Doug In a Bottle

For as long as I can remember I’ve had this need to know how things work. This need is irrevocably linked with an aptitude for knowing how things work. Software, hardware, gears, pistons, whatever, its all the same. Moving parts that do things. If you know what those things are supposed to do you can fix the machine they live in or maybe even make the machine work better than it already does. Hi, my name is Doug and I’m an addict. I have to fix things. Complexity doesn’t really matter . My father taught me two things that govern every other lesson. 1. Fear the Lord. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…” Proverbs 9:10 2. You can do anything you put your mind do. Anything . I was talking with a coworker the other day about the last batmobile. He would say something about how cool a feature was and I’d explain how it worked. After a bit it occurred to him I knew an awful lot about this odd little subject so he asked “how do you know so much about this...

The Lord has blessed my house immeasurably. I have a beautiful wife and son. Everyone is healthy. I have a great job that the Lord uses to provide for my family's every need. Still, though, He blesses us more than that. We have comfort, full bellies, and laughter. Through sorrow He pours out a deluge of grace resulting in a thick somber coat of joy. In our afflictions He is sufficient and in the hour of our trouble He is our Rock. Do not bother with keeping up with the Joneses else you might miss the fact that we aren't keeping up the pace. It is Christ who carries us atop His shoulders through the sunshine and storm alike. Do not look to us. Look to Christ your King .

I am an alien. I don’t mean that in an extraterrestrial way or even that I’m some super special bright and shining star. I mean, I’m the odd man out. Not with some deep seated noble core like some hero in a fairy tale. I’m a wretch saved by the grace of God and the only good things I’ve ever done is what He CAUSED me to do. Let’s get that right out there in the open straight away shall we? I’m an alien in the way I can’t help but stand in stark contrast to the world around me. I don’t try to be, I just am. The world flows and I’m the river stone. Maybe I’ll get smoother but I’ll always be there. The culture in which I live has a list of cardinal sins. It has replaced the first four commandments with one: Thou Shalt Not Offend. We’ve thrown out covet and lust, those are old fashioned. Don’t murder or steal is “mutually beneficial” so we’ll hang on to those. …but whatever you do… don’t offend. In fact being offended is automatically being insulted, even though ...