A Conversation

 Good morning.

 As you may already know from observation as well as hearing about it on the news and in other places, there is a segment of the population which does not have a place they can call home.  They live on the street, in parks, in cars, or sometimes with friends.  They often have no money or source of income.  They often are relatively easy to spot due to their attire and general lack of cleanliness.  They are the homeless population.

We in the homed population often don’t understand why some people are homeless.  We tend to adopt an “out of sight…out of mind” attitude toward them.  We often are leery of getting too close to them physically…sometimes out of fear and sometimes just because we don’t want to see how some people survive day to day.  And we often have short and pat answers to their homelessness.  “Get a job,” is one of the most common platitudes we spout as we drive by an encampment.

According to Sedgwick County commissioner Ryan Baty, there are approximately 2,000 unhomed individuals in Wichita and surrounding area.  Of those, about 1,600 will find housing within a reasonable period of time.  For those 1,600, homelessness is a temporary setback that they can work out of reasonably well.

About 200 of the homeless are more chronically unhoused, and are taking advantage of resources that are available to help them get out of the homeless whirlpool and into housing.  The Second Light shelter is one of those places in Wichita which provides support for those in that category.

The remaining 200 are the chronically unhoused who are either unable or unwilling to take advantage of the kinds of resources which can help them with a solution to their homelessness.  Commissioner Baty describes them this way.  He says, “We simply call (these people the) ‘hardest to engage.’  These are often individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, debilitating addiction, or a developmental disability.  Many of these folks simply cannot sustain independent housing, even if given to them.  We no longer institutionalize as a society for a variety of reasons — and there are no viable group homes with this level of acute care.  Many of these individuals aimlessly wonder, mostly in downtown, where food services exist.  It’s heartbreaking.”

This is Jay again.  Many of these 200 are mentally ill or emotionally so crippled that they are unable to make the decisions necessary to take advantage of the kinds of services which could help them become housed.  It is these 200 which are the most difficult to work with or help in any way, no matter how much we in the homed community would like to help.

The issues with these folks often seem to be intractable.  The mentally ill cannot be involuntarily committed for treatment unless they are a danger to themselves or others.  They will not voluntarily commit to treatment…some aren’t capable of making that decision.  Others don’t want to do so.  Additionally, few beds and little money are available to provide the necessary treatment.

If someone does go through treatment, they often are dismissed with a prescription for medication they cannot afford, and don’t understand that they need that medication on an on-going basis.  There is often little follow-up with someone who had been in treatment to determine needs.  Transportation is an issue for many…getting to the pharmacy or to an appointment.  Finding a job and a way to support oneself is difficult, especially if one has no legal identification, which is not at all unusual.

Even obtaining an ID card can take months of running through the bureaucratic red tape.  Without an ID, there is no Social Security or disability or other benefits.  Housing is virtually non-existent.  Access to services is problematic.  Going to work is out of the question.  With no ID, a person effectively becomes a non-person in the eyes of many.

Commissioner Baty, who I mentioned earlier, is taking a bold step.  He is organizing a round-table discussion for later on this summer, keying in on those approximately 200 unhoused who are the most difficult to work with productively.  I don’t know who will be a participant in the discussion, but I know I want to hear what is said.

I have often said that I don’t have the answers to a lot of these kinds of questions.  And I’m not even sure I know the questions to ask.  Ryan is at least putting the questions out in public, along with any possible answers.  That’s progress.  I don’t know if any answers will come of the discussion.  The group may not get much farther than understanding the questions.  But I suspect Ryan will keep at it for as long as he believes things are moving along toward some kind of solution.

We may have to change some laws regarding mental health treatment.  We will have to provide better public education.  Somehow, we will need to find the resources to provide the services these folks need, and will take advantage of.  And, we may have to understand that we may not be able, despite our best efforts, to shelter and serve everyone.

This promises to be an interesting discussion…one in which I am very much interested.  I hope you too will have an interest and participate in it.

Thank you for listening.  May your day be blessed and may you be a blessing to others.

Memorial Day 2026

 Good morning!

 It was a pleasant Memorial Day weekend overall for the Plank family this year.  In addition to the traditional placing of flowers and plants on the graves of loved ones, remembering them as we did so, we also gathered together on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Gabe’s graduation from high school.  There was good conversation and not a small amount of food at Scott & Laura’s.  They can put on a pretty good scene at times.

Then that evening we all gathered for a hot-dog roast at our place.  The kids played outside and in the park behind us, and us old folks mostly sat and visited, catching up on times past as well as looking ahead to the future.  We especially enjoyed watching the smaller kids manage to cook hot dogs and marshmallows over the open fire, and Zach kept the fire pit stoked with lumber from time to time as the evening got cooler.

Sunday was the normal worship services, with a moment of silence to remember those who had gone before, and especially those who gave their lives in service.  Sunday evening some of us went to Sterling to swim and indulge in homemade ice cream at one of Pat’s relatives.  This gathering at Bob and Lynn’s is quickly becoming a tradition…one that the kids especially like, as the pool is heated and there’s a slide as well.

And Monday we helped Laura clean up the graduation stuff, taking the borrowed tables and chairs back to where they came from.  That afternoon, we went to Harper to pick up the flowers and plants at the cemetery.

Monday evening, we were called regarding Pat’s sister-in-law, who was in hospice care.  She had taken a turn for the worse, and we went to be with her and with Pat’s brother.  We stayed for awhile and visited with others in the family.  Becky passed away about 1am the following morning.  Services will be held Saturday.

It’s been a full weekend.

