I have always been a fan of The Andy Griffith Show. I guess I have to admit that I’m old enough to have watched it when it was really on TV, you know, the first run of the program. When I was a kid, I never would have dreamed that I would some day be able to buy a small round disk (DVD) and have it available in my home any time I wanted to watch.
One of the things I appreciate about the series is that there are many important life lessons taught in the programs. I think of one program where the definition of the word “brat” comes to mind. I know that around Wisconsin the word “brat” is pronounced “braat” and it means a really delicious fat hot dog/sausage. But, I’m thinking of the old fashioned use of the word.
The program is called “The Spoiled Kid” and it features a character who only shows up once on the program series, Arnold Winkler. Arnold has learned in life how to manipulate his parents to get anything he wants. He gets all the new toys he wants and never has to work for anything. In this program he has a new $70.00 bike.
Arnold gives Opie “Brat Lessons”, telling him how to throw a tantrum, cry and scream, hold his breath to demand what he wants. The difference is that Opie’s dad doesn’t bite on the bait of tantrums. “Opie, what are you doing?” “I’m having a tantrum.” “Oh, don’t get your clothes dirty.”
The climax of the story, the real lessons comes at the end of the program when Arnold has his bike confiscated by the Sheriff’s department for riding it on the sidewalk on Main Street. He has a fit and drags his father down to the courthouse. They both demand that the bike be returned. When Sheriff Andy threatens to arrest the father for the illegal behavior of the son, Arnold’s real heart comes out. He’s more concerned about his bike than his father. He says, “Go ahead and arrest my dad. He won’t care. He’s tough” “I just got that bike and I don’t want to lose it.”
The dad, Simon Winkler, has an amazing moment of waking up and seeing how he has been letting his son run things. He realizes that there is discipline lacking. He asks for the bike back so he can sell it. Then Arnold screams, “That’s my bike and you can’t sell it.” Andy tells Simon that there is an old-fashioned wood shed out back if the want to have a father-son “talk”.
Opie asks if Arnold is going to get a spanking. Andy asks if Opie thinks he deserves one. A classic line in response, “I don’t want to say. After all, he is one of my own kind.”
As distasteful as discipline is to receive, it is necessary to learning and maturing in life. Those who never receive it usually end up with many unlearned life lessons. Discipline is given by people who love the one they are disciplining. We all need it from time to time, especially as we are growing up and maturing. Think about it.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Where Are You Aiming?
There is a group of guys that gets together on a regular basis to do some shooting. It’s called League of Light, and gives an opportunity to shoot various kinds of weapons. The gatherings give both a time for instruction and practice in shooting as well as practical applications to the Christian life.
To a person who has no experience in shooting, it’s amazing to learn how many factors impact an accurate shot. If you talk to an expert marksman, you will learn that they even learn to time their shot in between heart beats. Wind and gravity also affect the trajectory of a bullet. It’s not just point and shoot. There is a lot to it.
The most recent time at L.O.L. included instructions and practice in archery. After hearing all the directions, we took turns shooting at targets. Learning comes quickly as shooters come up either way short or send the arrow far beyond the target. With practice, we got better and were able to hit the target. We had to learn how to both shoot and aim.
I remember a crazy line from the Three Stooges, way back from my childhood. One of those very intelligent guys said:
I shoot an arrow in the air
Where it lands I do not care
I get my arrows wholesale.
As we did our shooting at League of Light, we were careful to retrieve our arrows. I guess we didn’t get them wholesale.
A question for you to chew on: Where are you aiming in life? In your daily life, where are you headed? What are you doing with your life and where are you going with it? Where is life taking you? It does no good to only have good intentions, you have to be going down the right road.
In my life, I have been all over the country and a few other nations. More than once, because of not knowing the area, we went down a wrong road and went to completely different place than we intended to go. We meant well, but we were lost. Our aim was off. But, when we traveled with a local person, we got where we were headed.
Your life is so valuable. You are not “wholesale”, but in God’s eyes, your life is full retail value. You can’t waste life, it is the only one God gives you. You can’t aimlessly wander and just do whatever comes along. God has a plan for each of us, we need to find it and follow it.
Just a few words here today to ask you the question: Where Are You Aiming? Think about it.
To a person who has no experience in shooting, it’s amazing to learn how many factors impact an accurate shot. If you talk to an expert marksman, you will learn that they even learn to time their shot in between heart beats. Wind and gravity also affect the trajectory of a bullet. It’s not just point and shoot. There is a lot to it.
The most recent time at L.O.L. included instructions and practice in archery. After hearing all the directions, we took turns shooting at targets. Learning comes quickly as shooters come up either way short or send the arrow far beyond the target. With practice, we got better and were able to hit the target. We had to learn how to both shoot and aim.
I remember a crazy line from the Three Stooges, way back from my childhood. One of those very intelligent guys said:
I shoot an arrow in the air
Where it lands I do not care
I get my arrows wholesale.
As we did our shooting at League of Light, we were careful to retrieve our arrows. I guess we didn’t get them wholesale.
A question for you to chew on: Where are you aiming in life? In your daily life, where are you headed? What are you doing with your life and where are you going with it? Where is life taking you? It does no good to only have good intentions, you have to be going down the right road.
In my life, I have been all over the country and a few other nations. More than once, because of not knowing the area, we went down a wrong road and went to completely different place than we intended to go. We meant well, but we were lost. Our aim was off. But, when we traveled with a local person, we got where we were headed.
