Blog Archives

Double Back

Image result for freezer door top open

Double Back –

Last night, after dinner, Beth wanted a popsicle. I was getting up anyway and told her I’d get her one. I opened the top freezer door on the refrigerator and grabbed two by mistake. One fell to the floor and using the three-second rule I quickly stooped down and picked it up. Unbeknownst to me, the freezer door was swinging back and when I was two-thirds up I whacked the top back of my head on the corner of the freezer door. “OUCH!” It hurt so much I crumpled to the floor rubbing the wounded area. Beth heard me, came and looked at it and thought there would be bruising and soreness. She was right. It never occurred to me until it “hit me” that the door was doubling back. My mind was elsewhere and the freezer door brought me back to reality.

I was listening to someone describe addiction this week and they said; “It gets inside of you. You think you have a handle on it and then you begin to crave it. It comes back again and again and again.” I thought about other things which come around over and over. Grieving the loss of a loved one who has passed on, anger at being taken advantage of, bitterness at being betrayed, the pain of past memories and experiences that hurt us emotionally and physically, drug, alcohol and other addictions, friends who have negative influences on us, wounds which seem to never heal. All of these can cause us to crumple to the floor when they double back into our lives.

There is a needed balance of awareness and acceptance. Awareness is needed because perhaps we can see it coming and side-step the toll it would take on our minds and spirits. Acceptance is important because we are human, are not all-powerful, and difficult and challenging experiences are part of what makes us unique.

It is in this balance we may find wisdom and peace.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Leave a comment

Tags: #acceptance, #addiction, #Addictions, #againandagain, #alcohol, #anger, #area, #aware, #awareness, #balance, #betrayed, #bitterness, #blessings, #bruise, #challenging, #comearound, #comesback, #control, #crumpled, #describe, #difficult, #DoubleBack, #doublingback, #drug, #emotionally, #experiences, #friends, #grieving, #handleonit, #happens, #human, #hurt, #impact, #important, #influences, #insideofyou, #listening, #loss, #lovedone, #minds, #mistake, #neededbalance, #neverheal, #occurred, #ouch, #overandover, #pain, #pastmemories, #perhaps, #physically, #reality, #seeitcoming, #side-step, #soreness, #spirits, #surroundings, #swingingback, #takenadvantage, #thewannabesaint.com, #toll, #unique, #whacked, #wisdom, #wounded, #wounds, @BrianLoging, Negative, Peace

Closer

Jul 8

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for handicap walkers

Closer –

This morning at church the reverend closed the service by asking people to come to down to the front altar and pray for a woman who was leaving with a team of people to go to Africa on a mission trip. She knelt and many of the people in attendance gathered around her. As someone began to pray I heard a sound; “Clank. Silence. Clank. Silence.” I looked up and saw an elderly woman moving towards the group using a walker. By the time she made it up to the front, they were almost finished with the prayer but that didn’t seem to matter. What mattered was she wanted to be a part of the group, show her support, be closer to the one who was leaving, because she cared and caring most often requires our presence.

As she struggled I reflected on this woman and her concern for the other overcoming her condition. The world as we know it seems to be coming apart at the seams. Institutions, foundations, and truths we thought would last forever are crumbling before our eyes. What do we do? How do we stop it or at least stem the tide? I think we should do as the woman did this morning. We recognize our weakness, our lack of power and control, but still run, walk, crawl, towards a need and be present, change what we can by getting closer. When things are too big, too unruly, too far gone, it’s easier to stay where we are, shrug our shoulders and say; “There wasn’t anything we could’ve done.” or we can get “some “skin in the game.” We can try. We can put forth the effort with an attitude that only those who show up can make a difference.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #AlmostFinished, #attendance, #Attitude, #beapart, #blessings, #cared, #caring, #changewhatwecan, #closer, #comingapartattheseams, #condition, #control, #crawl, #crumbling, #foundations, #gathered, #gettingcloser, #going, #group, #Institutions, #lackofpower, #lastforever, #least, #makeadifference, #need, #overcoming, #pray, #presence, #putforththeeffort, #recognize, #reflected, #requires, #run, #showhersupport, #showup, #shrugourshoulders, #skininthegame, #staywhereweare, #stemthetide, #struggled, #thewannabesaint.com, #toobig, #toofargone, #toounruly, #towards, #truths, #walk, #weakness, #Wecantry, @BrianLoging

Would You like to Dance?

Jun 3

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for slow dancing

Would You like to Dance? –

At a party at a friend’s house, one woman sat alone on the couch, her crutches beside her, watching the others dance. From across the room a man made his way to her, sat down, introduced himself and they made small talk. After a while, he asked; “Would you like to dance?” She pointed to her crutches and sighed; “Most people are worried my crutches will get in the way of their dancing.” He smiled and replied; “How about if I let you lead and I’ll move with you?”