Becky had been admitted to Hospice House, an inpatient facility in Hutchinson.  It’s visually similar to a small hospital in many ways, but has an entirely different purpose.  The layout of the facility is geared to families and those who are visiting loved ones.  Those who work there have a special heart for the work, and care for the families as much as they do the patient.  At Hospice House, there’s no such thing as a nurse that is too busy to stop and visit for a few minutes.  There are no loud noises, clanking of medical machinery, or noisy carts going down halls.  There’s no, “We don’t allow that here.”

Yes, there are indeed rules.  But there is also compassion and a true desire to serve…at least on the part of those I encountered there.  I don’t know who the nurse is who was assigned to Becky.  But I do know from my experiences in health care and Pat’s work in hospice in the past that this woman knew exactly what she was doing.  She knew exactly what we were thinking.  And she knew exactly what to say, how & when to say it, what to do, and how & when to do it.  If ever I saw a health care provider who combined the art of medicine with the equally important art of compassion and care, it was her.  And I’m speculating that everyone else who works there is equally compassionate, caring, and professional.

So, looking ahead because of Becky’s passing, I see family gatherings, a memorial service, some travel, and a lot of visiting.  As an In-law, even though we consider ourselves all family, I pretty much stay on the sidelines unless invited or asked.  It’s the only appropriate thing to do.  Anything else would be inserting myself into a place where I shouldn’t be.

Going to a cemetery where loved ones are buried can be an humbling and yes, even emotional experience.  The one we go to for the Plank family…the church of my childhood’s cemetery…has both relatives and friends of mine.  Aunts, grandparents, parents, uncles, shirt tail cousins, and friends are there.  People I’ve known, especially in my young days in the church are there.  And those friends of mine who are there…many of those friends were my age or even younger when they passed.

There are some in that church cemetery I don’t know.  And there are some there who were very young…infants and small children who possibly had been caught up in some epidemic of some kind in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  It is good, I think, to just walk the rows of stones and remember again that person whose remains are a few feet underground.

I also remember having to mow the cemetery as a boy.  Although it’s only three or so miles out of town, it felt like the middle of nowhere in the summer heat for a boy of 10 or 11 years old.  There was no water, no phone, no buildings, and no shade.  I had an 18 inch mower, and my older brother, who mowed with me, had a 20 inch mower.  We didn’t cut a very wide swath.  It took most of a half day to get it all cut.  The stones at that time had no concrete base, so we had to trim around the stones with hand trimmers once we were finished mowing.

I’m not complaining.  Although I didn’t enjoy the work then, I know now it “built character,” as my Dad would say, and as I now say to my grand kids from time to time.

 

Thanks for listening.  I trust your next days will be fruitful and pleasant.

 

Blessings.

Read & Re-read

 Good morning!

 One of my social media friends recently said, in response to a re-post I did of Farmer Girl’s take on Psalm 22, “Scripture is truly amazing sometimes.  We just need to read and reread both the Old and New Testament.”  Side note here:  Farmer Girl, if you don’t know, is a woman in Washington State whose job is caring for newborn Jersey calves.  She doesn’t own them…it’s her job to care for them.  She also writes prolifically, many times regarding some portion of Scripture.  She has, get this, over a quarter of a million followers.  I “found” her several months ago.  Since then, several of my friends have also begun to follow her on social media.

However, I want to concentrate today on my friend’s comment rather than Farmer Girl’s post.  Her amazement, I believe, came about because of the specific wording in Psalm 22 having to do with Jesus being crucified centuries later than the Psalm was written.  The Psalm speaks of people gambling for clothing, pierced hands and feet, bones out of joint (not broken, dislocated), and extreme thirst.  Jesus quotes a portion of the Psalm on the cross.  The religious leaders also, unknowingly, quote a portion.  The Psalm, written dozens of generations before crucifixion was even a thing, is uncanny in it’s similarity with the reality of the crucifixion.  That is what my friend was referring to in her comment.

But, why does she advocate a reading and re-reading of Scripture?  Why take the time to read Scripture in the first place?  And why would someone want to read something a second time?  Or a third time?  Why, perhaps, re-read something that one may have memorized long ago and can still quote verbatim?  Why is it that people the world over recommend reading and also re-reading Scripture?

First, if one doesn’t initially read Scripture…that is, read it the first time…that person won’t know what is there.  Oh, someone may hear snippets and portions of the Bible in sermons, classes, or in conversation with others.  But to really know what is there means to be reading it in some way.  Reading can consist of the normal way of reading.  It can also be audio Bibles or other means of absorbing what is in the text.  How foolish it is to think one knows the content of a book…any book…not having read it.  And, that needs to be virtually a cover-to-cover reading…not just here and there reading.  Not just a Cliff’s Notes reading.

Second, why re-read?  Like much good literature, the Bible is a book that, when read a second, third, or tenth time, spills out additional information and truth that a first reading just doesn’t allow.  A first time read is one that allows a general, overall view of the material.  It takes a re-read, or several re-reads, to absorb much of the content that is overlooked on first read.  Farmer Girl, when reading Psalm 22, already knew what was in the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, and could easily compare the two.  She also knows something of the history of the text…that the Psalm was written centuries before there was even such a thing as crucifixion…that it was written by King David…that it foretold in exact detail the happenings of centuries later.

But perhaps most of all, Scripture needs to be read, re-read and read yet again because of its source.  All Scripture, Paul the great Apostle said, is inspired by God.  We believe, on good authority by Paul as well as untold thousands of other sources, ways, and means, that God is the ultimate author of the Bible.  Yes, humans wrote the text.  Those humans, we believe, were guided in their writing by God Himself as they set down the words, phrases, and books of the Bible.

You may say, “Well, that’s really a hard line to swallow.  I just can’t buy that.”  And many people say exactly that.  But, what if it’s really true that God inspired humans to write the words that became the Bible?  What if it really is that way?  Are you willing to take a chance and turn your back on what may just be God’s message to humanity?  Are you willing to gamble your life and your relationship with the God of the universe on the fact that you find it really difficult to accept the notion that God is the ultimate author?

