This Man...THIS MAN

 One of my social media friends, a Christian, posted something recently about religion and what immaturity in one’s spiritual life can do.  I believe he quoted someone else, but didn’t give credit for the quote in a way that I could understand.  Here’s part of that post.

When religion remains at an immature level, it tends to create very violent people who ensconce themselves on the side of the good, the worthy, the pure, the saved. They project all their evil somewhere else and attack it over there.

Something has to be sacrificed. Blood has to be shed. Someone has to be blamed, attacked, tortured, imprisoned, or killed. Sacrificial systems create religions and governments of exclusion and violence. Yet Jesus taught and modeled inclusivity and forgiveness!

I think you get the idea.  Religious immaturity, it is said, leads to division, taking sides, and violence in the name of what is perceived as being right and pure.  Religious maturity, however, according to the one saying this, is known by its inclusivity and forgiveness.

When I read that quote the first time, my eyes zeroed in on that last statement…Jesus taught and modeled inclusivity and forgiveness…  That statement is often said by those who want to justify their support for many of the societal issues of the day…abortion, gay rights, immigration, and other issues of the day.  Those issues are sometimes argued in terms of what Jesus did some two thousand years ago in modeling how mankind should live, and emphasizing the idea that Jesus modeled inclusivity and forgiveness and asks us to do the same.

That statement is indeed true.  Jesus DID model inclusivity and forgiveness.  He did befriend the friendless.  He did give dignity to the downtrodden.  He did forgive those who many in the society of that day would have written off as incorrigible.  He indeed included everyone…and I mean everyone…in His call to follow him and his example.

So, what’s the problem?  Why am I even talking about this?  Because when we zero in on just this aspect of the life of Jesus, we get a warped picture of the Son of God.  In this scenario, we tend to see Jesus as a meek and mild itinerant preacher walking down a dusty trail with a rag-tag group of followers on to the next village so he can speak his message of inclusivity and forgiveness there.  And that’s the ONLY picture we get of him.  But there’s so, so much more to the Son of God than just the itinerant preacher picture.

Jesus never encountered an unrepentant sinner and said anything to the effect of, “Aww…it’s OK.  Don’t worry about it.  All is forgiven and forgotten.”  Jesus never told Zacchaeus the tax collector that he could continue to fleece the populace and all would be OK.  He never told the woman caught in adultery that she could go back to the adulterous relationship.  No, Jesus insisted on some kind of heart change…some kind of change in thought and action.

We need to have a more full picture of this person Jesus…the Son of God…the second person of the Trinity.  We need to understand that the Son was present at the creation of the cosmos.  “Let US make man in our image…Genesis says.”  And that to this day the Son continues to uphold the creation he fashioned by his powerful word, according to the writer of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament.

We need to get the picture when we hear Isaiah talk of Jesus as the “Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

We need to understand what was happening when Jesus made a whip and drove the merchants out of the Temple, calling the Temple "My Father’s House.”

And what about when Paul the Apostle says in his letter to the Phillippians:  Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Or what about the Jesus who John said he saw in Revelation chapter 1, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.  The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.  His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.  In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.  No wonder John says he fell to the ground as if he were a dead man when he saw Jesus.

And lastly, what about the Jesus who is recorded as saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

We dare not place Jesus into what for us is a comfortable box that allows him to only be “inclusive and forgiving.”  The Jesus who indeed is those things is also the Alpha and Omega.  He is the one clothed in a brilliance that will make us fall down as if we were dead.  He is also the one to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess Him as Lord.  He is the Mighty God…the Everlasting Father.  And He…He is the one who upholds all of creation simply by His powerful word.

And if that isn’t enough, listen to what John says toward the end of his apocalypse  regarding Jesus. 

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.  “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”  He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:  King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This man…this man is the Jesus Christ of the Bible.  May we always confess Him as such.

 

Blessings.

Appreciate Life and Living

 Some mornings when I have nothing else on my agenda and the weather is pleasant, I like to step out onto the back patio and just sit for awhile.  Such was the case last Saturday before it got so hot.  There was a very gentle breeze...just a mile or two an hour...the temperature was just right, and there wasn't much in the way of loud sounds except for an occasional private airplane somewhere or the noise of the neighbor's outside air conditioner unit which cycled from time to time.

I went out shortly after getting up for the day, so was still in a kind of wake up mode.  It takes awhile, as one gets older, to get the blood flowing and the brain engaged.  That was me that morning as I went out on the back patio.  For awhile, I just sat in a lawn chair on the brick patio, looking around.  Occasionally, someone would walk, jog, or bicycle on the path in the park which is right behind us.  And at times I could hear the conversations of those in the park as they walked together.  But otherwise, the morning seemed dull and lifeless...just an ordinary day.  However, I was mistaken, as you will shortly hear.

A man went by on an electric bicycle.  Another man was walking, carrying what seemed to me to be a huge backpack...the kind one might see being carried on a hike into the wilderness.  A few women jogged by.  And there were a couple of young girls about age 5 or 6 who would find something of interest to look at, stop, and chatter about their find.  It was a kind of normal mix of folks using the park path that morning before it got hot later on.

Other than the park people, I didn't notice much of anything happening around me until I happened to see a seed from a cottonwood tree gently move in the breeze over the fish pond, then slowly drift into the water.  For some reason, that prompted me to engage my senses a little better.  When I did, I noticed several things going on that I otherwise would have missed.  What follows are just some of those things.

The neighbor's air conditioner unit was not running at the time, so I was able to hear a dove calling in the distance.  A house sparrow soon followed, along with a tufted titmouse.  A little later a blue jay began a raucous call that alerted other jays in the neighborhood to also begin to chatter.  And, of course, there are always cardinals, it seems, either where we can see them or hear them.  That didn't happen this morning, though, which was quite unusual.  There was, however, a squirrel somewhere in the woods who was chattering about something or other...possibly a missus scolding her mate for something he either was or wasn't doing.

I noticed a dragonfly sweeping back and forth over the fish pond.  They do that regularly, and I enjoy watching them dart about as they do so.  I have wondered why they had such a fascination for the fish pond until I read an article about them.  They are, it seems, voracious predators and love to fly over ponds and areas of lush growth to capture mosquitos on the fly.  That would explain their occasional deviation from a normal flight pattern as they maneuver themselves to capture a mosquito in flight.

Dragonflies are a fascinating creature.  Many have a double set of wings that can flap independently of each other in order to give them maximum maneuverability.  They can fly in any direction and almost instantly change course.  They have been recorded as generating as much as 9 G forces in sharp turns and can fly upwards of 30 miles an hour.  Their eyes are better than ours, being able to process about 200 images per second.  They can see 360 degrees around themselves.  About 80 percent of their brain is devoted to sight.

