Earlier in the week I received a call from the online pharmacy which I use. The caller was warm, cheerful and very helpful, and I was appreciative and cheerful in return. I confess that I am less than appreciative of sales and scam calls especially after the second and third call from the same company or marketing operation. I am particularly annoyed when I ask repeatedly to be removed from their calling list. Many of these are randomly generated numbers and the caller has no authority or power to change the calling list. Since much of what I do involves creative thinking, and careful study every call is an interruption of my process. I can be distracted from my thinking and may or may not be able to get back to the original thought. The calls are disruptive to my work. I don’t mind at all the calls from church members and friends. These calls are important to me. I even feel tolerant about the first sales call, but legitimate companies should be able to stop making unwanted calls. My phone shows the message “Scam likely” on suspicious calls but 12 to 15 calls in a day seems like harassment even when they are not from the same organization. Like other things in our lives, the phone can be a joy or a distraction.
07/03/2022
One of the side shows at a carnival or circus is often a house of mirrors. The designated “house of mirrors” changes our appearance in very disturbing ways. It can be more creepy than comedic for many people. We no longer look like ourselves, yet it is our reflections. Paul in describing our current vision of the world is through a cloudy or obscured glass. We see a distorted vision of the world and of ourselves. Closeness to Christ can help clarify our vision. It is a good thing if Christians can look at those around them with clear sight, seeing in them what others may miss. We can easily see ourselves in our best light and others in their worst light. But it is also important how those around us see us. Their vision of us may become the vision they have of Christians and even of the Christ we follow. A short invocation made popular at the Crystal Cathedral under Robert Shuller’s ministry reads “Lord make my life a window for your light to shine through and a mirror reflecting your great love to all I meet. No distortion, just the pure clean light of eternal love through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
06/26/2022
There was a time in rural America that large families were more the rule than the exception. Many Pastors entered into that situation. Infant mortality was a factor as was lack of reliable birth control. The biggest factors were economic. In farm work more children meant more hands to operate the farm and the harvest. Food was close at hand and more water could always be added to the soup. Large families were a cultural norm, often even in the city as well as on the farm. Older children often carried responsibility for younger ones. There was as now, poverty and hardship but also love and companionship. We now live in a country where the average family has less than four people. There are fewer and fewer examples of extended families living together. To some degree we are seeing families with grandparents, children and grandchildren living together in new configurations. It may prompt us to ask again “What is a family?” Maybe there is no longer a typical family and there never was a perfect family. How does our modern experiences of family shape what we mean when we describe the church as the family of God?
06/19/2022
Of all the jobs I have undertaken in my life, I think the most important of all has to be that of father. It has been the most rewarding part of my life’s journey. My own father was absent for most of my young life. I very much felt the sense of loss in my early development. I determined not to be a missing father with my own children. I tried to be engaged from the very beginning and at each stage along the way. Like all parents, I discovered that children do not arrive with a manual of instructions. I had two daughters and experience with little girls. I made many mistakes, but I always loved them and respected their identity and abilities. It was much later in my studies that I learned how important fathers can be for girls. Now as a grandfather I know that fathers are important for boy as well. If you are given the opportunity to be a father, use the opportunity as well. If you do not have your own children, perhaps you can be a good father figure for those children, young and old, who need such a figure in their lives. Happy Father’s Day!
06/12/2022
There are many ways to think about the world at large. We can categorize it by nations or by people groups. We can divide it up by political systems. We can provide categories . We don’t often think of one of the more obvious distinctions. We can use food as the measure. There are wheat cultures, rice cultures and corn or maize cultures. We think about Europe as a wheat culture. Asia I often classed as a rice culture. Latin America is a corn or maize culture. Some areas are mixed. The USA is a wheat culture with a strong element of corn. Africa has maize and millet. Some areas of Latin America add quinoa to the corn culture. Perhaps if Jesus had come to Latin America we might celebrate the Love Feast with tortillas instead of wheat bread. That would seem strange to us, but the symbolism would still work. Rice would be a bit harder to fit into the symbolism of the Supper. Some of what we experience even religiously is based on the cultures of origin and on our experience. That is part of what makes them meaningful. Food and faith often are found together.