This story was told to me a few weeks ago. I have been reflecting on it since I heard it. Most people are injured in some way; physically, emotionally or spiritually. We have crutches, not in a negative way, but in the sense that we need help to heal. However, too often, because of our hurts, habits, and hang-ups or the aids we use to walk this road of life we’re seen as a hindrance. People focus on how another’s imperfections will impact their lives.

What we need is someone who will let us lead or, if we’re the one helping, let the other lead us. We relinquish our desire to control, force someone to do it “our way” and by letting go we will find synergy and companionship.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #aids, #alone, #blessings, #companionship, #control, #crutches, #dance, #dancing, #desire, #emotionally, #focus, #force, #habits, #hang-ups, #heal, #helping, #hindrance, #hurts, #impact, #imperfections, #injured, #lettinggo, #movewithyou, #needhelp, #ourway, #physically, #pointed, #reflecting, #relinquish, #roadoflife, #spiritually, #synergy, #thewannabesaint.com, #walk, #watching, #way, #weneed, #worried, #WouldYouliketoDance, @BrianLoging, Lead, Negative

Storms

May 29

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Storms –

If I had a Star Wars name it would be “Brian Skywatcher” because this is what I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks. Looking, waiting, for the sky to open up and give the land a nice good soaking of rain. Its been disappointing the last few weeks because weather patterns would come together, storms and rain clouds lining up to unload only to dissipate at the last moment. Today, however, the rain has finally come. A nice steady rain. Good for grass, trees, bushes, plants and the soul.

Even though we need the rain I know there are parts of the country who need to dry out. They are waiting for the sun to shine, the wind to blow and chase the flooding away. I have a friend who asked me to pray today because they don’t like storms and are getting the remnants of the tropical storm in Florida. The prayer wasn’t to take the storms away but peace and presence during them.

Wisdom teaches us that storms of life will come and go. At times they bring with them what we need. At other times they batter and bruise us. We can’t control the storms but we can accept them and find a stillness deep within.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Wisdom

Leave a comment

Tags: #accept, #batter, #blessings, #blow, #bruise, #chase, #control, #deepwithin, #disappointing, #dissipate, #dryout, #find, #flooding, #lastmoment, #looking, #pray, #presence, #rain, #remnants, #skytoopen, #soaking, #solo, #StarWars, #steadyrain, #storms, #stormsoflife, #Sunshine, #teaches, #thewannabesaint.com, #tropicalstorm, #unload, #waiting, #weatherpatterns, #wind, #wisdom, @BrianLoging, Peace, Prayer, Soul, Stillness

Gathering

Apr 16

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for petal blowing

Gathering –

This morning I stopped by the office on my way to a Community Group for Dads. It was cold today. Last night it was below freezing and when I left the house it was lightly snowing! I know Spring is supposed to be here but I wish it would step up and exert itself! Anyhow, when I arrived at the office there was the familiar hum of a leaf blower. Even though its cold the grass is still growing and the flowers are still blooming. I parked the truck and as walked to the office door I noticed what the maintenance man was doing. There are trees planted near the building that houses a suite of offices. Because of the wind and cold, the petals were scattered over the parking lot and in front of the office doors. Opening ours I saw them tumble into the foyer. The man operating the blower was trying to collect them into a corner and then sweep them into a trashcan. Expertly he gathered them setting the blower on high when moving them from a big space and then on low to push them into the area they needed to go.

Exiting the office, I reflected on the petals. They reminded me of the many thoughts which swirled in my head. Its Monday and my mind was filled with a list of; “to-dos, schedules, phone calls, meetings, reports, and a host of other things” which have already filled my week. My thoughts, like the petals, were scattered and needed to be gathered and sorted. I will follow the discipline of my leaf blower friend and willfully, but gently, take control where once there had been chaos by paradoxically, stilling my mind and spirit.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #area, #arrived, #bigspace, #blessings, #blooming, #blower, #chaos, #cold, #collect, #control, #corner, #discipline, #Exiting, #Expertly, #familiar, #filled, #follow, #friend, #gathered, #gathering, #gently, #go!, #head, #high, #hum, #leafblower, #low, #meetings, #moving, #needed, #Opening, #operating, #petals, #phonecalls, #push, #reflected, #reminded, #reports, #scattered, #schedules, #setting, #sorted, #sweep, #swirled, #thewannabesaint.com, #to-do's, #tumble, #willfully, #wind, @BrianLoging, Mind, Thoughts

A Picture is Worth…

Mar 27

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for david hogg

A Picture is Worth…

A picture is worth a thousand words unless you are the kids who survived the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in Florida, several weeks ago. This past weekend there were gatherings in cities around the world. It was called; “The March for Our Lives.” Since this protest event, David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez have become targets, again. There are news articles, memes, pictures and opinion pieces written that would make adults question their sanity, worth and the innate goodness of humanity.

