According to the back of the bulletin for September 12, 2021, that Sunday is designated as Grandparents’ Day. As a special day on the calendar, it does not have the cachet of Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. As a grandparent myself that really doesn’t bother me. Every time I am with my grandchildren it feels like Grandparents’ Day. At all the stages of their lives so far, they have treated their grandmother and I with affection, love and respect. They delight in our stories of the past, indulge our jokes and forgive our mistakes. I know that not all grandparents and grandchild relationships are so positive, but when I talk to most grandparents, their love and pride in their grandchildren is self -evident. We are fortunate in our time of longer life spans to know our grandparents and even at times our great grandparents. Often when families are separated by distance there are substitute grandparents who families informally adopt who are dear to the children. They may be called Aunts and uncles or just family friends, but they also extend the circle of trust and love for children as they grow. Often those relationships are life long parts of our lives. Fortunate is the child who has four grandparents and several other grandparenting friends. We don’t read much about grandparents in scripture in terms of their relationships with grandchildren. Perhaps this is just assumed by the culture of the time or perhaps life span issues are the problem, but we can be sure that there was loving relationships between grandparents and grandchildren back to the very beginning. They didn’t have a specific Grandparents’ Day, but like now they did not need it. It was enough to just be someone’s grandparent.
09/19/2021
Having been born in Utah, I have always been fascinated by the Old West. While many of the stories in what were called at the time “dime novels”, were an important century in the development in America. There were colorful events like rodeos and Fourth of July Celebrations, farming and ranching with roundups and gatherings like potlucks and country dances. Churches were built and towns established. There was hardship and violence particularly against Native Americans. Saloons and dance halls, at times, far out weighed churches and courthouses. TV and movies have distorted our vision of what that time was actually like for those who experienced it. Old letters and diaries from the period gave a more realistic picture. My nostalgia for the Old West is a combination of fantasy and experience of the rural west. My uncle was a cowboy in Idaho, bred, raised and raced quarter horses on his Utah farm where I helped during the summer. My brother was a rodeo rider, particularly entering bareback and bull riding events. For both good and ill the rural west in the 1950s still carried the values and mythology of the Old West. At times when the veil of Old West mythology is thin in my mind, I wonder if the violence we see in our present society has in any way been influenced by the violent images of the Old West on TV and movies. Perhaps, we would benefit by a view of the past which idolized the peace makers rather than warriors. Olive branches may be a better symbol for our country than arrows. The back of the one dollar bill shows the eagle with olive branches clutched in each foot as a reminder of the need for peace in our society. Eventually the Old West became more civilized than its early days. We can hope that our current violent time may also move toward peace.
09/12/2021
Someone described an example of confidence as “doing the New York Times crossword Puzzle with a ball point pen.” I have always been glad that pencils usually have an eraser built in. While confidence is an attractive quality, it has its limitation. We all make mistakes even about things where we are highly confident. One waggish observer described an acquaintance with the statement, “Often wrong, never in doubt.” It is always possible that what we think we know may in fact be wrong. For those of us who like to be right that is an irritating thought. It has happened to followers of Jesus before. Jesus had just finished telling his disciples that he was going up to Jerusalem and that he would be killed by the powers of that time. Peter immediately contradicted Jesus indicating that could not happen. Peter was certain that Jesus was the Messiah and that death could not be the early end of the Messiah. He was confident but events proved him wrong just as Jesus had said. Christians have gotten things wrong at other times. Some Christians were wrong about slavery, for example. Christians, even faithful, confident Christians can get things wrong even yet. We may not see it at the time, but later events and God’s guidance may help us see the better way. It was a hard path for Peter, but in the end, with God’s help, Peter gained a new vision of what God’s Messiah should be. We might well remember that while Christians get many things right, we can also be mistaken in our opinions. All this should make us a bit more modest especially when we are in disagreement with each other.
