There’s No Place Like Home, Home, Home and Home…and Home

So, the Christmas madness has come to an end, and the regular, day-to-day madness can once more kick into gear. It is an accepted fact of life that Christmas around here is a multi-day and multi-location event. And along with the sheer number of places to go comes the knowledge that there will once again be an obscene number of gifts to haul. This year we actually took two vehicles to ensure we had enough space (especially since this is the first Christmas with two kids). My wife took the car with the boys, and I followed with the pickup truck which, I am almost ashamed to say, were both utilized in hauling the "haul."

This year's booty included books and bikes and the ubiquitous clothing. There were gift cards and appliances and all manner of other goodies. As I grew up, I really looked forward to all the different places I had to visit because I knew I'd be getting lots of stuff. Now that I'm married and have children of my own, the amount of gifts has grown, the number of places to visit has increased, and something a little unexpected yet important seems to occur more frequently with each passing year.

As I sit here in my recliner, trying to relax just a bit prior to walking the piles of pre- and post-Christmas trash to the road, I can't help but feel a bit awash in some level of what I would characterize as shame or embarrassment. Each Christmas most people in America have their "wish lists" and wait until Christmas morning to see how many of those little wishes go from the list to the gift pile. Some are disappointed, others are satisfied, and still others are surprised by the extravagance of things they never thought to ask for and, quite frankly, do not need.

I know in our family, extended and otherwise, we got far more than we need. And at moments like these, it almost seems wrong somehow. As I look above me I see a ceiling. Around me are walls, a floor, a refrigerator filled with more than we can eat. There is light, and heat, baubles of all kinds, and most importantly there are those who love me. What more does a person really need?

There are lots of folks in the world today who, unlike us, haven't spent two days visiting five different houses. They were lucky to have a warm meal or get a gift of any kind. The Lord has truly blessed me, has blessed all of us. It's a shame we take all we have for granted.

NOTE: I will be returning to a regular(-ish) schedule next week, writing each Monday on a variety of topics here on Soulscape. And while I have but a few regular readers, I would like to let you in on the possibility of an exciting and hopefully interesting venture. In the early days of the New Year I may be publishing an e-newsletter to be sent straight to your inbox. Whether this will take the place of this Soulscape Blog remains to be seen, but it most certainly will augment this blog's outreach and ministry. So be in prayer for that endeavor. Should I undertake it, you might just have to visit your Inbox for the latest Soulscape entry. At any rate, it's good to be back (in any shape or form) and I look forward to many more days with you! God bless.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

A Bonus Entry for Pre-Christmas

At Christmas, some families have a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve, then the rest of them on Christmas morning. That I grew up in a "divorced" family, I had a full-blown experience on both days, because of spending time with both parents. Now that I'm a parent myself, and my kids have grandparents and great-grandparents, Christmas is spread out over several days. So while this tradition is good, it doesn't apply to us because, logistically speaking, it can't.

I have intentionally stayed away from the blog over these last two-and-a-half weeks, even though I have been tempted to dive in and write a few entries (blog withdrawal I suppose; I haven't had the time, but that hasn't stopped the desire to do it anyway!). So this morning, after I received a comment on my last entry, I decided that the aforementioned tradition would be a good thing to practice for Soulscape. So, with that in mind, I decided to write a little entry before Christmas, just one, then get back into the swing of things in a week or so. I guess the real issue is whether or not my readers will stop by since I pretty much said I'd be gone for a month!

Anyway, after checking the Soulscape visitor statistics, I found a reader had visited from a particular service provider. The city showed up as Cincinnati, Ohio, but that's just where their server is located (many service providers, even local, show up in other cities). I don't know exactly where he or she is from, or even their real name, but that's okay. I really enjoyed the comment, and wanted to share it with you, along with my thoughts.

So, someone with the screen name "Unhappy-Workaholic" left the following comment: "…Speaking of work, what should we think about it? Is it a necessary evil or a gift from God? Okay, perhaps that is extreme, but still, should we go to work everyday with a kind of – "arg. Time to make the donuts!" attitude or should we view it as a service to god. How do we find joy in the donuts—without eating them all… any thoughts?"

