KLOE Radio

 Good morning.

As you may have heard by now, the radio transmitting tower of KLOE AM radio in Goodland, Kansas toppled over in the windy weather we’ve had over the past week or two.  Free-standing for over 75 years on four large insulators that kept the tower isolated electrically from the ground, the tower first leaned, then after a few days fell over.

Apparently, one of the insulators failed either due to age or the stress of the wind…or both…and caused the eventual demise of the tower.  Efforts were ongoing to provide temporary support and repair, but those efforts didn’t come soon enough to mark the end of a remarkable era of radio broadcasting in the Tri-state area.  The cost of replacement of the tower would be more than it would be worth to keep the station on the air.  AM Radio isn’t what it used to be, and although KLOE Radio was still an important part of the Tri-state area, other radio stations have sprung up in the past few decades to deliver continuing local news and weather.  So, the owners have decided to silence the airwaves at 730 on the AM dial.

I am well-acquainted with that tower.  I worked at KLOE from the mid 1970’s into the early 1980’s.  As an FCC-licensed broadcast engineer, my job was to maintain and service KLOE radio, and secondarily to do the same with KLOE TV channel 10.  There were three of us engineers on staff at the time, and we were each given a primary responsibility.  Mine was the radio station.  I’ve been up close and personal with the tower, the tuning shack at it’s feet, and the transmitters that sent voice and music over the airwaves though that structure.

AM Radio is a little different than television or FM radio.  Most broadcast stations utilize a tower with a broadcast antenna at the top of the tower.  The antenna is separate from the supporting tower.

With AM Radio, the tower IS the antenna.  The entire structure is a broadcast antenna.  That’s why this tower, like all AM radio towers, is insulated from the ground by large (in this case) ceramic insulators.  The broadcast signal is fed directly to the metal of the tower.

I had other responsibilities at KLOE.  I did a stint as a DJ on KLOE AM as well as doing the weather cast on KLOE TV for awhile.  The operation was one of those small-business operations where everyone pitched in and did whatever was necessary to keep things going.  That time at KLOE was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve ever had in a work setting.  The hours were long, but the work was satisfying and enjoyable.

When I heard that the tower had fallen and that KLOE would be silenced, a kind of a melancholy feeling came over me…as if mourning the passing of something that was important to me.  And, I suppose, that feeling is entirely appropriate, because several years of my working life were taken up in that place, working with the very thing…KLOE Radio…that no longer exists, represented by the now-defunct tower that broadcast the signal of KLOE AM.

However, I also think about this.  You may not realize it, but every kind of electronic signal that is put into the Earth’s air has a small part of that signal that escapes the Earth and begins a speed-of-light travel into the universe.  My voice and my picture, coded into electromagnetic radiation,  are somewhere in our galaxy, about 45 light-years away from the Earth.

You may think that strange, but the same concept of capturing stray electromagnetic radiation is what brings to us stunning images and troves of information about the universe though our telescopes and other equipment.  It’s not at all inconceivable that, should there be some kind of signal-capturing equipment “out there” somewhere, that someone may be watching or listening to my radio show or the TV weather from Earth in 1980.

And somehow, that makes things just a bit better.

Blessings,

"May You Know..."

 Today is Christmas Eve as I am writing this.  The day is foggy and warm for this time of the  year.  The sun is trying to break through the gloom, and according to the weather people will eventually do so later today.

I have come in to work today to wrap up a few things before the holiday.  The traffic on the street is much lighter this morning, and the portion of the parking lot we lease to our next door neighbor is only about one third filled.  I plan to be here for a few hours, then head on home for the rest of the day.  We are planning on Scott and family to be with us this evening, so I need to get ready for that…which means I need to nap this afternoon.  It's tough being semi-retired, but someone’s gotta do it.

When I pulled into the parking lot of the church, I parked and rather than come into the office, decided to walk to the nearby pharmacy and the downtown post office.  The wife had a prescription I needed to pick up, and we needed stamps at home for the four or five mailings a month that we normally do.

I stopped at the post office first.  It was a very slow day there…I was first in line.  I chose some stamp sheets, paid, and headed to the pharmacy a block or so farther down the street.

The pharmacy was pretty much like the post office…not very busy.  I got right to a clerk.  The medication I was getting was for the wife and was one of the more expensive medicines.  A month of this medication with insurance is almost a hundred forty dollars.

The clerk found the medication and rang up the charges.  I tapped my debit card, entered my PIN, and completed the transaction.

I didn’t think about it at the time, but after I was back on the street walking back to the church, I thought about how easy it was to pay for the medication.  I never gave it a second thought…I knew we had the money in the checking account that is attached to the debit card.  I also knew that we would not need the money for anything else right now.

Then I thought of some of those who I encounter and visit with as a minister.  I do the benevolence at the church, and regularly encounter folks who need help with basic needs…food, transportation, utilities, clothing.  Sometimes, we can help.  Sometimes for whatever reason, we can’t.

I still struggle, even after doing this for more than a decade, to understand just how much as little as twenty dollars in benevolent help means to some of the people I visit with. 

A tank of fuel for a vehicle.  A sack of groceries from our food pantry.  Paying the past due part of an electric bill.  Things I take for granted.  Things I can get or do any time.  Things I don’t even have to think about whether or not I can afford them.  What a blessing it is to not have to worry about such things.

I’ve told you before, I’ve seen grown men and women just crater into an emotional puddle in my office when they were told that a utility bill would be paid, or they were handed a gift card for groceries.  In fact, that response is not at all unusual.  Actually, it’s one of the more satisfying parts of what we do here…to see some of the incredible stress and fear these people deal with pretty much constantly…melt away, even if for a short time.

I also thought about a young couple who had just had their first child.  Far from home.  Very little in resources.  No doctor.  No hospital.  No warm, comfortable place to stay.  Instead, they found refuge in a barn.  She delivered her first child there.

