Sometimes you’ve just gotta laugh.

Overheard in the car one day when Elijah was a little boy:

Mom: “That’s enough Elijah. You’re grounded from video games!”
Elijah: “Oh yeah? Well why don’t you gwound me fwom books instead”
Mom: “OK, then you’re grounded from books.”
Elijah, quietly: “Good. Cuz I don’t even yike ’em!”

It was hard to be upset with Elijah. He would always find a way to make us laugh, even when he got in trouble. But he loved pushing the limits, and sometimes he would break the rules. He had a strong will. Even when we told him he was grounded, he would make the most of it and keep moving on.

No one likes getting grounded. But ‘getting’ grounded can lead to ‘being’ grounded. That is, if we learn from our mistakes. “Everything in my life is like a constant chain of mistakes and I have practically imprinted lessons learned by each of them.” (Elijah, 2014)

Elijah had learned that our mistakes can make us stronger. More importantly, he learned that we are strongest when we surrender our will to God. Because in the end, that is the ultimate lesson. “I have become strong and have learned so much and all of the glory goes to God… because you should never glorify yourself over Him.” (Elijah 2014)

In the words of C.S. Lewis:  “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.”

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan

“There’s no sense in getting upset you can only look at the positives.”  Elijah left us with those words. He had no way of knowing how many of us would be telling God that we’re upset and we want to see the positives in his death.

For those of us at the top of the pain chain, this has been an especially difficult week. We endured two milestones: the one month anniversary of Elijah’s funeral, and the two month anniversary yesterday of the day he went to be with the Lord. For those who don’t know, Elijah died of hypothermia in the hundred acre woods behind our home. It took two weeks and seven extensive air and land searches before we found out what had happened to him.

On each of those milestone days, Melanie and I were trying to figure out why we were crying so much more than usual. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t shed tears, but these two occasions were tsunamis. Kind of like the mourner’s version of dry heaves. But in between the wrenching of my body, I cried out, “Really, God? Does it have to be this painful? Can you please remind me of all the positives, because right now I just miss him so much!”

Those words echo back to me. “Really, God?” I wonder what right I have to even ask the question, since challenging God seems presumptuous at best.

Being angry with God is a problem. I might as well just tell Him that I’m smarter than Him and He did everything wrong. “Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25). So if I shouldn’t be upset with God, at least I can ask Him to show me all the positives. And He has faithfully shown us many, many positives of the transformational impact that Elijah’s life, and death, are having on people around the world. I will continue to share the news of those positives as best I can.

My challenge melts into trust. My faith in God is strengthened. And then I’m reminded of another message that Elijah left us:  “Always have faith in God because without him what else is there?”

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan

There’s been a lot of talk lately about deflated footballs. The NFL controversy even has a name: DeflateGate. But it got me thinking about a much more serious problem. I’m calling it InflateGate.

To be fair, some things certainly work better when they are properly inflated. Ever try bouncing a deflated basketball on the ground? And who would want to drive their car with a flat tire or send their kids into a pool with an under-inflated flotation device? But there is one very important thing we all possess that can destroy us if it gets inflated: Our egos.

The ‘ego’ simply describes how we view ourselves. We teach our children to be confident and capable, but we warn them against being arrogant. The bible tells us: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Romans 12:3). And we know that God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble (Proverbs 3:34). When the ego gets inflated, we get puffed up and full of false pride.

So what’s the big deal? Well, as it turns out, the inflated ego prevents us from seeing God in our lives. Is there any more serious problem than failing to find God’s saving grace because of our own inflated ego? That’s the true InflateGate!

I’m so thankful that Elijah figured all this out before he died. Most of us think we have all the time in the world. One of the last things Elijah wrote describes how he battled an inflated ego, but ultimately won by submitting himself to God.

“There was a time in life when my ego consumed me… it took over me after having had escalated for years of thinking I was too good for any authority… deep down I was a great person but I succumbed to the norms of society… and my assumptions of life which came about from my inflated ego all started ultimately from refusing to submit myself to God.” (Elijah Buchanan, November 23, 2014)

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan

Is there a significant loss in your life that you have yet to grieve about? Maybe it’s time to let it go.

