It's A Magical World

 

Good morning, and welcome.

 In the event you didn’t already know, this is the first day of autumn.  You are correct.  Today is NOT September 22, which the calendar reveals as the first day.  Today is September 1, the first day of meteorological autumn.  Meteorologists have a little different take on the seasons than the calendar.  Autumn for them begins on September 1 and goes through November 30.  Winter is December 1 through February 28.  And so on with Spring and Summer.

It is usually during about this time of the year that even if the days remain hot, the nights become cooler.  And the days themselves don’t usually become as hot as in mid summer.  This time also usually heralds an increase in what we might term the autumn rains as cold air masses clash with warm air masses in the middle part of the country, providing the proper conditions for rain, and even some stronger storms.

September also normally brings a maturing of the outdoor plant life.  Plants often seed themselves during this time.  Some begin to die back.  Others change color.  Plants that like cooler weather will grow better during this time.

And it’s also a time for animals to change their behavior.  Squirrels and others rush to store up food for the winter months.  Summer bird species begin their migration to warmer climates.  Some animals find mates and propagate their kind during this time.  Crickets and spiders look for warm places to make their homes.  It’s a busy time for all of nature, getting ready for the cold winter, ice and snow to come.

I don’t know if you look for these kinds of things in nature or not.  Such things may not interest you, and that’s OK.  However, I’ve always been interested in observing the changes in nature and the environment as we pass from one season to another.  Part of that interest is the fascination I have in wondering just how these animals and plants know what to do and when to do it to prepare for the upcoming changes.  Yes, it is programmed into them in some way, but where did that programming come from?  And how did it happen that they were able to make these adjustments in the first place?

Yes, I know all about the creation/evolution thing, and the conflicts and arguments that arise from both camps regarding why things are the way they are.  And it’s not my intention to get into that today.  Regardless of how God chose to do things, I earnestly believe that it was (and still is) a God thing and not a random act of random molecules coming together in certain random ways that just happened to produce all that we see and experience.  And one of the big things I look at when I think about this, besides what I know from Biblical literature, is the process of metamorphosis.  Without going into detail, I will just say that metamorphosis is a truly mind-blowing and incredibly complex process that screams out for a higher power to have created and sustained it, however that creation and sustenance might have actually happened.

The other mind-boggling thing is found in the Bible in the book of Hebrews where the writer says that Jesus Christ “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”  That phrase “all things” is synonymous with the word “universe.”  Somehow, even now, everything we see and know, and all that we can’t see and don’t know is being upheld and made operational by the power of Jesus Christ.

I don’t know if you are a faithful Christian, nominal Christian, agnostic, spiritualist, atheist, or some other religious persuasion.  What I do know is what I see and perceive in life and living.  And I’m finding that Christianity has answers that nothing else has, for questions that come from the souls of men and women everywhere in all times, all societies, all situations.

The world we see…the universe we see…is just one thing that points to the God of Heaven and earth.

May God bless you as you too continue down the path of life into what some call meteorological autumn.  Keep your eyes, ears, heart and mind open as you observe all that surrounds you.  As Calvin said to Hobbes some years ago in the final strip of the long-running comic “Calvin and Hobbes,” “It’s a magical world, Hobbes old buddy.  Let’s go exploring !”

Stretch Your Mind a Bit

 I hate to admit this to all of you intellectual Christians who watch these videos that I am just now reading for the first time C.S. Lewis’s book, “Mere Christianity.”  Oh, I have heard about this writing of his for a lot of years, but never got around to obtaining a copy of the book and then actually begin reading it…until just a week or so ago.

For those who haven’t read the book, it is a compilation of sorts, with some parts of it added, of a series of short radio programs Lewis did on the BBC back during World War II.  The back cover of the copy I have says this:  “The book brings together C.S. Lewis’s legendry broadcast talks of the war years, talks in which he set out simply to ‘explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.’  Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity’s many denominations, Lewis provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.”

I’m not finished with the book yet.  I’m about half way through.  I’m taking it slowly so as to better absorb the wisdom in it.  However, I have already found much that has made me think about what I believe and why.

This video is not one where I mean to delve into the book…I will just ask that you find a copy yourself…you can do that on Amazon or perhaps other used book stores for not much money…and read it for yourself.  It won’t matter if you are a Christian or not.  The book will speak to you.

The purpose of the thought this week is not, as I said, to present a book report on “Mere Christianity,” but rather to encourage you to look for written material which will help you open  your eyes to ideas and even truth which you may either not be aware of or perhaps more commonly, you may have an incorrect assumption about something which the material may be able to help you correct in your mind.  Christians especially shouldn’t be wary of well-written material…material written by God-fearing, faithful men and women such as Lewis who honestly seek out truth and try to convey that truth through the written word.

