Public Servants

 Over the past several years, I've made it my intention to reach out to various state and local officials, office holders, etc.  I've mainly done so with people who represent me or with whom I may have some kind of direct dealing.  I've tried to be both polite and knowledgeable in my efforts, and those efforts have largely paid off.  Many have returned my overtures, and we have developed some sort of relationship to a greater or lesser extent.

I also have had lunch with some of these folks, attended public informational meetings, and communicated on the phone or by email or social media.  I've come to know several well enough that they have told me things they might never say in front of a camera.  Over the years, I've come to a conclusion that one might miss if one hears only ten-second sound bytes or sees a one minute piece in a local news show.  Someone could easily get the wrong idea about most of these people with that limited input.

In my opinion, the great majority of these local and state public servants, and yes, even those in federal service are just people who are trying to do the best they can do, given the situation they are in, the office they hold, the resources they have, and the rules, bureaucracy, laws, and court decisions which constrain them.  They don't have the magic answer for many of the issues we face such as homelessness, gun violence, medical autonomy, public education shortfalls, teacher/social worker/physician/other vocations shortages, and other societal and environmental issues that are part of life and living in today's world.  Furthermore, they know they don't have the magic answer, and they also know that their colleagues don't have the answer either.  They just do the best they can.

One other thing.  Most problems and issues are incredibly more complicated than most of the public believes.  In many cases, there is a plethora of laws, regulations, and court decisions, to say nothing of financial resource availability, time constraints, human resource availability, public pushback, and other constraints and issues which make solving the issue at hand, or even making substantial progress on it problematic at best.

These folks become just as frustrated, just as stymied, and just as yes, even angry at the lack of progress as all the rest of us.  They have families.  They have friends.  They have life to live.  And by and large they must live that life with the same problems and issues dogging them as those issues do the rest of us.

So, maybe we the public…us ordinary folks…need to understand that we don't have the answers either.  It's easy to parrot some platitude about the homeless man just needing to get a job rather than beg for food.  It's nice to say that teachers need to teach, not be social workers.  It's good to say that everyone deserves health care.  And it's noble to speak for the unborn.  But each of those issues, and hundreds more, are complex mazes of settled law, ideological bent, environmental factors, resource availability, and a host of other  complicating factors that make many of these issues a kind of mushy soup that our elected and appointed representatives and officials must work with, make sense out of, and formulate some kind of way forward.

Maybe we need to give some grace to the people who serve us in some public capacity.  And if we do communicate with them, offer constructive, problem-solving comments rather than crass, vitriolic or harsh ones.  At a minimum, we should treat them as we would want to be treated.  Maybe if we did that, the world might be a more gentle place.

Yes, I realize that politics, extreme ideology, and the thirst for power, wealth, and control often get in the way of the Golden Rule.  But I also realize that unless we step up with a change in heart and attitude, demonstrating a better way, the morass of vitriol and hate will just perpetuate.  We cannot admit defeat and just go along with the crowd.  For those of us who believe that Jesus offers a better way, it is up to us to demonstrate that better way…to live it out in our everyday.  The better ways of Jesus have changed the world order in the last two thousand or so years.  Those ways will continue to change the world order for as long as we who are Christ-followers will continue to show those better ways to a lost and dying world.

 

 

Where Is This Going?

 Today, I decided to spend some time in prayer and meditation...specifically for guidance in how to make the best use of a rather large sum of money donated to the missions committee for missions work. Obviously, we want to make the best use of it for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus. To that end, several of us in our congregation decided to spend some time today in prayer and meditation.

I began by getting into my easy chair and put my feet up. I shut my eyes and began with prayers for not only the best use of the funds, but also for a couple of other issues regarding missions. One is how we can encourage the congregation to begin to think (and act) more missionally. The other is the decisions that Josh and Allyssa Myers, a young couple we have recently begun a relationship with on the committee level, will be making in the next weeks regarding their future as missionaries...domestic or foreign.

However, my mind quickly devolved into a kind of kaleidoscope of visions of various people...both those I know and those I don't know. And they all were people who I mostly did not know...and who were not part of our church fellowship. When these visions first began, my mind wanted to go back to the original reason why I was in prayer, but I couldn't do so, keeping these visions of people at the forefront.

So for a time I just rested in that world, taking in the people who quickly came and went into and out of the vision. When I sort of re-awakened, I wondered about the meaning of it all. It quickly came to my mind that perhaps the issue of how to spend the funds wasn't as important as I may have at first thought...that perhaps people...those I both know and don't know...take precedence. Maybe it is people I need to be concerned with...not money.

One other thing. Right before this time in meditation, I found out via social media that a couple our church had helped with groceries and utilities from time to time while they were living in Wichita, and had a few years ago moved to Arkansas...the wife today lost her life due to COVID. It was a rather sudden thing and unexpected for this woman who was no more than 50 years old. I had been maintaining contact with them by way of social media following their move, and continued to help them personally from time to time as they worked to keep themselves clean from drugs and make a life for themselves.

Robert and Nicole were fighters. They fell off the wagon once in a while, but were determined to get back on and go again. Although they were not to my knowledge members of any local church family, I believe they knew God and the saving grace of His Son Jesus Christ. I think they did the best they could with the hand that was dealt to them, and were able to get and stay clean through the power of God and the encouragement of others.

As I recalled their time in Wichita, I was reminded of some of the times we interacted with them. At the time, what we were doing for them didn't seem to be of much importance, at least to me. Some groceries from time to time. Once in a while some money on a utility bill. We did what we could as they struggled to remain free from addiction, and we remained with them during times when one or both would fall back into it.

There is a connection here, I believe, between the visions I had of various, mostly unknown people and my recollections of Robert and Nicole. Many of those recollections were the small (to us) things we did with and for them as they struggled through life here in Wichita.

Because of that interaction, Robert, Nicole and I personally have become joined in some way over time, and I am acutely feeling the pain of Robert as his world has fallen apart when she passed away today. They don't have, and never had any extra money. They were doing well to live day to day, and occasionally borrowed money from me through PayPal to get themselves through to the next check. They always paid it back and were grateful. Now, Robert has just asked on social media how he can raise funds to deal with funeral expenses. He's lost right now, and probably will be for some time.

So, where does all of this go? What's the takeaway from this? As of now, I'm not sure. But what I do see is that whatever we do with the donated funds; whatever we do in helping Josh and Allyssa; whatever we do in encouraging our congregational family to be more missions-minded; people need to be at the forefront. People we may not know. People who need the Lord. People who come and go into and out of our lives. Just like Robert and Nicole, some little thing we may do that may not mean much to us at the time...some minor interaction, something said or done...may well have life-long consequences that we may never see or know anything about. Robert and Nicole are examples of that.

One other thing. Our interaction with Robert and Nicole was part of our church benevolence ministry. This reminds me that benevolence indeed can be, and should be thought of as missions. By loving our neighbor we demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but if we do benevolence correctly, we can foster human connection that sometimes persists throughout life.

I don't know where this is all going, and may never quite have a complete handle on that. However, we continue life in this world as God gives us breath. We foster relationship. We love our neighbor. We imitate Jesus Christ as best we can. We use the resources God has given us to work toward the renewal of the creation and look forward to that time when it will all be complete, whole and perfect again.

