How To Give Back: Recent Comments

Comment on The iced-tea stories of our lives

Sherry Brisch — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:09:44 GMT

What a beautiful writer you are. I especially love this "Iced Tea" one. It is so true; intimacy happens when we dare to let down our guard and spill the tea and lose people's kids at Sunday school.

Comment on What is this thing called grace?

DZ — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:34:43 GMT

The NFL recently had it's player draft. One of the measured player skills is vertical leap. To increase leap, the players work hard on leg strength and skills to improve burst and leaping ability. Most of the players are lower than a 36 inch vertical. The skilled positions may be higher.

A player may start at 33 inches and work his way up to 36 inches for a net gain of 3 inches. This is considered good. A few will hit 37 or even 38 with God given talent. No matter how hard they try and how many hours they put in, they won't get much higher.

No matter how many hours we put in or how hard we work, we can only jump a little bit higher. A few inches is all. Thank God for grace.

Comment on Would you?

DZ — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:38:10 GMT

I would and have. Money is quick and easy to give and others can do the heavy load work. I can contribute, walk away, not get involved and pat myself a few times on the back. Giving of time, experience and knowledge is like giving part of yourself. The rewards are many magnitudes better and the gift is much bigger. It seems that every time I give of myself thinking that others will benefit, I find that I am the one who is truly rewarded. Why are we not more involved with our talents?

Comment on Fear is a Child

DZ — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:21:54 GMT

We need more fear in our lives to change. Suburbia is filled with people who only fear the loss of money, power, homes and other material things but what about God and wasted lives? Each day is expected to be comfortable just like the others so there is no need to fear or change. Our cities know fear. A boy asked please pray for me. "I pray for my mom and myself so I can stay alive." Violence is everywhere. How would I know, I live in the suburbs. Got to go. A squirrel is going up the feeder.

Comment on What do you think of?

DZ — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:05:08 GMT

A boy who made some bad decisions and who wants to change his life answered my question, how do you know there is a God? He answered that there was long period of time when his family had no money, food, electricity and were struggling. Every day, when he went outside where there was a bottle of milk and bread on the side walk in front of his house. He was amazed because no one stole the food and each day it appeared just for them. God is good. That's how I know, he answered.

Comment on What Do You Play For?

DZ — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:54:42 GMT

I recently became involved in mentoring inner city youth who are in a state run facility by court order. A number have made bad decisions and now paying the consequences. They need hope, direction and an understanding that someone cares for them. It started with 1 day per month and quickly changed to a weekly contact to develop the relationship needed for them to share.

Why am I doing this? Part of it is a calling. Part is the importance of helping young men change direction. Part is some internal wiring that implores me to do meaningful service. Yet,through this experience, I am finding that I am the one that is being blessed and rewarded. Strange, because that is not what I thought would happen.

Comment on What would you do differently?

DZ — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:33:03 GMT

I am ecstatic that we are saved by grace and that God patiently waits for us. When I look back at what I have done, a lot of time has been squandered on activities that seemed important to me at the time. Now there is a shift to more meaningful service where I can use my experience to help others make better choices and to mentor those in need. However, if the time were real short, the TV, sporting events and the internet would immediately get a low priority. That makes me a work in progress. How about you?

Comment on What Do We Expect From This?

DZ — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:05:07 GMT

I believe everyone has something inherent inside us that makes us want to stay in a comfortable and familiar zone and another pull that impells us to do more and to seek God's direction and will. When I stay in my private comfort zone, I soon become restless and unfulfilled. When I look beyond self, something happens and I get led in new and exciting directions. This leads to a new "wow" factor and I always seem to receive way more than I give. This requires taking the step into the unknown by being receptive to new directions and saying yes when they are before us. My process starts with listening, networking to others who are in the faith and to look for areas of need. I pray for direction and ask to be used and, it happens. Interestingly, the opportunities that are the largest reach seem to be the ones that are most fulfilling. So why don't we all reach more often? What a difference it would make.

Comment on May I Get Down Now?

DZ — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:10:52 GMT

We are strange creatures that create confusion and complexity when the way and answers are clearly before us. Take leadership for example. We are programmed to seek and want a leader and yet we have an opposing internal conflict with leadership. We want to be led providing we can do what we want and not be disturbed. So we seek the perfect leader who does not bother us but takes care of all the other dim witted people who obviously need to be led, corrected and changed.

Every nation, province, state, county, city, business organization, non-profit, charity, volunteer group and family all have leaders and similar organizations. Why? There is someone on top who is the designated leader, president, CEO, king, director, governor, mayor, etc. However, they all fall short because they do not do exactly what we want. And we know best what to do. If something works, we did it or it is our idea. If it does not work, the leader is incompetent. So we fight, quarrel, criticize and create conflict.

We are programmed to seek and be under God, so why not do so? The end game is already decided and sealed.

There is only one true Leader and if we followed that Leader, how differently we would think and act. We would also eliminate a lot of wasted time and effort pursuing folly.

So why don't I really change? How about you?

DZ

Comment on You Quit Farming, You Die

Rosemary Kelly — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:44:17 GMT

Amazing.