Aug 2011
His Eye is on the Chickadee
Wednesday, August 31 2011
The storm really took its toll on the little fellow. Who knows where he was blown in from or perhaps he was a local who didn’t find good shelter. We spotted him this afternoon looking ragged and exhausted. Chickadees usually looked prim and proper but not this little guy. He sat on a railing looking like he had just finished a marathon. This evening he decided to spend the night by a large dish of water we keep on the ground for the birds. He had tucked his head under his wing and became the perfect meal for any nocturnal hunter looking for a snack. My wife went over and picked him up. As he awakened in her hand he put up a major fuss. How dare she interrupt his dreams! Ever so gently he was placed up on a safe branch.
His squawking reminded me of us when God sometimes has to move us to a safer place. Getting us to change isn’t always easy and sometimes we go kicking and screaming; yelling at Him for disturbing our perceived comfort. When we put ourselves in His hands we then need to trust what happens next. “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Psalm 11 And where is our mountain? “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” Psalm 48 Often from our point of view the change doesn’t look so good. But should we see our life from His vantage point we would never want it any other way than His way.
His squawking reminded me of us when God sometimes has to move us to a safer place. Getting us to change isn’t always easy and sometimes we go kicking and screaming; yelling at Him for disturbing our perceived comfort. When we put ourselves in His hands we then need to trust what happens next. “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Psalm 11 And where is our mountain? “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” Psalm 48 Often from our point of view the change doesn’t look so good. But should we see our life from His vantage point we would never want it any other way than His way.
To Be Infectious
Tuesday, August 30 2011
We had an interesting experience today at Denny’s. While waiting for our order we watched a server prepare a table for the next customer. First she cleared off the dishes and then she very carefully wiped the seats. Following that she then wiped off the table using the same cloth she had used to wipe off the seats. At least it looked clean. But wait. It gets better. The next customer to use that table had really nasty looking sores on his elbows and I’m sure you know what happened. He sat down and promptly put his elbows on the table. I am amazed we are as healthy as we are. The human body does a great job in fending off all manner of germs.
As I watched the man with the nasty looking elbows I found myself wishing that it would be as easy to spread the Gospel as it is to spread germs. That really is a horrible analogy. The Gospel is the best thing ever and I shouldn’t even put it in the same sentence with germs. One brings health and never-ending life while the other brings misery, suffering and death. But wouldn’t it be grand if we could sneeze and spread the Good News like we spray colds and the flu?
I have always wanted to be an infectious Christian. Yawning is infectious. A few good yawns in a classroom will produce more. A good smile usually produces more smiles. Kindness usually begets more kindness. Those, of course, are merely human behaviors. What I really desire is something much more substantive. I long for people to understand just how self-sacrificing and wonderful God is. That’s a much more difficult task.
As I watched the man with the nasty looking elbows I found myself wishing that it would be as easy to spread the Gospel as it is to spread germs. That really is a horrible analogy. The Gospel is the best thing ever and I shouldn’t even put it in the same sentence with germs. One brings health and never-ending life while the other brings misery, suffering and death. But wouldn’t it be grand if we could sneeze and spread the Good News like we spray colds and the flu?
I have always wanted to be an infectious Christian. Yawning is infectious. A few good yawns in a classroom will produce more. A good smile usually produces more smiles. Kindness usually begets more kindness. Those, of course, are merely human behaviors. What I really desire is something much more substantive. I long for people to understand just how self-sacrificing and wonderful God is. That’s a much more difficult task.
Pruning Doesn't Come Easy
Monday, August 29 2011
Hurricane Irene has moved north from Massachusetts. Here in the center of the Commonwealth it was not too bad; a few hours of hard rain and some gusts that were very helpful for me. I had a few dead branches beyond the reach of my pole-saw. Irene got them down for me. She was a good pruner. It isn’t unusual to see the ground covered with leaves in New England but it is a bit different to have them all be green. There are even a few well used nests strewn here and there.
Storms come in many forms. Some of the ones most difficult to deal with are internal. They also can do some serious pruning. Often time things are taken away that we long to hang on to. The best pruning takes place in the hands of a master gardener and not by the capricious events of life. The last evening Jesus was with His disciples He paused in the moonlight to talk about pruning. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15.
While I indeed long for a much fruit experience the pruning worries me. I know I am in the hands of the one who loves me more than life itself. I know He would only do what is the very best for me. But my humanity is still ever present and there is this human need to be in control. The idea of total surrender and allowing God to take over isn’t completely natural. Pruning doesn’t come easy.
Storms come in many forms. Some of the ones most difficult to deal with are internal. They also can do some serious pruning. Often time things are taken away that we long to hang on to. The best pruning takes place in the hands of a master gardener and not by the capricious events of life. The last evening Jesus was with His disciples He paused in the moonlight to talk about pruning. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15.
While I indeed long for a much fruit experience the pruning worries me. I know I am in the hands of the one who loves me more than life itself. I know He would only do what is the very best for me. But my humanity is still ever present and there is this human need to be in control. The idea of total surrender and allowing God to take over isn’t completely natural. Pruning doesn’t come easy.
