Friday, April 26, 2019

A Wondrous Gift


On my way to work this morning, I stopped by a branch of the bank we use to get some cash out of the account.  I like to carry some cash, and usually get a “refill” every couple of weeks on payday.  And, as I like to have tens rather than all twenties, I go into the bank rather than use the ATM.
After greeting the security guard, who held the door open for me, I entered the building.  I stopped at the only window that had a teller.  Ashley (not her real name) was “manning” the station.  After a greeting, I told her I wanted some cash out of the account and prepared to swipe my card.  She looked at her computer screen and told me she would have to re-login as something had kicked her off of the system.  In trying to log in, she got an error message which wouldn’t let her log in.
While she was trying to fix the problem, she apologized to me for the wait.  I told her in the most cheery voice I could muster at that time of day (I’m not a morning person), “It’s OK.  I’m not in any hurry.”  And I just casually waited.  There was another teller in the building, but he was helping a customer at the drive-in window.
Ashley told me that she was re-booting the computer, and that it was being slow.  We had a brief conversation about the Windows platform the bank was using (Windows 7), and a little about the weather.  Finally, the other teller was finished at the drive-up window and helped me at another station.
On my way out, I checked in with Ashley.  She said, “It’s working!”  I responded with something I can’t even recall now and gave her a thumbs-up.  I then thanked the guard at the door and went out to the truck.
On my way to my vehicle, something washed over me.  It was a kind of combination of an “Aha,” moment and a feeling of gratitude and worship.  Yes, worship.  I had just had interaction with three other people…Ashley, the other teller, and the security guard at the door.
Do you realize what a gift that is…the gift of interaction with others?  Do you understand that it is interactions with others, even in that kind of setting, which give us our humanity, lighten our mood, and validate our place in the world?  We have the incredible God-given opportunity to communicate with other beings in His creation…to share life and living, even in the briefest and most routine circumstances of our day.  We have the wondrous opportunity to affect another human being in ways that we may never, ever know or understand, even to the point that such can happen when we smile, do business with, or greet them in a casual way as we go about the course of our day.
I have the pleasure of interacting with several people many times a week…Curtis…our preaching minister, Doug…our evangelist, Linda…our office manager, Eric…our worship leader and children’s minister, Jonathan…our youth and family minister, Pat…my wife, and many others.  I also have occasion to interact with others such as wait staff at a restaurant, the check-out person at the grocery, church family, those who need benevolence help, my relatives and blood family, and a host of others…many of whom I don’t know, and will never know their names.  And that interaction is my opening to make their day a little better and brighter, as well as keep me grounded in terms of who I am and Whose I am.
God has given us a gift…a gift that we mostly take for granted as we do most of the gifts He lavishes on us.  Please use the gift of interaction with others wisely and for the glory of the God who created you and those with whom you interact.  Blessings.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Teach Us to Number Our Days