09/05/2021
If in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson had written “the pursuit of satisfaction” rather than “the pursuit of happiness”, would we be a less selfish nation? I’m not sure how Jefferson understood happiness. If he saw it, as many seem to think, as the pleasure of the moment, then the pursuit was much too shallow. If he saw it as the deeper satisfaction of long term righteous goals and accomplishment, then it seems more substantial. Some see happiness as the absence of any pain either physical or psychological, but life can never be painless. Some pains are worth it for the reward that is attached to them. Giving birth might be in that category as some mothers have described it. The pain of grief at the loss of someone dear to us is very real, but it also marks, for many people, how dear our relationship is with the one who has passed. Physical disciple in exercise can be painful, but may still be worth the effort. Any sacrifice has at least a pinch to it even at the simplest level. Finding satisfaction even in the midst of difficulty can have far more permanence than the pleasure of the moment. The contrast to shallow happiness is like the contrast between infatuation and deep committed love. One is enjoyable but temporary. The other is lasting and fulfilling. Even with our relationship with God and others, we should seek the deep lasting satisfaction of real happiness.
08/29/2021
Tuesday night I left the car out of the garage with the windows down and, so, of course, on Wednesday morning it rained. I pulled on some street clothes and went out to put up the windows and dry the car’s interior. I was irritated with the rain and with myself for leaving the car out in the rain. My first shower of the day was courtesy of Mother Nature. Later, while drying my exterior after drying the car’s interior I had time to reflect on my dampened enthusiasm. Friends in the western United States are thirsting for the rain I found annoying. For them rain would be a shower of blessing. Drought conditions have resulted in increased wildfires, in limited water resources, in agricultural shortages, in loss of life and property. My car will soon be fully dry, but in other places the water crisis will continue. Are we able to be thankful for blessings that come to us in simple things like abundant rain, ample food crops and, safe surroundings? The crises of our lives can remind us of how often we receive blessings unsought and even unappreciated. Can we somehow increase our gratitude quotient?We hear talk of intelligence quotient and emotional quotient.What about a gratitude quotient?Let us pray a “Lord thank you for the everyday blessings of our life together with you.For what we receive of our daily bread, make us truly thankful.”Amen.
08/22/2021
In my small town in South Dakota there were three Lutheran churches. There was an ALC (American Lutheran Church, an LCA (Lutheran Church in America) and a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. There may even have been a small Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church. The LCA Church built a beautiful elaborate new church. I heard a critic say, “A really big church for building Christians.” It was intended as a criticism for what the speaker saw as needless excess by a powerful church group. As I have thought about it since, I have reflected that Jesus told his followers “Go make disciples of all nations teaching them…” What does it mean to “make” disciples? What is our responsibility to others to “make disciples”. Teaching, Serving, Helping, Healing, Peacemaking all leap to mind. Our words and our example surely must be part of that. If a building and facilities can be used to help make disciples, a little excess can hardly be faulted. If the excess is a matter of pride and arrogance, that seems far less noble. Why we do what we do and how we use things for the betterment of God’s work to reconcile the world to God should be the real measure. I suspect that the person who was critical of the large LCA church may have had their own issues with jealousy, pride and arrogance. Can we learn how to support others in their attempt to do good rather than impugn their motives? Others may be just as sincere as we are and often just as limited in vision as we often are. Let’s find the good and praise it. Not because every motive is perfect, but by praising the good we focus on what we hope for not on what we negate. “Find the good and praise it.”
08/15/2021
There is an old camp song that proclaims, “The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.” The last two years have proven that song by showing us the negative. We are much less happy when we are unable to get together. We really do need each other. Along with food and shelter we need human contact. Being able to be out among people is helpful, while the best contacts are those we have with people who are friends and people we care about. I am convinced that it is possible to die of loneliness or at least to fail to prosper when we are cut off from loving contact. God knows that about us. When God looked at Adam he said, “it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a companion for him.” We need companionship. That may come with a spouse or a good friend, or a sibling, or a child or a family member. It is no mistake that “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a perennial favorite among hymns and spiritual songs. Our companionship with God and with each other is vital to our wellbeing. We sing about walking with God. We note our communion with God and with his son, Jesus. When we are very young we are frightened when our care givers are out of sight, even for a minute. Later we learn that they will return and relationship is still secure even when those we love are not constantly, physical present with us, but we never fully outgrow our fear of abandonment and loneliness. With the constancy of God’s presence we have less reason to feel alone, but we still want and need other people in our life to feel fully whole and secure. So we celebrate in our church the themes: Peacefully, Simply, Together. All three are significant but “together” may be more important to us in our current time and place.