Perspiration Service

 Today on social media, I saw a post from a friend of mine, Michelle, who is caring for her elderly father, who has dementia.  She said today that for the first time ever, her father didn’t recognize her when she came into his room.  Here’s her posted comment.  “The day when your dad wakes up and DOESN'T remember who you are has to be the WORST day ever!!!  I'm over here completely heart broken, all by myself, trying to figure out what my next move is...”  I’ve texted Michelle asking if she would like some company, but haven’t yet received a response.

 If she would ask me to come, I would have no clue what I would say.  I suspect that I would do a lot of listening, and ask a few questions here and there, because there really aren’t any answers to Michelle’s situation.  As his caregiver, she has a lot of thinking to do about how things are right now regarding her dad’s care, and what needs to happen in the near future.  She’ll need to contact people, organizations, and care places.  She’ll need to make financial arrangements.  She’ll have to fill out endless forms for both medical and custodial care.  Then there are the legalities of whatever resources her dad may have…how those should be used, and who should make those decisions.

 On top of that, there are family concerns.  I don’t know if Michelle has siblings or other family members, but if so, they need to be, or will want to be in on the goings-on with her dad.  Sometimes families are already fractured…not speaking to one-another or holding grudges.  And these kind of events tend to exacerbate those issues, piling stress upon stress for not only Michelle, but other family members as well.

 The other thing Michelle needs to do is care for herself.  She needs to remain healthy, nourish herself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  She can’t make these decisions and care for anyone else if she herself is not in good condition.  She also has her own daily concerns…paying the bills, keeping herself in the loop of things, and maintaining her household.  It isn’t easy being a caregiver.

 I say all of that to say this.  If you become aware of a friend going through a situation such as this, it’s fine to say, “Call me if you need something.”  However, it’s much, much better to just do something.  Ask if you can visit them or take them away from the situation for an hour or so for coffee or lunch…and just listen.  Volunteer to clean the kitchen, bath, or the whole house.  Take their car to the QuickTrip and put in a tank of gas.  Oh, and check their oil and tires while you’re there.  Volunteer to run to the pharmacy for medication if needed.  I won’t go through a big list of things you might be able to do…you get the point.  Listening to them as you eat lunch with them will usually give you all of the ideas for service you’ll need.

 Oh, and one other thing.  Talking about your own experiences caring for elderly parents usually isn’t much help.  Re-telling horror stories of poor care at the hospital or being snagged in a mountain of paperwork isn’t productive.  So don’t go into the “here’s my story” mode.  They don’t want to listen to you at that time…they want you to listen to them.

 It also isn’t very productive to offer unsolicited advice.  They may well have already been in contact with long term care facilities, home health agencies, and other services.  If they ask you for ideas, go ahead.  Otherwise, such advice usually isn’t needed or wanted.

 In short, be thoughtful when interacting with a friend or loved one who is going through some kind of life situation…either for themselves or for someone else.  Stop.  Think.  Speak little.  Listen much.  Serve…not lip service, but perspiration service.

 Blessings

Theology Weaponized

 Sometimes in doing everyday reading, I come across something that really strikes home.  And sometimes, whatever it is that strikes home for me seems to be something really unusual or even, shall I say, somewhat weird for me.  However, the Spirit moves in mysterious ways, and if weirdness is a way of catching my attention, then so be it.

In the January/February 2023 issue of “Christianity Today” magazine, there is an article titled  “Fury Isn't a Fruit of the Spirit.”  In it, the author, Ronni Kurtz, Assistant Professor of Theology at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, says this in the opening paragraph of the article.

“What is the matter with theology today?  Far from being described by the string of virtues that make up the fruit of the Spirit, much of what is labeled “theology” is insecurity and fury disguised as dialogue or thoughtfulness.  Even the most cursory scrolling of social media could lead you to the conclusion that you must be angry in order to do theology.  In our day, it is not uncommon to see theology used as a weapon and not as a well of joy.”

Wow!  She cuts to the heart of her article quickly right at the first, and, dare I say somewhat aggressively.  No beating around the bush here.  And this criticism of theology is from a professor of theology.

But how does she then continue?  She lists three ways that she says theology is used in modern society that are not at all in accordance with the fruit of the Spirit.  But before we get into that in some depth, let's quickly review what the fruit of the Spirit really is.  And for that, I quote the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 5 who, after discussing the works of the flesh such as immorality, jealousy, uncontrolled anger, and so on, then says this:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Now, as for those three ways Kurtz says theology is inappropriately used, the first she lists is this: “Maybe you've seen theology weaponized as an instrument of division.”  She says that often, Christians will draw boundary lines regarding points of doctrine and create an “us versus them” mentality.  Fellow Christians are warring with each other issues that should never be used as weapons, causing disunity among the faithful.

Secondly, she says, “Maybe you've seen theology weaponized as an instrument of pride.”  She goes on to point out the accumulating theological knowledge sometimes leads to inflated egos and self-importance.  Arrogance soon follows.  Theology becomes a show...theologians become actors on a doctrinal stage.

Her third point is, “Maybe you've seen theology weaponized as a replacement for sanctification and wisdom.”  She goes on to say that devotion to the Lord isn't measured by the memorization of theological lingo and logic.  Theological knowledge doesn't guarantee either Christian sanctification or the wisdom in life and living that comes from above.

Whether we're aware of it or not, most of us who are Christians have seen theology used as a weapon in at least one of the ways Kurtz describes.  It's relatively easy for the human spirit...the “works of the flesh” as the Apostle Paul puts it, to take charge of things and cause discord, disunity, and distress through something as spiritual as theology...the study of the nature of God.

So, how does Kurtz end her article?  What is her point?  Just this.  As she says in the article, “Theology done well can drive the virtues that make up the fruit of the Spirit deep in our souls such that we become Christians marked by wisdom and stability.”  She goes on to put together three passages written by the Apostle Paul from Philippians, Romans, and II Corinthians, in this way.  “Contemplate the good, the true, and the beautiful in Christ, and in so doing be transformed by the renewing of your mind by beholding Christ from one degree of glory to another.”  Think about these things.  AMEN

Incredible Blessings

 As I often do when at home, I decided this afternoon to go for a walk in the park that is right behind our home.  I hadn't been out of the house much today and wanted to get out into the air.  The weather was a little crisp, but little wind, and it was sunny.  A good day for a walk.

As I began my walk, I thought it would be good to hear some music as I walked, so I put Pandora on my phone and started listening.  I have, of course, a Pandora account, and have selected several genres of music that I like, and furthermore have put Pandora on shuffle.  And the really cool thing about it all is my phone plays into my hearing aids via bluetooth, providing me a private concert as I'm walking.

I got a little way into the walk, and began thinking about the technology I was using.  My phone seamlessly transferred itself from my home wi-fi to the phone carrier's data link as I got out of range of my wi-fi.  My phone then transferred the audio to my hearing aids via bluetooth.  I could even open the hearing aid app on the phone and adjust the bass, treble, etc. to my preferred settings.  If I had wanted to do so, I could have looked at the phone screen to see who was performing, what the lyrics of the song were, and other information about what was playing at the time.

OK, all you who are 50 or older...think about this.  Sixty, fifty, even twenty five years ago, this wouldn't have been happening.  The technology just wasn't there.  The Internet.  Wi-fi.  Cellular systems with Internet data.  Cell phones.  Hearing aids with bluetooth.  Pandora.