06/05/2022
When I was a child, I longed for a pet and I had a short lived parakeet that my brother named “Topper”. My divorced single mother could neither afford or manage a major pet, and I was not responsible enough to care for a dog or cat. As they were growing up my children had a number of wonderful cats which I also really enjoyed. I really like both dogs and cats, but I especially like cats. I admire their independence and self- sufficiency, even when they seem a bit arrogant. We do not have any pets currently although we visit some when we visit our grandchildren. Pets are emotionally satisfying and humanizing. Learning to care for a creature who is dependent on us can teach us a good deal about the nature of caring. I think they help connect us to the creation and indirectly to the Creator. Loving a dog or cat can tenderize us toward the rest of the animal kingdom. It may even awake us to care for the whole created order. When in creation, human kind was given “dominion“ over creation, it was a call not for exploitation, but for stewardship and nurture. It seems surprising that some who champion God as creator do not see the need for us, his servants, to care for the creation we have been given. Perhaps our beloved animal companions can open the door for that larger caring.
05/29/2022
I wish I knew more about math. I am confident in speaking and writing. I can read fast and accurately, but I am less confident with numbers. I am only adequate in math, I can read a financial statement with basic understanding and I can balance a check book but higher math functions elude me. I can even read books on mental math, but I still struggle to understand statistical stuff. I am always glad when there are competent math people in the church. I respect and am glad for their expertise. My father was gifted in math especially at the practical sort. He could remember figures in a way like I remember words. I think it is a good thing when we have areas that we struggle to master. It helps not to be arrogant and can help us to appreciate the gifts that others bring to life. Math has the power to accomplish great things It is a mother discipline which is the basis for so much in the advancement of science in our world. I may not be so good at it , but it really does matter. I guess you could say “ Math Counts” (weak pun intended). Cheers for all of you who are good at it!
05/22/2022
One of my friends describes writing as “thinking at the end of a pencil.” He is a gifted and productive author. It is interesting to me that he still actually uses a pencil and an eight and one half by fourteen legal pad for his writing. I use an ink pen for my writing and an eight and one half by eleven pad for my writing. He has more to say than I do and no doubt needs the extra length. Writing as thinking at the point of an ink pen or thinking at the end of a computer screen doesn’t have the same folksy quality as the end of a pencil. Whatever enables us to get our thoughts down on paper is good. Writing can help clarify your thoughts and even help through a troubling situation. The school work standard “What I did on my summer vacation” may seem trite and a little boring, but writing about what we feel and experience can be a liberating experience. Often even our fears are reduced when we put them down in black and white on the page. Write a letter, compose a poem, record a memory, preserve your grandchild’s clever remark, archive your life story for those you love. Don’t worry too much about spelling and punctuation just get it down. You will benefit and so will your readers.
05/15/2022
Some on asked me recently what my hobby is I was puzzled for a moment. I enjoy cooking, but I’m not sure it is my hobby. I like to swim, but I’m fine if I don’t get to the pool or beach. I like walking but don’t do as much as health should demand. With a brother, as a pro golfer, I have proven that there is nothing genetic about golf. What I really like to do is read. I can spend lots of time with a good book, almost of any type. I even took a speed reading course in college so that I could read faster. If nothing else is available I have been known to read the cereal box at breakfast. I read fiction and non-fiction of all types. I read westerns and romance , science fiction and adventure, mysteries and comedy, history, philosophy and theology, business and personal development, “ how to…” and “what not to do…”, cookbooks and magazines. I like what I read to be well written and have stopped my reading of some books that are too full of mistakes in grammar, spelling and content. I really enjoy reading the Bible. You probably expected that of me, but I really do find the stories and teachings fascinating and inspiring. I gain something from all my reading, but the Bible for me is the best.
