Patience, Perseverance and Tongue Burn

Recently, I lit a bowl of tobacco and found that I could not taste it.  I tried 3 different blends (two different latakia blends and a straight VA).  Everything just had no taste (like drinking a glass of water).  Even my coffee had no taste.  It was pouring rain at the time, and I was sitting on my front porch trying to smoke a pipe.  I figured that the super high humidity was causing the problem. I went in and brushed my teeth and tongue really well, and realized that I could not taste anything!  Not even the toothpaste.  This was not good, as the taste and smell of the tobacco is one of the things that really make pipe smoking enjoyable.  To say I was devastated is an understatement.  I had finally done what I had only heard about but never experienced.  I had burned my tongue!  In a panic, I posted to a forum I am a member of and asked for advice from those much more knowledgeable that I.  I got advice and a time frame.  Do what I can to avoid or stop a cold from forming, and wait for a minimum of two days.  Ugh!  2 days without a pipe seems like an eternity! I also got advice on how to avoid tongue burn in the future.  Basically, I was most likely smoking my tobacco too wet.  I needed to let it dry out more.  Living in the Houston area, it is very rare for our relative humidity to drop below 60%  This equates to very long tobacco drying times.  I am not a patient person, BTW.  What to do?  What to do?  First, I asked my wife to make some chicken and dumplings.  It is my favorite meal, and chicken soup had been a suggestion for staying healthy.  Second, I pulled out some 'baccy to dry.  I let it dry for a full 24 hrs before my next smoke.  It was a LONG 24 hrs. But, the 'baccy felt bone dry after that time, and I packed it in my pipe.  It wasn't the best smoke, but my tongue was starting to heal.  I could taste a little more of the smoke, and it was very enjoyable.  So, I started pulling out the baccy I wanted to smoke and started letting it dry a minimum of an hour or two before I would pack it in a pipe and light it.  After 3 days of drier than normal tobacco, and very slow sipping, my taste has returned!  I have also enjoyed some wonderful chicken and dumplings that my wife was kind enough to make for me. I have learned a bit more about patience and tongue burn, but also about perseverance.  I didn't give up, I just kept trying different things until I was able to figure out how to fix the problem, not just the burned tongue.  Now, I am letting the baccy dry out more (patience again) before I pack it and light it.  My tongue is thanking me for it with more flavor and better, drier smokes.

I was reading the scriptures tonight and read the verse of the day in my Bible app that I have installed on my Windows 8.1 laptop.  It is Hebrews 10:35-37.

35)Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward

36) for you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

37)"For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry"

These few verses reminded me of my road trip I took in June of this year.  I had been really struggling, and basically going through an existential crisis.  I had been praying that God would speak to me and show me what He wanted me to do.  I had been seeking specific direction from God, and didn't have an answer.  I had committed to listening to Him on this trip, and not letting things distract me, like the radio, Cd's, or music player.  I usually listen to music when on the road.  I was driving along through southeastern Oklahoma and praying when I felt that I should turn the radio on.  I came across a Christian talk radio station where a fellow was preaching.  It was on perseverance.  The next sermon was on overcoming, The next, perseverance again.  The whole trip, every sermon or scripture I heard or read happened to be on that same subject.  It finally got through my thick skull what God was trying to tell me.  He wanted me to be patient, and rely on His strength to persevere and overcome the obstacles I was facing at that time.  Duh!  It doesn't take a genius to see that is what He was trying to say to me.  But, I have never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed, especially when emotions are involved.  I tend to react swiftly instead of thinking things over when I am calmer.  He then gave me a very clear promise which I hold dear and make sure to thank him for every day.  My part of the promise was to persevere and to take His hand and walk with Him every day.  I try to do so, but fail a lot.  However, thanks to His never ending Grace and Mercy, I can get up and try again.  He is faithful, even when we are not.    The Bible verse I quote most often is Galatians 6:9  "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not".  This scripture reminds me that as long as I keep pressing forward, that God will keep His word at the right time.

Lonliness

I have been reading scriptures pertaining to lonliness lately.  These are scriptures that are meant to encourage us, even though we may feel like we have no-one with us in the trials of life.  Sometimes, even though we KNOW God is with us, we don't feel His presence.  It helps to read the scriptures for encouragement. Tonight's reading comes from  Lamentations 3:22-25.

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

This is encouraging to me as I have been feeling that I am searching and coming up empty.  I pray, read, and seek after God, but feel like I am playing a game of hide -n- seek.  I don't feel like it is anything that I am or am not doing, just that I don't sense His presence with me as I desire.  I don't feel like I am getting through with my prayers.  My feelings are that of being alone, out in the wilderness with no-one around to hear me.  

