The Lord … Simply Mysterious or Mysteriously Simple?

God. Some people get Him and some people don’t. Some people haven’t even spent five minutes of their free-thinking time trying to get to know Him while others have dedicated their entire lives in this pursuit.

Some people have looked to science for a way to disprove the Higher Power called God. Others who devoted much of their lives to scientific pursuits (such as Alfred Einstein) have had a sincere belief in God.

Some people were never introduced to the Lord properly. Some people were introduced in a way that caused them to turn away from the Lord and any type of religion, organized or not. Fortunately others were able to get the introduction they needed at the point in their lives that they needed that throughout the world the Lord is a well-known if not well-understood Being.

And though the Lord is well-known, oftentimes He isn’t well-understood.

Some people refer to Him as simply mysterious. I refer to Him as mysteriously simple.

Children are the most precious things in this world. Their innocence, a gift from God, if not tarnished by people is a thing of beauty. Their smiles reflect true happiness and love they’ve been blessed with by the Lord. Anything that pulls them away from this innocence whether it’s a TV show or a nearby adult with a foul mouth is truly an abomination.

Yes, I know that sounds harsh. Yes, I realize adults may bang their fingers with hammers sometimes and slip. And yes, I know TV doesn’t really have any programming that’s suitable for children. The bottom line is to keep it clean around the kids and don’t create a world that forces them to adapt to perversion.

These little sponges we call children mimic behaviors and their innocent minds can be polluted in only a moment. It is because of this that children in a healthy environment should have exposure to the Lord from the days in the womb until the days that they wander off to discover the world.

Just like learning to speak a language at an early age, building a relationship with the Lord at an early age enables that relationship to become second nature. With some people, everything they do comes with the thought of the spiritual implications of their actions or a quick conversation with God. Then it becomes natural for them to “do the right thing” spiritually.

But in case a person didn’t get a childhood introduction to God they don’t have to fear. You most certainly can teach an old dog new tricks. It’s never too late to build a relationship with the Lord and it’s surprisingly, if not mysteriously simple.

Everything about the Lord is simple. And that’s why even humans can understand a Being powerful enough to create a universe which is large enough to hold a myriad of bodies with even much more mass than this planet that we call earth.

Are you curious about the Lord’s eye-color or waist size? If those are the questions you’re wondering you’re probably headed in the wrong theological direction. Do you want to know how to get ahold of Him or start a conversation with Him? Just close your eyes and invite Him into your life…

The Lord is simple if you simplify your relationship with Him. Your purpose on earth is not to understand all things on earth or even very many of them. Your purpose on earth is to prepare yourself for the next life. Concentrate on yourself, what’s within your grasp of knowledge and what’s within your control.

By inviting God into your life and concentrating on yourself you can undergo a transformation from an innocent, yet self-serving baby to a tempted, yet selfless grown-up. Kindly enough the Lord gave us the game plan for this and presented it in a very easy-to-comprehend manner. It’s as simple as this…

Treat other people just as well as you would want to be treated. Think about their happiness while you are making decisions so you don’t negatively affect anyone else in any way with what you do.

If people learn that God has all the strength they need to accomplish all of the goals they’ve been given (not necessarily their own goals but the ones the Lord has given them) and also learn to treat other people in the highest regard, then they’ve learned all they need to in order to traverse this life successfully.

Of course even the most God-minded individuals will have slip-ups. People aren’t perfect and temptations are great. Temptations are also often found wearing the most fabulous camouflages. But the Lord is understanding and the road to redemption, like everything else about God, is simple to follow.

Once again just close your eyes and invite the Lord into your life. Admit your faults and your weaknesses and ask for the strength to overcome them. If you are willing to keep going through your lifelong battles with temptations, the Lord is willing to keep helping you back up and opening His arms in the hopes that you’ll run right into them and give Him a hug.

He won’t give you an overwhelming pull and force you to hug Him. But He’s always waiting to give you a squeeze as soon as you’ll allow Him to. He doesn’t want to let go of you either; but He won’t make you stay with Him.

Loving the Lord and being with Him is a simple but daily choice we have to make. The moment we dwell in ANYTHING perverse we are making a choice to push the Lord and any good spirits away from us. Even doing something as seemingly benign as telling a dirty joke allows bad spirits to come close to us while we push the good ones away. So by doing anything like this we are inviting temptation into our lives and making it more difficult for ourselves to live a care-free, happy life.

Everything from our first breaths to our last connects our souls’ journey on this earth. It may seem too detail oriented to say we can’t even get away with telling a dirty joke or two and still end up happy. You can get away with things and still end up happy. The Lord is always ready to receive a heart that sincerely loves Him. I had just been explaining the simple way to live happily and develop a relationship with God.

But once again it’s not always good to try to understand things you can’t; people can literally go crazy from this. And many things about God a human mind can’t even begin to comprehend. So keep it simple.

Invite God into your life. Love Him. Love other people (all of whom are His children) as much as yourself.

If you do these things then you’ve done your job and will most-certainly have assured the happiness of many others along the way.

Always and with much thought,

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

Prayers Needed, Please and Thanks

A friend left a birthday wish on my MySpace today. I just went to respond to it and realized some prayers are needed in her world. One of her young relatives got in a 4-wheeling accident and is in the hospital pretty badly beaten up.

So my thanks go to her for thinking of me. And hopefully more of my thanks can go to you guys for thinking of her and her family.

At the same time I ask for so many prayers sometimes that I’m pretty sure I’ve failed to mention someone that is so very dear to me. My father’s secretary who has known me since I was a little child is going to be going in for a second round of chemo soon.

She’s holding up quite well and is in very positive spirits, but she’s always open to prayers. And really, you’re probably lucky I’ve held this one close to the chest or I could’ve written a whole book about this wonderful lady and how special she is.

Now for everybody else needing prayers tonight that I forgot to mention in this note…

I won’t forget to mention you to God when I’m talking to Him later. =)

Big hugs. Best wishes.

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

Tidal Wave of Love – Pursuing Happiness

I’ll start today’s writing with some scripture.

“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (KJV Luke 17: 20, 21)

That short quote from Jesus can simplify the pursuit of a peaceful life in a substantial fashion.

Accomplishing things in life happens not by waiting, watching and hoping; rather by doing. This is true whether you’re trying to find God, do well in bowling, grow a quality garden, or whatever the case may be…

On one hand watching is definitely important. Oftentimes observation (with eyes and ears) is a key to learning and gaining insight to knowledge. But on the other hand, being able to watch someone bowl a perfect game is far different from being able to bowl one yourself.

Even if you’re trying to grow a garden, you can take the first step and plant the seeds but if after that all you’re planning on doing is watching then you won’t end up with a very productive garden. You have to weed gardens, trim growth, and bend branches to allow more sun penetration … and on and on.

Such is true in the pursuit of God as well.

Parents can (and should) plant the seeds of spirituality into their children. But if after that the parents just stand back and watch, chances are that not much good will come of it. Children are curious souls and often wander off of the paths that they’ve been set on. Good parents keep their ever-watching and loving eyes focused on their young ones to make sure that they don’t stray too far from the desired pathway.

An undisciplined child is like hair that has never been cut or combed or nails that have never been trimmed or a garden that has never been weeded. There is so much potential but without constant grooming and attention the child will get out of control.

Adults are not much different than children in this regard. Without spiritual maintenance our engines break down and our spirits as well as our lives can become unmanageable and unenjoyable. But getting close to God and having spiritual maintenance performed isn’t a difficult task. You don’t have to call anywhere and try to set up an appointment to fit your schedule. Wherever you are, whatever time it is, you can close your eyes and find God within yourself.

He made you. You’re a breathing piece of Him. You are forever conjoined with Him (if only you allow it). He made you. He loves you. And because of this He also made true happiness and the kingdom of God easily accessible.

If you see someone that is bubbling over with happiness and contentment you need not say, “I want what they have.” Each of us has the ability to be filled with happiness if we open ourselves up to the Lord and invite good spirits to surround us. But inviting the Lord into your daily life is only the second step (recognizing that you need to do this is the first step). If you’ve reached this point though, now it’s time for the “doing.”

You don’t have to look for heaven, it’s within you; and it’s just waiting for you to recognize that. We have to engage heaven. We have to be a part of it. Bystanders just won’t do.

We can make our own portions of this world a heaven on earth. By doing good things and affecting society in a positive way you can not only start feeling but also seeing a glimpse of heaven. Good spirits not only from the other world but also from this one will come to your side (after awhile they won’t even need to be invited because your persona will become magnetizing).

Pretty soon it will feel like a tidal wave is crashing down on you. Except this wave will crash down on you with feelings of love and leave you awash with contentment. This is one wave that you won’t mind drowning under.

Yes, the kingdom of God is within you. And it can be all around you too.

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

Paint a New You

As I’m gazing out the window at my freshly painted trellis I’m reminded once again what each of us has the possibility of doing every morning that we wake up. My work has literally painted a picture of life-changing opportunities.