05/08/2022
Having been born in the Western United States (Brigham City, Utah), I grew up with a preference for all things cowboy. I wanted to wear Levis and I wanted cowboy boots, but never got them. My mother insisted on the zippered J.C. Penny jeans over the more expensive Levis with the manly buttoned fly. But we did go the rodeo on the Fourth of July and I got to ride my uncle’s horse on occasion. Most of my cowboy fantasies were on TV or at the movies. Modern western shows and movies have a more violent feel than those earlier ones. In my more mature view I notice many of the racial and ethnic stereotypes and I now see in them more violence than I remembered. Roy Rogers in my memory rendered the bad guy unconscious with one punch and shot their pistols out of their hands. I still feel a bit of nostalgia as I watch for these old westerns. The good guys always won and the bad guys lost , as I remember it. There was never any doubt about which was which. The bad guys wore the dark hats and the good guys the light hats. On TV everything was resolved in thirty minutes including commercials. It was not a very realistic view of life then or now. Gene Autry singing will full accompaniment while riding on his horse or Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing Happy Trails to You at the end of each show was pleasant, but unrealistic. Perhaps this appealed to a simpler time when we liked to believe that everything was okay. Christ hope is more profound than that. It can acknowledge the real presence of evil, but still have hope for the future because of the love and grace of God.
05/01/2022
In what seems like one week’s time to go from tree inches of snow on the car to 82 degrees and the car air conditioning going at full blast seems like strange weather for Indiana in April. From icicles hanging from elbows to heat stroke seems like a world out of control. Of course, it was only a day in each case with more normal weather in between. It was the sheer unpredictability of the weather that was so scary. Life itself is often just as unpredictable. We do not know how to predict what is ahead. For the most part life seems pretty stable, but just when we feel most comfortable we are struck with the unexpected. The New Testament book of James reminds us that our life is like a vapor. We plan and prepare but we cannot fully anticipate the future. We boast about the business of tomorrow, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.” (James 4: 114). That does not mean that we should never plan but rather seek God’s guidance in our planning while always being aware that plans can sometimes must be changed. There will always be challenges and changes to meet them. However, we can have confidence that God is always with us and will give us strength and courage to face each new day with its challenges and possibilities.
04/24/2022
It is the first Sunday after Easter. The glory has not entirely faded, but it is time to move on into the rest of the year. There are chocolate bunnies to finish off and Easter baskets to put away. Why did we color so many Easter eggs? They did look so festive that we couldn’t resist coloring just a few more. We could feel a bit let down after all the celebration unless we remember that Jesus still with us. We now get to live out this year in his presence. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. In a few weeks we will remember the gift, the Spirit of Christ is with us always. We will never be abandoned even if we feel alone and adrift at times. This year we may get knocked down but we won’t be destroyed. We may feel alone but never abandoned. We may grieve but never without comfort. Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We are on the path of God’s Kingdom. We have not yet even begun to imagine the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. We get glimpses of it through the Spirit, but ultimately it is beyond human imagination. We ask the Lord to move in our midst and move ever closer to the fullness of the kingdom of God. We are citizens of God’s new world, a world of justice, righteousness, joy and peace. Every Sunday is a new resurrection morning as is every new day in the presence of our God.
04/17/2022
Time was in a more rural setting where folk were used to early rising that we had a sunrise service on Easter Sunday. Rather than sunrise as on that first Easter morning we had a “sunrise service at 8:00 am or 9:00 am. It was more suitable for our modern lifestyle. We still remembered and celebrated that first Easter morning when the women came early to the tomb, but somehow it didn’t quite seem the same. At least we were more awake for the morning worship and with bright voices we could say “He is risen!” and hear the response “He is risen, indeed!” The heart of Easter morning is still there. Times change but the glory of resurrection morning still stirs our hearts. The symbolic lilies and spring flowers speak joy to our vision. We sing the songs of resurrection. We remember that Jesus the resurrected one is with us still. He is risen, indeed and we share and will share in his resurrection. We remember that Jesus the resurrected one is with us still. We gather with those we love, distant ones often come home to be with us. We are a resurrection people. Life is still with us. Jesus is still with us. God is still with us. We are living in God’s new world. It has started and we are on our way to glory. His is risen and because he is, so we are and shall be always with the Lord. Hallelujah, his is risen indeed.
