This week is National EMS Week. In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners of all kinds. It is designed to honor those who dedicate themselves to providing pre-hospital medical care. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) sponsors National EMS Week.
The Adventure Continues
We continue to have our ups and downs in this life. It's an incredible journey down this road called life and living. We meet interesting people and see things that inspire and encourage. The Adventure Continues!
Thursday, May 19, 2022
National EMS Week
Thursday, May 05, 2022
That "Dignity & Respect" Thing
Good morning ! Let’s hope you haven’t been washed away by all the rain in the central part of the country. We really did need the rain here, though. We’ve been in a mini-drought, and the two-day off-and-on rain has really been a good soaker.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Is It Ministry
Good morning !! I’m
happy it’s Thursday, because that means Friday is just ahead.
Thursday, April 07, 2022
Those Thoughts
Good afternoon, and welcome.
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.”
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Final Frontier
Good afternoon, and welcome.
It is times like this that make those of us who remain alive
think yet again of the reality of life and death, mortality and immortality,
and the relationships we have with each other.
These times also force us to think of those things in life that are
truly important compared with those things we often place in positions of great
importance, but which pale in comparison to reality.
You know what I’m saying.
Those truly important things are a life well-lived; people in our lives
who we love and cherish; family ties; friendships; and for people of faith,
most importantly our relationship with the God of heaven and earth. The pseudo-important things…those things we
often place in positions of greatest importance in our lives…power, wealth,
prestige, influence, accumulation of things…those things suddenly shrivel and essentially
go away when we are facing our final frontier.
It is sad and puzzling to me why we don’t recognize the
truly important things of life sooner.
Why is it that people, relationships, family, and our faith in God seem
to come front and center when we are in our final weeks of battle with
incurable cancer? Why do we humans hold
on to the false narrative that gives preeminence to wealth, prestige, and the
accumulation of the material? Why do we
persist in holding on to idols crafted by mankind instead of holding on to the
One who created us and wants us to share life, freedom, and endless joy with
Him for eternity.
I can relate to those questions because I myself am
guilty…as are we all…of doing that exact thing.
I have, and continue at times to hold on to that false narrative. I find it so difficult to let go of the
material…let go of the here and now…let go of the selfishness of me-first. I am right there in it with Paul the great
Apostle when he said, “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with
me. For in my inner being I delight in
God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of
my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is
subject to death? Thanks be to God, who
delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
And Paul also provides, in the next sentence, the
explanation for this deliverance through Jesus.
He writes, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has
set you free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the
flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a
sin offering. And so he condemned sin in
the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully
met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Now, I don’t pretend to understand all there is to know
about what Jesus did for me or how his death on a Roman cross somehow made me free,
as Paul says, “from the law of sin and death.”
I can’t fathom how one man dying some 2,000 years ago can have any
effect on me, or anyone else for that matter.
But when I look at the entire Biblical story from cover to cover, I see
evidence of a God who loves me, who had (and still has) a plan for me, and who
tells me that the death of Jesus did indeed have a profound effect on me and my
relationship with this God. And as Peter
the apostle said once to Jesus when Jesus asked his disciples…his adult students…if
they would leave him as the rest of the crowd just had, “To whom shall we
go? You have the words of eternal life.”
There is no other place, person, or thing we can go to. We can’t take our prestige, power, or wealth
with us when we die. Jesus is the
one…the only one…who has the words of eternal life, and is the only one we can
take with us when we cross that final frontier.
Blessings,
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Daily Influence
Good afternoon, and welcome to this edition of Thursday
Thought.
I’m asking because as I count off the months and years,
which by the way seem to be coming at me much more quickly than they did in my
childhood and younger adult days, I think back to those people I’ve met and
developed some kind of relationship with or events that I participated in which
were somehow more important than I perhaps thought at the time. I especially can think back on people I’ve
known, many of whom I still know and have a relationship with, who are
scattered far and wide on the earth. The
rise of the Internet and social media has made those kinds of widespread
connections very easy and accessible. I
have to wonder just how much their knowing me has influenced them in some way,
and how my knowing them has influenced me in some way.
The web of relationship is much more complicated than we
might at first think. And the fact that
we have some kind of friendship or relationship with someone else pretty much
naturally leads to some kind of change in that person and in us…some kind of
alteration in how we think or behave…some kind of way in which we are different
somehow for having that relationship.
Sometimes those changes are positive, for the good. Other times those changes turn out to be
destructive and cause damage to one’s health and well-being.
And one’s circle of influence…oh my, that is usually much,
much larger than we ever have thought could be possible. At times, we are unknowingly much more
influential upon the lives of others than we ever could imagine. And we’ll probably never know the extent of
that influence or how our influence has changed not only the person we know,
but people, situations, and events that they know and are part of.
