The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

G L O R I O U S

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Sometimes you go to Church

without ever actually going

T     H     E     R     E

(and those are the most holy of times)

There are times when

You might feel aimless

And can’t see the places

Where you belong

But you will find that

There is a a purpose

It’s been there within you

All along

And when you’re near it

You can almost heart it

It’s like a symphony

Just keep listening

And pretty soon you’ll start

To figure out your part

Everyone plays a piece

And there are melodies

In each one of us

Ohhhhh it’s   G L O R I O U S

And you will know how

To let it ring out

As you discover

Who you are

Others around you

Will start to wake up

To the sounds that are

In their hearts

It’s so amazing

What we’re all creating

It’s like a Symphony

Just keep listening

And pretty soon you’ll start

To figure out your part

Everyone plays a piece

And there are melodies

in each one of us

Ohhhhh it’s  G L O R I O U S

And as you feel

The notes built

H I G H E R

You will see

It’s like a Symphony

Just keep listening

And pretty soon you’ll start

To figure out your part

Everyone plays a piece

And there are melodies

In each one of us

Ohhhhh it’s  G L O R I O U S

Sometimes you go to Church

without stepping into the front door

of even the most magnificent of

all sanctuaries.       .       .

on a brand new,

f   r  e  s  h

Monday Morning.          .          .

B E

T  H  A  T

S          A          N          C          T          U          A          R          Y

that simply

a  c  c  e  n  t  u  a  t  e  s 

another’s part

in the

s     y     m     p     h     o     n     y

and listen to how it

plays

inspires

motivates

new notes in you

that have yet to be

c     o     n     d     u     c     t     e     d

I  T ‘ S      

G     L     O     R     I     O     U     S

S I G H T E D

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ARE YOU BLIND?

I’m not asking you can you see. . .

ARE YOU BLIND?

What USUALLY makes us blind, isn’t our eyesight at all, is it?

What makes us Blind is the use of just two simple words:

CAN’T

or

WON’T

We usually intermix the Words which is not only a dangerous mistake, but also

B L I N D I N G

If ONLY. . .

WOW.     .     .

that’s another one of

T H O S E       P H R A S E S ,

h     u     h ?

I F     O N L Y

we wouldn’t mis-use
we wouldn’t mis-switch
we wouldn’t pay no mind to either:

Can’t or Won’t

How we would create
How we would make
How we would bring forth
How we would cease being Blind
How we would S E E

what’s not been displayed. . .

but is always in

C   L   E   A   R       S   I   G   H   T

and  more.   .   .

awaiting desperately to be

S       H       O       W       N

Have at it.   .   .

Paint the Picture

Use all of the Colors available and.   .   .

and remove from the Palette

the ugly hues

of CAN’T
or WON’T

Ahhhhhhh. . .

What a beautiful Picture,

See it?

ARE   YOU   BLIND?

It’s way, way past time for you to get

S          I          G          H          T          E          D

Two Buck Chuck

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IMG_0531

Well.  .  .

Now you know. . .

Now you know that I didn’t win the 1.6Billion-dollar PowerBall

and I’m fairly sure that no one who happens to have split those winnings three ways, is reading this either.

Now you know.  .  .

maybe what you know,

know that you know,

and bet your life that you know.  .  .

but for the life of you don’t act like you know

or. . .even recognize.

I didn’t fully

until this morning when I, like millions of others, found out that what

W          I          N          N          E          R          S

we really are.

I found out that the odds of winning were about 1 in 292 million, which we are told are to be worse odds of being mauled by a bear and being attacked by a shark and marrying a supermodel–

A L L     C O M B I N E D.

You know what my Two-Bucks bought me?

H O P E :

If you think about it–for two-bucks it’s a great deal, no matter what the odds.  I mean, come on, for just two-bucks, I bought a chance for 1.6 Billion dollars.  That’s a pretty great deal, isn’t it?  H O P E !  It took no skill, no special prayers, I was on equal ground with everyone else without nothing to do or with anyone to compete.

Two-bucks bought me

P E R S P E C T I V E:

The simple experience of playing and actually  l o s i n g  was worth it.  This two-bucks lasted longer than an amusement ride or a movie or a Broadway show; this  p e r s p e c t i v e  lasted for days as we dreamed about how we’d help people and actually change their lives; make dreams that have never been dreamt, come true.  It allowed for friendships and camaraderie and love as I joined other groups at church, at work, in the neighborhood  in buying tickets together; we even commiserated about  how it just wasn’t in the cards  for us to win, and like everyone else who bellied up to that PowerBall Bar, took the chance, anyhow–all that for being Two-Buck-Chuck.

You know what my Two-Bucks really bought me?

I had an awesome conversation with my son last weekend, one of so many other fantastic talks; I found out at in a matter of less than a week we were going to be grandparents to one of our daughters, first daughter, another daughter’s second expected baby, and another daughter’s engagement to be married; I am going to be celebrating thirty fast years of marriage to a woman who said   y e s   when the whole world and mostly myself was screaming,  N     O;  I’ve served four amazing churches in the past 36 years; companioned hundreds of terminally ill patients; supported their families; conducted hundreds of weddings and thousands of funerals; been befriended by people that can’t be created or imagined by Hollywood’s greatest writers.    .    .what’s the price tag on all of that?  Two bucks?  1.6 Billion?

