For What It Is

Yesterday was an almost perfect day. Now, before you skewer me with whatever it is that you like to use, because your day wasn’t at all perfect, let me explain.

The day had been gray and cloudy. There was some spritzing drizzle, etc. through out the day. Later on in the afternoon, an unexpected snow shower left everything covered in velvety, delicate snowflakes. There was no wind during the snow. The temperature was just right for large, fat flakes of wet snow to fall and cover everything in a couple of inches of pristine white.

Those kinds of snows don’t happen often. Far more often, there’s a howling wind out of the northwest, and it’s so cold that a penguin wouldn’t make it very long outside. The snow piles up in drifts and leaves fields bare. It doesn’t make for a very pretty picture.

But yesterday…that snow was one that defied all of the odds here in Kansas and provided us with a glimpse of what surely was the handiwork of God. I can just imagine Him saying something to the effect of, “These folks have had enough blowing and drifting. I think I’ll just give ‘em the perfect snow.”

The sad part of it is, I don’t think very many people appreciated the beauty. I think most probably griped and grumbled at having to deal one more time with slick streets and snowy sidewalks. It seems that anymore, to just stop and enjoy the view is something not many folks do.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Stop sometimes, whether it snows, rains, or the sun shines, and just enjoy the view. Notice what is “out there” and make it your purpose to take it in and enjoy it for what it is.

Renewal

Today is Saturday. It’s been awhile since I’ve written. And I really don’t have much today to say. It’s a rather lazy day, gray and cloudy. We saw the sun for a few brief hours yesterday, but otherwise it’s been this way for the past several days, and looks to be this way for the next while.

Times like this make me less than energetic. I want to sleep more, move less, and generally be a lazy bum. My disposition becomes as sluggish as my body. Anything I do is an effort, and procrastination seems to grab hold.

This is nothing that a little sun and warmth can’t cure. Meanwhile, I have to work a little harder to keep going. I have to make myself do things. I have to work to smile at others that I meet.

The days are getting longer. The weather is moderating. Tornado season in this part of our nation officially begins just 5 weeks from now. Before long, it will be time to plant, prune, and mow. Spring will be here, and we will again see the results of a God that lovingly cares for His creation. There will be renewal and refreshment.

Already, I’m feeling better just writing about the spring to come. It will be here before we know it, and will give us all a glimpse of the once-for-all renewal that will come to all creation at some time to come.

The Great Outdoors

As we drove out to Western Kansas last weekend, I remarked as we left Lyons that the terrain and the “look” of the land would gradually become different as we went west. Around Rice County, the terrain and look of the land is much as it is in the Wichita area, but as one travels toward Great Bend and beyond, it gradually changes from cultivated to grassland, trees to treeless, man-made to natural. By man-made to natural, I mean that there gradually is a lessening of buildings, power lines, vehicles, etc. as one travels westward.

Sure enough, the transformation was gradual, but very plain. Ellenwood, Great Bend, LaCrosse, Hays, and on out on I-70, the terrain became more open and big, grass was in abundance, and the great outdoors was never more evident than in Western Kansas.

There’s something about that kind of environment that makes me feel rather small and insignificant. There’s something about looking at the sky at night and seeing nothing but black punctuated by thousands of points of light that makes me wonder at it all. There’s something about the way the scene just opens up and envelopes me that makes me feel like I’m an integral part of it.

Next time you go west, don’t just count the minutes until you get to Denver. Take a little time and see what’s out there. Look at that part of the creation with renewed eyes and an humble heart. Spend some time and energy seeing the small as well as the enormous. Then visit with some of the locals and get a human viewpoint on where you are. I think you’ll like what you see and will have a fresh appreciation of the God who made it all.

Past and Present

We took a trip this past weekend to Western Kansas where we used to live. On the way, we stopped to see the wife’s family and stayed overnight with her Dad. He’s an old man, but lives at home and seems to be in good shape. He drives, gets around, and knows his mind.

While with him, we went to the local café for an evening meal, then again for coffee the next day. As I sat there looking around, I recalled times years ago when I was there, and noticed that there wasn’t a lot of change in that time. There is still a neon sign at the back of the restaurant saying they serve the local creamery’s ice cream. The creamery hasn’t been in business for probably 50 years or more but the sign is still there. The building, furnishings, and arrangements of tables is pretty much as it always has been, at least as I knew it.

There’s something about going back and finding that things haven’t changed that much that is refreshing as well as comforting. I know that one of these days, that ice cream sign won’t be there. That will probably come the day the café no longer exists. But at least for now, I know that I can go somewhere and find the past, even as I live in the present.

It's Time

How would you feel if a family in Wichita, Kansas sold their sixteen year old mentally challenged girl to an acquaintance of theirs? The acquaintance held a grudge against Towne West Shopping Center. The acquaintance strapped a bomb onto the body of the girl, sent her into the shopping center, and detonated the bomb by remote control, killing all who were within 150 feet of her. The girl never knew what happened.

How would your community feel? How would this nation feel? What kind of news coverage do you think there would be? What kind of new laws would legislators want to pass? How many inquiries, inquests, and other formal hearings would be held?

And what of punishment for the acquaintance? What punishment would be appropriate? The death penalty? Life without parole? Put on a rocket and sent to outer space?

Such events happen (and recently have happened) in the Middle East. Al Quaeda used this tactic recently to kill 99 innnocents. See http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327445,00.html for the story.

What should our response be? Should we say that it’s in another country and so doesn’t concern us? Should we read a story or two about it and remark how bad the world is today? Or should we as a society, as a nation, determine to let the world know that these atrocities will not stand, and that those responsible will be held accountable?

The United States long has been the champion of the oppressed. We have, and are the most generous nation on the face of the earth. Even though we tread carefully at times, and our record is not perfect, we step in to right a wrong, correct an injustice, or secure liberty for a citizenry.

If for no other, this is reason enough for us to confront this evil. This is reason enough to expend our national resources, both human and monetary. This is reason enough to be actively engaged in the societies of the nations that permit this.

And this is reason enough (if the Great Commission isn’t enough) for the Church to do its part, confronting evil, overcoming evil with good, and engaging in the spiritual war that has claimed far too many souls for the Evil One.

Something Good Has Happened Here

This morning we had, as we do every Sunday, church services. As we began the service, one of the young women who used to be with us at the children’s home came up and sat with us. We hadn’t seen her in awhile, and she left the home under less-than-ideal circumstances. She’s now living with her boy friend, she says, and says she’s doing OK.

During the “meet and greet” portion of the service, another girl who used to be at the home came up to see us. She’s now caring for her grandfather, who is suffering from terminal cancer.

During the time between the services and Sunday School, and later after everything was over, I got a chance to visit with some of the girls who are still at the home. Most we know, having lived with them. One or two came since we had to move away, but they still greet us and talk with us.

It’s times like this that I ache to be back in that life. These girls have so much potential and have so much going for them. They need guidance, structure, and direction. But most of all, they need someone to hear them. Not just hear the words they say, but hear what they’re saying underneath the words that they say openly. I think Pat and I did a good job of that. I think we validated their feelings and ideas, even if we disagreed with them. I think we withheld judgment and affirmed their person-ness and their worth as individuals. And I think they understood that and appreciated that.

I’m not saying that they aren’t getting that now. I don’t know what they are getting. But I do know that in spite of their snits with one-another, in spite of how tired we were, in spite of our disappointment sometimes in the actions of the girls, in spite of their bad grades and bad choices, we listened. We validated. We affirmed. We loved.

Oh, the girl who made the choice to sit with us this morning? She’s the one we had the most trouble with while she was staying at the home. She’s the one that consumed most of our strength and energy. She’s the one who just didn’t seem to get it. And now she chooses to sit with us. She, by that action, has validated us. She, by that action, has affirmed us. Something good has happened here. I’m overwhelmed.

