Rebellion

This morning as I was coming to work on West Kellogg, the traffic was moderate.  I usually drive the speed limit, which means that everyone goes around me and there is a lot of room in front of me.  I never have to worry about following someone too closely.

I noticed a hundred yards or so in front of me in the center lane a vehicle that would periodically flash brake lights.  On Kellogg one always looks ahead for that, which often means a general slow-down of traffic, or at minimum some kind of traffic issue.  As I watched for a few seconds, however, it was apparent that the driver was following another vehicle very closely and was braking from time to time so as to not ram into the rear of the other vehicle.  Even when presented with an opportunity to change lanes and pass the “offending” vehicle, the driver continued behind this vehicle at a very close range, flashing his brake lights from time to time.

I have to wonder what the fascination is with driving up to the tail of another vehicle and going 65 miles an hour down an expressway, only 15 or 20 feet behind.  I see it constantly.

If I am in the center lane doing the speed limit, and a vehicle is behind me, often it will be content with staying there, a few car lengths behind me.  However, if I change lanes, I can bet money on (and win the bet) the fact that the vehicle will speed up by several miles an hour until it gets to the next vehicle ahead of me; then do the same thing…stay a few car-lengths behind.

Could someone explain to me what the rationale is behind this behavior?  I really don’t get it.  I fail to understand any reason, logical or not, that would cause someone to behave in this way.  In my mind, it is a much more pleasant driving experience, and a lot less stressful, to have a quarter mile of empty lane in front of me than to have 15 feet of empty lane in front of me as I travel 60 miles an hour.  It’s much less stressful to NOT have to brake every 15 seconds to avoid hitting someone, and it’s much more pleasant to NOT have to change lanes every ¼ mile in order to gain an extra 40 or 50 feet of travel.

Additionally, every time someone changes lanes, they open themselves to liability if an accident should occur.  Every time someone tailgates, they open themselves to liability if an accident should occur.  Every time someone exceeds the speed limit, they open themselves to liability if an accident should occur.  Why would anyone consciously do those things for no decent reason other than they are in a hurry, or they want to demonstrate some kind of superiority, or they wish to intimidate someone else through driving practices, or draw attention to themselves?

Or maybe it’s that, “I want to be in control,” attitude that seems prevalent in the lives of humans.  And when I’m not in control, then I get nervous and I tailgate.  I change lanes to try to bring back some semblance of control.  Or I speed down the freeway because, “I can do whatever I want to do…I’m in charge here.”

Let’s get one thing straight.  God reigns.  God reigns.  And because God reigns, I don’t, I can’t, I won’t, and I shouldn’t.  God reigns.  God is sovereign.  God is in charge.  And yes, that even applies to traffic laws and rules.  God, the ultimate Authority, establishes governments and gives them the authority to maintain the peace and quiet of society.  Anyone who rebels against government (I don’t care what the speed limit is…I want to drive the speed I want to drive, so I will.) rebels against God (Romans 12:2).  It’s that serious.

And because it’s that serious, God did something serious to mitigate our rebellion.  He sent His Son to pay the price for us and reconcile us to Him.  And he told us through Paul that although His grace is plentiful and abundant, we are not to continue to sin just so God’s grace can abound.  Instead, we are to live lives in which others see that we “fear God and honor the King.”

So, how are you doing in that department?  If you’re like most of us, you have more work to do.  And, although we’ll never be perfect in this life, we can, because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, be accounted as righteous before God.  And because of the work of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, we can even now…even in this life…become more and more like the One who has saved us and brought us out of death.

Grocery Store Observations

Observations from a short trip to the grocery store.

Don’t expect to pull into a parking stall until you’re able to fully see the area and know whether or not someone is pulling into that same stall from the adjacent drive and stall.  I know people do this, and I’ve done it myself, but one would think one would look ahead to see if someone else might be on the verge of turning in.

One of the younger clerks had the name “Pandy” on her lapel pin.  I’m not sure if that was her given name or if it was a nickname of some kind.  I’ve never heard of Pandy before now.  I have to wonder what the person or people who named her were thinking when they came up with that one.

Manager’s specials are fine, but not on sour cream and cottage cheese when the out date is today’s date.  Some things can be frozen, but I don’t think it’s worth it to try to freeze those items for preservation.  And they had a lot of it to sell.

