kenlassblog

I’ve always known you had many choices when it comes to which blogs you choose to subscribe to and read. But I never imagined just how many. I read the other day that there are 600 million blogs out there. Apparently there are throngs of writers with something to say. Or perhaps something to sell. And blogs are just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of other media sources competing for your attention.

With so many voices washing over you, it’s understandable if you are skeptical and suspicious. And you should be. Scammers and dishonest sellers are constantly improvising new ways to gain your confidence and access to your finances. Artificial intelligence enables crooks to simulate virtually every trusted source.

All of which makes me very grateful and appreciative of your attention. I will never ask for money, run ads, or try to sell you something. I get absolutely zero income from this blog and seek none. It’s strictly a hobby and my feeble attempt at ministry. And I will always keep these daily entries short, because your time is valuable.

You have 600 million options. I am honored and humbled you have stuck with me.

I don’t like to fly. I’ll get on a plane if I have to, but I don’t like it. The thought of being in a plane crash is terrifying to me. I try not to worry about it, but I always breathe a tremendous sigh of relief when we touch down on the runway. I know plane crashes are rare, but it only takes one. I guess what really scares me is putting my life in the hands of a pilot I know nothing about.

Kind of like putting your life in the hands of God, even though we understand so little about Him. It can be scary to depend on someone we don’t see, to trust Him to design our lives, especially when He steers us in directions we are not comfortable with.

It can be a bumpy ride. You can expect some turbulence now and then. But the airplane pilot usually finds a way to get you to your destination. Being obedient to God will get you to your ultimate destination.

It’s really a shame that politics has become so confrontational, so hateful. Even pro football players, who pound the stew out of each other for three hours, shake hands and hug when the game is over. We seem to be losing the ability as a society to agree to disagree.

Maybe it’s because the stakes seem higher now. Many folks believe the very existence of America, as we know it, hangs in the balance in our elections. But I believe the real problem is the silence of the middle ground. The only voices we seem to hear are those of the radical forces on either side. I think we’ve been fooled into thinking they now represent the majority. Of course, the national media, thriving on controversy, fans these radical viewpoints to achieve viewership.

I still have faith most of us land somewhere in the middle, strongly patriotic, god-fearing, with love and respect for people of all opinions, races and backgrounds. Just because the radicals get all the headlines doesn’t mean they define the culture.

Happy endings. Remember when you could watch any drama or adventure show on TV, and rest assured that, no matter what adversity the good guys were facing, they would prevail in the end. Justice would be served. Good always conquered evil.

Sadly, that is no longer true. Writers and producers of modern drama love to leave their stories open-ended, subject to interpretation. Not only do we leave the program unsure that good has won out, we’re not even certain of who the good ones were! I guess they want their offerings to be thought-provoking and controversial.

Instead they are mostly confusing. We crave resolution on matters of right and wrong. In life we strive for success, and we deal the best we can with failure, but we need moral definition. The line dividing good from bad should not be a blur. Fortunately, God’s word continues to spell it out clearly.

TV culture may be ambiguous about morality, but the path to our own happy ending should always be crystal clear.

Write it down! That is my mantra these days. Whenever some little duty or task comes to mind, maybe someone I need to call, a bill I need to pay, a product I need to order, fill up my gas tank, nip the weeds from my bushes, a TV show I want to record, whatever it may be, I try to write it down immediately. I won’t remember it five minutes from now. My short term memory just doesn’t serve me well any more.

So I keep a little notebook on the end table next to my living room recliner. The instant a to-do thought occurs to me, I jot it down. Then I check the list several times a day. It’s kind of like a shopping list for life.

If you’re like me, if you can walk into a room and forget why you came in there, write it down. Then try not to forget where you put your notebook.

Despite what you hear and see on the news, there is plenty of good going on in the world today. Each year in the United States alone more than 75 million people volunteer to serve in food banks, non-profits and community improvement organizations. That’s roughly one of every four adults in our country. In addition, surveys show that more than 54 percent of all Americans help neighbors in some informal way each year, such as running errands, providing caregiving, sharing tools, money and resources, etc.

Volunteers provide almost five billion hours of service each year, with an economic impact worth 167 billion dollars. Thousands of churches donate billions of dollars and put in thousands of manpower hours helping victims of disaster in all corners of the globe.

Bad people get the headlines. Good people work largely without acknowledgement. But there are a lot more good folks than bad folks around you. Thought maybe you needed to hear that today.

I have a huge oak tree in my backyard. It is impossible to grow grass around the base of it because the sprawling branches block out the sun. Weeds, however, seem to have no problem flourishing around the trunk. So I laid down a circle of landscaping bricks around the tree, cut down all the weeds, and heaped a thick layer of pine straw into the circle. Surely those weeds won’t be able to come up through all that ground cover, right?

Wrong. Within about ten days, the ugly green chutes had pushed their way up through the barrier and reared their unsightly heads. You just have to stay on top of them and keep trimming them back.

Troubles in life are going to pop through your barriers no matter how many precautions you take. You just have to stay on top of them. Nip them in the bud. Don’t let little problems become major issues. Be the peacemaker, the one who apologizes, the one who forgives. Humility kills a lot more weeds than stubborness.

Sometimes you have to make it through something bad to get to something good. It’s part of life, just as it’s part of nature. Consider these hot, humid, uncomfortable summer days we are having. Humidity is caused by water evaporating and being stored in the air. The hotter it gets, the more the air expands, giving it more capacity to store more water vapor. But increased heat also makes it more difficult for your perspiration to evaporate, making you feel sweaty and clammy.

Eventually the water vapor rises high enough to meet colder air, which turns the vapor back into water. Gravity then pulls the water back down to earth as rain. We desperately need rain to replenish the ecosystem. Without it we wouldn’t survive. So we must endure the muggy weather, knowing it is part of a process that will benefit us in the long run.

So think of your troubles as water vapor. They make your life uncomfortable for sure, but once you work your way through them, you will be a better, stronger, smarter person. Don’t sweat adversity.

When is the last time you felt real peace? When you could go to bed, close your eyes, and truly have no stress, worries or concern about anything? When you felt secure, contented and satisfied?

I have found that I’m able to rest and find serenity by just giving all of my issues to God. To trust that He will lead me to resolutions and outcomes that fit His will for my life. Ultimately, I’m not in control. He is. That doesn’t have to be a scary thing. He knows what He’s doing. He knows me. He created me. My troubles may be too big for me, but not for Him.

If real peace is elusive for you, try releasing your anxiety to Him. Might be your best night’s sleep in a long time.

Customer service is a tough job. First of all, people aren’t going to call you unless they have a problem to begin with. So they are already frustrated. Then often the customer doesn’t understand the technology even when it’s explained to them. Or can’t adequately convey their problem. Attitude makes all the difference when it comes to dealing with customer assistance folks. If they are friendly, patient, and empathetic, you come away with a positive feeling. If they are short, rude and acting like they just want to pass the buck, it can be outraging.

We may not realize it, but this holds true for us in all relationships. If you treat people with respect, kindness, optimism and friendliness, they will feel good about you and probably return your empathy. They will trust you and give you an opportunity to set an example for them.

When it comes to relationships, we’re all in the customer service business.