Dad Rode Donkeys to Heaven

My wife in a manger with a donkey.

           I was scheduled to speak to a group of people on a Sunday morning. The venue was a church that was located in an old bar. The Pastor called me the week before to confirm my attendance. On the phone I told him: "Yes Pastor Jimmy I'll be there and I'm going to talk about the Keys to the Kingdom!" As the week progressed, those keys went through a metamorphosis.

          Studying is something I love to do at a very deep level. As I sat at my computer and typed in the words: "keys," I presumed that I would find Bible passages about keys to the kingdom of God. I expected to find the ones I was familiar with, verses like:

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

or

"I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." Revelation 1:18

          Those were the verses that I thought I would find and begin my study. God (as usual) flipped my common sense approach to studying upside down. My computer search didn't only reveal the word keys but it also revealed the word: "donkeys." I stared at the computer with wild eyes and an escalating heart beat. What the heck were donkeys doing in a search for the "Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven?"

          My thinking shifted to what I knew about donkeys in the Bible. Jesus rode into town on a donkey in a display of humility. A donkey talked to a guy named Balaam about his stubbornness. A donkey was a means of transportation as Joseph led his pregnant wife to manger so she could give birth amongst animals. I know God could piece together a story about the keys to heaven through those stories. Is that what He wanted?

          The word donkeys separated as if it was giving birth to something new. Two words appeared in my mind as my eyes focused on the screen. The words were "Don Keys." I shook my head as I often do when meeting the zaniness of God head on. My Dad's name was Don. He was a church going guy who believed in God. He was not known for speaking his beliefs out loud. He avoided politics and religion. I knew my Dad was a good guy, I know he is in heaven, but was there a sermon here that would give people the keys to heaven? What would be the "Don Keys to Heaven?"

Jerry and Karen used the keys to their barn to serve others.

          My Dad was known for being a good listener and mentor to many of my cousins. They would stop by the house and bring their problems and seek his wisdom. I never knew what it was they came for because I was too young to understand that sometimes the best thing you can do for somebody is "just listen." Dad would sit and invite them in and share a cup of cold water with them. Yes, it's true that sometimes the cup of cold water came from Hemlock Lake by way of a brewery, but Dad shared his heart and his time. He gave a drink from the well of his heart to thirsty young men. 

          In my life I've learned that change seems to be a key that unlocks doors of new opportunity and personal growth. Dad did a lot of changing. He would change his method of coaching when I was in the Lake View Little League. There was one boy on the team who you would describe as mentally disabled. Tim could not hit a baseball. Tim could not catch a baseball. Tim could not throw a baseball. Tim could not run. Every time Tim came up to bat, you knew there would be an out. Me and my friends who thought we were superstars complained to the coach (my Dad.) We wanted to win and Tim could not help us win, we did not want him to play.

          Dad believed that all children should have a chance to play. One day in the middle of a game, Dad went to talk to the coach of the other team. He told the coach to have his pitcher throw the ball at Tim. In baseball, if you are hit by the pitch you get to go to first base. My Dad told the other coach that he would have Tim try and steal second base and then they could throw him out. It happened exactly that way. The pitcher hit Tim, he took his base and they threw him out. I suppose most folks who read this might be thinking: "What's the point?" That day Tim got to go home and tell everybody: "I got in the game! I got in the game!" It was the first time ever that Tim got in the game. It was like my Dad had given him a key to heaven.

          There were many changes in my Dad's life. When he worked at Bethlehem Steel and the Union went on strike, he changed his steel-worker clothes for the clothes of a garbageman. He went and worked on a garbage truck to support his family. Mom used to meet him at the back door where he'd take off his smelly clothes and she'd take them into the basement to wash them and he would proceed to the shower. He changed his love for my Mom too, it morphed into a more excellent love the longer they were together. You've heard about 2 peas in a pod, Mom and Dad were pod people!

