North to Alaska

Good morning!  Those of you who regularly watch these Thursday videos know that I didn’t post any for the past couple of weeks.  That was because we went on a trip…a trip to Alaska by way of the Inside Passage to Seward, then by motor coach to the Denali National Park and Preserve, and then on to Fairbanks on the Alaska Railroad.   This was a trip that was five years in the planning, and had been postponed several times because of the COVID pandemic.  Finally, however, the stars all aligned and we were able to go these past couple of weeks.

The wife and I didn’t go alone, however.  We also took our sons, daughters-in-law, and four of our oldest grandchildren with us.  Our travel agent went with us as well, making a total of twelve in our group.  We had a great time, saw some things we had longed to see, and generally wore ourselves out in a very good way.

I’ve posted some photos on line that you may have already seen, and will continue to do so, probably one or two at a time.  I don’t like photo dumps, as there usually is no explanation of the photos one sees.  There also are far too many pictures in a dump, most of which probably are never seen.  So I’ll not bore you with lots of generic scenery and pictures of what we ate.  What I will post will be what I consider to be the unusual or the out-of-the-ordinary that we may have seen.

I’ll offer here a couple of takeaways from the trip.  There could be many more, but in the interest of not being boring myself, I’ll limit it to just two or three.

First, Alaska is huge.  And by huge I mean just that.  We traveled for three days in the interior and saw only a small portion of the state.  And the Inside Passage is a whole ‘nuther world with miles and miles of territory that mankind has never to my knowledge set his foot upon.  The state covers four time zones, although by law all of Alaska is on one time.  Alaska’s 730 thousand and some residents roam around with lots of elbow room and lots of open space.  The concept of all of that land in one state of the union is difficult to comprehend.

I’ll not talk here of the incredible scenery and the wildlife of the state.  You can see some of that in the posts I put on my time line.  But do take a look at them.

Second, Alaska’s people are truly a friendly bunch.  Yes, I know that most of the ones we encountered knew we were tourists and catered to us as people who help support them.  But there is a genuineness in most of those we met that is sometimes not always there in others.

Alaskans are also a hardy bunch.  Summers when the night sky never truly grows dark and winters when daylight is a scarce commodity make up the year.  Temperatures range from the 90’s to the 50’s below zero.  Much of the travel done in Alaska has to be done by boat or by air…roads are not very numerous, and even if there are roads, permafrost, landslides, and other natural phenomena make for sometimes difficult travel.  In many communities, virtually everything that comes in to that area comes by barge or by plane.  It’s a different way of life and living.

Third, Alaskans have a sense of humor.  They celebrate the summer and winter solstices, and actually say, “Happy solstice,” to those they greet on those two days of the year.  In Fairbanks, their independent league baseball team schedules a baseball game on the summer solstice…to begin at about 10:30 at night.  They play a full game lasting well into the 1am time and never turn on the stadium lights because the natural light is enough for them to play.

Of course, there is the usual celebratory mood in the crowd, many of whom I suspect don’t really watch much of the game.  Our older son and his wife attended the game, along with one or two from our tour group.  I was invited, but declined as by that time I was getting rather worn out from the trip, and we were scheduled to fly home in just a day or so.

Speaking of flights, we left Wichita at 6am and arrived in Vancouver, Canada shortly after noon Vancouver time.  I was surprised at all of the people already in the Wichita airport at 4 in the morning when we arrived.  It’s really kind of a busy place during that time.

On the flight home, we left Fairbanks at 9:30 pm Alaska time, flying to Minneapolis to catch a connecting flight to Wichita.  We arrived in Minneapolis at about 6am central time.  We had over a four hour layover and arrived in Wichita in the early afternoon Friday.  We had been up since 7am Thursday morning, and had slept only fitfully on the flight from Fairbanks.  I think I don’t really want to do that again.  By the way, the Minneapolis/St Paul airport is about as big as  Alaska, I think.  We walked forever just to get to the departure gate for our connecting flight.  That kind of thing makes one appreciate the smaller places like Wichita’s Eisenhower Airport all the more.

All in all, it was a trip well worth the five year wait.  And to take along our family was just icing on the cake.  If you’re able to do some kind of a once-in-a-lifetime trip like this…it doesn’t have to be an Alaska cruise…it can be anything…please do it if you at all can.  It’s worth it.