And had it not been, some time later on, for the generosity of strangers from a place far in the East, this young family may well have not remained intact, because they had to flee to a foreign nation to avoid the paranoia and terror of the local governor.  And they had to have resources…those gifts brought by those men from the East…to be able to do that.

So today and tomorrow, as you bask in the warmth of family, friends, and the joy of giving and receiving, remember the young couple who gave birth to God Incarnate in a barn in a backwater village in a part of the world barely tolerated by the government of the time.

May you know the joy of generosity…the blessing of giving…the beauty of kindness…the humanity of loving your neighbor…the divinity of knowing Jesus Christ.

An Office Conversation

 A couple of days ago at work, I was in my office when I heard Linda (our office manager) go to the office door and let someone in.  She visited with the guest for a moment.  I overheard part of the conversation.  The woman was there with her mother and was asking if we had any food.

Linda said something to the effect that we don't usually keep food here, but we had some snack-type food that we normally place into the Blessing Box outside.  When I heard what the conversation was about, I went out to the waiting area where the conversation took place to find a woman in her 40's along with an older lady.  Linda went back to the food storage area to prepare a sack of snack-type food for them.

In the waiting area, I began a conversation with the younger woman, as she was the one who had been speaking with Linda.  I usually begin these kinds of conversations by just asking what was going on with them or how their day is going (in a nice way, of course).

The younger woman began telling me a little about their situation.  Her face was calm and collected, and seemed to display a sign of strength, but I saw her left hand on the arm of the chair.  Her hand was shaking…tremoring.  That told me that she was barely holding it together, so I asked them both to come back to the office and we'd visit there.

They came into the office and we visited while Linda finished filling a sack.  We ended up conversing for over 30 minutes as I gently pulled more and more of their story out of them.  Their story was one I've heard many tens of times before.  Abusive situation.  Boyfriend is a knothead.  They had to get out of the domestic situation.  Have no place to go.  Have never had to access social services in the past.  Didn't seemingly have much of an idea of what to do or where to go.  Mom had transportation and was helping daughter as best she could.  Both are couch surfing.

There wasn't much we could really do here.  We gave them a sack or two of food.  I happened to have a couple of one-day bus passes that I gave them.  I gave them contact information for a couple of my social services friends who might be able to help.  I gave them a list of services available in Wichita that the Homeless Outreach Team gives to the homeless.  I told Mom that when her gas tank got more empty, to contact me and we'd fill her tank.  And, I happened to have a little cash on hand for needs like this, and gave the younger woman $20.

But mostly, I listened.  The ladies talked at least 90 percent of the time we were conversing.  I was just asking questions and getting some clarification.  And as we conversed, the stress level began to fall.  The facade of strength I saw the first couple of minutes in the waiting area was no longer visible.  And when I gave her the cash and told her I didn't care what she did with it, she totally lost it.  She couldn't talk for a good minute or so.  And THAT reaction is not unusual at all when I give a little cash.  When I once asked one of my social worker friends why these people tended to become so emotional when handed just a few dollars, she responded that it was because I trusted them with something of value to do with as they chose...not as I chose.  I have to admit I hadn't thought of it that way, but can appreciate it.  By the way, we don’t just give out cash right and left.  In fact, we seldom do so.  It has to be a special need, or someone I know well.  And we don’t always have cash to give.  We have guidelines and limits in place.  But sometimes, a little cash can go a long way to help meet a need.

Well, we parted ways a couple of minutes after that.  I don't know where they were going.  Nor do I know where they spent the night that night or what is happening with them now.  We may never see them again.  I think about these kinds of encounters for several days following.  Wondering just where they went and were they safe.  Whether they contacted the social service contacts I gave them or were able to find other services.  Ninety nine percent of the time, I never hear from them again.  This may be an exception if the Mom contacts me when her gas tank empties.  I may be able to have some of my questions answered then.  But I'm not counting on it.  They may decide to find another town or city in which to live due to the abusive situation.

This is not an unusual occurrence at our church.  Not at all.  It's usually women who come in.  It's usually an abusive situation of some kind.  Often, it's generational in nature, but not always.  A decent share of the time it's a first timer, or newbie that comes to our door, basically lost in the maze of social service agencies, invisible to much of society, lonely, and afraid...afraid for their own safety, afraid of what that night or the next day has in store, afraid of having lost what little control they had over their lives.

Those of us with a secure safety net of family, friends, and resources haven't a clue of the stress, the disappointment, and the despair these people live with every waking moment.  The least we can do is display some compassion and empathy.

Well, thanks for listening to me, as I sometimes need a listening ear as well as those who come to the office door.  This holiday season, check up on your listening skills.  How are your compassion and empathy assets doing right now?  Have you had the opportunity to give in some way recently?  Did you act positively on that opportunity?  May God’s blessing be upon us all as we learn what it means to love our neighbor.

Being Remembered

 During this time of the year, we often begin to think about things we maybe don’t otherwise think about at other times of the year.  Gift-giving, kind gestures toward others, holiday snows, special church services, gathering with family and friends…I’m sure you can think of other things that come front and center in your thoughts during this time of the year.

I too think about several of these kinds of things.  But I also sometimes think about something perhaps not many people think about, or even like to think about.  You’ve sometimes heard, I’m sure, the question that is asked at times in conversations regarding life and living…”How do you want to be remembered?”

Now, I know that my thinking about this question at this time of the year may seem a bit unusual, but I assure you that I’m not the only one who thinks about this from time to time.  And, at the end of the year when things are “wrapping up,” so to speak, and a new slate is on the way in the coming year, it really isn’t such a weird thing at all.

I don’t obsess about it, and frankly, the thought usually only comes a very few times during the end of the year.  But I always have a difficult time in trying to come up with some kind of an answer.

I’ve heard other people answer that question, but those answers never seemed to me to be something I would say for myself.  Most, I think, would want to be remembered as someone who was kind to others, generous, loved life, and so on.  Those who are committed Christians would probably say something like that they wanted to be remembered as a child of God.

