Ale for the Soul

Resentments are the number one offender.  They are poison to our souls and mental health, robbing us of our joy and potential.  Resentments, grudges, ire, exasperation...whatever you wish to call the cancer of the soul rotting us from the inside out...the only person our grudges hurt is the person who holds on to them indefinitely.  I know this first-hand as I would always say vengeance will be mine one day.  Little did I know resentments had a vengeance of their own as I stewed in bitterness and rage against the people who wronged me.  Today is National Forgiveness Day!  Forgiveness is not easy and takes a lot of sincere and genuine practice.  The cliche "Forgive and Forget" is unbiblical and the wrong approach to the balm of the soul.  Forgiveness is a salve, a balm for the soul and mind.  To forgive doesn't mean to behave as if the wrong-doing never happened, for there are definite consequences for wrong behavior.  (I should know!)  To cut off a friendship while forgiv

Headin' up to San Francisco For the Labor Day weekend show, I've got my hush-puppies on, I guess I never was meant for Glitter rock and roll. And honey I didn't know That I'd be missin' you so. Come Monday It'll be all right, Come Monday I'll be holding you tight. I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze And I just want you back by my side. Yes it's been quite a summer, Rent-a-cars and west bound trains. And now you're off on vacation, Somethin' you tried to explain. And darlin' I love you so that's The reason I just let you go. Come Monday It'll be all right, Come Monday I'll be holding you tight. I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze And I just want you back by my side. I can't help it honey, You're that much a part of me now. Remember the night in Montana when We said there'd be no room for doubt. I hope you're enjoyin' the scenery, I know that it's pretty up there. We can

Today is October 31st, and of course this means it is Halloween!  In preparing for this post, I read up on the history of the holiday.  I wanted to incorporate some of the history in to this writing, but there was simply too much to read and review.  For your further research and curiosity, I listed the link at the bottom for you to click and read.  Growing up I enjoyed walking through the neighborhood collecting candy upon the simple phrase, "Trick-or-Treat!"  When my brother was born, I was able to enjoy this activity, re-living my childhood, all over again.  Now as a grown adult, this passing holiday is usually a blip on the radar as I try to avoid crowds and the hysteria of the event.  With most holidays, Halloween has become too commercialized as a yearly money-maker.  Granted there are spiritual undertones behind Halloween, but I believe the true message of the holiday is good, old-fashioned fun.  When else may I dress up, acting like a little kid, to enjoy sweets and f

This afternoon a friend and I toured two historical homes in downtown Fort Worth: The McFarland House and Thistle Hill.  Both of these places of residence are designated Cattle Baron Homes due to the occupation of the original builder and owner.  The first place allowed me to take pictures, but the second place did not.  Of course I'll select a few to highlight at the bottom of the blog entry.  I was very impressed by the beauty of the homes.  Structurally both were and are still considered signs of immense wealth and prestige, especially considering the age and circumstance in which they were built.  If there were a modern-day Solomon, and these people were, he would have been very pleased by what had been erected.  I am very glad these places are historically protected for all posterity to enjoy.  Please take time to know, visit, and enjoy the historicity of the city in which you live.  You might be surprised at how much history your city has to offer.

Finding these obscure holidays has been quite fun until I found this one.  My belief is the myth of separation of church and state is completely based on ignorance.  When I hear people say emphatically there is a separation of church and state, I ask where they received their information from.  Usually the answer is the information was handed down to them by someone else.  No research was performed as this myth was taken as "fact" without question.  To take anything as "fact" without researching the issue is to make intellectual suicide.  Certainly people are free to believe anything they want, including a belief there is no God and that He has no place in the public square.  How sad!  There will come a time and place a person will stand before the living God, and by then it will be too late to realize one's mistake.  No where in the constitution does this foundational document espouse religion can not be practiced or expressed in government.  A very small minor

** Speech given at Toastmasters In Dead Poet’s Society Professor John Keating, played by the late Robin Williams, begins addressing his students in a rather unorthodox manner.  Standing before pictures of the previous graduating classes, he whispers “Carpe…Diem!”  Under his tutelage, the student’s passions are elicited to show there is more to life than conformity in the status quo.  At the end of the movie, the students honor their professor by standing on their desks calling out to him, “Oh Captain my Captain!”  The purpose of this speech is not to explicate the movie, but to use it as a platform to inspire each of you to seize the day by following your heart throughout life.  Life ends all too quickly as time passes us by at breakneck speed.                 First, follow your passions in your career path.  Joy, contentment, and money will follow.  According to www.fedex.com , founder Frederick W. Smith, a Yale University undergraduate in 1965,   wrote a term paper that invented

