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

TAKE FIVE

Porsche Boxster S, Jamestown, NC

'57 Corvette

Dave Brubeck's quartet originally recorded the jazz classic "Take Five" in 1959. I was still a lowly student with maybe two pennies to rub together on occasion. But my buddies and I would drag the gut in our American Graffiti central Kansas hometown and go with the flow of that consummate cruisin' music. I always dreamed of cruisin' to Dave's anthem in an appropriate sports car as it was surely intended, but there was no discretionary cash for such an extravagance. I just watched classic '57 Corvettes cruisin' on the roads and lived vicariously through the experiences of the older guys as they related them to me. Then as life moved along and I could actually afford a "Take Five" sports car, it was never really very practical, which was fine at the time. But my bucket list always contained the dream. 

Now it's crossed off the list. And taking five couldn't have been sweeter than it was out on North Carolina state highway 421 with Dave's classic streaming on the CD and Paul Desmond’s mesmerizing alto sax wafting over the roll bars and out into the Carolina blue sky.

A HAWK’S VISION

HAWK SOARING & SITING, Jamestown, NC

I recently noticed this red shoulder hawk perched on a nearby branch by my driveway.  The hawk sat motionless as I drew closer with my trusty iPhone at the ready to quickly capture an image before he bolted.  In all my years outside in nature, that’s the closest I’ve ever come to a vigilant hawk.

The eastern North Carolina Cherokee believe that when creatures cross your path, they’re bringing a message to share.  Circling hawks soaring on rising thermals are known for their keen eyesight and they are considered to be messengers of vision and clarity.  Folks are cautioned to consider that whatever you’re thinking about at the time may resolve itself and manifest in your life.  You will have the clear vision and wisdom to act accordingly.  It’s a reminder that we are not alone and spiritual guidance is always available to us.

Mankind has observed the traits of hawks for millennia and those have been incorporated into religions such as in Buddhism; the hawks represent union with the great spirit.  In Hinduism, hawks are associated with rejuvenation and hawks represent wisdom in Christianity.  The hawk was the symbol of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.

The sky is the hawk’s realm and a circling hawk grabs our attention to consider a message on its wings or in the wings for action when the time is right.  I’ve recently pondered the message that I now have more years behind me than in front of me.  That’s prompted me to savor each of those future moments even more acutely now that I have the time away from demands that consumed my working hours.  Time in retirement can be consumed just as quickly, but I’ve learned to see that and commit more time to being thankful and purposeful with the days left and act accordingly.

 

THE BURNT TOAST THEORY

World Trade Center, NY,NY

The Burnt Toast Theory is a way of positively rationalizing setbacks so that you can navigate a positive outcome or prevent greater harm.  Our Creator has set the laws of the universe into motion and doesn’t normally interfere with them.  But some have even suggested that in some instances the unseen hand of Providence may be in play when negative things happen, such as burning your toast to start your day may cause just enough of a delay in leaving home that it saves you from an accident that never happens.

People are suggesting that the assassination attempt on president Trump which resulted in a torn right ear prompted him to hit the floor which may have saved his life from another shot.  The fact that he turned slightly to reference a graphic was also in play.  I’ve experienced a number of very close calls in my extended life that might have had terrible outcomes that I never had to experience.  One incidence that comes to mind was the night I was unaware of a man shadowing me to a dark parking spot on the Mexico border and had his hand on my rental car’s door handle just as I was prompted to lock the door.

The concept quickly came to mind as I remembered the legion of stories that emerged after the 911 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York.  There were many people who were inconvenienced on that fateful morning and were detained from being in one of the towers as the terrorists flew commercial planes into the buildings, killing almost 3,000 citizens.

One woman was contemplating her future at home since she had just been laid off from her job in one of the towers within 24 hours of the incident.  She was rehired by the firm and had never been processed off the payroll.  A chef at Windows on the World had to take the time to replace his eyeglasses on the way to work and wasn’t present.  A man was driving his brand-new vehicle to an 8:00 meeting on the 73^rd floor of Tower Two and had a mechanical problem.  So, he drove to his dealership at 7:00, but the mechanics refused to start work until 8:00.  An attendee at a conference realized that a publication was missing from their booth, so he volunteered to go back to their off-site office to retrieve it.

