One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is the concept of the Trinity. How can God be one . . . yet three? Three distinct personages yet all ONE God. Mind blowing.

But this blog is not meant to try and explain the Trinity. I am not equipped to tackle that assignment. Instead, it is meant to, once again, show how much God cares for and loves us, for even in this difficult concept, God has surrounded us with multiple examples of the concept of three in one . . . though some are less perfect than others and none can adequately or fully explain the Holy Trinity. Our mind is too small, but the examples help: the three parts of an egg, the three states of water, a triangle, fire (which must have fuel, heat, and oxygen), time (past, present, and future).

But my favorite example is music, for music not only consists of three elements (lyrics, melody, rhythm), but it also feeds the three parts of man (intellect, emotions, and body).

The lyrics must first be understood by the mind before they can penetrate the soul.

The melody (restful, romantic, energetic) feeds the emotions, while the rhythm is designed to get our body into the act . . . sometimes without our even knowing it as our foot will start tapping or our head bobbing.

We are entering the season of music—Christmas music: Classical, modern, pop, religious, rock, children’s. Some are designed to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas while others are merely meant to make us laugh. Some move our souls deeply; others bring a smile to our face. But behind it all is the cohesion of three creating one.

My favorite Christmas carol of all time is “O Holy Night.”  For me, no other song marries the words and the melody so completely. It is a song that goes deep into my being. “Carol of the Bells” is my second favorite Christmas song and for a very different reason. I don’t know if I could even tell you any of the lyrics, but I love the upbeat rhythm and beautiful melody.

I would love it if you would share one or two of your favorite songs of the season. And, by the way, I hope you are blessed this Christmas season as you reflect on the triune God who came to be with man in the flesh.

Well, we’re back to golf. Probably because it lends itself so easily to life lessons and biblical truth.

On a recent 3 minute golf-tip podcast, the speaker said that too many players focus on the result of the round. Looking to hit that magic number. What this does is create anxiety and frustration when something goes awry—a poor shot, a bad bounce—and the player sees the goal slipping away.

He encouraged players to focus on the process (pre-shot routine, visualization, etc.) rather than the end result. By doing so, they stay in the moment, focused on the current decision and stroke, which is really the only part of the game the player can control. Ironically, more often than not, the end result is favorable, or at the very least, the player feels content with how he or she played.

Likewise as Christians we can become so focused on the outcome, what we want to achieve, what we want God to achieve, that anything that thwarts the result we want leaves us anxious and frustrated. Instead, just as in golf, we shouldn't worry about the outcome, but focus on the process.

In fact, the Bible, among other things, is process book for us. It is very clear that our job is to focus on the process of following Christ and of becoming more like Christ, living a life that brings glory to God. The results are God’s responsibility..

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9).

Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you . . . May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through (I Thessalonians 5:16-23).

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Yes, we do need to pray with specificity. Yes, we should want to see BIG things achieved for God’s glory, and individual lives changed because of God’s love. But the actual results rest in God’s hands. They are completely out of our control. What is in our control is how we live and what we do—one thought, one prayer, one action at a time.

I am in the middle of a home improvement project of which half of it is a “Do It Yourself.”

I am upgrading my two bathrooms. Keeping the same footprint, but having someone come in and put in new flooring and countertop.

The DIY portion is the painting of the walls and cabinets and . . . wait for it . . . the changing out of the outlets and light switches from ivory to white.



Now, I know, that for those of you who have changed outlets and switches before, this endeavor doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for me, an English major, taking off the face plates and seeing those wires stuffed in the opening was a bit daunting. But I knew where to find the experts . . . YouTube.

It turns out that the disconnecting and reconnecting of the wires would be straight forward and not too intimidating. The scary part was the electricity. That unseen power that could zap you to heaven pre-rapture. As my YouTube “guru” said, “You want to make sure the wire is dead, not you.” Encouraging words.

While one site said just to plug a lamp in to make sure there was no current, this guy suggested using a non-contact voltage tester, a little pencil-like device that lights up red if the line is still juiced. You can bet I was at Home Depot a short time later making the purchase. Then . . .

I flipped the breakers. Tested the lights. Plugged in the vacuum. AND used my nifty new device. All clear. I could proceed freely and safely.

Sometimes, as Christians, we forget that we have a non-contact detector that that keeps us safe by reminding us of unseen danger—the Bible. Whether through the lives of others, through encouragement, or through direct command, the Bible covers every conceivable life situation--every life situation.

We don’t have to touch the danger zones to learn. We just have to heed the life lessons already lived. We just need to accept the advice and obey the commandments given. If we do, then we, too, can live in safety and freedom.