Just how magical and wondrous is it that I can wander in the woods and hear great music of my preference sent just to me for no charge (I still endure the ads on Pandora) wirelessly through a network that literally encompasses the earth.  This same network also enables me to send text, crisp photos, audio, movies, and who knows what else literally to any place on earth almost instantly.  And that network is connected to an electronic device I carry with me that has more computing power than most PC's of just a few short years ago and brings the world to me, and me to the world.

I can ask any question, and ask that question in spoken language by the way, and get a spoken response that most of the time is pertinent.  I can immediately access unabridged dictionaries, encyclopedias, governmental information, the weather any place on the globe, breaking news, movies, literally billions of videos, grand fine arts performances of all kinds, travel information, and directions.  I can play games, watch sporting events, find out my elevation above sea level, learn sunset and sunrise times for today (or any day) anywhere in the world, and know where I am anywhere on earth to within about a 6 foot radius.  I can get the exact time to within a tenth of a second. 

I can order pizza, buy opera tickets, book a flight, buy a car, check the inventory at Wal Mart for an item I want, have virtually anything delivered to me, call for transportation to somewhere, get medical advice, pay bills, refill my prescription, check my bank account and deposit, withdraw, or transfer funds, check on my electric utility service usage for the month, day, or year, take photos and movies, unlock my car remotely, turn the thermostat in my home up or down, and accomplish hundreds of other things by using this electronic device we call a phone...all without actually talking to anyone...which was the original purpose of the phone.

Yes, the Internet, the Cell Phone, and wireless technology have enabled the once impossible at ANY...yes ANY...price to be as ubiquitous as night and day and well within the budgets of billions of people world wide.  If you were alive thirty, forty, or sixty years ago, just think of the changes in technology and marvel at what has been done.  Fifty years ago when I was working in Western Kansas for the 3M Company, I would have given my right arm to have a working telephone in my car instead of having to pull up to a pay telephone in some small Western Kansas town and calling collect or with a phone credit card.

Yes, I know the world is still a messed-up place.  We are still at war with each other.  We still don't love our neighbor as we should.  We have polarized ourselves into various camps.  We spend entirely too much money on things we shouldn't.  The Internet is a mixed blessing, bringing pornography and other societal ills to the world as well as the good things we’ve celebrated in this post.  We still lie, steal, cheat and kill.  I get it.  I have, and will continue to speak of society's good and bad sides in other posts.  This post, however, is about technology and the advances in that field in just a few years-time.

The human race isn't all bad.  God has created it all to be, as he says, “Very good.”  We humans have messed it up, but there's still a lot of the creation that displays that “Very Good,” aspect.  Look for the good.  Don't let the bad put you into despair and depression.  Celebrate those people who love their neighbor, exude kindness, extend compassion, and treat others as they wish to be treated.

And take advantage, as much as you can, and in good and noble ways, of the wonderful and incredible inventions that have come about over the past half century or so.

 

Blessings,

What Moves You?

 I do, I suppose, a decent amount of looking at videos on YouTube.  My viewing ranges from train videos to classical performances by various groups, and everything in between.  I enjoy seeing people receiving life-changing gifts by television “surprise squads” as well as what one might classify as “good news” stories that seldom make the national news, but someone has put on YouTube.  It just depends on my mood at the time and what pops up as suggestions for me to watch, based on my preferences over time.

 I don’t like to take in anything on television or on my computer or phone that might pass for what some would call “real life.”  I don’t care for police TV shows, many of the dramatic shows and movies, or other entertainment that presents what some might like to dish out as real life scenarios.  That may be one reason why I generally won’t go to a theater to see a movie, and many times won’t watch one on the television unless it is an older one on TCM.

 I care nothing for what is advertised on streaming video channels, and seldom watch any television that isn’t a sporting event, an old time TV show such as the Carol Burnett show or reruns of The Honeymooners, or a news or current event report.  Nothing else draws my interest.

 Of course, the advertisers and networks don’t care about me and my preferences.  After all, I’m an old geezer over 65 and not interested in many of the products and services hawked in advertisements anyway.  I don’t care if I have gray hair, wrinkles, or other cosmetic imperfections.  I wear blue jeans most days.  My shirts are usually either nondescript pullovers or tee shirts I’ve purchased at some point of interest on a vacation.  My medical provider knows what medications I need and prescribes them for me.  She doesn’t need the pharmaceutical ads and I don’t either.

 My 1998 Ford Ranger regular cab stick on the floor pickup works well for me and is cheap to operate.  I’m happy with regular Medicare and have no interest in moving to an Advantage plan from someone I know nothing about.  If I need a lawyer, I’ll ask my friends for references…not choose one based on their television ads.  We shop for groceries where we get the best service, not necessarily at the places that offer “fresher than fresh.”.  Our favorite restaurant list is pretty much fixed.

 We don’t buy beer, pricey water, or other things like that which are dangled in our faces regularly in the media.  If we want to get a new ride for the wife, we already have a dealer chosen…one we’ve used for years…and who serves us well.  As for insurance, we’ve used the same company for almost 30 years…and we’re quite happy with them.  I have no plans to buy an Apple watch, switch to I Phone, or change my cell phone carrier or Internet provider.  Hulu, Netflix, and Disney streaming hold no fascination for me.

 Well, I’ve kind of gone off on a big tangent in this Thursday Thought, but you get the idea.  Getting back, now, to what I watch on television and social media, I believe I’m rather particular in what I see and how I operate in life.  I’ve often said that I get enough “real life” in my work at the church, my interactions with my family and friends, and in life in general.  I don’t need to have my emotions ginned up by the latest police show or the newest motion picture drama.  Watching people as their lives fall apart around them and as they try to put them back together somehow is something I see and work with regularly.  I’m grateful for the peace and civility that come over me when I see a good deed being done, a wrong made right, a gesture of kindness and love, or some other piece of goodness and generosity.  I bask in the pleasure of well-performed music, whether the classics, southern gospel, or popular.  And music such as Handel’s Messiah move me in ways that I can’t describe…only experience a well-done performance.

 What moves you?  What are you taking into your life?  You know the now-old saying, “Garbage in, Garbage out.”  That also applies, by the way, to people.  Paul, that great apostle and New Testament writer, had something to say about 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.”

 Blessings,

A Christmas Thought

 Good morning !

 During the holiday season, I have a tough time knowing what to say in my Thursday Thought forum.  On the one hand, I should say something about the happiness of the holiday…something about the true meaning of Christmas, the gathering of families, and the generally festive atmosphere.  And it is a great time of the year to renew friendships, foster family relationships, and demonstrate care and concern for others.  We buy gifts for one-another.  Donations to non-profit organizations increase and many people are more in tune with the needs of others during this time.

On the other hand, there is a darker side that tends to come to more to the forefront during this time.  Homelessness is part of that darker side for the lower classes, as is hunger, poverty, lack of medical accessibility…and in the more upper classes, greed, self-centeredness, and lust for power seem to be the thing.  If I talk of the happy things in my post, it seems like I’m ignoring the reality that all isn’t joy and love in the world.  If I talk of the darker things, it seems like I’m ignoring the reality that there is indeed joy and love in the world.

Yes, I know, it’s a conundrum that I’ve sort of created for myself.  I could just choose to ignore one or the other of the realities I mentioned and concentrate on the other.  Many people do that, in fact.  Many choose to be ignorant of the great basic needs of others and try to be in a happy place continually, oblivious to the hurt and pain of the needy.  They’ll party on, continually grabbing at more power, prestige, and wealth with no thought for those in the margins.

Others, however, will concentrate on the ills of society and the plight of the needy.  They will choose to not be part of the happiness that is available…fixating instead on the darker side of things, with a sort of doom and gloom mentality which says that all of society is going into the dumpster unless these issues are fixed.

So, let’s do this.  Instead of either one of those extremes, I’ll concentrate on what I should be concentrating on most of all this time of the year.  That is, of course, the incarnation and birth of Jesus, the Christ of God.

Many call this whole Jesus the Son of God thing fanciful and fake.  Oh, they recognize that Jesus was a real person who lived in the Jewish part of the Roman Empire in the first century; that he was a great teacher and rabbi.  But as far as being God incarnate goes, well, that just goes too far.  A virginal conception is just impossible.  The life and crucifixion of Jesus was a matter of historical fact, but his resurrection…no way.

However, many others have encountered the risen Christ in their lives.  People throughout the centuries have not only acknowledged Jesus as Lord and God, but have placed their faith and trust in him, changing their lives in the process and changing the lives of countless others through their service and love for whom Jesus calls their neighbor.

I don’t know where you fall in all of this.  But I say to you who might not believe the Jesus story.  What if it’s true?  What if it really happened as has been told in not only the Biblical accounts, but also in secular historical accounts?  What if this Jesus really was and is God incarnate?

I know there are many who have relegated that old question, “What will you do with Jesus?” to the trash bin.  But it remains, regardless of your or anyone else’s opinion, one of the seminal questions of all time.  And I continue to believe, even though others do not, that there are but three answers to the question.  That Jesus is an historical figure in the Jewish Roman Empire of the first century is beyond question and established fact.  The same goes for his life of teaching and his crucifixion by the Romans.

So, the answers to, “What will you do with Jesus?” which remain must be those that C. S. Lewis gave to that question in his book “Mere Christianity.”  And I quote Lewis here.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [that is, Christ]: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’  That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse….  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

 

May your Christmas day be blessed.

Try It...You'll Like It

Good morning and welcome to another edition of Thursday Thought.

 In the last couple of weeks, it has been brought home to me yet again that life is fluid.  Things change.  Circumstances change.  Friends and friendships change.  People change.  Things and people come and go, into and out of one’s life.  Just when I am beginning to feel somewhat comfortable with things the way they are, something happens to upset that comfort, and I have to get used to a new normal of some kind.

 You know what I’m talking about.  The grand daughter who was five years old just a few weeks ago is now sixteen going on twenty five.  Your best friends from high school days not that long ago are gone, having passed away at relatively young ages.  Someone dear to you in your church family has developed an aggressive form of cancer and is undergoing treatment that may well not work.  That young couple you know who married what seems just a few days ago…that young couple is in the middle of shepherding kids through the teen years.  The once-in-a-lifetime trip you went on with your spouse is now a distant, albeit pleasant memory.  Your next door neighbor…the one you have been sort of looking after due to his advanced age and precarious medical condition…he has died and someone else is living in the house now.

 And even yourself…you have changed.  You may be taking medication now for things you didn’t even think about years ago.  You have more specialist physicians in your stable of health care people than you used to have.  You may now have a cardiologist, a nephrologist, a dermatologist, pulmonologist, neurologist, or some other “ologist” specialty that you see regularly now, besides your primary provider.  It’s to the point that you have to use your phone’s calendar to keep track of all the appointments.

 And that calendar is handy for things besides medical appointments.  Because you now can’t rely on your brain to recall other appointments and things you need to do.  So now you put those things in your calendar, with reminders popping up on your screen, in your email, and in your texts.

 And when you look in the mirror in the morning, you see someone you haven’t seen before.  This person is older than I remember.  There’s a double chin right there.  And rogue eyebrow hairs are sprouting in helter-skelter fashion.  It’s a double blow when, as you’re looking in the mirror you note that you’ll never be any younger than you are now.

 OK.  Enough of the negativity.  You long ago have gotten the point about change.  Yes.  As long as there is the passage of time, there will be change.  It just comes with the territory.  But change can be a bright spot in an otherwise ordinary day.  After all, it’s change that blows away the clouds and allows the sun to shine after days of dreary, overcast skies.  It’s change that moves the youngest grandkid out of diapers and into continence.  It’s change that let’s you walk your daughter down the aisle as she marries her sweetie.  It’s change that prompts you to try that new restaurant across town.  It’s change that causes others to listen to your wisdom rather than dismiss you for your youth and inexperience.  And it’s change that mellows your heart, softening it to accept and eventually embrace the words of Jesus telling us to forgive others…to love our God and our neighbor and treat others as we would like to be treated.

 Aahh.  So maybe that’s the key.  Maybe that’s the thing that will let us embrace change instead of fearing it.  Maybe our attitudes toward God and others will color how we think of and deal with those inevitable changes which result in losing friends, needing brain reminders, and seeing an old person in the mirror in the morning.

 Loving God, loving those who for whatever reason and for however long or short of a time come into our lives, forgiving others and treating others as we would want to be treated…with dignity and respect…maybe it is these things which enable us to better accept and yes, even embrace the changing nature of life and living.

 So, as the waiter in the restaurant told the diner “Try it…you’ll like it” in the old Alka Seltzer commercial, what do you have to lose?  If you’re being weighed down by all of the change that is coming your way, make one more change…in your heart.  Loving God, loving your neighbor, and treating others with dignity and respect won’t change things overnight.  But you’ll be glad that you tried it…I think you’ll like what it does for you.

 Blessings,

Thursday Musings

Once in a while I like to stop for a few minutes and reflect on things I’ve experienced over the recent past, thinking about them, trying to put them in some sort of context in life.  It does me good to not only think about them, but sometimes to write about them as well.  This is one of those times when I am writing about things I’ve noticed…seen…heard…experienced…recently.  Some of them are what you might categorize as good; others may well be placed in the sad or possibly bad category.  However, that’s a normal thing, because as you know, our lives do not consist of only the good or only the sad or bad.  Life is complicated.  Life experiences are complex sometimes.  It does one good, I think, to reflect on them from time to time.

 In no particular order, here are some of my reflections.

 I’m noticing more women living on the street nowadays.  It used to be that one might see the occasional homeless woman…usually accompanied by a man…on the street, but it is becoming more common now, and women are walking the street unaccompanied more than I’ve seen before.

We also are getting more women who visit the office asking for assistance who are either already on the street, living in their vehicle, staying in a seedy South Broadway motel, or about to be forced to the street.  Men always have the Rescue Mission to go to if necessary.  Women don’t have that option.  Options for women, and especially women with children, are very limited, and those options which exist are usually full to overflowing.

 I’ve also noticed that the general tenor of the homeless population is growing more, shall we say, coarse over the past few years.  It used to be that even if one was homeless, he or she usually tried to keep clean as best as one could, pick up one’s own trash, and respect the property of others.  Now, theft among the homeless is more rampant than ever, vandalism and trashiness have increased, and in general those we see on the street seem to be of a rougher cut than what used to be.