All of these real-life examples should encourage us to consider the burnt-toast theory as a mental mindset to get back on track when something goes wrong and be thankful that nothing worse happened!  

 

THE BOND BETWEEN US

God with Us

Carry On

Living a full life is a blessing denied to many beyond our understanding, but it also comes with the determination to carry on in the brief time we have to live apart.  We lose parents, grandparents,  aunts and uncles, close friends, soulmates, children, etc.  However, we can embrace peace, faith and hope in the understanding that we are an eternal soul with a mortal body.  The bond between us is merely paused for a season.

I’ve found the following observation to be useful:

“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to.”

--Elisabeth Cabler-Ross 

 

SYNONYMS AND NUANCES

SOLITUDE

Language gives us the ability to communicate to ourselves and others by thinking, talking, reading and writing.  Other species have some ability to communicate but none of them have language.  Once we learn a language, it becomes as automatic as breathing and we don’t give it much thought.  It’s been observed that the English language is difficult to learn because of all the subtle nuances of words and their understanding of both the sender and receiver.  I remember one brutal winter night in Kansas when we decided to prepare Chinese food for dinner.  When I volunteered to retrieve the Wok, our schnauzer immediately ran to the front door for her nightly walk!  That happens to us supposedly higher intelligence beings also.

I’ve spent some time pondering over the nuances of the words happiness and joy plus loneliness and solitude.  They could actually be considered as complete antonyms.  If you Google these words, you will likely find them in a Thesaurus listed under the category of synonyms or comparable words.  But in my experience, I consider it good human psychology to differentiate both pairs of supposed synonyms in the interest of good emotional health.

At any point in our lives, if we focus on happiness as a cure for loneliness we will be left with a futile search.  Loneliness focuses on the pain of being alone, so it’s not uncommon for folks to seek a cure in quick, temporary, external, worldly fixes.  Joy and solitude can be found in seeking internal peace through self-reflection and focusing on relationships and the pursuit of making the world around us better than we found it.

The challenges of life and seeking happiness can sometimes be compared to a merry-go-round that becomes increasingly faster and faster.  The dark depression of languishing in loneliness can slow life to a standstill.  Both can drain your energy until you take the initiative to jump off, immerse yourself in the joy of solitude and recharge.  

 

CIRCLES OF TIME

 

MAYAN CALENDAR, ROCK PETROGLYPH & APPLE ICON

I stumbled across this very apt definition of a circle of time long ago that “A circle is the reflection of eternity which has no beginning and no end.”  Consequently, ancient petroglyphs left etched in deserts and on all manner of rocks have survived over time indicating that mankind has related to circular concepts ever since our beginning.  They've been found in a multitude of burial mounds, possibly symbolizing the immortality of the spirit.  Even the ancient Mayans created circular long count calendars.  I mention this because after upgrading my iPhone recently, I discovered that it was necessary to unpair my previous iPhone from my electronic watch before it could be paired with my new one.  And somewhere in the process, I somehow managed to lock up the watch before I had finished the transition.

After spending too much time for even a retired person, I relinquished and called Apple’s Support line this morning.  Thankfully, the young woman that took my call was not only knowledgeable, but patient with my generation.  We had an amiable conversation as she walked me through a series of steps which I would have never maneuvered on my own.  As we neared our final destination to releasing the shackles on my iWatch, a wheel miraculously appeared on the screen and began a slow progression of turning on the wheel’s outer lights. The system was illuminating instructions being issued and completed to restore time back into my unstructured life.

 The circle was reminiscent of the Settings icon that Apple uses and the outer lights on the circle were slowly moving to complete this circle of time.  I’ve always had a fascination with circles and the 1972 release of the Harry Chapin song “Circle” immediately came to mind.  My technical support person had tapped into my iPhone for the fix with my permission and I mentioned the animated circle on my watch reminded me of Harry Chapin’s lyrics that

“All my life’s a circle,

Sunrise and sundown,

Season’s spinning round again,

the years keep rollin’ by.”

