Weather

 Reminds me of speech exercise in acting.

Peaking of rough, enduring extreme pain internal/external and exhausting shall we say, both ends pretty much sums it up.

Working through the pain/attack bit by bit will lead to that refreshment Jesus guarantees.  Sometimes instant, often bit by bit in return, it arrives at a conclusion.  Remains to be seen if it's what one envisions.  Fast and slow to the end.  Or beginning.

And self awareness comes in surprising even occasionally amusing doses.  

It's a partnership with what and how we weather.

In passing (literally and figuratively), I'll recite that exercise.

'Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot, we'll weather whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.'

Beards

 Not that kind of beard lol.

Simply a beard grown back in the day.

It was the fashion and I didn't think about it.  Kept it trimmed and clean of course.

My bro was a good guy but uptight.

He was afraid customers would see it and reject our services.

He gave me an ultimatum.  Shave or get fired.

I went in the bathroom and mulled.  I walked out with beard.

He said a current customer would tell us something.

That something never happened.  DB didn't care long as we did our job.

Such a simple, silly thing.  

Our Great Grandmother said it's who you are not what you are.

I just grew a beard and let my hair get a little long.

It's the tude dude!

Rough Stuff

 Nobody said it was easy.

Well, they did, but the rough stuff comes first.

Paul speaks of being crucified with Christ.  It's old life over, new life begins.  He rose.  We rise with him.

Easy?  Rough but once done it's a start.

The world hated Him first.  And it hates us because we follow Him.

You figure out what the 'world' means.

We are not austere.  We are right here.  It's what we do that counts.  

A life of faith is constantly renewed.  It must be nurtured.  And we must do.

We don't twiddle our thumbs and say lah dee dah.

We get down where the rubber hits the road and with God's power in our faith, we do.  We proclaim, heal, expel and nurture.

It's rough.

But Jesus says, 'Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will refresh you'.  Not easy, but easier.

The darkside tries to despair and isolate us.

NO!

God helps miraculously and through people.

Fear not.

Reach out.  We meet you and even seek you.

Rough/easier.

Bs

 He was a housepainter.

At least when I met him, he was painting a house.

A former Lutheran pastor, brought up in the church, he left, finally tired of 'policy'.  Not all Lutherans were so inclined.  Yet, for some, a regulated structure replaced church function.  This affected how people expressed their faith.  Leftist dialog usurped parishes, leaving behavior filtered through its socio-political lens.

B revolted against this.  He chose conscience and quite actually imitated Dr Luther many centuries ago.  

He chose an independent group.  This, by no means eschewed education.  

He simply didn't 'put on airs' and preached and ministered to many.  

When I met him, he simply was painting houses.

He never abandoned faith.

The man had remarkable reach and inspired many to walk in Jesus' ways.  

He had his own business and a full family life as well as making many friends.

B was quintessential humility for he accepted his work whether painting a house or counseling the troubled.

He never basked in his vast educational achievements.  They were simply part of him and coalesced.

Certain denominations could learn a lot from this.

Decide what's important and do it.

Not me, me, me.

But Thee, thee, thee.