Archive for the ‘Intention’ Category

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Being Busy or Seeing Progress?

November 25, 2025

My mom’s younger brother, Uncle Doyle, passed along to me his love of the comic strip Pogo. Walt Kelly was insightful and witty. In one cartoon, Pogo the possum notes, “Having lost sight of our objectives, we redoubled our efforts.”

Much software development happened because they could do it, not because it was good for society. Take for instance monitoring applications. Especially used during Covid when people had to work from home, managers could see how busy their employees were. Not necessarily how productive, but busy, for sure.

A recent The Pump Club Newsletter noted, “Busyness becomes a performance. We confuse activity for accomplishment because slowing down feels uncomfortable. Stillness can feel like failure.”

The reality? “But ask anyone who’s truly built something, whether their health, a business, a relationship, or a legacy. Progress doesn’t come from frantic motion. It comes from directed motion. Fewer things done with more intention. Effort pointed in the right direction.”

What are you working on? Health? Fitness? Prayer or meditative life? Service? Study?

One day at a time with intention doing what you need. Choose your direction, follow the path.

Movement can be a treadmill. Progress is a path. One keeps you occupied; the other gets you somewhere. 

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When a Small Group Seeks Power

November 20, 2025

Often throughout human history a small group (usually men) gather and think that they are somehow endowed with the wisdom to tell everyone else how to live.

Jesus opposed the Jewish religious establishment of his time.

Plato wrote an essay called The Republic wherein he argues that government should be run by a small group of philosophers—because philosophers of his time pursued the “truth” and were therefore wise. Unfortunately, not all people who think they know the truth are also wise.

Throughout a large chunk of the history of Europe, the small group was composed by clerics.

Sometimes it is a group of the very wealthy.

Jesus looked at everyone who through some situation became wealthy or politically powerful or held religious power and asked a simple question—what is the status of your heart? 

I have others to expand on that. Where is your focus? Do you have the humility to lead well? Can you handle your wealth for the benefit of the community?

Do not listen to mere words. Evaluate their actions. Seek the status of their heart.

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Prophetic Action Plan

November 13, 2025

“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”

Thus opens the document we call the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah proceeds to speak to the kings (and the people) words that God gave him. He takes the next several paragraphs detailing the evil ways of the people of Judah (which had split with Israel thanks to the stupidity of Solomon’s son).

I’ll not document all that right now. We can translate to today the idea of what and how do we worship and acknowledge God. Is our worship of prayers and offerings consistent with the intent of God or is it not performed with the right orientation of the heart?

Let us look at the prescription that God offers followers spoken through Isaiah. Pay attention. Look at the verbs.

  • Cease to do evil,
  • Learn to do good,
  • Seek justice,
  • Correct oppression,
  • Bring justice to the fatherless,
  • Plead the widow’s cause.

I am convicted—where have I learned to do good? Do I seek justice for everyone? How am I working to correct oppression? Where can I bring justice and peace to the oppressed of society?

Think on your own situation. You and I, we cannot do it all. But we can do something. What is it we can do today?

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Posted in Awareness, Disciplines, Doing, Intention, Justice | Leave a Comment »

Who Are You?

October 24, 2025

No, I’m not leading into the song by The Who.

You sense a desire to change.

Perhaps you looked into a mirror and thought you wanted to look better. Lose weight. Be more fit.

Perhaps you look with envy at those people who look so happy serving at a food pantry or making meals for people in shelters or just being kind and generous.

You make a list of habits that you will certainly develop.

It fails.

Better this.

I am an exerciser.

I am a person who exercises portion control at meals.

I am a meditator.

I am a generous person.

I am kind.

Decide with intention who you are. You will find that you do the things that come naturally to that sort of person.

And you won’t have Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey asking who are you!

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Posted in Attitude, Intention | Leave a Comment »

Embracing the Cold

October 9, 2025

Sometimes in the winter when the outside temperature is below 20 F, I pull on an appropriate coat heading outside for a walk. 

I find myself tensed up as if to fight off the cold. Then I remember that my coat is rated for this temperature. I relax my shoulders. Shake my arms. Embrace the joy of a brisk winter walk.

We find ourselves at times in life tensed. Our shoulders tight. Hands in a fist. Perhaps leaning forward. Perhaps abdomen tight.

Then we inhale deeply. Shrug and drop our shoulders. Move our arms. Allow the belly to expand and contract with breath.

We relax into our day.

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Be Like Jesus?

September 23, 2025

I know a guy whose T-shirt reads, “Jesus took naps; be like Jesus.”

I can go with that.

Someone recently told me that his favorite divisive political commentator was like Jesus for he “tells it like it is directly.”