However, when I think of what I might say, it’s difficult for me to come up with anything that in any way makes me look like some kind of a saint.  You see, I know myself better than you do.  I know the things I struggle with…my failures…my trials.  I know my sins and shortcomings.  I know when I’ve said things…done things...thought things…things that are anything but kind and generous.

Yes, I know I’ve been forgiven.  I know my slate is clean from that standpoint.  But I also know of the messes I’ve left on doorsteps and in hearts.  I know not everyone is enamored with me and how I’ve sometimes behaved.  And I can’t in good conscience sugarcoat it all with words that I know are not always true.

So, how DO I want to be remembered?  I feel much better when I answer that question this way.

 

I’d rather not be remembered so much as I’d like for those I know and love and have touched in some way to move on in life and living…and live their lives in ways that promote peace, understanding, kindness, and yes…the kingdom of God.  If those I know, love, and have touched over the years would do that, I think that would constitute for me a completion of the life I was given and had lived.

I will be remembered anyway…regardless of how I might SAY I want to be remembered.  Everyone who knows me or knows of me has a mental picture in mind of who an what I am.  What I might say in answer to the question about being remembered won’t change that picture.

Additionally, I’ve always been someone who has  advocated for us to move on when something bad or unexpected has happened…to do what we can to fix it if necessary, but not dwell excessively on the past…to move forward and look ahead.  Life goes only one direction, and we need to move along with it.

I realize this may not be the kind of holiday Thursday Thought you might have wanted to see here, a mere seven days before the Christmas holiday.  But it’s my thought today.  I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to post a thought next week or the week after…we’ll just see how things go.

Now, I need to take some time to wrap the two gifts I’ve bought…I don’t do much shopping this time of the year.  I leave that to the wife, who is much more into the season and enjoys the shopping experience more than I do. 

May God bless you as we all enter into the final week before the Christmas holiday, and the New Year holiday a week after that.

Joy To the World

 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!  Let Earth receive her King;  Let every heart prepare Him room,  And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

 This is the first verse of a well-known Christmas hymn, Joy To the World.  The song is one of the most published hymns in the modern day, and is well-known by multitudes.  Written in the early 1700’s by Isaac Watts, the song is thought to be taken from Psalm 98 and Genesis chapter 3.

There have been several tunes matched with the lyrics; however, the modern tune is one written by Lowell Mason in the mid 1800’s, and is widely thought to be patterned at least in part by excerpts from Handel’s Messiah.  The first four notes in the present tune are identical to the notes in the movement “Glory to God” in The Messiah.  The key, D major, is also the same.  Other parts of the tune are sometimes attributed to various other parts of the oratorio.  Mason himself gave credit to Handel for parts of the modern tune.

Many have thought that rather than a song to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the song is instead a celebration of the second coming of Christ as the victorious king.  Many Christians can appreciate the lyrics of the song as applying to either the birth of Christ or his second coming.  Watts himself seems to attribute the lyrics to Psalm 98, which he describes as follows:  Psalms 96-98 refer to "Christ's Incarnation, his setting up his Gospel-Kingdom to judge or rule the Gentiles, and the Judgment and Destruction of the Heathen Idols"

Regardless of your own interpretation of the words, the song is one that raises the spirit and provides hope during a season of the year when for many, life is anything but pleasant and joyful.  It promises to be a part of the holiday season repertoire for many decades to come.

There are four verses all together in the song.  I’ll close with the reciting of the other three.

 Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;  Let men their songs employ;  While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains  Repeat the sounding joy,  Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

 No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;  He comes to make His blessings flow  Far as the curse is found,  Far as, far as, the curse is found.

 He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love.

The "In-Between" Time

 Good morning:

 This time of the year is what I think of as the “in between” time…the days between two major holidays…Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This is the time when much of the world, and especially Western cultures, bring the brightly colored ornaments and decorations out of the closet, string up lights of all kinds, decorate evergreen trees in their homes, and max out their credit cards on gifts for others.  It’s a festive time of the year, especially since the days are getting progressively shorter in daylight length, it’s getting colder, nature is brown rather than green, and we’re stuck inside much of the time.

For some, it’s also a time to recall and remember the birth of a baby boy some two thousand years ago who has, in the intervening centuries created incredible changes, for the better I would argue, in societies and nations through his teachings and example.  He has commanded untold millions of followers and disciples over the centuries, and his overall influence has not diminished over the years.

And then there’s the coming of the new year just a week after Christmas.  We collectively seek to “wipe the slate clean,” so to speak, and start anew.  The old joke about new year’s resolutions and their short lifespan in the new year is just as pertinent now as it has been for untold decades.  We try.  We really try to lose weight, stop a bad habit, be more thoughtful and generous, or any of a thousand other things that plage the human race.  And sometimes we really succeed.  But most of the time those good intentions go by the wayside somewhere around January 25^th.

There are some things, however, that cannot be covered over with bright lights, tinsel, snow, holiday music, or gifts under the tree.  Oh, they can temporarily disappear, but just like the snows that come and cover over everything in a white, glistening coat, eventually those snows melt and the brown that is underneath again comes into full view.

We all have to deal with the “browns” in our lives from time to time.  Illness and chronic health issues, financial difficulties, family problems, relationship issues, and a host of other ills and ailments are constantly attacking us, trying to get the best of us.  Sometimes the best we can do is to shove these things off to the side temporarily while we deal with more pressing things.  But sometimes these issues come front and center in our lives and demand immediate attention.  The snow has melted.  We see these things that were buried underneath now before us.  And they won’t go away on their own.  They may not ever go away, but can only be managed for a time.

I don’t mean to put a Grinch-like damper on the holiday season for you.  What I do intend to do is to possibly point you in a direction that ‘s different than the one you’re currently taking.  I said earlier that for some of us, this time of the year is a time to recall and remember the birth of a baby boy some two thousand years ago.  That baby boy, when grown, claimed to be, and I believe was indeed God in the flesh.  God incarnate.  God “pitching his tent,” so to speak, among us, as John says in the first few verses of his account of the life of Jesus.