And then there were the butterflies that seem to be constantly fluttering around.  We are, for some reason it seems, a sort of haven for a medium size white, or rather almost white, butterfly that likes to flit around and land on an assortment of plants we have in the yard.  Not just one or two butterflies, and not just for a day or two.  These things have been around for a couple of months now.  I'll see half a dozen or more at any given time.  We occasionally have other assorted butterflies, but these white ones are the most prominent.

I planted some parsley in a front yard flowerbed this year hoping to attract swallowtail butterflies.  It seems to have worked because there are at least three caterpillars on the plants, munching away.  I also have milkweed for monarchs, but have seen a precipitous drop off in the number of monarchs coming through, and as far as I know I have not hosted any monarch eggs or caterpillars as of yet.  There's still time, but it is growing short.

Then there are the assorted bees that like some of the plants we have in our yard.  I'm guessing that they mostly come from the park behind us because the rest of our neighborhood is, for the most part, well-tended yards and lawns.  Smallish bees, honeybees, and even bumblebees like the pretty much constant flowering of the catmint and other flowering plants.  They're gentle, and don't seem to mind my looking at them rather close-up.  Some have obvious pollen pouches on their legs.  It's a good reminder of the variety of animal and plant life in this creation.

It was beginning to get warm, so I got up to go back inside.  As I did so, I saw a small garden snail about one half inch in diameter trudging toward me on his one foot on the brick patio.  What he was doing half-way to the house on the brick, I haven't a clue.  He was going away from anything resembling his normal habitat, and probably to certain death.  I carefully picked him up and took him to some foliage around the fish pond.  Dropping him into the dense growth, I hoped he found a good place to munch away on whatever may be in that undergrowth.

Although I didn't see any today, once in awhile I see a bull snake or garter snake either sunning himself or sauntering casually into or out of the undergrowth.  We'll see deer by our back fence, as well as raccoons, possums, and once in a while a wild turkey.  We'll smell the unmistakable odor of a skunk sometimes, and hear owls and coyotes in the late evening.  Frogs will begin their choruses around nightfall...some at our fish pond and others at the water retention pond not far from us in the park. 

So, in retrospect, the morning that at first began with nothing special going on, quickly turned into a morning of discovery, pleasantness, and appreciation for even what wildlife and nature that can be found in a well-kept yard.  So, open your eyes and ears to what's around you.  Notice the small things.  Care for those...such as the snail...who cannot care for themselves.  I think you'll appreciate life and living much more.

 

Blessings.

Some mornings when I have nothing else on my agenda and the weather is pleasant, I like to step out onto the back patio and just sit for awhile.  Such was the case last Saturday before it got so hot.  There was a very gentle breeze...just a mile or two an hour...the temperature was just right, and there wasn't much in the way of loud sounds except for an occasional private airplane somewhere or the noise of the neighbor's outside air conditioner unit which cycled from time to time.

I went out shortly after getting up for the day, so was still in a kind of wake up mode.  It takes awhile, as one gets older, to get the blood flowing and the brain engaged.  That was me that morning as I went out on the back patio.  For awhile, I just sat in a lawn chair on the brick patio, looking around.  Occasionally, someone would walk, jog, or bicycle on the path in the park which is right behind us.  And at times I could hear the conversations of those in the park as they walked together.  But otherwise, the morning seemed dull and lifeless...just an ordinary day.  However, I was mistaken, as you will shortly hear.

A man went by on an electric bicycle.  Another man was walking, carrying what seemed to me to be a huge backpack...the kind one might see being carried on a hike into the wilderness.  A few women jogged by.  And there were a couple of young girls about age 5 or 6 who would find something of interest to look at, stop, and chatter about their find.  It was a kind of normal mix of folks using the park path that morning before it got hot later on.

Other than the park people, I didn't notice much of anything happening around me until I happened to see a seed from a cottonwood tree gently move in the breeze over the fish pond, then slowly drift into the water.  For some reason, that prompted me to engage my senses a little better.  When I did, I noticed several things going on that I otherwise would have missed.  What follows are just some of those things.

The neighbor's air conditioner unit was not running at the time, so I was able to hear a dove calling in the distance.  A house sparrow soon followed, along with a tufted titmouse.  A little later a blue jay began a raucous call that alerted other jays in the neighborhood to also begin to chatter.  And, of course, there are always cardinals, it seems, either where we can see them or hear them.  That didn't happen this morning, though, which was quite unusual.  There was, however, a squirrel somewhere in the woods who was chattering about something or other...possibly a missus scolding her mate for something he either was or wasn't doing.

I noticed a dragonfly sweeping back and forth over the fish pond.  They do that regularly, and I enjoy watching them dart about as they do so.  I have wondered why they had such a fascination for the fish pond until I read an article about them.  They are, it seems, voracious predators and love to fly over ponds and areas of lush growth to capture mosquitos on the fly.  That would explain their occasional deviation from a normal flight pattern as they maneuver themselves to capture a mosquito in flight.

Dragonflies are a fascinating creature.  Many have a double set of wings that can flap independently of each other in order to give them maximum maneuverability.  They can fly in any direction and almost instantly change course.  They have been recorded as generating as much as 9 G forces in sharp turns and can fly upwards of 30 miles an hour.  Their eyes are better than ours, being able to process about 200 images per second.  They can see 360 degrees around themselves.  About 80 percent of their brain is devoted to sight.

And then there were the butterflies that seem to be constantly fluttering around.  We are, for some reason it seems, a sort of haven for a medium size white, or rather almost white, butterfly that likes to flit around and land on an assortment of plants we have in the yard.  Not just one or two butterflies, and not just for a day or two.  These things have been around for a couple of months now.  I'll see half a dozen or more at any given time.  We occasionally have other assorted butterflies, but these white ones are the most prominent.

I planted some parsley in a front yard flowerbed this year hoping to attract swallowtail butterflies.  It seems to have worked because there are at least three caterpillars on the plants, munching away.  I also have milkweed for monarchs, but have seen a precipitous drop off in the number of monarchs coming through, and as far as I know I have not hosted any monarch eggs or caterpillars as of yet.  There's still time, but it is growing short.

Then there are the assorted bees that like some of the plants we have in our yard.  I'm guessing that they mostly come from the park behind us because the rest of our neighborhood is, for the most part, well-tended yards and lawns.  Smallish bees, honeybees, and even bumblebees like the pretty much constant flowering of the catmint and other flowering plants.  They're gentle, and don't seem to mind my looking at them rather close-up.  Some have obvious pollen pouches on their legs.  It's a good reminder of the variety of animal and plant life in this creation.

It was beginning to get warm, so I got up to go back inside.  As I did so, I saw a small garden snail about one half inch in diameter trudging toward me on his one foot on the brick patio.  What he was doing half-way to the house on the brick, I haven't a clue.  He was going away from anything resembling his normal habitat, and probably to certain death.  I carefully picked him up and took him to some foliage around the fish pond.  Dropping him into the dense growth, I hoped he found a good place to munch away on whatever may be in that undergrowth.

