The New Squeeze-Chute

Well this is a new addition to my prior blog the “SqueezeChute” which can be found at http://squeezechute.blogspot.com/.  For some reason I cannot access it to post new blogs.  It could be because my last submission was in March 2010.  OK, I am not much on blogging which is a lot like journaling and I am not a great journaler.  But, I want to be and realize that it is a great way to work my thoughts out.  So, I will try again.  If you are interested in what I say about my life, my family, my thoughts or my theology please leave comments.  I will enjoy reading them.  But if you are reading my blog to correct grammar or rules then you need to find another place to prove your English prowess.

Since I have to create a new blog I have decided to keep the same name; or at least in structure.  I do this because it helps remind me of my heritage and upbringing in the Panhandle of Texas.  Helping working cowboys work cattle by driving them to holding pens so they could be vaccinated, de-horned, branded and “cut.”  These cattle would be driven down an alley wide enough for one-at-a-time and then put in a chute that would squeeze them to hold them still (well relatively still) which allowed the cowboys to work their art.  There is no question that the squeeze-chute was not fun for the cattle as it pinched them in.  It was probably even a little bit scary but it was for a purpose.  When they were released they would have received the medicines they needed for another year of happy grazing on green grass.

I also keep the name because in many ways we face squeeze-chutes at different times in our lives.  James 1 says that we will face trials but those trials will ultimately lead to strength.  That doesn't mean that everything that happens to us is of divine origin.  In fact many of the things that happen to us are of our creation.  I agree with the statement that “all things happen for a reason”, but sometimes and I might add a lot of times, the reason is a bad decision we made.  But there are those times that we will face trials that are of divine origin and like the squeeze-chute of my childhood it will be uncomfortable and maybe even frightening but when we are passed through we will better be able to enjoy the green pastures where we lay.

I hope you enjoy and maybe even get challenged to think through some things in the future submissions of this blog.