 

Blessings,

A Better Way

 I’ve not avoided the subject that is on everyone’s mind right now…but I’ve not said much about it either.  Today, I’d like to visit with you some about violence in our society.  Right now, we tend to think of gun violence, mass shootings and the like when we think about a violent society.  That’s only natural because of the recent events that have been reported by the media.  It seems that schools, churches, malls, and even hospitals are not immune from the threat of someone with a violent nature causing irreparable and incredible harm to innocents.

Violence in this society, however, manifests in ways and with instruments other than just firearms.  Think about it.  Road rage, domestic violence, fights and altercations, sexual violence, bullying of all kinds, aggressiveness and hostility…all of these are forms of violence that are part of our culture.  Many of those kinds of violence don’t use firearms, or for that matter any external weapon at all.

Certainly, there are times when society needs to concentrate on one particular kind of violence.  Domestic and sexual violence are a couple of areas where we have chosen recently to concentrate our efforts to mitigate.  And now, with the recent knowledge of the mass shootings in many parts of our nation, our energies are being concentrated on how to mitigate the incidence of these kinds of events.

It isn’t my purpose here to tell you what I think we should do politically about firearm violence, domestic violence, road rage, or any other form of violence.  I’m not a politician.  I’ve often said that I don’t have the political answers, and I’m not even sure at times what questions to ask.  I do have thoughts and ideas, but will keep them to myself regarding political solutions.  Instead, I’d like to, as the now well-worn saying goes, “drill down” to more of the root causes and what can be done.  And that means a journey into the spiritual side of things.

First, violence will always be with us.  This fallen creation…this fallen world…has been a harborer and encourager of violence ever since Cain killed his brother Abel.  No one is immune from either committing some kind of violence or being the recipient of some kind of violence.  We will never eliminate it…we can only help mitigate it with political solutions…laws, law enforcement, education, prevention, etc.

Second, Christianity has always been, and is, counter-cultural.  Where the norm is me-first, Christianity is “love your neighbor.”  Where the norm is grab-all-you-can-get-while-you-can-get-it, Christianity is “God loves a cheerful giver, and Honor God with your wealth.”  Where the norm is self-superiority, Christianity is “whoever is the greatest…let him be your servant.”

Third, mixing the Christian faith with politics and political/ideological dogma is a great mistake and a grave wrong.  Political evangelicalism is part of our culture now, as is other kinds of the blending of religion with political and ideological dogma.  God isn’t a Republican.  Nor is He a Democrat.  He’s not a Libertarian either.  He’s not on “our side,” and can’t be used in that way.  God is God…the author and ruler of the universe.  How dare we reduce God to a certain political party or one side of a societal issue!

“OK,” you say.  “So, what DO we do about the violence and apparent uptick in violence in our society?”

First, it’s OK for a Christian to be active in political things.  Running for office, voting, communicating with one’s elected representatives, and even contributing to a political party are all well and good.  However, to make these kinds of things the substance and be-all of one’s life is to place politics and political activism as one’s god.  It’s idolatry, plain and simple.

Second, Christians need to understand that God doesn’t take political sides.  He’s not on “our side” because we’re the “good guys,” and God just has to be for the good guys…how could He possibly be for anyone else?  God’s ways are not our ways.  After all, God establishes governments and rulers…all governments and rulers.  Look around at the governments that have been in history and are now.  Do you really believe that God established them all and permitted them to rule?  If you don’t, you disagree with the Apostle Paul in his Roman letter where he says, “there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”  Again, I say with emphasis…”God’s ways are not our ways.”

Third, the only cure for violence in culture is Jesus Christ.  Only Jesus can wipe violence away.  Only Jesus can cleanse one’s heart.  Only Jesus can restore, heal, and forgive.  Our job as Christians is to tell the story of Jesus…to plant the seeds of restoration, forgiveness, and redemption.  It’s not our job to tell God what side He has to be on.  It’s not our job to make sure things work out politically as we think God would want them to work out…God’s perfectly capable of making sure His will is accomplished without our help.  And it’s not our job to meld the Christian faith with political ideology.

I trust this has helped you somewhat as you process recent events and search for answers.  Above all, remember, God is still on the throne and one day will make all things new.  While we look forward to that day, we also know that we need to emulate Jesus in our lives…kindness, compassion, gentleness, meekness, generosity, service, and so on.  In doing that, we show the world a better way.