Although I didn't see any today, once in awhile I see a bull snake or garter snake either sunning himself or sauntering casually into or out of the undergrowth.  We'll see deer by our back fence, as well as raccoons, possums, and once in a while a wild turkey.  We'll smell the unmistakable odor of a skunk sometimes, and hear owls and coyotes in the late evening.  Frogs will begin their choruses around nightfall...some at our fish pond and others at the water retention pond not far from us in the park. 

So, in retrospect, the morning that at first began with nothing special going on, quickly turned into a morning of discovery, pleasantness, and appreciation for even what wildlife and nature that can be found in a well-kept yard.  So, open your eyes and ears to what's around you.  Notice the small things.  Care for those...such as the snail...who cannot care for themselves.  I think you'll appreciate life and living much more.

 

Blessings.

General Conversation

 Good afternoon.  Today, the topic of conversation for this Thursday Thought could easily be the weather…hot, sticky, and sometimes borderline oppressive weather has hit this part of the state.  But we’re not as hot as farther south and west where the thermometer easily tops 110 degrees most days.  I’m guessing it’s more of a dry heat, however, in Arizona and southern California, so I don’t have a lot of sympathy for those folks who live and work there.

And besides, we ourselves have gone through that kind of weather in recent memory…2011, I believe.  That year, Wichita had 53 days of 100 degree plus temperatures, lasting well into September.  The average high temperature for the month of July that year was 102 degrees, a full 10 degrees more than the normal.  And the average low temperature for that month was 77 degrees…7 degrees warmer than the normal for the month.

I well remember the evening when a cool front finally came through, breaking the hold that the heat had on us.  I stood outside in our driveway waiting for it…and felt the first few tentative breezes of cooler air from the north, then a more substantial breeze that followed.  I knew that the days of 100 degrees, at least for that year, were thankfully over.

Or, continuing in a weather-related subject, the topic could be the ongoing drought in this part of the country.  We’ve been in drought conditions before…some much worse than this one.  But we are indeed feeling the pinch.  Certainly, we’ve had some good rains over the past several weeks, but we’ve been so far behind in moisture that it will take a good amount in the future to just break even.

Or maybe instead of the weather, we could talk about how short the summer seems to be and that school will be starting in about three weeks.  There’s lots to do in this short time that’s left, for those of us who have kids in school or work for a school.  We’re not sure we have the time to do it all and wonder where the endlessly long summers of our childhood days have gone.

Of course, back then…before the earth got cool…school started after Labor Day and was dismissed in mid-May.  We didn’t have all of the breaks kids have now.  No teacher work days.  No inservice days.  Sometimes the stretch between holidays and days off seemed to be rather long, but we enjoyed well over three months of summer vacation as opposed to about 2 ½ months now.

And school started at 9am and got out at 4pm.  None of this 7am school-starting business back then.  We had time to get up, get a good breakfast, and get to school unhurried.  When 4 o-clock came, we had time to get home and do a few things outside if the weather was relatively nice.  I don’t miss all of the “old days,” but there are some parts of them I’d gladly bring back if I could.

Or perhaps we could discuss the current political situation, both locally and nationally.  Or maybe the international situation…North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Africa, Russia, or one of any number of other hot button points on the globe.  Things seem to be spinning out of control faster than we can put things back together.  We seem to have several places in the world that are run by crazy, deranged people.  We seem to have some of those same folks in the halls of Congress and hanging out in Topeka as well as the local courthouse and city hall.

Of course, those who we believe are deranged may well be the heroes for many others.  It all depends, I suppose, on one’s perspective…one’s world view if you will.  And when it comes down to it, no one has quite the same world view as we do.  Everyone sees the world through a slightly different lens…a lens that colors and biases one’s opinions and thoughts.

Or, we could address hot button issues of the day…the “WOKE” agenda, the “Critical Race Theory” agenda, the abortion issue, the book banning controversy, the LGBTQ agenda, or one of any number of other issues whose supporters try to keep in the news and in front of the general populace as much and as often as possible, so as to garner as much support and money to “fight the enemy,” so to speak, as possible.

The problem with this is that I steer away from these kinds of issues in this venue, preferring instead to deal with things that would NOT tend to further divide us, but rather would bring us more together as a society.

These issues aren’t going to go away any time soon.  They and others will remain as issues, in large part because there are many who gain their wealth and livelihood by keeping these issues as issues instead of solving them and going on.  Think for a moment.  If the WOKE agenda issue would be suddenly solved today, how many people would be out of work with nothing to do?  How many grass-roots groups, community organizers, executive directors, national organizations, politicians, and others would suddenly have nothing to complain about and no cause to raise money for…which, by the way…goes to pay the salaries of those who are employed by those groups and organizations.

Well, I was going to talk about something other than all of these, but my time is about up…so I’ll have to close out this week’s post with a couple of quotes I borrowed from my Facebook Friend Beth’s timeline.  The quotes aren’t related, but are well worth the consideration.

“Sometimes, all it takes is one prayer to change everything.”  And the second quote?  “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.”

Blessings.

This Jesus

 Good morning!

 

I read an article on social media that talked of Jesus, the one Christians believe is God incarnate, as he lived his life on earth some 2,000 years ago.  The article emphasized the life of Jesus being one of love, inclusion, and forgiveness.

I see this a lot now in various posts, articles, and memes.  The statement is indeed true.  Jesus did model love, inclusion, and forgiveness.  We must, if we are to be followers of Jesus, emulate that as best we can.

However, I am concerned that when we begin to see Jesus ONLY in this light, we miss some things very important in our understanding of who God Incarnate really is.  We have to understand that we are not dealing with a god who is indifferent to sin or ignores our shortcomings.  We are not dealing with a god who let’s us go our merry way doing and engaging in whatever thing or activity we want, and then says, “Awww, it’s OK.”  We’re not dealing with a god who pretends that our shortcomings and sins don’t really exist or don’t matter, and we can all be one happy family.

We are dealing with a God who has been working ever since Adam and Eve to redeem the creation and create a way for his fallen, sinful humans to be accounted as righteous in His sight so that we can be in His presence, and He in ours…consistent with His immutable attributes of love, justice, mercy, judgment, grace, and yes, wrath.

This Jesus, who we often place in an exclusively love and inclusion box…by the way, that’s often the most comfortable for us…for Jesus to be in that box…this Jesus is that God.  This Jesus, who we see as the kindly man going about loving and forgiving, is the God who paid the ultimate price, the only price that was sufficient, for our shortcomings and sin.  This Jesus is the one who

   Is the creator of all that was, is, or ever will be.

·         Is the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

·         Told the woman who was about to be stoned because of he sin to, "Go, and sin no more."

·         Is the Angry Son who drove out the money-changers from His Father’s temple and who lit into the Pharisees and Scribes for their hypocrisy.

·         Wept over Jerusalem because of its collective unbelief just before His crucifixion.

·         Emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and was obedient to the Father by dying on a Roman cross.

