THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AND ACTION

High Country Flood, Western NC

High Country Freeze, Western, NC

I’ve noticed that more folks are recently challenging remarks by others during troubled times when they remark “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”  They cry for that plus action!  That phrase has almost become cliché in our culture and folks are noticing.  The recent rampage of Hurricane Helene and the resultant response demonstrated that prayers and action go well together! 

A tremendous number of folks have been left homeless with nothing of material value including basic necessities after Helene hit the Western North Carolina mountain country.  I checked the weather there this morning and now found a freeze warning for the higher elevations and the season’s early snowfall there.  That’s made the situation more dire.   

Our world is presently in turmoil given the devastation of Biblical hurricanes, lengthy wars in Ukraine and Israel, a contentious presidential election with two attempted assassinations, a recent worldwide pandemic, import dock strikes, atomic weapons in too many countries, famines, etc.  After the fall, all creation groans to be redeemed and renewed, along with the rest of humanity.  We need God and prayer with action now more than ever.

A few days ago, I came across a social media post by a member of the United Cajun Navy, crediting Adam Dufour, about his experience upon returning from the area to volunteer in assisting the folks up in the mountain country.  I extracted this short summary:

“Massive amounts of water flowing down the steep slopes caused mud slides, that snowballed into avalanches of liquid earth, filled with huge trees, rocks and other debris, cascading down the mountains at 40+ MPH and anything man made in their path was annihilated. People were helping complete strangers, or their friends and neighbors. This is the heart and spirit of my America, and it's still beating strong.   I have witnessed countless people who have suffered terrible loss, who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and are still thankful, and praising His name.” 

I was selling pumpkins at our church front yard when a very young, modest couple and their cute little two-year-old daughter in a seasonal orange dress arrived.  They spent time taking photographs and strolling around the patch and then wheeled a red Flyer wagon up with two $15 pumpkins.  The young man noted that he had just returned from the mountains with a group that was clearing roadways for people.  He then handed me two $20 bills and asked me to put the change in a Hurricane Donation jar on the table.  He had just been a witness to the need.

Our congregation will be providing two portable gas generators and delivering 200 requested sleeping bags to a UMC church in Banner Elk so far.

Karl Barth was right when he observed: “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”  This troubled world, including the Holy Land and our western North Carolina mountains, is definitely worthy of our prayers and our actions!  The floods that have ravaged our state remind us of our strength.

“We may bend but we never break.”  When the night is dark, be the star that ushers us home.

GEESE UNDER HARVEST MOON

GEESE UNDER HARVEST MOON

Looking back over many moons of my life, it occurred to me that of the millions of images I’ve observed, the ones that still emerge are the ones that accompany impressionable feelings. Those feelings have been both good and bad.  I still remember entering a Thermodynamics class on campus as another student walked by and announced that President Kennedy had been assassinated.  And I remember an evening at the outset of duck and goose hunting season when the night wind switched to the north and I heard the gathering call of wild geese overhead.  

A young midwestern boy stepped outside in the sudden cold weather and gazed skyward.  And as the gathering dark clouds parted to reveal a bright harvest moon, the recognizable V formation of migrating geese passed under it, plaintively calling to one another as the bright city lights illuminated these adventurous voyagers.  I was accompanying my father and uncle on my first hunting trip in the morning and sleep was difficult that night, as the moonlight intermittently shone through my bedroom window and the calling geese never ceased.

 

TOBY AND CLINT ON LIFE

Toby and Clint

I made an interesting connection this morning with myself at almost 82, Toby Keith, the country singer who recently died of stomach cancer at 62 and Clint Eastwood at 93, the Dirty Harry police officer and western movie actor.  What triggered my interest were these thoughts from Max Ehrmann which I stumbled across on social media:

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

Be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

No less than the trees and the stars;

And whether or not it is clear to you,

No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

It seems Toby Keith found inspiration from a casual conversation with Clint Eastwood years ago on the golf course in California.  Keith asked the then 88-year-old actor “What keeps you going?” and he replied “I get up every day and don’t let the old man in”.  So, Keith wrote the hit song by the same name and Clint put it in his movie, The Mule.  Toby also recorded the hit country song As Good As I Once Was which included the lyrics:

I ain't as good as I once was,
I got a few years on me now.
But there was a time back in my prime,
When I could really lay it down.

I ain't as good as I once was,
But I'm as good once as I ever was.

