Jewels

 I recently had my 75^th birthday.  That’s kind of a milestone in life…sort of like reaching age 30 or 40.  Only 75 means that there have been many more days gone by, many more things that I’ve seen or done, and many more times I’ve messed up something or had to ask forgiveness.

It also means taking a cadre of pills each morning and evening, and sometimes one or two in between.  It means not being able, or no longer wanting to do some of what I’ve done in years past.  Things such as crawling under a house to fix a plumbing leak, or getting under a car to change the oil myself.

The joints don’t flex like they did some time ago.  In fact, the joints often rebel when I try to flex them and let me know that arthritis has taken its toll.  My fingers don’t always move the way I tell them to move.  My eyes aren’t as sharp as they were awhile back, even with cataract surgery and correction.  The brain takes a little longer to process something new, and it’s more difficult to remember names, places, and other assorted facts of life.

More than the physical, I’m becoming a little more, shall we say, detached from some of the world events.  Yes, I still care about the war in the Ukraine.  Yes, I still am concerned about North Korea.  Yes, I still keep up with the Wichita City Council and the Kansas Legislature, along with what’s happening in the world..  But the politics, hijinks, world issues, and half-baked explanations coming from politicians don’t bother me as much as they did some years ago.  And I try to be more understanding of people who truly have to make hard decisions sometimes, that they know will affect perhaps tens of thousands of others.

I’ve become more interested in what God has to say, whether that’s in the Bible, the environment, or in the lives of others.  I’m more interested in making sure that in the event of my demise, my wife and offspring won’t have a horrible time sorting out my business affairs.  I’m more interested in leaving this world a little better than I found it, or at least not any worse, which isn’t at all an easy thing to do.  And I’m more interested in enjoying the beauty of nature, the relationships I have with others, and finding time to appreciate the little things in life.

I’m still a work in progress, however, with some things.  I get frustrated with other drivers on the road, even though I know I frustrate them at times, too.  I have too little patience with my grandkids sometimes, not understanding that they may be tired or otherwise out of sorts when they act out.  I still have to wonder, when working with a benevolence case, how some people can make the decisions that they make regarding money, friends, or faith even when they know that doing the same thing over and over will NOT eventually bring about a different result.  As I said, though, I’m not the epitome of perfection either.  And I have to understand that as I continue to work to be more understanding with others and less judgmental.

So, I still have some work to do.  I need to continue to ask God to keep on refining, keep on molding, keep on making me into one fit for His kingdom.  I’m reminded of the old children’s song written by William Cushing in 1866.  Called, “When He Cometh,” the last verse goes like this:  Little children, little children who love their redeemer are the jewels, precious jewels, his loved and his own.  Like the stars of the morning, his bright crown adorning, they shall shine in their beauty, bright gems for his crown.”

This is generally thought of as a children’s song.  However, we who are Christians are called the children of God, and in the Old Testament God’s people are referred to as jewels.  I like to think of myself sometimes in the way the song describes.  Even though I may think of myself as less than precious and less than shining like a precious jewel, God sees me in a different light.  To him, I AM a jewel…bright and shining…that one day will adorn his crown, so to speak.  And that thought gives me pause and prompts feelings of gratitude and praise.

And I hope it will do the same for you as you think of yourself as a precious jewel in God’s kingdom.

 Blessings,

Not My Home

 Good morning, and welcome!

 Over the past three days, it was my privilege to host Dr. James Ikwulono, a faculty member of the Jos, Nigeria School of Biblical Studies.  Our congregation provides a small amount of support for the school, and Dr. Ikwilono is on a tour of the United States, stopping at places which support the school.

While he was here, he was able to visit with several of our members, and gave a presentation to our Wednesday evening gathering.  We also visited some of the places in the Wichita area as well as two of our local church ministry points…our food pantry and Carpenter Place.  We learned much from each other in our conversations, and have grown to appreciate the work done in Jos by the school.

But, beyond that, these past three days were a sort of meeting of two cultures.  Dr. Ikwulono is not unfamiliar with the US, having studied here for several years.  He is very familiar with things such as pizza, barbeque, some aspects of US history, and some of the geographic places in this nation.  But it is obvious that he loves his country and wants to see it grow and prosper.

When we think of Nigeria, we often think of the negative…those Nigerian scams that have become the point of many stories that we tell.  Most of us are well aware of those emails where some Nigerian so-called prince has millions of dollars he wants to give us if we only will pay a couple of thousand dollars to have the money transferred to our account.  Scams have become more sophisticated in recent years, forcing us to be ever vigilant when we’re connected to the Internet.  Scams also come from many nations, including our own…not just from Nigeria.