·         Is the Angry Son who drove out the money-changers and who lit into the Pharisees and Scribes for their hypocrisy.

·         Is the One described by John in Revelation 1...this is the vision John saw of Jesus…the hair on his head white like wool, as white as snow, his eyes like blazing fire; his feet like bronze glowing in a furnace and his voice like the sound of rushing waters:  his face shining like the sun in all its brilliance…and coming from his mouth was a two-edged sword.

·         Said that the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

 He…this Jesus…is the one who said, according to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13…The Son of man will send out His angels and they will gather out of His kingdom all those people who cause others to fall away [from God] and those who [continue to] sin.  He will throw these people into the fiery furnace where there will be crying and excruciating pain.  Then the people who did what was right will shine out like the sun in their Father's kingdom.  The person who has ears [to hear with] ought to listen [to this] carefully.

 And he, this Jesus, is the one who said, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

 So, why am I telling you all of this?  In order to say this:  Jesus is way more than the itinerant preacher...way more than the One who includes, forgives, and loves, although He is indeed the perfect example of those things.

The questions are, should we emulate the earthly life of Jesus as best we can?  Certainly.  Do we refrain from casting the first stone because we ourselves are not without sin?  Yes.  Do we do our best to value all people, cultures, races, etc. as children of God and our neighbor?  Of course.

We are in no position to be the arbiters and enforcers of what we perceive as the good and the right.  God is perfectly capable of running the world without our help, of with our help, if He so chooses.  Besides, when we insert ourselves into judgment-making without authority from God, we only mess up things with our biases and warped world views.  Every.  Single.  Person.  Has a biased and warped world view.  Every one.

Maybe we need to experience God in a new way.  I’m wondering if that "new way" may very well be having a much more complete picture and concept of Jesus as presented in all of Scripture.  Friend of sinners?  Yes.  One who forgives?  Certainly.  Compassionate on the outcast and lower classes of society?  For sure.  Almighty God who judges rightly and promises that we will reap what we sow?  We’d better believe it.

Thanks, and may God continue to bless you.

Find Joy

 Good morning and welcome.

 This past week, as it usually always is for us all, was a mixed bag at least insofar as the various events and happenings which came into our sphere of life and living.  On the one side, we’ve endured yet more mass shootings, including one here in Wichita.  We also continue to receive various communications from politicians and others either praising their ideology or condemning the ideas and actions of the other side.  And we are seeing, still, an economy that isn’t what it should be…inflation that is too high…families not able to pay bills and the squeeze in the family budget…painful discrimination…and the shunting aside of the poor, the infirm, and the minority into the societal dustbin.

On the other hand, we’ve celebrated yet another Independence Day with the requisite cookouts, featuring burgers, brats, potato salad, baked beans and dessert…and of course the fireworks displays, both commercial as well as the neighborhood displays.  We’ve heard many people talking about, and desiring to come together as a society in thoughtful dialog and discourse, working to resolve some of the issues facing us today.  We see kind words being spoken, and compassion being manifested in good deeds toward others.

I don’t know about you, but I often allow the negative things of life to sort of take over…putting me in a sort of constant state of sadness…a funk…and even despair at times.  And it doesn’t take much of the negative to outweigh a lot of the positive, either, at least for me.  I’m not sure why that is so, but I’m guessing it’s true for you, too.  It seems we humans like, for some unearthly reason, to wallow in the negative and fixate on those things which cause us angst and turmoil.  As is sometimes said in the workplace, “One negative can cancel out a whole bunch of atta-boys (or atta-girls if you prefer).

I thought about this today as I was doing some reading.  My mind wandered a bit as it sometimes does during these times of reading and I thought of my friend Kendra up in Wisconsin.  She’s a writer, mom, and wife.  She’s in the middle of raising a family, keeping house, writing a book, and being a wife to husband Collin.  She’s a natural introvert who, along with her husband, made a conscious decision to live in the heart of a neighborhood of great need.  We became friends through a chain of events that I’ll not repeat here, but suffice it to say that it began with my reading one of her books.

I hadn’t heard from her in awhile, and it has been awhile since I wrote her, so I messaged her briefly this morning, letting her know we were fine here, and ending the brief post with this:  “Find joy in life today, Kendra.  Whatever happens, find joy.  Blessings.”

OK, here’s the thought for today.  The Christian can experience joy in life even in the face of sad and despairing life events, and when being insulted or demeaned because of one’s faith.  In fact, in Christian scriptures we are told to find joy even in the face of trials.  James, in his short letter, puts it this way:  “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

Jesus himself said during his sermon we call the Sermon on the Mount,  “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”

I know that I struggle with the idea that joy and happiness don’t necessarily equate.  That I can be a person of joy even when faced with the most unpleasant and unhappy life events and experiences.  But I think the idea of joy in the face of trial has something to do with our inner make-up…what happens inside of us when we experience something negative.  Yes, our unhappiness may show.  We may display one or more emotions having to do with that unhappiness.  But on the inside…deep within our souls…there should be, shall we say, a fountain of joy that continues to flow, bathing our inner being with a peace and contentment that weathers the storms coming at us on the outside.  We WILL get through this.  We WILL come out on the other side.  We WILL again see happiness.

I think that may be a good way for me, at least, to think of the ideas of joy, contentment, happiness, and the trials in life that will always come my way.  And it may be a good way for  you to think of such things as well.

So, as I told my friend Kendra, “Find joy in life today.  Whatever happens, find joy.  Blessings.”

In Word and Deed

 Good morning and welcome to this Thursday Thought.

 A few years ago, I was in a contemplative mood one day and was thinking about some of the things I have been privileged to experience in life.  I had, I think, just turned 70 years old, and was in that kind of mood where one sort of looks over one’s life in contemplation and thanksgiving.  I decided then to start a list of things that I have experienced in life that, while not unique or extremely unusual, were things that not just everybody has the opportunity to experience.  I created a file on my computer called “Have You Ever?” and wrote my responses to that question.

Over the next weeks and months, the list grew beyond anything I had imagined.  Everything from seeing a glacier in the Arctic calve live and in person to operating a real railroad locomotive and hiking up Pikes Peak are on this list that now spans over two pages, double spaced.  And I think of one or two additional things to put on the list every so often, and have a couple in mind now, in fact.

Most of us, when we look at our lives lived, come away with the idea that we’re just another cog in the great wheel of life, and have just sort of muddled our way though the ordinary work of getting up, going to work, raising a family, shopping at the food store, and paying bills.   As I’ve looked over the list, I have come to realize that the life I’ve lived so far has been anything but routine, mundane existence.

Now that I’ve made a list of some of my accomplishments in life, the next thing for me is to understand what I just said a few seconds ago with my heart instead of just my head.  “The life I’ve lived so far has been anything but routine, mundane existence.”  I know that intellectually.  The list proves it.  But it’s really difficult for me to get past the routine…the getting up, dressing, eating, working, and so on…and fully appreciate the opportunities God has graciously given me.