A few weeks back my trellis looked worn-out and really I had been pondering whether or not it was time to tear it down. The trellis had been stained a color that matches the brick exterior of my house so as to blend in. But the stain job must have been done a long, long time ago.

Instead of just tearing the trellis down I decided I’d put some primer on it. And the change in appearance was remarkable. The trellis had been transformed from a worn-out looking relic from antiquity to a bright, white quality addition to my yard. Before I even did any caulking or put on the final coat of eye-magnetizing semi-gloss the potential of the trellis became obvious.

And while I was out putting on the primer one day a neighbor lady stopped by. She walks around the area pretty much every evening and has been doing it for years. Even when I’m not outside to see her I know she’s walking by because I hear her calling out my dog Charlotte’s name. Charlotte never disappoints and always rushes to meet her friend…

But on that evening I was outside working so she stopped to say hello to me (before she called out for Charlotte). And she told me I made a wonderful choice by putting in the new trellis. She told me it made my backyard look great. I chuckled and teased her saying the trellis had been there as long as I’ve owned the house.

Yet at the same time the deeper point of the whole conversation became clear. There’s always time to make a fresh change. Weathered, old, or used things often can become beautiful and vibrant again; all it takes is a little work.

And I’m not just talking about old patio furniture or a kitchen that could use some updating; I’m talking about people and ideas and mindsets. People doing things or thinking about things the same old way forever and ever can get stuck in a rut without even really noticing. But if you notice that’s happening or happened to you there is a way out of the rut.

People can look at themselves like a decorator would look at a house. Forget about the house as it is but look at the possibilities of what could be. What do you want to see in your house?

Maybe you have an old, worn-out temper and would like to replace it with an updated peaceful and kind personality. I know that type of change is always easy and nice for neighbors to see. Perhaps your house has a chimney and it’s filling up the neighborhood with smoke, yet now you’re ready for a smokeless house. It’s never too late to put the Marlboro’s down.

Really, the possibilities of change are endless. And the biggest restriction people have to change is their own stubborn brains. Don’t worry, I don’t consider myself above the fray, often my brain can be stubborn too.

But I like the shiny, new look of my trellis. And now I’m going examine myself and see what changes I can make so I’ll appear and feel refreshingly new as well.

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

Freedom Disappears with Nationalized Health-Care

When governments get into the business of health-care, whether preventative or otherwise … watch out!! Your freedoms will disappear faster than the government will try to shrink your waistline.

Now I’m not against a trim waistline. I usually exercise four to five times per week. I run a few miles then lift some weights or do pushups or whatever I’m in the mood for. And I strongly agree that quality eating and exercise habits correlate to lower health-care costs. I just don’t think it’s any business of the government what kinds of foods I eat or what kinds of exercises I need to do. And as part of America is striving for nationalized health-care I think it’s time for America as a whole to look around the world to educate itself on what this could mean.

In Brazil the government has put its hands into the medical field. And in Brazil there is a law trying to be passed that would ban McDonalds from including toys with their Happy Meals. They think by marketing children’s meals with children’s toys that the children in the country won’t be able to help but to develop bad eating habits.

Instead, perhaps they should just pass a law against parents who take their children to McDonalds more than five days per week. And then they can set up a new branch of government to regulate how often people go to McDonalds; because with enough government and enough regulation maybe the ignorant populaces of the world will learn how to take care of themselves.

Or maybe we should just be aloud to live without anyone else telling us how.

In America the FDA is jumping into the tobacco industry. They assume with more regulation there will be lower future health-care costs. I assume if they stayed out of the health-care business this wouldn’t be their problem. Is there anyone in America that really needs the government to tell them that smoking isn’t a healthy activity for them?

President Obama has admitted to being a smoker for years. But at the same time he thinks he deserves the capacity to regulate your nicotine intake. Does that make sense to anybody?

And if we have to regulate one-hundred percent of society because less than one-half of a percent cannot comprehend simple health issues then our society’s freedoms will all but disappear.

I can imagine that before long you won’t be able to get buttered popcorn when you go to the movie theater. Or if you get Milk-Duds to eat or a soda to drink then a government agent will be there to make sure that you do sit-ups or jumping-jacks or else you’ll get a ticket and a fine.

With freedom comes responsibility. Eat however you want. Exercise as little as you want.

Then pay the price or receive the dividends for your own choices.

And let the government concentrate on what it’s best at … nothing.

