Ouch!

Why are so many things so HOT! Toasters, curling irons, ovens, coffee! There are entirely too many ways to get burned around the house! Okay, I admit it, I really like most of the things I’ve been burned by…I just don’t like the getting burned part!

Take this morning for example. I was making some toast and part of the bagel got stuck down bellow the rim of the toaster. I had two choices (well, three really but I’m not supposed to put a fork into it):

A. Turn the toaster upside down and get the piece out…along with all the other debris hiding in there.

Or

B. Ever so carefully (like in the game Operation) stick my nimble fingers inside and carefully pluck it out.

I’m not as nimble as I thought I was, now there are a lot of toast crumbs on the microwave top. Plan A worked just fine, a bit messy, but it got the job done.

A few minutes later I was prepping the coffee pot and felt this stinging feeling on my thumb. I looked at the spot and couldn’t see a thing…but the pain was there. Something had hurt my thumb, but I couldn’t place what it was. Now, I’m no sissy, I didn’t yelp in pain or ball my eyes out (I save that for the really big stuff), but I was a bit baffled. Then it hit me, The Toaster! I had a little “duh” moment all to myself.

Have you ever been hurt by something And couldn’t for the life of you remember where it came from? A cut, a bruise, a burn? I’m sure we’re all nodding our heads…there are LOTS of stories that could be told for sure!

How about something more severe? I saw a movie recently where one of the characters had been through a major trauma and been really injured…without even knowing it! It took another character to point it out! But that happens. Everything else around them at the moment is more pressing and even seems more urgent, so they just don’t “see” it.

Our hearts are like that. We can be doing something great, caring for people out of love, serving, being like Christ…and not even realize we’re becoming wounded. I’m not saying that what were doing is bad (although it might be), it’s good to care for others, we need to show God’s love…but if you get hurt…see the Doctor.

Sheri and I saw a counselor a few months back (“counselor” isn’t a bad word by the way). We had been wrestling with some life issues that had been dogging us consistently for a number of years. We braced ourselves for what we figured would be the painful months ahead, but we knew something needed to be figured out.

As we sat on the couch we painted pictures in our minds of how difficult digging out was going to be. But then God surprised us. Our counselor very skillfully showed us some unseen “injuries,” wounds we didn’t even know we’re there. Once those areas were uncovered the healing process went much quicker than we expected! But someone else had to show us what we couldn’t see.

Can I encourage you in something? If your carrying pain around, go talk to someone trustworthy. If you can’t even see it for yourself, listen to those who care about you and are trying to let you know. We all need to be bandaged up from time to time…that’s how we keep going on. I’ll be praying for your discoveries, and your healing.

Oh, and watch out for the toaster, that little buggers HOT!

In Christ,
Dave

The Sound My Bible Makes

A friend of mine just shared something on Faceabook that jogged a great memory.

One sunday I had the joy of speaking at a good friend’s church (Brian Wahl, Birch Ridge Community Church, Soldotna Alaska). From my place behind a music stand I asked everyone to turn to a passage in their Bibles. That’s when I heard it…music too my ears! It was the sound of those ultra thin sheets of paper being turned.

A smile grew on my face and I shared with the folks how happy the sound of turning bible pages made me…it still does. I asked them if they’d entertain me just a touch and shuffle the pages again. They happily obliged me and I smiled like a little boy.

Theres just something about that sound that breathes life into me. Maybe it’s a longing in my soul to be closer to the One who loves me, like when my bride whispers my name softly. It woos me. Anyone else get that way?

I love all the great bible apps that are out there (my personal favorite is “Glo“). They enable us to access God’s practical truths anywhere we and our phone or tablet are. It’s great! But maybe, just maybe, it’s a bit like talking to a loved one over the phone…it’s not quite the same as in person.

I’d love to hear your suggestions for fantastic bible apps! Share them with me, I’ll check them out (I’m a bit of an app nut). But I’d also love to hear about a great moment you’ve had with your faithful friend, your other bible.

Just one last thought. Given how great the turning of bible pages sounds, I think there should be a bible app with a “page sound” feature :0) What do you think?

God Bless your time in His book…wherever you spend it!

Dave

2013 – A Fresh Page

“And with that, he closed the pages of 2012 with all of its smudges, smiles, and tears. The man glanced to 2013. It’s pages were crisp and white. He slowly drew his hand across the pure page…it was empty, blank. Each fresh leaf holding the promise of a new beginning. He lifted his pen…and began to write.” David Nash

Happy new year everyone! You and God work together to make this one the best ever! Deal?

Blessings,
Dave

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 5 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

“Two Hour Victory” – Part 1 – James Survived

Shattered Perceptions

James stood on shaky legs, sweat rolling off his body. An involuntary shutter rippled through his rattled frame. He looked out over the carnage with weak, bloodshot eyes. He was exhausted. Spent. Broken. He had survived where so many others had not.

Valiant, strong men clothed in their best and worst intentions lie scattered and destroyed before him. It was no surprise to see the weak among the casualties, that was expected, but this time even the mighty had fallen.

A sudden commotion startled the disheveled man. Like a wild animal that’s been hunted relentlessly, his muscles tensed and his pupils dilated. A dull scraping of jagged metal on marble broke into his numb mind. He was instantly aware of every sound in the room. The throbbing of his pulse wrapped around the sounds and echoed in his ears.

James scoured his surroundings for a place to hide. His neck muscles convulsed spasmodically with each turn of his head.  A deep penetrating pain radiated down the right side of his entire body. His torn suit was soaked in blood. He had been too close to the epicenter when it hit.  As his eyes frantically searched, flashbacks were already ricocheting through his mind.