Many times we as human beings tend to gravitate toward ideas and ideology which conforms to what we already believe, rather than material which will stretch our thought process, force us to critically examine our beliefs, and encourage us to make a change in our world view.  To listen only to views which mimic ours is to stunt our growth, encourage intellectual decay, and create a shrill voice & nasty attitude that is anything but intelligent or pleasant to be around.  Taking in a wide range of thought and ideas tends to mitigate those unpleasant traits and cause us to be more compassionate, more loving, more tolerant, and more generous.  In other words, we tend to come closer to the Golden Rule and the Greatest Commandment (and the one like it) when we open our minds and hearts to those things we don’t yet know and may even be somewhat uncomfortable experiencing for the first time.

Books such as “Mere Christianity” are vital adjuncts to Holy Scripture.  They help explain.  They help us organize our thoughts.  They create more desire for study of Scripture.  They help us grow as people of God.  And in today’s world, books aren’t the only thing.  There are videos everywhere which bring God’s message to humanity to light.  There are podcasts, social media posts, web sites, and a host of resources waiting for us on line.

But let us bring a caveat to the cyber world just as we would to the book world.  Be careful what you take in.  Not all that is found on the Internet is beneficial, true, or benevolent.  Just as one would consider whether a book is solid, good material for consumption, so must one consider whether electronic material is solid, good material for consumption.  Jesus was very plain about being careful of what was on the inside of a person, because what comes out of a person is only as good as what is inside.

I don’t know if you’ve read “Mere Christianity“or not.  I would, if you haven’t yet, encourage you to do so.  And if you’ve already read it, but it’s been awhile, you might want to read it again.  Whether you are a Christian or not, it would be well worth your time to do so.

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow's Such a Daily Day

Good morning!  Thursday is here again!!  Welcome.

 A few evenings ago there was nothing of any importance on the one hundred and whatever channels that is cable television, so I popped in a DVD.  I have gathered, over the years, several DVDs that  have come out of the Gaither organization, most of which are his Homecoming videos.  However, he has produced others…among which are several in which he sits down with an artist and does an interview, interspersed with video segments of that artist performing in a former homecoming video.

He has interviewed the Statler Brothers, Anthony Burger, Mark Lowry and others.  One of the people he has interviewed is Sandi Patty, known in southern gospel circles as “The Voice.”  Sandy has retired from active singing and touring now, but in her day as a gospel singer was without compare.  And the songs she sang had a message that couldn’t be mistaken…a message of hope, grace, and trust.

One of her songs was one called, “The Stage Is Bare.”  The idea for the song came to her and others one night after an especially fun and joyful concert.  She and others had just come out of the dressing room area onto the stage where they had performed just awhile ago.  The stage was bare.  No amplifiers, no stage props, nothing was on the stage that had been there just an hour or so before.  The room was quiet…everyone had left.  The only light on the stage came from a bare bulb that was burning.  In theatric circles, it’s known as a ghost light…a single bare bulb that lights the stage when everyone goes home.  If you want to know more about the tradition of the ghost light, you can Google it. My purpose for this thought isn’t to tell you about the ghost light…it’s to tell you about a song that was written when Sandy saw the light on stage in an otherwise empty theater.

I’ll share here a portion of the lyrics to that song.  Listen, and then we’ll continue our conversation.

 It was so easy to call you Lord when a thousand voices sang your praise.  But there's no one to hear me now—So hear me now, be near me now.

 Lord now’s the time I need your song to give me joy and certainty when no one else is watching me.  I need you more than words can say…tomorrow's such a daily day.  And so I need to feel you then holding my hand—Please hold me then—I need you, Lord

 OK, this is Jay again.  Did you get what Ms Patty is saying in this song?  It’s really easy to worship and serve the Lord when you’re on top of the world and there are untold numbers of others joining in the praise.  But it’s a different story when we are alone…when we’ve gone on the downhill slide off of the mountaintop.  And the day that’s coming is just such a “daily day”…an ordinary, regular, routine day.  No crowds.  No mountaintop experience.  No special feelings of joy and love…it’s just an ordinary day.

And it is on those days, during those times…those days and times when it seems that the ordinariness and routine will never end…those days and times when life seems to fall apart all at once…those days and times when we feel the most alone and vulnerable…that we really need our Lord to hold our hand and lead us through the day.  Because as the song says, “The stage is bare, the crowds are gone.  Lord, now's the time I need your song to give me joy and certainty when no one else is watching me.  I need you more than words can say.  Tomorrow's such a daily day…

 

Blessings…

I Don't Know

 

Good morning!

 Those of you who read my Facebook posts may have seen this last week.  I’m re-telling the story here with some added thoughts.