It Is What It Is

We had our final life safety inspection today at the new nursing facility where I recently went to work as Director of Environmental Services. There is always something that needs to be re-done in inspections such as this, and today was no exception. However, there were a couple of things during this process today upon which I’d like to comment.

First, it seems that people sometimes have a hard time understanding that when they’re asked to do something by someone in authority, that person means exactly what he/she says. One of our sub-contractors had not performed an inspection on the fire suppression kitchen hoods over our stoves. They had done the installation and the check sheet that they normally do with the install, but no inspection was done because, “We don’t do inspections on new equipment.”

The Fire Marshal was polite, but said several times that he needed an inspection report, and that the installation report wasn’t adequate. The owner of the business repeated that directive a couple of times, as did I. Finally, the sub contractor “got it” and said that he would do an inspection, even though I know without a doubt that he was thinking, “This is a new installation. Why do I have to do an inspection?”

The answer to his non-verbal question is simply, “Because the authority is requiring it.” It doesn’t matter if it makes sense to the sub contractor or not. It doesn’t matter if anyone else wants it done or not. It doesn’t matter if it’s a brand new system that doesn’t really have anything to “inspect.” The fact is, it is required and the authority (the one with the badge and the force of law) is the one who is requiring it.

Second, it would be quite helpful if people would not take it upon themselves to make changes to the plans and specifications without consultation. Some of that happened in this construction, and we now have to go back and make those things right. The cost will be much more now that the project is complete, and people are going to be inconvenienced. The plans should have been followed.

Third, I’ve been working with government for about 20 years, now. Rules and regulations are there for a reason, even if that reason may not be apparent to the general public Joe Schmo. It is unproductive and just plain not a good idea to try to bargain with these people. They don’t care if it costs an arm and a leg to comply. They don’t care if we obtain our license to operate next week or next year. They don’t care if we have to tear out walls and dig up the floor. They expect us to follow the rules of construction and operation as clearly spelled out in both the Kansas regulations as well as CMS (Medicare) regulations. And if we don’t, well, that’s a shame.

And so we have some things to correct. I think all in all we did OK. We learned, and hopefully won’t make the same mistakes next time. And, after all, isn’t that what experience is all about?

The Unattainable

“Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good.”

So, according to Parade magazine (February 3, 2008, page 8), said Vince Lombardi 50 years ago to his new team, the Green Bay Packers.

Although this was said in the context of a football team (and a darned good one, I might add), think about what Mr. Lombardi said and apply it to life…your life. Think about what those of us as Christians are called to do — “Be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect” — and how what Mr. Lombardi said could help as we struggle with the unattainable, yet firm and clear command.

The great apostle Paul of Tarsus talks more than once about running the race, looking toward the prize at the end, and finishing the course. To “relentlessly chase” perfection is to run the race without fainting. We go even when we’re tired. We continue even though we are discouraged. We press on even though we are beaten down.

To “relentlessly chase” perfection is also to look at the prize in the end. We have a goal in mind. We have a prize we covet. We have a gift we cherish.

We also “relentlessly chase” perfection when we finish the course. We dare not quit in the middle of the race. We cannot sit along the side and let others go by. We need the courage to finish, even when reason and logic tell us it isn’t worth it.

And we should never be remotely interested in just being good. To be good is not good enough. To be perfect is our goal. And as long as we are given breath and life from the one who commanded perfection, we struggle, strive, push and strain for the unattainable, yet mandated. And as long as we are in this home of imperfection, we continue to look to the one who is the I AM for the grace of perfection, even in our imperfection.

It All Comes Down to This

Well, a whole week has come and gone since the last blog. Sorry. It’s been hectic at work, and when I get home, I don’t feel like doing much of anything. It’ll calm down before long, but until then, I’ll probably not write much during the week.

I was out helping direct cars in the parking lot at the new nursing home last night. It was my job to help people coming to the open house find parking spaces and get them in the right doors of the building. The weather was cold, but I had lots of clothing on and was doing just fine. The open house for the professionals (invitation only) was from 5:30 to 7:30pm. That’s when I was helping in the parking lot.

I was standing there listening to and looking at the traffic on Maize road, which goes by our place of work, during a time when no one was coming in. I started thinking how in the world I went through fifty-some years of life, and more moves and jobs than I care to count, just to end up in a parking lot greeting the mucky mucks who came for the festivities.

At about that time, the setting sun came out from behind a cloud bank that had been overhead all day and had dropped four inches of snow on us earlier. It briefly shone and lit up everything with that reddish-orange glow that comes from a setting sun. And somehow (you’re gonna think I’m strange) I knew that this was the place where I was supposed to be and this was what I was supposed to be doing at this time.

The rest of the evening was uneventful, and all ended well. But for just a brief moment, I got the distinct feeling that there was something or someone bigger than I who knew that I was standing there and that I was wondering about how it all came down to this.

Next week we have the state fire marshal inspection and the state nursing home inspector. It’ll be another hectic week.

Writing Cramps

I don’t write well, sometimes. Although I like the written word and like to put words together to form thoughts that hopefully communicate the intangible, but real to others, I’m not really that good at it. But sometimes I do better than others.

I usually write better in the morning. Now it is late afternoon and I feel a little pushed to get this written, even though I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of days now. In the evening or at night, it seems that I just can’t get words out that make any sense at all.

Sometimes, though, in the morning hours, I can start writing at the computer about little of nothing and watch as it turns into something that I think is rather good. It’s almost as if I’m watching someone else write, but of course, it’s I who am writing. Those times tend to come rather infrequently now, but when they do come, it’s a blessing.

I still have the papers I did in college, at least the ones I did at OCU. When I read them again, I think, “Did I really write that?” Of course I did, but I have little clue how those thoughts came into my head to put down on paper. The writing is not as polished as it is now (I wrote those papers in the early 1980’s), but the thoughts are as if they came from outer space somewhere. I don’t know how else to say that.

I save all of my writing now. All of my bulletin articles from Oakley, the things I write to others in answer to questions or discussion of things (thanks, Kathy), and these blogs are all on my PC. I also have things I wrote while in the ministry in Topeka that no one else has seen. These writings are my way to sort out things and make things clearer in my mind.

I think that’s why I like the blog. I don’t really care if anyone else reads this or not. It’s for me and my thoughts. However, if others benefit from it or enjoy it in some way, that’s all the better.

I’ll probably never make any money writing. My sister is a much better writer than I am when it comes to writing things that might sell. I don’t think she’s sold or published anything yet, but I think it would be worth a shot for her sometime. She’s also a musician and cook, as well as school psychologist, mom, wife, and friend. She has a plethora (as she would say) of experience from which to glean. Maybe she’ll do some of that gleaning some time.

Grateful

The work week is over for me. I am working the conventional days and hours right now, and am looking forward to not having to wake up to an alarm tomorrow morning. We’ve worked hard at the new nursing home and my muscles are complaining about it. But it’s been good work, and I am glad and grateful I have the work.

It would be so easy to complain about having to unload and unpack so many boxes of furniture and equipment. It would be easy to complain about having to go to work early this morning because a truck was coming in early and needed to be unloaded. It would be easy to complain about the upcoming week and the stresses that will undoubtedly be there.

However, there will be no complaining here because I know what it’s like to not have work. I know what it’s like to stay home while everyone else goes to work. I know what it’s like to have to explain to someone why I’m not working when it seems everyone else is.

I’m grateful for the job and for the work. It’s work I can do and work that I can enjoy. It’s also work that I appreciate having and thank God for allowing me to be healthy enough to do it.

So, although this weekend is also very much appreciated, I’ll enjoy getting up early and going in on Monday. And if you just think about it a minute or so, I think you’ll also appreciate the work God has given you to do and your ability to do it.

Last Friday morning as I headed into work, I noticed the sun just peeking over the horizon. There was a layer of clouds above the sun, so it was shining orange-red light under the clouds, illuminating them all the way across the sky. The illumination was brighter, of course, closer to the sun, but it was obvious that even the clouds to the far west were receiving some of the orange-red light. As the sun rose further, the clouds hid it and the phenomenon went away.