Have you ever been in the woods after a rain, but when the mist is about?  It is quiet... too quiet.  No birds singing, no animals walking, the only sound is your breath and heartbeat.  That is where is seems I am as of late.  This scripture reminds me that I am not alone.  It tells me that maybe instead of searching for what is right there, that I need to stop and wait on Him.  My question is "Wait for what?"  I think I can find my answer in the First book of the Kings 19:11-13

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 

12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 

13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

I need to wait on the Lord to speak with me. Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in my problems and my prayers, that I forget that communication is a 2-way street. I know that I have constantly been praying about things in my life, but forget to take time to listen for God to speak to me. I ask for wisdom, but don't take time to listen to His answers.  I will make it a point to enjoy the silence as I wait for Him to speak.  He is there, I just have to listen.

TAD, PAD, and Devotions

TAD and PAD, both are "afflictions" that those of us who smoke pipes suffer from.  TAD is Tobacco Acquisition Disorder, and PAD is Pipe Acquisition Disorder.  Neither are bad things, but just like other things in life, they can take over your wallet and web time in a heartbeat.  There are other types of disorders that some pipers suffer from.... LAD (Lighter Acquisition Disorder) RAD (Rack Acquisition Disorder) and tAD (Tamper Acquisition Disorder).

I primarily suffer from TAD.  The reasons for this are as follows:
1) tobacco doesn't get any cheaper.  Having a cellar stored up allows one to go through tough times without suffering with the lack of baccy to smoke.
2) I like to try different blends.  There are hundreds, if not thousands of different blends to try.  I may love some and hate others.  You can't try them if you don't have them
3) Sales.  Sometimes there are excellent sales or deals that one just can't pass up.  www.4noggins.com is notorious for selling  different blends at a heavily discounted rate every month.  I try to take advantage of this as it allows my cellar to grow by leaps and bounds.  (I now have close to 16 lbs of cellared tobacco) This should last me several years if I suddenly couldn't buy anymore.
4) Ageing tobacco.  A lot of blends really benefit from ageing in the tins or jars.  They loose their sharpness and gain sweetness, or the flavors just blend better over time.  Sometimes I can find aged tins for cheap.  ie.  I just scored some 4 yr old tins of Esoterica Penzance and Butera Pelican for a very cheap price (traded some tobacco I had).  I snagged it up as both are very difficult to find, or not in production anymore (pelican).  The aged baccys are worth much more than I paid, and can, in the future be used as an income source, or as a barter item for baccy that I prefer.

Today, I just got in an order of tobaccos that I truly enjoy, PS Luxury Bulls-Eye Flake, PS Luxury Twist Flake, and Newminster Superior Round Slices (smells and tastes of wild honey)  These weren't on sale, but I was running low on these blends that I smoke regularly.  I got 4 oz of each.  They will last me a few months.

I just recently suffered a major attack of PAD.  I scored 6 handmade Briar Spirit Pipes in a trade and 3 estate pipes.  I have kept 4 of the BSP pipes and 1 of the estates. I traded off 1 of the BSP and one of the estate pipes. And, 1 BSP is to be a gift for someone who needs a good dose of encouragement.  There is nothing quite like receiving a new pipe and breaking it in with your favorite baccy.  It truly does lift the spirits.  It truly is better to give than to receive. It is always fun to see someone excited about something that you sent them with no strings attached.  I haven't decided whether to keep the last estate (a canadian) as I am not a huge fan of straight pipes.  However, I hear that they smoke extremely well.  I have listed it for sale on a couple of the forums I frequent.

Anyways, on to my devotions.  I have struggled a little bit lately to be in the right mindset for prayer and devotions.  My mind seems to wander way too much.  Pipe smoking gives me time to relax and to pray and read the Bible.  I make sure that I take the time to do both.  However, there seems to me, that my mind cant seem to slow down lately.  I will be in the middle of prayer, reading, and then I remember something I need to do, or a situation at work that I am dealing with.  Next thing I know, it is 15 minutes later and I have gotten sidetracked.   I know that this is just the evil one trying to keep me from growing spiritually.  So, I bring back my focus until the next time the rabbit trail crosses my path.  It is a constant struggle lately.

So, tonight, I got distracted by some website hosting and then some forums.  Fortunately, I remembered that I needed to do my reading and prayer.  I opened up my Bible app on my laptop, and proceeded to read.  I am glad that I did, as I was able to receive an encouraging word.  A lot of times I feel that I struggle with my relationship with God by myself.  That I am the only person I know that is really trying.  Well, I am not alone.  And I am not alone in pursuing a deeper relationship with God.  Tonight's reading was Isaiah 41:9-10.  It reads,

You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

It is encouraging to see that no matter how distracted, tired, or worn out we are, that God is by our side.  He doesn't ask us to be perfect, just to trust in Him.  