Last Friday evening we were invited to a birthday party at the home of one of our nieces and nephews who live in the Wichita area.  The birthday was for one of their kids, our grandnephew.  Although it was warm, their outdoor back patio was a pleasant, shady spot with a very gentle breeze where we enjoyed the company of others in the family.  We brought our plates of burgers, salads, and desserts out there to eat and enjoy, and watched the assorted young ones playing and occasionally having differences of opinion.

Later in the evening, we were beginning to wrap things up.  My sister and I were sitting next to each other in patio chairs, with others joining us in a kind of circular fashion.  Sis and I mentioned to each other that it was about time to leave.  We then visited with our respective spouses and all agreed.

I got up along with Sis and moved toward the back door of the house along with my wife and her hubby.  I no sooner had gotten to the back door, about 15 seconds after getting out of my chair, than the huge limb that had been shading that area came crashing down on the patio.  We all were rather dumbfounded at the event, as the limb appeared to be healthy.  There was little to no wind.  There would have been no reason for the limb to have come down.

Once we determined that no one was under the limb and all of us were OK, some of us took the limb down farther so it would no longer be a hazard.  We tied a rope to it and tugged on it to get it to come on down all the way.  Before we did that, though, I looked at where Sis and I had been just a few seconds before it fell.  Our chairs were bent and thrown over backward.  We would have been in the thick of the fallen limb with several large branches right over our chairs.  Had we been in those chairs, we would not have had time to get out of the way, and we would both have been in the hospital or worse as a result of the fallen limb.

Several respondents to my Facebook post about this spoke of God’s work in keeping us safe.  Others simply wished us well and were grateful for our not being hurt.  I myself have been thinking about what role God had to play in this incident, if any.  I must tell you that none of us received any kind of prior warning, whether physical or spiritual.  We received no premonitions, no visions, no nudging, no feeling of doom…nothing that would have prompted us to leave when we did.  We’ve done these kinds of gatherings many times before.  The conversation about time to leave is a normal part of how we work things.  There was nothing unusual here in that regard.

Did God somehow prompt us, unbeknownst to us, to get up when we did?  The short answer is, “I don’t know.”  I certainly believe He COULD have nudged us somehow to leave when we did.  But then it could have been a fortuitous circumstance as well.  Bad things do happen to people.  Bad things happen to good people.  We experience car wrecks and bad storms & floods.  We become ill, sometimes with terminal conditions such as cancer, ALS, or dementia.  We may be hit with depression, anxiety attacks, or a bad case of ADHD.  We fall down a flight of stairs.  We break bones.  We are badly burned in a fire accident of some kind.  And yes, limbs and other things fall on us.  If God protects us in some cases, there are many times when that protection is not there, even for the most committed and faithful of God’s children.

I am reminded of several things found in the Bible having to do with this.  One of the first was the plight of the apostles in the book of Acts as the church was being established.  Peter, John, Paul and others suffered mightily at the hands of others.  Yes, there were times when God provided some kind of direct protection.  Still, there were other times when they languished in prison, were beaten, or had some other calamity befall them.  If anyone was committed and faithful, the apostles were.

Then there were the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered greatly because they had the courage to speak the message of God to the people.  Yes, God at times protected them as well.  But there were many times when that protection wasn’t there and there was some great suffering that took place.

I am also reminded of the incident Jesus told about the Tower of Siloam falling on some people.  Jesus asked the question of whether these people were worse sinners than others because this happened to them.  He emphatically said that was NOT the case.  Now, I realize the context and point of the story isn’t about bad things happening to good people, but the point I made is there.

So, the question remains whether God provided protection for us against the fallen limb.  And that question will continue to remain, because I just don’t know.

I WILL say that I am grateful for being spared, however it happened.  I am thankful that I didn’t end up in the hospital or funeral home.  I cherish life and living, however many hours and days I may have left.  I know that some time in the future, be that near or far away, my body will cease to function.  I don’t know if that will happen because of illness, trauma, or just old age.  But I do know, as the song says, “Who holds tomorrow; and I know Who holds my hand.”

 

Blessings.

Celebrate Family (7/21/22)

 Good morning!  Welcome to a toasty Thursday !

 I have several siblings…five to be exact.  I’m the third from the oldest, meaning I’m sort of a middle child.  I never quite fit into the world of my older two brothers, and the two immediately younger than I am are sisters, with a little brother tagging along last.  So, I didn’t quite fit in with my sisters either, and my younger brother is enough younger than I am that I didn’t relate much with him either when we were home.

But I’m not here today to talk of my trials as the middle child.  I was blessed beyond measure with the family I had and have.  I have no complaints.  And if I did have complaints, I probably wouldn’t air them in this venue.  Besides, complaining about things that were true 60 to 70 years ago isn’t productive because the past is just that…past.

