QUESTION OF THE DAY #10: What tool couldn't you do without?

The other day, my box of cereal broke open. I was trying to open it nicely and neatly. No luck! You know, I hadn't even eaten my Wheaties yet. Still, I wanted to fix it, but no Duct Tape could be found. Duct Tape is a good candidate for a tool I couldn't do without. It can be used for so many things! Someone made my daughter a wallet out of Duct Tape. I even hear that there's a contest for prom dresses and tuxedos made of said tape.

I honestly don't know how to answer this question, though. Tools have been around since the beginning of time. Already in Genesis we see that "Tubal-Cain" was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.

So many tools are at our disposal today. The computer that I'm typing on is a tool, so is the lamp on my desk. Yet, of all the things at at our disposal, there are two that top the list for me, namely the human mind and heart. Used wisely and according to God's plan, minds and hearts can dream and care and think and plan and so much more. They are unique to their owner, too. Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

These are just a few of my own thoughts, and there are so many wonderful answers to this question. What tool couldn't you do without?

QUESTION OF THE DAY#9: "What's your favorite season of the year?"

As Fall waits to unfold here in Wisconsin, I'm eager to begin my favorite season! Fall is the time of harvest. It is the time of the changing of the leaves to all their brilliant colors. It is a time where it is really refreshing and enjoyable to be out in nature. There's just something about Fall that I can't even put into words. Plus, it is a time where you don't have to mow the lawn as much or shovel snow! What is your favorite season?

So often we think that what we're going through is unchangeable, written in stone. We think that we're stuck and that there is no way to get past that obstacle that is frustrating at the moment. In spite of that, life is about seasons. It changes. It unfolds. You plant. You change. You grow. You produce a harvest, and then you start over. It's like that passage from Ecclesiastes that was made famous when it was turned into a song:

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." --Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

QUESTION OF THE DAY #8: What is one thing you're glad you learned recently?

Our daughter was home from university, and we celebrated her birthday yesterday.  After the table was cleared, it was time for... dun dun dun... homework!  My son needed help with some algebra.  So, my daughter helped him.  I got a sneak peek of what kind of teacher she will be!  I was so proud of both of them.  I learned once again how amazing they are and was reminded of our Heavenly Father's love for us, too. 

Teaching and learning are basic to human existence.  I mean, really, really basic.  When we're born, we have to be taught pretty much everything.  In fact, no matter how old we get, our brains need the exercise of learning new things.

How about you?  Did you learn something about yourself?  Did you learn something about another person? Did you pick up a skill?  Did you discover a new insight along the way?  Did you learn something from success?  Did you learn something from failure?  Did you read a book?  Did someone mentor and guide you?  What is one thing you're glad you learned recently? 

QUESTION OF THE DAY #7: What is your favorite color?

Now that's a simple question, right?  Still it was hard for me to write about.  I spent forever looking for a picture of a rainbow.  Then I looked for a picture that prominently featured my favorite color, red.  No luck there, either.  Finally, letting my mind wander, I took a picture of the least colorful thing I could think of, a plain, boring, vanilla candle, sitting atop my computer.

After several attempts at that, I was amazed at what I saw.  In spite of a bit of shakiness on my part, the complexity of color and light in the photo caused me to take a deep breath! Blacks, browns, oranges, reds, yellows, whites, and it was all so unexpected.

No color correction, no editing, not even that great of a picture, and yet, the miracle of color and light shines through!  Isn't it something that the symbol of hope God gave us after the great flood was the rainbow, with all its colors?  Look at all the colors in the tabernacle of the Old Testament, carefully detailed by God!  Look at the incredible colors of heaven, described in Revelation, with their brilliant symbolism!  Take the time today and let yourself be amazed at the colors all around you. They're all so amazing!  You know what?  I'm not so sure I can limit myself to just one favorite color any more!

QUESTION OF THE DAY #6: What does it take to make teamwork work?