There was a long pause on the other end and my smart, young, support analyst remarked that she didn’t know that song or Harry Chapin.  I did some quick math in my senior brain and surmised that the song was released 50 years ago.  So, I suggested she Google the title later just as the long count circle of time was completed.  My watch sprang to life and we parted amicably as I promised to give her a great rating on the follow up survey.    

The annual seasons move from spring to summer to fall to winter as we complete one more trip around the sun and add one more candle to our birthday cake. We’re born dependent, experience childhood, grow to independent adulthood, then ease into old age and begin to circle back. Generation follows generation, one season follows another, and the years fly swiftly by, filled with happiness and tears. Only time will tell if it was time well spent.

GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN

White Phantom Horses, Jamestown, NC

I woke up this morning a bit stiff after playing 18 holes of golf yesterday and then returning home to spend another four hours enjoying the arrival of cooler weather while working out in my yard.  With that in mind, it wasn’t a problem talking myself into driving to a local bakery for a bear claw and large coffee.  I passed through the neighborhood just as the sun had risen over the tree line and was casting its long horizontal rays over a neighborhood lake.

I had witnessed similar scenes before but this morning, like all mornings, was uniquely different.  So, I turned around, activated my emergency blinkers and parked by the side of the lake.  I was immediately greeted with a chorus of bird songs praising their Creator and celebrating the promise of a new day.  Their unique voices mingled across the placid waters, conjuring memories of entering Notre Dame Cathedral one Sunday morning in Paris and being blown away by the acoustics of the choir. 

And then it became apparent that a gentle breeze was herding white horses across the surface into a natural cove.  They were colliding and rotating heaven ward or back into the other direction away from me.  An occasional white horse made the U-turn in such a fashion that it evaporated into an upward death spiral.   The heat of the sunbeams ultimately dispersed the foggy phantoms as their dance is unrehearsed in shallow depressions and watery low lands.  And reflections of new leaf growth on the surrounding trees added an impressionist canvas to the overall scene.  A pair of Mallard ducks parted the still waters as they swam through the calm waters that remained in their wake.. 

I instinctively retrieved my omnipresent iPhone and began videoing and photographing the scene so that I took away only images in my mind and my trusty Apple vault.  That short glimpse of heaven was a wonderful aperitif before I had even enjoyed my first taste of coffee.     

 

LATE AUTUMN SIXTY YEARS LATER

 

Memories, Olathe, KS

I stumbled upon a small treasure trove of yellow tinged type written papers while sorting out saved relics of the past.  The earliest hand written one involved a dream I had as a boy about The Last Day.  The remainder must have been written during my college days, perhaps for English classes or just for myself.

 One titled Alone was about a man with an airplane that found himself the lone survivor of an apocalyptic nuclear world war (The first two atomic bombs were used not long after I was born).  This copy was typed without revisions and had a nice red “A” at the top.  The others must have been first drafts with hand written revisions.  Another titled Tempest of the Kerkyons involved the nightly activities of a group of young men who were involved in a high-speed car crash.  The title came from a fictional book on a rite of passage for young men in ancient Crete Minoan courtyards of tempting fate by jumping over charging bulls.  

One typed draft I had saved titled Late Autumn involved “The soft light of a harvest moon and a quaint old man who was quietly sitting on a park bench engrossed in his private world of memories”.  That one was a bit of a show stopper because it was almost prophetic.  Had I actually been writing about my own future sixty years ago?  I have a meditation bench by my Lenten Rose Garden.   

“His solemn face calmly witnessed the placid environment while the moonlight sharply contrasted his soft white hair with the dark complexion of his shadowed face.  He was thinking of his wife now.”  “One fall night, very much like tonight he had met Mary.  The light illuminated her fair complexion and accented her youthful smile.  His weary face slowly formed a picture of contentment and joy as he remembered her as she had been that night.”  “He had known then that she was the one thing which life could hold for him.  Apparently, she had sensed it too, and they were married later in a quiet chapel on the outskirts of the big city.”   

And that was almost the way life went down, except that her name turned out to be Karen.