It seems to me that’s like playing Russian roulette.  Only one bullet in the magazine.  Six possibilities.  Surely, it won’t fire this time.  But what if it does?  Are you willing to take that chance?

I hope and trust you will see the Bible for what it is…God-breathed truth.  The more you read…the more you study…the more you compare various texts of the Bible…the more you understand its history and the times referred to in it…the more you see the overall, overarching story of God’s love for His creation…you’ll become, I believe, one who is knowledgeable enough of it that you can put together a story of love, forgiveness and redemption…God reaching out to His creation in order to reconcile it…mankind included…to Himself.  May you receive blessing today as you read, study, and ponder God’s word.

Varied Thoughts

 Good morning.  It has been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted a Thought.  This past weekend, RiverWalk hosted Keith and Sharon Lancaster, founders of Acappella Ministries and creators of the several vocal groups who sing Christian songs acappella, or without the use of instruments.  Acappella Ministries has several other arms to it…one of them being the Songfest weekends that take place in churches around the country.  Keith and Sharon travel to the churches and host times of learning new Christian songs and singing the old hymns, all in four-part harmony without instruments.  We hosted such an event this past weekend.

I was the coordinator and point person for the event, so was preoccupied for the last few weeks getting everything organized.  We also had many volunteers helping us, as these events attract people not from our church.  We had folks from central Kansas, Oklahoma, and other areas…over 250 gathered to sing songs of faith and praise to God, using only our voices, both Saturday and Sunday.

In our faith tradition, we normally never use instruments to accompany our singing.  We also normally use music arranged in four-part harmony.  Some other faith traditions, usually in the more conservative realm, also sing without accompaniment.  Some of those folks were with us Saturday, and possibly Sunday for the singing and services.

These past weeks have also been tough regarding benevolence.  We’ve had many requests for gasoline…many more than normal due to the price of fuel.  Things are getting harder for those who were barely making a go of it in the past.  My concern is that some of those who have been able to keep a roof over their family’s head are now at a point that they may no longer be able to do so, and we’ll have more in the street than we’ve had in the past.

The issue (I don’t refer to homelessness and poverty as “problems,”) is incredibly complex, requiring much more than slick, one-line answers that easily roll out of one’s mouth.  Everyone has to be on board.  Government can’t do it alone.  Non-profits and faith communities can’t do it alone.  Individuals can’t do it alone.  It takes us all working together, understanding the issues first, then working collaboratively with each other and with the homeless and poverty communities on solutions.  If we try something that isn’t working, we need to back out and go down a different path.  It may take some time, effort, and failed attempts to get it right.  However, when push comes to shove, we really have no other options long-term.

On a more positive note, this is the time of the year for graduations, for celebrations, and especially in June, weddings and anniversary celebrations.  School is (or will be) out for the summer.  Teens will have summer jobs.  The pools and splash pads will be open.  And for those who can afford to do so, it’s vacation time.  The Planks are planning yet another annual reunion which we plan to attend.  We’ll leave a couple of days early and take in a few things at Branson before heading to Illinois for the reunion.  Beyond that this year, I don’t know if or where we may travel.

Last year, we made a week out of traveling in Western and Northern Kansas, visiting places we knew or knew about, since we both have lived in those areas in the past.  It was a time of relaxed travel on sparsely-traveled Western Kansas roads, and visiting some places we hadn’t taken the time to see when we lived in the area.  We enjoyed seeing those places, and visiting with one or two friends along the way whom we hadn’t seen in quite some time.  We are grateful we can do those things during this time in our lives.

This Thought has been kind of a combination of thoughts from the past couple of weeks.  I know it isn’t what you usually find in this space, but it’s what is on my mind now.  Thank you for listening, and thank you also for your generosity and willingness to help when and however you can to make your corner of the world a better place.

 Blessings.

Stress

 Good afternoon.

 Sometimes, regardless of your place in life…whether younger or older, working or retired, raising kids or done with that part of life, married or single…regardless of your place in life, there are times when the stresses of everyday modern life seem to pile up.  Those stresses could be in the form of family relationships, financial issues, work-related issues, or health concerns.  Or they could be some of any number of other issues and concerns.  They could be of your own making, or they could be entirely outside of your control.

 The stress and strain you are feeling could be relatively mild, or it could be pretty much overwhelming.  However, when things seem to begin piling up in life, even the mild stresses can seem to be insurmountable.  The human body can handle only so much of that kind of thing before it begins to rebel.  If allowed to go too far, the body can literally shut down in many key areas, rendering someone pretty much non-functional.

 Dealing with the stresses of life are part of life and living.  It really doesn’t matter if you’re in a Western culture like ours, or if you’re living in a third world area.  The cause of the stress may be different, but it’s there nevertheless.  How one deals with stress is vital to the well-being of the human that is being stressed.

 So, how do you handle stress?  Some work out physically in some way…jogging, the “Y,” sports, or other forms of physical exertion.  Others act in a more subdued manner…reading a book, listening to music, being in nature, going on a drive, or visiting a friend.  Some will find other outlets…shopping, playing games, eating, going to a movie, or something comparable.

 I like to sit out in my back yard and just watch and listen.  Even in cooler or warmer weather, I like to take in the nature that is there and in the park just behind our rear fence.  I also like to go for a drive at times, mostly in rural areas.  Music is an escape for me as well.  Sometimes songs of faith and praise…sometimes the classics…sometimes easy listening.

 Whatever your way of dealing with the stress of the day, doing so is vital to your well-being and overall health.  Don’t cut short your stress-relieving activities.  Don’t continue to pile stress on top of stress without relief.  Your body can take so much…then it will say, “No, I’m not going any farther.  You’ll just have to do without me.”  Then you are forced to deal with it whether you want to or not.