Specifically, John says this about the man Jesus. 

In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.  He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Jesus won’t take away the brown things.  But he will enable you to persevere as you walk with him through them. Paul the great Apostle tells the Corinthians that what we endure now is but a “light and momentary” thing.  Here’s specifically what he says:  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

May God bless as you continue on in this season of thanksgiving and renewal.

Thanksgiving Eve

 Today is Thanksgiving Eve.  That sounds a bit strange, as we normally think of an “eve” day as being Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve.  Thanksgiving…the holiday…seems to sometimes get lost in the general noise of life as we gear up, so to speak, for the “big” holiday of Christmas.  According to an AI search of the Encyclopedia Britannica, the holiday was officially proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 as a way to promote unity in a war-torn nation.

In a real way, the nation today is also in disarray…torn between right and left, conservative and liberal, religious and secular.  I have to wonder if the Thanksgiving holiday, properly observed, could help facilitate our coming together, if even for just a day, to celebrate unity…unity of purpose…unity of spirit…unity of brotherhood.

I don’t know what you will be doing in a special way…if anything…tomorrow.  Some of us are working.  Our jobs are a 24-7 thing, and we are on one of the shifts for tomorrow.  Some of us are traveling, whether by air, auto, or other means.  Or maybe we’re staying home cooking a special meal for our family or guests.

But some of us will be doing none of that.  Some will be on the street, in a shelter, in a hospital, a jail, or some other place we’d rather not be.  For those of us who will be in a warm home filled with the aroma of turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, and baked bread, it might do us good to at least think of some of the others who, for whatever reason, cannot be in a place like the one we are in.  And maybe we need to count our blessings instead of our challenges.

Last week, the wife and I took a short time off to go into western Kansas…a place we both are very familiar with.  We decided to get away, but to do so to a place we already knew…roads we had already traveled…towns and cities we already knew how to navigate.  We visited with people we’ve known for many years.  We ate at places we’ve known for decades.  We traveled roads and passed through towns…places where we had gone many times before in the past half century.  We stopped at tourist sites we already knew, with one or two new ones sprinkled in.

During those few days, I was thinking about times past and gone…people and places I had known…things I had done in those places…and just how much I have enjoyed my time alive on this ball of dirt.  Yes, there were challenges.  Yes, there were times I’d rather forget.  Yes, there were people in my life I’d rather not have had there.  But my life has been one of blessing, adventure, and protection.

Blessing in all that I’ve been able to see and experience that was good, right, and lovely.  Adventure in getting to see and do things that few others have experienced…my life has been rich and full.  Protection in guardian angels appearing at just the right time to save me from some catastrophe…usually of my own making.

Thanksgiving…yes…absolutely yes.  Thanksgiving just for tomorrow.  No.  Positively no.  Thankfulness daily is (or should be) the order of the day…this and every day.  Blessing, Adventure, Protection.

Maybe you have a different way of looking at life which brings you to a thankful attitude.  Whatever that way is, exercise it today, tomorrow, and every day.

And, maybe you find it difficult or impossible to be thankful.  Perhaps you’re struggling physically, mentally, or emotionally.  I don’t know what you may be going through right now, but know that help is available.

May God bless you as you walk through this time in your life.

Let Someone Know You Care

 Sometimes, in the course of living in Wichita and my work as a minister, I have occasion to hear, primarily through social media, of someone from my past who has been hospitalized in one of the Wichita hospitals.  It could be a classmate.  It could be someone who was in school the same time as I was, but a different grade.

When I hear of someone in the hospital that I know, I don't always make the trip to see them.  Sometimes, I hear about their hospitalization too late to go, as they've already been dismissed.  Sometimes, the relationship I had with that person was not one conducive to allow such a visit.  Sometimes, we barely knew each other, and it just didn't seem to be the thing to do to go for a visit.  But sometimes everything seems right, and I go for a short visit just to let them know that I know and care.

The visits are indeed often short.  Our lives long ago went in separate directions.  I have only attended a couple of our class or all-school reunions over the past almost 60 years.  I didn't have that many good friends in high school.  I wasn't a social butterfly.  And several of those friends I did have are no longer with us.  The last of the two or so reunions I attended was in 2017...our 50^th.  I don't plan on ever attending another reunion.

Sometimes I'll meet that person's family who may be there.  These would be people I don't know at all.  Those family members and I usually have a good conversation about what's going on with my friend...at least enough that I have some idea of the situation at hand.  They seem willing and at times even eager to talk about the situation.  So, sometimes I just do a lot of listening.

And, it seems that these incidents are becoming somewhat more frequent.  Of course, that would be expected, since most of us are well into our 70's, with the accompanying aches, pains, and illnesses that often attack.  I count it a privilege, though, to be able to make the visit and if even just briefly, for a moment re-establish the relationship.  And hopefully, my visit does something in a small way to provide some kind of relief and comfort.

There is one thing, though, that always seems to befuddle me when I encounter these situations.  I'm usually always calling up out of the dark recesses of my head memories of long ago.  Many times, those memories are videos complete with sound.  They are usually just snippets a few seconds long, but they're there as surely as I'm here.

I have to marvel at what I am experiencing.  How is it that somewhere in that gray mass of cells called the brain, these videos or still images are stored...kept...and recalled...sometimes 60 or more years after the event happened?  What kind of retrieval system does the brain have for these thoughts?  How does that work?  Why are some things stored permanently and others are soon forgotten?  Is my whole life somehow stashed away in there, but I can only recall certain aspects of it?  How are the physical brain cells changed when a thought...an image...a sound...is stored away?  Is there a limit to the information the brain can hold?  If so, what does it do when it reaches that limit?