 The Paxton’s Blessing Box, a wooden box we’ve set outside our building and fill with food and water from time to time, has the past few months been vandalized at least four times…each time the door to the box has been ripped off.  I’m told that this is happening in other areas of Wichita as well to the blessing boxes which have been placed there.  I have to wonder if this is the work of one or two individuals, or if there is something else going on with that kind of vandalism.

 There seems to be a kind of awakening among my church family regarding…how shall I say it…loving God and loving one’s neighbor.  Our fellowship traditionally has been one of adherence to Biblical commands and examples, especially when it comes to how to do worship.  We have always been careful, we say, to “speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.”  Of course, there is a lot of interpretation, personal preference, and societal norms that come into play when we decide what it is the Bible is saying to us.

However, we’ve been somewhat more lax when it comes to our responsibility to carry out one specific command found at the end of Matthew’s gospel where Jesus tells us all to make disciples, baptize and teach them as we are going about our daily lives.  We’ve sort of put that on the back burner in the last few decades, but gradually, almost imperceptibly, the command to love one’s neighbor and make disciples is coming out of the shadows and into the light.
Is this the start of a renaissance of sorts?  I don’t know, but I’d like to see where this goes and participate in it in some way.

 And one final thing.  If one dwells too long on news reports and social media, one will come to believe that the world is going the way of the devil and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.  Now, that opinion may have merit since there have seemingly been a raft of mass  shootings, prolonged wars, famine, greed, and so on.

But there also is, if one will just look for it, a lot of good being done by people who are really trying to live out the command of Jesus to love one’s neighbor.  Whether or not these people believe Jesus to be the Son of God is immaterial.  They know, somehow, that loving one’s neighbor as one loves oneself is crucial for the general good of society and the world order, and they are doing what they can in their own corner of the creation to carry that out.  Good on them.

 Well, there you have it…a few of my thoughts of the day.  The Advent season is upon us, and the end of the year is near.  I trust your days ahead will be filled with peace and contentment as you ponder the true meaning of the season.

 Blessings.

The Hope

 

Today was the day that the Friends University Singing Quakers presented the program for the last chapel of the semester on campus.  This is an annual thing the Quakers do, and the public is invited to attend and take in the program.  I’ve been attending for several years, and did so today along with our lead minister, Curtis, and my wife, Pat.

This entire week as been one that has brought its share of bad news.  We have a one year old grand son who has been battling a respiratory illness all week.  The weather has not been very cooperative in terms of pleasant conditions.  Several of our church family members are fighting various illnesses, including long Covid, cancer, and other ailments.  One of my life long friends my age passed away late last week.  Another church family lost their mother last week.  Our office manager has been battling some kind of respiratory illness the past several days.  The list of bad news just seems to never end this week.

I caught a ride to the Singing Quakers program with Curtis.  On the way there, we talked a bit about the downer kind of week we both were having, and I said to  him, “So, where’s the good news this week?”  It seemed that all we had been hearing was the bad.

We didn’t say much more about it then, or later on as we came back to the church building.  And the chapel service, concentrating on Advent and the holiday, was uplifting and beneficial to our souls.  Later on, a small group of us gathered for a prayer time over the lunch hour as we do many Thursdays.  During the course of the conversation there, Curtis said something about the incredible blessings we have.  His thought was along the lines of both as participants in this society and as members of the family of God.  I didn’t say anything at that time, but it got me to thinking of our earlier conversation about the bad news of the last week or so.

Yes, we sometimes are hit, it seems, with nothing but bad news…either for ourselves or for those we love.  Yes, it seems that we endure more than our fair share of bad things happening either to us or to those we love.  Yes, it seems that even life itself sometimes isn’t fair.  Yes, we grow weary at times of the load that is placed upon us.  And, I suppose, we even at times despair of life itself, somewhat as the great Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about the times he and others were going through in the first century, “We were pressed beyond measure, beyond strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.”

But if we step back a bit from the edge of the cliff, we can begin to see the truly remarkable blessings, both physical and spiritual, that are ours to enjoy.  I won’t take the time to try to enumerate them here…you know what those blessings are for you, whether it be family, friends, God’s presence, food and shelter, transportation, or any number of other blessings of this life.  And as we begin to think on those things, the worries and cares that have been pressing upon us seem to be shrinking in scope and size.  Oh, they are still there, but there is now an alternative thought process taking place…the process of thanksgiving for God’s providence and love.

And as we continue down that road, those things which we label as bad news become opportunities for service and sacrifice…we have the opportunity to demonstrate the love of God within us and our love for both God and our neighbor.  We are better able to sort through the issues of the day, work with God to formulate a plan, and find the strength and wisdom in Him to carry it out.  And the world, or at least our corner of it, becomes instead of a harbor of bad news, a place of hope and blessing.

No, we won’t ever create a perfect world…a perfect society…a perfectly healthy environment.  But as we partner with God, we can show the beauty of His handiwork to others and we can do the most important thing of all…introduce Jesus Christ to others in ways they may have never known.

So, at the beginning of this Advent season, we know that even though we may have to face those things we don’t like or want in our lives, we also know the hope of the coming of the Messiah and what that beyond-incredible blessing has done for us and for the world.  And we celebrate the hope that is found there.

 

Blessings,

A Thanksgiving Encounter

 It isn't unusual for someone to call our church office during the week and ask for some kind of benevolent help. I am usually the one who handles such calls. Wednesday was no exception. Our office manager forwarded a call to me from a woman who we will call Norma who was asking for blankets, pull-ups for her toddler, and possibly some fuel for her vehicle so she could get to work.

I took the call and visited with Norma a bit, asking her what she needed. After she told me, I explained that we didn't have any pull-ups or blankets at the church, but that our food pantry might have those items. However, the pantry is open only on Mondays and Tuesdays. I told her I would give her information on the pantry hours and location, then asked her about her need for fuel.

Norma said she worked at a local industry on the assembly line (not aircraft or any business connected with aircraft). I knew from experience that this business paid somewhat better than unskilled labor, but not much. In fact, it wasn't unusual for us to help someone who worked at that business with fuel.. She said she was off work today, but needed to go in tomorrow at 6am and didn't have the gas to make it to work or the money to buy it..

We only recently re-started our benevolent program after having to suspend it due to a lack of funds. I told her we could help with fuel, and explained that I usually met the person at a Quick Trip or Dillons and pumped the gas for them. We made arrangements to meet in a few minutes at a station and I left the building to pump the gas.

Arriving at the Quick Trip, I met a short, somewhat heavy-set woman with short hair, wearing a light jacket. Her vehicle was about twenty years old, dented up and with a bungee cord holding the passenger door together. As I pumped the gas, we visited. Norma said she had completed her GED, and had also just received a certificate that would enable her to perform more skilled tasks at work. She said her little one was three years old and, I presume since she needed pull-ups was in the middle of potty training. She seemed to be pretty much on top of things, but just needed a little help in the present.

My normal procedure in such encounters is to not only pump gas but also offer ten or twenty dollars church cash for whatever they might need, and to give them a bit more dignity for awhile. I asked Norma how much pull-ups would cost. She told me that the box she normally buys was around twenty five dollars, but she could buy a smaller box for less money if necessary. I had twenty dollars in church cash with me and offered it to her.

The look and attitude of being “on top of things” quickly evaporated from her face and I could tell she was becoming emotional. I then quickly thought that the twenty dollars probably wouldn't be enough for the pull-ups, and as she was thanking me for the money, I told her to wait. I pulled out my wallet and gave her another twenty for not only pull-ups but also for some other thing she might need. At that, her face cratered, so to speak, and sobbing she thanked me profusely and asked if she could give me a hug.

