It ain’t over till it’s over

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 3:13-14

While Yogi Berra is credited with the aphorism in the title of this post, you have experienced it firsthand. Believing there was no chance for a positive outcome, you said to yourself “This thing is over!” … even before it was final.

You may well have said to yourself as you worked on a new project, helped raise funds for your church or a local charity, wrestled with a job, or struggled with a relationship only to realize that it wasn’t over at all! You emerged more than a victor; you learned something important…never give up!

The St. Louis Cardinals did it last Thursday night with their backs against the World Series wall, down three games to the Texas Rangers. Twice in Game 6, they were down to their last strike; twice they were one swing from losing it all. But they realized they were also one swing from winning it all.

The color of hope

…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
—Isaiah 40:31

Ever seen the fall colors up north? Even though they herald the cold and struggle of winter, they speak of hope. The brilliant red, yellow, orange leaves, the muted brown and falling leaves bespeak the coming winter, yet are framed against the indomitable, verdant, never-muted green of the pine and spruce trees.

A statement of hope in the colors of fall!

There is another color of fall that speaks of hope! It adorned the plaza and bodies of thousands of folk at the St. Pete Times Forum as people of hope took to the streets in the annual "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk on Saturday, October 22. Pink was everywhere!

Tilt!

Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.
—Proverbs 21:5

Flashing lights, ringing bells as the score rolls up, the rolling steel ball and the sound of it ricocheting off the scoring posts…that is pinball.

My friends played pinball a lot. They got really competitive and spent lots of money just for bragging rights. If they played too aggressively however; the pinball machine would ring and flash the word TILT! — an indication that someone was doing too much and the game was shutting down.

TILT! Ever had that happen to you? Maybe not playing pinball …. maybe just by living at such a busy pace, the next thing puts you into overload … TILT! and the game starts shutting down. Health, relationships, headaches are all signs of TILT! in your life.

It's all about the smell

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
—Proverbs 27:9

Fresh warm apple pie or fresh bread right out of the oven. I know you smell them right now as you read this! They evoke warm and comfortable memories!

How about Charlie, Ysatis, Code, maybe even Brut…remember how they smell? They too evoke a certain response; real time or memory time doesn’t matter. The fragrance of life and relationship is very important.

A lesson from the hive: Honey bees communicate all the time and direct their hive and activities largely through fragrance or smell. Pheromones to be exact; chemical fragrances given off to direct behavior or even change physiology. Amazing that through a releaser-pheromone scent, behavior changes in foraging, swarming, egg laying, and stinging. Through a primer-pheromone scent, physiology is changed to prevent worker bees from laying eggs or to slow the aging of nursery bees. Primer pheromones change the physiology of the recipient. Releaser pheromones change the behavior of the recipient. Releaser pheromones have a short-term effect and they trigger an almost immediate behavioral response from the receiving bee.