And doesn’t that work on a more spiritual level as well?  We as Christians understand intellectually the story of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  We know about God’s plan for the redemption of mankind and the creation, the fulfillment of that plan in the person and work of Jesus, and the resulting freedom that comes with forgiveness of sin and adoption as sons and daughters of God.  We know all of that, but somehow, the full impact of that astounding truth seems to be lost on us as we muddle through our Christian lives, attending church services most Sundays, half-heartedly singing or joining in a community prayer, or taking the communion with thoughts of “what’s for lunch” instead of those thoughts and thanksgivings we ought to be having.

We go through the week in a sort of Christian living fog, compromising here and giving in there.  We have thoughts as well as words that aren’t supposed to be front and center during our days living as Christians.  We look the other way when need confronts us.  We continue to believe and spread obvious untruths…lies, if you will…about our co-workers, politicians, and anyone who doesn’t believe just like we do on a host of issues from immigration to church doctrine to inclusion and diversity.

It seems to me that it’s past time for many of us to recognize Truth when we see it…not just intellectually, but with our heart…as Webster defines the word heart…one’s innermost character, feelings, or inclination.  It’s only then, I think, when we can also more fully understand the incredible gifts and opportunities God has given us…gifts and opportunities which enable us to get the message of God to others…the message of hope, redemption, and grace…and that those to whom we give the message will have receptive hearts, at  least in part because of our genuineness of character.

To tell the message of forgiveness and freedom while harboring grudges, spreading untruth, and ignoring those in need is at the least disingenuous, and brings out our hypocritical nature for all to see.  How can we effectively speak of Jesus when we also effectively lock him out of our hearts?

It’s time for those of us who claim to be Christians to look like Christians…not the westernized, modernized, sanitized, and hypnotized version…but the genuine article…one that walks as one talks, and does as one says.  To be and do any less is, shall we say it gently…unforgiveable.

 Blessings.

 

Mary

 A couple of weeks ago, while Pat and I were on vacation, I got a text message on my phone from a woman I’ll call Mary.  Mary had never contacted me before, and got my cell number from an acquaintance of hers.  As you know, I am the primary contact at our church for benevolence needs, and Mary was needing some help, so she contacted me and sent along a photo shot of her most recent electric bill.  She needed about $150 to make a timely payment on the payment plan she had set up with the utility to settle some past due charges.

What you need to know up front is that the utility, Evergy, is willing to set up a payment plan for past-due charges in many instances, but if a payment on that plan is even one day late, the payment plan goes away, the entire amount is due at once, and disconnection comes rapidly following unless the full amount is paid quickly.

Since we were on vacation several states away, I had no way to help, and in fact my policy is to not respond to requests for help on my personal cell, because if I did, I would be getting requests all hours of every day.  I insist that those needing help come to the office for a personal chat, and that they bring a copy of whatever bill with them so that I could contact the utility to verify the need.  So, I didn’t respond to her at that time.

Once we got back to Wichita and I started back to work, I contacted Mary.  She told me that the deadline for paying the payment plan amount had passed…they had shut off her electric service, and she owed well over $700 in order to get it turned back on.  I told her we could pay up to the maximum per our guidelines…$150…on her bill, but that she would have to find other means for the rest of it.  We then visited a little more.   Here’s what I heard from her.

Mary is a caregiver for her adult, autistic, disabled son.  He can’t work, and she needs to be with her son pretty much 24-7 so she can’t work as well.  They have no transportation and walk everywhere they have to go.  She had applied for the LIEAP utility assistance funds long ago, but hasn’t heard anything from them.  She called the LIEAP offices and was told that they were so far behind that it would be another month or more before they even got to her application to consider her for help.

She has also contacted the usual utility help organizations in the metro area.  One national organization was out of funds, which is a normal response for them.  Another requires a person to get in a line on Tuesday mornings…that line forming as early as 5 AM…in order to be one of a limited number of people allowed to enter the facility to get…not help with a utility, but an appointment time on a later day to discuss one’s needs with a social worker.  Other places also gave the usual, “out of funds” story to her as she looked for assistance or didn’t return her calls.

Although her son has a disability designation, she doesn’t yet have that designation for herself, even though she applied for that status a year ago.  So, they have been trying to survive on about $900 a month, which is her son’s monthly disability check.  They have SNAP assistance, so that helps some.

And oh, by the way, had her landlord found out that her electric had been shut off due to non-payment, she and her son would have been evicted with three days notice for breach of rental contract.

I’ll stop here and tell you that what she told me about her efforts to find help match pretty much exactly with stories I’ve heard from dozens of people over the years as I’ve worked with this ministry.  I totally believe what she has told me because it does match up, almost word for word, with those stories from past encounters with many others.  This scenario plays out among the Wichita area poor literally hundreds of times a week, just as Mary described it to me, with changes only in some of the more minor points.

Well, time went on.  A little over a week later, I hadn’t heard back from Mary regarding her effort to find other funds to supplement our promised contribution.  She, however, later called the office and told me that she hadn’t been able to raise more than about $200, and had been without electricity for eight days.  We visited a little more, then hung up.  But I couldn’t get her situation out of my mind…especially the fact that had I been available in the office when she first contacted me, we might have been able to pay the payment plan amount and keep her from being disconnected.  I didn’t take that responsibility personally on my shoulders, but it did weigh on me as I closed out my work day.

In the process of my visits with Mary, I got her address.  Continuing to consider Mary’s situation concerning possible eviction, no transportation, lack of help from other organizations, and caring for a disabled son, at the end of my work day, I called my wife, explained the situation, and asked if she would accompany me to Mary’s apartment.  She agreed, and I picked her up at the agreed-on meeting place and we went to the apartment.

Mary’s apartment was on the top floor of the building on the west side.  It was sweltering hot in her apartment, and very, very dark.  She had kept the blinds closed to try to prevent the heat of the day from coming in so much.  Mary is a woman in her mid 50’s, and rather frail in appearance.   Her health overall did not look very good.  We also met her son, who appeared out of a back room in the apartment, coming to the door.  We visited more about her situation and what little progress she had made in paying the electric bill.  She still owed over $600 in overdue bills, plus now her current billing, which brought the total to over $700.

There was no way I was going to leave her and her son in that sweltering hothouse of an apartment, fearful of eviction and turned down by other organizations for help, and go home to a comfortable evening in my easy chair.  So I asked her for a copy of a bill, contacted the payment service for Evergy, and paid the entire amount owed from the church credit card.  The electric service came back on about three minutes after I had paid the bill.

Think about this.  How could she have traveled to the organization where one gets in line just to get an appointment for later in the week with no transportation and having to care for an autistic son?  Even the city bus service doesn’t run that early in the day, and the organization’s office is about 6 miles away from her apartment.

The LIEAP utility assistance program is so understaffed that the people who rely on it for help with their bills once the cold weather rule goes off in the spring can’t get that help until well into the summer…by then too late to avoid their utility being shut off due to the discontinuation of the cold weather rule.

