Give me life or give me death, but don't give me the in-between.


We either want things alive, healthy and vibrant. Or else we prefer them dead. We do not want to watch something or someone suffering and hanging on for life. Nor do we want to look on at a loved one struggling to breathe or enduring pain. We want life, abundant and full. Or our second choice is death.


Don't give us the in-between struggles of trying to stay alive. We desire life that is not incapacitated with a disease. Let me live or let me die, but don't let me dwell in a world of uncertainty where life and death battle over my body. If there be such a war, let it be short.


We can't stand the not knowing. We want closure. We want to finish. None of us want to linger in a body wracked with pain. Nor do we desire to travel the road of emotions going from the valley of fear to the village of loneliness to the crossroads of anger. We want to be free to live or free to die, but don't confine us as an inmate in a prison of tubes, needles, diapers, and drugs.


Listen to the soon-to-be widow, "Die, Martin, die! Oh Martin, I love you! Live, Martin, live! Oh Martin, how could you do this to me? To the children? Oh God, where are You?" Give us life or give us death, but don't leave us here where our only hope is to survive. Our hearts cry out for life.


And yet . . . how sacred is this moment of suffering. In the days of weariness and pain, we have the opportunity to do something otherwise denied us. It is to give, serve, comfort, and love like nothing else - no reservations or hesitations. In the time of pain, love has no fear or bounds. The moment of long-lived suffering is an unforgettable moment because it is the moment when the power of love enters the experience. We & our departed will look back on the day with gratitude and contentment knowing that we did all that could be done. We will know we loved and were loved and beyond love, what matters anyway? For "the greatest of these is love."


And so maybe I can endure this time of disappointment. Perhaps I will choose to have joy in the face of suffering because when will I ever have the chance to give myself away & love like this again? Oh Lord, in the days of prolonged suffering, may Your love within me rise to the surface and make its presence clearly known.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I know of no better words to give you than the words of a song by Cindy Morgan called "How Could I Ask For More?". Perhaps you've heard the tune. It is quite a powerful statement about being content and deeply grateful for the simple pleasures of life that I take for granted. Hope it's inspiring to you. It is to me. You can listen to it on itunes.

There's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon
Waking to the sunlight, and being cradled by the moon
Catching fireflies at night Building castles in the sand
Kissing Mama's face goodnight Holding Daddy's hand
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

Running barefoot through the grass A little hide and go seek
Being so in love, that you can hardly eat
Dancing in the dark, when there's no one else around
Being bundled 'neath the covers, watching snow fall to the ground
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

So many things I thought would bring me happiness
Some dreams that are realities today
Such an irony the things that mean the most to me
Are the memories that I've made along the way

So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong
Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord How could I ask for more

May your Thanksgiving truly be that - "Thanks Giving". I hope that you will take time in the next week or so to simply look around & see the abundance in spite of the losses you may have experienced.

Just when you think you have figured out the "evil" of the internet and young people, you have to go back to school. I read the following info from an article at http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1678586,00.html by Bill Tancer.

Perhaps a more interesting — and more accurate — way to figure out where college students are going online is to assess which of the 172 web categories tracked by Hitwise get the most hits from 18- to 24-year-olds. Here's a shocker: Porn is not No. 1. I've actually been puzzled by the decrease in visits to the Adult Entertainment category over the last two years. Visits to porn sites have dropped from 16.9% of all site visits in the U.S. in October 2005 to 11.9% as of last week, a 33% decline. Currently, for web users over the age of 25, Adult Entertainment still ranks high in popularity, coming in second, after search engines. Not so for 18- to 24-year-olds, for whom social networks rank first, followed by search engines, then web-based e-mail — with porn sites lagging behind in fourth.

Imagine that. Among those described as sex-crazed and quickest-to-jump-in-bed is a phenomenon. When they have the choice to view either a scantily clad individual or IM their friends, they choose the latter. It's a generation that is hungry to belong. They want to integrate their lives with others. They are living in authenticity and community. Young adults are living life together - via the internet. They've been able to go beneath the superficialities of sex and to experience life at its fullest - true & meaningful relationships.

Maybe those of us who think the next generation has one foot already in hell need to step back and take a deeper look. It seems that age group has begun to recognize what their fathers have not recognized. (Currently, for web users over the age of 25, Adult Entertainment still ranks high in popularity, coming in second, after search engines.) It seems that while the parents may be still driven by sex, the children are driven by love - genuine, meaningful, committed love. The love of God, perhaps?