No, I’m here to talk a bit about the oldest brother.  Some of you may know him…our oldest brother Max Plank.  Now, while all of us have excelled in some area of life…Dennis in real estate, myself in health care and ministry, Marianne in educational psychology, Linda in community service, and Kevin in technology, Max has spent his life in music and music education.

At Eastern Michigan University, Max held several different roles in a life-long career there.  Accomplished musician, professor, composer and director, he helped shape the lives of countless students and friends.  In retirement, he remains active in the community, his church, his family, as well as in the music field.

His career is one to be admired.  His accomplishments could fill a book.  Many of his students still maintain contact with him many years after retirement.  He is still in demand as an adjudicator for music festivals, as well as for the occasional compositions he writes and sometimes directs.

More importantly, however, he is the glue that helps to hold us all together.  As the oldest, we still respect his opinions and ideas regarding the family, and look to him for familial leadership when necessary.  We have annual reunions as a family and extended family…usually lasting three days over a long weekend at some kind of resort or encampment.  Max is an integral part of the planning and execution of many of those reunions.

I don’t know where you fall in your family and sibling dynamics.  You may have a family similar to ours…we love each other and respect & celebrate our differences as well as our commonalities.  Or you may come from a dysfunctional family.  Your memories and experiences may be anything but pleasant.  Or you may not have a family.  You may have been in the foster care system or orphaned.  We all have different experiences with family and family units.

We are grateful for our family unit.  We are grateful for Max and his leadership and example.  And we are grateful to God for preserving us until this day.  There will come a time when we will not be a complete family.  We will begin to lose family members to illness and death.  When those days come, and they certainly will come, we will celebrate life, celebrate family, and celebrate the love of God in thankful praise.

Blessings.

Think on These Things

 Most evenings at our house are occupied by relaxing in our lower level area, sometimes with the TV on, sometimes not.  We read, watch TV, do puzzles of various kinds, finish up some indoor job that we didn’t get done earlier (laundry, dishes, etc), and generally wind down, so to speak, at the end of the day.

The 10pm news is usually the last thing on the TV, unless a football or basketball game that we want to see is still going…then it is turned off.  The wife continues her reading, sewing, or puzzle-solving for awhile, and I many times will go to YouTube for a short time before retiring for the night.

“YouTube?” you say.  “What would you be watching on YouTube at 10:30 at night?”

As is with much of what one finds on the internet, there is much that is good and much that is not so good on YouTube.  I’ve chosen to absorb a sort of eccentric collection of video topics ranging from classical music to high school choirs & orchestras to courtroom videos (the Caught in Providence videos with Judge Caprio) as well as secret Santa and surprise squad videos (Google “surprise squad” if you aren’t sure what that is).

In between are Gaither homecoming videos, the occasional “On the Road with Steve Hartman” segments produced by CBS News, Bible Project videos, Sandy Patti, Statler Brothers, and other southern gospel videos, the occasional aria from Handel’s Messiah, and…well…the list could go on, but you get the idea.

I’ve chosen to watch videos at that time of day which will uplift and soothe my soul.  Music that takes me to a better spiritual place.  Events and activities which encourage and show the good sides of humanity.  Stories which demonstrate the best in the human spirit and provide a foundation for life and living.  Stories which let me know that all is not the doom and gloom as portrayed on the news; that there are things more important than politics and ideology.  Yes, I watch the news at 10 pm because I think it’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the community, the nation, and the world.  But I don’t need to retire for the night with the negative bent of the news on my mind.

Then, after viewing some videos, as I go upstairs I usually go outside into the front yard.  Even when it’s really cold outside in the winter, I like to step outside for just a moment, take in the atmosphere, look up at the sky, and survey the neighborhood.  The stars above let me know that there’s much, much more to life than just the day to day routine.  The neighborhood reminds me of the incredible blessings that have come our way over the years.  The air…crunchy cold, warm & sticky, or with the scent of spring or fall in it, remind me of the brief span of life and the promise of something better when this life is over.

Sometimes, if the weather is especially disagreeable, I think of those we often meet downtown at the church building who are staying outside in the weather because they have no home.  Many of them have a mental illness or some kind of disability which prevents them from doing what is necessary to live inside.  I wonder how they are getting along and whether or not they have found some temporary shelter from the rain, snow, or wind.

Following all of this, the wife is usually finished with her nightly routine, and it’s relatively easy for me to do my bedtime business, put on my CPAP, and drift off for the night.  I don’t know why I got into the routine of going outside, but it works for me.  I even try to do the “going outdoors” thing if I’m not at home, if at all possible.  I can’t always access YouTube, but I can usually get outside wherever I may be.