Not everyone grieves the same way. Or at the same time. I’m certainly learning the hard way ever since we lost our teenage son, Elijah. Sometimes the sorrow just overwhelms me at the most awkward moments. My brother and I were recently taking an Uber car home from an event, and for some reason our discussion in the cab triggered in me an overwhelming sense of sadness. I was really missing Elijah. I couldn’t stop weeping. The next day we both laughed at the thought of that poor Uber driver searching frantically for a better job!

Just when I think I have this grieving thing under control, it ambushes me. But I am understanding that grieving is not only healthy and natural, it is Godly.

Have you noticed that humans are the only creatures capable of weeping? God made us that way. And the shortest verse in all the Bible says simply, “Jesus wept.”  Not even God bottles up His sorrow. As Jesus died on the cross, we can read that the sky turned dark, the earth shook and rocks split apart.

The following may be an odd analogy, but it will be memorable. Your stomach is connected to your mouth, and when the stomach is upset you sometimes need to “let it go.” In a similar way, your heart is connected to your eyes. When your heart is upset you also need to sometimes “let it go.”  In each case the release brings relief. At least until that future heavenly day when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Until that day when there is no more crying or pain, we are better off to just let it go!

(For more help on dealing with losses, I recommend reading “Recovering From Losses in Life” by H. Norman Wright.  Or visit his web page at www.hnormanwright.com)

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan

When we stand at the foot of the mountain, we don’t see the horizon. Our future joy and happiness seem blocked by a monumental barrier.  But when we allow our mind and heart to rise above our current circumstances, we see the horizon from a beautiful and positive perspective. God’s perspective.

I took this photo today as I was leaving a mountainous area on a flight westward bound. The view of the horizon was spectacular. As I sat in my seat in silent awe, I thought how wonderful it is to see the world from this elevated viewpoint. God has a vast display of delightful possibilities awaiting us beyond the mountains. Without faith in Him, I don’t know how I would ever be able to move beyond the mountains of grief and uncertainty that currently tower over me.

I reflected on the words that Elijah wrote as a means of encouraging others. God had already placed this truth deep in his heart and mind.

“Some people think they aren’t capable when they really are and they just don’t see it with the correct mindset. You can find happiness and joy in virtually anything you are doing with the right attitude and approach to life. Always have faith in God because without him what else is there?” (Elijah Buchanan, November 23, 2014)

Thank you, Elijah. I can almost see you from here…

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan

One day last November I was standing at our kitchen sink when my wife Melanie brought to me six empty glasses she had gathered from around the house. She told me they were all from Elijah, but it was easy for me to figure that out. Each glass had 4-5 tea bags still in them. Some of the bags were dried and stuck to the glasses. Elijah was never without a glass of tea. And he never wanted to reuse a glass.

As I stood at the sink removing tea bags from glasses, I called out to Elijah who was in the next room. “Seriously, Elijah! Why is it my job to clean tea bags from your glasses? Can’t you ever do that yourself?” He responded gently, “Sorry, Dad. I just have so many important things on my mind.” I thought to myself, “Like I don’t…”

Then something made me stop for a moment and just look at those glasses. I turned to Melanie and said, “You know, there will come a day when I will miss seeing all of Elijah’s glasses and tea bags everywhere.”

That was two days before he died. I really do miss seeing those tea bags everywhere!

Stop for a moment. What are you complaining about today?

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan

Nothing prepares you for the sudden loss of your teenage son or daughter. Where do you turn for comfort when you feel as though God has let you down?

I miss Elijah every waking minute. But despite my pain and sadness, I have been encouraged to see the bigger picture. I just never could have imagined that the greatest source of my encouragement would come from Elijah himself. After we learned that he had died, we found what Elijah had written just a week before we lost him. I think it will encourage you as well:

“Give the glory in everything you do to God… always. No matter what the situation, no matter what position your life is in, if you are sad and feel God has let you down, then you are misunderstanding the big picture. Until you become capable of giving God all you have he will continue to test you and challenge you…”  (Elijah Buchanan, November 23, 2014)

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan