jeff noel.org

Our beloved Canine son, Carter, our 11-year old Yellow Lab, is very sick.

What started a few weeks ago, appearing to be the a routine distraction from food – a neighbor’s pet in heat – has manifested itself into complications we may not recover from.  Cancer.

While our hearts are breaking, they are not completely shattered.  Big difference.

We have no regrets with Carter.  We have given and received all there is and was, to give and receive.

Peace and blessings.  Faith, Hope and Love.

Life.  Death.

Trust in the Lord with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength.

And then cry like a baby, until we can no longer stay awake.

Corner Stone

Perhaps, all our “good fortune” can be summed up by his quote I found, tucked away in a folder from 2004.

“Coincidence is a small miracle which God wishes to remain anonymous.” — unknown

Ya with me?

PS.  Assertiveness is a trait. Arrogance a burden.

Is Excellence Showing Off?

Sometimes, friends nearby will say to me, “Showoff.”

At Gold’s Gym one time, Joe said, “You intimidate people.”

“What are you talking about, Joe”, I asked, confused and astonished.

He said, “You intimidate people. Because you’re gifted.” Come to find out he was referring to my physical fitness appearance.

I told Joe “The only gift I have, is that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.” We both smiled big smiles.

Maybe six years ago, two colleagues and I were in the break area, the two of them discussing their latest diet (Atkins I think it was), and I asked them, “How come no one ever asks me what I do – to lose weight, I mean?”

“You don’t need to worry about it”, was the quick and serious reply.

Know what I said?  And I was pissed frustrated with their answer. I said, “I worry about it every single day, that’s why I don’t need to worry about it!!”

You know what?  Maybe working harder than others is showing off.

The “guilt” you’ve heard me talk about is really just a humble attempt to say I do not feel guilty.  I’ve busted my back trying to make extra-ordinary from ordinary.  And it’s been one success after another.

Now, I guess being the Internet’s only “Five-a-Day Blogger” is showing off too?

Tiger Woods.

Does he deserve forgiveness?  Will you, if you haven’t, forgive him?

Or is he unforgivable?  The lying, cheating, dirty, no good scum of the earth. Is that it?

Tempting isn’t it? Difficult, isn’t it? Will we find it impossible?

All things are possible for him who trusts in the Lord. Is that a figment of my imagination, or did I read or hear about this somewhere?

Okay, so here’s my final answer, and it comes straight from Jesus’ mouth, “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.”

The Joy of Living is one of the most elusive of all endowments.

Why?  Just watch a child and you’ll find your answer.  Having a child (9-year old boy) in our home is a daily reminder.

We all, at least I do, need daily reminders of this simple fact, don’t we? Why?  Because life is hard, especially in today’s challenging and uncertain world.

Every day is an opportunity to count our blessings.  Anyone need a calculator?

A lifetime of learned behaviors.  Life is hard.  And mostly difficult. And busy.  And distracting.

Some days, maybe while watching a movie or TV show, we see a Family that seems to have it all together and wonder why we can’t live like that.

It’s a movie, okay?  It’s not real.  Yet perhaps there’s some compromise between what’s portrayed in books and movies, and what is our current reality.

Maybe.  maybe not.

I’d like to find out.

Carpe diem, jeff

Failing?  Probably.  It weighs heavy on my soul and heart.  I’d really like to be a better:

• Son
• Brother
• Nephew
• Uncle

Yet after decades of learned behavior, there’s a struggle deep down inside that seems overwhelming.

Overwhelming, yes.  Impossible, no.

The people involved in this are going to have to want this too.  It takes two.  This is not a one-sided challenge, nor a one-sided opportunity. Is it me, or is that ticking sound the clock?

Stuck?  Sort of.  A lot has happened this past week.  Some incredibly awesome stuff.  Some horrific stuff.

I work hard to focus on the positive side, without sacrificing what the horrible stuff is telling me.

Love and hate.  Heaven and hell.  God and the devil.  Faith and unbelief. Mysteries and facts.

So what is surfacing as I type this (and I trusted something would), is that we all have a choice to make.

In fact we have lots of choices.  Each day.  All day.  Everyday.

It takes practice and discipline to increase our “batting average”.

Make today a great day.  Go in there swinging and keep your eye on the ball.

What I mean is I hate hearing when tragedy happens.  Two days ago an email shared the news that one of our college buddies had a tragedy.  His teenage son died of a drug overdose.

Can you even fathom this?  I can not.

For our friend, this probably makes 9/11 look like a picnic.

May I simply ask anyone reading this to try to absorb some of his pain?

Tragedy strikes us all.  None of is immune from this.  Perhaps this is the time when we are tempted to believe God doesn’t exist.

God never said life would be easy, He simply promises we will not walk alone.  Our big challenge is to actually believe this when horrific tragedy is our shadow.

September 11, 2001

Click here to see Darryl Worely’s music video, “Have You Forgotten”.

Then again, maybe you have forgotten.

Have you?  No?  Then do it, click here.

PS.  I HATE war. I LOVE our military men and women.