And why does it take a year or more to process an application for federal disability benefits?  If that would have been adjudicated timely, she may well have had the funds to pay her bills.

One more thing.  Where would these people have gone had they been evicted?  How would they have moved their things with no transportation and no money?  How would they have navigated that crisis?  Have you tried to rent something in the Wichita area recently?  Do you know the cost of doing that and the things you have to do in order to just be considered for an apartment?  Those two people would have been on the street, so far down in the poverty whirlpool that they never would have seen the light of day again.

I tell you Mary’s story simply to tell you this.  There are hundreds…no, thousands…of Marys in the greater metro area.  Their stories are the same.  Their struggle to just survive the day is real.  If you have a roof over your head, food in the refrigerator, turned-on utilities, and a machine that will take you places where you want to go…with fuel in it to get you there, you are blessed beyond measure.  Rejoice in thanksgiving for those blessings, and bear in mind your responsibility to help those in need like Mary.  Then do it…fulfill that responsibility.  Blessings.

More Random Stuff

 Good afternoon and welcome to this Thursday Thought.  I thought today that I’d just do a sort of potpourri of random “stuff” that has been on my mind recently.  I haven’t done this in awhile, and it seems like a good time to get some of this out of my brain and on Facebook.

 When driving on any kind of a freeway, there are always a few people who insist on tailgating within a few feet of the car ahead of them.  It seems to me that this method of driving only causes more anxiety and stress, but doesn’t do much to get them any farther down the road.  I would think that having a good distance between you and the car in front of you would lessen the stress level and result in a better overall driving record.

 Also, when on a freeway, there are always some who insist on going at least 20 miles and hour faster than everyone else.  They weave in and out of lanes, create stressful situations for other drivers, and seem to think that driving the freeway is some kind of a game where, if they win they get some kind of prize.  I have yet to see any kind of prize given to anyone for doing this kind of driving, except for the occasional traffic citation and higher insurance rates, to say nothing of higher costs for fuel and maintenance…which doesn’t seem to me to be any kind of prize I would want.

 And speaking of driving, why is it that when a couple is on a motorcycle, the man is always driving?  Is there something wimpy about a man riding shotgun with a woman at the helm?  Is it a macho type of thing or something?  Do men who own motorcycles have to drive in order to prove their manhood?  How did that ever come about, anyway?

 We have, over the recent years, been able to take trips and vacations on a rather regular basis.  We’ve chosen to stay in motels that are associated with an international chain that is known for good service and cleanliness.  We’ve found, however, that those cleanliness and service standards are somewhat fluid, even within the corporate chain.  We’ve also found that we can know exactly what the free breakfast consists of as all of this chain’s motels and hotels seem to offer the exact same things even though the hotels are independently owned.  I wonder just how independent these places really are…

 I recently looked at my list of blocked phone numbers on my cell phone.  I was surprised that there were so many of them.  And even with the great number of blocked numbers on my list, I still receive calls from, I presume, people I don’t know and don’t want to know.  I say “presume” because I don’t answer calls from numbers that I’m not familiar with or are not in my phone book.  Phone numbers are becoming as much of an identifier as a social security number anymore.  To change one’s number often requires a lot of changing in the personal information sections of many contacts, businesses, and institutions one deals with.  Who knew some years ago that it would come to this?

 And speaking of phones, how long ago was it that someone would have given their right arms to have a phone in their car?  I can well remember being on the road a lot for a job I had in Western Kansas…knowing where all of the pay phones were in all of the little towns out there.  I well remember having a telephone “credit card” number that I could use to charge a call to my home phone, and thereby not having to put endless quarters into the pay phone to pay for the long distance call.  I often wished I could just call someone from my car and not have to stop at a pay phone or borrow a client’s phone.  Now, the world is on my hip, although I’m not so sure I’m all the better for it being that way.

 And an end note.  This week is the last week for a long-time member of our church staff.  Eric has been our worship leader here at RiverWalk since his earliest days, and has been on staff for more years than I can count.  He’s retiring this Sunday, and they’ll be moving to the Eastern seaboard in their retirement.  We wish them well, and know that the hole they leave in our RiverWalk family will never quite fill in completely.  We’ve known of their impending retirement and move for several years, but that doesn’t make this week any less difficult.  Thank you, Eric and Melody.  Blessings.

Trying Too Hard

 I was in our front yard doing some gardening in one of our front flower beds a few days ago.  It had recently rained some, and the weeds were easy to pull, so I was spending some time doing just that.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a golf cart pulling up into the drive and coming toward me.  I knew that Rick, our neighbor, was coming to see me for some reason.  Sometimes it’s just to visit; other times he needs me to do something for him.

Rick is retired, and has difficulty getting around due to the after effects of a long-ago stroke.  He often uses the golf cart to get the mail or visit some relatives a couple of blocks away in our neighborhood.  So it wasn’t at all surprising that he showed up in our drive.

It turned out that he wanted me to go next door to his place and try to raise the hood on one of his vehicles.  He had pulled the release inside the cabin, but couldn’t figure out where the secondary latch was that would give final release.

It isn’t unusual for him to ask me to do some small thing such as this, and I am happy to oblige.  He and Sharon, his wife, are good neighbors, and are doing their best to make their way in the latter stages of life and living in spite of the difficulties.

I went with him into the garage and made certain that the release had been pulled inside the cabin.  I then went to the front of the vehicle, turned on the flashlight on my phone, and looked under the hood for the secondary latch.  It was right there in the space between the hood and the radiator, which is where I expected it to be.  It was difficult for me to reach my hand into the space far enough to manipulate the latch lever, and I don’t have large hands at all.

Rick’s hands were much larger than mine, and weren’t as nimble due to his physical condition.  I think he wasn’t able to get his hand in far enough to even touch the lever, let alone move it to raise the hood.

When I did get my hand to the lever, at first I couldn’t raise the hood even though the lever moved.  I tried a couple more times, and got it to raise up.  It turned out that the hood latch was built so that if one lifted on the lever too hard, it seemed to catch somehow and wouldn’t let the hood up.  Whether that was an intentional thing or just a flaw in the design, I don’t know.  One had to lift rather gently on the lever…then the hood would go right up.

The first couple of times, I was trying too hard.  Making things more difficult the harder I tried.  How often have you found yourself in that position in life?  Something happens that you need to respond to, or you’d like for something to happen in a certain way, and you find out that the harder you try to make whatever it is happen, the worse the situation becomes.  I like to use the term “finagle” to describe such behavior.  I know the dictionary definition of the word, but I tend to take a little different personal view of the word.  While the dictionary describes the word as resorting to deception, cheating, or swindling, it also uses the term “cleverness” to explain it.  That’s how I use the word…cleverness…we will resort to almost any means to get the results we want, as long as those means don’t conflict too much with our moral compass.

