It’s Monday all over the world and I’m somewhat excited about the possibilities of today. I’m so grateful for my wife and family, I heard a song on the radio driving back from NM (by Loggins and Messina) I couldn’t get that tune out of my head, it was these words “even though we ain’t got money, I’m so in love with you honey, everything will bring a chain of love, and in the morning when I rise you bring a tear of joy to my eyes when you tell me everything’s gonna be alright”.

All my life I’ve been looking for that genuine sense of intrinsic worth through success and satisfaction in the things I do and have done, whether in personal relationships, pursuing art or involvement in full-time ministry. Realizing that you can work yourself to the bone night & day or you can scratch & claw your way to a place of in-satiated material wealth but if you don’t have a nourishing reciprocal love, a forgiving and restoring love from you towards others and without an understanding love from others towards you, then it can be a fearfully isolated existence. It will always feel like something is missing from your life, there’s never anybody there to share your accomplishments, victories and success are not as sweet. When the world hurts and abandons you there is no one to share your pained sorrows, no comforting embraces when things don’t work out as they should. Life sure is harder when you do it all by yourself.

Seeing my family in New Mexico this past week was another reminder that family communities are just as important as our special someone’s. We kidded each other over how much older (and wider) we’d become and then over our conversations we could hear the voices of the children outside laughing, screaming, with sounds of many running footsteps. Something inside each of us made our smiles turn into adult giggles at the joy we felt, their zest for life and each other was contagious.

At home in Oklahoma we are having to make some hard choices (for us) about giving up some of our accumulated material wealth to reduce our personal monthly expenditures of storing our stuff that couldn’t fit in the house, and that’s a hard thing to do because in some ways it can feel like being defeated or a personal loss. But it’s okay because more importantly I still have my family and the love they embrace me with…and I have peace about it all.

I’ve restarted my Home-based art framing business, now I just need to rustle up some projects. I will also be working on more drawing skills in preparation for the Art in Worship services. Hey, say a word of prayer for me and I pray that all who would take the time to read these words would receive the peace of mind for their life through the love that heals us in Jesus Christ. Go in Peace!