My heart is broken and my spirit crushed as I listen, read and watch adults attack these children with vitriol. They are being bullied, lied about, crushed by those whose opinions differ from theirs. These young people have survived what will probably be the most traumatic event in their life. They are processing their grief, the loss of their friends and their innocence. They are trying to take a stand, find their footing after an event and in a debate bigger than them. They are exercising control by speaking out, marching, becoming an advocate against an act of violence that ripped their lives apart. Yet, while they attempt to put their lives back together, people online, on the radio, on television are tearing them down and apart, again.

Are these kids being used by persons and corporations with agendas? Maybe. Perhaps they are also smart and resilient enough to know what they want and believe. Have they said and done everything perfectly? Of course not. Who has? You don’t have to agree with them to see they are still in pain. You don’t have to march with them to stand by their side. You can disagree without abuse. We should be better than that. These kids deserve better.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Leadership

1 Comment

Tags: #abuse, #act, #adults, #Advocate, #agendas, #agree, #apart, #attack, #attempt, #back, #becoming, #believe, #better, #bigger, #blessings, #broken, #bullied, #bullying, #children, #cities, #control, #corporations, #crushed, #DavidHogg, #debate, #deserve, #differ, #disagree, #EmmaGonzalez, #event, #exercising, #find, #florida, #footing, #friends, #gathering, #goodness, #grief, #grown, #heart, #HighSchool, #humanity, #innate, #innocence, #kids, #lied, #lives, #loss, #MarchforOurLives, #marching, #mass, #memes, #online, #opinions, #pain, #Parkland, #perfectly, #picture, #pictures, #pieces, #processing, #protest, #question, #radio, #read, #resilient, #ripped, #sanity, #several, #shooting, #side, #smart, #speaking, #spirit, #stand, #StonemanDouglas, #survived, #targets, #tearing, #television, #thewannabesaint.com, #thousand, #together, #traumatic, #violence, #Vitriol, #watch, #words, #worth, #Written, #youngpeople, @BrianLoging, Articles, Listen, News, Opinion, People, World

Invasion

Mar 18

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for lady bugs light fixtures

Invasion –

The past few weeks there’s been an invasion of Middle Tennessee! The multi-legged, orange-colored, flying insects called Ladybugs. They’re everywhere and this morning they kept stealing my attention away from the pastor as he spoke from the Book of Saint John, chapter 12. They were collecting near every light fixture which was about 10 feet from the pews the people were sitting in. Every now and then one or ten would fly across the room landing on someone. One tried to use my neck as a resting place but he didn’t stay there long. I watched hundreds on one light fixture as they crawled around it seemingly looking for a way in. I am not sure if they were attracted to the heat or the light. Of course, once in it was nearly impossible for them to get out. They very thing they were after was actually a trap. They would die there getting what they wanted but not able to get out.

I reflected on the Ladybug’s fate and how it also mirrored our own fascination with those things in life which promise safety, warmth, and light. We become fixated on things which we believe will make life better, bring satisfaction and enlightenment only to find out once we’ve achieved or possessed them it was an illusion. Wisdom teaches that what is worth having comes to us. It is our humility, our acceptance that we are not able to control or manipulate love, peace, kindness and a grace-filled life that makes it possible for these to permeate our minds, emotions, and spirits and bring a unique warmth and light to our cold and dark world.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life, Mindfulness

2 Comments

Tags: #able, #acceptance, #achieved, #actually, #attention, #attracted, #believe, #better, #blessings, #cold, #collecting, #control, #crawled, #dark, #die, #emotions, #enlightenment, #fascination, #fate, #fixated, #grace-filled, #heat, #humility, #illusion, #impossible, #Invasion, #kindness, #Ladybugs, #landing, #life, #light, #long, #looking, #manipulate, #minds, #mirrored, #nearly, #past, #permeate, #place, #possessed, #possible, #promise, #reflected, #resting, #safety, #SaintJohn, #satisfaction, #seemingly, #spirits, #stay, #stealing, #teaches, #thewannabesaint.com, #trap, #tried, #unique, #wanted, #warmth, #wisdom, #worth, @BrianLoging, love, Peace, World

Driverless

Feb 18

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Driverless –

Driverless automobile technology doesn’t seem like something that might happen but is happening and will impact all of us soon. I was listening to NPR this week and the person being interviewed said that everyone will have a driverless automobile by the year 2050. I’m not sure what the 70+-year-old will think but the 45+-year-old is skeptical. Maybe it’s the loss of control, maybe it’s watching too many sci-fi movies but driverless cars, trucks, semis zipping down the road all dependent on a group of engineers and designers seems too futuristic but it’s where we are going.

In my lifetime I’ve gone from record players to compact disc players to mp3 players which could hold 100 songs to my phone being able to play any tune I can think of at the press of an icon under a piece of glass. 30 years ago that would’ve been unthinkable so driverless cars are coming whether I am ready or not.