The Spider in the Wind
Sunday, August 28 2011
We had only driven about a mile when my wife noticed a tiny spider clinging to a strand of web that was connected to the passenger side mirror. There he was in a forty mile an hour wind holding on for dear life. Nothing would do except we had to pull over while my wife rolled down her window and helped the little guy back into the safety of the case that holds the mirror. Only then could we proceed. I was fascinated because my wife really dislikes spiders.
At first I wanted to compare this to God and us. Romans 5:10, “If, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” But then I realized it was not a good analogy. God loves us despite our sins. Our sins He definitely hates. But He does not see us and our sins as one in the same. In His Fatherly care He is able to separate us from our behavior. That in itself is amazing. It is the spider itself my wife dislikes even though she actually understands their presence makes our home a better place. They catch and eat all kinds of flying, biting, stinging things.
So why was she so concerned about the little guy clinging in the wind? Perhaps she admired its tenacity. It certainly wasn’t giving up. All it needed for survival was a break. It needed someone to intervene. And so we did. Often times it is that way with us. Times get tough and we hang on for dear life hoping for a break. When it comes to our eternal future we got the biggest break anyone could imagine. God intervened and we are saved. Amazing.
At first I wanted to compare this to God and us. Romans 5:10, “If, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” But then I realized it was not a good analogy. God loves us despite our sins. Our sins He definitely hates. But He does not see us and our sins as one in the same. In His Fatherly care He is able to separate us from our behavior. That in itself is amazing. It is the spider itself my wife dislikes even though she actually understands their presence makes our home a better place. They catch and eat all kinds of flying, biting, stinging things.
So why was she so concerned about the little guy clinging in the wind? Perhaps she admired its tenacity. It certainly wasn’t giving up. All it needed for survival was a break. It needed someone to intervene. And so we did. Often times it is that way with us. Times get tough and we hang on for dear life hoping for a break. When it comes to our eternal future we got the biggest break anyone could imagine. God intervened and we are saved. Amazing.
The Golfer
Friday, August 26 2011
There was rumbling moving closer and closer. Black clouds were moving our way. There was that smell in the air as the barometric pressure lowers and nitrogen escapes from the ground. We were definitely going to get it. And what to my wondering eyes did appear but a man at a driving range. There he stood with his metal shaft pointed high in the air as he focused on that golf ball. The only thing I think he could have been thinking was he paid for that bucket of balls and he was going to get his money’s worth. I was transfixed as I watched. I have never seen anyone struck by lightning and I figured if he was going to get it, I was going to see it happen. Fortunately it did not. What made it really sad was he had a horrible swing.
As I was thinking how stupid he was, the thought occurred to me that I too am that stupid when I eat things I know will clog my arteries, when I fail to exercise, when I tolerate being overweight and when I neglect my devotional life. My IQ isn’t any higher than that guy with the golf club pointing to the sky. Alas, it is so much easier to see other’s mistakes and ignore our own. It is so grand that we have a Savior who was and is one of us. He knew about human stupidity and hypocrisy. He talks about it in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?” Alas, we, at least I, do it all the time.
As I was thinking how stupid he was, the thought occurred to me that I too am that stupid when I eat things I know will clog my arteries, when I fail to exercise, when I tolerate being overweight and when I neglect my devotional life. My IQ isn’t any higher than that guy with the golf club pointing to the sky. Alas, it is so much easier to see other’s mistakes and ignore our own. It is so grand that we have a Savior who was and is one of us. He knew about human stupidity and hypocrisy. He talks about it in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?” Alas, we, at least I, do it all the time.
My Old-People Glasses
Thursday, August 25 2011
I got a new pair of glasses. They are old-people glasses. Old-people glasses used to be bi or trifocals with the lines but now we get progressive lenses. No lines. The only people who now get glasses with lines are the trendy people. My old-people glasses are ones with some anti-glare treatment. When cars come at me after dark their headlights don’t flare all over the place.
Little by little I am making the transition to being old. I now take Centrum Silver so I can ride my bicycle with the wind blowing through my hair (oops – no hair left) as I laugh at whoever knows what. (oops – can’t hear) I love getting my senior citizen discount. I ask for it everywhere I go. I wonder if God will give me a discount on tithe and I only need return nine percent. I need to start putting my stuff up on ebay.com. Now that our little college, Atlantic Union College, will not be opening this fall, I can spend snowbound winter days selling things on line. However, I’m not sure who would want an old clock with an inscription “A+ Professor.” I got it from a student. (Sorry about that. Had to brag.)
Life is such an adventure. The trouble with selling stuff is each item has a story. It’s like selling one’s life to strangers. Three score and ten isn’t very long. But I have a feeling that if we had thirty score and ten it would still not be enough. What a thrill it is to read John 3:16. If we believe we will never perish but have everlasting life. What a thrill it is to know Jesus and know this is just a prelude.
Little by little I am making the transition to being old. I now take Centrum Silver so I can ride my bicycle with the wind blowing through my hair (oops – no hair left) as I laugh at whoever knows what. (oops – can’t hear) I love getting my senior citizen discount. I ask for it everywhere I go. I wonder if God will give me a discount on tithe and I only need return nine percent. I need to start putting my stuff up on ebay.com. Now that our little college, Atlantic Union College, will not be opening this fall, I can spend snowbound winter days selling things on line. However, I’m not sure who would want an old clock with an inscription “A+ Professor.” I got it from a student. (Sorry about that. Had to brag.)