04/10/2022
Most of us like a parade. It can be as elaborate as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or as simple as the Daleville Fourth of July parade. Celebration and pageantry have their own appeal. I have often thought of Palm Sunday as a parade. Branches cut from trees and coats spread as carpet were festive touches. Palms waved in our imaginary vision of the moment were festive. A humble king riding in on a donkey to the cheers of the crowd was high drama, excitement and even joy. Promises seemed ready to be realized, Deliverance was in sight. Jesus’ disciples seem heady with triumph. In the midst of all that some of Jesus’ opponents were ready to rain on his parade. “It is unseemly for your disciples to carry on so!” If they don’t shout perhaps the stones in the street will take up the chant: “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” There will always be those who wish to dampen the joy of others. Some will be happy if all the joyous spontaneity fizzles out. Let everything stay calm and orderly. Don’t act like children. Block the parade route, silence the cheers. Do these people have the proper permit for such a demonstration? These ordinary folk should know their place. Bring out the grand parade with proper dignity, official dignitaries, white horses, trumpets and marching soldiers not this rabble who have no official standing. Let those who deserve it march in the parade. The humble king responds: Let them cheer, there is a victory coming.
04/03/2022
A person could almost feel dizzy trying to figure out how to live a healthy lifestyle. At one point coffee was to be avoided, at another one cup per day wouldn’t be dangerous, at a third point 2 cups per day was good for one’s health. Everyone should have eight –ten ounce glasses of water not counting other drinks. In another recommendation, coffee and tea (with no cream or sugar) counted in the total. A different recommendation indicates dangers in taking in too much water. One study indicates day time napping interfers with cognitive function. In another, naps are beneficial. Low fat, low carb, low protein diets all have advocates. High fat, high protein, high complex carbs are touted by others. Everybody should get eight hours of sleep every night or is it that sleep amounts vary by individual needs? It is all very frustrating if one is hoping to take care of one’s health. Where is the reliable information? Do we just throw up our hands and say “What’s the point? My loving step mother, Marie, was perpetually on a diet. My brother could be really picky about what he wanted to eat. After one too many requests for a dish to suit his taste, my stepmother stamped into the kitchen muttering ,”It makes me so mad, I could just eat it all myself!” Perhaps choices we know to make and the lesson in all this is that we will never find perfect permanent guidance for all the problems of our lives. Sometime we just have to make the best choices we know to make and live with the results. As human beings we do not do “perfect” all that well. Sometimes our quest for the “best” or the “perfect” can block us from the “good”. Maybe we just have to get on with doing the best we can and trust God to help us on the way as we journey with him.
03/27/2022
Among the loveliest gifts in life is a good night’s sleep. by proper rest. Our patience supply is increased when we have slept well. Unfortunately, those same problems may be sleep interrupters, sometimes it is difficult to fall asleep. I am told that people sleep better with a set bedtime routine. Life, however, seems intent on destroying our well planned routine. A late night phone call emergency can change everything. Even pleasant things can damage our sleep schedule. That second cup of coffee or third glass of iced tea can caffeinate our sleep. Some read to fall asleep, but for me, the material must be at the level of tax schedules to not make my mind wake up. Small pains that can be ignored during the day seem intensified when we try to fall asleep. Even a nagging conscience can make sleep difficult. What can we do? I suppose we could count sheep, but that could result in “wolly” thinking. Most of the time we just try to endure until the first light of morning. We may be better off accepting that this will be a difficult night. Doubtless tomorrow will be better. We can redeem the time by simply resting or doing some simple tasks. It can be a good time to pray and focus our concerns beyond our own sleeplessness. Usually the sleepless nights do not last for a long time. Soon the good gift of a night’s sleep returns. I think to myself “Thanks be to God for this night’s blessing as I drift off into blissful sleep.
03/20/2022
Social greetings have an interesting function. Greetings on arriving and departing are among the first words one learns in a new language. These words smooth our social interactions in ways that are conventional and comfortable. “Hello” which might have evolved from the greeting “Hail” and is a relative new comer dating from the 1800s and became popular attached to its use as a telephone greeting. Goodbye in contrast is a contraction of “God be with you” and is in evidence in the 1600s. The origin of these terms is hardly in evidence to many users today. Few people now think when they say “go9odbye” that they are invoking God’s presence. Other greetings rise and fall in popularity. At the time I lived in Scotland we were surprised at “Cherrio” being used quite often. The Scots were equally startled that people often said “Have a nice day” at parting even from strangers. Fitting into a given culture and knowing what to say in interacting politely especially with strangers can bring a degree of confidence and comfort. I have known persons who did not observe such polite words. One man I knew years ago would simply leave when he felt the conversation was over. Initially this seemed abrupt and impolite. As I came to know him better it became obvious that he intended no rudeness. It simply did not occur to him that more might be expected. In other ways he was polite and even quite kind. Somehow this bit of conventional behavior was missed in his background and upbringing. Living in another culture outside the United States taught me how often I might cause offense without intending to do so. No doubt I do so even in my own culture. I am glad for anytime someone has overlooked my social mistakes and believed me to be better than I might have appeared.