I headed to a check out lane when an associate told me that the first lane, the one for 15 items or less, was clear.  As I headed down there I noticed no one was manning the lane and the lane light was off.  I said something to her about no one being there.  She told me that the woman who was checking on lane 5 was closing that lane and moving to lane 1.

As I arrived at lane 1, the woman had just gotten there and started logging in.  I said something about the fact that she got to change lanes.  She told me she didn’t see why she needed to move from one lane to the other, and I said something like, “Probably someone at corporate headquarters thought you needed to move.”

She looked at me and said, “I have some things to say about corporate headquarters, but if I told you, I’d probably be in trouble.”

All of the different varieties of potatoes in the five pound bags were the same price…don’t know that I’ve ever seen that before.  Usually, one is quite a bit cheaper, or one is a lot higher in price.

Some people just think the aisle in front of them should just open up for them as they go through.  Sometimes, that doesn’t happen.

I’ve never seen anyone actually buy anything from the oriental man in the booth who creates the deli fish thingies.  I didn’t see anyone today either, but he had a helper in that little booth.  I wonder if she felted cramped in with him.

You can get an idea of the profit margin and “moveability” of items by the amount of shelf and floor space they occupy…the more floor and shelf space, the more the profit in that item.  Now, look at the soft drink aisle, the chips aisle, the cereal aisle, and the personal care products aisle.

Happy shopping!

The Dove

Today as I was walking in our church foyer, I noticed a dove come toward a window and hit it in flight.  He sort of brushed that off and hit at it again before settling down on the concrete below the window.  He then looked up at the window as if saying, “What’s going on here?”

Just inside the window was an indoor potted tree.  I think he was trying to land on one of the branches of the tree and didn’t realize that it was on the other side of the glass.  I’m not sure he ever figured it out, but he eventually flew away.

I got to thinking, and even mentioned it to the ones in the office what had happened and how sometimes I feel like that in my days.  Some days it seems like I bang myself against something that I don’t understand and can’t figure out.  I try more than once, but the result is always the same.  Then I sort of back up, look at it, and try to figure it out.  Sometimes I can, and sometimes I just can’t seem to figure out what the roadblock is that is keeping me from doing what I wanted to do.

I’m sure you’ve had the same experience at times.  And maybe your days are more like that of the dove and his experience than you care to think about.  Sometimes it seems that those days just string along four, five, six days at a time.  And we just can’t seem to break free of whatever it is that is keeping us from our goal.

The apostle Paul talks about running a race and finishing as a metaphor of life.  And he talks about that finish as a goal that he has in mind, not only for himself, but for all who call themselves Christians.  He and other writers of the Bible talk about many things that can keep us from finishing…keep us from arriving at our goal.  Those things always, it seems, have to do with sin and separation from God in some shape or form.

And all too often we struggle, fail, and look for what kept us from our goal.  Just like the dove, we don’t see the glass; we don’t see that it is our own sin and shortcomings that keep us from finishing and obtaining the prize.  So we continue banging against it, making true the old adage that says, “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again, but expecting somehow different results.”

Only God can enable us to see ourselves for what we really are; sinners in need of the grace, forgiveness, and mercy of God.  Notice I said “enable.”  He doesn’t force us to see it, but rather makes it possible for us to see it, if we will just take off our blinders and look.

The older I get the more I realize that I have been going through a lot of my life with blinders on and an inability to accurately see the truth of my life.  I think age does that to a person, although it is still God that enables.  Hopefully God will give me enough time to truly see and make those changes.  He’s calling; am I listening?

Random Space Facts

Some random facts about things in outer space:

The planet Venus rotates in retrograde motion, meaning the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.  The surface temperature of Venus is upwards of 900 degrees Fahrenheit, and the atmospheric pressure is similar to the pressure 3,000 feet deep in the ocean.

The combined mass of all of the asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter is less than that of the Earth’s moon.  One of the asteroids, Ceres, was considered a planet for about 50 years before scientists developed the concept of asteroids.

Earth produces heat…90 percent of which is created by the decay of radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium.  Earth’s continents shift by a few centimeters every year…about as much of a rate as fingernails grow.