 

Blessings,

 

 

Purpose

 

This post was written before I heard about the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas some days ago.  I am well aware of that situation; however, I chose today to present those thoughts that I have already written.  I try to not insert politics into this Thursday Thought series.  I will only say for now that something is horribly, horribly broken in this society.  My great concern is that there may well be nothing government can do to fix it.  It can, I think, help mitigate and reduce the occurrence of these kinds of tragedies.  However, as a Christian, I believe the only real fix is Jesus Christ and a great, national as well as personal repentance and return to submission to the God of the universe and Jesus Christ His son.

I’ll leave it at that, at least for right now, and go on to what I had originally planned.

Steve Hartman is a reporter for CBS News.  His assignment is and has been for I think about 25 years to travel the nation producing stories about ordinary people doing ordinary things, living life day to day.  His emphasis has been on those stories which promote kindness and service to others.  This kind of story doesn’t sound very exciting, but the reality is that his segments every Friday on the evening news are some of the most-watched.  His stories are called, “On The Road with Steve Hartman.”  You can also find many of these stories on YouTube.

During the COVID lockdown, Hartman, along with his daughter Merril and son Emmitt, put together a summer “class” series for children highlighting various forms of human goodness, using prior “On The Road” pieces to make the point.  Kindness, honesty, courage, justice, friendship, gratitude, and other attributes of the human spirit were highlighted.  One of those attributes was “purpose.”

I’ve watched most of those “classes”, which ran 16 to 18 minutes each and are also available on YouTube.  The class on purpose especially resonated with me.  In that session, Hartman featured four “On The Road” segments…a bus driver whose bus students are his surrogate family, an ex-NFL player who could barely read when he went to Alabama to play football, yet determined to learn to read and became a children’s book author, a ballet dancer/instructor in her late 70’s who is still going strong in her profession, and a widower who so loved  his departed spouse that he created a museum in her honor in his back yard.  Each person featured had a unique purpose in life that was obvious to all.

Following the airing of the “Purpose” lesson, Hartman received a letter from Alana Calhoun.  Ms. Calhoun is an adolescent girl who had watched Hartman's summer series for kids, including the series focused on purpose.  She was so moved by that lesson that she wrote to Mr. Hartman.  Here is part of what she said regarding her own purpose in life.

When I thought about what I could do with my life to change the world, I was stumped.  I'm still an adolescent.  I can't drive; I can't work at a hospital; I'm not even allowed to use my stove unsupervised.  So, what can I do?  What is my purpose?

What if my purpose isn't to change the world?  What if my purpose is something as small as helping people in need when I see them?  This isn't something that can solve hunger or stop terrorism.  For me, maybe doing something small is enough to inspire others to do something big.  And that is enough to change the world.

This is Jay again.  Alana Calhoun has, at her tender age, found wisdom beyond her years.  She has discovered that purpose doesn’t have to be some grandiose thing that costs billions of dollars and changes the world right away.  It can be the smallest things.  The routine kindnesses.  The ordinary ways we help others.  The words of comfort we say or the smile we give.  These, I believe, are what Ms. Calhoun meant when she talked about doing something small being enough to inspire others to do something big.

Not many of us are equipped to do the big things.  Not many of us have our own private foundations or organizations that can tackle the big issues of life and culture.  But we all have the ability to affect, for the better or worse, those we come in contact with on a daily basis, mostly one person at a time.

I am reminded of this pretty much daily as I work with those who come to our church door for some kind of help or service.  We can’t do a lot of what some would call the big things.  We don’t have apartments that we can give to those without shelter.  We can’t afford to buy motel rooms.  We can’t purchase a car for them.  We can’t gift them with ten thousand dollars.  There’s a lot of the big stuff we can’t do.

But we can give them some food or water.  We can help out with some fuel for a vehicle.  We can help someone pay a utility bill.  But one of the biggest things I’ve found that we can do is just listen to them.  Listen to their story.  Listen to them as they tell of life and living…their struggles and their hopes.  We can take the time to validate them as human beings and afford them the dignity and respect that they should inherently have as humans.

So much of that is missing from the lives of so many.  Many of those who come to our doors have been shoved off to the side, ignored as if they aren’t even there, and treated as less than human all too often.  To give them our time and attention is something they crave and are very appreciative of, even if we for some reason cannot help them financially.