The metallic sound broke into his mind again. Something large was beginning climb from beneath the rubble across the ballroom. As he dove behind an overturned table, one thought emerged from the recesses of his psyche and struggled out of his clenched teeth, “Oh, God, I should never have come here!”

More to come…

I Found It In The Zen Garden

-Not my garden-

The other day I was sitting at my desk working. It’s a great thing to do at work, your employer will love you for it. As I sat there processing some files, one of my teammates stopped by the community printer just behind me. My fingers clicked across the keyboard while he collected his fresh-off-the-press pages. We’re a pretty close group so instead of taking the documents back to his desk he sat down in one of my empty chairs and began to sort through the still warm sheets.

We chatted a little as we continued to work. A moment or two later the conversation turned too a little rock garden sitting on my desk. To be accurate, the manufacturer designed it as a mini zen garden, complete with sand, rocks, and a tiny rake. It’s pretty cute and it keeps kids occupied when their parents are working with me. Okay, the adults play with it too. The thing is I’m not really into zen. As a Christian, I’ve discovered some truly freeing ways to discover peace. We can save that for another post.

My friend looked over my little sand trap and then got a puzzled look on his face. I glanced up in time to see his curiously furrowed brow. “No rake” I stated with a grin, “the kids broke it.” I’m pretty sure it was the kids.

-Not my pebble-

“No way, really?” came his reply. He looked back down at the rocks nested into a truly un-zenny setting. There were bumps and rumples in the sand. There wasn’t a neatly groomed line to be found anywhere. No rake. I looked back to my computer as he began to slowly and patiently pick the rocks out. He took his finger and carefully began to smooth the distortions out of the bitty terrain.

A moment or two passed and I heard “Dude, check out what I found.” I curiously glanced over to his outstretched hand. Two fingers had a pale colored object  pinched between them. I squinted and looked closer. “Do you know what it is?” he said with a humored tone. I had no clue.

Suddenly it hit me! I lurched back from my position of close scrutiny! “That’s gross!” The words flew out of my mouth without a second thought. An unguarded laugh mirrored my coworker’s huge grin. Held tightly in his grasp…a fingernail. Not his and not mine. I glanced at the little rock garden wondering what else was hiding beneath it’s “peace inspiring” surface.

It got me thinking. Of course it did, right? I know, my mind always jumps to an application. So, here it is. Earlier I mentioned that I know where to find true peace. Christ. I know that no matter how pretty or sereine a zen garden may be it can never give me the “calm” God can. Inevitably anything that wants to be a substitute for His truths will leave me lacking, even a bit surprised. There are fingernails hiding everywhere! Gross, chipped off, snipped off, chewed off fingernails.

Imperfection and truth-impersonation is a byproduct of the curse of sin. God’s got it figured out for me. I may not always feel at rest in my situation, but I know He’s got my back even if I have no clue how He’ll work it out. Faith can do that for us. The trouble is we have a hard time living out faith. We get impatient with God and turn to other forms of comfort. Other systems.

Who has your heart?

Can I encourage you to do something with me? Look into your life and see what you have substituted for God. Take a good look. Are there zen gardens where a bible could be? Are we raking through sands instead of walking with our Papa? I want to be bold enough to ditch the things I’ve grown attached too in favor of the One I should be attached too. Can you join me in that? You pray for me and I’ll pray for you!

Let’s see if we can leave the nail trimmings behind too.
Blessings,
Dave

“The Hobbit an Unexpected Journey”

Copyright Warner Brothers Pictures

Many of you know by now that I enjoy the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. I’ve read The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, The Lord of the Rings series, and of course, The Hobbit. I have to confess that I also own a pretty detailed atlas of Middle Earth, and several “makings-of” books as well. Yep, I’m a fan.

It should catch none of you by surprise then that I also follow film director Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” blog pretty closely and love it when he releases new videos or trailers (look for the complete trailer collection at the bottom of this post). My son’s and I can’t wait to be among the first to see his newest middle earth chronicle “The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey.” Although Tolkien didn’t set out to create a “religious” work by any means, his dearly held faith did find it’s way into the pages.

Good vs Evil. This classic plot line finds its roots in Judeo-Christian teachings. All you have to do is go back to the Garden of Eden to see it at work. Lucifer seeks to uproot God’s plan for mankind. And, quite honestly, apart from Christ this enemy of Good would have succeeded.

When I see characters like Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the like going into battle against forces that would destroy them (and all the good they seek to defend) I want to cheer them on. I want to stand up and shout “Go for it guys! You can do this!” Why? Because I want to believe. I want to believe that Good will win over evil. I want to celebrate God’s eventual liberation of His people…and stories like this inspire that sort of hope.

I know the films and tales can be a bit graphic...but life is graphic. It’s never clean and tidy. Unfortunate things come crashing in and threaten to gobble us up. But God. Are you planing to see the films? If so, as you watch them…keep an eye out for the unexpected…and I’m sure you’ll see it too.

See you in the Shire,
Dave

Here are the trailers I promised, enjoy!

Can you handle all 10 Spots in one sitting?

Here are the most recent 7 spots
Official TV Spot #7 [HD]

Official TV Spot #6 [HD]

Official TV Spot #5 [HD]

Official TV Spot #4 [HD]

Official TV Spot #3 [HD]

Official TV Spot #2 [HD]

Official TV Spot #1 [HD]