Well, it is now bedtime, and I need to get some sleep before my long day tomorrow.  My prayers are with you, whoever you might be.  

May God Bless you and Keep You.  May He make His face to shine upon You.  May you feel His love and presence surround you.

Faith and Patience

I have been reading a lot lately, and it seems the theme for this week is faith and patience. Patience is one of the hardest things for me to learn. I ran across this passage tonight.

James 1:2-8
Bretheren, Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But, let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like the wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

I find that when I pray and ask God for wisdom, or for Him to do a specific work in my life, or in the lives of others, that I have to vocalize my faith. Vocalizing my faith helps to drive out the doubt. The way I vocalize my faith is to first ask. Even though God knows what we need, or will be asking of Him, the first step of faith is to ask. Once I am done asking and praying about whatever it is, I then thank Him. I thank Him that he will do as I have asked, and that He will honor my prayers in His time. This is the vocalization of faith. The bible says to "pray with thanksgiving" How can we do that, if we never thank Him for His work (even before He has done that work) Faith is believing that what we ask will be done, even before we see it done.
One more thought on this too. When we are falling into various trials, recognize that as the Hand of God working. He is allowing our faith to be tested so that when He does answer our prayers, that we will see his mighty power and have even a stronger faith at the end of the trial.

A promise

I missed updating yesterday as I was highly distracted and had a lot of thoughts running through my mind.  Even my usual quiet time with my pipe was cut short.  I did read the scripure, but felt like I was in a dry spot.  To be honest, I was not mentally prepared to receive any insight or knowledge from them.  It wasn't a wasted time, as reading the scriptures never is.  But I just couldn't concentrate.

I did get several new pipes from my good friend, Kirk (Briar Spirit) in the UK.  Beautiful pipes, each and every one of them.  I fired up a bowl in the one that called my name the loudest, and enjoyed a truly smooth smoke.  I was smoking some Carter Hall (not one of my favorites) but it was a good baccy for breaking in a pipe.  I think I will try using some CH as a burley base for blending some tobaccos. I had an aromatic baccy in it today and is smoked it perfectly down to a fine grey ash.  This is probably the best smoking pipe I have had of his to date. 

I had a good, busy day today, and finally got to sit down and read the Bible a little bit this evening. I was in a much better frame of mind to receive from the Lord.  The following passage caught my eye, and it was if the Lord told me to stop and really understand what He was saying.

Jeremiah 33:1-3 NKJV

Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, “Thus says the Lord  who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord  is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

To me, this is an encouraging passage.  First notice where Jeremiah is... in prison.  He was in a trying time in his life.  No way out of the current situation was immediately available.  Now, during this time, what was Jeremiah doing?  Was he moaning about his circumstances?   Not according to this verse.  It instead implies that Jeremiah was listening for God to speak.  For when God spoke, Jeremiah heard.  As we know from other Scriptures,  the voice of the Lord is heard in quiet.  It is a "still small voice"  it requires active listening and focus to hear.  So, in the midst of trials and discomfort,  God spoke to Jeremiah.

He says, "call to me, and I will answer you."  Wow, what a promise!   There is no prerequisites other than to call unto God.  But even more interesting than the promise of an answer is thevsecond part of the promise.  "And, I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."  Notice what is not promised.... Deliverence from the situation.  God didn't tell Jeremiah that He would get him out of prison, or even make his time in prison easier.  He said He would show Jeremiah new things.  

Sometimes,  we have to be in a rough spot in order to be receptive to the Word of God.  God is not wanting bad things for us.  Jeremiah wasn't being tortured or beaten that we can tell, just in a situation that he couldn't escape from.  God, instead of delivering Jeremiah,  took his mind off the circumstances and showed Jeremiah new things, interesting things, visions and prophecies.   This captivity turned out to be a good thing in the long run as Jeremiah listened to God and learned what God was trying to teach him.

I have heard it said that God always answers prayer with one of three answers, yes, no, and wait.  In this case, it was "wait and learn"  What situation are you in that you can't escape?  Open your mind and heart to God.  Listen to what He wants to show you.  It may just surprise you and help you down the road.  Jeremiah eventually was granted freedom once he learned what God wanted to show him. 

Pipe Smoking - a hobby or lifestyle?