I agreed, and as we were hugging, she continued to embrace me and tell me that her daughter had been born premature, had spent a lot of time in the Nic-U, had had medical issues in her short lifetime, but was doing OK at least for now at age 3. She also told me she had just recently gotten out of an abusive relationship and was in the process of healing and recovery from that. Norma again expressed her appreciation to the church for the tank of gas and the financial help.

I gave her information on our food pantry along with some advice on what to ask for when she goes there. We parted then, she going her way and I going mine.

I don't often do this, but will follow up with Norma in a couple of days to see how she is doing. She expressed interest in the church, and as I don't think on my feet very well, I didn't follow up on that statement. I will when I contact her again. I will also tell her of another place that may have some things she might need that I hadn't thought to tell her when we met at the Quick Trip, again because I don't think well on my feet.

I tell you this rather long story to say that these kinds of encounters truly amaze me for a number of reasons. The first is the number of people who do not have the financial means to even buy a tank of gas or diapers for a child. There are many...many people “out there” who are surviving on little more than a wish and a hope. They work hard...by far the great majority are just like Norma. They have a job that pays, but not enough for a middle class life. They struggle mightily with the basics...shelter, food, heat, and transportation. They don't have the funds for hygiene items or even coffee or a soft drink at at Quick Trip.

Second, I am blown away by the number of people who are in or have gotten out of abusive relationships or relationships that aren't beneficial or loving. Norma is yet another one who has been taken advantage of and suffers, I'm sure, from feelings of worthlessness, depression, and guilt. She may well be a walking mental health case.

Third, I am surprised still by the things people will tell me...someone they do not know, have never met before, and may never encounter again. Norma told me things after the wall of confidence cracked apart that she had been holding in and may well have not told very many others about. And she did so in a public place, outside, at a gas station. I even heard a couple of the specific physical things her abuser did to her. We just stood there holding each other for a minute or so as it spilled out of her. Although I've done this numerous times before, the hug thing was becoming somewhat embarrassing to me, yet I didn't want to dissuade her from saying her piece or physically push her away from me. She didn't need any more indignity or rejection heaped upon her.  And, that moment was powerful for us both, I believe.

What do I make of all of this? I still, after years of doing this, don't have the answers. I don't even know with certainty what questions to ask or who to ask them of. How do people get into these life situations? Is it generational? What do they need to do to get out of their multiple predicaments? Is there any hope that they will be able to do so, or are they too far down to rise above it all? What about the role of society? Are we asking the right questions and working to provide the right answers? How do we know if we are or aren't? Is there an ultimate answer of some kind, or will we always have people who I sometimes describe as a train wreck? What should be the Christian response? Do I need to go through the WWJD exercise yet again? How do we respond as a church, and are we responding as we should as the people of God? And those questions are just the beginning.

And then I look at my life. I can pay the bills. I am warm, fed, clothed, and have access to medical and dental care. I will sleep in a comfortable bed in relative safety tonight. I have cash in my wallet, a large line of available credit, and money in the bank. My fuel tank is full. I have loving family and friends. My blessings are innumerable and overwhelming. And then the questions start again. With all of the blessings that are mine, what are my obligations to those without? And one more time, WWJD? How do I help, but not enable? Am I a Good Samaritan, or am I a priest or levite who moves to the other side of the road away from the one who is hurting?

Maybe you ask those kinds of questions also. Maybe not. It is, however, my hope that your reading this will prompt you to think...and to act. Blessings.

Some Humility

 

Good morning, and welcome.

 I know this is Thanksgiving week.  The thought for today doesn’t directly tie into the holiday, but there is a connection…both my wife and I had occasion to give thanks last week, as well as learn a lesson or two in humility.

 Every once in a while, something happens to remind me that humans are fallible creatures.  Yes, I know we like to think of ourselves as having it all together, able to take hold of and deal with anything that comes our way during the day.  But there are times when we are told in no uncertain terms that our capability to get through the day unscathed is just a fairy tale.  Most of the time, what happens isn’t a big deal in itself, but it often makes us think about life and how fallible…how dependent we are.

 Two recent incidents come to mind.  One happened to my wife…the other to me.  Neither was a huge deal, but we both were reminded of our humanity and the need for humility.

 Last weekend, my wife and I went to Towne West Mall to walk the public area.  It was cold outside and we need the exercise, so we went to a place that was warm.  Most malls don’t mind having “walkers” in the mall, and Towne West is no exception.  The day we were there we noticed several people doing the same thing we were doing.

 We wore our coats into the mall, but the wife shed hers when she got inside.  We walked the perimeter of the commons area, got our exercise, and went back home.  On the way out the mall door, she noticed that she didn’t have her small purse with her.  Thinking she didn’t bring it to the mall, we went home and found it wasn’t there.  We looked in the car and didn’t find it.  So we went back to the mall, hoping to find it in the parking lot.  It was not to be.

 We were becoming increasingly more nervous at the prospect of a mall patron picking up her purse and using the credit cards, identification, etc. for nefarious purposes.  So once we got into the mall, we went to the mall office, which was closed as it was a Saturday.  There was a sign on the door that said if we needed something to call security.  So we did.

 Security directed us to their office where the man asked her to describe what she lost.  She did and he said, “I think we have it here.”  He went to the back room and brought it out, intact.  He said one of the “walkers” who had been coming to the mall for years found it and turned it in.  Our stress level came down considerably upon seeing her purse.  We thanked him profusely and went on our way.

 A few days ago, I lost the keys to my pickup.  Normally, they are in my left jeans pocket, but  they weren’t there and nowhere to be found in the house or garage.  I figured that I had dropped them when I was running some errands the day before, and didn’t think much of it since I had a spare set and whoever might have found them wouldn’t know what to do with them anyway.

 I didn’t have occasion to drive the pickup for three or four days.  When I did need to use it, I got in with the spare set of keys and tried to insert the key into the ignition.  The key wouldn’t go in.  I tried a second time and got the same result.  I wondered what in the world was wrong with the key that it wouldn’t go in, so I looked down at the ignition and saw that the keys that I had “lost” were in the ignition.  I had failed to remove them a few days before, for some reason.

 Neither of these incidents resulted in a catastrophic outcome.  Both were eventually taken care of without incident.  Yet it is these kinds of things that serve to remind us of our fallibility, our need for the good will of others, and the reality that we are getting along in years and may not be quite as savvy in some areas of life as we once were.

 I usually try to end these Thursday thoughts with some kind of spiritual truth.  That truth for today?  As much as we might like to assert our independence, our capabilities, our self-care, and our lack of need, we know that at the core, we are dependent in so many ways.  In the case of the missing purse, we were dependent on the good will and honesty of people we didn’t know, both the one who found the purse and the security man who held it.  We were dependent on the mall for providing security.  And the list could go on.

 And for the missing keys, although no one else was involved in finding them or turning them in to lost and found, I realized that I did not do what I normally do…take out the keys and put them in my pocket.  Nor did I recall not doing that.  Several days passed until I found them, shall we say, accidently.  I’m still puzzled by my lack of care in handling them and wonder what else I fail to do from time to time.