I’ve not seen that kind of sunrise (or sunset) often, but a few times have been fortunate enough to see it. One morning in Oakley, I was coming home after a bad storm during the night. The power had been knocked out at the nursing home, and flooding was occurring in a rear door. I looked to the east and saw the sun peeking through the slot just below a shelf of clouds that covered the rest of the sky. There was another rainstorm to the west of where I was, and I saw a rainbow (that’s right, a rainbow) to the west in that storm cloud, just for a few brief moments of time under the cloud shelf.

I’ve never seen such a thing before, and don’t think I’ll ever have the privilege of seeing one like that again. First, how many times have you seen a rainbow to the west of your location? Second, how many times have you seen a rainbow under a shelf of clouds?

The sky can bring wonder to the human mind, and if one looks up once in a while, can bring joy and peace, knowing that things are working as they were ordered to work. The sky can also let us know that we aren’t as all-fired important as we sometimes think we are, and that there are things we have not yet learned to control.

And don’t get me started on the night sky. It’s a wonderland of its own, and has recently been brought to dazzling clarity with the Hubble telescope and other advanced optical equipment. Active volcanoes in the solar system? We have pictures of them actively spouting. Water in the form of ice elsewhere besides earth? Comet dust? We’ve brought some of that back to earth. Close-ups of asteroids? We have that. A comet crashing into a planet? We have photos of that as it happened. Conundrums that challenge, puzzle, and mystify scientists and physicists of all persuasions and stripes? You can see the same things they see and marvel just like they do.

Take a tour of some of those web sites sometime. I think you’ll come away with a renewed appreciation for this creation we inhabit.

Which Is It?

Bob came to the front to say a few words before we took up the collection today in church. He said that he worked as a volunteer at Christmas helping hand out coats and food to folks who had need. He told this story about an encounter he had with one woman who had come in for help.

He said he was working there, greeting people as they got ready to pick up their things. He said one woman came up to him and he said, “Hello. How are you today?”

She replied, “I am blessed.”

He said he replied to her, “I am blessed, too.”

He said that afterwards, he thought about what she meant when she said she was blessed versus what he meant when he said he was blessed. This woman had spent over an hour in line, on a cold day, waiting to receive a used coat, a used blanket, and a box of food. “For that,” he said, “She said she was blessed.”

He didn’t say it outright, but as much as said that we tend to consider ourselves blessed if we have three cars, high speed internet, and a 401k that has several hundred thousand dollars in it. This woman considered herself blessed because of a used coat, used blanket, and a box of food that people donated.

When do you consider yourself blessed, and when do you begin to whine a little about how unfair things are and how hard you have it? Is God blessing you when He gives you enough to pay money down on a 24 foot boat and a garage in which to store it? Or is God blessing you when He allows you to wake up in the morning and see the sunrise?

Out of Touch??

With both of us working (or at least we both have jobs), we are beginning to look at alternate living arrangements. We are enjoying staying with my brother, but it will soon be time to find our own place and leave these folks alone.

We’ve been talking rent or buy. We’ve been talking about how large of a place we will need versus how large of a place we will want. We’ve been discussing location. We’ve been discussing a lot of things.

One thing I’ve noticed is the price of housing. My 1960’s mind just can’t wrap itself around a regular-looking home in a regular-looking neighborhood selling for $160,000 or more. It just seems like something is terribly, terribly out of whack here.

I suppose, though, that if I had kept track of inflation over the years, it wouldn’t seem so bad. And even at that, the money I’m making per hour now in my job is many, many times what I made when I first went to work years ago. So all in all, maybe it isn’t so bad after all.

Do you remember when it was unusual to find something in the grocery store that was over $1.00 (other than meat)? Now, you can hardly find anything under a dollar any more, and a lot of things are 2, 3, or 4 dollars each or more. Remember when a coupon for 3 cents off was a big deal? Now many people don’t even do coupons. Remember when if you found a nickel on the sidewalk, it was unconscionable to pass it by? Nowadays, kids get change at the store and throw it on the ground outside because they don’t want to mess with it.

I don’t know about you, but I still pick up pennies, nickels, and the like. I also finish my plate, save all my change, and think a five dollar bill is really something. Sheesh. Am I ever out of touch!!

The Ties That Bind

We attended a concert last night. The York College choir came to Wichita and performed. We thoroughly enjoyed the choir, but I enjoyed something else just as much. While there, I was able to visit with several people. Among them was a mom and her two sons from Topeka that we knew when we lived there. Another was our foster daughter and granddaughter. Daughter lives in Wichita, but granddaughter lives in Oklahoma and came up for a shower for a friend and came to the concert.

My, my how the boys have grown, Kelly! And how well they behaved (at least what I saw). You’ve done well with them, and it’s obvious that they love you. I don’t envy you in a house with five other boys (including Dad). God has given you special gifts to go along with the special challenges that this situation brings.

As we left the building, I was thinking that we don’t always communicate as well as we could and should. Our foster daughter lives in Wichita, yet we don’t often see her or contact her. We see her family even less. Those in Topeka and others we know in other places are often the same way. Although with modern communicative methods, we could easily be in touch, we often just don’t. In fact, Sheila found out about our new jobs and new grandson on the blog, just like many of you. Somehow, that just doesn’t seem right.

So, to all of you that we don’t see or contact as much as we should, we ask your forgiveness. I don’t know how much better we’ll do in the future, but you need to know right now and up front that we think of you often; we pray for you and the situations in your life that we know about; we enjoy the times when we do see you; and we cherish the ties that bind us together, even through long periods of no contact.

Am I Entitled?

OK, OK, so it’s been five days since a blog. I have an excuse. I started a new job on Monday and have been running my little (insert appropriate noun here) into the ground. But it’s coming along and I’m glad to be working.

Secondly, we are grandparents again. Scott and Laura had our second grandchild…Gabriel John. He’s obviously the cutest baby around these parts and seems to be doing well, as well as Mom and Dad. I went to Emporia yesterday evening for a quick visit, and came back late in the evening.

So there. I think I’m entitled, I suppose.

I was thinking on the way back last night about how old Gabriel would be when I would be leaving this earth. Oh, I know that I don’t really know that information, but was thinking that if I lived another 20 or so years (not out of the question at all), Gabriel might not even be married then.

His sister Rachel will be much the same way. She’s only a year and a half old now. Our kids will be in their mid to late 40’s, and it will be in the late 2020’s.

I don’t know why I thought of such a thing, but I’ve been saying for some time now that I have far more years behind me than I have in front of me. This kind of brought that home in a way that I haven’t thought of before now.

It is even more imperative that, should I be permitted to be a part of the growing years of Rachel and Gabriel, that my example be that of the love of Jesus Christ and that I convey to those kids the need to develop a lasting relationship with their Creator.

I don’t know that I could do anything any better for them than that.

The Genuine Article

Today, we went to the mall. We had some shopping to do for me. I needed work clothes for my new job on Monday. We also stopped in another department store while my wife looked over some female clothing articles that were on sale.
While she was looking, I (having two large bags of shirts and slacks on the floor beside me) stood to the side of an aisle waiting for her to make her selections. While I was standing there, a mom and little boy walked by. The boy, no more than about two years old, stopped in front of me and looked up intently.
I had been waiting for some time and pretty much ignored people who went by. I also overtly ignored this little boy by looking straight ahead, as I knew he was looking at me as if I might be a mannequin. I thought that if I smiled or spoke, it might frighten him. I could, however, see him in my peripheral vision.
I know it never entered into this boy’s mind why a male mannequin model would be placed in blue jeans and scruffy flannel shirt in an aisle between bras and womens’ shoes, but nevertheless, I think he thought I might be made of plastic.
His mom took his hand after a couple of seconds of his looking up at me and said, “C’mon, son.” A few steps down the aisle, she looked at him and said, “Yep, he’s real.”
Now I’ve never thought much about that before this afternoon, but I really have to wonder if people in the past have had to look at me more than once in order to determine if I was real…the genuine article. If so, that’s really rather sad. It seems that it shouldn’t take a lot of critical, close inspection of anyone to determine the genuineness of that person.
I hope I remember that little boy as he looked up at me. I hope that I never have to wonder whether or not people are seeing the genuine article when they look at my life. And I hope that the genuine person that others see is the person that I really am and that God wants me to be.

Year End

Today is the last day of 2007. I could, at this point, go on about where the years have gone, lamenting the aging of myself along with the general population, and the seeming flying by of society and technology while I sit on the sidelines. But I’ll spare you those things this year and concentrate on something else.

It is said in some circles that older people don’t learn nearly as well. I don’t know if it is the collective resistance to learning new things, an innate inability to learn due to diminished brain cell function, or something else that makes people say that. I do know, however, that 2007 was one of those years that this late-50’s person learned, and learned a lot. Not that I caught up on technology or learned a new language, but rather that I learned about life and living in a way that made the whole experience worthwhile.

I won’t bore you with the details. You may well already know most of them anyway if you keep up with my blog. Suffice it to say that I am more compassionate, more appreciative, and more grateful now. There’s something about working with teenagers and their families, with those who survive day to day, with unemployment, and with a church family that truly cares that makes all but the most-hardened knot heads take pause. Thankfully, I don’t believe I am one of those in the most-hardened category (although I’ll defer to the wife for a final determination).

What will the new year hold? I haven’t a clue, but I know that whatever it is, I want to be part of it, because The Adventure Continues. Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Why Do We Do That?

When things are routine for us, we have so-called ruts we get into and stay in as we go about our daily lives and living. But when that routine is disrupted, we many times have to get out of those ruts and plow new ground. It’s uncomfortable for us, but sometimes is productive as we try new things and gain new appreciation for others.

Then when the routine returns, we quickly go back into the ruts we’ve plowed long ago. For some reason we become comfortable in them, even if they aren’t best for us. We tend to gravitate back to them, abandoning the newly plowed ground that provided some refreshing change and insight to life and living.

Now, why do you suppose that would be? Why would we prefer the old, established way to the newer, more exciting way? Why would we prefer the familiar to the new? Why would we continue to put up with the same old habits and ways when we’ve already had a taste of doing things differently?

I’m not saying here that everything we do by force of habit is bad. Many of those habitual things are that way because they are good for us and help us in life. But there are some that we could just as easily do without, or replace with something that is markedly better for us. Yet we greatly resist, at times, those changes.

Paul the Apostle said once, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”

Even though Paul was talking about the law of sin and his propensity to succumb to its temptation, I think the principle applies. It seems that this practice of doing what we really don’t want to do may well be something that infects humanity in many cultures over many times and epochs.

As I get back into the groove (rut) of having a job and earning a living, I find that I also fall back into the old habits and thoughts that accompany that way of life. I find that I am less compassionate toward those who are homeless or in other dire straits. I find that I become more judgmental toward others, and that I feel somehow superior to them. I find that my communication with those I love becomes more strained as I go back into myself in a kind of protective mode.

Those are the kinds of things I do not want to do, and struggle with even now. I want to retain the lessons I’ve learned over the past few months and allow them to remake me into someone who is more like the God I proclaim to serve. How can I do anything else?

Faithful

It’s been since Christmas Day that I blogged. Since then, much good has happened. The evening of the 26^th, a man called and offered me the position I had been wanting with a new nursing home that was starting up in Wichita. The pay was even more than I had hoped it would be and I readily accepted.

Then the next morning, the Director of Nursing at the same home called my wife and offered her an RN job at the facility. So we are both employed, now, or rather will be shortly.

I would say something like “God is faithful,” thinking that since we have work, He is faithful to us. However, that is the wrong idea. I am grateful we have work. I am thankful that this chapter of our lives is apparently closing and another chapter of the great adventure is beginning. However, God is always faithful, regardless of whether or not we have work, are sick or well, rich or poor, homeless or have a home.

I believe that although there are many coincidences in life, there are also many times when the Hand of God is at work. I don’t know if my seeing the small ad in the newspaper was coincidence or not. I don’t know if my having a second thought about NOT applying for the job was a coincidence or not. Nor do I know if my taking my resume at a time when the man had time to sit down with me for an hour or more was coincidence or not. And I don’t know if having my wife with me (waiting in the vehicle) and the man asking me to get her because they were also looking for nurses was coincidence or not.

I do know that we have work. And the work is something we think we will enjoy and will give value to our employer for what we are paid. We believe we will derive satisfaction in our work, helping those who cannot help themselves.

And so I again say, “God is faithful,” knowing that even if we would not have work yet, I could say that with a straight face and in truth. And I know that whatever happens, we know that we are loved, cared for, and appreciated.

Christmas Day

Today is Christmas day. It’s the 59th Christmas I’ve seen in my life. We are in Emporia today, spending the day with our son Scott, Laura, Rachel, and (unborn) Gabriel. This will be the first Christmas I’ve spent in Emporia. There have been Christmases in Ardmore, Oklahoma, Goodland, Kansas, and many other places, but Emporia is a first.
The world has changed considerably since Dad wrapped up the American Flyer train set in several different packages and gave parts of it to each of the kids. I got track, if I remember right. Brother Max got the engine. I don’t know about any of the rest of it. We set it up in the unfinished, cold west bedroom on a piece of plywood that had an extra foot or so scabbed onto the side of it to accommodate the width of the layout.
It was a wonderful time of aluminum trees, light sets that went out if one bulb went bad, bubble lights, orange marmalade brought back from the once-a-year Wichita shopping trip, homemade ornaments, school vacation, and people coming to the house. Sometimes some of the King family would show up. Sometimes it would be the Planks. Sometimes we’d go somewhere else.
I’ll never forget the meals and fellowship when we went to Mervin’s (my uncle) out west of town. The meals were superb and their place was wonderful for exploring…tree rows, outbuildings, and all the rest. They also had a basement where we could play with Mervin’s homemade foosball, cards, or whatever else (remember stadium checkers?).
Now, we have digital music from a computer, DVD Christmas movies, electronic ornaments, and designer hot chocolate. We can run to the store on Christmas day for a forgotten food item and carry a portal to the world on our hips. We travel hundreds of miles without even thinking about it, and orange marmalade is no big deal.
But some things never change. Family ties and gifts under the tree. Ham, pumpkin pie, and peppermint ice cream. Bean and Bean (some won’t know what this is…ask sister Marianne). Christmas eve traditions. They’re all there just as they were years ago, and just as they’ll be as long as God permits.
One other thing that never changes is what Christmas Is All About. Linus, wise beyond his years, succinctly and clearly tells the world every year in It’s A Charlie Brown Christmas what the season is really about. I’ll close with his speech.
Charlie Brown: I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree. Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about. [shouting in desperation] Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. [moves toward the center of the stage] Lights, please. [a spotlight shines on Linus]
Linus Van Pelt: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'" [Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown]
Linus Van Pelt: That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

We Are Not Forgotten

I was laying in bed last night waiting for the wife to join me. It always takes me less time to get ready for bed than it does her. As I was laying there, I started to pray. I immediately thought of our situation here, no home, no job, and started praying about that. I stopped, however, after only a couple of seconds, and started to think of others that were in situations that also were not necessarily the greatest.

My mind quickly raced, thinking of many people who had chronic problems with health, finances, relationships, or work, and of people in situations that just weren’t the best. I just spent a second or two on each one, thinking about them.

The thing that got me was the large number of people I knew that had issues. I must have thought of well over 100 people, and just kept thinking of more, never repeating.

When I finished, our problems seemed rather small compared to some of the people and problems I had remembered. After all, we have a place to stay, food on the table, and job prospects are still coming our way. We are apparently healthy, and have all of our arms, legs, and mental faculties.