Life and its continuous change are shocking. Places we are now on the journey probably aren’t where we thought we’d be. Plans we thought were “set in stone” have been shattered and adjusting, accepting and letting go require more strength than we think we possess. There are days when we feel like we are steering our lives and other seasons when life keeps taking the wheel and driving to unknown and sometimes unwanted destinations.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

1 Comment

Tags: #2050. #think, #accepting, #adjusting, #automobile, #blessings, #change, #coming, #compactdiscs, #continuous, #control, #dependent, #designers, #destinations, #Driverless, #Driverlessautomobile, #driverlesscar, #engineers, #futuristic, #glass, #icon, #impact, #interviewed, #journey, #keeps, #lettinggo, #life, #lifetime, #listening, #loss, #mighthappen, #mp3players, #NPR, #phone, #Plans, #possess, #press, #push, #ready, #recordplayers, #require, #seasons, #setinstone, #shattered, #shocking, #skeptical, #soon, #steering, #strength, #taking, #think, #unknown, #unthinkable, #unwanted, #watching, #wheel, #whether, #zipping, Driving, Technology

Thoughts and Prayers

Feb 15

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for thoughts and prayers

Thoughts and Prayers –

I have to admit I am sick of the phrase; “Thoughts and prayers,” which inevitably occur each and every time there is a mass shooting in our country. As of yesterday, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a total of 30 mass shooting incidents have occurred as of February 14, 2018, including Wednesday’s school shooting in Florida. Thirty! That’s almost 1 every day. Following these mass killings, politicians play two cards; “Thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” followed by; “Now’s not the time to talk about gun control and what we can do to stem the tide of gun violence in our nation.” Every time one of these politicians speak these words or ones like them I almost throw the remote at the TV. Kids are dying! Most of these politicians are pro-life, anti-abortion, but somehow someway they play a Jedi-mind trick with themselves and see these as two separate issues. I can’t do that, I won’t do that. Something needs to be done.

I am acutely aware of the mental health angle and the restriction for individuals who mentally should not own a gun. I understand waiting periods for guns and background checks but we must do more. Our children are dying! The National Rifle Association is a powerful entity. They lobby and support many politicians:

La. Sen. Bill Cassidy, tweets his sympathy and prayers – received $2,800,000 from NRA.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman tweets prayers – received $3,000,000 support from NRA.
Iowa Rep., Janie Ernst tweets, join me in prayer – received $3,100,000 from NRA.
Fla. Sen. Marco Rubio tweets, a terrible day you pray never comes – received $3,300,000 from NRA.
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner tweets, heartbreak and prayers – received $3,900,000 from NRA.
Az. Rep. John McCain tweets his prayers – received $7,700,000 from NRA.
Fla. Gov. Rick Scott ordered flag to be lowered for senseless tragedy – received A+ rating from NRA.
V.P. Mike Pence tweets heartache and prayers – received A+ rating from NRA.
Donald J. Trump tweets his prayers – received more than $21,000,000 from NRA in 2016 election.

I don’t know what to do. People smarter than me have been trying and yet for some reason are met at every turn with obstruction and obfuscation. I also want to know where the church is on this?!?! It’s clear to me Jesus never condoned violence of any kind and sticking up for the poor, down-trodden, innocent ones was his mission and should be ours. We’ll stand on a street corner with pro-life signs, slap a pro-life bumper sticker on our car but few vote for stricter gun laws.

I don’t want to start a debate. I want a solution. I want kids to stop dying and the church be silent no more. The youngest and brightest among us are dying. Thoughts and prayers do nothing without actions backing them up. Do something or stop saying it!

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Leadership

Leave a comment

Tags: #, #2018, #association, #commonsense, #control, #florida, #floridashooting, #gun, #guncontrol, #gunlaws, #gunviolence, #innocent, #law, #laws, #mass, #masskillings, #massshootings, #nationalrifleassociation, #nra, #prayers, #rifle, #shooting, #shootings, #stopthekilling, #thoughtsandprayers, #victims, Family, National, Thoughts

Nothing is Lacking

Feb 1

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for taoist quote

Nothing is Lacking–

I was a part of a conversation this week where a group of people was giving a person advice. The advice was based on what the person had shared; a story of love and betrayal. On the wrong side of a bad choice is a terrible place to be and the person was fixated on how to either get over on the person who hurt him or get over it period. Two choices were staring him the face and he was going to choose either one or the other.

Decisions based on pain are almost always bad ones. We make these in times of stress, confusion, doubt, and loneliness. We feel as though we have lost something, had it taken away from us, and we want it back or rather life back the way it was or the way it should be.

