them to come.
My anxiety is much like a storm. It comes in waves, hard and heavy. After it passes, I can see the rainbows. I don’t remember how bad the storm is really, just that I got through it. Wanting to get through my storm today.
Blessings.
ReflectionÂ
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” -Leo Tolstoy
Blessings.
Value
Howdy, David here again! In order to help Jerry keep up with her schedule, I have agreed to post a blog entry once a week (or so).
When I was thinking about what I wanted to write today, my first thought was “I want to make sure whatever I post brings value to Jerry’s readers.” And that thought gave me my first topic!
Value. We hear that word regularly, but do we really consider what it actually means? Several years ago, I attended a course on marketing. As part of that course, the instructor provided an equation that became a touchstone for me. It was a mathematical equation for value. Here is what he wrote:
Value = Benefit – Cost
The premise is that value is simply the difference between how much we think any particular decision will benefit us, compared to the cost we perceive with that decision. In order to make any choice, we have to see that value as positive – the benefit has to outweigh the cost.
Now, one of the mistakes a lot of people make when they encounter this concept for the first time is that they automatically assign a “dollar sign” to the variables, especially the cost portion. But cost, and benefit, are not only not solely tied to money, but they are also completely subjective. Each individual will evaluate the cost and benefit of any decision completely through their own personal lens.
So, at this point, allow me to offer an example – this post. Some of the costs associated with this post include the time and effort it takes to read it. There are also “opportunity costs” to consider – those things that you aren’t doing right now, because you are currently reading this.
Against these costs, consider the benefits. Maybe you have an interest in economics. Maybe you just have a curiosity about why people do the things they do. Maybe you were just bored and looking to kill a few minutes. 🙂
Regardless, my hope is that the cost of this post, to you, was more than offset by the benefit you received from it. I hope this post did, indeed, provide you value.
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