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

For the Soldiers

Memorial Day has come and gone. Recognitions were paid to the men and women in arms both past and present.

But as with the spirit of Christmas and as with just plain and simple being nice, these are all things that should be done consistently throughout each year.

There are more than a few mothers of soldiers that read my notes. There are many other wives of soldiers, soldiers (both male and female) and people related to one.

These young men and women are out protecting us and standing up for the little guy, not only on Memorial Day but on each and every day of the year. And it’s for these brave souls and their families that my thoughts are going out.

Please join me in a moment of prayer for their safe time in duty and for a more peaceful world that will one day wake up to change its irrational and violent behavior.

After you’ve given your moment in thought there’s a side-note.

For those of you who don’t know what “kw” means at the end of my notes…

Those are my first two initials. But sadly it shows that you haven’t purchased one of my books yet because that’s how my name appears on the cover! =)

I still love you though, it’s okay.

Be good. Stay thoughtful.

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

WWJD … was it a Sign??

Today I was out painting. My back porch has a large overhang to give shading for whoever wants to sit out there (typically my puppies). Except before today if you sat out there you wouldn’t have had a very pretty view. The ceiling paint had been cracking and peeling away and today was the day to change things.

Flip back maybe two weeks…

I had been searching through a box in my bedroom looking for something. This box had been packed with literally “stuff” when I had moved back from Montana to Michigan a couple years ago. I didn’t find what I was looking for but I did find an old WWJD bracelet that was still in pristine condition. So I decided to put it on.

So today I was out painting (and really I’ve been doing quite a bit of it since the weather has turned nice). But today was the first time I’ve noticed a phenomenon that’s been occurring. No matter how much paint I get on my fingers, hands or maybe even my arms (I never said I was a clean painter) but regardless of the amount that drips on me, my WWJD bracelet has remained spotless.

Is that a sign? Now I might have spoken too soon and tomorrow the bracelet might fall in a bucket of paint. But that would just have me thinking about this all over again.

So was it a sign?

Well, I thoroughly believe that if you look at the happenings in your life in the correct way then you’ll see all kinds of signs that you’d never paid attention to. For me, today, it just reinforced that God’s always looking out for me (no matter how messy I am). And no matter what else He’s always there.

I feel this way every day because I want to. Because I ask Him to be there and He doesn’t let me down. And because I look for His signs and keep my eyes open I can see Him in every part of my days. From the berries growing in my backyard to the puppies that go running with me to the friends I have from so many walks of life; I can see that God made them all because nobody else could have done nearly as perfect of a job!

Now it’s time for dinner so excuse me as I run.

=)

kenneth w.

I’d Rather be Broke than a Liar

Because I’ve been dealing with a certain type of person over the last week it’s gotten me a little unhinged. I haven’t really lost my cool, but I’ve sure wanted to. And the person I’ve been dealing with most certainly would’ve been deserving of it.

And I’ll be honest, though I’m an American with a last name of McCardell, in Ireland the family name is McArdle. And I believe somewhere hiding inside of me is a little thing that’s been called the Irish temper.

Yet I’m a grown up and I’m pretty good about keeping myself in line. There are civilized ways of doing things; and then there are other ways. The way I like to do things is to make other people happy that I’ve been in their life, no matter for how long or in what instance. Whether I’ve made a deal with you or you’re my neighbor, I expect that you’ll remember me well and never have a bad thing to say about me.

All I want out of myself by the time I leave this world is to be a good and honest man. If I can be that I’m sure everything else I’d like will fall into place.

Now my business is producing BibleRhymes books and games. But even though that’s my business you’ll rarely hear me call myself a Christian or use Christian greetings.

I don’t term myself a Christian typically because really I don’t want to give Jesus a bad name by associating him with me. I’m nowhere near Christ-like so I don’t really know if it’s fitting for me to claim to be Christian. It’s not that I’m being too hard on myself, rather I’m just being real. Jesus’ teachings are the foundation for my faith. I offer myself to God every day (as often as I think to) but I’m still just Ken, with flaws included.

Am I a Christian? If you’d like to label me that because you see that’s how I behave then that’d be just fine with me. But will I call myself a Christian? I’d rather let my actions speak for themselves.

And that same reasoning applies to Christian greetings or salutations.

Now in a political way I’ll go back to my personal situation but do it in a way not to point out a person but to point out a behavior.

I received lots of notes from a gentleman and each one was ended with “Your servant in Christ.” And because of that salutation I mistakenly believed he was one of the people who actually are good, Christ-like, honest souls. I put my trust into him. And now I’m regretting it.