Wisdom teaches us that suffering is the gap between how life is, reality, and how we think life ought to be. The greater the gap the more suffering. It is why learning to let go and acceptance are two of the greatest life lessons we can learn and practice. Life is rarely if ever, the way we want. Even if for a while it seems to be sooner or later it changes and we have no control over this truth. To live with open hand, to not try to grasp, force life to stay the same and allow for the inevitable change is to know and live in peace.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #acceptance, #advice. #based, #allow, #almost, #always, #away, #bad, #betrayal, #blessings, #change, #changes, #choice, #choices, #Choose, #confusion, #control, #conversation, #decisions, #doubt, #face, #feel, #fixated, #force, #gap, #getover, #giving, #grasp, #greater, #greatest, #group, #hand, #hurt, #inevitable, #know, #lacking, #later, #learn, #learning, #lessons, #letgo, #life, #lost, #nothing, #open, #pain, #period, #practice, #rarely, #reality, #shared, #shouldbe, #side, #sooner, #staring, #staythesame, #story, #stress, #suffering, #taken, #teaches, #terrible, #think, #times, #truth, #wantitback, #wisdom, #wrong, loneliness, love, Peace, People

Don’t Resist

Jan 20

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Don’t Resist –

This afternoon I stepped outside and the warmer temperatures wrapped me like a blanket. The sun shone on me and the warm breeze stirred my soul. It’s been cold the past few weeks. Only a couple of days ago the ground was covered with snow and ice. Today, there is little snow to be seen and the remnants are being chased away by the balmy weather. The kicker is I didn’t have anything to do with the high and low temps, the sun or the clouds filling the sky, the wild difference between now and the near past. All I did was stay warm on the cold days and breathe in the warmth this afternoon.

Life is mostly filled with things we have no control over. We want the ability, the power to make things bend to our will but this is an illusion. If we pursue this type of control our lives will be filled with suffering. The secret to contentment and peace is to allow life to progress at its pace and accept what we think is good and bad, wanted and unwanted, desired and abhorred.

When we are able to practice this discipline we discover the ever-present now is exactly what it needs to be and so are we.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Mindfulness

Leave a comment

Tags: #abhorred, #ability, #able, #accept, #afternoon, #ago, #allow, #bad, #balmy, #bend, #blanket, #blessings, #breeze, #chased, #Clouds, #cold, #contentment, #control, #couple, #covered, #desired, #difference, #discipline, #discover, #ever-present, #exactly, #filled, #good, #ground, #high, #ice, #illusion, #life, #lives, #low, #needs, #now, #outside, #pace, #past, #power, #practice, #progress, #pursue, #remnants, #resist, #secret, #snow, #stepped, #stirred, #suffering, #sun, #temperatures, #temps, #think, #unwanted, #wanted, #warm, #warmer, #wild, #will, #wrapped, breathe, Peace, Soul, Weather

Idols and Illusions

Jan 9

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Idols and Illusions –

I would add to the quote attached to this post anything that’s fleeting, temporal, transitory, this that tell us lies about ourselves or others. Things like politics, money, jobs, reputations. Idols are all of these and more which fix our focus on the illusion that we are in control, we are powerful and by our wills, the world can be recreated in our image. It is this illusion that destroys our world and ourselves.

This morning part of my contemplation and meditation time included a portion of the Second Book of Kings, chapter seventeen, verse 15; “They worshipped false idols and became false.” I have read that several times today, talked about it with a friend and wrote it down in a journal. It says we become what we worship. Where our heart is, our mind, emotions, spirits, where our energies are applied is what we are and what we become.

Idols and illusions are hard to see sometimes. Breaking free from them isn’t easy. #AlbertEinstien said; “All of reality is an illusion, a persistent one, but still an illusion.”

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Contemplative, scripture reflection

3 Comments

Tags: #albert, #AlbertEinstien, #applied, #attached, #become, #blessings, #breaking, #Breakingfree, #contemplation, #control, #destroys, #einstein, #emotions, #energies, #false, #fix, #fleeting, #focus, #hard, #heart, #Idol, #idols, #illusion, #illusions, #image, #jobs, #journal, #Kings, #lies, #money, #ourselves, #persistent, #portion, #powerful, #quote, #reality, #recreated, #reputations, #second, #see, #spirits, #temporal, #transitory, #wills, #worshiped, Book, Free, meditation, Mind, Politics, World

On Demand

Jan 5

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

On Demand –

This afternoon I had a follow-up appointment at the doctor’s office. They needed to do a routine check-up and wanted a deposit. I had figured as much so I made sure not to leave my deposit at home before I left. I went to the restroom, readied the bottle and…nothing. No matter how much I concentrated there just wasn’t anything that was going to happen. After several minutes I meekly came out of the lavatory and explained the situation to the nurse. She then sent me to the staff vampire who had no such trouble sticking me with a big needle and taking my second deposit by force. I now have a cotton ball and medical tape covering a hole in my arm.

We live in an; “On Demand” world. We get and expect things instantaneously. The problem is sometimes life doesn’t work that way. We may demand expediency but delay and obstruction is what we’re given. If we decide to take what we need to wait on by force pain is often the what we receive instead of what we desire.

