The Bible describes faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That’s the quintessential definition that Christians rely on to describe their faith in God.

A person’s faith is an invaluable commodity, produced-one would think-by some evidentiary experience. The last couple of years in America, I’ve been paying attention to this thing called faith, and how folks are willing to expend it on the flimsiest of foundations in hopes of changing their destiny. Of course, the political arena probably comes to mind when I mention the last couple of years. I’ll not take any party position here, because that’s not my purpose for this piece.

It’s curious how people will allow someone they don’t have a personal relationship with to generate faith deep within them and to act on that faith with no more than promises; promises with no past evidence of the promisor carrying through on anything. The promisor generates faith within the individual and oftentimes uses that faith to his own advantage, rather than the benefit of the individual who’s looking toward them for something better. I believe that’s called manipulation?

When I look at the Biblical definition of faith, I must turn it around to see how it works for me personally. First the evidence of things not seen is referring to the future. Sure, I’ve not yet seen what I’m praying for, hoping for, longing for; however, there is a record of past performance that shows God comes through on His promises. The longer I live, the more I see that principle of “coming through on His promises” is more than a character trait for Him, it is Him. He literally cannot help but do what He says He’s going to do. Second, when I see irrefutable evidence that He’s followed through on promise after promise in the past, I see the very essence, the core substance of His being telling me that He will honor me with blessings. The blessings may not be what I want, but they will be good for me, and they’ll fill my need gap.

From my experience with God, I can say with clarity that no one can generate faith within me that is nurtured to the degree He can. I try to practice all the good stuff; God is all the good stuff, all the time!

I’m old and blessed (by God) …hope you’ll see He can bless you too.

Thanksgiving. It’s that unique American holiday when most of us think families and friends all around the country gather at some familial location to eat, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on television, catch up on happenings that occurred over the last year, and indulge too much in everything. Unfortunately, there are thousands who are too poor for the traditional holiday fair, and others who are homeless without a comfortable place to lay their heads.

The start of this year’s holiday season has a different flavor to it for my family. This is the first start of the season to be without my mother. Although the last few years prior to her passing this past July, weren’t the same, due to her slowly losing touch with us, she was still here physically. Alzheimer’s is an unfair competitor who wins in the end. My mother’s sister-in-law also lost her battle with Alzheimer just a few weeks after mom this year, too. Yesterday, we had a few folks over for a Thanksgiving meal. My wife’s nieces and her brother-in-law were here without my wife’s sister, who passed one year ago four days before Thanksgiving. (I’ve intentionally left names out, which I trust doesn’t lessen the message I’m attempting to communicate.)

The title of this piece is “Thanksgiving 2018.” You might be wondering why I am talking about such sad events as the transitioning of loved ones. Through all the eating, talking and fellowship yesterday, I found myself thinking about the ladies I just mentioned. As I thought more about them, I began to think about them in terms of thankfulness. I felt thankful for the experiences that I and so many others were blessed to enjoy through having them in our lives. Sure, having them with us in the flesh would be preferable; however, the love, joy and comfort they shared with all who knew them, seeded an indelible legacy that will live in the hearts and minds of all of who knew them until our time of transition. Can you think of anything to be more thankful for than that?

Love of God, family and whomever in the community we form strong bonds with is what makes life an experience we can be thankful for each day. As we go through this holiday season, let’s earnestly seek out those things that generate thankfulness in our hearts, rather than what we grab up at Black Friday sales. They have the power to bring joy into our hearts, regardless of anything else that cast dark shadows in our path.

I usually have no idea what I’m going to say whenever I sit down to my laptop to write. Because of this, I must admit to something to which I would be remiss if I didn’t dedicate some words. There is another lady I ‘ll mention here who has had a similar impact in the lives of many. My oldest child’s mother passed away a few weeks ago. She had lived a challenging life, going through each day with Sickle Cell Anemia. I’m thankful that though her life was hard, she dedicated much of it to raising our daughter, instilling in her good life lessons which I see coming to fruition daily.

I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.

P.S. Always be thankful.

 

 

 

Today is November 12, 2018, the date set aside to commemorate Veteran’s Day in America. The actual day of the holiday was yesterday, November 11; however, this was on a Sunday. A few minutes ago, I was watching a video on Facebook where a young black man was sitting in the middle of a stage playing Halleluiah on a cello. I think the video was a British production, since there was an announcer with a British accent asking the audience to stand at one point. The purpose of the production was to recognize the sacrifices made by military personnel during generations of conflict.

The young man, the diversity of the audience, the diversity of the many people who came down stage, holding photos of those long gone was quite moving. I found myself emotionally touched, as I thought about all the people who have fought on foreign lands to stop the advances of tyranny and nationalism. The last century offered up frightful examples of what could have happened worldwide, if warriors for freedom and democracy had not been sent forward to fight.

It’s interesting how most of us are not aware of the ongoing efforts for which our military personnel are responsible. As many of us sit in the comfort of our homes, watching our huge flat screens and playing with our cell phones, young military women and men are putting their lives in harms way. Some might debate the wisdom of sending our precious human resources to far-flung locations, that many of us can’t locate on a map. Legitimate though that argument might be, I’m not writing this piece to air the debate about whether the United States should mind its business and stay out of other’s wars. I’m simply acknowledging the fact that our people, our sons and daughters are making the sacrifice. They are answering the call to duty. They don’t have the luxury of debating the merits of their assignments. They’ve sworn an oath to defend and protect, period.

So, as our warriors are being sent forward, exercising their duties around the clock, I can rest peacefully. I have reasonable assurance that the freedom to which I have become accustomed will continue to be my gift.

To all who have and are currently serving in the United States military, thank you for your sacrificial service.

I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.

When you risk the foundation of your very own self-esteem by stepping  out into the blogosphere, you must be willing to take a few comments, though well-intentioned, they do sometimes make you question why you’re doing this.

I’m always anxious to see what sort of comments are waiting for me on my stats page. Some are weird, making you wonder if the submitter even read your blog. Some are supportive and kind, obviously coming from people who appreciate your efforts and the risk you’re taking by exposing yourself to the world, as it were. Recently, I received a suggestion from someone, who thought that my blog was good, and they thanked me for writing it; however, they thought my title was a bit bland: “Old and blessed.” The person who offered this criticism thought I might jazz it up a bit, make it more exciting.

In case the reader who suggested I consider another handle sees this, I want to ensure them that I’m not frayed in the least bit by their suggestion. I do very much appreciate it. I am, however, going to stick with this title, and here’s why:

I’m sixty-eight years old. I’ve lived a challenging life, which would be labeled as such by most people, if an accurate accounting were done. As I have written before, in several venues, the last twenty years have been a health roller coaster ride. The cancer Multiple Myeloma has tried its best to take me out; however, my God has blessed me with a quality of life that many with so-called good health would probably like to have had. I say that not to be braggadocios, but to let all who read this know, without doubt, that God has been with me every step of the way. With that understanding being a reality in my life, and the continual strengthening of my faith that has resulted from it, how can I feel anything except “Old and Blessed.” I have personally seen too many fellow Multiple Myeloma warriors transition beyond this corporal state that we all enjoy, while God keeps me, and keeps me exceedingly well!

Thanks for the suggestion of a new and more exciting handle, but I’ll stick with the one that describes me best, in my humble opinion anyway.

I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.

P.S. Anyone who reads my stuff, please keep the comments coming. Feedback is welcomed.