I have to wonder if Alana Calhoun has yet found those small things that she can do which might inspire others to bigger and greater things.  I know I have over the years often found that the small things…the little-noticed things…those things which seem so routine and ordinary…can indeed be sparks to cause change far beyond my own sphere of influence.

What is your purpose in life?  Why are you here?  Yes, we who are Christians know we are here to serve and love the Lord God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.  And we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Hopefully, you indeed are loving your Lord God whole heartedly.  And hopefully, you have found, or are finding what it means to love your neighbor…as that is the second of the two great purposes of the Christian life.

Loving one’s neighbor can be as simple as a greeting, smile, or a listening ear.  These kinds of things can often move mountains, and just as often, that mountain-moving is unbeknownst to us.  Purpose.  Why are you here?  What is your purpose?

 

Blessings,

Twenty One

 

In the past three years, the RiverWalk family has lost 21 members to death, if our count is correct.  I have been thinking for the past months that we have lost quite a few of our church family the last few years, and asked for a list.  Linda, our office manager, had that information and gave me the list that we have.  Twenty one.  Twenty one out of a congregation of about 200 or so.  Twenty one who are no longer with us, but are with their God.  Twenty one of our church family that we have mourned and are mourning; yet knowing of and celebrating their release from pain and suffering in this life and their entrance into eternity in the presence of their Lord.

The pandemic, of course, didn’t help matters.  Several of those we lost succumbed, we believe, to either the illness itself or to one or more of the outliers of two years of being cloistered…isolated away from other humans and unable to attend to basic needs.  Still others simply wore out.  Their bodies could no longer cope.  Hearts gave out.  Cancers invaded.  Dementia did its deadly deeds.

I’ve recently heard several comments from others in our church family asking for some respite from the all-too-frequent gatherings to mourn a death and celebrate life.  Even for those of us whose families have not been hit with a death, the strain is palpable.  The weariness is apparent.  The struggle is real.  I can’t imagine what it must be like to not only mourn for others in one’s church family, but then to have one’s own loved one be one of those we all come together for to mourn and celebrate a life well-lived.  The emotional toll must be incredible.

And I also think of those I don’t know in places like Uvalde, Texas, where at least 21 precious souls are no longer part of the Uvalde family.  And unlike here, those 21 were lost all at the same time in the most horrific of events.  Add to that the eyes and ears of the world as media captures every word, every movement, every facial expression and sends those around the world.  To top it off, the pundits, the politicians, and the public all weigh in with their own take on what happened, many with the goal of furthering their own agendas and lining their own pockets at the expense of a Uvalde people already suffering incredible pain and suffering.

The 21 mostly children who died in Uvalde are in our hearts this day, along with the inevitable nagging questions and thoughts that all zero in on the overriding question of why.  The second question that immediately follows is usually, “What can we do to prevent more occurrences of this?”  Neither question has a simple and plain answer, and depending on one’s world view, those questions can garner a wide range of thought and possible answers.

For the 21 of our RiverWalk church family who have died, the answers are more easily obtained.  Cancer, cardiac issues, COVID, old age, and other factors are the why.  And on the prevention question, that’s an ongoing process in the medical field.  The deaths are, however, real, unsettling, and another stark reminder of our own mortality.

Just as the twenty one Uvalde victims have been individually named in media reports in an effort to bring some dignity and acknowledgement to the unspeakable tragedy, I’d like to close by giving you the twenty one names of those of our church family who have passed from this life in the past three years.

 

 

Beverly Bolton (Oct. 2019)

Mariann Gamble (Nov. 2019)

Mickey Barber (Nov, 2019)

Clarence Daniels (March 2020)

Ron Bolton (June 2020)

Bill Hooten (Sept. 2020)

Nellie Scott (Sept. 2020)

Stella Schadegg (Dec. 2020)

Terry Schadegg (Jan. 2021)

Dena Badgett (April 2021)

Frank McAllister (May 2021)

Russ Sims (June 2021)

Joann Jeffery (Sept. 2021)

Denise Ward (Jan. 2022)

Bob Parnell (Jan. 2022)

Nick Wheeler (Feb. 2022)

Liz Burr (March 2022)

Kay Foster (March 2022)

Bobbie Carr (March 2022)

Mary Manlove (May 2022)

Regina Dunbar (May 2022)

Blessings…