I was with an old friend recently. We hadn't seen each other much in the last year or so. As we got caught up he filled me in on his children's latest exploits and pursuits. Seems they're set to become the next leaders of Wall Street and fortune 500's list of greatest entrepreneurs of all time. His teenagers are being offered scholarships and internships and awards left and right. My kids?... have yet to learn to clean the shop to my liking. I imagine the conversation around their dinner table to be an interesting series of topics and debates much like an NPR broadcast. Here at home, Eli ponders out loud the serious difficulty a six fingered man would have when trying to give the middle finger to someone... Eddie spears his sister's hand with a fork full of spaghetti sauce and I horse down a plate full of beans and wipe my mouth on my sleeve. At the end of our mealtime my beautiful daughters burp and push away from the table declaring..."Ooee, I'm as tight as a tick". Yes, you have no need to fear us taking over or dominating anything or anyone... unless you're referring to the bag of chips on the sofa next to that vulnerable remote. Then again, if you met some of my neighbors you might get a different idea. I went to the gun store the other day to help my "pacifist" friend who lives in a trailer to the south buy a multi-bullet magazine (clip) for his Ak-47 . On the way we talked about the neighbor to the north of us. Last time I met him he was creeping down the dirt track in front of my house. He was dressed in desert camo with a glok 9mm strapped to his thigh. He told me the government surveillance was so good that they were reading our lips as we spoke. I can't imagine what I could even have to say that would be so important but was flattered nonetheless - he was trying to hide under my truck! Seems there's a lot of paranoia out there. Well, you can be sure of this- fear is the absence of love...and pure love casts out all fear. Embracing the Savior sure has been the antidote to a lot of the absence of love(fear) for many of us sin-sick weary pilgrims. I'm hoping that this coming year our issues with sin and fear will find their resolution in the One who is called The Desire Of All The Ages.