ON THE OTHER SIDE

Charlie at the Door, JUMC, NC

 I took this photo of our security guard Glenn’s dog Charlie as Glenn had stepped inside our Fellowship Hall to secure the doors after this morning’s services.  Charlie was quietly laying down outside the hall, but quickly rose to wait outside the doors for his master.  He didn’t move a muscle until Glenn opened the doors to exit.

That image immediately called to mind a story I had read years ago and it perfectly illustrated that story.  As I recall, a sick man was inside an examination room with his doctor who had just revealed that the man had a terminal illness.  The patient remarked that he hadn’t spent much of his life trying to understand God or even contemplating what is on the other side of this mortal life.  So, he asked the doctor for his opinion.

The doctor put his hand on the room’s door handle and they heard a whining and scratching on the other side.  When the doctor opened the door, his dog jumped up to greet him.  Then the doctor remarked, “I don’t know a lot about what’s on the other side, but I have faith that my Master is there with open arms and that is enough.”   

Join us at JUMC every Sunday morning behind the outside doors to learn more about the Master on the other side!

SERVING OTHERS

Washing Feet & Serving Others in a Pandemic

I recently read a short and sweet phrase on “serving” while facilitating an adult class on How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado.  He summarized the process of serving others this way: “Doing good does the doer good!”  In fact, if we’re serving others that have no hope of repaying us, we’re doing God’s work.  If we’re expecting something in return, we’re doing business!

My wife Karen and I volunteered to participate in a community mission effort a number of years ago. We gathered as a group in our JUMC Fellowship Hall and were given an assignment for the day to make a difference in our community. And before we all departed, our Bishop gave us a rather daunting instruction. We were challenged to “see Jesus along the way”.

We ended up working with a retired law officer who was trying to offer after school assistance to elementary school children. He had received a large number of books from a major school supply company that desperately needed to be organized. In the course of spending the day with this man, we got to know him better and understand that his heart was in the right place, but his resources were woefully lacking. After the kids arrived later, he slipped outside and grilled dinner for all of us on a small charcoal grill.

When we returned to JUMC for a debriefing, I was able to confirm that we had indeed seen Jesus that day in the form of a man that had seen too much suffering and pain in his community and sought to do something positive about it at its core.

Later, our church was able to initiate an Agape initiative at an elementary school in that community which funded and staffed after school care.

I had been helping a young second grade boy with reading a Christmas book and another about a pig that outfoxed a fox in our after-school mission.  He actually didn’t need much assistance except for just a few foreign words. When a woman with similar features appeared to pick up one of the children, I noticed that the boy was gathering his backpack and putting on his winter coat. So, I approached her and mentioned that he had done a very good job of reading two books to me today. She asked if I was from the church and I acknowledged that I was.

She then thanked me for helping her family have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas with the donations that had been sent home with every child before the school break. Her eyes revealed a true sincerity. Without giving my response much thought I mentioned that it was all in the spirit of Christmas and it was a two-way street. I had experienced a much better holiday season this year because we were able to provide the interaction, presents and food. And it was especially gratifying to observe that this woman was able to see Jesus through the efforts of the people at our church.

GLACIAL RETURN TO STARDUST

Willard Dairy Barn, Greensboro, NC

I’ve been drawn to this abandoned dairy barn ever since I first noticed it not too far off the edge of an invasive movement of development in the area.  And I’ve always liked the notion that the wrinkles that we all acquire as we age can easily be compared to weathered barn wood that sells for a premium these days. 

There’s an unwritten truth in this world that life and nature can take all worldly things in an instant or at a glacial pace.  As late spring weather spawns severe storms with destructive tornados, anyone in their path knows just how true that is for both worldly possessions and sentient lives.  Nothing in this life lasts forever even though everything leaves at different and unpredictable times.

Modern science has determined that matter can neither be created nor destroyed.  And all matter is composed of the stardust of the validated Big Bang.  Billions of years have witnessed the creation of all matter on this planet, including this planet, and when matter disintegrates back into the stardust of creation, new life emerges once again. 

Perhaps that’s why I’m perpetually drawn to observe and commune with this silent sentinel of the country every time I pass by to observe the changing skyline overhead and the pasture grasses at its open doors.  Hawks glide overhead and have found refuge in the adjoining twin silos along with all varieties of woodland creatures that have burrowed their way under the damaged roof. 

