Ale for the Soul

Dear friend, there's a story goin' 'round that says you're gonna be married soon, But you've been sayin' that for years. There can be no wedding without a groom. You said, he went away to make a place for you and Him. Oh, you know He's gonna come back, but you just don't know when. Dear friends, He is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness to be. Keep a watch out!  Don't lose faith!   He said, He would come for you. He's gonna come for you...you wait and see...just wait and see. Dear friend, people joke, they laugh, and they make fun. When they hear talkin' all about the groom who's gonna come. He's been gone a long, long time. Are there any doubts to confess? Do you wonder if you will ever wear that wedding dress? Dear friends, He is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness to be. Keep a watch out!  Don't lose faith! He said He would come for you. He'

Coming out of a difficult time in life can be trying.  I can become mentally exhausted as I have just run the full gamut of emotions, the roller-coaster of: sadness, depression, joy, anger, and etc.  This is usually the result of trying to decipher what is happening in the midst of the storm and making the best decision I can make from a not-so-objective viewpoint.  Once out of the storm of life, emotional hangovers usually result.  An emotional hangover, as I have come to define it, is the numbing sensation of not feeling anything at all.  During this time of numbness, the mind and intellect attempt to reconcile toward one another, and the emotional psyche re-calibrates to normalcy or proper balance.  Until this is completed and we can move on, a period of waiting, a time of healing and restoration takes place.  The challenge at the point is to not emotionally withdraw from the world in order to insulate myself from further hurt and pain.  Then the second stage of an emotional hangove

** Speech given at Toastmasters**                 Off and on for about fifteen years I was employed with various shoe companies in a variety of capacities: a salesman, differing levels of management, and as a district trainer.   People employed in this industry are notoriously known as party animals, for acting a little off-center, and, in spite of all this, hard workers and great salespeople.   Because of this, I will offer a glimpse in to my life as a salesman in the wonderful world of footwear.   Hopefully by the conclusion of my speech, I will have provided enough information for you to draw your own conclusions as to who we are.   Are you ready?   Here we go…                 The shoe industry is a tough market to work in dependent on the job capacity of the person involved.   Thankfully each job I held prepared me for the next.   As a result, my skillset was added to constantly and always under the refiner’s fire, getting honed and perfected on an almost daily basis.   As a

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice."  (Isaiah 42:3) Recently I had to close the door on a childhood dream.  Circumstances, some the consequences of my own poor choices years ago, forced my hand to decline admission to the university of my dreams.  The guiding hand of fate seems to lead us toward our destiny.  Fate does so by maneuvering us to make decisions based on the limited number of options or realities in our subjective life.  Often these times in the refiner's fire deal wounds to the soul and a stinging rebuke to our heart, causing a paralysis of depression.  Living in the midst of such a time is heart-wrenching, but I must endure so I may come out of the other side a better man.  Growth and maturation manifest themselves in the fire of life.  Even gold and silver must be fired to white-hotness in order for the dross, the impurities, to rise to the surface for skimming.

Since I was a little kid, I have typically known what I wanted to become and strive for in life.  Have I achieved my life's vision?  A resounding "No!" must be given as a response.  Have I rolled with the punches and played the cards dealt me?  I must reluctantly respond "Yes."  With each passing year, I sense the potential to actualize my childhood dreams growing less and less viable.  Now I merely see them as lofty visions of grandeur as I settle for the realities of this harsh, cruel world.  Early in life I firmly believed God did not have a Specific Will, but rather a General Will, for human beings on this ethereal sphere called Earth.  I must agree with Henry David Thoreau as he "... somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to 'Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.'"  God's General Will is to glorify and worship Him in all I undertake in life.  This doesn't imply I will have the clouds part with glorious rays o

On Monday, July 13th, I headed out to Lake Mineral Wells State Park for two days and one night of camping.  Yes, the temperatures were extremely hot, but I survived.  However, not surprisingly, I did manage to get sunburned around my neck and forearms.  It's the price I pay for wanting to enjoy the outdoors during this time of year.  I've been trying to go camping since March, but the rain and flooding the area has experienced prohibited me from doing so.  Finally, on Monday I was able to finally go camping.  Lake Mineral Wells State Park is a fantastic place to enjoy nature.  I camped there well over a year ago in May of 2014.  The park was such an enjoyable experience, I deemed it worthy of a second trip.  In fact, there were a lot of sights I saw this time I did not take advantage of the first time I camped here.  First was Penitentiary Hollow, the park's rock climbing venue.  No, I didn't rock climb, but I did manage to find my way down to the bottom of the ravines.