 Out of a host of Biblical references on humility, one of my favorites is in Micah 6:8 where the prophet says this:  “God has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

 May God bless you this holiday season.

Gas Pumps & Faith

 

Good morning and welcome! 

 A few days ago I was at the QuickTrip helping a man with some fuel for his car so he could get back and forth to work.  While we were at the gas pump, he asked me this question.  “Are belief and faith the same thing?”

 Now, I don’t know what your answer would be, but my answer was, “No.”  The man looked puzzled and asked what the difference was between belief and faith.

 I’m not very good at thinking on my feet, but came up with this rather lame description of belief and faith.  “Belief,” I said, “Is when I can look at the gas pump here and say that the color of it is black.  I don’t need anyone else to confirm it for me…I can see it for myself, and I believe what my eyes are telling me.”

 “Faith is when I can’t see the pump for myself, but you can see it and you tell me that the color is black, and because I trust you (due to past experience with you always being truthful and faithful to me), I have faith (the positive assurance) that the pump color is black and can confidently say that it is black without ever having seen it for myself.”

 I don’t know if that’s a very good explanation or not, but it got me to thinking further about the relationship between belief and faith.  We are told in the New Testament book of James that the devils even believe, but they tremble because their belief won’t do them any good in the end.  We’re told elsewhere in the book of Hebrews that faith is the assurance of the hoped-for things and the evidence for those things that are not seen.

 Actually, I’ve always wondered just how good that Biblical explanation of faith is.  I have to wonder if the description of faith has lost something in the transfer of the thought from the Greek culture to ours, or if there is something about the translation from the Greek into the English that is a little off, because it seems to be a rather difficult description to comprehend, at least for me.  Or, maybe I’m just a little dense when it comes to understanding things like this.

 At any rate, I’d like to go to one or two more places in the Bible.  The writer says, in what we call the great faith chapter of the Bible, Hebrews 11, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  And in the book of James again, we are told that, “Faith without works is useless.”

 Going back to the gas pump thing, I now, in hindsight, would have taken the definition of faith farther.  Faith is not only the assurance that what you tell me is always true and right, but because of my belief in you and the assurance I have that the pump is black, I now act on that and do something as a result…perhaps I buy more black paint to paint the other pumps.  My action…my doing…is a direct result of my belief in what you have told me…belief that has come because my history with you has always been one of honesty and doing what you say you will do.

 Now, let’s translate that to spiritual things for a moment.  Not only do I believe that God exists, I also know by past experience, and by the historical record that is in the Bible, that God always does what He promises, and He always tells me the truth.  Because of that history with God, I have the assurance that He will continue to fulfill His promises and will keep His word.  And because of that assurance, I naturally respond in love for Him and for my neighbor, and jmn in good works of service as I partner with God and with other people to help bring renewal to the creation.

 OK, I don’t know that even this is an adequate description of faith.  I do know that this exercise has helped me see aspects of faith and relationship that I’ve not seen clearly before now.  I hope it has helped you too, at least somewhat.

 It is interesting to me how chance encounters such as the one at the QuickTrip, can lead to this kind of thought and discussion and result in a better understanding of life and living as a Christian on mission in a crazy world.  May your day be filled with the love and grace of a merciful God.

 Blessings.

Ordinary Days

 Good afternoon and welcome to a, at least in our neck of the woods, chilly Thursday.  This morning early the temperature was in the mid 60’s.  Now with the passage of a strong cold front, it has dropped to the 40’s and is forecast to stay there during the day for the next week to 10 days.  Lows at night are expected in the low to mid 20’s.  So it seems a foretaste of winter has indeed arrived in Kansas.

 Life and work are what one makes of them, I’ve often heard.  And I suppose that’s true for my life and my work at an urban church in Wichita, Kansas.  My days often run the gamut of emotions and life situations.  There is often in every day an element of boredom, contentment, excitement, surprise, learning, accomplishment, satisfaction, apprehension, and other emotions and feelings interspersed into the day.  Here are just a couple of things that have happened recently which could probably be put into one or more of the above categories.

 I made it a point some years ago to always have a Bible in my office that I could give to someone who requests one.  And, I wanted a Bible that was nicer than just the inexpensive, five-dollar kind that often are given out.  So I ordered several with a leather-look cover, extensive aids and helps, and is in an understandable, readable version.  I’ve had three of those Bibles on my shelf for a couple of years, one of which is a large-print version, with no one asking for one…until yesterday when an unknown man came to our church door and asked for a Bible.  I gave him one and he went on his way.

 Today, another man came to the door with a similar request.  That may not seem like much to you, but I was genuinely surprised that two Bibles in two days went out the door.  I have to wonder if they talked to each other, or if there is something going on on the street…these guys were homeless individuals…that I’m not aware of.  I’m now ordering a few more.

 Yesterday was election day nationwide.  I don’t know how you voted, and that’s really none of my business.  However, I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied that so many people went to the polls and expressed their opinions through the ballot.  And, although not all of my candidates won, I was generally pleased with how things turned out.

 I had been somewhat apprehensive as the day approached, and made a conscious effort to distance myself from social media and television ads because of all of the hype.  That tactic seemed to work, along with the confidence that God ultimately has the final say and that I have no idea who really, really should be in or out of this or that office when it comes to the will of God and His plan for his creation.

 I received an email from a friend earlier this week asking me to list several books I would want to have in my library if I could only have those books and not have access to others.  I enjoyed thinking back to books I had read and was happy to recommend several of them to her.  In turn, she asked to borrow some of them, which I am pleased to do for her.

 That exercise in recalling books also got me to thinking about times past of which these books were a part.  I was excited to answer her question about books and equally pleased to be able to take a trip to the past, even if for only a brief time.

 Monday, however, was really a slow day at the office.  Not much in the way of phone calls, people at the door, or needs that could be met.  And after I spent an hour or so at the beginning of the day answering emails and catching up on things I had to do, the rest of the day stretched out in front of me.  So I picked up a couple of books I’ve been trying to read and made some good inroads toward getting that done.

 However, it’s difficult for me to spend hours just reading.  Every twenty or thirty minutes, I’d get up and walk around inside or outside of the building.  I went on a longer walk in the afternoon…about 30 minutes.  And I checked email and messages every so often to keep up with that.  So I would categorize Monday as a day of some boredom as well as a day of learning and accomplishment.

 OK, you get the picture, I think.  What are your days like?  Are they filled with anxiety, nervousness, and stress?  Do you have places in your day to relax and just let things go?  Are you at a place where it is difficult or impossible for you to move around as you’d like or you no longer can read or do some of the other things that tend to make life pleasant and enjoyable?  Do you “stop and smell the roses,” so to speak and express gratitude for your blessings in some way?

 And how have you made a place in your day for God?  Do you think of Him often?  Do you have some kind of quiet time or devotional time?  What about prayer?  Meditation?  Did you have good relationships with those you interacted with during your day?  Did you say “Please” and “Thank you” to others?  Yes, those words are still in use and work wonders.  Did you see someone in need or hear of some situation where help was needed?  What did you do to help with that need or situation?  What did you do with the words of Jesus when he said that we are to love others as He has loved us and to love God wholeheartedly, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves?

 Some things are more important than who was elected to this or that office or the fact that two Bibles went out of the church door in consecutive days.  Some things transcend our feelings and emotions that come and go during the day.  Some things come our way intentionally and demand some kind of loving response.