If nature has its way, another decade will pass before the glacial transformation will be complete.  But I fully expect to drive by any day now only to observe the total annihilation of the dairy farm to make way for hundreds of apartment units on the site in the name of progress.  Maybe that’s why I feel compelled to document its life while most of the stardust is still intact along with mine.   

 

HAPPINESS IS LIKE A BUTTERFLY

RESTING BUTTERFLY I

RESTING BUTTERFLY II

If you Google “Happiness” on the internet, which is where I get a lot of my information these days, you will quickly find a quote which folks have used in various forms from Henry David Thoreau.  Thoreau has written that “Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”

Different Native American tribes interpret butterflies in their own way, but generally, they're thought to represent change and transformation, comfort, hope and joy. 

 I remember chasing after Swallowtail butterflies on their annual migrations and just when you get close enough, they casually move along on the summer breeze.  I suspect there are childhood memories of many adults doing the same thing and learning the same lesson.  And if we’ve run the gauntlet of life on this planet for enough years, it’s very easy to relate that experience to the concept of happiness that also can be very elusive. 

Our culture considers the path to happiness strewn with all imaginable sorts of worldly stuff which the Mad Men of Madison Avenue subliminally and not so subliminally barrage us with over the course of almost every waking hour on the planet. One of Best Buy’s ads said it all; “I want it all and I want it now!”  We’re definitely an “instant gratification” society.  Don Draper of the 1960’s Mad Men advertising series wrapped things up neatly when he made a pitch to a CEO for their business; “What is happiness?  It’s the moment before we need more happiness.”  Advertisers and salespersons know that looking for happiness in all the wrong worldly places can be very short lived!

But if we simply go about our life following the greatest commandment which Jesus proclaimed of loving our creator and our brothers and sisters, the butterfly will glide in and sit on our shoulder.  We can experience a lasting happiness in life when we help someone who has no possibility of returning the favor.  If we do something for someone and expect something in return, we’re doing business!  This may bring a temporary happiness, but not the internal joy that has lasting power in our life.

We will face difficult circumstances in the course of a life that are beyond our control with one exception—how we respond.  And we should be careful not to confuse temporary, external circumstance, happiness with eternal, internal, joy that reveals which gods we worship in life.  We were created to be forever joyful which I consider to be a more informed extension of happiness that will dwell peacefully in our heart.

LOOKING AT LIFE FROM BOTH SIDES

CLOUDS, ICE CREAM CASTLES AND GRAMMYS

I’ve always been mesmerized by Joni Mitchell’s 1969 song Both Sides Now which she wrote at 21.  It was introduced in her second album Clouds and has become her best known song.  But I was uncertain about watching her perform her poetic lyrics last Sunday at the Grammys while sitting in a living room chair sixty years later.  The longer I watched and listened, however, the message held new meaning for me as we are both now close in age and have experienced both sides of a life well lived. 

 

It seems that Joni found the inspiration for the song while sitting at the window seat in an airplane and noticing the flip side of clouds, as we’re the first generation to see from that perspective.  She observed that she had always saw them as beautiful ice cream castles from below, but also concluded that they can block the sun while raining and snowing on everyone.  By this time, she had fought and won a struggle with polio at age nine, the “win and lose” of life, and given up her baby daughter at 20 that she had with a fellow student that wasn’t ready for parenthood, the “give and take” of love.  Clouds got in the way.  I too have observed the dark, menacing, underbelly of thick clouds only to discover beautiful skyscapes on the other side once the plane gains altitude and breaks through to the other side.

 

Joni continues the dichotomy observing that “old friends shake their heads and say I’ve changed, but ‘something’s lost and something’s gained’ in living every day.”  She finally concedes that “I really don’t know life at all.”  But today at age 80 she has the advantage of reflecting back from the other side of life with the wisdom of age and the writings of those who have come before us.  We all have the succinct words from authors like M. Scott Peck that “Life is difficult” and Robert Frost who summed up everything he learned about life in three words, “It goes on.”