If you could read my mind, love What a tale my thoughts could tell Just like an old-time movie 'Bout a ghost from a wishin' well In a castle dark or a fortress strong With chains upon my feet You know that ghost is me And I will never be set free  As long as I'm a ghost that you can't see  If I could read your mind, love What a tale your thoughts could tell Just like a paperback novel The kind the drugstores sell When you reach the part where the heartaches come The hero would be me But heroes often fail And you won't read that book again  Because the ending's just too hard to take  I'd walk away like a movie star Who gets burned in a three-way script Enter number two A movie queen to play the scene  Of bringing all the good things out in me But for now love, let's be real I never thought I could act this way  And I've got to say that I just don't get it I don't know where we went wrong But the feeling's gone and I just can't get it b

Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call, Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall. You've seen it all, you've seen it all. Watch the men who rode you, Switch from sails to steam. And in your belly you hold the treasure that few have ever seen, most of them dreams, Most of them dreams. Yes, I am a pirate two hundred years too late. The cannons don't thunder there's nothin' to plunder I'm an over forty victim of fate Arriving too late, arriving too late. I've done a bit of smugglin' I've run my share of grass. I made enough money to buy Miami, But I pissed it away so fast, Never meant to last, never meant to last. I have been drunk now for over two weeks, I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks, But I've got to stop wishin', Got to go fishin', I'm down to rock bottom again. Just a few friends, just a few friends. I go for younger women, lived with several awhile And though I ran away, they'll come

Discovering these obscure holidays is rather exciting and fun as this one really caught my eye.  Today is National Visit a Cemetery Day.  As I can attest with more excitement than what should be normal or proper, I absolutely love to visit cemeteries.  So to encourage everyone to visit a cemetery is something I wholeheartedly advocate.  For some reason, maybe in light of my eccentricities, walking the local graveyard is like a magnet to iron filings.  I am instantly drawn to wander the vast history of what is there for the soaking in.  Honestly, the last two cemeteries I visited were in Leakey and Rio Frio, Texas back in August when I made my annual pilgrimage to visit my friend who resides there.  The history was fascinating.  The first "place of rest" is located in the heart of town, so there was no excuse in not finding the burial ground.  The second, however, was a little harder to find as I had to maneuver the rural back roads looking for who knows what.  Once I found it

Curiosity is a wonderful thing, if used constructively.  One of the novelties of life involve looking up holidays never seen on a calendar of any kind.  Today is one such day.  According to the website listed below, today is Make a Difference Day .  Holidays such as this are wonderful.  How have I made a difference in someone's life today?  Was it a spontaneous one time event?  Or did it involve investing time, energy, and love over a period of time culminating in the blossoming of an individual in to something beautiful?  In the process both parties come out stronger, better, and more mature people.  (Think of a caterpillar incubating in a cocoon to eventually turn into a butterfly.)  Wow, what an idea!  Paying it forward is really where it's at, for sure.  My hope and prayer is I can wake up each and every morning to make a difference in someone's life.  I'm truly inspired.  Every day ought to be Make a Difference Day .  The gauntlet has been thrown down...how have yo

I consider myself very self-aware, especially over the previous few years.  Self-awareness is simply knowing oneself or learning something new concerning my temperament, gradually building to something resembling the whole picture.  What makes me tick?  Generally speaking, how would I react to any given situation?  Questions such as these are very important when becoming acquainted with one's own psyche and temperaments.  Mentioning character defects doesn't have to make for a nasty discussion.  To acknowledge having them is simply to confess our human nature.  One of my character defects is playing the martyr, resulting in wallowing in self-pity feeling sorry for myself.  My closest friends may justify some of this stating I've had some sorry crap happen to me over the years, stuff I didn't do or earn, so I have a right to feel sorry for myself.  Certainly I'm not the only one who may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was framed for something I did

Joseph took his wife and her child And they went to Africa To escape the rage of a deadly King There along the banks of the Nile Jesus listened to the song That the captive children used to sing They were singin' My deliverer is comin', my deliverer is standin' by My deliverer is comin', my deliverer is standin' by Through a dry and thirsty land Water from the Kenyon heights Pours itself out of lake Sangra's broken heart There in the Sahara winds Jesus heard the whole world cry For the healin' that would flow from His own scars The world was singin' My deliverer is comin', my deliverer is standin' by My deliverer is comin', my deliverer is standin' by He will never break His promise He has written it upon the sky My deliverer is comin', my deliverer is standin' by My deliverer is comin', my deliverer is standin' by I will never doubt His promise Though I doubt my heart, I doubt my eyes My deliver

