The Bike Ride

I was out on my morning bike ride and had just finishing talking with one of my friends on the phone. We had a nice visit and closed it with prayer…nice way to start the day. Anyway as I hit the halfway point and began my return trip, I came up on another biker….a young boy about middle school age with a backpack on riding towards the schools. I thought how sad that summer had ended and speculated that this boy might be on a “dry run” for riding his bike to school.

As I got closer I noticed he wasn’t riding very steady. He was steering as if he was new to riding or scared. I quickly said a prayer for the young boy. I asked the Lord to comfort the young man and to help him on his walk. As I passed the boy he hollered “hey mister…” I couldn’t quite hear so I stopped my bike and asked him what he needed. He asked “do you have any tools with you?” He said his handlebars were very loose and he was having trouble riding. I looked in my bike bag and found some Alan wrenches. He said he just needed them tightened. I looked over the bike and explained we first needed to loosen them because they were sideways and then we could reposition them.

As I worked on his bike, I asked him his name, introduced myself and asked him where he was headed. He said to school. His Mom was already there and his Dad was on an appointment. We quickly got his bike fixed and off he road. Much faster and more confident this time. In fact it took me much longer to catch-up and pass him. As I passed him I told him “you ride a lot faster with a working bike.” He smiled and we parted.

I reflected on the encounter as I finished my ride and realized as men we need each other. Sometimes we need to swallow our pride and call out to God and other men “hey mister…” We need to learn it is ok to ask for help and to be open to doing things a different way. As I arrived home I wondered how I could apply that to my family. I thought I need to be a better more patient teacher with my kids. I need to stop my busy schedule and listen when they tell stories, ask questions or just want to visit with me. Life is so short and in no time our time on earth will be a distant memory. My question to myself and to my brother is this “did I bring honor to God with every waking moment?” It is rarely too late…start today…slow down and share with others.

Every Day Isn’t a Great Day…Or Is It???

Another day just ended and it didn’t turn out the way I had expected…much less wanted. I had begun the day with a nice devotional. I sent out a few words of inspiration to some friends via text. I had even spent time in prayer but my day didn’t go the way I wanted. Ever have a day like that? Why is that? Why isn’t every day a great day?

That was my question for the evening. I reviewed the day hour by hour trying to find out where I had gone wrong. Did I not spend enough time in the Word? Did I have some sin in my heart that I hadn’t confessed? What had I done wrong? I had begun the day the way God tells me I should and I had done the things He tells me makes Him happy. So, why didn’t my day turn out great?

Then the thought hit me…maybe the day went the way it was supposed to. Maybe today was to be a “growing day” for me. Possibly I was supposed to hit some resistance or obstacles. Maybe God had a plan for me and today involved learning something I didn’t really want to learn. I sat back and relooked at the day. Did I miss something? Was God trying to teach me something? Was I supposed to show God honor by enduring something I didn’t want to with a smile? Was I to be a light to a dark world?

It is a crazy thought but maybe “every day isn’t about me.” Maybe every day and everything is about God. I had just finished reading a book titled “It’s Not About Me.” It made me rethink the way I think. It made me realize that the day turned out the way God wanted…not necessarily the way I wanted. The day wasn’t all about me…it was about Him.

I know life’s problems are very real. Cancer is real, car accidents happen, bullies hurt children, family members get sick and people die. I know some days are hard and we struggle to endure them but know that God is in control. While every day doesn’t turn out the way we want, we must take comfort in knowing that God is on the throne each minute of every day and He is in control.

God tells us in 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” He knows exactly what each of us is experiencing every single moment of the day. Nothing catches Him by surprise. We should take comfort in this knowledge. God loves us so much that He sent His only son as a sacrifice for each of us. He made each of us for a purpose and our job is to find that purpose and then do everything we can to be in His will…even when the day isn’t going “our way.” So next time the day brings you a twist, stop and thank God for the twist. It sounds crazy but I think it just might make the twist a little easier to manage.