Life is such an adventure. The trouble with selling stuff is each item has a story. It’s like selling one’s life to strangers. Three score and ten isn’t very long. But I have a feeling that if we had thirty score and ten it would still not be enough. What a thrill it is to read John 3:16. If we believe we will never perish but have everlasting life. What a thrill it is to know Jesus and know this is just a prelude.
Gardeners
Wednesday, August 24 2011
The Lord made some people gardeners. The Bothwells were not some of them. We do not grow food. We eat it. For a short time when our boys were very little in Africa we had a small garden cut out in the midst of a patch of elephant grass. At no time in our lives in America have we grown eatables. We have gathered wild blueberries and asparagus where God planted them. So this year when my wife decided to grow a tomato plant in a tub we were pretty much garden virgins. You can imagine our dismay when a ground hog started munching on it. But my wife fortified the plant with chicken wire and we now have tomatoes. It was a rare day this afternoon when I walked by it, plucked a nice round red juicy fruit (or is it a vegetable?) and ate it right there on the spot.
They certainly do taste better than the ones from the supermarket. It brings new meaning to Genesis 1:11- 12. It was the third day of creation. “The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
Now I am wondering if brussel sprouts and okra taste good if they come fresh from the garden. But alas, I think it is too late for us to become gardeners. We do live in New England and the growing season really isn’t very long. Maybe in heaven God will put a garden area in my back yard with no weeds. I hope I don’t disappoint Him if I fail to use it and instead buy my veggies from a neighbor with a squash plant.
They certainly do taste better than the ones from the supermarket. It brings new meaning to Genesis 1:11- 12. It was the third day of creation. “The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
Now I am wondering if brussel sprouts and okra taste good if they come fresh from the garden. But alas, I think it is too late for us to become gardeners. We do live in New England and the growing season really isn’t very long. Maybe in heaven God will put a garden area in my back yard with no weeds. I hope I don’t disappoint Him if I fail to use it and instead buy my veggies from a neighbor with a squash plant.
"Evil"
Tuesday, August 23 2011
These past few days thousands of workers for one of the communication giants have been on strike. You most likely saw some of them with their red shirts and picket signs standing in front of one of their work places. I certainly can understand the need for unity and solidarity when negotiating with a giant organization. What I don’t understand is one of the strikers was wearing a button with the company logo above the word “Evil.” “Evil” is a very harsh word and I wondered now that the strike is over, how can that person continue to work for an organization that is evil? Would that not mean that he too is evil by using his talents to foster the health of that evil organization? Should he not use his gifts to totally stamp out evil or does something cease to be evil once we get from it what WE want? Then who is the evil one?
All of my life I have been educated to think that Satan is evil. I certainly don’t want to be on his team. Therefore, when I tell a lie, it really isn’t evil, it’s just a little white lie. I haven’t really participated in his campaign to overthrow God’s Kingdom or have I? When I feed my lower nature am I not at least a private in his army? At least I’m not a captain or a general. Those positions are for others I know but will not identify here.
It seems so easy to disparage others and excuse ourselves. I usually come up with some very good excuses for my misdeeds but rarely want to give others the benefit of the doubt. They are just plainly evil! Alas, I need a heart transplant.
All of my life I have been educated to think that Satan is evil. I certainly don’t want to be on his team. Therefore, when I tell a lie, it really isn’t evil, it’s just a little white lie. I haven’t really participated in his campaign to overthrow God’s Kingdom or have I? When I feed my lower nature am I not at least a private in his army? At least I’m not a captain or a general. Those positions are for others I know but will not identify here.
It seems so easy to disparage others and excuse ourselves. I usually come up with some very good excuses for my misdeeds but rarely want to give others the benefit of the doubt. They are just plainly evil! Alas, I need a heart transplant.
Heaven Starts Now
Monday, August 22 2011
There are certain things so good they are beyond adjectives. On this very warm August evening I have just consumed an Orange Creamsicle. Our family used to call them Dreamsicles. Not only was it delicious on my tongue it was even more so in my mind. I was five-years-old again sitting with my father on the front steps of our house. I remember slowly licking away the orange outer layer trying to make it last as long as I could. My dad was eating a Fudgsicle. We were in heaven.
Heaven is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. We drove past a church today that had a sign over its front door that said, “Gateway to heaven.” My first thought was there must be a lot of really nice people who worship there. Making a place heaven doesn’t really have to be very difficult. It is merely treating people the way you want to be treated.
This afternoon at a church picnic I saw one of our smaller members wearing a Minnesota Vikings t-shirt. “Hey,” I said, “You are in Patriot’s country.” Even though he is a little guy I know him well enough to know he would not be intimidated by me. “My mom likes the Vikings,” he said. So I responded. “The next time I see you I am going to give you a Patriot’s shirt.” “Really,” he beamed as he hurried over for me to check his shirt size. You can be sure I have a big note on my desk. That is a promise I will make sure to keep.