Gossip, blame, jealousy, and pettiness are all the enemies of teamwork.  For teamwork to work there must be a clearly established goal.  There must be communication and many other interpersonal skills.  There must be a high level of dedication.  However, the basic, unavoidable truth is that for teamwork to work, you need other people!   Therefore it's a very good idea to respect and value others.  Well, that's an understatement, I know. 

I recently was privileged to watch my son play a football game.  It reminded me of my own high school gym teacher showing us a film about football that talked about execution.  This means doing what you have to do.   When you do your job, you've simply done your job, and you can take satisfaction in that.  However, in the end it really is all about the team!   Win or lose, you can't do it all on your own.

One great thing about teammates is that they watch out for each other.  There is a special bond that comes from working together. This bond is there because teams are so important.  Without teams, we would only be isolated individuals, and could never accomplish alone what we can do together.

In Luke 17, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith.  Jesus answers and says.  "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Jesus was speaking to them as a team!  "You," in the original language of the New Testament, is plural!  You can only believe for yourself, but faith also puts us in a powerful position of teamwork.  Together, we can move the trees and even mountains of this life!

QUESTION OF THE DAY #5: What is something that really needs to be invented?

My wife swears she first came up for the idea of battery powered lights that you stick on the wall.  What are those called now, anyway?   I think that it would be awesome to have toothpaste that doesn't leave a mark on your clothes if it decides to drip off your toothbrush.

I enjoy experimenting with making my own pedals for electric guitar, switching out electrical component after component until I get the sound I want.  I guess that counts as inventing!  Certainly we need inventions that can help provide renewable energy and improve the way food is grown and distributed.  We need medical advances that truly help people, too.

Yet even the most ingenious invention is just that, an invention, switching things around, using something that's already there to make something else.  Now think for a moment about the word, creation.   Creation is making something out of nothing!  I have so many questions about how God created the universe.  This is beyond the realm of the whole creation versus evolution debate.  This is beyond "intelligent design."  No one truly can comprehend how all the star stuff, as Carl Sagan called it, got to be there in the first place.  People can guess.  People can come up with theories, but we weren't there.  We couldn't observe.  We couldn't take scientific measurements.

It is humbling, and yet exhilarating to marvel at God's creation. Near the end of the book of Job, this is what God says, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"  In other words, there are unspeakable mysteries that surround the creation of the universe that are only hinted at, even in the Bible!

One amazing mystery is that we have been given the responsibility to care for this creation, to use it for good purposes, even to invent things, tapping into the wonders that God has built into creation!  So, what would you like to invent?  What creative idea has God put into your heart?  Go ahead.  Dream!

QUESTION OF THE DAY #4: What is a healthy, effective way of dealing with stress?

Ever feel stress creeping up on you?  Of course you have! Stress is part of life. We are put in pressure situations. Some of these situations we have a little control over, but some we don't have any control over whatsoever.  Hence, stress.  It's like having to fight an enemy but not even knowing who the enemy is, or where, or how to do it, so our body, in a way, fights itself. And, yes, there is often collateral damage.  We take it out on the people closest to us.  That's how I think of stress.

Jesus had stress.  Imagine it.  He healed a man with an unclean spirit and was instantly popular. (Read Mark 1:23-35.) Everyone wanted to be healed, or knew someone who wanted to be healed.  There wasn't enough time in the day to heal them all.  There wasn't enough time in His life, and He cared for them all. He healed Simon Peter's mother. Then, they really started bringing people to be healed.  The whole city was at their door.  It doesn't even say when He got to bed.  He got up, very early in the morning, we know, however, and He went to a "desolate place." He needed time to be alone, but He wasn't alone.  He was talking to His heavenly Father.

We need to pray, too, and we also need time to block out the world when it's at our doorstep, too, and time for rest.  For me I enjoy playing guitar, and can relax and focus.  Or when I go running, I listen to nothing but the sound of my feet.  Or when I'm in the forest, I get lost in nature, even if I know right where I am.  These are my ways of dealing with stress.  

We all have our own ways of doing that, and we can learn new ways throughout life, which is a good thing.  Biking, breathing deeply, walking, gardening, what are your ways?