We don’t exist in a vacuum.
We are not the only ones we affect when we say or do some thing or
other. Each of us looms large in the
lives of others, whether we know it or not.
What we say. What we think. What we do. Those actions affect others even if we do them
in private…even if we make every effort to hide them…even if we take all
measures to keep them out of the lives of others. We may succeed in keeping those things
private; however, they will have an effect on us and in turn we will alter in
some way, large or small, how we interact with others. Society and the world are very tangled webs
of relationships. We can only begin to
understand small parts of those webs.
And the amazing thing about it all is that this influence is
felt even when we are living our ordinary, routine days. We don’t have to do or say something
spectacular in order for the influence to be there. Every day.
Every hour. Every interaction has
the potential to affect others for the better or the worse.
That doesn’t mean that you have to somehow be fearful of
interaction or be overly cautious when you live your daily life. It just means that we are indeed not
islands. We don’t live alone. We aren’t just our own. We’re all interrelated in some way. We affect others in ways that we cannot
fathom. We are indeed in many ways our
brother’s keeper.
Live your life. Live
it with joy, contentment, and peace. Live
it as God intended. Love your neighbor
as you love yourself. And love God above
all else.
Blessings.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Strength Renewal
There’s a lot going on in the world today, both near and far away. The war in Ukraine continues to drag on with daily reports of death and destruction. Then there’s the news of a possible COVID variant that is spreading. And now, at least in the Great Plains, we have out-of-control wildfires that have hit Central Kansas grasslands recently. And those fires continue to be ignited and spread by the March winds. You know, with all that is happening right now, it can become easy for us to hit the doldrums of life and living. We become bogged down by all of the stuff that bombards us daily…stuff that seems to suck the spring out our step, sap our energy & drive, and cause us to want to just stay in bed and pull the covers up over our heads. We don’t eat as we should. We don’t exercise as we should. We don’t interact with others as we should. We ignore the laundry, the dishes, and the bill-paying. You know the feeling. You’ve been there. You may be there right now. You know full well what I’m describing.
Sometimes even in our gilded society of hot and cold running
water, comfortable transportation, air conditioning, instant communication, and
all the food we could possibly want, we become tired. We get weary.
Life still presses in on us.
We still battle cancer, dementia, and heart disease. We deal with sometimes untimely death. We struggle with mental health issues and
disability. Families and relationships
become estranged. We experience divorce,
societal breakdown, the gulf between liberal and conservative, and religious
fanaticism. The struggles are real.
So, where do we go?
What do we do? Do we stay in bed
all day? Do we never get dressed our go
out of our homes? Should we seek medical
or mental health care? Maybe we could go
on a sort of permanent vacation or just slip away to another city…another state…and
start over. Or we could become advocates
for change, joining this group or that non-profit or some other do-good
organization. There are all sorts of
ways to help mitigate the effects of human misery, none of which is perfectly
satisfactory.
However, I’d like to point you to a place you may not often
think of when thinking about possible cures for what ails you. And although you might at first glance think
this is a “religious” thing, in truth it isn’t so much religious (as many
people think of the word) as it is practical, good advice. I’m pointing you to the Christian Bible, the
book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, chapter 40, verse 31. Here’s what it says. “Those
who hope in the Lord will
renew their strength. They will
soar on wings like eagles; they
will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
That word “renew” when examined closely, actually means to
exchange one thing for another. In this
instance, we are exchanging our feebleness for the strength of God. We will gain new strength…strength from God
himself. That newly-imparted strength
will enable us not only to soar like eagles and run without becoming weary…but
the last part of that verse says we can walk…continuing to simply put one foot
in front of the other in ordinary, everyday life and living…and not grow faint
in so doing.
Yes, some of us will soar.
Some of us will run. But many of
us will just be walkers…going through the routine of life while we continue to
encounter, battle, and deal with those things that life in this fallen creation
gives us from time to time. Our own
strength will not be sufficient. By our
own strength we will fail. We will give
up. We will lose hope. But by the strength given us by God, we can
continue to go down life’s path, not growing weary, not growing faint.
I don’t know what your situation is now. You may be in great shape, ready to conquer the
world. You may already be soaring and
running. But I suspect that many of you
who are watching this are at least at times feeling overwhelmed and out of
energy and strength. Some of you may not
even know how you will finish out the day or face the day to come. However, if you are a Christian, then “Because
He Lives,” you can indeed face tomorrow, tapping into the strength provided by
the unmerited favor God bestows on you.