Why yes, Unhappy Workaholic, I do have some thoughts! Your great comment got the old brain cylinders firing and so I wanted to share my initial impressions (by the way, I would love to make the Soulscape blog a source of practical inspiration, so if you ever have any questions or thoughts about any topic, just let me know, because I'd love to do an entry on what you, the reader, are thinking about).

Staying within the confines of the comment quoted above, given the "extreme" choices I would have to say that we should embrace work as a gift from God and a service to God. I base this opinion first on what we read in Genesis. Prior to the whole "eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" fiasco, God had given man the task of tending the Garden of Eden. So we see right there that "Paradise" was not a vacation spot, but a place to work. After man's fall, God tells Adam that the work of his hands will be much harder, that the earth will not be as cooperative as it had been in the garden, producing thorns and weeds, making the work very difficult.

But work remained. Unhappy Workaholic's comment uses the word "extreme," but that is what we find: extremes. Work was originally created as a gift from God; He gave man life and then gave man purpose for that life. That purpose was service. Now that gift and service continue, but yes, it is hard now. Even if we don't "tend the ground" as a farmer or herd the beasts of the field for a living, work is hard. In an ideal world we would all see work as a privilege an honor, a way to put our life to good use by doing for the glory the Lord whatever it is we do.

However, not everyone likes their job; truth be told, if everyone were completely honest we would all have to say that at one time or another we have despised our job. That is a by-product of Adam and Eve's sin. Work is hard. But work still serves a purpose. It all depends on our outlook, and that all depends on us as individuals. We have a choice how we will view our work. "Making the donuts," as it were, isn't always fun, but it can be rewarding, especially when someone is hungry. No job is perfect, because imperfect people are always associated with it (whether it's the boss, the co-workers, the customers, or [gasp!] even us!); still, our jobs serve to help us meet our basic needs. We get our money for bills and food, and maybe even some of the frills life can occasionally offer. Our work also helps us occupy our lives.

Every day I check out the Associated Press feature called "Today in History." At the end of each daily article there is a quote for the day. On Wednesday, December 12, 2007 (just a day before this blog entry) was a quote by Franz Kafka (1883-1924), a Czech author. His quote applies to this entry: "There are two cardinal sins from which all others spring: impatience and laziness." I believe that in essence this is a very accurate quote. If you go through Scripture you discover how often terrible sins (and even more terrible consequences) came from these two other "sins." Just a quick example from each: Abraham was impatient waiting on the promise of a son to be fulfilled, so he got into a mess with Hagar and Ishmael; and King David was lazy, laying around while he should have been leading his army in battle, when he saw and lusted after Bathsheba, and began a downward spiral.

Had Abraham and David been working, doing what God gave them the ability and responsibility to be doing, they would have been able to focus on the task and on God. Instead, they allowed themselves to drift, to forsake their work, and they got into deep trouble. Above all, our work is to be the very best Christians we can be, to serve God no matter what we do or where we go. When we approach our earthly jobs and careers with this attitude, that we will use it to serve God (even if it takes a little creativity), we will find that our work isn't really all that bad. Why? Because the Lord helps us through it all. I guess you could say that in this way we get to make the donuts, and eat them, too. Proverbs 28:25b (from the King James Version) says, "… but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat." This, of course, means "prosperous," but it's a good analogy. Let God work through YOUR work, and you can gain a greater appreciation for the Lord and the blessings He gives you, including the work. Or the donuts. Whatever you want to call it!

Thanks to Unhappy Workaholic for the comment, and getting me to thinking! I look forward to future comments, or feel free to drop me a line at Soulscape E-mail. I'd love to hear from you!

So, until Christmas, God bless you!

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

All Good Things…

There is something to be said for working. When one enjoys that work it is even more special. Yet there are times that in order to give your best or do your best, it is necessary to step back for a little while. Have you ever looked at one thing or one spot for a long time? Pretty soon your vision begins to act up and you don't see things as clearly.

This is a busy time of year for everyone, and it is no different for me. In order to kind of refocus and get some prayerful insights for my own life, family, church, general spiritual direction, and for this blog, I am going to take a few weeks off. While this might disappoint the two or three regular readers I have, and anyone who happens to stop by, I would ask that you rejoin me around Christmas. I plan, with the Lord's will, to return to the world of blogging around that time. But this brief cyber-sabbatical will give me the opportunity to spend a little extra time with my family and with the Lord, and return with some fresh perspectives and new entries.