Fixing the issue of trying too hard doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t try at all.  Sitting back and letting the world go by, not engaging in anything of substance is not how God wired us.  He has outfitted us with certain talents and abilities and expects us to use them to finagle??...no, use them for His glory and for His purpose.  As it is with many things in life, there is a kind of happy medium where we are diligent and purposeful in what we do, but we don’t overdo it…nor do we sit back and just let things deteriorate.

Finding that happy medium is sometimes one of the more difficult things we as humans encounter.  It takes maturity, wisdom, and yes…even courage and strength to resist going off of the deep end one way or the other, staying the course.

When God is our guide in life and living…when our desire is to serve Him and our joy is participating with Him in the renewal of the creation in our sphere of things…then we are within His will and purpose for us.

Don’t lift the hood latch to forcefully, because it won’t work.  Don’t try to hard.  Do find joy in what you do for the Lord.  Do find satisfaction in partnering with God in your sphere of influence.  Do allow Him to do the finagling, as it were, FOR you and on YOUR and HIS behalf.  And rest in the knowledge that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

 Blessings.

"Thank You"

 Each Sunday in our worship services, we set aside some time for the communion.  Some may call it the eucharist or some other designation.  Many of us are familiar with this religious observance, even if we don’t attend regularly or our particular church does not regularly participate.

The mechanism of delivering a piece of unleavened bread and the wine, or the “fruit of the vine,” as many call it, differs from church to church.  Some pass trays with the elements on them down the rows of worshippers.  Others have participants come to the front of the auditorium to an altar.  Some have clergy hand out the emblems.  Some distribute one-time-use cups that are sealed with both the bread and the wine inside.

At RiverWalk, we have both the sealed one-use cups as well as ushers who will serve the elements to those who prefer that method.  Those ushers will go up and down the aisles, and generally know who would prefer to be served, because it usually the same worshippers from week to week.  They also look for raised hands signaling that the person would prefer to be served.

We sit across from an older lady in the assembly.  I believe she is the oldest member of our congregation.  She’s in her mid-90’s and still drives to services and lives on her own.  Doris prefers to be served by an usher as it is difficult for her to use the pre-filled, sealed cups.

Last Sunday, I happened to watch as she took the emblem from the tray that Keith was carrying.  When she had done so, she looked at him and mouthed, “Thank you,” to him.

I turned away and faced the front again.  But I couldn’t get out of my mind the simple act of kindness that I just saw.  For some reason, Doris mouthing a thank you to the usher was to me a profound example of how simple acts of kindness and gratitude can overflow even in the midst of the most routine and mundane events and circumstances.  Now, I’m not saying that the communion itself is mundane and routine.  Far from it.  But the idea that someone would thank someone else for doing a job that he was supposed to be doing in the first place…and during a time when our thoughts were on Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross…came across to me as something special and in a real way very integral with the communion itself.

We say it often, many of us do, in many ways and many venues.  Kindness matters.  Civility matters.  Gratitude matters.  Thankfulness matters.  Kindness, civility, gratitude, and thanksgiving should be as routine and normal for us as breathing.  Those qualities should be embedded into our lives and routines to the point that doing anything to the contrary would create within us a sense of, “Why in heaven’s name did I do that?” and cause us to make it right if we could.  And if we couldn’t, to at least determine that we will do better.

“Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”  The Bible is filled with these kinds of statements.  We also find many examples of kindness, gratitude, thanksgiving and civility in that book.  That way of living promotes a kind of inner peace and joy that just can’t be matched by anything else.  The effect on society at large, even if we just commit the small kindnesses and acts of gratitude, is so much greater than just about anything else we could do to influence our corner of the world for the good.  And, it’s something we can all participate in…regardless of our race, creed, color, origin, orientation, wealth, age, or any other marker of who we are.

“Be kind to one-another.”  Good stuff.

Mind Your Own Business

 

Good morning, and welcome.

 The church where I work is rather old-fashioned in some ways.  Actually, I think most all churches could make that statement if one would carefully look at that church’s tenants and practices.  I suspect one could find several items that were traditional or from a former era.

 One of those practices considered to be old fashioned is Wednesday evening services.  Most churches don’t do that anymore, but we still do, at least most months of the year.  We take a break over the summer months.  We don’t have a large attendance, but the time is productive and gives us the impetus to finish out the week.

 I’ve been teaching a short adult class on the New Testament book of II Thessalonians.  I chose that book because first of all, I myself didn’t know a lot about the book and wanted to learn more.  Second, it’s a short book that fit into my four-week time slot.  And third, there’s a wealth of teaching in that book that is as pertinent now as it was those many centuries ago.

 Paul the apostle is the author of the short letter to the church at Thessalonica.  He had written at least one prior letter to the church…the book of I Thessalonians.  In that prior letter, he urged the people of the church to lead quiet lives and if at all possible, earn your own living, not being dependent on others.  He also urged them to not be idle or disruptive, but instead encourage others and be patient with all.

 That first letter evidently had little effect on those who were the subjects of that paragraph, because in the second letter that has been preserved for us, Paul is much more adamant in his teaching on idleness and minding one’s own business, going so far as to tell the church members to keep away from those who are idle, disruptive, and busybodies.  He minces no words, and is direct and clear in what he is saying.

 Wouldn’t life go more smoothly if everyone just minded his own business and became involved in the business of others only if asked to do so?  And even if asked, that help should be encouraging and  tempered with patience and love.  Additionally, the one who has been asked for help should gracefully bow out when asked or when it becomes apparent that no further help is needed or wanted.

 We can’t even keep our own lives on an even keel much of the time.  How would we expect to be able to guide the lives of others?

 Additionally, being a busybody, as Paul says, inserting ourselves into other people’s business tends to bring out three things in us that are not good.  First, we tend to develop a feeling of superiority over another person.  Second, we inflate our own egos in this process, thinking more of ourselves than we ought…thinking that we have the answers.  And third, we gain a certain amount of power over the person we think we are helping.  All of those things run counter to the attitudes and behaviors of Christians.  And it would be helpful if everyone realized that these things are not good for us or for society.

 Things haven’t changed much in the centuries between when this was written and today.  Idleness and a lack of work or productive service tends to bring on the temptation to insert oneself into someone else’s business, even when not asked, needed, or wanted.  This kind of activity tends to disrupt things, cause hard feelings, and create divides and schisms between and among people.  It is not the kind of activity that a Christian should be involved in, and it would be helpful if everyone, Christian or not, heeded this good advice from the Good Book.

 Thanks for listening to this sermonette today.  I normally don’t make the Thursday Thought a Bible Class, but sometimes, one has to do what one has to do.  May the rest of your week be blessed, and may we all remember the true reason for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday as we gather with family and friends.

 Blessings.

The Next TIme

 Good afternoon, and welcome.

 I know I’ve visited with you before regarding the topic for today.  But I think it deserves another look.  As you know, I work at a downtown urban church set on the banks of the Arkansas river.  This location gives us plenty of opportunity to see what goes on in the downtown area as well as to sometimes participate in it.

