Category: Growth

It Can’t Be!! 


I heard the news just an hour ago, The Great Paul O’Neill has passed away. I guess he was battling some illness. He was 61, far too young to pass away, right? But, his legend lives on.

I remember my first TSO show. At The Historic State Theater. Of course, Trans Siberian Orchestra always does meet and greets with any fan that wishes to meet them afterward. They will stay until every single fan has been greeted. And yes, even Paul O’Neill.

I will never forget the first time I met him. The entire group was lined along a great table. My best friend and I had just seen Beethoven’s Last Night. Paul O’Neill and I struck up a conversation with the narrator of the show. I mentioned how I wanted his job, and Mr. O’Neill jokingly said, ‘Well, Maybe someday, but he is doing really well for us right now.’ 

I still cannot believe the founder of TSO is gone at 61. Thank God we still have Dick Dale, even though I don’t believe he is touring anymore.

Rest In Peace, Mr. O’Neill.

Learning On Faith

Learning On Faith

I am not who I once was. I am not even the same person I was when I began writing this sentence. With every word I write on this page, I become someone new. New thoughts emerge. New ideas blossom into keystrokes on the keyboard. They, in turn, move into words, and thoughts, and phrases. 

It has been said that every day we are learning. I believe that is true, but I wish to break it down further. Every moment we change. Every moment we grown and we learn. As you read these words new thoughts are emerging from you. Because of this one blog post you are now a changed person with more knowledge. You have learned my thoughts, if nothing else. 

Every moment is new from the one before. Every moment we grow older and often times we learn from our experiences. But will we ever experience the exact same experience twice? No. Time and learning marches on. Even if we experience the same situation a thousand times we are still different every time it occurs. 

Life is a series of infinite learning experiences. Although, in the grand scheme of Eternity, they indeed are not infinite. One day, we will have all the answers to our questions. Until then, we will keep on learning on faith. 

I Have Seen Things!!

I Have Seen Things!!

It is no coincidence that today’s Daily Post Word is Eyes. I am on a trip in Northern Minnesota with a couple amazing friends (who are getting married and want to get married up here) and my beautiful bride. 

Today we started out slow, but by ten a.m. we were out the door and waiting at the gate of The Lake Superior Zoo. Definitely an impressive thing to visit if you are in the area. They experienced some flooding in 2013 and are still in the recovery process of that. But, they still have an amazing selection of things to see. Have you ever actually seen the eye of the tiger? Today, I literally got to look eye to eye with one!! Lemurs, lizards and spiders exhibits all got our hearts racing. And then we entered the night! 


It took a few minutes for our eyes to adjust, but the sites to see in the nocturnal exhibit were amazing!! Bats, and cute, fuzzy four-legged animals that look cuddly, but know how to hold their own in the darkness of the wild can be seen! As we exited the darkness we wandered to a souvenir penny machine that gave out engraved, flattened pennies commemorating the zoo. Peacocks, a bald eagle and cranes are available for all bird lovers. And I got to witness what I can only imagine Bugs Bunny would look like as a real bunny at 22 pounds!! 


There is so much to see at The Great Lakes Zoo that you have to experience it yourself. I recommend the zoo, but bring your walking shoes and if you are in a wheelchair like me, make sure your arms are in good shape for all the paved hills. 


Or, ride in style. But if you are in Duluth, Minnesota, make sure to visit The Lake Superior Zoo. It will be a memorable experience with many great species of animals. There is even a petting zoo for those who wish to get up close. Check them out online at www.lszooduluth.org and plan your visit soon!! 

Lost Again. 

Lost Again. 

Image from a Google.com search for ghosts are demons which lead to http://www.spectralintelligencesolutions.com 

Today’s Daily Prompt Word is Ghost and once again, I am lost on how to write about this word. I used to have a huge draw towards ghosts and the paranormal. I still enjoy things that are unexplained, but for me, ghosts are explained. 

In my honest, not highly educated on the subject, opinion, ghosts are demonic presences (Stacy, is presences a word?). God created this world and Satan really wants control of it. When a person says they have seen a ghost, for me, 99.9% of the time I can honestly say I believe it to be a demonic presence that is manifesting in the known world. 

Our world is full of things we know. Our world is full of the things we don’t know. And when we are truly honest with ourselves, we must admit there are things in this world, in our daily lives, that we don’t even know that we don’t know. Spirituality and how things really occur in God’s eyes is in this area. We believe in what we don’t see and we call it faith. 

We try to explain things so we can understand, but the truth is, we will never full understand every single morsel of everything this universe (or multiverse if you prescribe to that camp) has to offer. Ever. Only The creator can know all that and He chooses what to allow our human brains to conceive. 

All of the scientific and spiritual breakthroughs of the past few centuries were no mistake. And they were not out of God’s thoughts. There are things we currently know. There are things we currently don’t know. And, like I said, there are things we don’t know that we don’t know. 

I have changed a lot in my Christian Journey and if I am honest, I am not fully there yet. I still fail daily. Until I am so wrapped up in a relationship with Jesus Christ that nothing else matters except what He will have me do in this world, I am still learning. But, one thing I can tell you that He has taught me, ghosts are nothing more than demons Satan brings to entice us into a lower world where everything looks fun, sometimes scary, but we are enticed nonetheless. When we see something we really want to look into, we must ask ourselves, ‘Is this really something God wants for me? Or will it make me a ghost of my former better self?’ Satans demise will often be wrapped up in our greatest wants and desires and it is nothing more than a ghostly trap set to enslave us. Be careful of the ghosts in life, my friends. They can often trap you in a Devil’s Grasp. 

Imagine this.

Imagine this.

Imagine something with so much depth and width and then multiply it times Eternity. Do you have a number in your mind? 

If you have a number in mind, you do not yet understand the Love AND Grace AND Forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. So many think they have this all figured out, we don’t! There is so much depth to God we cannot humanly explain Him. It all needs to be taken on Faith. 

Now THAT is depth! 

The Invitation. 

The Invitation. 

https://youtu.be/optKwlC4Yxg
Jesus Christ ate a last supper with His disciples. He ate many meals with many different people. It wasn’t always a feast, but when Jesus was there it was always something special. 

Today He wants to invite YOU to a feast! Heaven is going to be awesome! And the only way you will get there is to be on the invitation list through Jesus Christ. Will you take this invitation and come join the feast? 

The Last Supper

The Last Supper

Image from http://www.quotesgram.com

Feast or Famine

Have or Have Not

Live or Die

Day or Night 

Black or White

Why must we ALWAYS live our lives in one of two extremes? It makes no sense! God has provided enough for all. God gave all in His Only Son, Jesus Christ. 

How about a new comparison? 

Greed or Grace. You either take more than you need or you give what you don’t truly need so others can have some. What’s wrong with that ideal? 

Jesus lived, died and rose again so we all can join in the feast. Are you willing to come to the table?