"...[Jesus] straightened up and said to them,  "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7) Recently I came across an individual who judged me based solely on a mistake I had made almost nine years ago.  In and of itself, this person had every right to hold me accountable to the consequences of my action.  However, I believe other factors need to be taken in to account.  First, the context of the culprit's life when the incident occurred; and, secondly, how has the person lived their life since then.  In other words, was the incident a fluke or one-time occurrence which seems out of place within one's life story?  Prior to getting labeled with a societal stigma, I was guilty of such judgement.  I was quick to proclaim, "Judge the tree by its fruit...A bad apple spoils the bushel."  The ordeal I had to endure has since softened me to now advocate, "Love the sinner and hate the sin."  I still ne

** Speech given at Toastmasters**                 During my few years on this earth, I have experienced many life adventures and have travelled to quite a few places.  In the process I met many people, some who turned in to life-long friends.  At first I had no differentiation of what exactly a friend consisted of; I simply thought everyone was a “friend” with the same levels of expectation placed upon one another.  During my mid-20s, I began to gain some sense of the varying levels of friendship in society.  In researching this topic, I discovered there are three levels of friendship: Acquaintance or Casual Friendship; Close Friendship or Fellowship; and finally Intimate Friendship.  Initially I had called these levels of friendship: Core Group, Inner-Circle, and Outer-Circle.  As with anything else in life, there is a slight variation in the school of thought concerning the subject, but for the most part the essential information is the same.  Let’s dive into what each of these th

Have we failed again? Talking about the love of God, but judging those who need it most? All these afflicted ones. I feel their lives just fade away...left to face the end alone. So we say a prayer for their needs: afraid to touch, to hurt, to bleed. Do you feel their pain? Has it touched your life? Can you taste in the salt in the tears they cry? Will you love them more than the hate that's been? Will you love them back to life again? We should feel ashamed. Allowing fear to close our minds. These are lives we can't ignore. Oh don't turn away. Will you see Jesus in each of them? These are souls He suffered for. There is hope for them. Open up your heart. There is grace for them. Do you think we've gone too far? Do you feel their pain? Has it touched your life? Can you taste the salt  in the tears they cry? Will you love them more than the hate that's been ? Will you love them back to life again ? Oh empty eyes and lonely souls : Starving for lo

First, allow me to explain what the Night Riders are: they are a group of bicyclists who gather twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays for fellowship and bicycling.  (...and they are serious about their sport!)  Unfortunately it has been well over a year since I've ridden with this great group of people: male, female, and families alike.  Usually my work schedule prohibits me from riding with them on Wednesdays, but the Sunday rides are incredible.  From what I understand, the Wednesday rides are more serious, with the Sunday rides more focused on fellowship.  It is a bar crawl, featuring different Fort Worth bars each week.  Not one to ingest adult beverages, I bring along a cigar in order to take on my form of relaxation.  At one point in my experience with the group, I had been known as the token cigar guy.  Ha!  The only reason why I don't enjoy this experience more often is out of sheer laziness and allowing the trivial aspects of life to get in the way.  I resolve to make

Exactly one week ago today I had a very hostile and negative encounter with a customer at the cigar shop where I am employed.  Upon greeting the customer, he looked at me and continued going about his merry way without so much as an acknowledgement of my existence.  Upon approaching the customer, he asked what exactly my problem was and what did I want from him?  First I was shocked by the gall and fortitude this man exhibited.  As best I could, I explained my desire of the same courtesy offered to me as I was extending to him.  His response was classic, and I quote, "I heard you but was ignoring you.  Deal with it!"  The situation only went further south after that.  Needless to say, I am appalled by the rudeness of humanity-at-large as represented through this man.  Is this the sorry state of affairs we as a society have let ourselves degrade to become?  Have we become so compartmentalized in selfishness we don't know any better in how to treat our fellow man?  God forb

Today is the Fourth of July!  As the nation celebrates its 239th birthday, I do have a lot of gratitude concerning what it means to be "free".  Times like these usually bring about deep reflection as to the underlying premise behind such holidays and festivities.  Freedom...what exactly is it and am I still truly and substantively free?  As with anything else, freedom naturally degrades and erodes unless fought for and maintained.  Remaining indifferent, wallowing in one's own putrid stagnation, will only escalate the demise of freedom.  (This isn't limited only to freedom.)  Freedom is the ability to act freely in one's own expression leading to unfettered speech.  Thankfully, thought crimes have yet to become prosecuted in this country; however, I believe ideologically the time is coming when a person will not have the privilege of enjoying his or her own thoughts.  The writing is on the wall, so to speak.  On a daily basis I see people gobbling up salacious rum