08/08/2021
My son-in-law, Marc and I were at a Fantasy Movie based on the comic book character, “The Spirit.” Our wives were not interested in the movie so it was a boy’s night out. The villain in the piece was played as a bit silly. He had minions, large beefy guys, with their names on their t-shirts. All the names ended in “os”. There was mild laughter when onr “minion” emerged with “huevos” printed on his shirt (Spanish for “eggs”.) Later in the movie three entered with the names, “logos, ethnos, and pathos.” Marc and I were the only ones laughing. We both recognized Aristotle’s sources of persuasion from the Poetics. Admittedly, that was a pretty obscure reference for a general audience. We were aware of the reference from college philosophy classes we had each taken. Jokes can be like that. There has to be a shared context to get the joke. On reflection, it made me wonder how often I miss the point in reading, conversation, viewing, or hearing because I am missing some vital piece of information. There should be no shame in not getting the point when our knowledge is limited in some way. At other times, I know that I miss the point because I am not paying attention (not to mention my faulty hearing). How often I wonder is God trying to point out something important to me and I am too distracted by the things around me to hear or get the point. I can work on greater knowledge of God and his ways and I can purpose to pay better attention. I want to be sure that I am getting the message that the eternal author is sending out.
08/01/2021
This is the 100 year anniversary of the development of insulin treatment for diabetes. Based on earlier research beginning in the late 1800s the hormone insulin was discovered but it took a young surgeon names Frederick Bonning with his assistant Charles Best to separate insulin from a dog’s pancreas. They used the insulin to prolong the life of a dog with diabetes. Later colleagues Collip and NacLeod retained insulin from the pancreas of cattle. In January 1922 a fourteen year old boy, Leonard Thompson who was dying from diabetes was treated with insulin and survived. In 1923 Banting and Mac Leod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine which they shared with Best and Collip. Shortly after this Eli Lilly began to mass produce insulin. In 1978 synthetic “human” insulin was developed which Lilly introduced as Humulin. Insulin has continued to develop, so that diabetes is no longer a death sentence for the 10.5 percent of the U.S. population which diabetes. This serious disease can now be controlled and life prolonged. Worldwide diabetes affect 8.5 percent of people according to the World Health Organization. In 2019 that percentage represented an estimated 34.2 million people in the U.S. How fortunate we are that there is help for diabetes with both insulin and oral medications. It is gift from science and medicine for which we praise God.
07/25/2021
“Just relax”, he said. “OK,” I responded but I didn’t relax. Have you noticed that having someone tell you to relax often has the opposite effect? The request/suggestion/order just makes me more tense. All of us recognize the value of relaxing for our overall health. It was part of the divine plan to have a day of rest after six days of work. With our human ability to make things more difficult and even more tense, we came up with all sorts of restrictions to try to force people to relax on the Sabbath. Such restrictions have often invited rebellion instead of relaxation. Worship should be restorative, and contribute to our sense of well- being. Being with people who care about us and who we care about feels good. Singing together lifts the soul. Sharing our prayers brings comfort, encouragement and help. I will be glad when can return to pot luck meals at church and coffee and cookies at Sunday School and before services. I enjoy being a leader and like to preach and teach, but it is great to sit and chat with a coffee and cookies. I don’t even worry about what we talk about. It can be about weather or sports, books or movies, God or faith, even problems or griefs , being together helps me relax without it even having to be suggested. So don’t worry about relaxing, just take a deep breath, grab a cookie and just enjoy it together.