I know that the people who study the brain may have some answers...or think they may have some answers to these questions.  But even so, what happens in that mass of cells in my head remains a mystery in so many ways.  I have to wonder just how it is that someone can reasonably conclude that such a marvelous piece of biology could have been put into existence by chance and happenstance.  I won't go into that in detail in this post...I'll leave that for another time, because the primary point in this thought is this:  If you hear of someone you know who is having some kind of health issue that necessitates that person being hospitalized, and if you think it might be good to make a short visit, by all means do so.  I know hospitals are places where a lot of people don't want to go, even when they're well.  I know it sometimes hurts to see someone else in discomfort or ill health.  I know it may take some time out of your day...you'll have to park in a far-away spot and navigate your way to the right room on the right floor.  And it might be difficult to find the words when you do see that person or that person's family.

But, put aside your own uncomfortable-ness and think of the one who is hospitalized.  Think about whether you would like someone to visit you should you be the one in that hospital bed.  Make that visit...even if for only five minutes.  You have no idea just how important it may be to your friend and his or her family for you to say that you care.

What a Concept !!

 As you all probably know by now, the United States government is “shut down,” to use the words of various media sources.  What that practically means is that many aspects of government have no authority in law to spend money, and so must curtail services until such authority is given.

There are some services that can, under law, continue to spend money, and there are other services which can keep their employees working, but their pay is delayed until the issue is fixed by the Congress and the President.

It's a complicated thing, this shut down business.  On the one hand, the very people who can fix the issue, but don’t, receive their regular pay and benefits.  On the other hand, those on the receiving end of the shut-down have to continue working as “essential workers” for no compensation until the law is changed.

And then there are those who rely on government services who suddenly are without.  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is one such service.  Suddenly, tens of millions of people are without one of their basic means of survival.

Yes, I am well aware of the pro’s and the con’s regarding the SNAP program.  I know there are some who think it is a waste of resources and a huge mess of corruption.  There are others who believe the program is the savior of the world, so to speak, at least regarding food assistance, and want to expand it to many more.

I’m not here to argue any of the ideological points.  The truth is there are people who legitimately need assistance with basic necessities such as food.  That need may be filled by government, by non-profit orgs, by faith communities, or by individuals.  My guess is that if private orgs and individuals would be able and willing to fill the need, there would be no need for a SNAP program on a government level.  But that’s a topic for another day.

What I AM here to say is that I am seeing people step up to the need.  I am seeing people donate what they can afford to give.  I see every kind of donation from a can of green beans to a several thousand dollar check.  People are volunteering to work food pantries.  People are helping load and transport case lots of food.  People are spreading the news regarding the location and hours of the food pantries in the area.  People are delivering food to folks who can’t go to the pantry for whatever reason.  It’s heartening to see.

And I’m also seeing something I think is more important than donations of food or money.  I’m seeing people opening their minds to the truth that there is hunger and need in their neighborhoods.  I’m also seeing people open their hearts to the plight and circumstances of others.

Open minds and open hearts.  What a concept!  What a thought!  Could it be that this government-made situation be an instrument to help us open our minds and hearts to better enable us to love God and love our neighbor?

Paul Purdue, a minister with the United Methodist Church, wrote in a recent blog regarding open hearts and open minds.  I’ve slightly edited a part of it for this Thursday Thought.  Here’s what he said:

Sadly, much of what passes for Christianity in America today is closed minded, cultural bound, and increasingly hard hearted.  Such a faith rides up like an ill fitting jacket binding us up with do’s, don’t, oughts and shoulds.  This kind of Christian thought shuts down our minds, pinches off our compassion, and limits our capacity to love God and neighbor.

We substitute a list of norms, beliefs, and behaviors for a relationship with God…the God who told Abraham to immigrate, made Sarah laugh, empowered Moses to challenge Pharaoh, emboldened Esther, entrusted Mary with the fullness of God’s very self, went fishing with Peter, taught us to love, flipped over tables, suffered humiliation on the cross, rose from the dead, breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples, changed Paul’s heart, and still speaks today.  Could it be that maybe…just maybe…an open heart and open mind are essential to faith?

This is Jay again.  I’ll just leave you to answer that last question yourself.  What do you think?

Meanwhile, if you’re at all able to help provide food, warmth, shelter, infant and baby needs, transportation, or any other need, please step up during this upcoming holiday season, and throughout the year.

Open minds and open hearts.  What a concept!  What a thought!

Just Be

 “Just give grace.  People are exhausted by life right now.”

That quote which I found on social media hit me hard.  I shared it on my time line and said, “I’m feeling this,” with the share.  I’ve had numerous of my friends like and some have commented.

So, what is it with “life right now” that drives people to exhaustion?  Surely, we’ve never had it so good…whiz-bang technology, instant communications, great medical advances over the years, the wealthiest nation on earth…on and on we could go.  Yet life for many seems to be less than good…less than enjoyable…less than contented.  What is it that’s making life so difficult right now?

I’m old enough to recall the worst of the cold war age when we as kids had to practice “duck & cover” in school.  Somehow, the radiation from the atomic bomb wouldn’t hurt us if we only covered our heads and hid  under our desks.  I recall the advent of the polio vaccine and what that disease had done to countless people over the centuries…now being tamed.

I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis and the fact that we were on the brink of thermonuclear war…except for the fact that JFK used the military in a diplomatic sense as much as a show of might and power…and the Soviet Union capitulated and withdrew its missiles from Cuba upon assurances from us regarding other nuclear weapons in Europe.

I remember the assassinations of John Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King, and the attempt on Gerald Ford.  I recall the demonstrations against the VietNam war that sometimes turned violent and people were killed.  The draft evaders who fled to Canada, the VietNam veterans who returned home to anger and frustration, Watergate, the stag-flation of the late 1970’s when interest rates were over 20% on the best mortgages.

Yet it seems that with all that history…and I could go back into the Korean conflict, World War II, and other notable points in history…today it seems that we’re totally exhausted from all of the stress, pain, and worry.

Could it be that our technology, instant everything, wealth, and status has been a double-edged sword?  Yes, those things of themselves are wonderful blessings.  But they also have the capability to isolate us from one-another…break up relationships…create grief and sorrow…and make loneliness a common malady in today’s culture.