Heaven isn’t about winning the lottery. Heaven is about being with people who care about you. Heaven starts now not sometime in the future.
Heaven is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. We drove past a church today that had a sign over its front door that said, “Gateway to heaven.” My first thought was there must be a lot of really nice people who worship there. Making a place heaven doesn’t really have to be very difficult. It is merely treating people the way you want to be treated.
This afternoon at a church picnic I saw one of our smaller members wearing a Minnesota Vikings t-shirt. “Hey,” I said, “You are in Patriot’s country.” Even though he is a little guy I know him well enough to know he would not be intimidated by me. “My mom likes the Vikings,” he said. So I responded. “The next time I see you I am going to give you a Patriot’s shirt.” “Really,” he beamed as he hurried over for me to check his shirt size. You can be sure I have a big note on my desk. That is a promise I will make sure to keep.
Heaven isn’t about winning the lottery. Heaven is about being with people who care about you. Heaven starts now not sometime in the future.
Life Isn't Fair
Friday, August 19 2011
It has been a few years now since my mother passed away, so I figured it was time to shred her business papers. There was a box of old check registers, annuity papers, receipts for things long gone. There were documents scribed with my father’s name and the names of her other two husbands. She buried three. She would be upset with me telling you this. Actually I thought it was kind of grand that she got three. One of our friends who never married always complained how unfair it was that my mom got three and she never got one. I might add the three she did get were all really fine men.
Life isn’t fair. That’s a difficult lesson for most people. I think we are born with a sense of rightness and when it doesn’t pan out we think we got cheated. Whenever I am tempted to complain about some injustice I remind myself of the millions of people in the world who haven’t had it nearly as splendid as I.
Some people think fair means we all get treated equally. However, if that were the situation, in most cases it would be very unfair. Each of us has different needs. Fairness is receiving what we need, not what someone else got that we do not need. School teachers see this all the time. They have some children who need more time and attention than others who are quick to learn. Giving each child the same amount of time and attention would be most unfair. Each should receive according to their need.
God gives according to our need. We all need grace and grace is what all of us receive; if we accept His offer. This is a case of equality. He doesn’t play favorites. No teacher’s pet.
Life isn’t fair. That’s a difficult lesson for most people. I think we are born with a sense of rightness and when it doesn’t pan out we think we got cheated. Whenever I am tempted to complain about some injustice I remind myself of the millions of people in the world who haven’t had it nearly as splendid as I.
Some people think fair means we all get treated equally. However, if that were the situation, in most cases it would be very unfair. Each of us has different needs. Fairness is receiving what we need, not what someone else got that we do not need. School teachers see this all the time. They have some children who need more time and attention than others who are quick to learn. Giving each child the same amount of time and attention would be most unfair. Each should receive according to their need.
God gives according to our need. We all need grace and grace is what all of us receive; if we accept His offer. This is a case of equality. He doesn’t play favorites. No teacher’s pet.
Wisdom
Thursday, August 18 2011
Sometimes it is so dark when I walk my black lab I cannot see her even though we are on opposite ends of her leash. I walk carefully as to not trip on anything as she tugs me down the hill. She loves to walk no matter how dark it is. But a few evenings ago we had just begun when she turned and wanted to go home. I paused so I could listen carefully but I could not hear anything let alone see anything. Being that our bear is still roaming the neighborhood I decided to take her cue and let her pull me back up the hill. I know she can see better in the dark than I and she can smell many more things than I.
One of the things I have learned in life is to follow the lead of those with superior abilities. When I was a teen I was so arrogant I didn’t think there was anyone else who knew more than I. Wow, was that ever stupid. With years hopefully comes wisdom. It is that way now with God’s instructions and commands. There are times when I cannot possibly see any possible harm from certain behaviors, but I know that God, who has lived much longer than I, (How about forever?) and has more information than I, (How about His being all knowing?) will only lead me to safe places. It is me that gets me into trouble.
The Shepherd’s Psalm says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil.” That’s not just some childhood memory verse. That is good counsel no matter how old we are. I let my dog take me home that dark dark night.
One of the things I have learned in life is to follow the lead of those with superior abilities. When I was a teen I was so arrogant I didn’t think there was anyone else who knew more than I. Wow, was that ever stupid. With years hopefully comes wisdom. It is that way now with God’s instructions and commands. There are times when I cannot possibly see any possible harm from certain behaviors, but I know that God, who has lived much longer than I, (How about forever?) and has more information than I, (How about His being all knowing?) will only lead me to safe places. It is me that gets me into trouble.
The Shepherd’s Psalm says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil.” That’s not just some childhood memory verse. That is good counsel no matter how old we are. I let my dog take me home that dark dark night.
A Nice Kind of Weird
Tuesday, August 16 2011
Long I stood in the pet store trying to find the chameleon. I felt pretty stupid considering it was in a glass enclosure that wasn’t overly large. Finally I saw it, but only after it moved. As I examined how well it blended in I remembered the first time I ever saw one. When I was a little boy someone brought one to church. I remember being told how evil it would be if we blended into our culture and people couldn’t tell we were Christians. They quoted Romans 12:2 and made a real impression on me.