Hmmmmmmmmmm of the DAY:

A L L     O F     T H I S     F O R

t w o   b u c k s.    .    .    .

Two-Buck-Chuck figures the odds of winning some 1.6 Billion dollars don’t stack up to the best two bucks I’ve spent countless times over–especially just right now–that’s gotten me to the point of where

I know. . .

I know that I know. . .

I bet my Life that I know. . .

what for the rest of my life I intend to act

LIKE   I   KNOW

(what’s really precious and priceless)

Y O U ?

It’s great being
W     I     N     N     E     R     S

Two-Buck-Chuck realizes   t h a t

(as do I now hope you do, too)

A Tiny Tree Lesson

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images

It’s amazing what you can see on a walk when you’re NOT LOOKING for anything in particular.

I don’t know if I discovered it, or if it found me.

A tiny tree.

A Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Sad. . .

Made sadder still, because it had already long shed it’s leaves while some of it’s close Brother and Sister trees just steps away where still clinging  colorfully  to their leaves.

I couldn’t help but to think that in it’s own small way, it had already done way early what all of the other trees are now doing less and less:

S  H  O  W  I  N  G      O  F  F      I  T ‘ S      C  O  L  O  R  S .

It made me look.

It made me see.

It made me stop.

It made me Wonder.

It made me write this:

Sometimes it’s the tiniest things that bring out the biggest impacts.

Don’t do today what is often done on other days:

O         V         E         R         L         O         O         K

Don’t overlook the tiny things today.

That small gesture.

That one kind word.

That small start.

That new beginning.

The often OVERLOOKED   U N D E R S E E N ‘ S.

The gentle whisper.

The light hand on the heavy shoulder.

Pssssssst: The tiny things might actually be the grandest things.

Even the smallest PEBBLE make RIPPLES. . . .

(that never really end.  .  . so much as not continued to be   n o t i c e d )

Be the tiny action

that provides big

everlasting impact(s)

B    E

The Drop

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images-3

Has it ever happened to You. . .?

Over the past twenty-five years of running, I’ve found lots of things on the road, books, love letters, liquor, cigars, packs of cigarettes, money from $5.00 all the way up to $5o.00.  In fact, the last time, I found about $30.00 that two girls had dropped after coming from the drug store. . .when I saw them retracting their steps and crying, literally crying about how much trouble they were about to get into for losing their mother’s money, I stopped them and asked,

“Did you lose any money?”

They both looked at me as if I had just dropped out of the sky from another planet.

“How much?”

They both said in unison, “Thirty dollars.”

“This looks like it might be yours,” I told them as I handed them the money.

I was shocked. . .when they both gave my sweaty body a big hug.

Now. . .it wasn’t quite as dramatic but it was as equally as powerful.

She was in line at Giant Eagle and she had already had paid for her groceries.

And then. . .then it happened.

She tossed her purse over her shoulder and out came her wallet and a nice wad of money.

She didn’t notice. . .

but me and a couple of guys in front of me  D I D.  .  .  .

They both looked back at me and one of them said, what we probably all three could have said:

“Dude. . .it sure is tempting, huh?”

And then he bent down and picked up the money and ran after the lady and gave it back to her.

Would you?

Have you?

Everyone would yell, “Y     E     S

But I just had a good friend, who runs a Landscaping Business, who had one of his employees be arrested after seeing someone drop their wallet and he picked it up and walked off with it–surveillance cameras

A R E    E V E R Y W H E R E,  

though. . .and they don’t blink.

Would you?

Have you?

I think of all of the things people have dropped. . .mistakenly. . .unnoticeably. . .

that haven’t been picked up

KEPT or RETURNED

as easy as a wad of money. . .

but. . . EVEN  much more valuable.  .  .  .

Look. . .literally  SEE 

Exactly what has been dropped right in front of you, you most likely never RECOGNIZED:

L O V E

K I N D N E S S

C O M P A S S I O N

H O P E

S T R E N G T H

____________________________.   .   .   .

The Drop 

happens everyday. . .

It’s the

Pick up we have the most trouble. . .

or determining what’s

TRASH  or  TREASURE

“

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Unknown

Ok, I will unabashedly date myself and ask NOT for forgiveness.

I remember IT all…the Beatles hitting the USA and the Ed Sullivan Show and the Songs. . .my, my, my, all of the great music they wrote, shared and shaped a generation.

Now, before we go too far, I’m not a Beatle-maniac. Like them, Love them, but not adore or idolize them.

And as for all of the vast Trivia, no, by no means am I even remotely astute…but I know a little and actually am unaware of lots.

So, hearing this story this past week as we approach their 50th anniversary of the Sullivan show, was a little enlightening for me, and now, hopefully, you.

It has to do with VISION!

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Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man