 As the warmer weather has come on us, we see more of the unhoused walking the streets in front of and beside our building.  They are usually easy to spot and set apart from the business people and residents of the area who are walking the streets as well.  They usually have large backpacks or are pushing or pulling some kind of cart or wagon.  If they happen to have a bicycle, they often will have it loaded down with bags, or will be pulling some kind of cart behind it.  Their clothing is often ill-fitting and out of season.  They have a generally disheveled appearance.  They often look as if they’ve just come in from the wilderness and are in need of hygiene services.

 Now, I say none of those things in order to denigrate or make fun of anyone.  Rather, I say those things because you too have seen such people, and most likely don’t have the best thoughts about them when you see or encounter them.  The thoughts of most of us who encounter these folks range from, “Why don’t they get a job?” to “Why don’t they just go away?”  Sometimes the thoughts and even spoken comments are more mean-spirited than those I just mentioned, reducing these people to something less than human and worthy of nothing from the rest of us.  We treat animals better than some of us treat these people.

 The sight of an unhoused person or couple walking the street with all of their worldly possessions on their backs is familiar to me.  I’ve seen it hundreds and  hundreds of times.  They’ve come to our church door hundreds and hundreds of times looking for food, water, a restroom, clothing, gloves, or something else that will help them get through the day.  Some of their requests we can help with…others, not so much.

 Just a few minutes ago, John came to the door.  He shows up about once a year and always wants to go through the Lions Club donated eyeglasses box we have in our foyer to see if there may be glasses in there that he might be able to use.  He also usually uses the restroom facilities.  A decent and friendly man, John never needs much, and is always polite and well-spoken.

 Rocky comes by more often.  He never needs much either…some Gatorade or maybe a pair of socks, a tube of Fixodent denture adhesive or perhaps something else small.  Sometimes he needs the restroom…sometimes not.  The last time he came in, he used the restroom.  I went in afterwards and found the Jeans he had been wearing in the trash, along with a lot of paper hand towels.  He had evidently soiled himself and used the restroom to clean up and change his pants.

 Many others walk by and never stop, except maybe to check out the Paxton’s Blessing Box we have outside our door.  Most of them I don’t know.  Many of them will be in this area for awhile, then go somewhere else either in the Wichita area or another city.  A very few will put together what it takes to get permanent housing, and will get off the street.  Jim and Arlene are two examples of that.  I’m grateful they were able to navigate the sometimes byzantine requirements for a government identification card and then succeed in running the maze of government agencies and qualifying for housing and other resources.

 Even though I’ve seen hundreds of scenes of the unhoused on the street, each time I see it I get a twinge in my soul and am at once both saddened that we as a society can’t seem to get a handle on the issue, and yet grateful that I’ve been given what I have in life and can go home to a real house with turned-on utilities, comfortable furniture, and a great neighborhood.

 I don’t have the answers.  I’m not certain at this point that anyone does.  But I know that those who I see on the street are people…human beings…worthy of the dignity and respect that comes with that designation.  Unhoused, disheveled, mentally ill, jobless…it doesn’t matter.  When we begin to disrespect or at minimum ignore any class of human beings, we cheapen the meaning of human life and make it more expendable.  As humans ourselves, we need to continually, ferociously guard against that tendency.

 The next time you see an apparently homeless individual on the street, think about what it is that you think or say when you see one.  Maybe, just maybe, you need to develop a little more kindness and empathy, and see them for who they are…humans made in the image of God.

 Blessings,

A Call and A Visit

 Late last week, I received a call at the office from a woman needing assistance with rent.  Now, we normally don’t do rent, but when she told me she was keeping seven kids in three motel rooms, I at least listened to her story.

I won’t go into the story, but she did say that she was working with another church in town.  I asked if I could contact that church regarding her and she agreed.  By the way, we didn’t help with rent, but we did pay her motel bill for another day to give her more time to get things put together.

I called the woman at the other church and visited with her regarding the woman in need.  I also visited with her regarding benevolence in general.  The church I called was on the west side of Wichita in a nicer neighborhood.  It was also a much larger congregation than ours.  We ended the call with my asking if we could meet in person and discuss benevolence in general more fully than we can on the phone.  She agreed, and we met this week…yesterday, in fact.

Abby and her supervisor were gracious and forthcoming in the meeting.  I was somewhat surprised by the number of benevolent requests they receive on the average.  They said it wasn’t unusual for them to receive 8 or more requests a day for some kind of help.  They said the numbers have substantially increased, and there were days they felt “inundated”…that was the word Abby used to describe how she felt.

They receive mainly requests for rent assistance.  They also receive other kinds of requests, including food, clothing, transportation, and other services.  As you may know from my other Thursday Thoughts, RiverWalk doesn’t normally do rent or transportation, but will, depending on the circumstance, help with a utility bill or perhaps gasoline for a vehicle.  We also help any of our members much more fully than we would a non-member if there is a need there.  We are limited, however, just as all non-profits and churches are, in how much we can help.  There is only so much to go around and when it’s gone, we have to say, “No.”

I tell you these things to say that we often have conflicting emotions and feelings as we work with those in need.  These women confirmed that as I visited with them.  We often feel discouraged at the sheer numbers of those in need.  We almost grieve as we hear of children and women who have no place to go and are living on the street or in a vehicle.  We become angry at times because of how some are treated by landlords and others.  Hearing the stories of those who are being sucked into the pit of homelessness and poverty becomes wearing on our emotional well-being and even makes us physically and mentally exhausted at times.  We become cynical at the world and the society around us, seemingly an uncaring and cruel place.

We look at government for assistance and many times receive commissions and committees who are “studying” the issues, with no real answers forthcoming.  We look to our state legislatures and the Congress and see partisan bickering, stonewalling, and seemingly catering to the haves more than the have-nots.

Abbi and Sherry at the church I visited, as well as we at RiverWalk and dozens of other non-profits and churches, work hard to provide resources as we can and are able to those in need.  We sometimes cannot provide what the requester believes he or she needs, but sometimes we can help out in some way.  Additionally, we work to help those needing help to see beyond the next hour, day, or week.  To work toward self-sufficiency, and leave generational poverty and need behind.  When appropriate, we broach the subject of spiritual need and the fact that Jesus Christ can fill that need, and our willingness to partner with them in exploring the faith.

Abbi, Sherry and I ended our conversation with the old truth that we can’t help everyone, but we can help someone…one person at a time.  We closed with a prayer that each of us participated in.  I left there uplifted by the knowledge that others feel as I often do, and by the truth of helping one person at a time, being given the opportunity to point people toward the love of Jesus Christ as well as receiving the strength and wisdom to carry on.

I am grateful for the opportunity to visit with them, and grateful for the opportunity God has given me at this time to do this work on behalf of the RiverWalk Church of Christ.

 

Blessings,