03/13/2022
While I was growing up, the answer to the question “What’s for supper?” was usually answered by an indication of what meat was being served. Beef, chicken, ham, and pork were the main stars with lamb a distant fifth with liver much farther down the list. Turkey was a Thanksgiving or Christmas treat. Bean soup might make the list if it was loaded with ham or bacon. Beans were usually at most a side dish. Now there are many bean dishes I enjoy but if asked what I would like for an evening meal, it is almost never that bean dishes that come to mind. I know that it takes far less energy to produce the equivalent protein in plant sources than in animal sources. Beans are more environmentally friendly as far as I can tell. They contain no cholesterol. I did see a hand written sign in a Kroger store advertising fat free avocado when the writer meant cholesterol free avocado. A strong argument can be made for a plant based diet, but I admit I still prefer meat. I am trying however, to add a few more bean entrees to the Spaulding home diet. There are a number of good choices. Most of us like chili, but red beans and rice or Hoppin’ John (black-eyed peas and rice, refried beans, 3 bean salad, Brazilian black beans and rice (feijoada), US Senate Dining Room White beans Soup, and many tofu dishes to name but a few. Slowly I’m learning how to flavor bean dishes to bring them up to the level of delight I expect from my food. However, old habits are hard to break so I still think first of meat and potato dishes. Change always seems so hard even when the goal is a better life. If you have some family favorite bean dishes, let me have your recipes. They probably won’t replace steak and baked potato, but they may be added to the menu rotation. After all even a 76 year old amateur cook can still learn to change for the better.
03/06/2022
I am fascinated by the word “equanimity.” It can be defined as “mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.” As in the sentence “She accepted the good and the bad with equanimity.” Another word for equanimity might be serenity. It may be what St. Paul meant when he said “I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content. (Philippians 4:11) I take seriously the ideal that Paul is speaking truthfully, but it is not a state that I have yet achieved. While I have increased my level of patience as I have gotten older. Nevertheless, far too many insignificant things I still give the power to upset me. In the midst of life’s frustration I long for serenity or even equanimity. I hope that I will always be passionate for the truly important things of life. I always want to care deeply about justice and compassion and peace. But I would like to rise above the petty irritations of life. Perhaps a key to that kind of life is found in the words of an old gospel song “When streams of life are ‘round me beating, when rough the path that I have trod, within my closet door retreating I long to be alone with God.” If that can work for the great storm of life perhaps time alone with God can help us keep perspective on important issues of life and rise above the petty irritations. I do know that often in worship I find the smallness of my concerns are caught up in the larger mission of the faith. Together we remember what is truly important and rededicate ourselves to making the main thing the “main thing”. It is when I recognize the presence of God with me and with us that I am closest to not just equanimity but even to serenity.
02/20/2022
I am fascinated by the word “equanimity.” It can be defined as “mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.” As in the sentence “She accepted the good and the bad with equanimity.” Another word for equanimity might be serenity. It may be what St. Paul meant when he said “I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content. (Philippians 4:11) I take seriously the ideal that Paul is speaking truthfully, but it is not a state that I have yet achieved. While I have increased my level of patience as I have gotten older. Nevertheless, far too many insignificant things I still give the power to upset me. In the midst of life’s frustration I long for serenity or even equanimity. I hope that I will always be passionate for the truly important things of life. I always want to care deeply about justice and compassion and peace. But I would like to rise above the petty irritations of life. Perhaps a key to that kind of life is found in the words of an old gospel song “When streams of life are ‘round me beating, when rough the path that I have trod, within my closet door retreating I long to be alone with God.” If that can work for the great storm of life perhaps time alone with God can help us keep perspective on important issues of life and rise above the petty irritations. I do know that often in worship I find the smallness of my concerns are caught up in the larger mission of the faith. Together we remember what is truly important and rededicate ourselves to making the main thing the “main thing”. It is when I recognize the presence of God with me and with us that I am closest to not just equanimity but even to serenity.