I don’t know what your routine is at night.  However, I am reminded of what that great apostle Paul said long ago about what should be on one’s mind.  Here’s what he said in his letter to the Philippian church long ago.  “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

You will hear all kinds of things, both uplifting and depressing.  But choose to dwell…to dwell…on the true, the noble, the pure, the admirable, the excellent.  I think you’ll find that your overall attitude will be better, your overall health will be better, and you will be more content.

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distractions

 Good morning !  Hope your Thursday is going well so far.  I know it’s hot in a lot of the country right now, and trust you are staying somewhat cool.  Today’s thought comes from some observations I’ve been making while driving in Wichita.  Yes, I know that many people in Wichita as well as elsewhere sometimes exhibit bad driving habits such as changing lanes without signaling, rushing in front of someone on a four-lane road only to slow down and turn…making the driver they pushed ahead of slow down as well, tailgating, and many other habits that aren’t in the good driving manual.

But one thing I’ve especially noticed in the past months…going on into years…is a kind of distracted driving.  I’m not necessarily referring to texting while driving; however, that is a real issue.  I’m referring to someone driving who apparently isn’t texting or talking…is looking ahead and seems to be alert, but for whatever reason doesn’t see or doesn’t perceive a potential or real threat to his well-being.

Here are a couple of examples.  How often have you been on a multi-lane road only to have someone pass you on the left, then cross multiple lanes of traffic to the right in order to exit the road at the last second?  It’s just as if they only at the last second remembered that they needed to exit, and rushed headlong across multiple lanes in order to get to the exit barely in time.

Or what about the one whose blinker is still on a half mile or more from where he last used it.  Somehow, it didn’t occur to him or her to check it and turn it off in order to avoid confusion to other drivers.

Or maybe you were in the right hand lane at a stop light waiting to turn right on the red when the coast was clear.  The car in front of you is also waiting to turn right.  There aren’t any cars coming for a half a mile, but the car in front of you just sits there.  Finally, when the light is about 3 seconds from turning green, the driver gets the message and makes the turn.

And we’ve all been behind someone who didn’t move when the green light came…and we waited a few seconds, then honked at them to get them to move.  Much of that, I think, comes from texting while sitting at the light.

And have you ever been beside someone, both of you first in line at a light…and when it went green, the other car wouldn’t move until they saw you move first?  Try it sometime if you’re in that situation.  Often, the other car will wait for you or someone else to move first before going into the intersection.

It seems to me that people are more distracted now than they were even a few years ago.  And phones aren’t the only issue.  I think people have more on their minds and are worried or concerned about more things now than they were awhile back.  They are present in body, but often absent or at least occupied in mind.  It’s like they are going through the motions of living, but aren’t into it like they should be.

Is there a cure for that?  I don’t know.  I too have at times found myself wandering away mentally while driving or doing something else.  I think it’s normal at times.  But to see so much of it during drive time is unsettling to me.  I think something’s going on here that is bigger than just someone being pre-occupied temporarily with something.

I have no answers.  I only have observations and am not even certain my observations accurately describe in increased amount of mental and emotional distractions in the past few years.  What do you think?  What are you seeing?  What are you experiencing?  I’d really like to know.  Thanks for watching these Thursday Thoughts.  See you next week.  Blessings.

North to Alaska

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Blessings,

A Better Way

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Blessings,

 

 

Purpose

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Blessings,

Twenty One

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

Beverly Bolton (Oct. 2019)

Mariann Gamble (Nov. 2019)

Mickey Barber (Nov, 2019)

Clarence Daniels (March 2020)

Ron Bolton (June 2020)

Bill Hooten (Sept. 2020)

Nellie Scott (Sept. 2020)

Stella Schadegg (Dec. 2020)

Terry Schadegg (Jan. 2021)

Dena Badgett (April 2021)

Frank McAllister (May 2021)

Russ Sims (June 2021)

Joann Jeffery (Sept. 2021)

Denise Ward (Jan. 2022)

Bob Parnell (Jan. 2022)

Nick Wheeler (Feb. 2022)

Liz Burr (March 2022)

Kay Foster (March 2022)

Bobbie Carr (March 2022)

Mary Manlove (May 2022)

Regina Dunbar (May 2022)

Blessings…

National EMS Week

 This week is National EMS Week.  In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners of all kinds.  It is designed to honor those who dedicate themselves to providing pre-hospital medical care.  The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) sponsors National EMS Week.

 “OK,” you say.  So what?  Just this.  There are lots of National Whatever Days and Weeks.  Many of them are rather quirky, such as National Cherry Cobbler Day, or National Notebook Day.  Some, however, promote legitimate and deserving issues and events…not that cherry cobbler doesn’t deserve at least some kind of recognition…  This is one of those.