Saturn’s famous rings are hundreds of thousands of miles across, but only a few yards thick, for the most part.  Saturn is the least dense of all the planets.  It would float in the ocean, if there could be a large enough ocean to dunk the planet into.  The planet spins so fast that it bulges at the equator and is flattened at the poles.  And lastly, Saturn generates as much heat as it receives from the sun…through friction from droplets of liquid helium falling through the planet’s metallic layer.

The Earth’s moon has over a million craters that are over one half mile wide.  One of the effects of the tides of the Earth is that the moon drifts about 1.6 inches farther away from the earth every year.  The rotation of the Earth slows slightly each year because of those same tidal effects.

Summer day temperatures on Mars can reach as much as 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mars definitely had a wet past, and still has water both on the surface and under the surface in the form of ice.

The Hubble Space Telescope has over 600 craters and chips from meteorite impacts.  Meteors (or shooting stars) are usually seen when they are 45 to 75 miles high in the atmosphere, and can collide with the Earth at speeds of up to 44 miles per second.

The interior or Jupiter is home to a rarity:  liquid metallic hydrogen.  Jupiter emits 70 percent more heat than it absorbs from the sun.  Of it’s 63 known moons, at least one has active volcanoes, one is the largest moon in the solar system, and one may have oceans of water underneath a smooth surface layer.

The Measure of a Society

Yesterday, I attended the event that marked the beginning of public fund-raising for a new Child Advocacy Center in Sedgwick County.  The current place of business for those who fight child abuse and human trafficking is in the basement of the DCF building downtown.  It is cramped and uninviting.  There is not enough room for all aspects of the protection of children to be in one place, so families who are navigating the system have to travel from place to place and tell the story many times over.  The new center will have lots of room and be much more friendly to victims and families, and will have enough space to have everything in one place.

I felt a little like a fish out of water with all of the dignitaries and political-types who were there.  County commissioners, the mayor, the district attorney and other prominent people were there.  And then there I was, dressed in blue jeans with a rather ragged-looking wrap, compared to the others.

However, I believed it to be important that I was there.  Not because I have so much money to give to the cause, but because I believe in what is happening with this part of local society and want to support it any way I can.  Child abuse, neglect, and trafficking is a problem that should not exist; yet it seems to be getting worse rather than better.  Children should be loved, encouraged, valued, and appreciated.  Instead, many are considered objects of gratification, or things to be used.

It was heartening to see all who were there and the support they gave and are giving to this effort.  Perhaps we can at least send the message that we as a society in this place will not tolerate those who abuse their authority and misuse the trust children place in them.  Perhaps we can save a life and make a difference in the future of a child.  Perhaps we can enable an adult to change his or her way of life and become a productive citizen.

Child Advocacy is often one of those things that is pushed under the table or relegated to a corner of a building (or a basement).  Children don’t vote, and vested interests are strong to keep taxes low and the economy growing.  But, as my County Commissioner said at this gathering when I was visiting with him, “The measure of a society is how we deal with children and the elderly.”  Spot on.

Looking Forward

Well, the weather has been a rather wild ride this winter.  Unlike the winters of recent past (with some exceptions), this winter has been colder and appears to be snowier than the others.  It’s also been a sort of roller coaster, with temperatures in the deep freeze for a few days, then warming up to above normal temps for a few days…and right back down to the freezer again.

Although people gripe about the weather this year, they’ve griped about the weather every year, so that’s not news.  And I actually kind of like this weather.  We aren’t in the deep freeze for interminable days and nights, nor are the trees budding out on January 20^th.  The insect populations are being dealt with as God intended, which might make for a nicer spring and summer season coming up.  There’s enough moisture in the ground that we aren’t blowing away, although we could certainly use another three or four inches of snow, or a half inch or so of rain about now.

I haven’t a clue if the weather goes in cycles of certain time periods or not.  And I don’t think anyone else really and truly knows either.  Nor do I know if we are experiencing global warming, and if we are, is that phenomenon caused by pollutants in the air.  People smarter than I am, and without the bias of politics and conspiracy, will have to figure that one out.  I’m content to do my best to be friendly to this earth and live my life as God would have me live it (as best as I can determine).

