Sometimes I seem to have too much going on in my head. Can you relate? Sometimes it is difficult to sort my thoughts into neat folders that I can store on the desktop in my mind. Does that ever happen with you? Sometimes I think it is helpful to unload some of the thoughts and see where they land. It is sort of a way to see what is left standing after shaking out my thoughts. The hope is that some of it will begin to stick together and become productive and some of it will be revealed as wasteful and I will discard it.

-Some days I forget that I have the experience that I have, that is code for I try to pretend that I am not as old as I really am. Other days I feel it strongly. Some days I am grateful for my experience and on days when I am being philosophical I wish I could go back and do some things from my less experienced days (younger) with the knowledge I have now. Has that thought ever occurred to you?

-Some days I remember that I used to have a lot of hair on my head. Somedays I forget that I don’t have it anymore, but then I walk past a mirror, or out in the sun, or see the look on other people’s face and I recognize I have more skin than hair covering my head these days. At one point my girls began to say that I was growing another face on the back of my head. Can you feel the love in their statement? 

-Some days I physically ache for people to recognize that they can have an exciting, growing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For them to realize that following Him impacts all areas of life not just stuff at church. For them to hunger for more of Jesus and His Word.

-Some days I think I could still dunk a basketball, then I get up out of my chair and realize I must been dreaming again. 

-Sometimes I have a love/dislike relationship with myself. It is not dangerous and I have always believed that it helps me do some honest evaluations of myself which motivates me to do better at some things, at least I hope that is what it does.

-Sometimes I wonder why they don’t make mouse-flavored cat food.

-Sometimes I get frustrated by my inability to communicate the love of Jesus better.

-Sometimes I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the family I have and wonder how it happened. I married way out of my league and fortunately my kids and grandkids have avoided many of the errors I made. Also I am very glad that my kids look like my wife and I am sure they are as well.

-Sometimes I have great ideas. I am still striving to act on those ideas more often and more quickly.

-Sometimes I long to be able to communicate in such a way that people would recognize how much more God would love to do in their lives, or the life our church. There is so much more that God would love to do through us to impact our community and world.

-Sometimes I have lousy ideas. Unfortunately I sometimes act on those ideas. I am glad that people are usually forgiving.

-Sometimes I come across some of my early sermons and I think, how did I not get voted out as Pastor? Fortunately most of the people I have pastored have been very forgiving. Or else they didn’t hear me very well. 

-Sometimes when someone says “Pastor I think you use too much humor or I am not sure you should say some of the stuff you say while you are preaching”, I want to respond with, “If you only knew how often I didn’t share things I thought of during the message you would thank me.”

-Sometimes …

Here’s hoping you don’t think less of me for sharing these random thoughts.

Dennis