I would also encourage you to read some of my past entries in the mean time. Hopefully you won't forget Soulscape between now and the time that I return. I look forward to rejoining you here. And, if you have any thoughts about topics or something you'd like me to address, Scripture or otherwise, don't hesitate to contact me. Just leave a comment and I'll get back with you.

So, until we meet again, may God bless you. See you around Christmas!

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. This entry is protected, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill!

Thanksgiving 2007

It hardly seems a year since Thanksgiving was last here, but that's the way time works. Still, this is not the season for lamenting the all-too-rapid passage of time. It is the time to be thankful. With that in mind, I'd like to share something with you which I may have mentioned before, but it is worth mentioning again.

Each year for the past nine years the churches in our community have an annual Thanksgiving service, usually held eight days before Thanksgiving itself. As of this year, we have five churches, five different denominations, coming together under one roof and together worship and praise the Lord. For the 364 other days of the year (sans leap year, of course), we often identify ourselves with the name out in front of our own congregation's building. But for that one day, the names are set aside and the only name that matters is put forth: Jesus.

Our community is very special in that the churches have a very unified relationship one with another. But during the Thanksgiving season we are extremely grateful for this unity. Jesus Himself prayed that His followers would be one, just as He and His Father were One. While the unity spirit is something we in our community seem to have all year round, it does something for the soul to look out into a large crowd and see not church-ES but THE CHURCH, made up of every blood-washed believer.

Some think that this oneness or things like unity services are when all the congregations of a particular denomination in a given area come together. This isn't unity; it's a conference. True unity comes when we lay aside all that separates us and focus instead on the one and only thing that matters. Jesus is the reason we're here, the reason every Christian church exists. Therefore, since we are one family in Christ, it's nice to share a spiritual meal together every once in a while.

We have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for so much that I can't even begin to make a list. But over these next few days, I will thank the Lord for the unity He provides for His family. If you haven't yet done it yourself, thank Him for that. If you haven't yet experienced it yourself, then look to other believers as true family, and let God bring you together in Spirit and in truth.

Have a great Thanksgiving this week, and may God bless you and yours!

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Aargh, With a Capital A

As I sit here, I seem to recall some previous entry in which the subject had something to do with the old saying, "When it rains, it pours." I don't know if that was indeed an entry I wrote, but it most certainly describes my situation at present.

Today has been one of those days, perhaps a series of days, when I have most certainly been "under the rain," so to speak. Nearly everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong. The most frustrating thing is a water leak underneath my kitchen sink, a leak that has been going on for a few days now, but was only today realized as such. The unfortunate thing about the leak is that it is in the valve. What does this mean? Well, I'm no plumber by any stretch of the imagination, but even I know that this means the water must be turned off at another location in order to replace the faulty part.

So, I go under my house (one story, so there is just crawl space) to locate the shut-off valve. Now, crawlspace would infer the ability to crawl; this is an ability I do not possess, especially under the house and considering that the valve was located on the exact opposite side of the house from where I entered. Halfway through, I had to come back out. But it didn't seem all that bad (not counting every other thing that has nearly overwhelmed me today), because after examining the little drip, we decided it was just the joint that needed tightening. After this step, however, we found the crack, a teeny, tiny, nearly microscopic crack which was now spraying water in an almost imperceptible little stream and soaking everything, including running out onto the kitchen floor.

At this rate, the only option is to find someone with a water key and shut off all water to my house from the city's water main, and then replace the part. I'm much calmer at the present, hence my ability to actually type this entry (albeit through shaking hands and shortness of breath). There are a couple of options I'm going to implement as a stop-gap measure until then, but this was absolutely the last straw for today.

I can't take any more.

As I sat here trying to lower my blood pressure and avoid a stroke, I couldn't help but think that this is absolutely typical of life in general. There are little cracks that cause major leaks in our heart, mind, life, and they usually occur in the one spot that is the most difficult to reach. You see, I couldn't just go under the sink and twist the valve, because the crack is below the valve, and so the water pressure remains constant. I can't get to the other cut-offs, so I'm sitting here with a leaky sink, hoping beyond hope that severe or long-term damage is not being done.