And the internet is full of infamous quotes from Clint’s movies including a couple from the Dirty Harry collection that includes “A man’s got to know his limitations” and “Go ahead and make my day!”  I say all this because the one thing in life I have in common with these entertainers is the reflection of many moons and the game of golf.  I’ve recently faced my mortality and years on the planet, swallowed my man pride and moved up one tee box to make my day, i.e., knowing my limitations.  And I generally only play once a week to satisfy my aching joints and muscles, i.e., but I’m still as good once as I ever was and I don’t let the old man in!   

Yeah, old age ain’t for sissies, but it’s a gift that’s denied to many.  So, “get up and go outside”!  Celebrate all the full moons that you’ve experienced on a late, chilly, fall night as calling wild geese fly overhead.  And “toast each sundown with wine.  Don’t let the old man in.”

https://youtu.be/yc5AWImplfE?si=ivzsSvUni0UJ8E26

OLD SOULS

OLD SOUL, Overland Park, KS

My wife Karen and I passed on having a child when we got married right after college graduation.  We were interested in living life as a couple and getting a bit more financially secure before we made the leap into parenthood.  So, we finally made the decision and were blessed with a healthy baby girl later than most of our contemporaries.  Almost immediately, adoring friends commented on her happy and somewhat mature character.  We chalked it up at the time to the "older birth parents" as a response.

I recently came across the term “old soul” which I considered normally refers to an older, wiser person.  When I just searched for Old Soul images, the majority came up with very whiskered old men and white-haired women.  But one definition noted that an old soul could also be “a person, especially a child or young person, who demonstrates a maturity, understanding, or seriousness that is typical of someone much older. 

The concept of an "old soul" can refer to a person who thinks and behaves more maturely than others their age, or to a being who has lived many lives before the current one… Old souls can be rather endearing. Their demeaner and appeal draw people to them. Likewise, they are fascinating and charismatic individuals.  Subtle signs that you may be an old soul are wisdom beyond years, valuing deep connections, having a reflective nature, curious, empathetic towards others, good conversationalist, mentally and emotionally more mature than most people, etc..  All of these attributes are filled with love and are essential to fulfilling the destiny of an old soul!

Based on my findings, there’s no question that being considered an old soul is quite a compliment.  And the term seems to be more apt for younger children than older adults when it is first observed.  But those traits can be acquired by anyone that sees them as desirable at any age!

 

SAVING FOR THE FUTURE

SEED CORN

DEAD SEA SCROLL

ESSENES CAVES, QUMRAN, ISRAEL

ANASAZI CLIFF DWELLINGS, MESA VERDE, COLORADO

Early in life most folks are simply concerned about getting by day to day and are not too concerned about their future or future generations.  If we were born in America, we’re already richer than the vast majority of the world’s population.  And sadly, for most of us, we gauge our wellness by looking at those around us.  There are pockets of the world with people that have far fewer material goods in their life that are far more satisfied with their situation than those that have far more stuff.  Those civilizations such as the native Americans were custodians of their surroundings so that future generations could survive and thrive.  They shared their beliefs and consumed only those things that sustained life.

Nine years ago, I was standing in an observation area at Qumran, Israel overlooking cave 4 where priceless segments of all fifty-two chapters of the ancient Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah were discovered.  A dry, hot desert wind was blowing across the desolate landscape with the inviting Dead Sea reflecting the bright sunshine behind me.  Other caves in this desolate and difficult to reach region also contained many other scrolls of Biblical books along with other writings. They had been copied and later hidden in clay jars by an ascetic sect called the Essenes who had retreated from the broken world around them, thus preserving some of the earliest copies of world-famous writings. The occupying Romans conquered Qumran in 68 C.E in response to the great Jewish revolt of the time and dispersed the people.

My mind connected to a time many years ago when I was standing at the edge of a great canyon in Mesa Verde, Colorado and gazing in wonder at ancient cliff dwellings. The Anasazi Indians occupied these cliff dwellings as the wind circulated in a timeless Bernoulli effect through the canyon. The Anasazi planted life giving corn on the “green tables” above them and retreated to the cliff dwellings for protection from the elements and warring tribes. Archaeologists speculate that a twenty-four-year drought finally drove the people to abandon their community. 

When we were walking the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, I noticed a display that was seared in my memory to this day. The archaeologists exploring the site had discovered a very important find. It was a large clay pot thrown and decorated in the ancient Pueblo Indian style. And it contained the most priceless treasure that the people possessed. The departing people had hidden a cache of seed corn for another season of planting.  Agriculture societies must always set aside enough of the harvest to provide seeds for the next year’s life sustaining crop. Even though the people may have been starving at the time, they knew the seed corn must be preserved for future generations! 