If we’re still not working in three or four months, I might start to sound a little more desperate or despairing. But even then, I’ll know that we’re blessed and that God has not forgotten our situation. I may need to be reminded of that, but we’ll take one day at a time.

Saying It All

I had the chance to visit with some of the girls from the children’s home yesterday. It was after church, and we had a few minutes together while they waited for a ride.

I heard from one of the girls who is going home for good tomorrow. Another is going home for Christmas vacation, and others had other things to tell. All in all, it was a great conversation, and I got to catch up a little on the lives of the girls we once cared for in our household.

I thought on the way home about the conversations with the girls, and told my wife that when people deal with other people rather than other things, it can get very emotional very quickly. I still ache for those girls and the needs that they have. I still rejoice with the ones who are making progress. And I know that for every girl we were able to help there at the home, there are hundreds in the world that will never get the chance to make something of themselves and change in ways that will enable them to be the kind of women that God would have them be.

We did a good job at the home. That’s not a boast…that’s the truth. We impacted many lives, not only lives of girls, but of parents, grandparents, school staff, church people, and others. We have no regrets about the work we did there, the decisions we made there, or the turn of events that resulted in our dismissal from there.

One of the girls we cared for is now back home with her parents. They reside in the Wichita area and remain in contact with us. The dad wanted to speak at a public fundraiser a few months ago. The words of that parent to Pat and me that night as he spoke to the gathered crowd say it all. “You gave us back our daughter. Thank you.”

I wonder sometimes about the words that I sing in religious songs. Many songs that we sing as part of our religious celebrations, we sing many times in kind of a rote mode, not thinking much about what we are really saying. The Christmas carol Silent Night is one such song. Look at the third verse.

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Just what is meant by those words? What is the subject? What is the verb or action word? We know this was translated from the German original, so the structure might be a little stilted and artificial, in order to make the English fit into the melody, but there indeed is a message there.

How about this. When we say the words “Son of God”, we are addressing the Christ child. We are about to tell Him something.

That something is, “Love’s pure light, radiant, beams from Thy (your) holy face.” The word “beams” is the action word, and “light” is the subject of the sentence. Radiant is an adjective describing the pure light of love that is beaming from the Christ’s face.

I’m not certain about the next line. “With the dawn of redeeming grace” could be attached to the prior sentence, as in, “Love’s pure light, radiant, beams from Thy holy face, (along) with the dawn of redeeming grace.” Or, it could be the beginning of a new sentence which states that the birth of Jesus is accompanying the dawn of redeeming grace. That could also be turned around to say that the dawn of redeeming grace is accompanying the birth of Jesus. In any event, the intent is to say, it seems, that God is extending redeeming grace to mankind through the birth of the Christ child.

This is just my opinion; others may have other opinions. What do you think? Would you care to give your ideas?

My, My!!

Has it really been a week since I’ve blogged??? Heavens!! My three readers must be forgaying (look THAT one up in your Funk & Wagnalls) waiting on me. My, my. I’ll have to blog more later as we’re on our way up to see the granddaughter this evening.

Urban Living

There are a lot of reasons why I like living in rural areas. No, I’m not talking about Goddard or Valley Center. I’m talking about Scott City or Grinnell (all in Kansas). You see, the first two cities are quickly becoming suburbs of the greater Wichita area. Their city limits buck up against the limits of other communities in the area, and it’s just a stone’s throw to travel to the largest city in Kansas. The other communities don’t stand a chance of becoming suburbs of anything and are struggling to keep an even keel.

However, once in a while, it becomes apparent that living in an urban area also has its perks. That happened to us just tonight when we attended the annual Christmas concert by the Wichita Symphony, with the Singing Quakers Alumni Choir of Friends University.

Those good folks in Grinnell didn’t have two chances in the world of taking in this concert. We, on the other hand, had a good time with friends and competent musicians and singers. The evening was lively, sparkling, and spirited. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Century II.

While many people who have had access to these kinds of programs don’t think much about them, those of us who have not been able to participate in them due to geography have an entirely different attitude. We truly appreciate the effort these people make, and also appreciate those who sponsored this concert so that our tickets could be free tonight.

No Clue

We have some bad weather that is coming in today. The forecasters are calling for upwards of an inch of ice in the next 24 hours or so. We are under an ice storm warning.

I was listening to an AM radio station this morning (WIBW, 580 out of Topeka, KS). Their meteorologist was on the air explaining the situation to listeners. He was saying that there is a large area of warm air that has overridden a layer of colder air at the ground. When moisture condenses in the warmer layers and falls, it starts out as rain, but freezes when it goes through the colder lower layer. He also said that in some places, this colder layer of air could be only a hundred or so feet deep.

That’s the part that got me. We could have an inch of ice, power lines down, trees downed, and society totally disrupted by a layer of air that could be only a hundred or so feet deep.

Life is so fragile here. We think we have everything under control, and then we find out something like this. Our efforts to keep warm and comfortable quickly become priority and other things take second fiddle to the more primary things. We tell stories for years after going through something like this, and pat ourselves on the back for being ready and having extra supplies, etc. But in reality, life is at the whim of a hundred feet of cold air.

Who are we, anyway, to think that we have it all together. We don’t have a clue.

If you’re like me and most other people, you are a blood-relative of the family that claims you. Although some in this world are adopted, most of us are not, and do not fully comprehend what it means to be adopted. I know that I don’t.
That’s why it’s hard for me to understand the passages in the Bible that talk about us being adopted into the family of God. I don’t normally preach in this venue, but I will this time. If you don’t want to hear it, just don’t read it. Romans 8, Galatians 4, and Ephesians 1 all talk of our adoption into God’s family as His children, being lavished upon with all that comes with sonship.
Listen to just a few verses.

“In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” Ephesians 1:4-10, NASV

In spite of what Paul says about adoption, I’ve always thought that it was kind of a second-class existence…not quite as good as blood, and not quite as safe and sure. I know that flies in the face of everything that is said in Scripture. I am only telling you what I feel, at times.
That has, thankfully, begun to change. Part of that change came in an “Aha!” moment as I read a portion of the article, Blessed Are the Barren by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson in the December 2007 issue of Christianity Today (beginning on page 22). I’m going to bore you yet again in this writing with a quote from that article. Ms Wilson says this concerning Jesus and His lineage.

Jesus, the new Moses, is the natural-born, only-begotten Son of God, but he is not the natural-born son of Joseph. Yet he must be Joseph's adoptive son. Two Gospels trace at great length Jesus' genealogy through Joseph, even while they both insist that Joseph played no part in Jesus' conception.

Matthew starts with Abraham, moves fourteen generations to David, another fourteen to Jeconiah, and a final fourteen to Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. Luke moves in the opposite direction, starting with Jesus at the age of thirty, "being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph," through many sons and fathers, until the end when we reach "Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

Through adoption, Jesus is the son of David and heir to the kingdom. The genealogies are pointless unless adoption matters; unless it is real; unless the ingrafting really happens.

If that doesn’t open your eyes immediately, you’re either brain dead or you just don’t care. Think of it. The only way that Old Testament prophecy could be fulfilled was if Jesus’ adoption by Joseph was considered by God to be as good as blood lineage. And if God considered that to be so, how much more does He consider our adoption into the family of God to be as good as anything human blood lineage could do.

Who Am I?

