Some thoughts

Well, I have been waiting for a chance to spend a few minutes to put my thoughts down. It has been a busy couple of days including a day trip to Boston, MA yesterday. Which brings up one of my first thoughts....

As my plane was speeding down the Buffalo airport runway early yesterday morning it was so windy that I actually felt turbulence before we even took off. I remember the plane rocking back and forth as we picked up speed to take off. Then as the plane was pointed up cutting into the sky it was rocking back and forth very hard because of the strong winds. Of course my mind is thinking that we are probably right over the spot in Clarence where flight 3047 went down and I wondered for a brief moment if we were going to be the next flight down.

Then, almost as clear as a bell I had this thought...I cannot do anything at this moment to control this plane. I need to sit here and trust the pilots... I was glad it was early and dark out because at that moment tears filled my eyes as the thought came to mind...this is my life. I gave God control of everything and though at time it feels like I am going to fall out of the sky He knows more about this "plane" than I ever will. I need to sit back and trust him.

So later on after a productive day I was having dinner in downtown Boston with my bosses. I love having seafood whenever I am in Boston so they took me to one of the best Seafood restaurants in Boston. I had a great time with the 2 owners of my office...almost too good. I wondered what kind of witness I was for Christ as I laughed at some of their "off color" jokes, had a glass (or 2) of wine and took no opportunity to share any of my faith. Was I wrong? I wondered on the way home. They know I am "different" and "religious" but beyond that am I just like them? Was that the time to be a "stick in the mud"? Since my bosses spent almost $300 on dinner for the 3 of us was it wrong for me to be just "one of the guys" last night?

I thought about that for part of the plane ride home. Of course I spent most of the flight talking to the guy next to me! But I spent most of the drive home from the airport at 11 PM thinking about that. They know I have integrity. They trust me with a credit card that I use for my expenses and I do not take advantage of that. All of my dealing with customers and even competitors has been honorable for the last 4 months and God has blessed that. I work on my own out here in Buffalo and I am always in my office or on the road first thing in the morning and I work all day even though there is no boss watching the clock. And they know that too.

Is watching my life and the way I am running their office in Buffalo enough right now?? I remember people at my former company asking me if I was religious. Of course I would say yes and ask them why they thought that. They would say..well you just act like a religious person. I think actions speak louder than words but is that enough?? When is it right to speak up?

In Pastor Jeff's Sunday school class we are reading and digging into II Peter. We are supposed to ask some questions about the book and take one of those questions and really dig into it. Since Peter brought up the life of Lot and how he lived with the wicked men in Sodom and Gomorrah the question that popped into my mind was "how did Lot stay righteous in such a wicked city?" or better yet "how come none of the people were changed by his life?" Peter said Lot was a righteous man...why didn't his life change others around him?? Something I will be digging into soon.

Just some thoughts going around in my tired mind right now...