 Having been an EMS provider in a past life, I know that I didn’t do it for the money, the recognition, or the fame.  I did it because there was a need and I thought I could help fill that need.  Little did I know when I first became certified in 1990 that I would obtain through EMS service the wealth of experience and memories that are now mine.  Nor could I have guessed that I, along with my co-workers, would be making a huge difference in the lives of many.  There were days when I was on top of the world after serving in some way, and days that I would have just wanted to chuck it all into the dumpster because of a bad medical outcome, a horrendous wreck that we worked, or someone dying in spite of all we could do.

 I served in my home town…the place where I was born and grew up.  I knew most of those who needed us.  I knew most of their families.  They were friends and sometimes even relatives.  It was a privilege to serve them in their time of need, but it was also very difficult at times to serve them knowing that their lives would never again be as they were because of a stroke, heart attack, or traumatic injury.  More than once I recall taking a stroke or fall victim out of their house to the ambulance waiting in the street, with that victim’s spouse following along behind us with a small bag in hand filled with a change of clothes, medications, and perhaps other items they thought they might need during the emergency room exam and hospitalization.  I knew that the one we were transporting would never be able to live at home again…never be able to walk again…never be able to have it be as it always had been.  Yet the loving spouse following along behind with a small bag of clothing wasn’t aware of that…hoping and thinking about a short hospital stay, then back home to things as they always were.

 I also think of the ones…and one in particular…we picked up in his apartment who had a ruptured aneurism.  The signs of aneurism were clear, and the emergency room diagnosis confirmed it.  He was bleeding to death, and there was nothing we could do.  We couldn’t get him somewhere where that kind of surgical procedure was performed soon enough.  That medical service would have been an hour away by ambulance.  He passed peacefully in a hospital room about 20 minutes after the diagnosis.  His daughter was able to see him a few minutes before his passing.

 I had the privilege of being present during that holy time when many took their last breath.  I performed CPR more times than I can count, both on the ambulance as well as at the hospital where I had a day job.  I’ve witnessed new life making its appearance in the world.  I’ve comforted a wife, mother, or son as their loved one was taken away in the ambulance.  I’ve been present when a loved one wanted to view the body of a deceased spouse or family member.  I’ve responded to emergency situations such as multiple automobile accidents, structure fires, and “code blue” situations.  I’ve helped medically in the emergency room, X Ray, physical therapy, in patient rooms and elsewhere.  The range of experience I’ve had has been incredible as well as incredibly satisfying and emotionally heart-wrenching.

 I don’t want to go through any of that again…I’m done.  And I’m at peace with that.  However, I wouldn’t take a million dollars in place of the experiences and memories that time in my life provided.  The sound of sirens and the flashing red and white lights still stir up a little adrenalin from time to time.  They also stir up memories of not so long ago when my younger body could jump out of bed at 2am, slip on clothes, run outside to my vehicle and drive to the ambulance garage in less than 5 minutes.  Those days are long gone.

 Yes, it’s National EMS Week.  Take a moment this week to honor those who serve and have served.  And pray for their safety and their mental as well as physical health and wellness.

 Blessings.

That "Dignity & Respect" Thing

Good morning !  Let’s hope you haven’t been washed away by all the rain in the central part of the country.  We really did need the rain here, though.   We’ve been in a mini-drought, and the two-day off-and-on rain has really been a good soaker.

 I don’t like to talk politics on social media or in this venue.  What I’m about to say here is about as close to politics as I’ll come.  I’ll begin with some what many would call “introductory” material, which will help out later on in the video.

 We’ve all heard the expression, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”  The meaning of that saying is clear…you can make and keep more friends by being respectful and treating people with dignity than you can by criticizing and putting others down.  People wish to be, and should be validated as human beings worthy of being treated with kindness and respect.

 I know that it is sometimes difficult to do that, especially with others who may not understand the Golden Rule…treating others the way they would like to be treated.  We may also have difficulty being respectful and dignified when we are interacting with someone who may hold differing views on religion, child-rearing, hot-button issues such as immigration or abortion rights, politics in general, and a host of other issues wherein differing viewpoints are the norm.  And the “dignity and respect” treatment may not always be the thing that smooths out relationships…sometimes, it just doesn’t work that way.  But generally, the old axiom is true.  Generally, one really can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.

 We Americans tend to typecast people of varying viewpoints and vocations into one huge lump.  For example, we have a basic mistrust of used car sales people, lawyers, insurance sales people, and politicians.  We tend to lump all lawyers into one box…all politicians into one box…all used car sales people into one box…all insurance sales people…into one box.  Of course, when one really thinks about it, one knows that not all politicians, for instance, should go into the same box with the label of crooked, power-hungry, money-grabbing.  Yes, there certainly are some who are those things.  But there are many who are sincerely and honorably serving, trying to do the best they can to make their corner of the world a better place.