It does us good to wait, to not get what we want, to be told; “No!” It reminds us we aren’t all-powerful, possess full control, aren’t as able as we’d like to believe. Wisdom, and the lessons it uses in everyday life remind us who we are, who we aren’t and how to be at peace with both.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #able, #allpowerful, #appointment, #believe, #blessings, #bottle, #check-up, #concentrated, #control, #decide, #delay, #demand, #deposit, #desire, #expect, #expediency, #explained, #follow-up, #force, #fullcontrol, #going, #good, #happen, #instantaneously, #instead, #lessons, #life, #meekly, #minutes, #needed, #nothing, #obstruction, #OnDemand, #pain, #possess, #powerful, #problem, #readied, #receive, #remind, #restroom, #routine, #second, #several, #situation, #staff, #sticking, #taking, #trouble, #vampire, #wait, #whatwewant, #wisdom, Peace, to be told; "No!" It #reminds, World

Change Myself

Dec 22

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for taoist thought of the day

Change Myself –

The older I get the less knowledge and wisdom I think I possess. They say the beginning of wisdom and knowledge is two-fold; fearing God and knowing you know nothing. As each year passes the second part seems to get easier.

There was a time when I believed I knew much. Not just about myself but also about others. I could perceive motives both inward and outward, judge with impunity, and thought myself better and more able to live a life pleasing to God and myself than most other people. Then, I began to grow up.

The word growing brings with it a sense of serenity but growing is painful. It is bursting through old barriers, going places that are uncomfortable and unknown, daring to die in order to live, braving the challenges and elements that surround you.

With growth comes the realization you cannot force others to change. You do not have that power. You cannot stop the world from spinning out of control. You don’t have that ability. You can’t even get past your own hurts, habits, and hangups most days. You, I, am a perfect example of imperfection.

Wisdom and knowledge. They are as different as night and day but compliment each other when embraced and allowed to exist mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact, please you.”
#ThomasMerton

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Contemplative, Contemplative Quotes

Leave a comment

Tags: #ability, #able, #actually, #ahead, #allowed, #barriers, #beginning, #believe, #believed, #better, #blessings, #braving, #Bursting, #certain, #challenges, #change, #compliment, #control, #daring, #day, #desire, #die, #different, #elements, #emotionally, #example, #exist, #fearing, #following, #force, #God, #growing, #growup, #habits, #hangups, #hurts, #idea, #imperfection, #impunity, #inward, #judge, #knowing, #knowledge, #life, #live, #LordGod, #mentally, #motives, #Myself, #night, #nothing, #order, #outward, #painful, #past, #perceive, #perfect, #pleasing, #possess, #power, #realization, #road, #sense, #serenity, #spinning, #spiritually, #surround, #think, #ThomasMerton, #through, #time, #uncomfortable, #unknown, #wisdom, World

Problems

Dec 16

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Problems –

There are three kinds of problems; those we can live with, those we can do something about and those we must separate ourselves from.

It’s the last one which gives us the most trouble. Living with something aggravating and, at least in the present moment, is unchangeable can be a challenge. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we can tolerate a lot. This approach can create more hassles if something needs to be changed and we lack the direction, motivation or passion to do something.

Taking control, bending problems to our will, throwing our shoulder into a problem is an attitude we find easy. There’s nothing like grabbing a difficulty by the throat and forcibly doing away with it, changing it to our liking. The risk here is we can make a situation worse if we are too hasty, too stubborn or not wise enough in our decision-making.

Leaving it, for most of us, takes the greatest strength. To be faced with a problem and not change it but change ourselves, how we approach it, takes courage and trust. When we put up with it we are sullen and prone to negative thoughts and spirits. When we take hold of it and wrestle with it, we feel we are in control. When we decide to let go, step back, allow the problem to exist and find contentment at the same time, we have reached a place of genuine spiritual and intellectual maturity.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #aggravating, #allow, #approach, #Attitude, #bending, #blessings, #challenge, #change, #changed, #contentment, #control, #courage, #create, #decide, #decision-making, #difficulty, #direction, #dosomething, #enough, #exist, #faced, #find, #forcibly, #Fortunately, #genuine, #grabbing, #greatest, #hassles, #hasty, #intellectual, #lack, #learn, #least, #Leaving, #letgo, #live, #livewith, #living, #maturity, #motivation, #obstacle, #ourliking, #ourselves, #passion, #place, #present, #problem, #problems, #prone, #reached, #shoulder, #situation, #spirits, #stepback, #strength, #stubborn, #sullen, #takehold, #three, #throat, #throwing, #tolerate, #trouble, #trust, #unchangeable, #unfortunately, #wear, #well, #will, #wise, #worse, #wrestle, moment, Negative, Separate, Spiritual, Thoughts

Abundance

Nov 8

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Abundance –

To be unselfish is the key to abundance. To not hold on to anything, desire anything, be covetous of anything or anyone. Abundance comes from being content and this comes from acceptance of all life brings our way.