Families don’t look like families looked some decades ago.  The basic unit of society…the family unit…is largely fractured, splintered, and grossly dysfunctional.  The “traditional” intact nuclear, functional family unit of an loving father and mother along with kids is in the minority now.  The actual numbers vary depending on who one checks, but the general consensus is that less than 1 in 4 family units are of the traditional variety.

Could there be a correlation?  I’m not smart enough to know the answer to that.  Could there be other issues?  Of course.  But I have to go back to the traditional nuclear family unit…that is functional…not dysfunctional…and say that it sure looks a lot like there’s something there that may be causing the general exhaustion that so many experience.

Other factors?  Yes.  The work culture.  The necessity for both parents to work rather than one stay home.  The political turmoil that is rife on all levels…international, national, state, and local.  Instant news that brings us the latest information on a mass shooting, terrorist attack, or weather disaster.  Our penchant for isolating ourselves in our phones or computers…and in so doing block out the rest of life and living.  Ideological extremes and unwillingness to communicate with one-another on an adult, compassionate, and intelligent level.

Of course, there certainly are other factors at work as well as these.  But I think you get the idea.  There IS a temptation, even though we know it just makes the stress and strain continue on in our lives…to keep on indulging in these.  It’s a sort of addiction.  We have to know the latest news from Capitol Hill.  We must keep abreast of what our friends are doing on social media.  We have to work so we can afford the eight dollar coffee, the fifty dollar dinner, and the sixty thousand dollar pickup trucks.

It just never seems to end.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

“The Lord is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth keep silence before him.”

“Stand still and consider the wonders of God.”

Maybe we need to back off, take a deep breath, and just “BE” for awhile…just “BE” with the God of the universe.

Maybe, just maybe, our state of exhaustion will see some relief.

 

Blessings.

 

Potpourri (Again)

 Good afternoon.

 Today may well be a potpourri of thoughts and things rattling around in my head.  I don’t do this often on this venue, but sometimes it just seems like I need to get some of this stuff out of my head and out on the table, so here goes.

Over the past three years, we’ve had three different trash services (or was it four services) at our house.  This company bought out that company, which in turn was absorbed into a larger company, and so on.

I had paid for a year in advance with the company which was absorbed by the larger one now serving us.  That year in advance ends November 1.  So far, the larger company has honored that advance payment.  However, I am not interested in establishing or continuing a relationship with software or an 800 number.

Phone calls to the company involve wait times of over an hour.  Prices have increased.  The ability to speak to a live person, either in person or on the phone, has diminished considerably.  Furthermore, I do not wish to continue a relationship that was established without my knowledge or consent.

But, I have a question.  Do I need to contact them to tell them I no longer want their service?  Or will they automatically discontinue service on November 1?  Will they continue service automatically and bill me for it?  Who knows…I certainly don’t.

I do know the new trash service will pick up where I desire the other one to leave off.  I can speak to a live person at that service after just the second ring of the phone.  She knows who I am.  She has the information I need.  I know we will have trash service after November 1.  As for the conglomerate…well, I’m an old guy and just like to do business in a little more personal manner than what is being offered.

By the way, English Rentals & Trash Service out of Newton, Kansas is our new waste removal company beginning November 1.  Stay tuned.  This might prove to be interesting.

It was only earlier this year that I became aware of a place in Hazelton, Kansas…look that up in your Rand McNally atlas…the Freedom Gates Boys Ranch.  Freedom Gates is a fully privately funded working ranch for troubled boys ages 11 to 18.  They receive no finances from any government agency.  Nor do they charge families a set fee.  They are totally reliant on donations.  They serve boys and their families…and they do it well and without fanfare.

The program is faith based.  School is private on the premises.  They are licensed by the state regarding housing standards, safety and fire standards.  But they are free to develop their own program, their own curriculum, and their own way of doing things.

Boys actively work the ranch.  They have cattle, horses, gardens, field crops, and all the rest that goes with ranches and ranching.  The boys actively work those areas as their age allows.  They learn skills such as welding, construction, fence building, working livestock, electrician, plumber and other trades work.

They learn to work with and support each other.  They develop not only work skills, but life skills that will remain with them long after they depart the ranch.

In addition, they receive appropriate therapy along with their families with the goal of eventual re-integration.  If that is not a possibility, that young man may stay at the ranch until he reaches adulthood, and may even stay at the ranch longer than that, helping the younger boys, mentoring, and teaching.  Quite the place for such a small community as Hazelton, Kansas.  Check it out.

The next days and weeks may well be “interesting” insofar as how the various state and local governments navigate the uncertainty of the federal government shutdown.  Of course, we're hearing the extremes of both sides of this debacle.  One side is saying that people will go hungry and without health care.  The other side is saying we can’t afford to continue down the debt spiral, and even now may be beyond a point of no return.

On a local level…on a neighbor to neighbor level, how do we as a church family react?  Furthermore, how do we proactively plan for a possible increase in hungry children and families coming to our food pantry?  How do we navigate helping our neighbors get through the week or even the day?  What about our members who are affected?  Will they tell us of their need?  And if they do, how do we respond appropriately?

Depending on the length of the shutdown, we may see some Social Security checks not come through.  We may see some Medicare payments not being made.  We already are seeing SNAP and WIC benefits being cut.  Are we as a society…and more particularly, are we as a church preparing for something that may directly affect us in some basic-need way?  It’s a question we need to ask, and begin to formulate a response.

Standard Time begins Sunday morning, November 2.  There is always a big discussion about this time of year regarding whether or not to continue this Standard-to-Daylight and Daylight-to-Standard time adjustment.  Some love the extra hour of daylight in the evenings.  But that has to be tempered with the fact that that hour was taken from the morning, making sunrise well after many people are at work and kids are going to school.  No extra hour of daylight magically appears in the day.  We rob Peter to pay Paul.