Light 2 Candles Everyday

I was thinking the other day about how I love the Christmas season. In fact, I love the last two months of the year where Thanksgiving leads to Christmas. What a great time of year! So many family and local traditions get played out year after year. Such a transformation of attitudes arrives when we realize that Christmas is right around the corner. I wish it was Christmas all year round. I tell you what, scoot closer to the page. Are you close? Now read this real quiet so no one can hear. Are you reading quiet? Good. I will share a little secret with you…I figured out how to keep the Christmas spirit alive year round. Shhh…quiet get back close again. It’s a secret and I will tell you but only if you promise to tell someone else. I know that’s not how you keep a secret but this isn’t an ordinary secret. Ready? All you have to do is “light 2 candles every day.” That’s the secret. Got it? Ok, ok, I will explain a little more.

I don’t mean physically lighting 2 candles but rather show God’s light to others. Show the love that God put in each of us to our neighbors. In Matthew Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He tells us numerous times to help everyone around us…even our enemies. In fact one of my favorite childhood songs talks about shining your light. I think you know it…this little light of mine…I’m goanna let it shine…let it shine…let it shine…ok, ok, I will stop singing but please keep reading.

So the secret is to begin every day looking for 2 ways to show God’s light. Find 2 people that you can impact in a positive way. It doesn’t have to be big just something that makes that person feel a little better about life…about themselves. It can be as simple as telling the checker at the store what a great job they are doing and how you appreciate their work. It could be calling and old friend and telling them how you were thinking of them and appreciate them. It could be a simple email or text message to someone with an encouraging word. It could even be surprising someone with flowers (my wife loves that). Remember, it doesn’t matter how big or small but it needs to make them feel good.

The second part of the secret is a little harder…we have to make it a habit…but it is a good habit. If we can commit to doing this for 30 days, I believe we will find not only are more people smiling but we will feel better inside. If we feel better inside, we just might commit to another 30 days. If we tell others what we are doing, they might do it and they might like how they feel. Pretty soon we just might feel the Christmas spirit coming back and it won’t matter that we don’t see any lights or have presents. It will be enough that we are doing what we were designed to do…showing God’s love to others.

So why not go outside, take down those Christmas lights that are still hanging on the house and start thinking of ways to light candles. Who knows we might just light up the world without using any electricity…now that’s a “green idea” for the New Year!

Matthew 15: 14 – 16 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Just Say Grace

Ever hear the word “grace?” Do you know what it means? Me neither…well kind of. I once thought it was a name. You know, Grace Kelly. Ok, ok maybe that name is a little old for some readers but I often hear of kids with the name Grace. It is such a pretty name. So grace can definitely be a name.
What about a prayer? Isn’t saying grace a prayer? My all time favorite prayer which is still heard around my dinner table from my 12 year old son is “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen.” It is an oldie but certainly a goodie. So grace can definitely be a prayer.
What about charm or natural athletic ability? Isn’t grace the way someone moves who makes it look so easy? I often hear dancers and athletes referred to as graceful. She moves with grace across the dance floor or what a graceful catch by the wide receiver. So grace can be a pleasing way to move on the dance floor or football field.
What about a “free pass?” Isn’t grace about not having to pay your bills on time or turning in homework late with no penalty? Most credit cards have a 30 day grace period. This is the time where you can charge for items and if you pay them off before the grace period you owe no interest. That is a nice thing this time of year. Also sometimes my kids tell stories of kids who turn the work in “on time” only to find out the teacher has extended the deadline another week…grace to those who are late. So grace can be an extension of time.
Grace has lots of meanings and as you have seen they cover lots of areas. The real grace we all need comes from God and it is all about getting a wonderful gift that we don’t deserve. Yes God’s definition is about receiving his love at no cost. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace. No amount of good deeds or church attendance can buy grace. Jesus bought us grace by His sacrifice on the cross for us. The price has been paid. Just like a gift at Christmas. We must take it from under the tree, remove the wrapping, open the box and take the present we have been offered.
The next time you find yourself trapped in traffic late for your destination or frustrated by a long line at the store think about God’s grace. And maybe, just maybe you can extend that grace by showing some patience and kindness to someone else who doesn’t deserve it. Our world today is all about what you can do and how to get ahead. We are told to achieve, work hard and figure out a way to “make it happen.” But grace isn’t about that. It is about giving someone something nice that they don’t deserve. So next time you feel like responding in a “non-graceful” manner…think again. God gave us the most valuable gift we could ever receive and we didn’t deserve it. How about a little grace for the other guy?

How to “Choose” Success

I CHOOSE
It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. And so I choose:
I CHOOSE LOVE…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I CHOOSE JOY…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I CHOOSE PEACE…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I CHOOSE PATIENCE…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I CHOOSE KINDNESS…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone, kind to the rich, for they are afraid, and kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I CHOOSE GOODNESS…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will see
the good in others when it is hard to find. I will confess before I will
accuse. I choose goodness.
I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control.
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL…
The Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek God’s face. And
then
when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

What Can We Learn from a Pear Tree?

I grew up in a small town with a normal childhood. Summers were the time to plan great adventures and generally have just plain old fun. We lived near the woods on a ½ acre lot and our yard was known for 2 things. It was the place to gather for planning how to spend your summer day and “pears.” That right, I said “pears.”

We had a pear tree in our yard and it was well visited by the local neighborhood kids. Our Dad planted it when we moved into our new house in 1971. It wasn’t much to neither look at nor climb. The base was about 2 feet then small limbs started sprouting every which way. Often the leaves would turn black but boy did it produce pears. At full load the limbs would bend and almost touch the ground. The neighborhood kids love to help themselves to our pears but it didn’t matter. There were always enough pears for everyone. No matter how “ugly” the tree looked in winter, spring always brought a bumper crop of pears for all to have. What a tree!

When I moved my family to Round Rock, my son asked for a “fruit producing tree.” Well I naturally thought of the old pear tree and set my sights on acquiring one. It didn’t talk long to find a local nursery and our new pear tree. I bought the same type of pear tree as my Dad did but it was a lot prettier. It stood well over 8 feet tall and the limbs didn’t start until you reached the 5 foot mark. Boy was it pretty! Best of all when I picked it up it already had 3 small pears growing. I was excited. Well when I got it home, I left it on the back porch while I went in to change clothes for the “big planting.” As luck would have it, those pears didn’t last long. The wind was blowing and by the time I got back outside the tree had blown over on the back porch and the dog had eaten all 3 pears. I wasn’t happy but no big deal there would be pears again or so I thought…

I picked out a good spot and my son and I planted the new tree. We did everything right from positioning it for the sun to fertilizer to give it a good start. Then we waited. 1st year, no pears other than the 3 the dog ate. 2nd year looked promising but light hail knocked the blooms off and we were pear-less again. 3rd year looked promising again but a big hail storm ended our hopes and blooms again. We are now at year 4 and a heavy rain combined with winds ended any hopes of pears for this year. It makes me wonder if I really have a pear bearing tree.

This reminds me of what becoming and being a Christian is about. We see other Christians who “aren’t much to look at” but do amazing things for God. We want to be like them and think how much God can use us since we have so much more to offer than others. We accept him into our hearts and begin to change our lives and then the wind, rain and hail of life rain down upon us. We quickly lose our “blooms” and others can’t tell us apart from the world and no one knows that we are “pear tree.” We forget how important “maturing in God’s word” is to our health. We just want to get busy doing His work and don’t realize we need God to shield us from the “hail of life.”

The challenge too each of us is to take a moment and make sure we are firmly rooted in God’s word and that we have sought His will for our lives. If we do that and allow Him to guide us, we will produce the fruit He wants. We have to first have a relationship with Him, and then use God to discover how He wants to use us. Search your heart and see if you are producing fruit that others will recognize. Who knows maybe we were suppose to produce apricots or apples and not pears.

Remember, the only way for others to see God is thru us. As the songs says “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love…they will know we are Christians by our love.” Are we showing others God’s love? That is the question of the day and lost souls are waiting for the answer.

“This Ain’t Hunting”

My brothers and I grew up with a love of hunting. Once a year my father would load up the truck and off we would go. What a great adventure!

We lived in Southeast Texas and new only Pine trees, rain and mosquitoes. The Hill Country of Texas is beautiful and offered completely different scenery. The trip there was always fun with stops at the breakfast smoke house and LBJ Ranch. Now whether or not you believe in hunting is beside the point. The outdoors and family time – father/son – just can’t be beat.

As the years passed, my older brother and I dreamed of owning land to call our own. Well as things worked out my brother and I were fortunate enough to buy our first piece of property on the Pecos River in Pandale, Texas. As the sign entering Pandale says “population varies” and it did. It was some of the roughest land in Texas. We were on the east side of the Pecos River but I could imagine the wryly Judge Roy Bean riding the dusty roads. Well we stayed there about 3 years but due to the extremely rough terrain we couldn’t bring our families with us so we set off in search of new land to conquer.

As luck would have it we heard tale of land for sale in the beautiful Texas Hill Country not far from where we had hunted as kids. Our minds quickly drifted to our childhood hunting days and we knew we had to have this land. The land man told us great stories of all kind of animals that called the ranch home. He said it not only had Whitetail but it had exotics like Axis, Fallow, Aoudad and Sika. We sat out to verify his tales and guess what. They were true! It was a wonderful piece of Texas full of game and friendly terrain that our kids could play in.

Well as these stories often go, life threw me a twist. Just after we closed on the land, I decided to take a new job in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Now that is a beautiful place. My brother was happy for me but said we had to make one trip to our new ranch (Triple L) before I departed for the West. We agreed upon a date in October and soon found ourselves at our new ranch. We hadn’t planned on hunting but at the last minute my brother convinced me that we must sit in the blind at least one time. We hadn’t had any time to build a blind so we used an existing one that had been around for many years (still stands today). The only rifle we could find was a 30 caliber carbine with a 4 power scope. The bullet isn’t much bigger than a 22 but it is still legal for hunting with in Texas. We got up early and sat in the stand together. I had the rifle and my brother had the binoculars. Not long after we arrived the animals began moving. Two big deer ran back and forth in front of us about 100 yards away. They were large Fallow bucks with beautiful antlers – one brown and one white – the deer not the antlers. The carbine’s range was about 50 yards so all we could was watch and watch we did. Believe it or not the White Fallow begins to come closer and closer. Finally my brother said “shoot, shoot now.” The carbine went boom! Ok maybe it went bang but when the smoke cleared we had harvested a beautiful 21 point White Fallow buck! After the excitement wore off the work began. We cleaned and processed the animal and saved the head for mounting.

Well as I said before, life took another twist. I decided not to take the new job and stayed in Texas. Later that year we took my Dad and 7 year old niece hunting. By this time, we had built a large “family” blind for the kids to enjoy. I took my niece so my brother and Dad could hunt. She wanted to hunt so I took her out with me. Now I had no intent on shooting anything and didn’t even have my rifle loaded. Of course she didn’t know that . I sat in the famous “buck stand” and soon had lots of animals to watch. My niece slept peacefully on the floor of the blind. She gave me instructions to wake her if I saw anything big enough to shoot. As luck would have it, I saw another big Fallow buck. I woke her and told her we had something big to watch. Her eyes grew large as she saw the big Fallow. She wanted to know how many points it had. So I lifted my rifle and used the scope to count off 23! She immediately said “shoot it, shoot it.” Sounded just like her Dad earlier in the year. I tried to explain to her that I had already shoot a Fallow and that it would not be right for me to shot another one without giving her Dad and Granddad a chance first. She wasn’t buying any of my stories. Next thing I know she was opening the back door and about to leave! I said what are you doing. I will never forget her words and neither will anyone else in the family . She said “this ain’t hunting, I am going to the truck.” Wow, from the mouths of babes comes the truth! Well we all had a great laugh at that story and still do today.

I was thinking about this story the other day and realized that sometimes we go thru life that way. Just going through the motions all dressed up but not really planning on doing anything. Christ calls us to be “fishers of men” but are we really fishing for anyone? Most days we aren’t. Christ gave us simple instructions before he left earth. It is kind of a game plan for life. He gave us 5 simple things to do.

1) Love God with all our heart, soul and mind
2) Love our neighbor as yourself
3) Spread the message of God’s love and redeeming power to the world
4) Rejoice in every situation
5) Pray continually

Want to know the secret to life and success in this world? You already do (see above)! Remember next time you get dressed up for whatever you are about to do, ask yourself these simple questions.

1) Am I going hunting?
2) Am I doing what God wants me to do?
3) Are all my actions honoring God?
4) Am I just going through the motions?

