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IRISH ED MAHAN HAS BEEN OUR NATIONAL CHAPLAIN SINCE 1999. HE'S BEEN HITCH'N AND PLANT'N FOR OUR CLUB EVERY SINCE. HE'S OUR BIKER BROTHER AND DON'T CONDEMN ANYONE FOR THEIR WILD HAIR'D WAYS. BUT HE DOES HAVE A LOT OF GOOD PEARLS OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM TO SHARE FOR OUR CONSIDERATION. WE HAVE ASKED HIM TO LAY A FEW OF THEM ON US EACH MONTH IN THE "CHAPLAIN'S CORNER." PLEASE GIVE IT A READ AND SOME THOUGHT. MAY |
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YOUR DASH The most meaningful poem that I’ve read is entitled “How do you live your dash?” Linda Ellis is the author. “We humans are like grass or wild flowers that quickly bloom. But a scorching wind blows, and they quickly wither to be forever forgotten”. Psalms: 103:15-16 (CEV)One of my all time favorite songs is the Righteous Brothers version of “Unchained Melody”. There is a line that says “time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much…”. I was only 15 or 16 when “Unchained Melody” came out. Time “going by so slowly” seemed to be true then. For when we are kids time is measured by birthdays, school letting out for the summer, and Christmas. It seemed so long between those special days. Life; I thought was going to take a very long time. BUT IT HASN”T. Now, well on the back side of 50 those special days come so close together. As we get closer to eternity we begin to see our dash is very short. The dash I speak of is the little line that separates our date of birth and date of departure in our obituary. This dash represents our life on earth. After you read the following take a few minutes to reflect and evaluate. HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR DASH? I READ OF A MAN WHO STOOD TO SPEAK AT THE FUNERAL OF A FRIEND. HE REFERRED TO THE DATES ON HIS TOMBSTONE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END. HE NOTED THAT FIRST CAME HIS DATE OF BIRTH AND SPOKE THE FOLLOWING DATE WITH TEARS, BUT HE SAID WHAT MATTERED MOST OF ALL WAS THE DASH BETWEEN THOSE YEARS (19 - 2005). FOR THAT DASH REPRESENTS ALL THE TIME THAT HE SPENT ALIVE ON EARTH... AND NOW ONLY THOSE WHO LOVED HIM KNOW WHAT THAT LITTLE LINE IS WORTH. FOR IT MATTERS NOT, HOW MUCH WE OWN... THE CARS...THE HOUSE...THE CASH. WHAT MATTERS IS HOW WE LIVE AND LOVE AND HOW WE SPEND OUR DASH. SO THINK ABOUT THIS LONG AND HARD... ARE THERE THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO CHANGE? FOR YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH TIME IS LEFT THAT CAN STILL BE REARRANGED. IF WE COULD JUST SLOW DOWN ENOUGH TO CONSIDER WHAT'S TRUE AND REAL AND ALWAYS TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE WAY OTHER PEOPLE FEEL. AND BE LESS QUICK TO ANGER AND SHOW APPRECIATION MORE AND LOVE THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES LIKE WE'VE NEVER LOVED BEFORE. IF WE TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT AND MORE OFTEN WEAR A SMILE...REMEMBERING THAT THIS SPECIAL DASH MIGHT ONLY LAST A LITTLE WHILE. SO, WHEN YOUR EULOGY'S BEING READ WITH YOUR LIFE'S ACTIONS TO REHASH...WOULD YOU BE PROUD OF THE THINGS THEY SAY... ABOUT HOW YOU SPENT YOUR DASH? We can begin again. Our dash can change today. To me that is the most meaningful truth that Jesus Christ taught in His Gospel. God deposited these days and years in our account to be spent in giving, forgiving, and loving. We waste this gift when we live selfishly, mean-spirited and unforgiving. How is the best way to live this dash? The Lord Jesus Christ when asked this question replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind; Love your neighbor as yourself” ( Matt:22:37-40) There is no better way than love. Loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves in that order is the highest and best use of this gift we call life. Love is also the best preparation for life past the dash, which is called eternal and everlasting. Love like there is no tomorrow. Forgive like there was no yesterday. Live today like it is a loan that must be retuned. I welcome your response. Contact me at 817-295-1696 or mailto:bikechaplain@hotmail.com Keep It Real Pastor Irish Ed In the Wind Ministries |
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