May God bless you this day and every day.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
No One But God May Know
My Facebook friend Jennifer Dukes Lee, in her book “Growing
Slow,” talks about times when they went to the beach. One of those times, she encountered a dad and
his son building a sand castle. As the
day went on, others, many of whom were strangers, would join the two and help
build the castle. At the end of the day
the castle was adorned with many towers, a moat, a stairway, and other kinds of
bling. And one thing everyone knew was
that the castle at some point was going to come down, whether from humans or
from the waves.
Sure enough, the next day the castle was down, having been
destroyed by some kids who had jumped on it.
Dad and his son were there, building another castle. When asked about the one that was destroyed,
Dad just said, “We know these castles won’t last. We come to this beach every year. Our favorite part is building castles. They never last. But this is what we do. It’s hard work, but mostly, it’s just a lot
of fun.”
Ms. Lee then says this:
Here's what I learned on that beach: We may build some amazing things in life that
last a long time. But not everything we build will produce a measurable legacy.
Your best efforts may be washed away or
trampled. You may be forgotten. No one but God may know about the most
meaningful things you did with your life because they were done in obscurity,
when no one was watching but Him.
She continues: You
might think that what you’ve built with your life so far isn’t all that grand. But maybe that’s not the point, anyway. It’s not what you’re building; it’s Who you
are building with.
Come to the shore. Kneel next to your Father, and get your knees
dirty as the sun warms your back. And
when the day comes to a close, stand next to your Father, and take a moment to
admire what you’ve done together. Then,
watch as He turns to you, squeezes your hand, and says, “Wasn’t that fun? Let’s do it again tomorrow.”
This is Jay now. Recently,
I’ve been thinking about some of the things that I do in everyday life and
work, and how futile those things I do sometimes seem to be. And I think we all can relate to that feeling
that we’re just spinning our wheels…we’re just going through the motions…we’re
just doing what we are supposed to be doing as we go through our day. Our best efforts, it seems, don’t bring about
much in the way of change or recognition.
We begin to feel and believe that what we are doing is not productive at
all, and more than that, no one notices what we do and no one recognizes our
efforts.
The point of Ms. Lee’s post, however, is that we should
place less emphasis on how much we think we accomplish and more emphasis on doing
the good works that God the Father has given us to do…working alongside Him as
we joyfully work with Him to renew the creation.
The fact that we may well never see the results of those
good works is irrelevant. The fruit of
those good works may not be apparent ever, or may become apparent only years or
even decades later. Or we may see those
good works seemingly destroyed much as the sand castle was destroyed. That doesn’t mean we cease to do the
work. It only means that we continue
those works for as long as we are given the breath to go on.
Nor does a failure to receive recognition from others for
those works give us permission to cease those works. We aren’t in the good works for the
recognition and accolades from others.
We’re in the good works business because God accomplished a great work
in us…forgiveness of sins, our salvation and our adoption into His family. That’s why we do what we do. The accolades and recognition make us feel
good for a moment. But our recognition
of God’s great work in us and our thankfulness and gratitude for that great
work are what should be driving us to those works.
Whether our good works consist of raising a family in the shelter
of the Lord, providing good value to a customer from the business we own or
work for, giving someone a ride to the doctor’s office, donating food to a food
bank, being neighborly to those in our neighborhood, or whatever it may be…we
do them out of our gratitude and thankfulness…not for the recognition and
accolades.
May God continue to bless you with wisdom and strength as
you go about the good works He has given you to do.
Thursday, March 03, 2022
We Are Unique Creatures
Good morning! Again
today, as I did last week, I begin this thought acknowledging the current world
situation with Ukraine as well as the State of the Union speech by the
President and other political and ideological events and situations. However, Thursday Thought is not a political
venue. It is, rather, a venue for me to
reach out to you with what I hope and trust are words of comfort, instruction,
reflection, and even information. I
don’t intend to become overly religious in these videos; however, I will not
hesitate to point out certain teachings of the Christian faith when
appropriate. It is, of course, your
choice whether to view these videos or not.
It is my choice to select the topics.
We are having a warm spell in Kansas this week. Temperatures are fifteen to twenty degrees
above normal. Such spring-like temps
bring out the desire to get outside, dig in the ground, clean up winter’s mess,
and even go to the shops and stores that sell seeds & plants, planning the
spring and summer planting seasons.
It’s all an illusion, of course. The warmth is just a tempting ploy to get us
to believe that spring maybe has arrived.
The reality is that colder weather is around the corner. Frosts and freezes are yet to be
endured. Tender buds and shoots may well
be frozen back. And we will go back to
wearing layers to keep out the cold, and endure the biting north winds that are
sure to come.
The month of March is such a tease. Days of warmth and breeze are interspersed
with days of snow, ice, and gusty north winds.