Your life is so valuable. You are not “wholesale”, but in God’s eyes, your life is full retail value. You can’t waste life, it is the only one God gives you. You can’t aimlessly wander and just do whatever comes along. God has a plan for each of us, we need to find it and follow it.
Just a few words here today to ask you the question: Where Are You Aiming? Think about it.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Try, Try Again
I have hit another snag in my desire to write regularly on this blog. It’s not that I have nothing to write about, because there are an unlimited number of topics. It’s a matter of doing it. So, I’m going for it again.
I did have an excuse for a few weeks last month, I was on vacation and was actually out of internet contact. I know that is a scary thought to some. It was an opportunity to see some great new scenery. I think I’ll talk about that for my first time back.
My wife and I were privileged to go to Alaska. We cruised the inside passage. I have to admit that I have not been an expert on the geography of Alaska. I learned that the inside passage is the long thin arm of Alaska that comes far south along the Pacific Ocean along the western border of Canada. It is an amazing collection of water passages and mountains. We stopped in some of the towns along the way to get a taste of the tourist trap part of the state. Actually, the tourist areas were much friendlier than some tourist areas I have been in. We also had opportunity to see some great scenery while we were on land.
I guess I have to say the scenery of the state was what I was most looking forward to seeing, and it was awesome. Countless miles and miles of water, countless water falls as the winter snow melted off the mountains, countless hills and trees and more. Unfortunately, we were there during a cloudy and rainy time. If we had gone the week before the weather was perfect. We did have a few sunny days, and they gave us the beautiful picture of God’s creation in all its splendor. One night we chased the sun set. It was going down behind a mountain. As the ship moved and the sun continued to go down, it showed up again several times by the mountain. That night I was out on the upper deck of the ship taking pictures till after 10 PM. God has an amazing paint brush with vibrant colors with vibrant colors on his pallette. I got some great pictures.
One very interesting sight was a large barge we passed. There was a tug boat towing this barge. That’s not all that unusual. The uniqueness to me was what was on the barge. It had cement trucks, large construction equipment, many shipping crates the size of a semi truck, and on top of the shipping crates were several pick up trucks lashed on. Water is the way that the people who live there get their supplies. We were un Juneau, and the ONLY two ways there are air or water. If you live in Juneau, you only have about thirty five miles of highway to drive on.
In the midst of that extreme vastness of the area, out in the middle of nowhere, we would see birds flying and sea lions jumping or sunning themselves. It reminds me of the vastness of God and His promise to keep track of all His creation. The Bible says that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing it. A few times it seemed that we were far from any kind of civilization, and then we would pass a boat with someone fishing.
I know that we only saw a very small slice of Alaska. We have an invitation to go back to Juneau for some fishing. I would love that. I would also love to see more of the scenery. As I have had the privilege of traveling in a few different parts of the world, I have seen over and over the endless creativity and creation of God. He is not like the contractors who put up hundreds of houses in a development and give you the choice of any color house you want as long as it is tan. Just on this one trip, we saw more shades of green and blue that you can imagine. And then there are all the other colors on the spectrum that God created. I hope to see more of them.
I did have an excuse for a few weeks last month, I was on vacation and was actually out of internet contact. I know that is a scary thought to some. It was an opportunity to see some great new scenery. I think I’ll talk about that for my first time back.
My wife and I were privileged to go to Alaska. We cruised the inside passage. I have to admit that I have not been an expert on the geography of Alaska. I learned that the inside passage is the long thin arm of Alaska that comes far south along the Pacific Ocean along the western border of Canada. It is an amazing collection of water passages and mountains. We stopped in some of the towns along the way to get a taste of the tourist trap part of the state. Actually, the tourist areas were much friendlier than some tourist areas I have been in. We also had opportunity to see some great scenery while we were on land.
I guess I have to say the scenery of the state was what I was most looking forward to seeing, and it was awesome. Countless miles and miles of water, countless water falls as the winter snow melted off the mountains, countless hills and trees and more. Unfortunately, we were there during a cloudy and rainy time. If we had gone the week before the weather was perfect. We did have a few sunny days, and they gave us the beautiful picture of God’s creation in all its splendor. One night we chased the sun set. It was going down behind a mountain. As the ship moved and the sun continued to go down, it showed up again several times by the mountain. That night I was out on the upper deck of the ship taking pictures till after 10 PM. God has an amazing paint brush with vibrant colors with vibrant colors on his pallette. I got some great pictures.
One very interesting sight was a large barge we passed. There was a tug boat towing this barge. That’s not all that unusual. The uniqueness to me was what was on the barge. It had cement trucks, large construction equipment, many shipping crates the size of a semi truck, and on top of the shipping crates were several pick up trucks lashed on. Water is the way that the people who live there get their supplies. We were un Juneau, and the ONLY two ways there are air or water. If you live in Juneau, you only have about thirty five miles of highway to drive on.
In the midst of that extreme vastness of the area, out in the middle of nowhere, we would see birds flying and sea lions jumping or sunning themselves. It reminds me of the vastness of God and His promise to keep track of all His creation. The Bible says that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing it. A few times it seemed that we were far from any kind of civilization, and then we would pass a boat with someone fishing.
I know that we only saw a very small slice of Alaska. We have an invitation to go back to Juneau for some fishing. I would love that. I would also love to see more of the scenery. As I have had the privilege of traveling in a few different parts of the world, I have seen over and over the endless creativity and creation of God. He is not like the contractors who put up hundreds of houses in a development and give you the choice of any color house you want as long as it is tan. Just on this one trip, we saw more shades of green and blue that you can imagine. And then there are all the other colors on the spectrum that God created. I hope to see more of them.
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