Planned Obsolescence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Acts 3

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

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

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

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

Lame from birth.

Laid there daily.

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

Same gate.

Same stone.

Same outstretched hand.

Day after day after day.

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

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

And He did not heal him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We Will Be Judged

 "I think we will be judged…generations from now are going to judge us, and cultures are going to judge the nation that is so known for its wealth, and how we took care of the least of these.  And I just can’t help but wonder what they’ll think of us when they look back, and they see there were people sleeping in our streets…that there were people hungry in our own streets."

That’s a quote from Major Nancy Powers, the South-Central Associate Area Commander, of The Salvation Army.  The quote is an excerpt from "Hope in the Heartland...Wichita's Quest to End Homelessness," a feature-length, Emmy Award winning documentary on the incredibly complex issue of homelessness in Wichita.

I have to admit that even though I’ve given a lot of thought to homelessness and other societal challenges, and even though I mainly through the church, have done what I could to help, I really have never thought about what future generations might say as they look back on history.

But just as we look back at the slave owners in the nation’s earlier days…just as we look back on the various empires of old…just as we look back and see where things went off of the rails with those cultures long dead and gone, so will those who come after us look back at this nation…this culture…and make judgments about us.

But far more important than that, I believe that there is a God who may well even now be making judgments on this nation…we as a people and we as individuals…and surely will judge us at some point, if not now.  A hundred times more so, I fear the judgment of God more than I do some future generation.

The challenge of homelessness, as with most societal challenges, is incredibly complex with dozens of off-ramps, side roads, and stop signs.  It is a challenge that is misunderstood by many, grossly over-simplified by some, and dismissed all together by others as an issue of laziness or as “getting what one deserves.”

Most of us in the homed world have no comprehension of just how close we are to being homeless ourselves.  One paycheck.  One illness.  One catastrophic event.  One death.  If anything goes out of whack in the lives of most of us, we are in danger of sleeping in our car, checking in to the Rescue Mission, or camping out behind a bush in the park.

Even those of us who receive government pensions or assistance…probably the most secure form of support…can’t breathe easy.  Do you have any clue just how broke and broken our units of government are right now?  Can you really be certain that next month’s check will show up in your account?  Just one well-placed bomb…one war started…one major burp in the economy…and the financial house of cards built up by generations of politicians may well come tumbling down on itself…our culture going through a catastrophic re-set.

I’m sure you at some time have heard someone sort-of jokingly say, “I think God is trying to tell us something.”  Could it be that the missed paycheck, the catastrophic event, the one thing that goes haywire in our lives…that thing IS God trying to tell us something?  That God is nudging us to recognize and understand that things aren’t the way they should be, and we need to be more attuned to the needs of others.

I don’t need to tell you that God takes a special interest in those who are mistreated or ignored by the rest of society.  The poor, marginalized, strangers, children, the hungry, the needy.  I believe He expects us, the haves…with the bounty he has given us…to use that bounty in service to those who do not have.  For the Christian, this isn’t optional.  This is basic Christianity…Christian living 101.  No maybe’s.  No yes-but’s.  No what-if’s.  It’s basic stuff, and it should be part of our DNA as Christians.

Can we individually help everyone and work in every segment of society to help find solutions?  No, of course not.  We are limited in time, resources, talent and energy.  We can’t, and God doesn’t expect us to be all things to all people in all situations and all scenarios.  We must choose our area or area of service, and choose wisely.  But, we MUST choose and we must act in some way to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the unhoused, treat the sick, and while we’re active in those things, to preach the good news of repentance and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

I’m closing this thought with Jesus’ own words from Matthew 25 as he speaks with his followers.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Blessings

Proper Timing

 Awhile back, I took my pickup into the shop to have some work done.  I had noticed liquid on the floor of the garage under the engine where it was being parked.  It looked like a combination of oil and water.  I had it in the shop for them to determine what was wrong and have it repaired.

They came back with news that there was a leak in a seal as well as a water pump that was leaking.  The seal leak was in the same area as the water pump, and was also in the same area as the timing belt and associated parts.

As it was about time to replace the timing  belt anyway, I told them to go ahead and fix the seal leak, install a new water pump, and replace the timing belt.  All of that could  be done at the same time by working in the same area of the engine, saving me some future expense in labor.

When I received my pickup back, it started and ran just fine, but when I tried to accelerate from a low speed, the engine hesitated.  At higher speeds, it did just fine.

I took it back in and told them what was going on.  I told them the engine wasn’t doing the hesitation thing before I brought it in for service, but was following the repair.

It took some time as well as the mechanic going down the wrong rabbit hole at first before they finally figured out what was going on.  When the timing belt is replaced, everything has to go back in place exactly right or the timing of the engine…the sequences of things that happen inside the engine…won’t be correct.  The engine won’t run correctly.

You may have guessed by now that the mechanic made a tiny error in replacing the belt and associated equipment.  The error was so small that he didn’t notice it at first glance.  But when he corrected the error, the engine ran much better…more like it should.

I’ve thought about that experience recently as it pertains to life and living, wondering if there is a lesson for us in that story.  Can a tiny error…something just a little “off” so to speak, create some kind of negative effect that is much larger than the error would seem to make it?

Recently, I had a workup done by my primary care doctor.  He did all of the things, including blood work.  The results came back mostly in the “good” or “normal” regions.  But one result, my vitamin D level, came back borderline deficient.  My level was at the lower end of normal.

He suggested that I take a supplement to get my level more into the middle of the normal range.  I didn’t think much about it, but the next time I was in the pharmacy, I bought a supplement and started taking it daily.  I need to tell you that I also have lower back pain from diagnosed osteoarthritis.  Sometimes that discomfort is enough to force me to have to sit down for a time and give it a rest.  I also have difficulty exercising more than about 20 or so minutes due to the pain and discomfort.

However, after taking the vitamin D supplement, in the matter of just three or four days, my lower back pain lessened considerably.  It is still there, but is much more manageable.

I wondered if the vitamin D supplement was the cause of the decreased discomfort because I had made no changes other than beginning to take the supplement.  I looked up symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and found “bone pain,” especially lower back pain to be one of the symptoms.

Apparently, something as simple as increasing my intake of vitamin D has resulted in a big change in how I feel from day to day.

I could tell you of other things I’ve found that seem small and insignificant, but have a big effect just like the timing belt that was just a tiny bit “off” but caused an engine to misfire.  Daily exercise, which for me consists of 15 to 20 minutes of walking.  Regular exercises for my shoulder, which is also being attacked by arthritis.  Drinking enough water daily.  Eating a good variety of fruits and veggies, especially fresh fruit and vegetables.

And then there’s the spiritual and emotional aspects of life that can be greatly affected in a positive way by some of the “small things.”  Regular immersion into the Word of God.  Taking time for meditation and quiet.  Turning off the TV, the radio, and the noise.  Meeting with church family.  Taking in nature, whether in my back yard, in a park, or in the wide-open countryside.  Being with friends and family.  Sharing kindness, empathy, and resources.  Taking time to write, construct, garden, solve puzzles, cook, or whatever it is that gives you joy.  Prayer.

I’m sure you can think of other things that by themselves seem insignificant, but have much, much value.  At least some of these need to be toward the top of our priority list each day.  Our “engines” (so to speak) just run better when everything works together as it should.

May God bless you continually as you seek those things which bring you into, and keep you in the proper timing of life.