Years later when I was a teen all I wanted to do was to blend in. It is a common characteristic of early teens. They have so many changes happening to them physically and mentally they don’t want to look or act weird. Even as we age, to be reasonably fashionable is not something to shun. To be modestly dressed in the manner of the day is not wrong. One of the best advertisements for a product is to be appealing and we would not make Christianity very appealing if we were a gazing stock noted for our bizarre clothing. The Amish people are a wonderful people noted for their honesty, but we certainly don’t see people flocking to join them.
The best way to not blend in and to be different from others is to be the kindest, most caring, and most unselfish person in our circle. How grand it would be if we were noted for never being a gossip and being the one person in the crowd who always had something nice to say about others. That is a nice kind of weird.
Years later when I was a teen all I wanted to do was to blend in. It is a common characteristic of early teens. They have so many changes happening to them physically and mentally they don’t want to look or act weird. Even as we age, to be reasonably fashionable is not something to shun. To be modestly dressed in the manner of the day is not wrong. One of the best advertisements for a product is to be appealing and we would not make Christianity very appealing if we were a gazing stock noted for our bizarre clothing. The Amish people are a wonderful people noted for their honesty, but we certainly don’t see people flocking to join them.
The best way to not blend in and to be different from others is to be the kindest, most caring, and most unselfish person in our circle. How grand it would be if we were noted for never being a gossip and being the one person in the crowd who always had something nice to say about others. That is a nice kind of weird.
Walking Targets
Monday, August 15 2011
I have through the years developed a target on my back. Actually it’s on the back of my head. When I walk through the forest, mosquitoes and other heinous flying creatures see this large hairless circle and seem to think it’s some kind of supermarket. While I myself have never seen it, it must be very appetizing because it never fails to attract hungry bloodsucking flying vampires. I have tried bug repellent to no avail. I think I shall have to break down and start wearing a cap when venturing onto the mountain.
Protecting ourselves from attackers is quite prudent. It seems stupid not to protect ourselves from any manner of anything that lessens us. Yet, it appears that unless we are able to see the consequences of something or some behavior, we are not very good at caring for ourselves. We overeat. We know better but because we don’t immediately see the bulge swell up around our middle we just keep on eating. We fill our minds with degrading content and because we don’t immediately become felons we keep on watching, reading and listening. We know we should spend time each day feeding on God’s word and yet because we don’t immediately sense our level of care and concern for others erode, we neglect the very thing that will make us better people.
It’s not just the bald spot on the back of my head that’s a target. We are walking targets for attacks from one who has thousands of years of experience debasing humans. Peter puts it this way, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Protecting ourselves from attackers is quite prudent. It seems stupid not to protect ourselves from any manner of anything that lessens us. Yet, it appears that unless we are able to see the consequences of something or some behavior, we are not very good at caring for ourselves. We overeat. We know better but because we don’t immediately see the bulge swell up around our middle we just keep on eating. We fill our minds with degrading content and because we don’t immediately become felons we keep on watching, reading and listening. We know we should spend time each day feeding on God’s word and yet because we don’t immediately sense our level of care and concern for others erode, we neglect the very thing that will make us better people.
It’s not just the bald spot on the back of my head that’s a target. We are walking targets for attacks from one who has thousands of years of experience debasing humans. Peter puts it this way, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
The Road Most Traveled
Saturday, August 13 2011
One of the assignments in my Philosophy 101 course is for each student to write a reflective personal philosophy. One of the things I have learned from these essays is how well known is Robert Frost’s poem about two roads dividing in a wood. Often it is quoted, especially the last lines, “and I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference.” If all the people, who think they have taken the road less traveled, have really taken the road less traveled, then it is not the one less traveled.
While it is true each of us is unique and there is not, nor has there ever been another like us, it is also true that we are very much like most people. A simple freshman course psychology textbook pretty much sums up the makeup of a normal person. It’s the persons described in the DSM-IV that are on the road less traveled. The variations between an Englishman and a Frenchman are cosmetic. The variations between an African and a member of the KKK are not nearly as vast as both groups might wish.
There seems to exist in most of us an egocentrism that tells us we are not like others. We are special. We belong to a superior race. We are part of the best culture. We are members of God’s church. We are more sincere than those who fill the pews around us. We. We. We. How deflating it can be to wake up one morning realizing that none of the above is true. God loves the common man. Just look at how many of us He has made. Enjoy your trip down the road most traveled.
While it is true each of us is unique and there is not, nor has there ever been another like us, it is also true that we are very much like most people. A simple freshman course psychology textbook pretty much sums up the makeup of a normal person. It’s the persons described in the DSM-IV that are on the road less traveled. The variations between an Englishman and a Frenchman are cosmetic. The variations between an African and a member of the KKK are not nearly as vast as both groups might wish.
There seems to exist in most of us an egocentrism that tells us we are not like others. We are special. We belong to a superior race. We are part of the best culture. We are members of God’s church. We are more sincere than those who fill the pews around us. We. We. We. How deflating it can be to wake up one morning realizing that none of the above is true. God loves the common man. Just look at how many of us He has made. Enjoy your trip down the road most traveled.