I am a pipe smoker.  In a world where smoking is frowned upon, I am proud to say that I thoroughly enjoy the benefits of being a part of the pipecsmoking community.   More importantly,  I am a Christian.   I am proud to say that Jesus is my Savior and that I try to live my life the best that I can for Him.  The first question that people will ask,  is how I can be both?  They will say that smoking is harmful to my health and that since I am a child of God, and we are told to take care of our bodies, that this is in direct contradiction to the Bible.  If I was to take that argument at face value, I could not disagree.  However, I don't agree with this stance.  It is all in the determination of what pipesmoking really is.  Is it a hobby? Or is it a lifestyle?

Let me take you back in history 19 years ago when I first took up the pipe.  I was 18 at the time, and just starting out on my own.  Most of my friends were smoking cigarettes and the Black 'n Mild cigars.  I had started smoking the cigars and found out that they were terribly expensive on my minimum wage salary.  I love the smell of them, so to save money, and to look cool, I bought a pipe.  I smoked it for a few months and the switched to cigarettes.   I quit smoking the pipe, as I didn't understand what it was all about.  My attitude was one of instant gratification,  and not conducive to the pipe smoking lifestyle.  I eventually gave up cigarettes in 2005, after 10 yrs of smoking those nasty things.   For a short while, pipe smoking was a hobby that I never really got involved in.

Spring forward to the fall of 2013.  I suddenly had the desire to smoke a pipe again.  I researched this "hobby" inside and out.  I read reviews, watched youtube video "how to's", and read tobacco reviews.  I was intrigued by the idea of being a pipe smoker.  Well, after researching, I talked to my wife, and she agreed that I could try smoking a pipe for a while.  So, in January, 2014, I started on this amazing journey.  I ordered a churchwarden pipe and a sampler pack of aromatic tobaccos.  These are the blends we fondly remember our fathers, grandfathers, and uncles smoking when we were kids.    Besides just wanting to smoke a pipe, another reason, was to force myself to slow down in my rat race of a life.  I had realized that my stress levels were too high, and that I needed to find a way to force myself to take time to step away from it.  Thus started my journey from hobby to lifestyle.

As I got involved in the pipe smoking community, I started to realize that smoking a pipe is a purposeful activity.  I have to choose my tobacco, choose my pipe, prepare the tobacco, pack the pipe correctly, and then, I get to enjoy smoking it.  Even in smoking, I have to be mindful of the way I smoke, as too hot of a flame, or too quick of a draw can ruin the whole smoke.  As I worked to understand pipe smoking, I came to realize that it is a form of meditation, and yes, even prayer.  It is a mindful activity that lends itself to meditative and purposeful action.  Every step in preparation and smoking is done with the goal of achieving the "perfect smoke".  As time wore on, this attitude of mindfullness started to invade my every day life.  I would find myself slowing down to assess the results of my actions, or thinking about what I say before the words leave my mouth.  I found myself being more mindful of my relationship with God.  I found myself with time for meditation of the Scriptures, and for prayer.  Whereas, before, I was too busy to spend time with God, now I found myself with plenty of time for Him.  Pipe smoking has now become a beneficial lifestyle.

On the issue of health, this is the elephant in the room.  I cannot deny that smoking cigarettes is bad for you.  I agree whole-heartedly.  However, I cannot agree that smoking tobacco in a pipe is bad for you.  
1) Cigarettes raise your blood pressure, wheras pipes lower it.  I used to have really high blood pressure, but since smoking a pipe forces relaxation, my blood pressure has actually dropped with the reduction of stress in my life.
2) Cigarettes are inhaled. Pipe smoke, as a general rule, are not inhaled like a cigarette.   The smoke is drawn into the mouth, tasted and smelled, and the exhaled from the mouth, or through the nose (not the lungs). I still get some smoke in my lungs, but nothing compared to the smoke from a cigarette
3) Cigarettes have nasty additives that are not present in pipe tobacco.  The additives in cigarette tobacco are the carcinogens,  not the tobacco itself.

Based on these three points, I have found the risks (if there are any) to be extremely low.  I feel that (due to the reduction of stress) my health is much better since picking up the pipe.  I have actually lost almost 30 lbs since January as well due to the lack of stress.

Pipe smoking as a lifestyle has been extremely beneficial.   I believe that it is completely compatible with my Christian lifestyle.  On that note, if God ever asks me to give up the pipe, it would be necessary for me to do so.  However, I do not forsee that happening anytime soon.

So, is pipe smoking a hobby?  I say not.  I have embraced the lifestyle with great zeal, as it has chaned my life for the better all around.  I belive that those who know me would agree.