Plants begin to green up and sprout in the sunny warmth only to be
beaten back by several days of below average temperatures and stifling,
overcast skies. March seems to be the
month when the battles between summer and winter begin in earnest. Those battles seem to peak in late April and
May with thunderstorms, hail, and even tornadoes criss crossing the plains.
Then, the battle finally having been won by the summer’s
heat, June starts the calming down of the weather and July & August are
just downright hot. Late September and
October begin the battles again between summer and winter with winter
eventually winning out…and then the next March we do it all over again.
There are, we know, parts of this earth that don’t see these
battles. In those areas, it’s either
always hot or always cold. And there are
some areas that are always, it seems, just right with very little change in
temperatures from summer to winter.
Sometimes we in the temperate climates long to live in a place where the
daytime temperatures are always in the upper seventies and the nights are
always in the mid sixties. A place where
rainfall is abundant and plant life is rich and full. However, people who live in those places
sometimes long for more of a change. The
sameness of the weather day after day becomes a little too much. People long for variety, even in the weather,
sometimes.
I don’t know what your preference is regarding the
weather. Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some like it the same all
the time. Some like the variety. We are all different. And that’s my point. We aren’t all the same. We aren’t clones. We each have our preferences and our desires,
even when it comes to something we can’t control like the weather. Those differences don’t mean that some are
right and others are wrong. Those
differences don’t mean that we trash and demean those who hold to preferences
that we don’t hold. Nor do those
differences mean that we are somehow superior to those who have other points of
view. All it means is that we are not
cut from the same mold. We are unique
individuals created by God to fulfill a unique purpose in His creation and in His
plans.
May that same God…the God of heaven and earth…the God of, as
the Old Testament says, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…the God who inhabited the
earth in Jesus Christ…bless you this week as you fulfill that purpose.
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Appreciate What You Have...
Our “across the street” neighbor lady likes to use sidewalk
chalk to write messages on her drive.
Last week, she posted one that hit especially close to home for me. The message?
“Appreciate what you have before it turns into what you had.” In all probability, she got that quote from
somewhere…where, I don’t know.
Nevertheless, it’s a great line and deserves to be explored.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Tim and Clara
Good morning !! I was perusing YouTube yesterday during a break and came across this human interest, feel-good story. You may have seen something about it a few years ago. Rather than re-tell the story, I will mainly quote from a viral Facebook post about what happened on an airplane between a blind and deaf man named Tim and a young woman, then age 15, whose name is Clara Daly. A woman named Lynette Scribner tells the story in a June 20, 2018 posting on her Facebook timeline.
Ms. Scribner writes, I saw this gentleman, Tim, in Boston’s
Logan airport with his sister that he had been visiting. It appeared he was both deaf and blind, as I
observed her signing into his hand for him to feel her words. When he came aboard the plane he had been
assigned the middle seat of my row. The
kind gentleman named Eric, who had the aisle seat, graciously gave it up for
Tim.
At this point, Tim was traveling alone. The flight attendants sincerely wanted to
assist him, but had no way to communicate.
I watched as they didn’t flinch when Tim reached out to touch their
faces and arms. They took his hand and
tried so hard to communicate with him, but to no avail.
Tim had some verbal ability, but clearly could not
understand them. Eric did his best to
assist him with things like opening coffee creamer and putting it in his
coffee. When Tim made the attempt to
stand up and feel his way to the restroom, Eric immediately got up to help him.
The flight attendants were talking among themselves and
someone suggested paging to see if anyone on board knew sign language. They did page that request. That’s when this lovely young woman, Clara
Daly, came into the picture. Fifteen
years old, she learned ASL because she had dyslexia and it was the easiest
foreign language for her to learn.
For the rest of the flight she attended to Tim and made sure
his needs were met. It was fascinating
to watch as she signed one letter at a time into his hand. He was able to read her signing and they
carried on an animated conversation.
When he asked her if she was pretty, she blushed and laughed as Eric,
who had learned a few signs, communicated an enthusiastic “Yes” to Tim.
I don’t know when I’ve ever seen so many people rally to
take care of another human being. All of
us in the immediate rows were laughing and smiling and enjoying Tim’s obvious
delight in having someone to talk to.
Huge kudos to the flight attendants of Alaska Airlines who went above
and beyond to meet Tim’s needs.
I can’t say enough about this beautiful young woman named
Clara who didn’t think twice about helping her fellow passenger, and Eric’s
instant willingness to assist as well.
It was a beautiful reminder, in this time of too much
awfulness, that there are still good, good people who are willing to look out
for each other.
This is Jay again.
Can you visualize the scene?