A Fairer World
Thursday, August 11 2011
In a world of instant communication and worldwide coverage of almost everything it amazes me to realize there is starvation occurring in Somalia and Northern Kenya while we have an obesity problem. When one sees the pictures of these families coming out of such a barren land one wonders if Romans 1:20 is applicable for these people. Paul says we are without excuse because we can see the wonders of God’s power and grace by the things he has created. Living in New England – yes – no question about it. Living in southern Somalia – surely not. I believe God treats each person uniquely as each situation is unique. These people are already in hell. For them there isn’t much wonder at the beauty of His creation.
I am amused when I hear people in this land of plenty speaking about how unfair things are when they don’t get everything they think they deserve. I recently heard someone complaining that the school bus stopped two houses down the street causing their poor child to walk 100 feet. Shall I mention the Somalian mother who had to leave her starving baby by the side of the trail to perish because she needed to make sure her other children made it to the refugee camp?
Only in some fantasyland does fairness exist. The challenge of being like Jesus is for us to recognize where and when we can intervene to make life fairer for those who need help. Jesus’ very own brother, James, wrote, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
I am amused when I hear people in this land of plenty speaking about how unfair things are when they don’t get everything they think they deserve. I recently heard someone complaining that the school bus stopped two houses down the street causing their poor child to walk 100 feet. Shall I mention the Somalian mother who had to leave her starving baby by the side of the trail to perish because she needed to make sure her other children made it to the refugee camp?
Only in some fantasyland does fairness exist. The challenge of being like Jesus is for us to recognize where and when we can intervene to make life fairer for those who need help. Jesus’ very own brother, James, wrote, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Night Sounds
Tuesday, August 09 2011
Last night while walking my dog I was serenaded by tree frogs, katydids, crickets, the buzzing of mosquitoes and the barking of a dog far off in our little city. I like night sounds. About two A.M. I awoke for a while and listened to a freight train rumbling its way across Leominster. Its distant horn sounded as it crossed roads outside the city and sang me back to sleep. Who knows what dreams of mine were filled with faraway places or better yet places nearby packed with people I love. Those are the best kind.
I have never had a Nebuchadnezzer dream so important I wanted to know what it meant. Freud would find my dreams too simple for analysis. I never had a voice calling me like Samuel. I am intrigued by people who speak of God telling them things. This past week in church someone told of God telling her to play her guitar. God does silently guide my thoughts as I read in John or Paul. He feeds me until my brain is full. But never has He told me to take a call to a church or to teach at a specific school. He didn’t tell me who to marry. Well, maybe He did by placing her in front of my admiring eyes.
I like night sounds. They are the common sounds of life after a city has fallen asleep, except for that guy on a motorcycle without a muffler who moves from traffic signal to traffic signal at 1:45 A.M. There isn’t anything much more hauntingly beautiful than talking to an owl after dark. Perhaps that owl is God’s voice telling me He loves me.
I have never had a Nebuchadnezzer dream so important I wanted to know what it meant. Freud would find my dreams too simple for analysis. I never had a voice calling me like Samuel. I am intrigued by people who speak of God telling them things. This past week in church someone told of God telling her to play her guitar. God does silently guide my thoughts as I read in John or Paul. He feeds me until my brain is full. But never has He told me to take a call to a church or to teach at a specific school. He didn’t tell me who to marry. Well, maybe He did by placing her in front of my admiring eyes.
I like night sounds. They are the common sounds of life after a city has fallen asleep, except for that guy on a motorcycle without a muffler who moves from traffic signal to traffic signal at 1:45 A.M. There isn’t anything much more hauntingly beautiful than talking to an owl after dark. Perhaps that owl is God’s voice telling me He loves me.
The Key to Being Ready
Monday, August 08 2011
Recently I sat through a thirty minute sermon admonishing us to be ready for Jesus to come. I kept waiting for the speaker to tell us what we had to do to be ready. If I am going to be told to do something I want to be told how to do it. However, he never did. He inferred it had something to do with our diets, both physical and mental. While I do not want to put down on the importance of both of those arenas, they are extremely important for physical and mental health, which are of essential importance for living the abundant life, they are not the key ingredient to being ready for Jesus to come.
The key to being ready is to recognize our total need for grace and to accept His gift. Paul is very clear about this in Ephesians 2. He wrote, God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Paul presses the issue even harder in Galatians 5. There he says we actually fall from grace the moment we alter God’s plan by adding any other requirement other than grace. It is difficult for us. Our pride wants so badly to contribute something other than a receptive heart. However, that is all we can do. It is the key to being ready. The speaker was correct. We do need to be ready. Just tell us the simple truth regarding how wonderful is His grace.
The key to being ready is to recognize our total need for grace and to accept His gift. Paul is very clear about this in Ephesians 2. He wrote, God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Paul presses the issue even harder in Galatians 5. There he says we actually fall from grace the moment we alter God’s plan by adding any other requirement other than grace. It is difficult for us. Our pride wants so badly to contribute something other than a receptive heart. However, that is all we can do. It is the key to being ready. The speaker was correct. We do need to be ready. Just tell us the simple truth regarding how wonderful is His grace.