07/18/2021
A classic text on human development is Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychological Development . Erikson’s theory focuses on the resolution of conflicts at each of the eight stages in order to move successfully on to the next stage. A much simpler treatment is found in Thomas Armstrong’s The Human Odyssey: Navigating the twelve Stages of Life. Armstrong lays out each stage with the age range and characteristics: Stage One is Prebirth characterized by Potential, Stage 2 Birth: Hope, and 3. Infancy (0-3); Vitality, 4. Early childhood (3-6); Playfulness, 5. Middle Childhood (6-8); Imagination, 6. Late Childhood (9-11): Ingenuity, 7 Adolescence (12-20: Passion, 8 Early Adulthood (20-35); Enterprise, 9. Middle Life (35-50):, Contemplation, 10 Mature Adulthood (50-80); Benevolence, 11. Late Adulthood (80+): Wisdom, 12 Death and Dying. Erikson’s analysis is more profound, but Armstrong’s stages are more easily available for most people. What I find interesting is how the various models help us think about what is happening in the stages of our own development and in the development of our children and grandchildren. Since I am now in Armstrong’s Mature Adulthood, I am conscious that my life tasks are now different than they were at earlier stages. I am fast approaching Late Adulthood where the tasks again change. As Armstrong indicates each stage has gifts to bring to life. However, it is important to realize that the concerns for people at other stages than the one I am at. Many see things from a very different viewpoint than mine. If we are truly going to bear each others’ burdens we will need to recognize the stages of life for those around us. Loving people always means seeing them where they are and responding appropriately to their situation. All the stages are good gifts and we need them all to be a whole people..
07/11/2021
Last week I wrote that I love my country, but I am conscious that people in other places love their country as well. The hymn, This Is My song, O God of All the Nations contains the line “But other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine…O hear my song, Thou God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine.” I think there is nothing inconsistent with loving one’s own country and at the same time wishing the best for other countries and peoples. I think it is quite natural to feel attachment to the place of our birth. We have memories which we esteem in our lives about the place where we live. In the ancient world the land where one lived was a part of identity for the people. That sense of place and identity lives on in us even today. The question where are you from? Is a normal part of beginning acquaintanceship. Place often shapes our early identity and can continue as an influence all of our lives. People can deeply love their country even when they disagree with the policies of their government. So I honor those who identify with their own country and wish it to achieve its highest ideals. God is a God of all then nations. His love visits every place and every people. Nations that care about justice and human rights may be more in tune with God’s purposes, but his love and grace reaches out to all. Can we try to view other nations and people a bit more like God views them? Perhaps that could be a step to reducing conflict among the nations. Let there be peace on earth!
07/04/2021
Patriotism is an interesting concept. At heart I think it is a love for country and place, but that love can be expressed in many different ways. At times, it can seem like criticism when as a nation we fail to live up to our highest ideals. At times, it can be an emotional response to shared symbols and memories. It may be fierce or calm. It may delight to parade its enthusiasm or alternately be a simple quiet confidence. What I don’t think works is to accuse others of lack of patriotism when their expression of patriotism does not match our own. It is possible for a form of patriotism to be violent and destructive. It can be exclusive, shutting people out who are not like us. It can, at times, even be used as a tool to manipulate people toward false values. It is not suitable as the supreme love in life. Love for God and love for neighbor must always out weigh love for country. It is comfortable when it is possible for love of God and love for country to exist together. I believe that general free democratic societies have a better chance of that than do repressive autocratic societies. Even knowing that the United States is far from perfect, I am happy to root for US Olympic athletes, barbeque on July Fourth, Sing America, the Beautiful and delight in many other things typically American. With all her aspirations, trials and laws and triumphs, I love my country and am glad to be a part of her life. So I guess you could say I’m patriotic even if I don’t fill my yard with American flags. Maybe it is more a matter of one’s heart than any specific single action.