Here’s a 15 year old young woman spending her flight time of about five
hours seeing to the needs of a rather grizzled older man who can neither see or
hear. Additionally, a man seated next to
him also is helping out as much as he can with the basic needs of this
gentleman.
I don’t know Ms. Daly.
Nor do I know Eric or Tim. I
don’t know if these people are aware of Jesus’ teaching on who is their
neighbor. I don’t know if they are
familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan or not. What I do know is that they set an example for
us all on being a neighbor to someone, especially someone in need.
If you ever begin wondering just who your neighbor is and
what your responsibilities toward your neighbor are, just familiarize, or
re-familiarize yourself with the story Jesus told about the Good
Samaritan. Also, review the story of
Clara Daly, Eric, and others as they helped this man on a flight across the
country. Then do some soul-searching and
come up with the answer that is blaring at you in bright flashing lights. Then, love your neighbor as you love
yourself.
Blessings.
Monday, January 31, 2022
I Feel So Dumb...
I have become somewhat addicted to the East Idaho News videos on YouTube where the news staff has taken on the responsibility for handing out thousands of dollars in gifts to deserving people in the Eastern Idaho area, complements of an anonymous Secret Santa who evidently lives somewhere in the area. This past Christmas, Secret Santa gave away one million dollars in cash and gifts, including cars, gift cards, cashier’s checks, and other gifts that truly make a difference and change the lives of these people and their families.
Nominations
for beneficiaries of these gifts come in from the public and are vetted by the
East Idaho News staff in consultation with the Secret Santa. They together make the decision what to
give. Then the news crew finds the
beneficiary and gives the gifts.
I
recently watched one video where a woman with five children had just buried her
husband following a protracted and painful illness. Secret Santa decided to pay for the funeral,
which had just occurred a few days before the visit by the news crew, give a
five thousand dollar cashier's check, and provide several thousand dollars in
gift cards. The woman was stunned and
truly grateful for the help.
There
are usually many comments below the video.
Below this particular video, the comment at the top of the page was
this: “I
feel dumb and ashamed when I complain about insignificant things. They just
suffered a terrible loss. May our heavenly father watch over and be with this
family. Give them comfort and love.”
I read the comments somewhat regularly. This comment stopped me in my tracks. “I feel dumb and ashamed when I complain
about insignificant things...” Many
people posted replies to this comment, agreeing with it and commenting
further. The comment really hit a nerve
for many.
What the woman who was the beneficiary of the Secret Santa gifts
went through definitely would NOT be insignificant. This woman cared for her ill husband for
about 10 years...nursed him through a kidney transplant...and cared for him
through his terminal cancer, all the while holding the family together and
caring for five kids. She had just finished
the funeral memorial and didn't have the funds to pay for the funeral...the
home agreed to put it on payments for her.
“I feel dumb and ashamed when I complain about insignificant things.”
When one looks at what this woman and family have gone through,
most everything that we encounter in our lives looks more and more like the
“insignificant things” that the woman referred to in her comment. I know we all have issues in life. I know things don’t always go our way, and
for some of us, things are tough right now.
However, many of us complain loud and long about the most trivial of
inconveniences in life. We think that
our few aches and pains, our temporary setbacks, our not being able to live our
lives exactly as we had planned, our inability to turn the world around and
make it all go our own self-centered way...we think we're the ones who are so
abused. We pout. We get angry.
We push others out of the way. We
have pity parties for ourselves. We
complain loudly about the unfairness of it all.
We are concerned only with
ourselves and how we can get things to go our way again.
“I feel dumb and ashamed when I complain about insignificant
things.”
I know it's tough to do, but I'm asking you right now to give an
account of yourself when some “insignificant thing” comes into your life. How do you react? What do you do? What do you say? What do you think? How do you act? What kind of a person do you become?
The next time you're tempted to throw a pity party for yourself,
throw everyone else under the bus in a fit of self=centeredness, or scream
about the unfairness of it all, STOP.
Think of this one sentence.
“I feel dumb and ashamed when I complain about insignificant things.”
Blessings.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Think On These Things
Just when you think things can't get any worse...just when you think that the world is going to hell in a hand basket...just when you think that greed, self-centeredness, hatred, jealousy and dissension have taken over humanity...you see the flowers of love, generosity, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control grow and bloom...and once more you begin to recover your faith and choose not only to see the good and right, but you determine more than ever to emulate that good and right in your own life.
Now, that's a
rather strong way to begin this Thursday thought. I have become convinced, however, over the
past weeks and months that there is far more good in the world than we are led to
believe by social media, the news media, and the shrill voices spewing hatred
and dissension. There is a reason why
the good is often tamped down, and the bad and evil are emphasized. Darkness hates light. Evil revels in and encourages chaos. The bad seeks to recruit others into lives of
greed and selfishness.