Our lives are sometimes out of control, and we can't find the cut-off. The pressure is still there, and we're still "leaky," but there's not much we can do about it. So we sit, hoping to make it through, but more than frustrated at the helpless feeling of, "I can't do this."

This is where the Lord comes in. He has been called King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, the Great Physician. In times like these, we might be able to call Him the Master Plumber, because only He can patch the holes in our life and stop the leaks from those tiny little cracks that Satan makes (or in most cases, we ourselves make). Sometimes, though, it might take Him bringing us to a place where we can't take any more in order to truly fix us.

And as far as not being able to take anymore…my computer crashed as I was creating this entry. Aargh indeed.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Restaurant Escapades

"We're not the luckiest people in the world." This was my response to the manager of a local restaurant this evening following quite the adventure. When it comes to purchasing, locating, or stumbling upon those things which are broken before they're ever used, I am my own worst enemy. Last week we purchased new cordless phones for the home, only to discover that there was an "issue" which required a new phone system to be sent from the factory. I'm the guy, yes, THE guy who makes the last payment on a car and the "check engine" light comes on in the bank drive-thru lane. So, why should restaurants be any different?

The appetizer was great. Once completed, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our main dishes (a greatly anticipated event in any case, made all the more intense with the presence of a four-year-old who wants his chicken and fries). And wait we did. After waiting, we waited. After this waiting period, we waited some more. The waiter comes by and says, "Your food isn't here yet?" Surprised he returns to the kitchen to discover that, due to a reoccurring printer error, our order was not submitted to the cooks. The manager comes out, a sweet little girl who says it will be seven minutes. How she arrived at this figure for two steak dishes and the aforementioned chicken and fries I cannot say. But, in the neighborhood of seven minutes or so, out comes the food.

My son decides to cut his own magma-hot chicken tenders himself, and after doing a good job on two of them, mom decides to help. As she cuts, I glance over and realize that the chicken looks less than healthy, at least for cooked chicken. Why? Well, because the chicken tenders were very well cooked on the top 1/16^th of an inch. The rest was raw. So, after about 45 minutes or so of waiting, we now had raw chicken for the toddler.

After this is resolved, the waiter comes back and says, "You didn't get your side of shrimp." Had he not said anything, I would never have remembered. I said, "Don't worry about it. I probably couldn't hold it anyway." He says he will take it off the bill. Actually the one thing we seemed to have in abundance tonight was apologies. The manager returns and says, "You're going to love me…" and proceeds to tell me that she's refunded the price of the appetizer, the chicken tenders, and the shrimp, but is giving me the shrimp to take home with me anyway. After several more apologies, I told her, "We're not the luckiest people in the world." And so we return to the subject. (Let it be known that at that same restaurant about a year ago, a mug of soft drink spontaneously split apart, akin to the parting-of-the-Red-Sea scene from The Ten Commandments; not so lucky.)

So, I come home, grab my trusty notebook computer to create a blog entry, and suddenly it comes into focus. The fault (or faults) at dinner tonight had nothing to do with the waiter, nor the manager, nor the cooking staff; it had nothing to do with us or what we ordered or that big comet thing that got brighter last week. Nay, it didn't even concern that pesky printer situation. It just happened.

This got me thinking. The Lord does so much for us, has desires for the lives of each and every person, especially His children. And what does He do? He places His order and we say, "We'll get right on that." And we might do a little appetizer-esque thing, you know, doing or being good in some area or another. But then the Lord waits…and waits…and waits some more. Finally He calls our attention to it and we apologize. "I'm so sorry. I'll straighten up and get things taken care of." And even then we sometimes mess things up, not living up to what He, or even we, expected from us.

The key to good customer service is making sure the product is right and the customer is pleased. When it comes to the spiritual aspect of our lives, things are right when our service and fruit are what they need to be, as well as the customer (in this case, the beneficiary of our efforts: the Lord God Almighty) being pleased. Are we doing our very best to offer Him our very best? Is He well-pleased with our desire and efforts, or does He sit, waiting, frustrated that we have not yet completed what He has asked of us?

Something to think about. Now, if you will excuse me, there are five shrimp which are begging to be sampled. See you next week, Lord willing.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.