I wouldn’t compare any politician (choose your flavor) to Jesus. His message was to turn Roman culture on its head. Instead of every relationship being based on power, Jesus based relationship on love. Not sentimental love. Not necessarily tough love. But love all the same.

People who spread hate and divisiveness (choose your flavor) could use an infusion of Jesus’ type of love. 

Can you disagree without being disagreeable?

Can you live without hate?

Can you accept that people are different from you?

I know it’s hard. Nobody said following Jesus was easy.

Posted in Awareness, Compassion, Intention | Leave a Comment »

Learning Through Overcoming Incompetence

August 15, 2025

My music life began with percussion lessons at about 8 or 9. I was in the University of Cincinnati band a year. Feeling percussion was a bit awkward to move around with, I taught myself guitar from books and friends.

My practice slipped for a few years for several reasons among which were moving and Covid.

Then I did a little performing discovering that a few years off from both playing and singing causing major negative effects.

I also have a hereditary condition (prominent among those of Irish and Nordic descent, and I have Irish ancestors) called Dupuytren contracture. Hardening stiffness of the tendons of the hand cause fingers to contract. My case is mild. The massage therapist helps. I picked up guitar seriously again as a method of stretching my hand.

Starting again was not like riding a bike. My mind said it knew hundreds of chords and patterns and progressions. My hands said, “What???”

  • First, I had to admit incompetence.
  • Then, I found an online teacher.
  • Following his advice, I developed an intentional practice.
  • Before anything, I added Farmer’s Carry to my resistance training routine. I grab a 40 lb. dumbbell in each hand, stand upright, walk for about 60 seconds. It strengthens grip, lower arms, and abs.
  • Then I pick up and tune the guitar each time. I can mostly do it by ear.
  • A series of scales stretch fingers, strengthen the pinkie finger, and practice proper finger placement.
  • Next are a series of practicing difficult chord changes over and over.
  • I finish with chord progressions for a series of songs.
  • Practice bled over to singing bringing a return to breath support, stop forcing, find natural voice.

Why all this detail? This bleeds over into spiritual practice. It’s all about doing things intentionally.

  • Admit incompetence realizing that dashing off a few thoughts called prayer doesn’t bring me closer to God.
  • Meditate with intention (I’ve had teachers, but I found a new online teacher).
  • Read with intention—not just to get in a number of words but to intentionally discover what Jesus wants me to learn from the reading.
  • Spend time in nature on walks thinking/reflecting.
  • Find an avenue of service (spiritual practice is not all internal, it must include serving others).

Posted in Disciplines, Growth, Intention, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Finding the Simple Path

July 15, 2025

We had a vision of a ministry to support people who had certain needs.

Simple. We copy from other ministries that people knew. We listened to someone with myriad ideas, powerful personality, a well thought out, yet complexly structured, ministry.

Not so simple.

We began soon discovering life doesn’t fit complex theories.

We found the path, the simple path, the path that led some toward health.

Isn’t that like our lives? We try to live by following complex theologies or philosophies. It really doesn’t work. We still haven’t found a life imbued with the fruit of the spirit. 

Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Aren’t these the qualities of life we seek? Not through following complex theologies and philosophies. It’s the simple life in the Spirit.

Maybe pick one for the day. Perhaps try to intentionally be kind to yourself this morning and then to everyone and everything you meet along the way.

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Choose Community Wisely

May 21, 2025

Parents know to observe carefully the friends their adolescents hang out with. Their friends have greater impact on the youth than parents at this stage.

The online community we hang out in, if we so choose to spend time in “social media,” impacts our thoughts and, indeed, our life. 

Belief is born when we combine community with emotion.

Choose your community online or in person wisely. You can be sucked into a vortex of conspiracy theories and negativity. Or you can find generous people who relate with kindness and build each other up.

We think we have free will and will make up our own minds. But often we get drawn a bit at a time into a life we would not have chosen.

Develop the power of reflection and awareness. Choose your friends and direction with intention not by osmosis.

Posted in Awareness, choosing, Intention | Leave a Comment »

Why Do I?

March 27, 2025

A flock of blackbirds populates the leafless tree of late winter.

One, for no observable reason, flies away.

The flock follows.

Why?

Likewise, why do I sometimes get up and move later wondering where I was going?

Why do I spontaneously say awkward things?

Why do I make a spontaneous unnecessary purchase?

Why did I grab that doughnut at the last meeting?

Some people say they just want to be left alone to do their own thing.

Are they consciously exercising rational free will?

Or, do we fly off like the flock of blackbirds spontaneously following some unknown leader?

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