But turn off
the negativity and darkness that is constantly invading your conscience, and
look around you. I've been working at
doing that for some time now, and I can see the goodness, the gentleness, the
generosity, and the kindness popping up all over. And if you too turn off those voices of
darkness...if you refuse to buy into the schlock that is constantly peddled, tune
out the shrill shrieks of doom and fear, look outside of yourself and open your
eyes, you'll see those things too.
You want some
examples? OK, here are some things I'm
seeing right now...today...that give me hope and flesh out God's promise to
renew His creation.
On a larger
scale, I see a person in the Idaho Fall, Idaho area who is anonymously giving
away one million dollars this year to deserving people and families. This is the sixth or seventh year that this
has been going on, and this person’s generosity is changing lives.
I see a
municipal court judge in Rhode Island who issues rulings with compassion and
takes the time to see into someone’s life before issuing his rulings. His court is one that should be an example
for all who deal with matters of law and justice, tempered with mercy.
On a more
local level, I see people going to work in jobs that would test the sanity of
many of us. School workers of all kinds,
health care workers of all kinds, public servants of all kinds. I particularly know of a psychologist for the
Wichita Public Schools who gives her best even when faced with trauma and
emotional issues that would be unbelievable for many. I also know of a para for the 259 district
and a bus monitor for 259 who both give their all for the kids they interact
with on a daily basis, doing what they can to make their kids’ days the best
they can possibly be.
I know of
people within our congregation who look out for the elderly in our church
family, who check up on and create social contact with those who can’t get out
and around. We have people who provide
food and financial help for others, who go out of their way to provide
transportation and comfort. Most of
these church members do these things quietly and without fanfare or
recognition.
I know people
who volunteer to work at the Lord’s Diner, at food pantries, in the schools,
and in many, many other ways…each one doing just a little something to make
that corner of the world a little better place.
And I know people who have formed non-profit organizations right here in
Wichita to combat human trafficking, homelessness, prostitution, hunger, poverty,
mental illness, and many other societal ills.
People such as Jennifer, Michelle, Julie, Rachel, Laura, and others who
give selflessly of their time and treasure to make a difference. One.
Person. At. A. Time.
I know people
serving in government, both in elected office as well as hourly or salaried
employees who go to work every day, doing the right thing for the right
reason. Their work is often
misunderstood, and they sometimes take a lot of rubbish from the public. But they persist and prevail in redeeming the
creation…or at least a small corner of it.
I see people
paying it forward…they themselves having received from someone now giving back
in some way. Whether that be in the
drive-up window line at a fast food place or in the check out line at a WalMart
or Target…or maybe someone buying some fuel for someone else at a Quik
Trip…people are paying it forward.
I see the
generosity of my church family when I hear of a special need of someone in our
church family…I ask others in the family to help out. Sometimes the generosity of those people is
much, much greater than the specific special need.
I see moms
and dads raising kids…some who are special needs…and some of whom have great
medical and emotional need. I see good people
adopting kids. I see good people
fostering kids. I see people mentoring
kids. I see people being surrogate
grandparents for kids. I see people all
over who are investing their lives…their time, energy, talent, and treasure
into the next generations.
And the above
examples are just a microcosm of the work going on in the world to make things
better for others…to provide a brighter path for living…to bring hope to those
who have no hope.
Look
around. Turn off the naysayers, the
negative, the fearmongering. Look
instead for the goodness. Begin to live
there, in the meadowlands of hope, compassion, kindness, and gentleness instead
of in the desert of hopelessness and fear.
As Paul the great Apostle says in his letter to the Philippian church, “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.”
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Will You Join Us?
Last Monday morning, I came into the office a little earlier than I normally do. I had a meeting scheduled at 9am and wanted to be here in plenty of time in the event the person I was meeting came a little early. I needn’t have come in early, however, because the person I was meeting was actually late getting here. My Monday wasn’t starting out very well, it seemed.
A little later in the morning, our youth minister, CJ, came
into the office. He walked past my
office door toward his office, and as he passed my door, he greeted me and
asked me how I was doing. CJ usually
does this when he comes in, and I have begun to respond to him with something
other than, “Fine,” or “I’m OK today,” or some other of the usual phrases that
people give to that greeting.
That day, I was feeling kind of down. The early arrival that day along with the
late meeting didn’t help that any, but there were other things on my mind that
were weighing me down that day. We have
a number in our congregation who are ill or fighting chronic health
issues. We just had a memorial service
for a long-time member the week before and have other members whose time on
earth is numbered.