The Dumpster
Friday, August 05 2011
Having to vacate one’s office after 18 years of accumulating grade books, old term papers, syllabi from courses long forgotten, old tests, cards filled with signatures of students you don’t remember and out of date textbooks can be a daunting task. Today will be day number five of taking hundreds of pounds of paper to the college dumpster. I am so thankful for a hand-truck. The person who invented that marvelous two-wheeled transporter should be awarded a Nobel Prize.
I feel a bit strange tossing away boxes of term papers. If they were done correctly each one represents an enormous amount of work. Truthfully, most of them were banged out as rapidly as the student could type. Very little information that could change the world is being sent to the world of paper recycling. All that will remain from those hours in the classroom and sleepless nights cramming for an exam will be a single grade in the registrar’s office.
But wait. It wasn’t really about assignments and grades. It was about education. It was about changing lives and preparing people for service. The most important thing wasn’t a grade, it was ideas. It was about understanding one’s self, others and how the world works. It was finding Jesus and making Him the Lord of one’s life. It was about eternity and class reunions and alumni meetings thousands of years from now. It was about character building and helping high school graduates transition into adults who will raise families and become meaningful contributors to their local communities. If all those lectures, all those hours grading boring papers (most of them really weren’t very interesting) can be translated into outstanding human beings than many trips to the college dumpster is worth it all.
I feel a bit strange tossing away boxes of term papers. If they were done correctly each one represents an enormous amount of work. Truthfully, most of them were banged out as rapidly as the student could type. Very little information that could change the world is being sent to the world of paper recycling. All that will remain from those hours in the classroom and sleepless nights cramming for an exam will be a single grade in the registrar’s office.
But wait. It wasn’t really about assignments and grades. It was about education. It was about changing lives and preparing people for service. The most important thing wasn’t a grade, it was ideas. It was about understanding one’s self, others and how the world works. It was finding Jesus and making Him the Lord of one’s life. It was about eternity and class reunions and alumni meetings thousands of years from now. It was about character building and helping high school graduates transition into adults who will raise families and become meaningful contributors to their local communities. If all those lectures, all those hours grading boring papers (most of them really weren’t very interesting) can be translated into outstanding human beings than many trips to the college dumpster is worth it all.
The Fragrance
Thursday, August 04 2011
I wish you could be sitting with me at my desk. There is the most alluring, the most intoxicating, the most enthralling, and the most exhilarating fragrance drifting from the kitchen to my nose. I am struggling to stay in my chair. I want so badly to invade the kitchen and pull open the oven door. Whatever is in there is no longer a desire it has transformed itself into a need. By sheer force of will and discipline I continue to write to you instead of pulling up a chair in front of the oven, turning on the oven light and just watching whatever it is. I am waiting for the oven buzzer to sound out, “It is ready. Come and get it.” If my wife wants to punish me for some errant behavior (of course, there never is such a thing) all she need do is say, “It’s not for now. It is for the church potluck.” I cannot bear the thought. The next errant behavior would be sneaking to the kitchen at 3 AM like Dagwood Bumstead.
2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “We are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation . . .”
God is so very anxious to have us with Him. He longs to have us pull up a chair and stay awhile. (Forever) Often we speak of our longing for the second coming of Jesus that will end this pall of pain and restore things to the way it was supposed to be. If we think we are waiting we need but realize we only wait a few decades. He has waited now for 2000 years. For 2000 years the sweet aroma of the redeemed has filled His nostrils and He wants us.
2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “We are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation . . .”
God is so very anxious to have us with Him. He longs to have us pull up a chair and stay awhile. (Forever) Often we speak of our longing for the second coming of Jesus that will end this pall of pain and restore things to the way it was supposed to be. If we think we are waiting we need but realize we only wait a few decades. He has waited now for 2000 years. For 2000 years the sweet aroma of the redeemed has filled His nostrils and He wants us.
Hugs
Wednesday, August 03 2011
After 130 history filled years our little college, Atlantic Union College, will not open this fall. If all goes as planned we will become the north campus of Washington Adventist University and open for classes next summer. We were planning on beginning classes this fall but the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has yet to grant WAU the right to do business in Mass. My wife and I will have a fairly relaxed winter. We will not worry about getting to school on blizzard mornings.
Because all of us were pink-slipped at the end of July we were instructed to vacate our offices. What a task that has become - lots and lots of trips to the college dumpster. Our local public library allows us to check out paintings and I have had a spectacular picture of a flower garden in my office. Last Friday I returned it. Hopefully I can check it out again next year. When I entered the public library I was very warmly received by the staff. I was hugged (I don’t know these people.) and wished well as they consoled me regarding our school. I must be one of the very few people who have ever checked out hugs from the library. I must admit it was better than most of the other things I have checked out through the years.
What impressed me was the genuine care and expressions of kindness. Our world is such a nurturing place when we express care and concern for each other. While I am not advocating going about hugging strangers, actually we even have to be careful hugging people we do know, I think we can make someone’s day by expressing or sending verbal or virtual hugs their way. It really does feel good.