          I can now picture my Dad riding on a donkey to heaven being led by Jesus. My Dad served by giving himself away to help others. He was willing to change his way of doing things to help others. Putting others first is a key to heaven. There are many things my Dad did to help others have a better life. Many folks spend their time talking about God. My Dad didn't just talk, my Dad was a doer. My Dad gave me my first keys to heaven. I call them the "Don Keys to Heaven."

The Reger Barn was changed into a Manger Mass at Christmas.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.



 

My Wife

Love can be spoon fed!

 

MY WIFE

My wife's cooking makes me gain weight
but it's not measured in pounds.

Her cooking is an act of love that fills my heart.

We eat heart healthy.

Her love is salt that flavors my life.

She cooks with mustard seeds that fill my heart.

Her cooking reveals that I'm a treasure in her heart.

The food she cooks goes into my stomach.
The love she cooks with goes into my heart.

I'm blessed by a woman who eats the Bread of Life
and then regurgitates it to me.

I love you my dearest wife.

“Let me tell you why you are here.
You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out
the God-flavors of this earth.
If you lose your saltiness,
how will people taste godliness?
You’ve lost your usefulness and
will end up in the garbage."
Matthew 5:13 The Message

Hey, Can You Spare A Crumb?

I was hungry and you scraped your leftovers into the garbage disposal.
I was thirsty and you let your faucet drip.
I was homeless and you closed off a room to save on heat.
I was shivering and you still have tags on the clothes in your closet.
I was sick and you blamed it on my bad habits
I was in prison and you forgot about me.

This isn't meant to make anyone feel guilty.
This is meant to make you think about the riches you actually do have
in comparison to those who are truly impoverished.
Give a crumb, share a morsel, spare a drop, part with a thread, show compassion or think about being behind bars.
Better yet, create a job, teach a skill, mentor somebody, instead of blaming demonstrate perseverance by not giving up even if they are locked up. Most folks are as redeemable as they make up their minds to be.
Kindness and compassion are seeds that grow flesh in hardened hearts.

Matthew 25:37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."
The Message
Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

Talking to a Snow Shovel

God can meet you on a mountain or a sidewalk.

"Daddy, why are you talking to the snow shovel?"
 Asked the Heart Farmers Daughter. The big man in coveralls pursed his lips and emptied his chest. His breath became like a rising shroud in the frozen air. The big burly dude looked down at his daughter and laughed. "I wasn't talking to the snow shovel my darling Beauty, I was talking to God. I was complaining about shoveling all of this snow."

The Heart Farmer welcomed the break in shoveling and continued to share with his daughter. "Clearing our neighbors sidewalk seems like such a small thing to do. I was complaining to God about this small thing of helping our neighbor. I told God that we should be doing big things that would help lots of people." The Heart Farmer paused. His daughter took the pause as her opportunity to ask another question. "Daddy, did God answer your question?"

Her dad was leaning on his snow shovel watching his daughter's breath rise into the skies. He smiled again and said: "Yes my beautiful snowflake, God did answer. He told me that when I was busy doing big things that I didn't listen very well. He said I didn't find time to talk to Him when I was doing the big things. He said he sent the snow to slow me down. He said that He has to be able to trust me with one neighbor before He can let me serve lots of neighbors. He said I have to be faithful in little things before He will give me big things. He also told me that my children are watching me help my neighbor. Someday, He said, they will be doing the same things you are doing, in fact they will be doing greater things. Your children will be like you as a father because you became like me as your Father."

A tear formed in the big man's eye. He stuffed his shovel into a snow bank and swept his daughter up into his arms. "I love you my darling Beauty!" He said. The little girl giggled as she curled her arms around his neck. She drew her head back and then kissed the tear on her daddy's cheek. "I love you daddy! I love you to where all the snowflakes are made and back!"

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW.

Was My Dream Meant for Somebody Else?

Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: “Hurry!” The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, “Get dressed. Put on your shoes.” Peter did it. Then, “Grab your coat and let’s get out of here.” Peter followed him, but didn’t believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming. Acts 12:7-9 The Message

       
           I had a dream last night that I think was meant for somebody else.
 (Or maybe I'm in denial.)
Maybe someone will have an understanding about the dream that can become wisdom as they pass their understanding back to me. My wife does that a lot and I am grateful for her. For now, it seems to me that somebody else (or maybe it's me) needs to hear about the dream -

NOW!