He used Christian words, but seemingly only as a cover. Now he’s been dishonest and that’s what made my Irish temper attempt to come out of hiding. But this is where actions speak louder than words. If I’m truly a Christian, BibleRhyming guy then even when confronted with an enraging situation I should be able to deal with it in a sensible, civilized manner. If I’m going to go around to schools and churches and tell kids to love God and treat other people like treasures, then I better do that myself.

This doesn’t mean as a Christian I should allow myself to be taken advantage of or walked on. But it does mean if someone tries to take advantage there are still reasonable solutions to be found. And I’ll never have to lower myself down to someone else’s level to end up satisfied.

I’ll never have to lower myself down to someone else’s level to keep my business running smoothly. I never would lower myself down.

I’d rather be broke than a liar.

And that brings me to two last things that directly relate to this blog.

One is a new poem, “Lessons from Grandma … Your Word is Your Bond”

And two is a scripture, Proverbs 19: 22.

I hope I got your brains spinning and your nights will be peaceful.

All my heart,

kw

“Ball don’t lie” and “You reap what you sow”

“Ball Don’t Lie!”

Some people may not understand that phrase. Others may think it’s just some foolish basketball jargon. And opposing fans around the NBA may think it’s the only sentence that Rasheed Wallace knows how to put together.

But ‘Sheed’s favorite three words are more than just a simple taunt used on the hardwood court; they’re really a philosophy of life. The ball doesn’t lie.

For those who are unfamiliar with this phrase I’ll explain. In basketball if players get too physical with each other while jostling for position or trying to block a shot then fouls can get called. And if a player gets fouled he often gets the chance to shoot “free-throws” which are a pretty easy way to score points.

Now, on the court, Rasheed rarely likes to admit that he’s done something wrong. So when he gets called for a foul and somebody is shooting free-throws then one thing is guaranteed. If the player misses one of their easy free-throws Rasheed is sure to proudly yell out, “Ball don’t lie!”

In his mind since the other player didn’t get the easy points then that proves Rasheed hadn’t done anything wrong. It also shows that the other player hadn’t earned any points or reward. Things went the way they were supposed to no matter what the official on the basketball court or anyone else said.

And that’s the same in life. If you keep moving ahead every day you’re sure to have some long climbs up hills and you’re sure to have to travel through some very low places. But in the end you’ll reap the rewards for your efforts.

“You reap what you sow.”

“Ball don’t lie.”

Those two phrases go hand in hand.

Now let’s be clear, when a person “sows” they are planting seeds. And when a person “reaps” they are collecting what they’ve planted and grown. But if a person doesn’t plant quality seeds then they shouldn’t expect to grow anything that can sustain or nourish them. If they don’t put anything good into the ground they won’t get anything good out of it.

There are so many ways to say the same thing but still many people don’t get it. I grew up with the phrase, “You are what you eat.” That phrase was said simply enough to sink right into my head and provide very clear pictures while doing it. I knew if all I ate was gum that gum is all my body would have to feed on, which would mean that pretty soon my body wouldn’t be doing so well. And as a child I wondered if this meant that someone would be able to pop me like a big, Bubblicious bubble.

Now as easily as the “You are what you eat” phrase made a concept clear to me it didn’t work for everyone. And with fast-food restaurants polluting the landscape of our country there are still some people who wonder why health-care costs are sky-rocketing. Unhealthy lifestyles and costly doctor trips are correlative. But until people figure this out insurance costs will never have any reduction of substance.

Then there are people that spend quite a bit of their time at their local watering-hole or possibly a nearby casino. Or maybe they prefer to sit at home and watch TV. Whichever the case may be, if too much time is spent like that then they shouldn’t be surprised when life hasn’t taken them to the fabulous places they’ve seen on TV.

You reap what you sow. And time on the couch doesn’t produce much to reap.

But that’s just what I think. What about you?

kenneth w.

www.BibleRhymes.com

Free Jigsaw Puzzles

I’m writing this note a little too quickly because I’m pretty excited.

I’ve got the first jigsaw puzzle ready for people to play HERE.

http://www.biblerhymes.com/bible_rhymes_news/

I’ll put up a couple more free jigsaws to go with our other free games and then soon every picture from every BibleRhymes book will be available as a jigsaw in four different levels of difficulties.

I don’t have the games page linked with jigsaws quite yet though so just click the top link on the news page and you can play.

But that’s enough for this note, it’s time for me to make more games!

Let me know what you think of the games k?

Keep smiling,

kenneth w.