I don’t know if I like it or not.  Yes, I like the hour in the evening in the summer.  But I don’t like getting up to darkness or barely daylight in the morning as the days shorten.

Whatever is done or not done, not everyone will be happy.  There will always be factions on both sides of the discussion, and many occupying the middle areas.  That’s the way it usually is with most things.  We should know by now that we can say our piece…our opinion…then let the chips fall where they may.  If they are in our favor…good.  If not, well, we live to fight another battle.

Thanks for listening this week.  Regardless of which side you’re on regarding Daylight Saving time, remember the God who created time and daylight…and created you.

 

Blessings,

All of You

Good morning!

 As you probably know by now, I coordinate a lot of the benevolence at RiverWalk.  We work with our members who are in need, and we also reach out to non-members as we can and are able.  Our non-member outreach is more limited in scope compared with member needs, which is, we believe, as it should be.  Paul tells the Galatian Christians to do good to all, and especially to those who are of “the household of faith,” as he puts it.

We also recognize that there is much more need than what we can possibly fill, so we have concentrated our efforts somewhat.  We recognize the issues with homelessness, and work some in that arena; however, there are many other non-profits and churches who also are working in that arena.  What isn’t so well-known are the issues surrounding those who still have housing…still have a roof over them and food on the table, but are just days or perhaps weeks from losing those things due to illness, injury, unplanned financial needs, job loss, or some other issue.

We have found that once an individual or family crosses that line from housed to unhoused, it immediately becomes incredibly difficult to get back into the realm of the housed.  Suddenly, there is no mailing address.  There is no place to store and prepare food.  There is no place for routine hygiene.  Transportation becomes problematic.  Access to clean water and other utilities is difficult or non-existent.  Where to store personal effects is an issue.  If there’s an eviction on record that caused the homelessness, good luck renting ANYTHING in the future.

There’s just a whole slew of things that come crashing down right away, overwhelming that individual or family in ways that make life incredibly hard, and getting back into housing even harder.

So, we concentrate more on trying to keep people in housing if possible.  Sometimes, there’s not a lot we can do.  Sometimes, all it takes is a few gallons of fuel in a gas tank so that person can get to work so they don’t lose their job due to not showing up.

Some of those we interact with in these situations are “rookies,” so to speak.  They’ve never been in a near-homeless situation before.  They haven’t much of a clue regarding how to navigate these new waters.  They don’t know what, if any services might be available.

And, they’re scared.  Their sense of security is gone.  They are stressed.  They hesitate to tell anyone due to shame.  They’re trying to juggle it all and keep things in the air, but are watching the balls fall to the ground one by one.

And if they have a family…spouse…kids…are caring for a disabled family member…have health issues of their own…the stress and fear are all the greater.

There are shelters for men and for women.  But family shelters…what family shelters there are…are always full.  There’s no moving in to one immediately…or possibly ever.

These are the people that we try to work with as much as our limited budget will allow.  Sometimes we can’t help.  Sometimes we can.  It’s dependent on the need as well as our resources.

And I suspect it…the need…of members as well as non-members…will only increase with time.  As the population of the metro area grows, more will naturally be in need.  Society and government play a part in the increasing need.  However, I believe that the number one cause of increased need is the degradation of the family unit.  Families don’t care for each other as they used to do.  Family units are torn apart by greed, lust, and sin.  People don’t know their extended families.  It’s an epidemic in many ways.

Government cannot help in any material way.  The answer has to come from within.  There needs to be a change of heart…a change of attitude…a change of soul in individuals…one person at a time…one family at a time.

Believe what you will, but I’m telling you that the man Jesus, who is also called the Christ of God, is that answer.

Will faith in Jesus Christ be a magic bullet that suddenly makes it all right?  No.  But it will, over time, create, as King David once said, “a new heart,” in those who believe and follow the teachings of Jesus.  That "new heart," will in turn and over time bring about a new way of thinking and a new way of living.

I’ve seen it happen far, far too many times to believe it’s pie in the sky thinking.  And you…you who are stressed, afraid, and are feeling lost and alone…what does it hurt to look into this Jesus thing…to give it a try.  But be warned.  You’ll have to go “all in” or not at all.  God’s not satisfied with just part of you.  He wants all of you.  Consider it. 

Going Back

Sometimes when we are in a quiet and meditative moment, we think back on things that happened in our life long ago.  Sometimes, those events might have included perhaps a teacher from our elementary or high school years.  Or maybe a special friend from our teen years.  Maybe we recall something that happened from a prior work experience.  It could be something we remember from a trip or vacation.  Or maybe it's something having to do with our family, our children, or friends.  I know my descriptions of those things right now are very general in nature, and I intended for them to be that way.  Because each of us has our own memories, both pleasant and unpleasant, that remain in our minds from long years ago.

And with those memories often come the thoughts of more innocent times.  We think about healthier bodies that responded much better to what our brains told them to do than they do now.  We think about the security of living with parents who loved us and cared for us.  We remember relationships we had with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.  We think of teachers and others who mentored us, accepted us, and yes, loved us.  The carefree childhood days of summer, the Christmases past of family gatherings, the birth of our own children.  We have many memories, at least most of us do, of a mostly pleasant and innocent time.

And we sometimes long for those kinds of times to come back into our lives as we deal with the issues of today.  We juggle health issues, deal with bureaucracies of many kinds, try to understand societal ills such as homelessness and addiction, work hard sometimes to foster and maintain relationships, and we lament for those in far off lands who are starving or killed due to the actions of those with a lust for power and dominance.

Yes, we had the cold war and the atom bomb back in the 1950's.  We had illnesses then…polio, measles, and others, that had no prevention or cure.  Some of us remember the Iron Lung…Google it if you don’t know what that was.  We also had the Iron Curtain and the after-effects of World War II and Korea...automobiles that were death traps.  The Interstate Highway System was in its infancy.  Smoking was considered to be fashionable.  Family planning and birth control were very hit and miss.

