Here and Now

There's a box of donuts in the room down the hall. Unless you're me, that's not an ominous sentence, I realize. But I'm me (wow - that's almost as profound as Descartes, isn't it? heh) and it's a terribly threatening sentence. You see, I love donuts - not in some wierd and emotionally unhealthy way - but in the normal and physically unhealthy way. They taste good. Mmmmmm.... There's a box of donuts in the room down the hall. And I'm the only one in the building today... Okay - it's so very profound, I realize - but it's me. The first sentence should read, "There's a box with a few donuts left in it down the hall..." or, as I'm thinking about it now, "There's a box with a couple of donuts left in it down the hall..." Yep, only two left. Never mind how many WERE there this morning, there won't be any left by the time I leave here around 3:00 today... So, why are they down the hall if I'm the only one in ...

Why are bad habits so easy to fall into and good habits so easy to fall out of? Man, I was getting pretty good at blogging for a while, then it all went kaplooie (heh, is that really a word?). My computer went down, so that kinda nailed the coffin shut - but I was falling behind even before then... I was reading a book by Mike Slaughter called Momentum for Life and he talked about how it really only takes one time of slouching (on, say devotional prayer or some other good discipline) to fall right out of the habit - and back into the bad habits... I find myself falling into a bunch of bad habits - I feel like I have to work so hard at everything - nothing comes easy for me. I work on procrastinating and I fail at keeping my temper with my children, I work on prayer and I stop reading the Bible. What is wrong with me? We were really good at practicing every week for the praise band, and I fell out the habit - now we're supposed to have practice tonight and I don't want to go...

My whole family has been sick for...well, it SEEMS like forever, but I guess it's only been about three weeks...only...heh... But that's what happens in families that spend a lot of time together. One gets sick, then sneezes on another who coughs on another and daddy finishes his sick daughters hamburger (or whatever) and on and on it goes. We've all been through anibiotics (though I'm not sure why since I'm pretty sure we've been passing a virus back and forth...but, as I keep telling my wife, my M D is a Masters of Divinity - doesn't really help with the whole medical thing...). In addition - my computer got infected...ARGH!!! I hate this aspect of the world wide web - it's dangerous out there... Of course I did something stupid. I couldn't find the registration code for a piece of software I had to reinstall so I thought I'll just go get it somewhere... LAST time I had computer problems it's because I did the same thing... In the e...

My friend Michael commented on my last post and it got me to thinking about putting energy where it needs to be put. You can check out his comment, since I'm not really quoting it or anything - just made me think. Every January we have a Wesleyan Covenant service here at Warren First UMC. We pray, among other things, that God will use us as He will - put me to work, lay me aside, put me to something I am suited for, or something disgraceful... Use me. I believe that - and when I'm walking closely in God's will, whatever He calls me to do I am more than happy to do (not always more than comfortable, but that's for another post). But when I am walking in Bill's Will...heh, I oughtta trademark that...well, it seems sometimes that I'm just spinning my wheels. Sometimes I can expend a great deal of energy and get nothing at all accomplished - and sometimes (like when we did the prayer stations service at Breakthrough worship) I can just kinda coast through thing...

Well, another two weeks goes by without a posting. Things get so hectic. I can barely keep up with life. The girls were sick - then I was sick. And the senior pastor was on a mission trip so I was minding the store... We always have excuses for why we don't spend time on things that are important. I don't pray as much as I should or I don't play with my kids as often as I should because... I'm too busy, people keep interrupting, I have too many appointments. The thing is, I seem to have enough time for the things that I WANT to do. I like model trains (yeah, I know what class of geek that makes me) and I don't seem to say, "wow, I wish I had more time to read those model train magazines..." And I seem to be able to fit my favorite TV shows into my "oh so busy" schedule...not to mention a bunch of TV shows I don't even like... Yeah, no big revelation in that, I know. Just confession. Just had to get that off my chest - even if it is o...