"I, the Lord God, do not change."
Malachi, 3:6

God never changes.  He can't.  It's simply not in his nature.  How do I know this?  I guess I don't know how ... I just believe it to be true because the Bible says so.  People on the other hand ... people change.  Sometimes for the better, and then sometimes ... well ... they just change.

Before I continue, welcome back.  And may I add that I'm glad to be back too ... 

I took the past 7 weeks off from writing to see if God would give me any new 'material.'  I guess I also took some time off to write a few songs, play a bunch of gigs, do some things in my yard and around my house, and hang out at my cottage.  I felt compelled to tell you the whole truth lest you feel I'm some spiritual giant.  That being said I don't feel I have anything new to share, however that in itself is something I could write on countless times.  You see I think it's true, there really isn't anything new under the sun.  Life isn't that complicated, but we ... at least I ... have become pretty good at complicating it.  I would also add that I don't think life is as ever changing and dynamic as we make it out to be.  Or maybe that's just my life.  Like I said, over the past seven weeks not much has changed ... problems still occurred ... troubles still arose ... happiness was present but often short lived ... and people were still people.  My life is sort of like the creative process in Hollywood: there are only so many stories to tell.  When they run short on new ideas they simply re-tell the good ones using different actors and actresses.  My life is like that, only it's no respecter of good or bad.  Some good stories get re-told, and some bad stories get re-told ... but with different people.  Make sense?  Maybe not if your life is filled with continual new-ness.

Like a bad movie or poorly produced sit com I wish some of the stories would just go away, but they don't.  I guess whatever message they bring is something God really wants me to learn.  So by now you're probably asking where the correlation is between "people change" and a bad sit com?  It's this: my experience with many people is that they say one thing, often for a long period of time, and then something causes their thoughts, feelings, attitude, or emotions to change.  They make promises ... they claim certain things ... they treat me a certain way, and then all of a sudden ... the bomb gets dropped.   

Umm ... Joe ... how is that like a bad sit com? 

Easy ... they both suck.  Is that clear enough?

God on the other hand never changes.  I can't do anything that would make Him any less, or any more fond of me.  I can't do anything that would cause Him to leave my side.  I can't think of one thing I could say, do, or become that would cause God to not follow through on what He has promised me.  Why?  Because he's God ... he's never done that to anyone ... and he's not going to start with me.  Or you.

Here's one that isn't new: people will let you down.  If you haven't experienced that yet, you're either a few weeks old or you live in a closet.  The easiest way I've learned to experience it is to become vulnerable.  Open up to people ... trust them ... (here's a crazy one ...) love them.  Then just sit back and wait. 

Here's what I have to continually learn to get through it: God isn't that way, so spend more time with Him.  And then learn to forgive the people that hurt you.  I can do that pretty easily now ... I've had lots of practice.  Forgetting ... I'm not so good at, but I've gotten the forgiveness part down.  For the times where trying to forget is really tough, refer back to step one.  God's waiting for you.  God bless you and good night.