If you answer no to any of the questions, rethink what you are about to do. Maybe even drop to a knee and commit everything you do (big or small) to the Lord! I promise you if you do, life will take on a whole new meaning.

Life is an adventure that we live for the Lord! Live every moment!

My story – 10 Years of Wondering the Desert Looking for Happiness

This story begins in 1997 when as a “young buck” I thought the big city would bring happiness to me and my family. Boy did I have things to learn.

I left the small town for the big city of San Antonio in 1997 to work for USAA and be in a larger town with more employers and options in life. Mistake? No not really. It is true I left the comfort of 2 sets of Grandparents and lots of friends/family to support me but it was the spark to mature me as a servant of God. First 90 days I was alone while the family remained in Orange selling the house. One of the toughest things I ever did. The first day I arrived in town I got a flat ;(. Welcome to San Antonio. I quickly realized that while I called myself a Christian I was very immature on the Christian scale. Sure I was a nice guy that liked to laugh and wanted good things to happen but boy I was lost on what God wanted me to do in life. Of course I write this all in hindsight. I didn’t see it all as it happened. This story is my view as I sit in Austin at age 42 with a wife of 19 years and 3 kids (15, 13 & 10). God wanted me to depend on him and not myself or others.

I was “saved” as a boy of 10 and was at Church every time the doors were open but that was Mom and Dad not me. Sure I attended but had no idea what God had for me to do or how He wanted to use my gifts and talents He gave me. Well as time passed my friendly charm and smarts helped me move up the ladder at USAA. I reached my level of incompetence when I became Director of Database Management. I had 3 managers and 38 DBA’s working with me (I never like to say “for” – I am not power crazy). Thought I had arrived and would retire from that post. All the while I began to attend Church with a deeper desire to learn about God. I grew a little but God had more teaching to do and I definitely had more learning . I hit several Internet IPO’s that summer and thought wow this easy money internet stuff is nice. Next thing I know I get a call from a headhunter that hooks me up with a “founding product author of BMC” about a “startup company” in Austin. I would get 10K shares at .75 a share. My eyes rolled and I dreamed of being a millionaire. Sure I prayed about it but I wasn’t listening. As a friend said, you went from Director to Tech Support Monkey???

Chapter 2 – Stupid “Get Rich Quick Guy” moves happy family to new city to get rich – film at eleven
As expected God continued to teach me even though I wasn’t listening like I should. The job required me to go back to my technical roots. I was the jack of all trades supporting the development team and customers on the company’s one and only product. I took care of networks, databases, servers, etc… It was fun but the move was hard on my oldest son. I still have great pain when I think of his transition. Leaving out the details I would say it didn’t got well and it changed him from outgoing to shy and timid. He has gotten better over the years but I wonder what his personality would have been like if I hadn’t moved him. He has my sense of humor and is one of the few people that can make me laugh. I chased money at the expense of others (LESSON 1 – Don’t Do That).

Well life moved on and things got better. We visited several church’s and finally settled in at the First Baptist Church of Round Rock (still there today). Work was fun but the internet bubble was soon to burst and the job became no fun (new boss, etc…). I decided to make a move and joined BMC Software. Good decision. Learned a new skill and became a Product Manager (The guy that helps guide how a product develops and what features are needed to make money and help customers). Unfortunately my Mother’s health took a turn for the worst. She was a cancer survivor but hers came back after 25 years (fairly rare). She fought it courageously for 5 years but the Lord finally called her home. She was a faithful servant and had done much for His kingdom. The Church was packed at her funeral with the people whose lives she had touched. She was the greatest woman I have ever known. Well after her death, I took a mental turn for the worst. I became bitter and disillusioned with life in general. What was the point? Why am I working? Who are these buffoons that I work for? Well when the dust finally settled, I was still Rich Landry but I had changed ever so slightly. I no longer wanted to climb the corporate ladder and “be someone.” I was more interested in what I left behind in this world and how I would impact others for good. I lost interest in work. Sure I still worked and enjoyed it but I no longer saw it as goal to achieve.

Chapter 3 – God begins to use Rich
I begin to have an interest in teaching kids at Church. I answered the call to become a 6th grade Sunday School teacher. That has proven very enlightening. It is amazing the questions kids ask so you better know the subject. I continued to grow in the Lord and took on new challenges. I attended our summer camp for kids as a shepherd then later became our church’s camp director.