 One thing I haven’t yet mentioned as a stress reliever is something that works surprisingly well.  Many people read.  Some read history; some fiction; some biographies.  A surprising number of people open their Bibles and read chapters and even entire books from the Bible.  It can be an extremely good way to turn down the stress level and find some answers to what is the bother.

 My goal with this thought was to help you as you navigate the stresses and strains of life.  May God bless you in the days ahead.

The Last Move

 We have been friends with our neighbor immediately to our south ever since we’ve lived where we do now…going on 18 years.  Sharon and Rick have been good neighbors for us, and we hope they feel the same about us.

Rick and Sharon were the developers and contractors that built all of Shelly’s Orchard Addition where we live.  There are three or four basic home designs in the area.  The houses are well-built, sturdy, roomy, and the neighborhood is quiet and peaceful.  There is an HOA, but Rick is the only officer, and he has chosen over the years to not be picky.  We pretty much police ourselves in the neighborhood, and get along pretty well, overall.  We’ve learned that eccentricity usually is not something that should be concerning to us, that other cultures can and do enhance the “flavor” of the neighborhood, and that we indeed are our neighbor’s keeper at times.

Rick has had ongoing, chronic medical issues over the years, and is now in a care facility.  Sharon is in good health and continues to live at the house next door.

Yesterday Sharon was having a garage sale, getting rid of some items no longer needed.  I wandered over there before coming to work, and we visited a bit.  During the conversation, she told me that she would be moving and selling the house in a year or so.  We visited a bit more, then we excused ourselves and I came in to work.

On the way in, I thought about Sharon and Rick no longer being next door to us.  Then I thought of all of the other changes in home ownership in the neighborhood.  Only a few of the homes within a couple of blocks of us are occupied by the same people who were there when we moved in.  When those others moved away, I didn’t think a lot about it other than we were going to miss them, their kids, or some other aspect of their having been in the neighborhood.

But when Sharon said she was moving, it hit me a lot harder.  Rick and Sharon have, at least to me, been the anchors of the neighborhood.  They have always been friendly, helpful, and pleasant.  The creators of the whole addition, Rick and Sharon have provided dozens of families houses that have become homes.  They have provided new neighborhood friendships.  They have expanded our world views.  They have enabled Pat and me to minister to several in the neighborhood, including them, when some kind of need came up.  Whether they realize it or not, they have made the world a better place for many of us, and have given us in these past 18 or so years the home we really needed at this stage in life.  The entire neighborhood owes a debt of gratitude to them.

I also thought about the fact that in life, whether we like it or not, things never stay the same.  They always are in a state of change.  Oh, one may not see any changes over a 24 hour period, or over a week, or even a month.  But change is there, slowly and surely doing its work.  Life may appear to be rocking along in some kind of constant mode, much like many of the comic strips in the newspaper era did…no one aged…no one died…no one moved.  For those who remember, think Beetle Bailey.  Think Blondie.  Think Dick Tracy.  Think Peanuts.  But real life isn’t like that.  We may appear to be like we were years ago, but then suddenly, we see the change taking place right out in the open.  We see the moving van backed up to the garage door.  We see the neighbors drive away for the last time.  And we know that change has been constantly working over the years, bringing life to this point in time.

And those thoughts brought me to this:  One of these days, Pat and I will leave our home on Lydia for the last time.  We’ll either leave in a car, an ambulance, or a hearse.  We’ll move to a patio home, a nursing home, or some other place that we’ll do our best to make our home.  Or maybe just one of us will leave to create a new home.  The other will have passed on to eternity.  And a new family will move into the house we’ve enjoyed for these years, and they will then enjoy the fish pond, the park, the neighbors, the fire pit, and all the rest.

I know this Thought has not been all that upbeat.  But that’s what I’m thinking and feeling today.  Life goes on.  Things change. 

And, on a related thought, I thought about how things naturally move, over time…sometimes a long time, into a state of disorder.  That’s called entropy, and there’s a physical law which describes it.  It’s called, the Second Law of Thermodynamics. 

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington is quoted as saying this about entropy, “The law that entropy always increases, holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of nature.”  Unquote.

 But hen we bring God into the equation, things suddenly change and entropy doesn’t get the last move.  Farmer Girl, a young woman I follow on social media, said this recently when writing about change, disorder, and the second law.  I really like her take on change and chaos and how God views it.  She writes this piece that I will quote.  In the quote, she references the card game UNO.

   Yes, the world right now may feel like a game where someone keeps stacking wild cards and you are questioning all of your life choices while holding a hand that makes no sense.  Everything around you may currently be trending toward chaos because that is literally how this broken world operates, and there is no denying that reality.  But entropy only gets a say in the process and it does not get the last move.

 God does.

 So, friend, as you contemplate the change in your life and the lives of those you know and love, also know that God always gets the last word.  God always gets the last move.  God always wins.

 Blessings,

God's Pathway

 We've lived at our current home for 18 years, which, in case you don't know yet, backs up to the west side of Pawnee Prairie Park in west Wichita.  The park is over a mile and a half long and a mile wide.  Kellogg is the north edge.  The south edge is well beyond Pawnee, which does NOT cut into the park.  East is Tyler Road and the airport, and to the West the park goes to just East of Maize Road.  The Cowskin creek runs through the middle of the park.  There are several walking/riding paths in the park...some of which are paved and really easy to find and enjoy.  Others are more inside the park...in the woods...sometimes in the thick of the woods.  The paths inside the woods are many and varied, with most of them connecting or crossing in some way with one or more other paths.