We had the lowest attendance at worship services the day
before that we’ve had in a long while. The
class I taught on Sunday didn’t seem to “flow” very well. And I’ve been fussing with some kind of a
pinched nerve in my hip that hurts whenever I walk.
Additionally, there is the constant barrage of political
stuff, shootings, COVID-related issues, and other societal ills that come our
way on the news and in social media. Sometimes, it seems that things are getting
worse and worse with no end in sight.
And, for perhaps one of the first and only times since I’ve
been part of the church staff…that’s been 10 years now…as I was coming in to
work that morning, I wasn’t very enthused about doing so. I think I would much rather have stayed home
that day.
Normally, I very much enjoy what I do here. I look forward to the day and the work of the
day. But on that Monday, I was not in
that kind of mood. I would much rather
have gone for a drive in the country and forget about work that day.
So, when CJ came by and asked me how I was doing, I asked
him to step into the office and close the door.
He did and after I said to him, “You asked,” I proceeded to tell him how
I was doing…not well.
I won’t go into the conversation in detail, but I will tell
you that it struck a nerve with both of us.
We commiserated regarding the state of how things were, both in the church
and in society, and took the conversation on side trips that touched on several
aspects of life and living. We talked
about the future and what that means for those who are Christians. We talked about the passage of time,
acknowledged past regrets, and future apprehensions. We spoke of the heaviness of burden-bearing
as ministers and pastors. I spoke of the
relatively short time I have left on the earth, and we both recognized that we
have squandered some of the time we’ve already been given, and that time and
opportunities for making a difference in the lives of our families, friends,
and others were growing shorter for the both of us. And we talked about the fact that we both
like to be in control of our lives…and that when the end comes, we will have no
control over anything…that we will have to rely on the promises of God that we
find in the Bible to bring us into the eternity that we believe He has promised
for those who are His.
We ended that impromptu meeting with a man hug and a
prayer. And we both felt much better the
rest of that day…and on into the next days, for that matter…because of our
honesty with each other and “getting it out,” so to speak, getting out into the
open those things which were building up inside us over the last weeks and
months.
I don’t know where you are in life right now. I don’t know if you have it all together and
are merrily going on your way down life’s path, or if you are wrestling with
the issues of the day and how they affect you physically, mentally, emotionally,
and yes…spiritually. I don’t know if you
often look at your life past and dwell on the regrets or if you look at the
past with great joy and peace. I don’t
know if you gaze into the future and find joy and excitement there, or if you
see apprehension and fear of the unknown.
Or maybe you aren’t concerned with the past and the future
and are just trying your best to get through the next hour or two. You may be looking forward only to tonight
when hopefully the cacophony will calm down and let you rest a little.
Whatever your situation, and wherever you are in life, know
that you are not alone. Seek out someone
you can talk with who will understand and share life with you. If you’re a Christian…a Christ-follower…find
time in your day or your week to just be…no doing…just being. Let God’s love overflow you and bring you
contentment and peace even in the midst of the chaos. Make it a priority to spend time with the One
who created you and knows you better than you know yourself.
I don’t know how you best can do that. It isn’t necessary that you sit in a dark
closet for all of that time unless that’s your thing. Different people have different ways of
connecting with God. Find the way that
you enjoy and that brings you into communion with Him. Make it a practice to meet Him regularly.
Our church staff will do that today…this afternoon. We all will stand down this afternoon as part
of our work day to just be. The office
will be closed. The phones will not be
answered. Our social media will be shut
off. We will not be in our offices or
even at the building. We plan to, in
whatever ways work best for us, be in touch with our Creator for three hours,
from 1pm to 4pm. Will you join us?
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Time to Be
Something that often comes through nowadays whenever one
hears the COVID-related news reports is the fact that caregivers…nurses,
ancillary staff, physicians, maintenance and housekeeping people…and even others
such as pastors, counselors, and others…are tired. And that tiredness goes on to those in other
vocations such as customer service, education, public health, and
hospitality. It seems like we all are
tired…tired of the illness…tired of the restrictions…tired of hearing of yet
more preventable deaths…tired of fighting what seems to be a never-ending,
uphill, and at times unwinnable battle against not only a microscopic speck of
DNA, but also against ignorance, selfishness, coarse behavior, violent
acting-out, and other societal ills.
Saturday, January 08, 2022
Life's Preciousness
This is from my cousin Rachel, who has these last years endured the hell of spousal deception, abuse, and finally his suicide. There is truth in this post well beyond Rachel's years...for us all.