Isn’t it amazing how one’s identity is wrapped up in something that is, when pondered upon, not at all who the person is? I’m talking of the most of us whose identity is wrapped up in what we do for a living. We identify ourselves, examine ourselves, assess ourselves, and pass judgment on ourselves based on whether we work or not, and what we do.
Right behind our names when we are introduced to someone is the question, “What do you do?” The answer helps to identify us as white collar/blue collar, intelligent/dim-witted, educated/unlearned, outgoing/introverted, driven/bored, and a host of other identities that we work hard to protect and/or improve upon.
Now, it’s a little difficult for someone to know this unless that someone has had work taken away and has to live sans the crutch of a job. Even going to school or being a stay-at-home parent is an acceptable “job” for an adult in this day and age. But to just do nothing is, well, somehow beneath us.
And maybe that’s part of the issue with how I feel at the moment. I am unemployed; therefore I am not contributing to society. As a result, I have no value to anyone and feel helpless and hopeless as I wander through days of looking for work, hoping someone somewhere will validate my worth and offer me a job.
Yes, yes, I know that those of you who know me and know that I am a Christian are thinking that I should know I have value to God and to others…family and friends. You are thinking that I should be satisfied in that, and to an extent, I am. I’m not sure what I would do without family, friends, and faith. It’s tough enough as it is. I can’t imagine going through this without the support of those who love me and accept me for who and what I am…other than my vocation.

Wallowing Around

I was in kind of a funky mood earlier this afternoon, and went back to the bedroom to try to nap it off. When one is unemployed, these kinds of perks (naps) are available. I know, though, that I don’t want a permanent trade-off of naps for employment.
I was laying on the bed and my mind raced to several things that have happened in the near (past two years) past. I relived those things yet again, as I have done many times before. Those same feelings of anger, frustration, and helplessness came out yet again, just as they have before.
Then I wondered why I did this? Why do I think about these things, allowing the same old feelings to surface yet again? This exercise helps no one and only continues the funk. Nothing will be solved, and I can’t change the past. It is what it is.
Maybe I was wishing that someone would throw a pity party for me. Maybe I was wishing that I could go back and fix the things I was thinking of that went wrong. Maybe I was trying to justify what I did or didn’t do in these situations. I don’t know.
What I do know is that the exercise I went through this afternoon did not one thing to or for me or anyone else that was productive. It was time that could have been better spent fixating on the love and grace of God, the beauty of the creation, or the everlasting word, which itself says it is “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Next time I’m wallowing around in the dark, maybe I need to look around and find that lamp which lights my way.

Chips and Dings

My brother has been remodeling his house. They bought it a few months ago. It’s nice, but dated so they have been making some changes. One of the first things they did was re-do the kitchen.
A couple of days ago, the men were here to install the new counter top in the kitchen. The top is made of genuine granite, and is a very nice addition to the home. The men spent some time with the installation, to be certain that everything was as it should be.
Yesterday, it was time to hook up the faucet and drains for the kitchen sink. I went ahead and started that job yesterday afternoon. Things weren’t going well, and I had to make several trips to the local hardware store for parts. You know how that goes…it seems that a job that should take an hour or so ends up taking three or four hours and a lot more trouble than it should.
While working with the faucet, a wrench accidently hit against the edge of the top where the sink hole was cut. The resulting chip in the granite was the first mar in an otherwise great looking counter top.
I don’t have to tell you that I was devastated by the slip. I know this wasn’t an inexpensive top, and less than 24 hours after installation, it has an imperfection due to something I had done. I went ahead and worked on the project, and after my brother came home, we finished it up.
I thought later in the evening about that chip. Here was a slab of granite rock…the stuff that mountains are made of, heavy, strong, and stout…beautifully cut and worked into a functional piece for a home, that was chipped because of a small hand wrench hitting it. The strike wasn’t hard, but apparently was at just the right angle and such that a chip ensued. I had inadvertently, it seems, found the Achilles heel of the top.
Although I’m sure they were disappointed, my brother and his wife took the news well. We’re still staying with them, and they’re still talking to us. And we think that the men may well be able to repair the chip when they come out to drill a couple of holes in the top in the next few days. They probably won’t be able to make it disappear, but can make it look much better.
Try as we might, the impressive facades we put up in our own lives sometimes melt away, and the Achilles heel of our lives is exposed and exploited by something seemingly small and insignificant. We all have our weak spots, and we all struggle daily with those small wrenches that seem to eternally chip away at our facades. The great thing about being a Christian, though, is that even though the wrench may create the chips, the Lord of the universe can not only repair me, but can make me “justified”…just-as-if-I’d never been chipped.
Who ever heard of a God like that!!

Water

Water is such an amazing thing. Besides the usual things about water being a universal solvent, appearing naturally in all three forms (solid, liquid, gas) on earth, having a high heat transfer coefficient, and other relatively amazing properties given it by the Creator, water is also, of course, necessary for life as we know it (for the most part).
We don’t usually drink enough water. Our modern lifestyle, which includes forced air heating and cooling, little exercise, and other things, tends to wring water out of our systems. We don’t feel thirsty, however, and don’t replenish ourselves as we should.
I am amazed at how much better I feel physically just a few minutes after downing a large glass of water (12 oz or better). I’ve learned that if I begin to feel lethargic or just not feel very well, many times if I drink a large glass of water, perhaps followed an hour later or so by another, that I feel better just a few minutes after the first, and continue feeling good and refreshed.
I also learned a couple years ago from an Audiologist that water is important to mitigate the dizzy spells I’d been having. My conventional thought was that I was harboring too much water in my system, causing my balance sense to become out of whack. The Audiologist said that just the opposite was true. He said that a lot of water is needed by those of us who have these spells to maintain the proper ratio of sodium to water in our bodies. He said it was sodium, not water, that causes the dizziness in many people, and a lot of water will not only dilute the sodium, but flush it out of our bodies.
Since I’ve been drinking water, I’ve not had another dizzy spell. And if I feel one coming on, a couple large glasses of water usually do the trick. The Audiologist’s fee was well worth the value of the advice he gave, since those spells would debilitate me for upwards of a day or more. Besides that, those spells were worse than any flu bug that has ever bitten. You think you wanna die when you have the flu….
So drink lots of water. Take in three or four glasses a day (12 oz or more each) even when you don’t feel thirsty. You may just feel a lot better for doing it.

Today has been a slow day for us. We had church this morning, of course, but we didn’t have Sunday School today since it is a holiday weekend. (We call it “Bible class” for some reason in our fellowship.) We won’t have small group meeting tonight, either. Other than those things, it is kind of a day of rest (which it should be, anyhow).
I never liked the idea of doing a lot of heavy work on Sunday. I don’t think there’s something inherently sinful in doing a lot of work, but always thought that the old Jewish idea of resting one day out of seven had some merit. To that end, I generally won’t do things like running the lawn mower, heavy lifting, hard construction, or the like. Nor do I expect my family to do it, either.
If I have to work on Sunday in my job, so be it. If I have to run the mower for some reason that just won’t wait, I’ll do it. But normally, I like to take things a little slower on Sunday. It just seems like an appropriate thing to do.
My wife has a second interview tomorrow for a job she’d really like to have. I have a first interview for a job I’d really like to have. Hopefully, one of us will be able to land a job this week.
I am really thankful for unemployment benefits. I know that they are abused by some, but the benefits certainly are lifesavers for us. I’m not sure why those benefits are taxed (income taxes), because they amount to only a percentage of wages and there are usually extra bills that have to be paid during times of unemployment. If I could change something about the system, I think I’d change that. Otherwise, Kansas unemployment seems to be relatively efficient and non-bureaucratic.
Staying with my brother is another lifesaver. I don’t know what we would have done had we had to find a place to stay on short notice. I can’t say enough what a blessing it is to be able to be here for awhile until we are able to be out on our own again.
We sang a song this morning in church that I really appreciate. The lyrics are below. I never can sing this song without thinking of our family singing it at the funerals of my parents, and at get-togethers since then. I didn’t even try to sing it this morning and just listened to the words. I commend it to you.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain

- Thomas O. Chisolm

Thanksgiving

It’s the day before Thanksgiving. This would normally be the time when I might wax eloquent (wax???) on being thankful for the blessings of life, but I don’t think I’ll do that today. Not because I’m not grateful or thankful. Not because I have no blessings. Not because I’m selfish. Rather, I’d like to think that I have an attitude of thanksgiving, more or less, throughout the year. I would hope that I’m not limiting my praise and thanks to family, friends, and God to this one day or time of year.
Instead of my doing something on Thanksgiving, I’d like to borrow a few lines from a lady by the name of Gail Musolf, who is the director of the Friendly Center, a senior citizens organization, and a deaconess in the Lutheran Church. I haven’t asked her if I can use these, but hope she doesn’t mind.
She uses the passage from I Thessalonians 5:16-18 as a text. In it, Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Ms. Musolf then writes, “I do not think that God intends for us to be thankful for pain and suffering, for sin and evil, or for our inhumanity to each other. But I do believe that this passage is the blueprint for an attitude. Note the emphasis on constancy - 'Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.' "
She continues, “We can nurture the attitude of thanksgiving precisely because 'it is the will of God in Christ Jesus.' Jesus' suffering and death have brought us back into a right relationship with God, and it is in and for that relationship that we are able to foster thankfulness as an attitude, a way of being, a part of who we are.” (http://www.valpo.edu/lda/devotions/november.html)
Think on those words this week as you down the turkey and ham, and watch the KU/Missouri shootout on Saturday. Then go away from this week (regardless of the outcome of the game) with a renewed sense of joy and and thanksgiving.

Reminder

I was looking at the comments on the new blog started by my uncle. One of the comments was mine, one was from one of his sons, and one was from a granddaughter. I know the son, somewhat. We’ve not had interaction in quite some time…many years, in fact, but I think about him and his brothers and sisters more often than one might think.
I don’t know the granddaughter at all. But I followed the link and found her blog. She doesn’t blog often, but has been consistent for the past couple of years with entries every so often. She has evidently had a busy life this past couple of years, having been in Europe and South America as well as in school, and doing all the other things a young adult would be doing.
Even though I don’t know her, I feel a kind of connection with her. Even if she may not feel the same kind of connection toward me, that’s OK. I have always had an interest in family, and like to catch up or keep up with what’s happening. Blogs are a great way to do that. I wish I had more blog addresses for more of my family.
When someone writes in a blog, and does so as I think blogs were meant to be written in, he or she opens up a part of themselves and lays it out for others to see. That can be unsettling to some, dangerous to others, and just uninviting to many more. However, it can also be cathartic, freeing, revealing, and something that prompts the writer to think, reason, question, and appreciate and enjoy life more.
And those who read it may find, if they choose to see, a window to a soul not their own. That window has within it the power to reveal truth, counsel acceptance, beg questions, create longing for meaning, develop empathy and compassion, and instill a wonder and marvel in the complexity and beauty of life.
I don’t know Joanna. But I’ve already begun to see some of these things in the window she opens in her blog. And maybe that’s where the idea of “connection” comes through…a kind of meeting of the minds through the miracle of the written word. (I’m reminded of John chapter 1…are you?)

Uniqueness

I was laying awake last night listening to a train go through town. Valley Center is on a major rail line of the BNSF Railroad. It’s not the busiest line, but there are 25 to 30 trains a day that go through, they tell me. We are about a mile from the tracks. It’s usually easy to hear the horns as they blow for the main crossings in town. They start out a higher pitch and gradually go down in pitch as they travel through (the physics of sound…look it up).
Some years ago, locomotives had an automatic horn that, when triggered, would blow two longs, a short, and a long. The automatic horns really detracted, I thought, from the uniqueness and the “experience” of a passing train. I’ve not heard that monotonous sound for a long time (automatic horns were easy to spot), and am thankful for that. Why?
Each engineer has his or her own method of sounding the horn, it seems. No two are exactly alike. Some stick pretty close to the two longs, a short, and a long. Some just blow long blasts. A few will hold the horn on continuously all the way through the intersections. Others will blow several shorter blasts. Some at night will blow the horn seemingly in order to not wake anyone, but remain legal. Some don’t care and will blast everyone awake. Some will turn on the bell (Most locomotives have a bell that when turned on will clang regularly. Look for it when observing a passing loco under the cab hanging below the main carriage over and just to the back of the front wheel trucks.). Others won’t.
When we lived by the tracks some years ago, I could tell that the same engineer was coming through on a train as before by the way he or she blew the horn. I never knew for sure as I couldn’t see in the cab, but I’d bet the farm it was the same one.
We’ve not lived here long enough for me to pick out certain engineers yet. I don’t know if we will be here that long or not, but I certainly enjoy listening as the trains go by. I only wish we lived a little closer….

Poetry in Action

We go into week four with no jobs lined up for either of us. Now, I know that isn’t a great way to start a blog, but that’s what I’ve been thinking about most of the day. My wife has had a couple of interviews with one scheduled on Monday of next week. However, I’ve not had any interviews or even contacts back from numerous letters and contacts made with employers. Maybe one of these days….
There are some things I have interest in that I’d like to pursue more, and will be more aggressive shortly with a couple of these. It’s always tough to know when or even whether one should make a second contact after the initial one. I don’t like job searches.
However, life doesn’t always give us what we like. Sometimes, we have to do what we don’t like, or even detest. That doesn’t mean that we’re bad or that something is very wrong. It only means that, as the saying goes, “Into each life some rain must fall.”


The Rainy Day
Written at the old home in Portland

THE day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Discombobulation

We spent the day yesterday, my brother and I, doing some plumbing on the water system of his home. He lives in an area where water wells are needed, and has a well, pump, tank, etc. His water system was not the best, with low pressure and flow rates pretty much everywhere in the house. So we took a shot at the plumbing coming into the house that hooks up to the tanks, thinking that might be the place that was causing the trouble.
He had a double tank system. There was a larger tank and a smaller one hooked in parallel. The pipes were large size, but older. When we took them apart, we readily found the source of the problem. Those large pipes were corroded so badly that there was no more than a pencil-width of clear space through them for water to pass. One of the tanks was apparently completely blocked and the plumbing had been installed with far too many elbows and turns.
The problem with the corrosion was far greater than we had expected, so he was disheartened that he may well have to replace the plumbing in the entire house. But we continued with just the part that we were working on in the hopes that it would at least make the water system tolerable.
Of course, a two hour job turned into all day. One trip to the hardware store turned into three trips to that store and one trip to each of two others. And when we finally finished late in the evening, we did have a drip or two.
However, we also have better water service to the rest of the house, and we know that the water well will produce 18 gallons of water a minute, something we didn’t know before because we didn’t have any way to test it before. Even with the drip or two that is in the new system, and the prospect of having to replace even more pipes, what we did was clearly an improvement.
How many times do we look at a problem and, instead of tackling it head on, push it to the background, hoping it will just go away? How often do we ignore something and just put up with it because we don’t want to have the temporary disruption that the cure would cause? I think that’s true not only with things like plumbing, but also with things in life…bad habits, dysfunctional relationships, crummy jobs, and others. Yes, the cure may cause some discombobulation, but the outcome is so much more pleasant, it’s really worth the trouble.

