Sparks from the Fire

Easter approacheth. That usually means Spring. That definitely means rejuvenation. Sum total: renewal of heart, mind and life.

Easter brings hope. At its base is the hope and proof of life eternal. For those of us who love this life even with all its struggles (and that’s probably 99.99% of the folks on the planet) the hope of life eternal is very real. It’s built into our struggle to survive, a baby’s first cry and breath, an old man’s lingering death rattle just before passing on.

(more…)

Check out It’s All About The Mouth – Part 1 in case you missed it.

I’m not what one might call a big talker.  As I get older, I talk less and less.  It’s not that I have nothing to say; it’s just that I think I get a lot more out of life by being a better listener.

So at social gatherings of friends and families I’m usually the guy who has the least to say.  You wouldn’t know it by my blog posts.  I know, I’m a bit long winded in my stories and I’m constantly advised to make things shorter.  I’ll give it a shot, but I don’t really know if that’s me as a writer.

They say that nobody has time to read anymore, so keep it short.  And yet look at the success of the Kindle.  Somebody out there is still doing a lot of reading.

Perhaps it’s you to whom I’m talking.

In creative meetings I learned long ago to be the guy who has little to say at the beginning of the meeting when listening to everybody else is important.  Then when it’s time to summarize or in fact come up with the concept, I’m usually the guy who can synthesize all the ideas together into a concept that everybody agrees with because I’ve been the guy who’s been listening.  The process works.

(more…)

If you missed the first part of this series, go to The Spirit of Christmas – Part 1

Christmas Eve
As a Sunday School teacher for some 25 years, I used to tell my kids, “Thanksgiving is not about eating turkey, Easter is not about the Easter bunny and Christmas is not about Santa Claus.”  As hard as those lessons were to get across to a young boy, my parents, Dolly and Lyman, worked constantly to instill the proper concepts in both my brother and me.

I think, remembering back, that they were both pretty smart about it.  In the build of anticipation towards Christmas morning, they kept Christmas Eve as the sacred occasion.  It was not a night of opening presents, usually just one and that one a boring one like socks from Nana or underwear from Uncle Dick.  There was always last minute wrapping involved, but always, the greater portion of the evening was spent discussing or exploring the true meanings of Christmas.

The birth of Jesus was not forgotten.  It was my mom who made sure of this.  We were not allowed to go out to parties and out with our friends.  This was a family night and a night for only family.  I never minded this.  It was just the way it was done.  Besides, I loved being with my family.  My brother was my hero, my mom was always my best friend and my dad was, well… Dad.  They were always enough.

(more…)

If you missed the first part of this series, go to The Spirit of Christmas – Part 1

Christmas Morning
As a boy, going to sleep Christmas Eve and waking up Christmas morning were always agonizing.  First of all, it was impossible to get to sleep at night knowing that Santa would soon be coming down the chimney, and then the slightest noise or light would wake me up way too early several hours later and I would lie there in agony waiting for Mom and Dad to rise – usually early for them around 6:30 AM.

My brother, Jim, and I were not allowed to place one foot out of the bed on Christmas morning until Mom and Dad “woke” us and OK’d our rising. Then teeth were brushed, beds were made and robes were donned with hearts a’pounding as Dad would be the first to go downstairs and put on the Christmas music and announce with great surprise that, in fact, it looked like Santa had been there a few hours before.

I was always in the bathroom first before Jim and then had to wait the interminable wait for him to brush.  I swear he took more time than usual just to drive me crazy.  Then I learned to play my little game with myself.

We had a two story cathedral-roofed living room with a small balcony on the second floor overlooking the living room big enough for maybe 3 people to stand.  If I were to stand there Christmas morning and look down upon our Christmas tree I would be able to see stacks of presents, perhaps a new bike with bow, perhaps a new addition to my drum set and definitely the whole shebang.

(more…)

If you missed the first part of this series, go to The Spirit of Christmas – Part 1

Blue Ribbon Christmas
I grew up in an upper-middle class family in Kirkwood, Missouri living in a beautiful stone house with a green tile roof a half a block from Greenbriar Hills Country Club.  Our back yard, beyond our lilac bushes, was the 11th fairway of the golf course where in the summer, we played baseball till it was so dark that the ball was lost the minute you hit it into the outfield.  In the fall the golf course became the perfect football field and in winter the snow on the golf course hills made the tobogganing wild and wooly.

Most of the homes in Greenbriar were situated on the golf course and the community was close, friendly and laid back.  I prided myself in knowing the family names of the people in every house in Greenbriar.

(more…)

If you missed the first part of this series,
go to The Spirit of Christmas – Part 1

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Long ago and far away, even before the days of Watchfire Music, I was a child growing up on a little street in a little Mid-western town, born in the USA.  Like many of you, life was sweet and simple, filled with promise and, especially at this time of year, touched with the expectancies of Christmas.

Each year the build-up to that day of days was filled with many different elements: the buying of presents, the making of a list for Santa of childish dreams, the preparation of our house for the Holiday season, and, of course, the buying and decoration of the Christmas tree.

(more…)

Well, here it comes.  Now that my son, Dustin, is grown, Christmas does not hold the same twinkle of the eye, the same excitement, but it does have a way of roaring back in flashes.  Putting together Watchfire Music’s beautiful new Christmas compilation CD, “Joy To The World” was my first real hot flash this year because it reminded me of all those Christmas pasts and struck such a chord in my heart’s memory.

If you want to consider this a blatant ad, go ahead, but we’re very proud of this new WFM Inspirational CD.  It’s just full of great and poignant memories and new focuses on this special time of year.  For $6.95, people, it’s a great deal.  Take my word.

On top of it all we’re adding just today a brand new WFM feature called SEND TO A FRIEND.  Here you’ll be able to take advantage of this new feature that enables you to quickly send any of our CDs along with a beautiful personalized Christmas card to all the friends and family on your shopping list. They’ll receive the gift the same day you buy it and you won’t have to pay any shipping charges!

(more…)