I've walked most all of the paths of the park.  I know where they commence and where they end or connect with another path.  I can take you on these paths to areas of the park where you think you're miles from any civilization.  No signs.  No paved paths.  No visual clues as to where you are or what direction you're facing.  No homes, vehicles, or other people are visible or heard.

I’ve taken my grand kids into the park on those inside pathways on numerous occasions.  They enjoy exploring them, and will stop at each intersection of pathways to ask me which way to go.  Sometimes, I tell them directly.  Other times, I let them choose, because I know where each path goes, and know we will eventually arrive at the place where I want to end up.

We can walk for 20, 25, or 30 minutes and will, because I know where the pathways go, eventually arrive at a place inside the park where some paths cross that are seemingly very far from any sign of civilization.  That place is a favorite of mine…one that I know well.  At that spot, you would never know, unless you could see the sun, hear an aircraft take off from the airport, or hear Kellogg traffic, which is rare, where you were or which path to take if you wanted to exit the park.  I do know.  And I also know that at that place in the park that seems so far from any sign of civilization, that we are only about three minutes from our back yard.

The path to our back yard is one that is strewn with fallen tree limbs and dead branches.  It's one of the more difficult paths in the park because of all of the debris along the way.  Yet, and this is important, the place where we're standing at that path crossing, deciding which path to take…that place is only 2 ½ minutes away from our back yard IF we take the right path.  That right path, strewn with obstacles, will get us to the house and to civilization within a very few short minutes.

So, why do I tell you this?  Well, let's look at a life lesson or two.  We may be in the middle of what we think is a no-win situation...no way out...no compass to guide us...no help to get us to a better place.  We may look around us and see nothing but darkness and obstacles.  We don’t know which direction to go when presented with several possible paths.  We can't (figuratively speaking) see the sun to get our bearings or hear the aircraft take off from the nearby airport to have some idea where we are.  We are lost.

However, in reality, we may well be only a couple of minutes away from that better place.  The path there may have downed tree trunks and branches galore, so to speak, but if we trust someone we know who knows the way and take that path they suggest, we may well break out into the sunshine very shortly.

Now, if you get the drift of my words, please don't think that I am equating myself with God here as someone who can lead you out of your predicament.  I just happen to be one in my story who knows where the paths go and where we are in the park.  I know that I myself have called on God more than once while in the park when dusk has fallen more quickly than I expected, and I wasn't sure I could see the landmarks that I needed in order to maintain my bearings.  I've never been lost, but have had some, shall we say stressful minutes as I made my way out with, I believe His guidance.

And, I certainly have called on Him in life’s trials, not knowing where to take that next step…not knowing what decision to make…not knowing how it will turn out…unable to see the landmarks that tell me where to go.  And much of the time as I look back in life, I see things didn’t turn out as I thought they would or should…we usually ended up in a better place than what I would have found had I not listened to the One who sees the beginning and the end.  God’s pathway out was sometimes a difficult one…but was the right one.

I don't know what you're going through right now.  It could be financial difficulty.  It could be medical, relational, vocational, school-related, or one of any number of difficult situations.  But often, if we will just, as the old saying goes, “Let go and let God,” we may find that obstacle-strewn path to be the one that will bring us to a better place and a better time.  It's the “letting go,” that is difficult.  It is giving up control, giving up trying to finagle, a word I like to use, things so they will turn out as we think they ought.

Our God is willing and able to give you a pathway out.  His path out may be his telling you, “My grace is sufficient for you,” and allowing the difficulty to refine and purify you for a time.  Or it may be some kind of direct intervention to relieve you of your difficult situation.  I've had both of those answers in my days on earth.

But, God is always, always faithful.  Even in the middle of great trial, God is faithful.  God is good.  Look for His path out, even if it appears to be a path to nowhere strewn with all kinds of obstacles, instead of trying to find your own, obstacle free pathway.  Because God sees it all.  He knows the best way forward.

 

Blessings,

Promises Kept

Sometimes when I’m in the pickup, I’ll turn the radio to the BBN (Bible Broadcast Network) radio station in this area.  They often have a period of hymns or spiritual songs which I enjoy.  They also play recordings of various ministers, generally of the more conservative persuasion.  Some I enjoy listening to…others, not so much.

One of the more enjoyable ministers who is on the station regularly is Adrian Rogers.  Rogers was a minister for one of the largest mega-churches in the nation in the late 20^th century.  He passed away in 2005, but his sermons have been preserved, and are played regularly on the station.

One particular sermon I recently heard was on how God answers prayer.  I believe Rogers said there were three main ways God answers.  One is he grants the prayer request.  A second way is he says to wait…that it’s not the right time for an answer.  And third, God says “No.”

When Rogers talked about the third answer…the “No,” answer, he used a passage in the New Testament where Paul the apostle asked God several times to remove what the Bible calls a “thorn in the flesh.”  God tells Paul that he won’t do that…he won’t remove the thorn…and says to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

I’ve known of that part of scripture where Paul and God have a conversation about Paul’s disability, for a long, long time.  I’ve always concentrated my thoughts on what that “thorn in the flesh” might have been.  Most commentaries and scholars believe Paul had some kind of physical infirmity that he wanted God to heal.  I agree.  That seems to be the obvious thing.

But this time, when I heard Rogers speak about this story, something else came to mind.  I too have a “thorn in the flesh.”  It’s called arthritis.  It’s with me every waking hour of the day.  I take medication for it, exercise, and see a medical provider when necessary.  Some days, it’s hardly noticeable.  Other days, I am acutely aware of it.

God’s response to Paul may just be God’s response to me as I deal with not only the arthritis, but some of the other issues of aging.  “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Not only do I need to know that intellectually, but I also need to take that statement into a more heartfelt way.