They say that God is in the wind such as in Qumran and Mesa Verde and as a boy growing up in the windy central Kansas plains, I came to instinctively know this as well.  Interestingly, the Essenes had accomplished the same objective as the Anasazi by hiding these priceless scrolls in clay jars so that scholars could have the benefit of examining some of the earliest Biblical writings in existence 2,000 years later. The arid climates and caves had preserved both the seed corn and the scrolls in clay vessels for future generations. And once the crisis had passed and they were exposed to the light, they both could germinate into new life!

And we too are vessels shaped from the stardust clay of the earth, created to prosper and care for those who follow.

 

DRAGONFLY SPIRIT

Dragonfly at the Door, Jamestown UMC, NC

I was volunteering with our Shepherd’s Team and working with our Security Guard, Glen, the first thing this morning as we were welcoming and helping folks arrive at our JUMC back entrance by the parking lot.  The two large doors with brass door handles have been decorated with large artificial wreaths.  As I opened one of the doors for a worshiper, I suddenly noticed something out of the ordinary clinging to the wreath on the opposite door.  Closer inspection revealed a motionless bright green dragonfly holding onto a couple stems! 

It appeared that the dragonfly had possibly spent the night in the shelter of the circle drive overhang and found a secure home on the door wreath.  A closer look indicated slight movements of the dragonfly’s head with the large compound eyes looking straight into my eyes.  Dragonflies have excellent vision and their panoramic perspectives are supported by far superior capabilities to see more colors and even ultraviolet light.  Although they have six legs, they cannot walk, but their two pairs of transparent wings give them great maneuverability.

It's been said that seeing a dragonfly could be a sign and message from your angels as they encourage us to transform and become something magnificent.  This remarkable insect that has been around for 300 million years reminds us that hope and infinite possibilities await us!  It lives most of its life as a nymph and only matures into a flying insect for just a limited time, but fulfills its destiny in the process. 

Coincidentally, I had just sent an email to our Sunday class that our first session of the new season would involve our input to a new Vision Team.  They’re inviting input about how we could make changes to proceed on a number of issues to share the Good News of God’s love for His creation!  Perhaps our dragonfly’s visit was perfectly timed for us.

In spite of many folks coming and going that morning and our pointing out its presence, our messenger stayed on the artificial stem for about thirty minutes.  It was then prompted to just move over to the center of the matching-colored wreath.  We observed our mystery visitor remaining there for another thirty minutes as we were called inside for assistance.  When we returned, the dragonfly had vanished.  

 "Dragonflies are known to have curiosity and a friendliness that offers a blueprint for being brave and exploring possibilities. If you open your heart to them, a visit from a dragonfly can offer not just enchantment but even inspiration to live your best life and take bold next steps."

SIMPLE REMINDERS

 

Note Pad, Jamestown NC

A marriage is a partnership between two soulmates as they both navigate their way through a shared lifetime.  For some like my neighbors that journey can last eighty years or half that time for my wife Karen and me.  She departed this mortal life sixteen years ago.

It should be no secret to anybody that making a lifetime partnership work takes commitment and work.  It doesn’t simply glide along without any bumps along the road.  And there are times of stress and tribulations where the little things can become irritable.  And it’s so easy to look back on those things with incredulous wonder as to how they were even considered a bother.

Karen and I spent many hours shopping in malls and quaint little gift shops browsing for something in particular and nothing in particular.  On many such occasions, Karen would spot a set of note pads that were the personification of the Holy Grail.  And I would spot her purchasing them before I could sound the alarm reminding her that we already had cornered the market on note pads and amassed a lifetime’s supply!  Those small purchases really didn’t amount to as much of a fuss that triggered a response from me.  After all, she wasn’t sitting at home and acquiring large blocks of Enron stock. 

A few years ago, I rounded up all the unused note pads scattered in drawers and shelves around the house and consolidated them in my office.  And every day since then I have been drawing from the cache and using them for grocery lists, note taking, weekly golf pairing lists, passwords, increasing reminders, etc.  And every time I use one of the “lifetime note pads” it reminds me of her.  So, it seems my misplaced objections were actually priceless, simple reminders of her for the future.

"Grief is a giant neon sign, protruding through everything, pointing everywhere, broadcasting loudly, 'Love was here.'

In the finer print, quietly, 'Love still is'."

 ~Heidi Priebe