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Reduce Speed Ahead

Joe Killian • Jul 31, 2020

While driving home from a visit with Joshua, our youngest son, we were surprised at how light the traffic was as we traveled through the city of Chicago on a Wednesday morning. As the trip continued I became aware of how few passenger cars were on the road. Truck traffic was the same but their presence only made the lack of cars more obvious. Things were different. One thing that hadn't changed were the numerous construction sites along our route. The ever present orange barrels and flashing merger signs were always preceded by one sign in particular:

Nearly ten hours of windshield time gave me a great opportunity to reflect on the road we've all traveled recently. Of course we can expect the slowdowns caused by highway construction during the summer but a global pandemic that brought the whole world to a near standstill could hardly be anticipated.

Slowing down has many advantages. On the highway it keeps us safe, especially in narrow construction zones. In life it can provide an opportunity for us to do things our hurried lifestyles cause us to miss. Both situations can shift us from our current path onto a new one. These detours can be frustrating, especially on a long journey. That's why the "End Construction Zone" sign can be such a welcome site. As I yearned for an end to the quarantine and a return to normalcy a familiar verse has been resonating with me.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:11

Just as the construction zone "Reduce Speed Ahead" signs do, the pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to slow down. Do so right now....Reflect on the verse and notice that God is asking us to do even more than slow down. He asks us to stop. "Be still..." If you don't slow down how can you stop? And if you don't stop how can you––"Be still and know that I am God"?

Make a commitment to yourself to "Reduce Speed Ahead" and give yourself a chance to know God better. Ask Him, "Do You have a new path for me to take?" Or, "Do You want to do some construction work in me?" And then be still and wait for His answer.

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Authentic Versus False Identity

By Joe Killian • 16 Oct, 2020

The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.

Kung Fu Panda

By Joe Killian • 08 Oct, 2020

Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.

Playin' in the Dirt

By Joe Killian • 02 Oct, 2020

Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.