06/27/2021
“Survival of the fittest” was a scientific point of view and used to explain the changes that come to species as they adapt to changing conditions and environments. It was also used to explain how human beings survived. An alternate proposal for human survival was that it was cooperation rather than competition which provided the human survival advantage. I have no ability to sort out the scientific issues in these two points of view, but I confess that I am attracted to the notion that it might be cooperation rather than competition. It fits my point of view about what works best in most human situations. I can see value in completion for developing individual strength and skill but I like the results of team work. In athletics it is fascinating to watch the individual achievements of star athletes, but I am even more fascinated by how teams work together to achieve greatness. Slam dunks in basketball are impressive but team defense and well run offensive plays are really significant. They are not as obvious or exciting for the casual viewer, but for the true fan, it is where the game is won or lost. In the church we can enjoy individual gifts and accomplishments, but it is what we do together which is where our true greatness is found. In our slogan: Peacefully, simply, together, “together” is the final word, but it can be the point where the other two are most easily experienced. A gospel song puts it this way, “Together we go to make disciples for Jesus, our Lord in every land. We‘re winning the lost for Christ the Savior in far away lands and near at hand. Together we go to tell our neighbors the message of Christ, mankind’s truest friend…” We are in this journey of faith together.
06/20/2021
One of the catch phrases for the Church of the Brethren is: “Peacefully, simply, together.” We use those in our advertising and mission statement, and I value each of them. Exploring what each means individually is valuable. The middle term, “simply” has had an interesting history. At times it was reduced to what a Brethren could wear, or do you wear ties or jewelry? It can even be reduced to how expensive your taste in housing or transportation is. At its best it meant living a life style that valued the ordinary and simple things of our life. It was living with appreciation for all of God’s gifts to us and using them responsibly. It was aimed at reducing our self - indulgence and selfishness while still appreciating all that we have been given. It has the spirit of sacrifice without self -martyrdom. It eschews self - aggrandizement and values humility. It finds joy in simple pleasures and abhors self- promotion. It values others above oneself but does not denigrate our own value. It promotes servanthood but rejects forced slavery. It honors simple service and does not expect adulation or reward. It is modest in appearance and behavior without self - righteousness. It values people over things and relationship over opinion. It is aware of its own failures and limitations. To practice simplicity well really requires the grace and power of God to be a work in us. “It’s a gift to be simple. It’s a gift to be free.”
06/13/2021
My two Florida grandsons disagree about dessert. One likes cake and the other likes pie. I sometimes suspect that one likes pie because the other likes cake and vice versa. I notice that neither complain about cookies. You might prefer a certain kind but what’s not to like about a good cookie. The list of cookies I don’t like is very short compared to the volume of those I do like. I recently checked out a cookbook of 100 cookies many of which I had enjoyed, but some of my favorites were missing. There is something wonderful about a chocolate chip cookie whether with a cold glass of milk or a cup of coffee. A cashew cookie with burnt sugar icing and a cup of Scottish Afternoon Tea is equally thrilling. We still have dozens of cookie cutters from times when we decorated Christmas sugar cookies with grandchildren. The memories of laughter, fun and creativity still warm our hearts. Some cookies were equal parts cookie and frosting. Some had so many sprinkles that they were harder to eat than a taco, even the broken bits got frosted. How could something as small and ephemeral hold such memories. At times eating a cookie from my Mom Marie’s recipe, I feel like I am tasting the memory as much as tasting the cookie. Wouldn’t it be neat if the heavenly manna turned out to be cookies? Blessing may come in large sizes but sometimes blessings can be found in a tiny frosted Christmas cookie.
06/06/2021
On of the essential elements in humor is the recognition of something out of place. This can be a word out of place like a pun. One late night on a family trip we looked in vain for an open motel room. Confident that the Holiday Inn usually had space, we were frustrated by being turned away even though the “No vacancy” sign was not out. Our elementary school daughter intoned “They should have named it “Holiday Out.” Garrison Keelor made a career in humor by exaggerating the discontinuities of life in Lake Woebegone where “All the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average”. Even slapstick comedy, a favorite of British humor capitalizes on silly behavior by seeming adults. At times the “out of place” can be more subtle. Like Lionel in As Time Goes By claiming that his hearing problems were the result of the women in his family having “unusually soft voices.” Often we do not realize the incongruity of ordinary situations until a comedian’s monologue draws our attention to them. The ability to see the ridiculous in our own attitudes and behaviors can be appropriately humbling. It is a great gift to be able to laugh at ourselves and not just to laugh at the ridiculous in others. Humor serves great purpose in our lives. I have noted the number of times when someone is interviewed about their spouse or significant other and the response to “I like/love him/her because they make me laugh. Laughter is like medicine for the soul especially when it is laced with affection and kindness. “Papa,” beg the children, “tell us again how the jello got flung across the garage.” They laughed the first time hearing the story and laughed rehearing it again. May humor, laughter and joy fill your hearts.