          The dream was about someone taking my running shoes away. My shoes were missing and I went searching for them I asked an unknown person if they had seen my running shoes and they gave me a very worn pair. The rubber had already started to breakdown, they had seen at least 500 miles of running. After examining the shoes and knowing they were not mine, I resumed my search for the missing shoes.

          I found myself leaning down at almost ground level and looking into a wood structure. It looked like a log lean-to that you would find in a wilderness area. On the floor of the lean-to I saw a row of many running shoes. I spotted a pair that were multicolored and I thought they were mine. A few months ago my wife had bought me a new pair and they did have some bright colors on them. The pair I picked up resembled the multicolored headdress that would be common in Africa.

    That's the end of the dream as I remember it. Laying in bed this morning, I thought about possible meanings of the dream. I pondered possible questions whose answers might provide some revelation.

•  Is someone trying to steal my "Walk in Christ?"

• Was I no longer running with perseverance?

• Did I misplace my new shoes (new wineskins) and begin running in old shoes (old wineskins?)

• Are the colors of Africa on the running shoes asking: "Whom shall I send?"

• All of the shoes were in a lean-to in the woods, is it time to take more inner city youngsters into the wilderness and guide them over the mountains of life?

• Am I running in the shoes that God intended for me?

• Is it time to run again in a different race?

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

WHY I CLIMB MOUNTAINS

Once upon a minute.....
 
           he stood with me on the mountain of my pride, and he said to me: "You've made it this far, do you see all these other mountains?
I will give you these if you just worship yourself."

           Behind me, the sun was rising. My eyes focused on the blood red hue encompassing the mountains around me. I remembered the trail that brought me to my own personal peak of pride. Tears fell like rain and washed away the dirt of haughtiness staining the edges of my heart. Loneliness had become my companion during my quest to climb the mountains of more. "It's never enough!" Became my personal motto. "Achievement at any cost!" Was my personal mission statement. Slowly the thought of climbing endless mountains of my own pride became a heavy backpack hanging on my shoulders. My body and spirit were sagging from the weight.

           As the sun rose and warmed my bones, my countenance brightened. The sun was rising over the trail that had led me to the top of the mountain. It's powerful rays were washing over the trail in front of me. I heard a still small voice in my heart whisper:

"Do you see all those mountains of pride? I want you to climb them. 

There are many other people standing on those mountains who are lonely. 
I will be your companion as you share our hearts with them. 
Share with them the wisdom of the Son rise 
that redeems the past and brightens the future. 
Share with them the knowledge of the Mountain of God.
 It's a peak of understanding where you will never be alone. 
It's a range of forgiveness as far as the eye can see. 
 It's a grace covered precipice that redeems even the coldest soul. 

Go and make more mountain climbers!"

          My shoulders lifted as the weight of my pride melted away. I was filled with gratitude at the thought of a new day. I was loved unconditionally, I wanted others to know that kind of love. So now I climb the Mountains of God.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

WE ARE

We the people,
We are the Psalms.

We are the rising crescendo of a new day's sun.
We are the crashing wave on the ocean's shore.

We are God's hymnal.

We are the gentle summer breeze
We are the blustery winter blizzard.

We are God's song.

We are the tree branches stretching up and above.
We are the waterfalls cascading down below.

We are the Creators music.

We are the shifting grain of sand.
We are the brightly falling star.

We are His melody of motion.

We are the ice in winter.
We are the bud in spring.

We are His chorus of life.

We are the broken ground of barrenness..
We are the sprouting seed in a field of crops.

We are His canticle of grace.

We are the chaff He turned into a harvest.
We are the irritant He turned into a pearl.

We are God's ballad of redemption.

We are the setting sun.
He is our new day.

1 Chronicles 16:23
"Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation
from day to day."