The nation of Nigeria is much larger and much more complicated than the scam artists who have made the nation odious to many of us.  A nation of over 218 million people, with a growth rate of over 3 percent, the population density of the nation is over 660 per square mile.  The nation is wealthy in resources, but the government and the society seem to be in constant turmoil.  Inflation is rampant at over 30 percent annually, and has been that way for several years.  The Nigerian naira, the currency of the nation, is worth less than a tenth of a cent in dollars.  There is no Social Security retirement system in the country.  And the average life expectancy is about 57 years.

I say those things to help you understand that even though we may complain about things in this nation…things such as the rate of inflation, health care, government bureaucracy, or some other ailment, when compared with other places in the world, we continue to see blessing upon blessing.  We know that at least some of what we have now is not sustainable in the long run, and we scramble to find ways to mitigate those things which are causing issues in the environment, the economy, and in our relations with other nations of the world.

Through all of this, however, at least for Christians should be a vision that goes beyond the Middle East situation, global warming, or inflation.  We are NOT citizens of this world…this kingdom.  Our true citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven as we look forward to the new heavens and the new earth and the renewal of all things.

Yes, we live in the here and now.  Yes, we confront issues and problems in this life.  Yes, we search for answers and long for relief.  And yes, sometimes this world and this life display a beauty and sense of wellness and contentment that make us want to stay in that state from now on…but of course, troubles and issues always seem to find their way into the mix and that beauty and sense of well-being are soon replaced with something more sinister in nature that needs our attention.

That old gospel song, This World Is Not My Home, may well be appropriate here.  The first line is, “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through…and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

As you navigate through life today, appreciate the blessings and the beauty.  Take on the challenges.  And remember that this place is not really your home…you’re just visiting.

 Blessings.

Safe Travels

 Good afternoon.

 The last couple of weeks, the wife and I have been away.  We’ve been vacationing up in the far Northeastern part of the nation.  Up in the place where the leaves of autumn turn all sorts of magical colors and the whole region becomes alive with visitors who enjoy this time of the year.

We didn’t fly and rent a car like some suggested we do.  We took our time and drove.  We went a total of over 4,400 miles, but were able to stop here and there, look at this or that, and generally took a rather leisurely pace to get there and back.  I think the longest we were in the car driving somewhere was about 7 hours.  Of course, that also included several stops for gas, the restroom, and just to stretch.

I won’t bore you with what all we saw and did.  I will say that we saw the Flight 93 Memorial, the Gettysburg Battlegrounds, the Louisville Slugger Bat factory, the Hershey Chocolate place, and other places of interest.  We took the Mount Washington cog railway.  We picked apples at an apple orchard.  We saw a maple syrup “farm,” talked with the owners and came home with one pint less than a gallon of maple syrup.  We found that there is a town called Jay, New York that boasts one of the longest covered bridges in the region.  We brought along some knick-knack type things that we picked up in gift shops.  We also bought some books for the wife to read.

And we saw some rather amazing sights in terms of foliage and scenery.  But , if you want to read more about all of that, you can do so when I’ve finished my memoirs of the trip.  Ask me for the link.

But I will tell you that each of the two Sundays we were gone, we attended church services at a Church of Christ in the community where we had spent Saturday night.  The first Sunday was in Endwell, New York, a smaller community just west of Binghamton.  The second Sunday was in Poland, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown.  Each of those churches were unique; yet each filled our spirits and refreshed us as we traveled.

The New York church had an attendance of about 15 people.  It clearly was struggling to stay afloat.  The minister there was concerned that he may have to find other work.  Yet, the people there were friendly, welcoming, and seemed to enjoy each other’s company as well as ours.  We shared communion with them, prayed with them, and took in the lessons that were taught.  It was somewhat difficult for me to leave there as I knew that in a short time, that church may no longer be active.  I felt for those who would have to make that decision.

The second Sunday in Poland was a little different in that the congregation there numbered about 70 on that day.  Again, the people were outgoing, friendly, and welcoming.  They were much more active, having had a get-together just the evening before, feasting on wings and sides, playing outdoor games, and enjoying one-another’s company.  We didn’t have to make much of an effort to introduce ourselves as they were outgoing in nature and made us feel comfortable from the beginning.

I tell you about these two churches to also tell you that if you believe corporate worship is important, then it should continue to be important even if you are away from your home congregation.  You should be able to find some place while on the road where you can meet with others and share in the worship of our Lord.  Even if you’re somewhat introverted as we both are, most people in most places will make an effort to make you feel welcome.

All in all, it was a somewhat tiring, but enjoyable time seeing places that we had never seen before, and probably would never visit again.  We’re at that stage in life when some of the things we see and do are the last times we’ll see and do.  And that’s OK.  We’ve lived a long and blessed life together, the missus and me.  We’ve seen a lot, done a lot, and enjoyed the life that God has given each of us.

We’re not ready to kick the bucket just yet, though.  We have, if God wills, some time yet to continue to see and do some things we’ve always wanted to see and do, but until now haven’t had the time or the resources.  One of these days, we’ll pass this life on to someone else, but for now, we are thankful and grateful.

 Blessings,