Every so often, when I am driving from point A to point B, I take a side trip of some kind, “just because.” Sometimes, when going to work in the morning, I'll go South into the county, then back East on one of the county roads until I get to Old Highway 81...then go back into Wichita proper that way. Sometimes, when I have an errand to run before I get to work, that errand takes me to a part of town I haven't been to in awhile, so I sort of meander to work from wherever that errand had taken me.
Such was the case when I found myself driving past my old Alma Mater, Newman University. When I attended, it was Kansas Newman College. I slowed down and turned into the campus. Driving around the campus a couple of times (it's a relatively small place), I reminisced in my mind about some of the buildings I had been in, the new buildings that had been constructed since I had attended, and a few of the people I had classes with back in the mid-1990's. I saw some of my favorite parking places, and even thought about a kind of circular path I would take at times if I had some time and needed some exercise.
I took a degree-completion course there in business management, and did not participate in the extra-curricular things, or have much to do with college life. I had a full time job at the time, a family, and had to drive 50 miles one way just to attend classes (there was no on-line then). Each semester was a 9 credit hour semester, with three classes, each five weeks long. So it was indeed an accelerated curriculum. Not much time for ball games and the like.
I've done the same in other locations in Wichita and surrounding area. I lived here for a time in the late 1960's, attending WTI (Wichita Technical Institute) and still recall some of that experience. Some of the neighborhoods are still somewhat familiar, and some of the buildings still stand that I haunted back then.
I also like to, from time to time, just go for a drive in the country. Yes, there is country in and around Sedgwick County, although it's getting harder to find nowadays. I enjoy going when I can roll down the window, drive 40mph or less, look at the crops (really!), the farmsteads, and the livestock.
And I enjoy going back to Harper County, where I was born and raised, and raised my kids. Some things have changed; a lot has stayed the same. I'll take off in the rural area of that county too, thinking about families who used to live here or there, or who farmed what land. And, of course, look at the crops, the farmsteads, and the livestock.
I think the older I get, the more I enjoy such times. I don't know if that's a natural by-product of older age, or if it's something I just seem to enjoy. But those times seem to take me back to a younger time in life. And I usually manage to recall the more pleasant of those times and put aside some of the less pleasant aspects of those days.
The Bible talks of someone living about 70 years, or if by reason of strength 80 (Psalm 90:10). And in that verse, it also talks of those days being filled with trouble and sorrow. I know that chapter also talks of God's eternal nature and our sinful nature, and that the key point of the Psalm seems to be in verses 12, which says, Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” And verse 14, Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
No matter the days we have “consumed,” or the days we have left; no matter how often we reminisce and long for a simpler time; no matter how much we may spend some time in the past, we dare not lose sight of the fact that we are to be aware of our limited days and use them consumed in the love of God, singing and being glad in all the days He chooses to give us.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Faith and Belief


An interesting question was brought up in class last Wednesday evening.  “Is there a difference between belief and faith?”  My response was that yes, there was a difference, but I hadn’t studied that in awhile and wanted to do more research.  So today, I did.  Here’s what I found.
The Greek for both belief (or believe or believing) is the same as the one for faith…some derivative of the root peithow (πειθω).  The word has a variety of derivatives and translations.  Depending on the exact spelling of the word and the context in which it is used, it can mean “to be of the opinion, have a mental persuasion, to give credit to.”  Those definitions fit best the English word “believe” or “belief.”  It can also mean “assurance, firm conviction, confidence in, sure, certain, guarantee.”  These definitions best fit the English “faith.”
As you can see, the word has a wide-ranging definitive stable, which depends in large part on the exact derivative of the root, and the context of the text it is part of.
As an example, in James chapter 2, the text talks about faith and works.  In that text, both the English “faith” and “believe” are used.  Both terms are translated from some form of the Greek pistis or pistos, which of themselves comes from peithow.  Yet the meanings are very different.  Take a look at this example.
“James 2:18-19”  But someone will say, “you have faith, I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that-and shudder!”
The words that are underlined in that passage all are translations of the same Greek word.  Yet their place and context in the text give a very different meaning to each one.
As Christians, we need to take advantage of any textual helps that may be available to us.  Yet we also need to rely heavily on the translations to give us the proper nuances and shades of meaning.  We also need to have some mind of the context of the text as well as be familiar with other texts that speak of the same topic.  To consult only one source of information may well lead us into a place we did not desire to go.  May God bless us and His Spirit lead us to a greater understanding of His Word and Will.