 Politicians are human beings.  They have feelings.  They have aspirations.  They have families and friends.  They’re people.  And as people, they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  Name-calling, non-constructive criticizing, threatening words…should have no place in interactions with one’s political representatives.

 Some years ago, I decided to do my best to develop some kind of relationship with those who represented me on a local and state level.  I knew that those men and women were generally more available than national leaders, and often made decisions that affected me more directly than many of the national representatives.  I also knew that those people often were the recipients of hate mail, vitriolic criticism, and coarse language directed at them.  I decided to try the ”honey” approach instead.

 And, what do you know…it worked.  Over time I have developed what I consider to be good relationships with my city and county representatives as well as those who represent me on the state level.  I have met one-on-one several times with many of them.  We’ve had lunch and have been able to talk over the issues of the day.  My emails to them are read, considered, and given a respectful answer.  My phone calls are answered and we’re able to talk with each other.  Our conversations sometimes betray a frustration with the way things are, but we are able to work past those times and continue the communication with each other.  The honey works.

 Try it some time.  Reach out to your elected representative on a city, county, or state level.  Take some time to develop a relationship.  Be respectful.  Be supportive.  Be informed on the issue you want to discuss.  Find some common ground to begin from.  State your opinions based on facts and non-biased research…not alternate facts, slanted statistics, or hearsay.  Listen to their responses.  Thank them for their time and for their service.  Be genuine.  You may be surprised at how far a little kindness and respect will go.

 Then take those lessons on treating other people and apply them to all of your interactions with others.  Your friends, relatives, neighbors…the check out person at the store…the clerk who is renewing your car registration, and others.  I think you’ll find it a much better and more satisfying way to live.

 Blessings.

Is It Ministry

 

Good morning !!  I’m happy it’s Thursday, because that means Friday is just ahead.

 Coming in to work this morning, I wondered what I needed to do today to finish up the week.  You see, I don’t work at the office on Fridays, and today will be the last work day of this week.  I knew I needed to write this Thursday Thought.  And I also had an email to send to a member.  But other than that, I had nothing really on my plate.  Or so I thought.

 Arriving in the parking lot and coming to the entrance door, I first looked into the Paxton’s blessing box we have near the entrance.  It had a few items in it that no one had taken, and no one was going to take because those items were used and not appropriate for a blessing box.  I removed them and carried them toward the entrance.

 As I did that, I noticed one of our disabled members already here, waiting to be let into the building.  No one else was here yet, and she has the public transportation van bring her to Thursday morning Bible study.  Sometimes the van has to bring her early due to scheduling issues.  That was the case this morning.  So, before I got to my office, I came into the building, threw away the items I took out of the blessing box, opened the door, and helped her into the building and back to where the class was going to be held.

 While I was in the Bible study area, Doug, the teacher of the class was there setting up a virtual meeting for the class.  He told me he couldn’t get Internet access.  I remembered then that the evening before, in that same area, I couldn’t get access for the Wednesday evening class and I had to punt by using a DVD for the lesson instead of YouTube.  We had Internet in other parts of the building, so I presumed that the switch and associated gear in the tech closet was working.  I then guessed that the WAP, the wireless access point that serves that part of the building was somehow not working right.

 I used an app on my phone to see that there was indeed a signal from the access point…but no Internet on the signal.  My limited I/T experience only gave me the option of rebooting the device.  So I went to the janitor closet, got out a ladder and found the access point in the ceiling.  I unplugged it, waited ten seconds, and plugged it back in, hoping and praying that would fix it.  After about a minute of rebooting, the device indeed came back on with Internet capability.  I checked with Doug to be sure he had Internet, then reinstalled the ceiling tile and put the ladder away.

 While in the classroom, someone mentioned that the clock which was there wasn’t working.  All it needed was a battery, so I went to my office, found a double A battery in my junk drawer and installed it into the clock.  That made it work and I rehung it on the wall of the classroom.

 Forty five minutes after I arrived, I was finally able to sit in my office chair and begin my “official” day.

 I tell you all of that to tell you this.  What happened this morning is not an unusual thing for me.  Many times I find myself dealing with something totally unexpected…something which immediately takes priority over whatever else I may have to do.  Something which does not appear in any way to be “ministry.”  And you deal with similar situations in your daily life and living too.  You may have your day planned when a phone call, a text, someone at your office door, or some other notification makes you immediately re prioritize your day.  Often, those things which force that reprioritization apparently have nothing or very little to do with your work or daily responsibilities.  Nevertheless, you take them on anyway.