And may I say I also need to take that statement into myself in a practical way as well.  God has graciously (that’s His grace working in me [”My grace is sufficient for you.”]) is providing medicines, therapies, and other ways to help mitigate the effects of the arthritis and other effects of aging.  God is not abandoning me.  He is not saying, “No, just endure it without relief.”  He is not healing me, but he is providing mitigating factors that I can take advantage of.

One other thing.  I have to wonder if God sometimes intends to allow life in the here and now to be less than comfortable.  I wonder if he does this so we will not be so enamored with this world that we long for it rather than longing for the new heavens and new earth that He has promised for those who have submitted their lives to Jesus Christ.  Because there are some days when it hurts that I think about a day when I’ll no longer feel that hurt, but will be able to truly enjoy life in a way I have never done before.

“My grace is sufficient for you.”  Not an empty sentence at all.  But God letting Paul know, and by extension all the rest of us, that He knows, He hears, He cares, and He asks us to long for the not yet…not so much the here and now.

That’s a hard pill to swallow.  The here and now is, well, so here and now.  It’s what we are experiencing at the moment.  The future seems so far off at times.  We are at our basic nature, creatures of the moment.  And God’s promises of relief and future happiness are sometimes lumped in with all of the other promises we’ve been given over the years by people…promises that are sometimes kept, and sometimes totally ignored.  We know that our track record with promises made to us is sometimes not very good.  Many are kept.  Some are not.  So why would we want to go all-in on God’s promises to us?

I have no magic answer to that.  What I do have is a record of His promises made to others…and in that same record the account of God keeping those promises...each and every one.

Joshua, in his final words to the nation of Israel following their taking of the promised land recounted God’s promises to the nation and then said this:  “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”  There are dozens of places in the Bible which say essentially the same thing regarding God keeping his promises.  It is that kind of example that keeps me in hope that some day my shoulder will no longer ache, my back will no longer hurt, and my hands will work as intended.

God’s grace in all of this is in part, I believe, His promise of a better future.  His grace enables us to look at the big picture, and as Paul the apostle says, persevere through these, “Light momentary afflictions, which are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”  Paul was secure in hope.  May I be even half as secure in hope as the great apostle.

And, may God shed his grace upon you today.  Blessings.

Good Words Then...Good Words Now

 Good morning, and welcome!!

These days, in some ways, are not good days.  There is a lot going on that probably shouldn’t be happening.  Everything from the war in the Middle East to the fact that it’s unseasonably warm in Kansas make it seem like things are going off the rails.  And we are pretty much powerless to do something about any of it.

We see a lot in the world that isn’t as we know it should be.  We continue to see mass shootings.   We continue to see political differences turn into hatred for the other side.  We continue to see the homeless on the streets, in the alleys, and in our parks.  We continue to see the near homeless flounder as they are drawn deeper into the poverty whirlpool.

We see our churches becoming more and more empty as people abandon church families and religious organizations.  We see our children mesmerized by a screen and mini-computer they can carry in their hand.  We see the wealthy become more so at the expense of the rest of us.  And we see the erosion of the public education system as more and more  requirements, regulations, and child-rearing responsibilities are placed upon it.

If I have seemed to be in a sort of depression today because of what I’ve said, you are correct.  It has been difficult this week for me to see the good, the right, and the beautiful.  I know it’s there.  I know God works in magnificent ways to provide beauty, color, peace, and grace to his creation.

Sometimes, though, it seems that the poverty, the yelling and screaming, the greed and the selfishness are drowning out the beauty and peace...shoving them off to the side as they demand my attention…creating in me various emotions and thoughts that cause stress, grief, and sadness.  And this, I believe, is deliberate on the part of those who are doing the yelling, the screaming, the coveting, the stealing, the merchandising.

Yet out of all of this, at times the still, small voice of God breaks through with His message of love, peace, and joy.  And if I listen…really listen…I can hear that message in the singing of the robin, the wren, and the dove.  I can hear it in the stillness of the night.  I can hear it in the shouts and shrieks of children at play in the park.  And I can feel that message when one of my grands hugs me.  I can feel it when the breeze is just the right temperature and velocity.  I can feel it when I receive a firm handshake and greeting from one of my church family.

I know that if I look for it…if I block out all of the garbage…I can appreciate and enjoy what God has provided.

I am reminded of a passage of scripture that Paul the apostle wrote centuries ago.  In his letter to the Philippians, he said this:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Good words then.  Good words now.

Blessings.

A Learning Experience

 Good morning, and welcome!!

Have you ever caught yourself in some kind of reflective time where you looked back at something you said or did and thought to yourself that you didn’t display the most kind and loving attitude toward that person?  Maybe you made some kind of snippy remark toward someone because of a perceived failure on their part.  Maybe you took some action that let others know you weren’t going to allow anyone to get the best of you.

You know what I’m talking about.  Those times when, on reflection, you realize you didn’t love your neighbor…you didn’t treat others as you wanted to be treated…you didn’t allow yourself to be a servant instead of one being served.  In other words, you acted like a total heel…someone that no one wants to be around.

We’ve all been there.  I’ve been there…recently, in fact.  The latest?  I carped at an electrician who came to the church today to install some extra outlets.  I carped at him because on Monday when I made the service request, I asked the woman taking the request to let us know when we were placed on the schedule and when the electrician would be here.  So when I come to work today about 9 am, I see the electrician truck In the parking lot and the man waiting for me.  But I had no clue he was coming today because no one contacted me to let me know.

Now, I know the electrician only goes where and when he is scheduled, so he didn’t have anything to do with the lack of communication.  But he got some pushback from me anyway.  I should have apologized to him, but didn’t for some reason.  He was, however, the convenient scapegoat.

By far most of those who do work at the church let me know enough ahead of time that I can plan adequately.  This electrical service, however, even though they do great work, are really bad about not letting us know ahead of time.  Each time, I ask them to let me know.  Most of the time, just like today, it doesn’t happen.