Thursday, April 04, 2019

Stagger Onward, Rejoicing


The Hutchinson News this week, an editorial mentioned something that Kelsey Grammer, an actor in several television shows, said about something he found in a poem when he was a youngster. Here is what he had to say. “'Stagger onward rejoicing.' That line came to me at age 15 in my little refuge, my bedroom, after my dad was murdered and my grandfather died. Eleven years later, I found the line in 'Atlantis,' a poem by W. H. Auden. He became my touchstone. I named our youngest child Auden.”
This is Jay again. Now, I don't normally quote actors in my posts, and I've really never watched (or wanted to watch) Mr. Grammer in any of his shows. I always felt like I got enough of real life in my real life, and besides, I had better things to do with my time. That's also, by the way, why I usually don't watch movies, either at a theater or on television.
But this quote from the poem by Auden gripped me somehow. “Stagger onward rejoicing.” So much of life seems to be in the staggering onward department. We do the best we can in life, making decisions as best we know how and pressing onward as best we can. But often, something gets in the way of our plans...sickness, financial reversal, job loss, death of a loved one, auto accident, or some other malady. And we often just seem to stagger onward in spite of the obstacles in our way. In reality, if we don't stagger onward, we cease to function, as there is but one way to go in life...and that's onward.
Just as remarkable is the “rejoicing” part. Especially for the Christian, rejoicing brings to mind an inner peace and joy that can't be fully understood, but can indeed be experienced. Even in the face of the most terrifying circumstances, we can indeed find rest, peace, and joy in the God of the Universe.
I don't know if you are staggering right now in your life or not. My guess is that there is something in your life that isn't like you'd like to have it. And my guess is that you just “stagger onward” at times. In those times, remember this quote, and add that word “rejoicing” to your thoughts. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

Wednesday, April 03, 2019

Are You a Festus?


I like to peruse YouTube videos.  I like to view science, railroad, music, and other videos.  But once in awhile a video will pop onto my initial YouTube screen that is special.  Such was the case a day or two ago when one came up featuring Ken Curtis (Festus on the old “Gunsmoke” TV show) singing “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.”
As you may or may not know, Curtis himself was nothing like his alter-ego Festus Haggen.  Curtis was a singer and performer, having done so professionally for many years before Gunsmoke came along.  He was a lot like Jim Nabors, whose alter ego Gomer Pyle seemed to be unable to carry a tune in a bucket; but Nabors was a great singer.
I watched the video and did a little research on Curtis.  I remember him well as Festus Haggen, as the weekly ritual at our house on Saturday nights (the show moved to Monday night after I left home) was to be sure the TV was tuned to channel 12 for Gunsmoke.  It was a family affair, with Dad being the one who really wanted to watch it.
I recall Dad’s fondness for the show and for the characters.  He was especially proud that Milburn Stone, who played Doc Adams, was a Kansan.  And he thoroughly enjoyed the shows where the outcome was firmly in favor of the good guys.  Some of the shows had endings that were a little on the “confusing” side with no apparent, obvious winners…with these shows, Dad was somewhat confused by himself, often saying something like, “Well, that was a strange ending!”
As often happens when being reminded of things like this, my mind went back to those years, and there quickly developed a longing for those days when life was simpler, television was more family oriented, and intact families were more the norm.  Yes, there were issues even then…life wasn’t a bowl of cherries, as Erma Bombeck would say.
However, watching Curtis sing in his Festus costume on that video, with many of the same mannerisms of the character he portrayed, was a real treat.  Maybe one reason Festus sticks with me so much is that he reminds me of some people I have known…rough and gritty on the outside, unshaven, prone to imbibe if free beer is offered to him, a little on the stinky side (not bathing until really necessary), and not one for the niceties of polite society.  Yet, Festus also has a moral code that upholds honor, truth, honesty, dignity, and reliability.  And he’s not afraid to demonstrate that in his everyday life and living.
Festus is Festus.  He is who he is.  He doesn’t pretend to be anyone else.  And he doesn’t allow political correctness or politeness get too much in the way of his way of life.  But he also has the qualities that make him someone you would want for a friend.  When push comes to shove, and you’re between that rock and hard place, you want Festus with you.  You’ll choose him first.  Because you know he will go the full ride with you.  He’ll have your back.  He’ll come through for you.
I have one or two Festus friends.  And I trust that I can be counted on to be that kind of a friend for someone else.  There are scriptures that deal with friendship.  “A friend loves at all times.”  “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”  “Better is a friend who is near than a brother who is far away.”  There are others as well, and different translations may have slightly different wording.  The point is the same.
Strive to be a Festus friend to someone.  Live your life in such a way that people will know you can be that kind of a friend.