Sometimes I wish life could be lived in reverse.  What an idea!  Born old and gradually growing young.  Wouldn't that be nice?  Well, maybe.  History does repeat itself to some degree, but usually not in the exact same way every time.  If I could take all my life experiences and re-live my youth, life would turn out so much differently.  I would sidestep all the misery and consequences of the poor choices made early on in life.  But then would I be the same person I am today?  Of course not, but isn't that the point of wanting to hit the reset button?  Certainly a do-over is warranted on many occasions, but life doesn't afford me that luxury.  In addition, some bad decisions are harder to correct than others.  Then there are societal pressures which make second chances hard to come by.  Yes, people can be very unforgiving and harsh much of the time.  This doesn't lend itself to opening up to make community and relationships happen for fear of rejection and misunderstan

The Market place is empty No more traffic in the streets All the builders tools are silent No more time to harvest wheat Busy housewives cease their labors in the courtroom no debate Work on earth has been suspended As the King comes thro' the gate The King is coming The King is coming i just heard the trumpet sounding And now his face i see The King is coming The King is coming Praise God He's coming for me Happy faces line the hallway Those whose lives have been redeemed Broken homes that He has mended Those from prison He's set free Little children and the aged Hand in hand stand all aglow who were crippled broken ruined Clad in garments white as snow I can hear the chariots rumble I can see the marching throng And the flurry of God's trumpets spell the end of sin and wrong Regal robes are now unfolding Heaven's grandstands all in place Heaven's choir is now assembled Start to sing Amazing Grace the Kind is coming, the King is coming, Praise God He's comi

I have sat through many different groups and meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.  While this was a huge help in many aspects of life over the years, the program ceased to work for me.  Toward the end, I mainly used the meetings as a social outing.  What I now need to concentrate on are the other issues which may cause me to drink now or in the future.  These issues are the true root cause of why I formerly drank and even now continue to plague my emotional sobriety.  Some of the issues may take on the form of: ego, superiority complex, sense of entitlement, the blame game, thinking life isn't fair, a poor view of dating and women, and so much more.  A few months ago I discovered a Christ-centered twelve-step recovery group at my church.  The name of the group is Redeemed Heart Recovery, and their program deals with a variety of issues and character defects from a biblical perspective.  I have really enjoyed the fellowship as I grow to know some of the men in the group.  Many of the m

This week I will complete the formal process of withdrawal from the University of Texas in Arlington.  My gut instinct informed me attending this school would be a huge mistake, and I was right.  Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy or self-sabotage, I at least gave the school a chance regardless of the poor esteem I hold for the school.  Several mentors and close personal friends all advised for making a go at it, but I should have stuck to my instincts and held my ground in refusing to enroll.  Now I am financially obligated for a huge amount of money to the school and federal government simply to appease whatever goal I was attempting to seek, weather to silence the critics or simply caving in under pressure to become a student at U.T. Arlington.  People call me hard-headed, and here is proof I should have remained so.  Now my future in academia is permanently crippled beyond repair, not to mention the tainting of my academic record by an inferior university.  I intellectually deserve

Today I had to cut loose of a friendship of 19 years.  It was a very difficult decision to make, but I felt it had to be done.  Reminiscing of the friendship all these years, I could see the night-and-day difference of and change in my friend.  Initially this man was a very spiritual, God-fearing person whom I could confide in and trust his judgement and advice.  Now he has become so wrapped up in his alternative lifestyle I can not separate the man from the behavior.  A Biblical principle I try to live by is loving the person while not condoning or promoting the aberrant behavior.  However, the friendship as it now stands, I can not separate the two.  This friend has become so lost in the self-destructive behavior, my heart is breaking for what he is doing to himself.  In my farewell letter to him, I stated his lifestyle was literally killing him physically and spiritually.  (He is currently incarcerated in a Texas institutional facility.)  His family completely disowned him years ago

Almighty God The Great I Am Immovable Rock, Omnipotent powerful Awesome Lord Victorious Warrior Commanding King of Kings Mighty Conquerer And the only time The only time I ever saw Him run Was when He ran to me Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest Said "My son's come home again" Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes With forgiveness in His voice He said "Son, do you know I still love you?" It caught me by surprise when God ran The day I left home I knew I'd broken His heart I wondered then If things could ever be the same Then one night I remembered His love for me And down that dusty road Ahead I could see It's the only time The only time I ever saw Him run When He ran to me Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest Said "My son's come home again" Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes With forgiveness in His voice He said "Son, do you know I still love you?" It caught me by surprise

Remember  your Creator      in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble  come      and the years approach when you will say,      “I find no pleasure in them”—   before the sun and the light      and the moon and the stars grow dark,      and the clouds return after the rain;   when the keepers of the house tremble,      and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few,      and those looking through the windows grow dim;   when the doors to the street are closed      and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds,      but all their songs grow faint;   when people are afraid of heights      and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms      and the grasshopper drags itself along      and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home      and mourners  go about the streets.   Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,      and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shat