Walks with Barry - Profoundly Simple: A Walk Reframed

  I have written about this picnic table before. I love the variety of shapes and sizes of the containers in which the owner has potted plants of different types. And, of course, the dinosaur is a great touch. As I walked by this last time, I almost missed it. A small Jack-O- Lantern has joined the lineup. I personally think it balances out the T-Rex quite nicely. But once I saw it, I could not help but notice how a small addition made a big difference. So it is with our lives. It isn’t always the big things that change us. Of course, the big things are, well, big. Job changes, relocations, births, deaths, health issues - all these certainly change our experience of each day. But small things can be big as well. A new and healthier routine. Reconnecting with friends from our younger years. Taking up a discipline such as exercise or prayer. Changing an attitude. Volunteering an hour for the good of others. These seemingly small things can end up making a big difference in our life...

  This poor skeleton creature must have been suffering from the above average temperatures of this Texas October. It had gone to considerable effort to climb up this fountain in order to get a drink of water to quench its thirst. Apparently it is even too hot for skeletons this Halloween. We all know what it is to thirst for something. Water on a hot day. Success. Companionship. Love. A new beginning. Perhaps at the bottom of all our thirsting is the desire to know and to be at peace with God. The Psalmist put it this way: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my...

  Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched? Do you sometimes feel that you are not alone, even though no one else is around? I certainly did on the morning I first turned this corner during holiday season. I walked past, then turned back. I knew something was odd, different. It took me a few moments before I noticed that the trees had eyes. When I did, I was taken aback. This was a very subtle, yet effective, display. When I was a boy growing up in the church, I remember times when our lessons concerned the idea that God was watching us. The imagery was profound; God knows the number of hairs on our heads, not even a sparrow falls without God noting its demise, what is done in secret is known to God. I have to admit, there were times in my life when that idea was not so comforting! God watching seemed to me to be one of those things that could be both really good and really bad. As I have grown older, the thought has definitely moved more to the “good thing” side of th...

  With everything else going on in this yard, and in the yard on either side of this one, I almost missed it. I was caught up in the displays closer to the sidewalk that has been such a part of my life for a year and a half. Fortunately, today something caught my eye and drew my attention to the house itself. There in the brick planter lay a most surprising image. Skeleton arms reaching up from the earth? Not so unusual at Halloween. But skeleton arms reaching up from the earth to flash a double thumbs up? That, my friend, is special. It made me laugh out loud. Could there be any stronger sign of optimism and positive outlook than this? Some people just have that gift of attitude. They always seem to find something to be grateful for, something to look forward to in the future. Such as these are a blessing to all. Jesus offers a way to such a life when he said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. Fo...

  As I enjoy the holiday decorations of my neighborhood, I have noted that while some yards have ghosts and some have skeletons, a few, like this one, go with the complete graveyard theme. This scene has elaborate and detailed tombstones laid out in rows. There is a random skull exposed, then an entire skeleton. But my favorite aspect is the skeleton hound that roams the quiet cemetery lawn. Even as a skeleton, it somehow manages to look cute and friendly. The presence of the dog takes the edge off what should be a gruesome sight. When we face tough times, we are among the blessed if we have someone that walks through them with us. A family member or a friend can have great power in such times. They can’t change the circumstances or erase our struggle, but some how they still manage to take the edge off. Perhaps it is their laughter. Perhaps their quiet strength. It may be their wisdom or the grace they show that seeps into our lives even in our weakest and least gracious moments. ...

  As I made my way through the Halloween wonderland that is my neighborhood, I came across an old camper van. It was in the “Good Times” style and fashion and looked like it had surely seen some “good times”. It made me smile. Everyone my age spent at least a few of their teenage years dreaming of such a van and an unplanned and open-ended road trip. As I drew near to take in the memory, I noticed something in the rear window. It was a face, and I was taken aback to think that I was looking at the van while someone in the van was looking at me. But then I recognized the face. It was The King, Elvis himself. Now that was a perfect addition to my Halloween; seeing Elvis was awesome. For the rest of my walk my mind ran a long forgotten play list of hits. People long gone from our lives in the physical sense can still illicit strong responses through their memories. Our responses can come from either a joyful or painful place. Parents. Teachers. Friends. An image, whether physical or m...

  I had to stop and spend a little time with this Halloween scene. The Jack-O- Lantern and skeleton dog certainly gets one’s attention. Nestled between the two lawn chairs with a table between, this bizarre pair seems oddly at home. It feels as if they belong right where they are. That is a good feeling, is it not, to feel that we belong right where we are? Whether as a young person feeling we have a true and loyal friend or two or an adult knowing we have found the right vocation, we all wish to feel that we belong right where we are. When I was a boy, our church sang a song about belonging. I still remember the first words: Jesus, my Lord will love me forever, From Him no pow'r of evil can sever, He gave His life to ransom my soul; Now I belong to Him; Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me, Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity. There is a place we always belong, each and every one of us. We all belong in the arms of grace and love. And, because of that, we end u...