Well Satan would have none of this and God had more to teach me so I took yet another detour. A good friend enticed me join him at another startup company in Austin. I prayed and God showed me plenty of warning signs but I ignored them again (like the San Antonio to Austin move). I knew it wasn’t the right move but 100k in options and a fancy title sent me on my way. It only took me one week to realize I had violated my earlier rule of chasing wealth and that I had made a BIG mistake. I won’t digress into the details but the place was like a “frat house.” The most disgusting place I ever worked. You name it and we had it (Beer on Friday, Sexual harassment, lewd and crude language, etc…). I nicknamed the place Nineveh and had to stay their for 8 looong months. God had much to teach and I was a “captive” audience. I learned many things and bless Him, he finally freed me and allowed me to return to BMC Software. A good company that treated you fair, paid well and didn’t overwork you.

I have since been back at BMC over a year and am enjoying the work. I am still not interested in progressing up any ladder. My mission in life is to spread God’s love thru laughter and fun. I have begun a new sideline to become a Children’s Entertaining Evangelist spreading fun and God’s Love. I have developed a Magic/Comedy act and will be the featured speaker and our Upward Basketball Banquet at Church this February. I am excited and scared at the same time. This won’t be my first time on stage because I left out the story about me becoming a comic Elvis impersonator. I have done that many times for companies and large groups around Texas and twice in Las Vegas but I will save that for another time.

For now I am trying to be the Dad my kids need, the husband my wife needs and the Man God wants me to be. Don’t be fooled, I have lots of flaws and am the chief among sinners but I know where I am going – saved by grace. The kids are growing (15 – girl and boys 13 & 10). God has blessed me with a wonderful wife/life and kids. I couldn’t have asked for a better family or life. Hey who knows, maybe I have found happiness.

Kids Know If We Walk the Talk

One interesting “life lesson” came this week via my oldest son. We were in the car and talking about life, jobs, career, happiness, the pursuit of material things, etc… I was talking about how “things” won’t make us happy. The pursuit of a new house, job, toy or whatever won’t make us happy. We need to be happy with the moment and content in life. Sure the other things can increase our happiness but those things in and of themselves won’t make you happy. I was telling the “Paul story of contentment.” He then asks “Dad how long have you known this?” I said about a year, why? He said, “No reason.” Pause, gulp…I realized that he was hearing my words and comparing them to my life ;(. I realized my talk didn’t match my walk at least not until the last 6 months. Kids are a great “gut check.”

Look for the ponies in life!

This first entry will serve as the basis for this blog. It underlines the simple fact that attitude is everything in life. Hope you enjoy the first story.

Look for the Ponies in Life

Two boys, Billy and Bobby, are friends. Billy is always happy no matter what happens and Bobby is always upset no matter what happens. Both their dads worked at the local university in the physiology department. It was summer and they decided to do a little experiment.

They took bobby and put him in a 10×10 room with all the latest and greatest toys and games. Everything was setup perfect and all was configured. They put Bobbie in the room alone for one hour and returned to check on him. When the father peaked thru the small viewing window after the hour, he was perplexed. There set bobby on the floor crying and throwing his arms in the air. They rushed in to see what had happened. Bobbie said thru his sobs that these weren’t the toys he liked. They weren’t fun and didn’t work like they should. He was very upset. They left the room very perplexed and went to check on Billy.

Billy was in a room 10×10 but it was filled with 3 feet of horse manure. When Billy’s dad peeked in the viewing window, he too was concerned. Billy was on top of the poop running, smiling and throwing it in the air. They quickly rushed in fearing that Billy had some type of poop poisoning. His dad shouted “Billy, what is wrong? Are you ok?” Billy said “I am looking for the pony. There has got to be a pony in here.”

Morale of the story…
You find what you look for. If you want to find the bad things in life, you surely will. If you want to find the good things, you will find them too. It is easy to find the bad stuff in life because it is everywhere but the good stuff in life is there too. You just have to want to find it and look hard. God is in everything. You just have to look for Him.

It truly works but it is not easy. As someone once said, “you can’t control what happens but you can control how you react to what happens.”