Yes, we could find another electrician.  However, we know the quality of work this one does, and know that their rates are reasonable and their work is in accordance with code.  They are familiar with the building and the work they have done here previously.  So, most likely, we’ll keep them on and continue to hope they give us some advance notice.

Christian scriptures are filled with exhortations, examples, and stories having to do with how we relate to one-another even in difficult situations or if we believe we have somehow been wronged.  As I mentioned before, we are told to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  We are told to treat others as we would want to be treated.  We are to always let our speech be gracious.  Several places in the Proverbs speaks of our speech.  Here is just one.  “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Well, you get the idea.  Perhaps more importantly, our thoughts before, during, and after an unpleasant conversation betray the rise of our selfish, prideful selves within us…those characteristics of our old, sinful nature that we constantly battle to keep in check.  We lose the battles sometimes.  We flip back into a prior existence.  We fail to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”  Instead, we say and do what feels good at the moment, regardless of the fallout that may result.

Those times when we snip at the wife, berate a child, yell at someone who cut us off in traffic or failed to use their blinker, or argue needlessly with a co-worker, we are guilty of failing to demonstrate the love and patience of Jesus.  These are the times when we need to think about how patient Jesus is with us and then share that patience and forbearance with those we encounter in everyday life and living.  As the Psalmist says so eloquently, “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.”

It isn’t worth it.  It isn’t worth the stress.  It isn’t worth the damaged relationships.  It isn’t worth the regret after the fact.  Kindness and compassion go hand in hand with patience and yes, forbearance. I learned something from that interaction.  Hopefully, I'll also remember. May you receive a blessing this day as you demonstrate these qualities toward others.

Blessings.

Paid Parking

 Good morning, and welcome!!

For the past month, I have been working with the liaison of my Wichita council person to obtain information on the new paid parking program enacted by the city last year.  The program consists of a large swath of the downtown area parking that has been converted to kiosk or app payment rather than parking meters.  And, of course, the rates are higher in an effort to collect sufficient funds to maintain parking lots, etc.

The information I would like to see is the income, expenses, and net proceeds of the parking program for the first six months of operation…July through December, 2025.  Brooke, the liaison, pointed me to a web page that had detailed information regarding revenues received.  The information was broken down by month, method of payment, average revenue per parking stall, and other useful information.  What was NOT on the page was expenses and net proceeds.

Brooke has continued to try to get that information for me, but was twice told that I would have to file an open records request in order to receive it.  Of course, that got me to wonder why the revenues were so easily and publicly available, but the expenses were not.  So I went on down the path and contacted my city council person and mayor directly, and they have responded.  The mayor has asked the assistant city manager to make the information available to both the council and to me.  Now, she did this only a couple of days ago, so I don’t expect a response just yet.

I don’t intend to do much with the information if I get it.  I expect that expenses will exceed revenues.  That’s normal for pretty much any start-up project.  However, the reason for continuing with this is the greater issue of transparency in government.

Wichita has had issues with transparency and citizen trust for years.  There have been several decisions made over the years that not only didn’t “smell” right, but ended up being in the best interest of friends and donors to political campaigns instead of the citizenry.  The latest issue to come to a head has been the sales tax question that was resoundingly defeated just a couple of days ago.  Over eighty percent of the voting public said “NO” to a new sales tax promoted by several business partners and put to a vote quickly and without a lot of vetting.  It not only was hastily and poorly presented; it just didn’t “smell” right, and the citizens knew it and soundly trampled it down.

I understand that in running a city the size of Wichita, many decisions are made by managers of varied kinds.  Not all decisions can or should be put before the council, or even the city manager.  However, all departments and all management need to be answerable for the decisions they make.  And the citizens of Wichita need to have access to those decisions, as well as access to whatever background information that is considered to be public information that helped those managers make those decisions.

If I would have been told to file an open records request for all of the parking information…revenues and expenses…I probably would have done so without complaint.  However, to have the revenues so prominently displayed publicly, but the expenses hidden behind a KORA request seems to me to be asking the public to believe the city is hiding something it doesn’t want us to know.  The idea of transparency and trust have once again been relegated to the dumpster out back.  What else are we to think?

Hopefully, eventually, I’ll receive the information I’ve requested one way or the other.  If necessary, I’ll file a KORA request and pay any fees.  Some things I’ve learned to let go of, but I’m stubborn enough to see this through.

I do know I’ve ruffled some feathers.  The mayor has responded to me.  My council person called me.  And a council person who does not represent me but I consider to be a friend has emailed me.  So, we’ll see.  Stay tuned.

A lesson from this, however.  Don’t let things like this get you so worked up that you lose sight of the greater and better things…mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness.  Life is too short to needlessly worry and fret about things like parking revenues and expenses.  Be involved.  Be engaged.  But also be aware that all of these kinds of things are temporary and will pass away.  Give your best concentration instead on the Maker and Creator of all who loves you and wants you with Him in eternity.

Planned Obsolescence

 One of my Facebook friends, Steve Ridgell, a minister currently living in Texas and about my age, posts videos regularly.  Those videos can be on any number of topics, and are usually only three to four minutes long.  Each of the videos, however, regardless of topic, has some kind of message in it that is good for the heart and good for the soul.

On one of his last videos, Steve mentioned that he recently had purchased hearing aids.  During the course of conversation with the seller, Steve was told that in about 5 years time, the manufacturer of the aids would no longer support them with repairs and spare parts.  Planned obsolescence, they call it.

One might think the manufacturers would intentionally do this in order to sell new hearing aids.  And that may well be part of the deal.  However, the technology changes so rapidly that parts are often not available to the manufacturer from their suppliers.  Additionally, the technological improvements to things like hearing aids make it desirable for users to take advantage of the improvements.