05/30/2021
My wife is fond of quoting the adage, “Everyman has a plan that will not work!” Occasionally, I protest, “Every woman also,” but my heart is not in the protest. I do observe that my plans often do not work out at all the way I planned. Recently, I have been doing a lot more cooking of the evening meals. I made out a plan for a week of meals including what supplies were needed to make those meals. The plan did not even make it through the first day before everything had to be changed. This was frustrating at first, but on reflection, I realize that I could just adjust a few things and change days and part of the plan could still work. Plans rarely work as originally conceived, but even a failed plan can often still be beneficial. Often at least part of the plan can still be useful. A plan does not have to be perfect to be beneficial. This does not please the perfectionist in all of us who want it all to work out perfectly. There is the danger that our quest for the best may miss out on the good. What is certain is that no plan makes it difficult to evaluate success or failure. Most often it leads to failure by neglect. So I have decided to keep on planning. Some plans may work out better than expected and at least I have the reassurance that I am making the effort to do things well and in a timely manner. I can think of many things in the Bible to indicate that God has a plan and plans. God even at times seems to have encouraged preplanning by his people. The real challenge is to match my plans to God’s plans rather than trying to make God’s plans fit in with mine.
05/23/2021
Recently I noticed several books on how to use “To do” lists. It was a surprise to realize that someone might need instruction on something as straight forward as a “to do” list. However, I think I understand. When I make up a list, I often end up with thirty things on the list. Such a list can be so intimidating that rather than being motivated to get to work, I am motivated to take a nap. Lists of things to do can be helpful, but we may also need a “what not to do List.” I my case I might begin with “Don’t make too long a list.” Often knowing what not to do can be more important than knowing what to do. What has priority in our lists is a significant issue. The trivial can easily eclipse the vital. The Bible has significant lists. The fruit of the Spirit is one such list. Other lists indicate what not to do. The Ten Commandments has a mix of actions and prohibitions. We are to honor our Father and Mother and observe the Sabbath. We are not to steal or kill. Jesus indicated that we are to love each other and even love our enemies. We are to turn from evil and reject hatred. These are much more comprehensive than lists to mow the grass and rake the leaves, but they are important for everyday life. Maybe we ought to make out “to do” lists for these larger issues as well. It could be useful to make out an everyday list to be more kind, to be more loving, to forgive more easily, to practice peace, to be more polite and to be more like Jesus. Sometimes I need the daily reminders to stay on the right path.
05/16/2021
I have always enjoyed going out to eat at cafes and restaurants. Among the small irritations of the last year and a half, has been the lack of safe “eating out” options. Before I discovered my gluten allergy problems, when I went to a new restaurant I liked to order a dish I had never had before. My allergy changed all that. So many things have gluten in them (wheat, barley, rye, oats) that the choices were often limited. When I found an entre that worked, it often became my easy choice. Now days there are more choices than there were earlier so you do not have to feel at all sorry for me, but I do miss the adventure of choosing something totally new off the café menu. Recently a brand of potato chip that is gluten free introduced a new flavor, Truffle and Sea Salt. Naturally I had to try it. It was ok, but it will not replace the barbeque chips that I like. We need a bit of each experience in life. A new adventure, even a small one like a new flavor for a familiar food can really be fun. At other times the certainty of the familiar is what really feels good. I like that mix in worship as well. A new song with meaningful lyrics can spark my sense of God’s presence, but at times it is the familiar hymn or gospel song that helps me recognize the presence of God. Either way can keep me open on the God-ward side. Give me that old time religion and also let me sing a new song in praise to God. The best of the new will over time become the comforting old song I love. It is the best of both worlds.