 May God bless you and yours during this season of Thanksgiving.

Election Time

 

Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Thursday Thought.

 It’s mid-term election time in the nation.  All of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, and many state and local elections are being held this November.  In many ways, this election is more important than the election for President because many of those on the ballot this go-around are people who most affect the average citizen’s daily life.  County commissioners, school board members, state representatives, district court judges, and so on are many of those who are on the ballot this time.  I would hope that all who are eligible will take this opportunity to make their voice heard.

 There is a somewhat darker side, however, to this season.  Misinformation, attack ads on TV, and outright falsehoods seem to have a sort of life of their own.  This is really nothing new.  Political races in this nation have always been a sort of knock-down…drag-out affair.  From the founding of the nation, political opponents have stretched the truth, fabricated lies, and impugned the integrity of their opponents in a bid to be elected to office.  It’s just part of the process.

 Television and social media, however, have amplified political rancor in the modern day.  Something said 2,000 miles away in a local political race is sometimes picked up and goes viral…and millions of people know what was said and form some sort of opinion.  Many of them then keep things stirred up by expressing their opinions on a matter on which they have only snippets of information.

 OK, you say.  Where are you going with all of this?  Well, as you might guess if you’re a regular viewer of Thursday thought, I’m going to the spiritual side of things with this.

 Wait, you say.  There’s a spiritual side to political issues?  Yes, of course there is.  And one of the big parts of the spiritual side of things is how Christians are to behave in times like these.  With the political divisions becoming more pronounced in society, and with all of the misinformation and attacks on opponents, to say nothing of the conspiracy theories and all that goes with them, what, exactly should be the response of the Christian?

 Let’s do a little review.  What did Jesus say was the first and greatest commandment?  Of course, it is to Love the Lord your God with all your soul, heart, mind, and strength.  And then what did Jesus say was one just like the first?  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  And it’s the second, which Jesus says is just like the first, that I want to key in on in this discussion.

 When we as Christians allow political issues to cause us to attack others, think less of others, wish ill-will on others, denigrate and speak ill of others, we bump up against the command of Jesus Himself to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

 Additionally, when we as Christians make members of another political party out to be pariahs, having nothing to do with them, considering them to be ignorant, unpatriotic, or even evil, we immediately eliminate up to half of the population from our effort to evangelize and tell of the love, grace, and mercy of God.

 And we become so politically motivated that we place our political views and our political party above all else.  We make politics our god and make our neighbors those who agree with us politically.

 Andy Stanley says it like this:  "If I’m not willing to break rank with my political party when my political party gets it wrong on an issue which the New Testament and the Scripture is clear, then I have elevated my party over my faith. As a Christian, I have just said not ‘One nation under God;’ I have said, ‘My God under my nation.’”

 You may say that you would never do such a thing.  Well, good for you.  But I caution you to back up a step or two, take a good, long look in the mirror, and give some serious thought to how you have treated those who disagree with you politically…what you think of them…how you relate to them…and what your relationship is with them.  Do you truly love them…desire the best for them…demonstrate God’s love toward them?

 Christians need to be actively engaged in the society in which they live.  That includes casting votes and yes, even running for office or pursuing a cause, if that’s your thing.  However, for the Christian, Jesus is clear.  Loving one’s neighbor takes precedence over any political ideology or dogma.  Loving one’s neighbor involves service, sacrifice, and giving up self for the benefit of another.

Andy Stanley says it better than I can.  Quote:  “The liberating Gospel of Jesus has huge, huge cultural implications. But they (cultural implications) don’t get voted in. They get raised up and lived out by the people who are following Jesus, and eventually people discover following Jesus makes you better at life; it makes life better. And it makes the world a better place.”

 Blessings.

Step Into The Mess

 

Good morning, and welcome to another Thursday Thought.

 Ginger Sprouse is a typical suburban woman living with her husband in an upscale neighborhood in the Houston area.  Some years ago, Steve Hartman with CBS News interviewed Ginger and her husband for one of his “On The Road” segments that airs each Friday at the end of the evening newscast.  The reason for the interview?

Well, it seems that Ginger had always had thoughts of the homeless that she saw regularly that were not kind at all, but rather were condescending and critical.  In the interview, she told Steve Hartman that she often would say demeaning things to them.

  “I would say, ‘Why don’t you get a job?  Or, what’s your problem?’  It made me very uncomfortable.  I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I’ve been that way my whole life.”

 Ginger had the same attitude toward the homeless as most of us.  We look on the homeless as somehow less than fully human, less than honorable, less than worthy of the dignity and respect every human is due.

How many of us have said the same thing as Ginger, if not directly to a homeless person, at least we thought that line…”Why don’t you get a job?  What’s your problem?”  It’s so easy for those of us who have managed to stay in the middle class to be critical and condescending toward those who are in poverty or are homeless.  We like to think that we’ve made life good for ourselves, and that anyone else could do the same if they’d only put themselves to the task and work their way out of poverty and off of the street.  We believe that their issue is laziness or a lack of desire to succeed.  We point to all of the social services that are available, which our tax dollars pay for, and wonder why they don’t take advantage of them.  We notice their missing teeth, their unkempt appearance and musty body odor and move away from them as much as we can.

 So, why did Hartman interview Ginger Sprouse?  Because she had a change of heart.  She repented of her superior attitude and decided she wanted to do better.  Acting on the decision she made, she befriended a man she had regularly seen on a street corner, first stopping just to talk.  She asked him to tell his story.  His mother, he says, abandoned him when he was yet a child, and he had been in and out of homelessness since that time.  Ginger couldn’t get him out of her mind, and began making regular trips to stop and just visit with him.

 One late fall day when she visited him, she said she decided she couldn’t just leave him there on the street in the cold.  She went home, talked with her husband, and invited Victor Hubbard into their home.  And that was the beginning of a new life for Victor.  They helped him get the social services he needed, medical appointments, and all the rest.  Victor now is working two jobs and is a lifelong member of the family.

Ginger’s life and outlook on life and on people changed as well.  In the closing segment of the news piece with Hartman, Ginger says this about her experience.  “Life is messy.  But if you’re going to love other people, you have to be willing to step into their mess.  My whole life I’ve wanted to avoid that, and that’s why I rolled the window up and didn’t look.”

 “If you’re going to love other people, you have to be willing to step into their mess.”  Ginger Sprouse knows what it’s like to step into someone’s mess.  Ginger Sprouse knows what it’s like to get out of her comfort zone.  Ginger Sprouse knows what it’s like to love other people.

We have known for centuries that the God who created us expects us to love others.  The Torah is explicit in the book of Leviticus. 

 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

 At least seven more times in the New Testament, Jesus, Paul the Apostle, and James repeat this command to love others.  And Jesus expanded what it meant to love one’s neighbor by telling the story of the Good Samaritan, who saw to the needs of a man he didn’t know and whose nationality should have been reason enough to ignore his plight.  Nevertheless, he cared for the man as best he could and saw to his needs.  The Samaritan stepped into someone’s mess.

 Are you willing to step into someone’s mess?  Are you willing to have a change of heart?  Are you willing to truly love your neighbor?  You don’t have to take in a homeless person in order to love your neighbor unless you know that is your calling.  There are hundreds of ways you can demonstrate and emulate the love of Jesus.  Your neighbor is hurting.  You can help by stepping into his mess.

 Blessings.