Too often we see the lives of others or review our own lives and wish they would have turned out different brings suffering. These illusions only lead to pain and heartbreak. What we have received is only temporary. As hard as it is to accept this world only gives us transient treasures and trinkets. Whether it be people or things, our inability to control when and how they leave our lives is a lesson we need to learn.

Only eternal gifts last. When we are given them we may hold on to them as tightly as possible but to do this we must let go of what we hold dear that is not eternal. Transience is not evil. To love those who bring wonder, kindness, and love to our life is not wrong. However, it is a bittersweet connection because it is temporary. While this is painful to know and experience it also makes every moment more treasured.

Most of our lives are full of abundance but knowing they are not ours forever is the test of true life, true love, true wisdom.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life, Wisdom

Leave a comment

Tags: #abundance, #accept, #acceptance, #bittersweet, #connection, #content, #control, #covetous, #desire, #different, #eternal, #evil, #experience, #forever, #gifts, #heartbreak, #hold, #holdon, #illusions, #inability, #key, #kindness, #lesson, #letgo, #pain, #painful, #possible, #suffering, #temporary, #tightly, #transience, #treasured, #treasures, #trinkets, #truelife, #truelove, #truewisdom, #unselfish, #wonder, #wrong, love, moment, Review

Perspective

Nov 7

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for perspective

Perspective –

Beth and I were talking over the weekend about perspective. It amazes me as I get older the more control I lose and the greater perspective I gain. Whether it’s a few moments, days, months or years, our lives, which we like to plan, can come undone.

The world has never been predictable. I was speaking with a friend the other day about the instability which surrounds us. Our political systems, family and community systems, even our environment seems to be spinning out of control. Nothing, if it ever was, is normal nor inevitable.

Last night I read a quote from Eugene Peterson, a pastor, writer, and scholar. He writes;

“The whole of the spiritual life is learning to die.”

This quote resonated with my spirit and experiences over the last several years. Dying takes many forms. Death of all things is a given but we seem to organize our lives as if we might be the ones to escape the fate of everyone else. Death is not a negative word if you’ve learned to die. If you do not hold on treasures and trinkets, live each day as if it’s your last; being kind, grace-filled and loving, never putting off to an uncertain tomorrow what can be done now, in the present moment.

We are but sojourners on this path called life. We are not meant nor built to last for long. With this perspective; how we choose to be today could be how our transient life is remembered tomorrow.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: # moments, #amazes, #built, #Choose, #control, #days, #death, #die, #escape, #eugenepeterson, #experiences, #fate, #forms, #friend, #gain, #grace-filled, #greater, #inevitable, #instability, #kind, #lastday, #learned, #learning, #life, #lives, #lose, #loving, #months, #normal, #now, #older, #organize, #path, #perspective, #plan, #political, #predictable, #presentmoment, #quote, #remembered, #resonated, #scholar, #several, #speaking, #spinning, #spirit, #surrounds, #systems, #talking, #today, #tomorrow, #transient, #treasures, #trinkets, #uncertain, #undone, #whole, #writer, #years, Family, Community, Environment, Negative, Pastor, sojourners, Spiritual, World

Yielding

Oct 24

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for zen wisdom

Yielding –

I am not a mountain. Today I yielded to the wind.

When I first went outside this morning the air was still and cool. A few hours later I went out again to go to a luncheon and the wind was blowing wildly and powerfully. I knew quickly I would need a jacket. The wind was powerful, forcing me to lean into it as I made my way to the truck. The cool wind made quick work out of my jacket and soon and felt as though it wasn’t even there.

A young man spoke with me a few days ago. He’s been having a rough time and he’s at a loss of knowing what to do. He’s not a mountain either. The winds have made quick work of the ways he protects himself and is blowing him around with no anchor to tether to.

As we talked I helped him separate what he could do with what he had to accept. We aren’t mountains. When the winds come billowing we can feel at the mercy of them and to an extent this is true. However, there’s almost always something we can do. We might feel weak compared to the power that’s blowing against us but this doesn’t mean we are powerless.

Firstly we accept the storm, the wind, the hardship and challenge they bring. We cannot stop the wind but accepting it, respecting it, allows us to stop trying to control it. We don’t have that kind of power. Secondly, in the stillness of acceptance, we discover what we can do and we act. We might not be able to do all we want but we do all we can. We can lean into the wind.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

1 Comment

Tags: #able, #accept, #acceptance, #accepting, #allows, #billowing, #blowing, #challenge, #compared, #control, #discover, #extent, #hardship, #helped, #lean, #mercy, #mountains, #power, #powerless, #respecting, #stop, #storm, #talked, #true, #weak, #wind, #winds, Separate, Stillness

Missing

Oct 10

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for appointment

Missing –

This afternoon I received a cryptic message about meeting someone. I read it, checked my calendar, read the text again and checked my calendar again. I had no meeting scheduled. I went back into my emails and did a search and still couldn’t find any messages regarding the meeting and still couldn’t find anything. The sender of the message, however, had a picture of her calendar with my acceptance! There was no doubt the meeting was scheduled and I was supposed to be there. Unfortunately, I was in another county so was unable to make it. We rescheduled but I don’t like missing appointments whether they are or are not on my calendar.