So for now, I am enjoying the change in temperatures and the occasional cloudy days and cold days, along with the nice, clear days that we can sit on the front walk in our folding chairs and enjoy the warmth and out of doors.  You should also try to find times wherever you live to enjoy the winter, whether cold or warm, cloudy or clear.  I know that may be somewhat difficult for those who have piles of snow on the sides of streets, and navigate perpetually-icy sidewalks in temperatures that would freeze the bunion off of a gold prospector’s foot.

Winter is still with us, but calendar spring is a mere 8 weeks away.  And the normal start of spring, weather-wise, is just under 10 weeks away.  Before we know it, we’ll be checking the onion bulbs we planted, waiting for the peas and radishes to break through, and making decisions on the kinds of tomatoes and cucumbers we’ll plant.  And it will again be a time of bursting out and new life.  What a great time!

Heavenly Sunshine

OK, OK, so it’s been a couple of weeks.  Give me a break.  I’m getting older, and the brain doesn’t work quite as well as it used to work.  Or maybe I just don’t move quite as fast as I sued to move.  In any event, sometimes I get behind.

It’s been a roller-coaster winter for us here in Kansas.  We’ve had our warmer weather, but not too much of it.  And we’ve had our cold, below zero weather (again, but not too much of it).  We’ve had some snow, some rain, some ice, some wind, and some sun.  A patchwork of weather, I would say, has come our way these last couple of months.  This, I think, is what winter should be like in South-Central Kansas.

I’m sure we will yet have a time when there will come what seem to be endless days of gloom, clouds, fog, and drizzly-foggy-icy-ick.  There usually is at least one of those during the winter and early spring.  Times when for days at a time, the low clouds hang in and hang on, blocking out any notion of the sun and bright days.

These are the days when I am at my worst.  I am moody, irritable, and grouchy.  And if that isn’t enough, I am listless, hard to get along with, and temperamental.  And when the sun does reappear, it’s as if a dark veil has been lifted from my eyes, and it doesn’t take long for all to be right with the world again.

Some people like these days.  Some people live where there are many of these days.  And I suppose I could live there, too, if I had to do so.  But I’d really rather not, so as to be of maximum grouchiness a minimal amount of time.

One thing I tend to NOT do during these days of fog, low clouds, and gloom is think about the sunshine that is heavenly in nature, and of which several songs, many of them older songs, tell.  One such song is just called “Heavenly Sunshine.”  It goes like this…a simple chorus.

Heavenly sunshine, heavenly sunshine,
Flooding my soul with glory divine,
Heavenly sunshine, heavenly sunshine,
Hallelujah! Jesus is mine!

You know, maybe if I would think more about things like this during those days of gloomy clouds, and less about how I am inconvenienced by those clouds, my whole attitude might change.  I just might be a decent person and one who others would want to be around.  Hopefully, I’ll recall that I typed this blog when that time comes, and try it.

Grandpa's Early Christmas

No church today. Too much snow and ice. Looking forward to peace and quiet on this the day the Lord has made. No such luck. Grandkids are coming over to open presents. Uncle Mike and Lauren also here. Ordered pizza for lunch. Pizza gets here 45 minutes before grandkids. In oven.
Grandkids show up with parents and pent-up energy. Consume three pizzas, four oranges, many grapes, and who knows what else. Open presents. Paper strung everywhere. Much hollering. Boy gets 600 piece Lego set. Am hoping he doesn’t open the plastic packages they come in. Presents being admired, opened, and fought over.
Grandpa goes out and shovels snow. Much quieter out there. Thinks about day the Lord has made. Comes in. Glasses fogged over. Can’t see. Grandchild number 3 asks for super glue. Grandpa hasn’t a clue why a 3 year old would want it, and dares not ask, but doesn’t, fortunately, have any anyway.
Legos are open and a fire truck is in the making on dining table. Drawing stuff, modeling clay stuff, and other stuff out on dining table. Grandbaby Hannah snarfs down applesauce and tapioca pudding. Clean up grandbaby and take out of high chair.
Grandpa gets next-to-last piece of pumpkin pie. Plan is to eat it by holding in hand and not using utensil. Grandbaby Hannah can smell it from ½ mile away and beats a path to Grandpa. Give Grandbaby Hannah last ½ of pie. Feeds first couple of bites with finger as there are no eating utensils handy. Grandbaby Hannah bites finger. Grandpa asks Grandma for spoon and something to wipe sore finger. Grandbaby Hannah smiles and gurgles as she wolfs down pie.
Grandpa surreptitiously gets last piece of pumpkin pie, hides in kitchen, and eats it quickly before odor gets to Grandbaby Hannah. Grandpa goes to basement to recuperate. Much stomping, moving of chairs, and other assorted noises coming from upstairs. Grandpa decides to write about adventure as noises and occasional yells and arguments waft downward. Grandpa wonders if neighbor would like to have snow shoveled…after all, this is the day the Lord has made.