Mutual Trust

I drove into Wichita today to get a haircut. Yeah, yeah, I know that I could get one at the local Valley Center barbershop (actually, I think there are two or three of ‘em), but I enjoy going to the one across from Minisa Park on West 13th Street. Going to a new barber is a little like going to a new doctor. It takes awhile to get comfortable.
The drive in was uneventful, and the barber wasn’t busy so I got in the chair right away. We talked mostly about the oncoming closing of the 13th Street bridge over the Little Arkansas River, which was just a few feet from the front door of the shop. The powers that be plan to close the bridge entirely, causing traffic to have to re-route either to 19th or 21st Streets or up to 11th Street. In any event, the fact that North High School is on the other bank of the river will cause traffic tie-ups the likes of which haven’t been seen in awhile.
There was even a petition circulating in the community asking for reconsideration of the total closing of the bridge and the extended time needed to create a new one. There will be a meeting today at 3pm at the Riverside Café with city officials to discuss the issue.
My guess is that the petition will be ignored and the city officials will come to the meeting more to say what will happen rather than listen to concerns. I’m not personally involved in this, but have some experience with traffic flow to and from North High and along 13th Street. I think that they may have to close the street entirely in order to do the project, but I also think they can do some things to help alleviate the problems.
What about a temporary walking bridge across the river? What about traffic control signals at some of the intersections in residential areas that will suddenly be called upon to handle 10 times or more the normal amount of traffic? What about working 16 or 24 hours a day on the bridge in order to finish sooner? What about starting in March instead of the dead of winter so there would not be so many down days due to snow and cold? What about NOT re-doing the 13th and Broadway intersection, just a few blocks to the East, at the same time?
I don’t know if these are even feasible ideas, but they need to be thrown out there. And it could be that city planners have already thought of these things and for one reason or another have discarded them. That’s OK. We just need to know that we’ve thought of everything to try to make things as good as they can be during this time.
All too often, the government folks come to a meeting like this with a condescending attitude and the citizens come with a belligerent attitude. Both of those are inappropriate. Let’s see what happens here, and trust that things will work out the very best way possible.

The Promise

In our Sunday School class today, something was said about Jesus knowing that he was the promise of God. We have been talking about the well-known book by Lee Strobel called “The Case for Christ”. The topic today was whether or not Jesus knew that he was the Son of God.
Think about that for just a moment. Think what it must have been like for Jesus the man to also know that he was the only begotten Son of God. That he was the One upon whom the salvation of the creation (Romans 8) was hanging. That he was the One that was spoken of by the prophets of old and was the One that they and others looked forward to as they lived their lives in those old days. That he was the One to whom had been given “All Authority” and by Whom “all things hold together.” That he was the One of whom it was said, “He was despised and rejected by men.”
During the discussion, I was reminded of the lyrics to a song called “The Promise.” I’m not sure who wrote it, or I’d give proper credit here. I believe it was first performed by DC Talk, but am not even sure of that. I heard it performed by Allison Durham Speer on a Gaither video.


There’s A Promise Comin’ Down

Verse
A hand of fear gripped the crowd that day at Jiarius’ home
When the doctor shook his head and said “She’s gone”.
You could feel that mother’s heartbreak;
You could hear them cry and mourn;
Their little girl was only twelve years old.
Somewhere in the distance outlined against the sun,
There came a man with a mission from the throne.
They said “look somebody’s comin!’”
But what they did not know it was their promise comin’ down that dusty road.
Chorus
There’s a promise comin’ down that dusty road;
From his holy hands healin’ virtue flows;
He’s got the keys to what you need;
Death and hell He will defeat.
There’s a promise comin’ down that dusty road.
Verse
The wonder turned to mockin’ when Jesus did speak;
He said “Your daughter’s not dead she’s just asleep”.
Then he turned to the unbelievers and he told them all “go home”.
They heard him say “leave me and death alone”.
Then he laid his hand upon the child he looked death right in the eye;
He said “all power in heaven and earth belong to me”,
And with a voice that sounds like thunder he hurled death asunder,
And then he said “little girl rise and be healed”.
Chorus
There’s a promise comin’ down your dusty road,
And from his holy hands healin’ virtue flows.
He’s got the key to what you need;
Death and hell he will defeat;
There’s a promise comin’ down that dusty road.

Today is a knockout gorgeous morning in Valley Center. The air is crisp and cool, the leaves and other flora are every color of the rainbow, and the sun and wind are just the right proportions to make one feel the experience that is autumn in Kansas.
My nieces are coming home today, and will stay through tomorrow. They are away at college, and don’t make it home a lot. It will be a time of visiting and catching up for my brother and his family as they reconnect. We were able to do that with our boys last weekend as they came to Wichita for a visit and to support us in our transition.
It’s also the time to think about the holiday season. Thanksgiving is closer than we may think, and the Christmas holidays are not far off. Then comes the time of the year that I dislike the most…that time from about January 3 to the beginning of spring sometime in the first part of April. It seems that the days drag interminably, and the cold, wind, and winter weather just hangs on for an eternity.
It doesn’t, of course. Eventually, the ground thaws, things begin to bloom and grow, and the signs of yet another cycle of life are evident wherever one looks. I’m reminded of the Bette Midler song “The Rose” where the lyrics talk of the winter snows turning to the springtime.

The Rose
Written by Bette Midler

Some say love it is a river that drowns the tender reed;
Some say love it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed;
Some say love it is a hunger an endless aching need;
I say love it is a flower and you it's only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong;
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose.

Customer Service

I had to call the Kansas Unemployment center today. It seems that I incorrectly answered a question on my first weekly claim for unemployment and had to call to straighten it out. I got my information together and set about to make the call.
After going through several menus, I was told that due to the high volume of calls, I should call back. It then hung up on me. I wasn’t very happy, but decided to call back later in the day.
A couple hours later, I wasn’t doing much and decided to call again. Going through the menus again, this time I hit a good time and someone was ready to take my call. Michelle was courteous, helpful, understandable, and fixed the problem for me.
I don’t like the menu system. I’d much rather tell someone what I need and have them route me to the correct person. However, I must say that at times I’ve found myself talking to someone who didn’t have a clue how to help me because the telephone person (could be male or female) either dialed the wrong extension or didn’t know that the person they were connecting me to was the incorrect person for the job. At least this way my call gets to the correct place, assuming I push the correct buttons.
A lot is said about government bureaucrats and their reluctance to do a good job. I don’t know much about Michelle at the Kansas Unemployment Call Center, but I am impressed with her. Her personality seemed to come out in the conversation, and she seemed to be a “real” human being, besides being able to take care of the problem.
I’ve also had good experience with the folks at KPERS, the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. They do good customer service and treat their clients like they should. A live person always answers the phone there, and can usually answer any questions one might have. If not, you are quickly routed to another live person who can help.
Many private businesses could learn a thing or two about customer service from Michelle at the unemployment place, and the folks at KPERS.

Travel Adventure

I was looking at a book about New Zealand today. My brother traveled there a few years ago for his job, and evidently brought back a book with beautiful, National Geographic-like photos of the country.
Hot springs, volcanoes, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, pasture, cities, bays, wildlife, and a host of other subjects populate this book. New Zealand apparently is filled with places of beauty, awe, and not a little danger.
I’ve always had a fascination with the places “down under”. Ever since elementary geography, I’ve had a yearning to go to Australia or New Zealand. I’m not sure I want to endure the flight to get there, but if I could somehow teleport there, I’d go in an instant.
Just as was the trip to the lower part of Alaska, this would be an adventure to places that I’ve only read about, but would long to see. Crossing the equator and the international date line, and coming so close to Antarctica would be well worth the trouble, I would think.
Alas, I think that the New Zealand trip is farther off than Alaska ever was. But there’s always hope….

The Adventure Continues

Well, we are safe and warm and not hungry. We’re living with my brother for awhile until we can get back on our feet. We are so thankful to have family, and to have a church family that cares as well as biological family. I’m not sure what people do who either don’t have family or have burned bridges and family help is no longer an option. I know that we would be in deep doo-doo if it was not for those we know and love.
One of these days soon I’ll have to take a look at the blog and make some changes in the headline. The Adventure indeed does continue and I’ll not change that, I don’t think. We are saddened at what has happened, but yet cautiously optimistic that we will have yet another fulfilling and great adventure in this thing called life.
Our sons are here today and have helped carry and move things. They have also provided us with encouragement just by their being here. Granddaughter Rachel is a continuing joy and a sight to behold. These times serve to keep us together and bring us to the realization yet again of that home sometime soon where we’ll never have to move out…we’ll never be fired…and we’ll never be in need.
Thank you to all who have expressed support and have prayed for our situation. We are blessed to count you as friends. Thanks especially to Kevin and family, Marianne and family, Chris in Topeka, and others who have helped pack and move. We’re doing OK, and will be just fine.