It’s bothered me all afternoon. When I got home I checked my emails and calendars again but still didn’t locate anything regarding the meeting. The only thing I can figure is I have a new work phone and the first couple of days I was messing with it, trying to figure it out, I accepted the meeting and then somehow deleted it. I don’t know if this is happened and might not ever know.

Schedules, calendars, planning out our days is a necessary discipline. If we don’t at least attempt to live in an ordered manner the chaos of everyday life will take its toll. However, no matter how much control we think we possess when our calendars and schedules are in sync life has a way of surprising us with events and experiences that don’t fit our schedule and forces us to accept and adjust.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

1 Comment

Tags: #accept, #adjust, #attempt, #blessings, #calendars, #chaos, #control, #discipline, #everyday, #experiences, #forces, #least, #life, #live, #manner, #necessary, #ordered, #planning, #possess, #schedules, #surprising, #sync, #toll, Events

Spill

Sep 27

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for cup of bran flakes

Spill –

This morning I had an early appointment so fixed my breakfast to go. I like cereal but not milk so I put some bran flakes in a cup, mixed in raisins and was ready. I even put a top on the cup of cereal so I wouldn’t spill it. I hopped in the truck and was on my way. When I made it to the highway and would be going straight without turning, I popped open the tabs on my coffee cup and drank and reached down, carefully took the lid off the cereal and then lifted it up to begin munching on my homemade raisin bran. As I did I caught the top of the cup on the lip of the cover of the console between the seats. Before I knew it the cup had been knocked out of my hand, landed side ways between the seats, spilling the cereal underneath my seat. There was barely any left to eat. Sigh. So much for breakfast.

As I continued driving to my appointment the growl in my stomach was ferocious but didn’t have time to stop and grab a bite anywhere. I drank my coffee which helped and by the time I arrived at my location I had nearly forgotten the mess of the spilled cereal.

Life is about learning to let go of things we care about. It’s about dealing with and accepting that even those things which we take great care of are still, one day or moment, going to slip through our fingers. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”

The question becomes; “Can we let go when the time comes? Are we able to continue to travel the path even with grief and loss? Do we understand that losing control, our grip, on the things we treasure is part of the necessary experiences that allow us to fully be and feel alive?”

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

Leave a comment

Tags: #"if", #"when", ##continue, #able, #accepting, #alive, #allow, #blessings, #care, #control, #day, #dealing, #experiences, #feel, #fingers, #fully, #grief, #grip, #learning, #letgo, #life, #losing, #loss, #necessary, #path, #question, #slip, #treasure, #understand, #wisdom, moment, Travel

In Line

Jul 13

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

In Line –

This afternoon, on my way into town, I was in a line of traffic. About three cars in front of me a young man, hand out the window, smoking a cigarette, and in a hurry. He was “riding the bumper” of the car in front of him in spite of their being numerous cars in front of the object of his fury. I watched him and wondered; “Why? Why are you being an aggressive, desperate driver, when there are more cars in your way? Are you going to tailgate every car until you get in front of them all?” I knew the answer was probably; “yes if he could.”

I reflected on this man and the way our focus of life can be out of whack. When we go through a challenge, a difficult situation, we focus our intensity on the object in front of us. We blame it for our lack of peace and purpose. We think; “If I could just get this off my to-do list, remove that problem, rid myself of this habit, break off or begin this relationship, everything would get better.” The truth, however, is more poignant. If we do not have peace before we run into a challenge, overcoming it will not bring us peace. If there is no stillness inside prior to a relationship there will be none afterward. New job, friends, home, whatever, cannot bring us the sense of calm and wisdom we desire if we don’t acquire them deep inside by searching for them now.

“The only peace and wisdom you find at the top of the mountain you are climbing are what you bring with you” -Wisdom Proverb

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Contemplative

Leave a comment

Tags: #blessings, #challenges, #control, #difficulties, #find, #force, #inline, #mountain, #parable, #search, #whatyoubringwithyou, #wisdom, Peace, proverb, Stillness

TheWannabeSaint.com

…..a place for sojourners on this spiritual path called life

Blog Archives

Double Back

Would You like to Dance?

Storms

Gathering

A Picture is Worth…

Invasion

Driverless

Thoughts and Prayers

Don’t Resist

Idols and Illusions

On Demand

Change Myself

Problems

Abundance

Perspective

Yielding

Missing

Spill

In Line

Brian Loging, OSBO

@BrianLoging

Recent Articles

Selected Poems

explore TWS

TheWannabeSaint.com

…..a place for sojourners on this spiritual path called life

Blog Archives

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Share w/ Someone...

Like this:

Brian Loging, OSBO

@BrianLoging

Recent Articles

Selected Poems

explore TWS