Enjoy the Season

Today is December 17.  It is a week and a day until Christmas Day.  Now, I know and understand that Christmas has different meanings for different people and cultures.  And it has no meaning at all for many who inhabit this planet.  However, for many in our culture, Christmas is a time for giving, serving, and doing for others.  We take our cues for those actions and that attitude from several places, most notably from the life of the one whose birth we celebrate, Jesus, who is called the Christ of God.

I guess what I don’t understand about it all is the sense of frustration, harried-ness, and stress that seems to come with the season.  Although many go through the season with joy and gladness, usually those folks are the ones who, it seems, exhibit those attitudes all year.  It’s the rest of us who have our days and hours turned upside down with the sudden influx of parties, get-togethers, meals, errands, buying, traveling, and planning.  It’s the rest of us who seem to become a little discombobulated through the season and into the new year.

I’m not sure why that is unless it’s that we like, or at least there is a measure of comfort in, the ruts we are in and don’t like to be forced out of them and into another one for a few weeks.  I don’t think it has anything to do with the holiday itself, nor does it have to do with the celebration of the coming of the Christ.  No, I think it’s just a re-alignment of priorities which get us into a mood that is sometimes not very pleasant.

I’m not one to complain; I enjoy the season, the food and the fellowship; I especially am grateful for the coming of God in the flesh.  I don’t think I become frustrated or stressed out.  I’ve intentionally limited my shopping experiences during this time as well as my sense of “Gotta get this done.”  It seems to help me navigate the season with some external manifestations of joy and peace.  I don’t have to endure the comments from others more outwardly cheery than myself about being a Scrooge, and Eeyore, or questions about what may be wrong with me.

Nothing is wrong, at least in that arena.  I just don’t jump up and down with joy each time something good happens.

So, enjoy the time.  Enjoy the season.  Enjoy the goodness and mercy of God Almighty.  And understand that some of us are just a little more laid back, but enjoy those things just as much.

No Other Way

Yesterday was the sixty-eighth year that the Wichita Choral Society presented “The Messiah,” a work by G. F. Handel.  I sang in that group this year and last year, along with my sister.  Prior to that, I hadn’t sung that oratorio since high school days.  Although there were a couple of rougher spots in the mixture, all in all it was a good afternoon and a wonderful time of considering the words that were in the individual numbers.

Handel used words directly from the King James Version of the Bible for his lyrics.  He changed them very little, preferring to write the music to fit the words rather than the other way around.  The work tells of the prophetic announcements of the coming of the Messiah, His appearing incarnate and his life.  It works through his passion and finally his resurrection and the end time.

Although we didn’t do all of the parts, the presentation still lasted about two hours with a short intermission.  One of these days, I think I’d like to hear the entire oratorio and participate in its presentation.  I’d probably have to beef up, so to speak, because I’m drained at the end of the shortened performance, to say nothing of having another hour or more added to it.

I’m not in any way, shape, or form a professional singer, or even a good one.  I can follow and read music, have a good ear, and can hold my own in a large group of like-ability folks.  I thoroughly enjoy doing this and hope I can continue for a number of years yet.

But even if for some reason this happens to be the last time I sing this or any song, I have lived a rich and full life with the woman I love and the family I have traveled through life with.  It has been a great ride, and although I’m looking forward to more of the same, should something happen that prevents more from happening, I know that as Handel wrote in his famous (and some may say inspired) work, the Lord God omnipotent reigns and sits on his throne.  And because of that I can say with the Apostle Peter, when he was asked by Jesus if he and the other apostles would leave Jesus along with the others, “Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the keys (words) to eternal life.”

There is no other.  There is no alternative.  There is no plan B.  There is no other way.