But by and large as kids, we didn't worry so much about those kinds of things and just lived our lives.  We didn't have, at least in my experience, all of the stress and strain of trying to deal with the world's ills while at the same time trying to navigate our own daily lives.

Today we're bombarded with the latest to come out of the 24 hour news cycle.  We have pundits and commentators constantly barraging us with their opinions and half-truths, trying to bring us around to their point of view.  Politicians are experts in twisting the truth to their advantage without plausibly being accused of outright lying.  We are urged to buy everything from insurance to household gadgets to Verbo vacations.  We’re told the country is going to the dogs in one breath, and someone else tells us how great everything is in the next breath.  We’re pulled this way and that.  Relationships have generally become more superficial and more dependent on our political or religious views.  It seems like a different world…and in many respects, it is.

But even though we recall the past and sometimes wish things were different, we don’t live in the past.  We live in the here and now, on our way to the not-yet.  The past is behind us and done.  It’s effects on us remain, but to go back and live it again is not within our power to do.

And to be honest with ourselves, if we really thought it through, how many of us really would want to go back and live it again…the childhood years of bumps and bruises and broken bones…those awkward teen years of first love, or rejection by the in crowd.  Or those years when we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do in life and hadn’t a clue how to proceed.  Those years when we didn’t have two nickels we could rub together.  The years when we lost our parents, grandparents, and others to old age or illness.

It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns back then, contrary to what we might think.  There were real issues…real life-and-death decisions…real consequences…real dangers.  Do we really want to go back to the dial telephone, polio and the Korean war?  I think not.

But, can we today obtain at least a measure of what we might describe as the innocence of those years?  I think we can.  Now, I don’t advocate that we go live under a bridge somewhere and drop out of society.  But I do think we can choose to NOT listen to the constant noise of those selling half-truths of some kind and political dogma from whatever camp it may be coming from.  We can choose to be aware of what’s going on around us, but realize that we can affect only what is in our sphere of influence.  We can be circumspect in our decisions to enter into a conflict of some kind or bow out and live to fight another day.

We may not be able to control the 24 hour news cycle, the latest tragedy overseas, or what this or that politician says or does..  But we CAN decide whether or not we will be controlled by those things.  We CAN decide what our response will be to those things.

And most of all, we can continue to affirm, develop, and revel in our relationship with the ONE who never changes…never falters…never disappoints…always loves…always cherishes…always listens.  As the old song says about the God of the Universe…”I go to him in prayer…he knows my every care…”  Spend some time in prayer this day.

 

Blessings,

Positive Difference/Negative Difference

 Good morning!

 I don’t know if you’ve been outside yet, but the day is starting out just beautifully.  The air is clean following a brief shower earlier, there is just a hint of crispness in the air, and the world is going about normal business for this Thursday.

Yes, we have issues “out there” in the world today.  We continue to see grown men and women act like four-year-olds in Washington D.C. as well as Topeka.  We continue to have death and destruction in places like Gaza, Minnesota, and Kansas.  Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural occurrences plague parts of the world.  Yes, we do have our share of issues…both natural and man-made.

But God has also provided us with a glimpse of what the creation could be…and will be one day through the present glory of nature and the goodness of mankind that is often on display.  Yes, there is the presence of God in nature, and there are countless acts of goodness and service…some of which we are privileged to know about, see for ourselves, or even be part of.

As you may know, Jane Goodall, the woman who conducted more than six decades of field research on the social and family life of wild chimpanzees, and became quite famous doing so, died recently.  Circulating on social media is a quote attributed to her.  This is what she was purported to have said at one time:  “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

As I see it, there aren’t many choices when it comes to the kind of difference you may want to make in your daily life and living routine.  It seems to me that we can make either a positive difference of some kind, or a negative difference…and that’s about the extent of the choices.  It’s the very rare person who, in the course of his or her day, makes no difference at all.  In fact, I would step on a limb here and say that making no difference is not possible, regardless of who you are, what you do or what your situation is on any given day.

So, if I want to make a positive difference today, how might I best do that?  Well, as a Jesus disciple, my answer would be to emulate the life of the man from Galilee.  “Love your neighbor as yourself.  Be kind to one-another…tenderhearted, forgiving one another.  Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”  And if you’re a Jesus follower, you can surely think of other ways to make a positive difference in your daily living and interactions with others.

So, what would be the antithesis of that…the opposite of making a positive difference?  It would seem to me to be just the opposite of what I just said regarding how we make a positive difference.  “Love yourself and care not for your neighbor.  Treat others with disdain…put them down and elevate yourself.  Continue holding grudges and get even.  Worship the gods of the world…money, sex, and power.”

It seems kind of bold of me to put the negative difference makers in such plain English.  I want to reel back and say, “No, I don’t do those things!”  But if I’m honest with myself I have to admit that those things are lurking inside of me, and if given the chance will rise up in some way that makes ME the god…that makes ME the one I want to serve.

And they can be subtle…so subtle, in fact, that we actually believe we’re doing something good and noble when in reality we’re doing it only for ourselves and for our own gratification.

Being truly kind, serving, forgiving and loving is more difficult than one might think, and requires a strength not found within ourselves.  We have to go outside of ourselves to find that strength and motivation.  And for many of us, THAT is found in a relationship with that same Jesus we mentioned a bit earlier…the one of whom it is said is indeed God in the flesh…the one we can know and can emulate as he himself lived among us and showed us what it means to love, forgive, and serve, putting away our selfishness and pride.

Yes, Ms. Goodall.  I think you are correct.  We DO have an impact on the world around us each day…whether that world is in the office where we work, the home where we live, the hospital room where we are recovering, the nursing home room where we are spending our last days, the school where we learn, or the grocery store where we buy our necessities.

And so I leave you with this thought today.  The question is, will that impact be positive or negative.  Will we make the world…or at least our corner of it…a better place for our having been there, or will we leave that corner in shambles at the expense of others and for our benefit?

 Blessings,