Because all of us were pink-slipped at the end of July we were instructed to vacate our offices. What a task that has become - lots and lots of trips to the college dumpster. Our local public library allows us to check out paintings and I have had a spectacular picture of a flower garden in my office. Last Friday I returned it. Hopefully I can check it out again next year. When I entered the public library I was very warmly received by the staff. I was hugged (I don’t know these people.) and wished well as they consoled me regarding our school. I must be one of the very few people who have ever checked out hugs from the library. I must admit it was better than most of the other things I have checked out through the years.
What impressed me was the genuine care and expressions of kindness. Our world is such a nurturing place when we express care and concern for each other. While I am not advocating going about hugging strangers, actually we even have to be careful hugging people we do know, I think we can make someone’s day by expressing or sending verbal or virtual hugs their way. It really does feel good.
The Reset Button
Tuesday, August 02 2011
Recently someone dear to us wrote, “I wish life was like a video game, where you can click a restore button and go back and start over at a favorite time.” That’s a pretty good idea but considering that would involve each life of the billions who live on earth, God has come up with a variation of that wish.
While we can’t turn back the clock we can continue as long as we need to click a restore button. In His mind we start fresh. I wish it could be that way with the people around us. Some of them have very long memories and seem to relish in reminding us of our flawed past. God is so very much better than people. And yet, what amazes me, so many of those remembering people think they are Christians. Jesus was so very clear about this in the Lord’s Prayer. If we expect forgiveness we have to give forgiveness.
One of the advantages to God’s restore system is while we get to start over we can retain the lessons learned. We don’t have to start today or tomorrow minus the wisdom obtained from past mistakes. We get a fresh start with the advantage of knowing what not to do. It gives us a head-start on future success. When similar situations arise we can remind ourselves not to go there. “Been down that road. Not going again.” Sometimes we are foolish and think just because it didn’t turn out good the last time, maybe this time it will be different. Well how dumb can that be? That borders on insanity or at least stupidity. Should we be so retarded – guess what? You guessed it. God has a reset button ready to go. Hooray for our Heavenly Father. Boo for us.
While we can’t turn back the clock we can continue as long as we need to click a restore button. In His mind we start fresh. I wish it could be that way with the people around us. Some of them have very long memories and seem to relish in reminding us of our flawed past. God is so very much better than people. And yet, what amazes me, so many of those remembering people think they are Christians. Jesus was so very clear about this in the Lord’s Prayer. If we expect forgiveness we have to give forgiveness.
One of the advantages to God’s restore system is while we get to start over we can retain the lessons learned. We don’t have to start today or tomorrow minus the wisdom obtained from past mistakes. We get a fresh start with the advantage of knowing what not to do. It gives us a head-start on future success. When similar situations arise we can remind ourselves not to go there. “Been down that road. Not going again.” Sometimes we are foolish and think just because it didn’t turn out good the last time, maybe this time it will be different. Well how dumb can that be? That borders on insanity or at least stupidity. Should we be so retarded – guess what? You guessed it. God has a reset button ready to go. Hooray for our Heavenly Father. Boo for us.
Surprised by a Coupon
Monday, August 01 2011
While shopping this evening I reached for an item and discovered some kind soul had been there before me and had tucked in place a two dollar coupon. It hadn’t been put there by the store. It had been torn out from a newspaper. It was a super nice thing to do for a stranger. It was one of those random acts of kindness. I was very happy to use it at the checkout counter.
Doing nice things for others really does bring joy into our lives. Maybe the person was watching from down the aisle to see who got it. If so, I hope he or she wasn’t disappointed some old guy got it. It probably would have been even more appreciated by a young couple with small children.
I enjoy the paraphrase in the Message of Romans 12:13, “be inventive in hospitality.” What a difference we can generate in our environment if each day we did some really unique deed of kindness. We could cut coupons and take them to the store next time we go shopping. As a teacher I could fill my syllabus with lots of assignments and then surprise my students by telling them they only had to do half of them. But that is kind of contrived. That is akin to robbing someone and then giving them back their credit cards. Did I just associate my class assignments with robbing someone? That was stupid. Well designed assignments contribute to the wealth of knowledge a student receives by taking the course. If I did not give assignments I would be robbing my students of their tuition.
Let’s be kind today and not worry about what we get but be concerned with what we can give.
Doing nice things for others really does bring joy into our lives. Maybe the person was watching from down the aisle to see who got it. If so, I hope he or she wasn’t disappointed some old guy got it. It probably would have been even more appreciated by a young couple with small children.
I enjoy the paraphrase in the Message of Romans 12:13, “be inventive in hospitality.” What a difference we can generate in our environment if each day we did some really unique deed of kindness. We could cut coupons and take them to the store next time we go shopping. As a teacher I could fill my syllabus with lots of assignments and then surprise my students by telling them they only had to do half of them. But that is kind of contrived. That is akin to robbing someone and then giving them back their credit cards. Did I just associate my class assignments with robbing someone? That was stupid. Well designed assignments contribute to the wealth of knowledge a student receives by taking the course. If I did not give assignments I would be robbing my students of their tuition.
Let’s be kind today and not worry about what we get but be concerned with what we can give.