Some days it still amazes me; the amount of pieces of my life I still find myself putting back together. Unpacking dishes into my new (to me!) China cabinet today has me thinking and thanking. Some of these things I haven't seen in years. Some I packed away and tucked into a box because I knew they weren't safe in my home anymore. Some were packed by people I didn't even know who reached out to help a broken woman in some of her darkest days and have sat in that packaging for more time than I want to count. I know they are material possessions, but every one of the items I have found today holds significance and value to me. Some were gifts, some passed down by family. Some I bought myself in the days before I knew what hell looked like. Some I thought I had lost and there are tears of joy, because every single thing I have seen today holds and sparks a precious memory. Some remind me of the humility and safety of strangers helping hands, and remind me to always try to be that helping hand to someone else. Somehow it all reminds me of the preciousness of life. The preciousness of enjoying beauty and grace, and everything we have in the right now of our life. It reminds me that pieces of yourself you thought you had lost can be found. Pieces of yourself that are lost forever can be remade, rebuilt and restored into an even greater part of who you are and a treasure. Those pieces make you stronger. Softer. More aware and thankful for every gift that you are given. Yeah, I know; seems like a strange realization and thought for simply a bunch of dishes and material possessions, but sometimes God uses those things in life that bring beauty and aesthetics to remind us of His care. His love. His restoration and rebuilding. Thankful today for simple joys. Simple life. Simple thanking and washing, and making of beauty. Simple love and peace from a God who sees all, knows all, loves all, and restores all for His good.
Joel 2:25-26
Thursday, January 06, 2022
It's the Little Things
Good morning.
I was on Kellogg not far from the house, so turned around at
an interchange and went back to look for it.
Once I got home, I did a quick search, but found nothing. Dialing her number, I listened for her ring. It was not there. Now, I know I have the “find phone” feature
on her phone, but didn’t think to access it until later. So much for modern technology…it can’t help
you if you don’t think to use it.
Knowing that she was going to have a busy day, I went on
over to WSU Tech Old Town and went in to the office. They know me by sight there as I stop in from
time to time. I told the receptionist
why I was there and asked her if she could get the key fob so I could look for
the phone in the car. She went back to
Pat’s office, but came back saying she was in a meeting. The receptionist Then sent a message to her
and received an OK to interrupt the meeting.
Going back to her office a second time, she came back with
the fob. I went out to the car and
quickly found the phone on the seat. I
went back in and gave both the fob and the phone to the receptionist, who later
returned it to Pat.
OK. I tell you this
story, not to give myself a pat on the back for going “above and beyond,” so to
speak, for my wife. These are the kinds
of things we do for each other without really thinking about it that much, so
it wasn’t anything special for me.
However, I had to wonder about the young receptionist, the
security officer also in the reception area, and the person who was meeting
with my wife. They all knew the story
and knew what I had done. I wonder if
they took note of the relationship the two of us have with each other, and how
that relationship worked in a very practical way to the benefit of one. Later that evening, I found out what the two young
women…the receptionist and the security officer…thought. Evidently, I made quite a stir with them
because of what I did for Pat, because they spoke to her in glowing terms about
her husband. OK, I’ll tell you now that
if you know me, you know that I don’t really “glow” very much…I’m pretty much
just a routine sort of guy. However,
there is a lesson here.
All too often, as Christians we think that going about our
everyday lives and routines is about as far as it gets from evangelism and
planting the seeds of the good news message of Jesus. And I don’t know how my service to my wife this
particular time will make any difference or not in the lives of anyone else. But I have to believe that somewhere along
the line of life and living, these kinds of acts of service are at times
noticed by those who have a tender heart for the seeds of love and kindness to
drop on to. I have to believe that God
can take something even as mundane as finding a phone and make it into
something useful and wonderful for His Kingdom.
It’s the little things, people. It’s the ordinary, routine, mundane things of
living that often bring about the greatest of change for the good in ourselves
and others. Don’t go through life in a
fog, thinking only of yourself. Think of
the little ways you can demonstrate God’s love.
Let the car trying to merge into your lane go in front of you. Help someone who can’t reach the top shelf at
the grocery store get the item they want.
And while we’re on grocery stores, look around when you park to see if
you can take someone’s cart back to the store for them. You’ll help them as well as the employee who
has to go out and bring them all back in.
Say “Please,” and “Thank you,” often.
Open a door for someone…anyone.
Volunteer at your favorite non-profit.
And if you can’t volunteer, be a cheer leader for them and the work they
do. Don’t push others out of the way by
being in such a rush when going through your day. Apologize when you are wrong or use a poor
choice of words. Find a way to make the
day of a loved one a little easier. And
listen. Listen to others more than you
talk. Above all, be kind toward others;
tenderhearted, forgiving others.
These are all things that can make a huge difference in the
lives of others. And these are all
things that can scatter that seed of the Kingdom of God in the world. Try it…I think you’ll like it.
Blessings