Steve then brought the conversation around to our own “planned obsolescence.”  What he was talking about was the gradual loss of health and wellness of our bodies.  As we age, even if we’re relatively healthy, we gradually acquire an assortment of aches, pains, and conditions which tend to limit our strength and ability to do many of the things we used to do in times past and gone.  We’re not as agile as we once were.  We forget more, and remember less than we once did.  Our energy isn’t what it used to be.  We’re on the downhill slide of life in this creation.  But, Steve says, that doesn’t mean that we can just sit back and take it easy when it comes to the “good works” God has planned for his people to do.

Those “good works” may change as we age and can no longer do this or that thing.  But we may well be able to pick up on some activities of the faith that we previously had not thought of or didn’t have the time for.  We may no longer be able to travel as much or as far in service or ministry.  But we may be able to pray more, teach, study, and do things more in line with our limited energy and capability.  Just because we may no longer be able to run a marathon doesn’t mean that we also are no longer capable of walking a hundred yards.

Sometimes, it’s difficult for us to accept the fact that we are no longer able to do some of things we have in the past been able to do.  So we mourn that loss, but fail to pick up something to put in the place of those things.  We continue in a state of mourning and yes, even grief.  But, we need to come to an understanding of our limits, and then look ahead to whatever time we have left and fill that time with useful service to the God who has made us, loves us, and cares for us.

I don’t like the term “planned obsolescence” any better than most of you do.  The curmudgeon in me says that businesses and manufacturers are intentionally doing in in order to sell us more things.  However, I also understand the reality that things can’t always be as they were.  Things change.  Times change.  We change.  Our bodies change.  Our capabilities change.  What we used to be able to do we can no longer do.  We need to be able to adapt while still serving our God in ways that glorify Him.  May God’s blessing continue with us as we continue our travel through life and living.

 

Acts 3

 One of my new go-to’s on Facebook are posts by a woman who goes by the name “Farmer Girl.”  Farmer Girl is a real person…a real dairy farmer who lives in northwestern Washington state.  She has proven to be wise beyond her years, and is a prolific writer, especially in scriptural interpretation.  She is concise, on-point, and doesn’t stray far afield with her comments.  In short, I like her and what she writes.

She is working now on commentary on the book of Acts.  When she came to chapter 3, the chapter in which Peter and John heal the man lame from birth who was sitting at the temple gate begging, she had a question I had never thought of.  So, I’ll stop my comments for a moment and just read what she said in her post after writing briefly about Peter and John healing the man.  She starts with a question.  Quote

Did Jesus ever walk past that man at the Beautiful Gate?

Because Acts 3:2 says: “And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate…”

Lame from birth.

Laid there daily.

This was not a new situation.  This was not a man who slipped on the temple steps last week. He had never walked.  Not once.  And every day, someone carried him to that same spot, at that same gate, to ask for coins from people heading into the temple.

Same gate.

Same stone.

Same outstretched hand.

Day after day after day.

Now think about Jesus’ ministry for a second.  For three years, He was constantly in and out of the temple.  He taught there.  He debated the Pharisees there.  He healed people there.  He went up for the feasts.  He walked those same streets, those same steps, those same gates.

Which means it is very likely that at some point…Jesus walked right past that man.

And He did not heal him.

OK, this is Jay again.  I’m going to stop there for a moment to say something about that gate.  There were several gates that opened into the Temple.  Some were used in certain circumstances.  Some were more well-used than others.

There was a gate…the south gate…that was the most-used gate by the masses.  We don’t know if it was called the Beautiful gate, but it seems that a beggar would be placed at a gate where there would be the most traffic…and the south gate would be the one.

We don’t know with unerring certainty if Jesus ever saw this beggar.  However, the odds are stacked very high AGAINST anyone who would say that Jesus wasn’t aware of the man or hadn’t seen the man.

OK, let’s go on with Farmer Girl’s comments.

That thought…the thought that Jesus may well have walked right by the man and did not heal him…feels a little uncomfortable.  Because we like the idea that if Jesus sees a problem, He fixes it immediately.  Like a divine emergency service.  See problem.  Fix problem.  Move on.

But that is not how Jesus’ ministry actually worked.  There were still sick people in Israel when He ascended.  Still blind people.  Still lame people.  Still suffering people.  He did not empty every hospital, fix every body, or solve every problem in those three years.

So why this man?  Why later?  Why in Acts?

Because in Acts 3, that healing does more than just fix a pair of legs.

Peter and John come walking up to the temple at the hour of prayer.  No big announcement. No miracle scheduled on the calendar.  They are just going to pray.  And the man does what he always does.  He asks for money.

Peter basically says, I do not have any coins for you.  But I do have something else.

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6 ESV

And suddenly, the man who has spent his whole life being carried is the one doing the walking.  And not just walking.  Leaping.  Praising God. Causing a full-scale scene in the temple courts.

This is Jay again.  Farmer Girl then gets to the point of her comments…a point that is for you and for me.  I’ll conclude now with her concluding remarks in this post.  Quote

So it seems very possible that Jesus walked past that man many times…because his healing was meant for a different moment.  A moment after the resurrection.   A moment when the apostles would be the ones doing the healing.  A moment that proved Jesus was still working, even though He had ascended.

The man probably thought his biggest problem was that he could not walk.  He was asking for coins.  Just enough to get through another day. But God was writing a much bigger story.  His life became one of the first big public miracles of the early church.

Sometimes we sit at our own “gate” for a long time.  Same problem.  Same prayer.  Same situation.  Day after day.  And we start to wonder if Jesus has just walked right past us.

But Acts 3 reminds us that sometimes the miracle is not late.  It is just waiting for the moment when it will point to something bigger than we can see right now.