 In my case, was what I did for the first forty five minutes today “ministry?”  Was it part of my work as a minister and shepherd at RiverWalk?  Or not?  Or does it matter?  What I did needed to be done, whether it could be placed into the “ministry” category or not.  People were in immediate need.  I could help fill that need.  Had I refused, needs would have gone unmet that I could have alleviated.  That wouldn’t be “ministry.”  That would be selfishness and an uncaring, unloving attitude.

 Sometimes we have to step back and see the bigger picture of our role in God’s kingdom.  We can’t, of course, see the entire thing, but we can catch glimpses of God at work in and through us as we go about our day.  And we can by faith understand that we may well be part of a much greater work in the lives of others than we ourselves can comprehend.  So we leave it to the Master Planner to order our lives.  And we continue to understand that we are, as the great Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Ephesian church, “God’s masterpiece, who has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

 Blessings.

Those Thoughts

 Good afternoon, and welcome.

 In the midst of everyday life and living, as we go about those things on our daily schedule, or deal with the unexpected that crops up from time to time, we sometimes find ourselves thinking about things totally unrelated to the task at hand.  Our minds wander.  They can go far away from whatever it is we are doing at the moment and latch on to something that seemingly came out of nowhere.

 I don’t know about you, but my mind often wanders, even when I’m driving on Kellogg, reading, or as I’m doing right now, typing this Thursday Thought.  That wandering covers the gamut from what I’ll be doing the rest of the day to thoughts of things that happened in my life decades ago.  Of course, everything in between is fair game, too.  Sadly , all too often those things that come to mind when I think about decades past are things that in some way I perceived as being detrimental to me.  And sometimes those thoughts are of are things that I probably shouldn’t be thinking about at all because of their moral or legal questionability.

 Out of nowhere it seems, a memory of a perceived slight by someone else toward me that happened years ago, or harmful words spoken to me, or that I spoke to someone else, or perhaps the memory of some bad experience of some kind comes to mind as my conscience wanders.  Maybe it was something a classmate said to me in junior high school.  Or perhaps it was something I did in Kindergarten class that brought the teacher’s attention.  It might be some disagreement I had with my wife decades ago where I can recall pretty much every word I said that I should never have spoken.

 Or maybe it is some kind of thought of something that never happened, and is morally or legally questionable, but that I might fantasize about happening to me or I myself doing whatever it was that I was thinking about.  You know what I’m talking about.  We’ve all been there.

 Those good memories…those pleasant times…those kind words spoken or heard…those thoughtful things that others did for us when we were in need…those good times with good friends…those memories are often shoved aside by the bad memories or questionable thoughts.  Those bad thoughts and memories then seem to grow and take root, expanding almost exponentially as we find ourselves caught up in the process and unable or unwilling to put it to a stop.

 I cannot get into your mind with a mind meld like Mr. Spock on the Star Trek series was able to do.  But I can tell you with pretty much absolute certainty that you relate to just about everything I’ve said so far.  You too recall entirely too many negative memories.  You too remember too many things that happened to you or that you did or said that are negative.  You too have thoughts of dubious moral, ethical, or legal value that keep coming into your mind anytime, anywhere.  And you too tend to dwell on these thoughts and memories, unwilling or unable to blot them out of your head.

 I know it may disappoint you, but I don’t have an answer for this phenomenon that seems to inhabit the human race.  I don’t know of any quick fixes or miracle cures.  What I do know is that dwelling on such memories and thoughts does one no good and can sometimes promote bad behavior, depression, and even physical illness.  Now, if you are willing follow me into the spiritual side of things regarding this issue, I can point you to a panoply of places in the Bible that talk about just the things we’ve been discussing.  Perhaps the most well-known of places is in Philippians where the Apostle Paul says this:  “

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

 There are other places in the Bible where the topic is speech, the tongue, giving grace, being merciful, and so on.  The Psalmist says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart.  Try me and know my thoughts.”  There is also a Biblical place where it says, “The Lord knows the thoughts of mankind.  They are vanity.”  And the Bible has many places where the “thoughts of the heart” are mentioned, most of the time reminding the reader to be careful to keep those thoughts on the straight and narrow.  Such reminders would not be necessary if we humans didn’t have a great propensity for dwelling on the sad, the bad, and the ugly.

 As I said, I have no easy answers for the multitude of thoughts, many of them negative in some way, that come your way or come my way.  I do know, though, that with some discipline and in paying attention to our thoughts, and with the encouragement and help of God, we can train ourselves to dwell on better, happier, and healthier thoughts and subjects.  It takes work and effort, but is totally worth it.

 May God bless you as you work within His will to corral…hog tie if necessary your thoughts…and keep your thoughts pure and lovely and good.