When I was a child I went barefoot almost all summer, inside and outside. I was not quite as rough and tumble as my cousins who I remember seeing outside in the snow of a wintery Utah totally barefoot and with no coat or hat. They were rugged farm kids unlike citified small –town kids like my brother and I. The wrath of our mother may have been a factor in keeping our shoes on our feet. I still like to be bare foot at home in the house, but I am now too much of a tenderfoot outside these days. One of the first things I do on arriving home is to shed my shoes. This is about what feels good rather than necessity. Some of the great Kenyan runners have trained to run barefoot because of the cost of proper running shoes. Not having shoes is one of the marks of poverty even now in our world. The African American spiritual says, “I got shoes, you got shoes, all of God’s children got shoes. When I get to heaven, going to put on my shoes, going to walk all over God’s heaven!” Having shoes stands in for all the blessings of God now and in the world to come. Rejoice, all God’s children got shoes!
10/09/2022
Recently I had the rare delight of spending a day with my grandson who is now 18 year old and working at a store. Since he lives in Sarasota, Florida, I do not get to see him often. Even as a child he was fun to talk with. He is an even better conversationalist now as an adult. We visited a game store, a book store, a guitar store and a Lego store. Now from his job he has money of his own to spend although grandpa treated him to an Italian Garden lunch (his choice). The most fun of all was the conversations that we shared. We talked about music and politics, movies and religion. We agreed about the issues of the day and found agreement on some of the possible solutions. We talked of family and his and my future. I learned some things about his deeply held belief and commitments and even learned of some of his sorrows. I found out that one of his deepest convictions was the importance of respect for people and their opinions even when one disagrees. Some “grown-ups” seem not to have learned that value. What a delight to converse with and learn from a bright, thoughtful young person. It was a fantastic day together.
10/02/2022
If I want to be sure to get in touch with my daughters, I send them a phone message. This form of the texting is more effective than e-mail or even a phone call. By the way, how does a noun like ” to text” become a verb almost overnight? This is how I learned to “text”. It would not have been my preferred method of communication. Unlike some students who can type with magic thumbs on their phones with nearly light speed while I hunt and peck while being passed in my lane by snails, sloths and tortoises. I don’t text because I like it or find it efficient, I text because it works to get me in touch with my beloved daughters. I could just say :I am old, why should I have to adapt to a new way of communicating?” The answer in my mind is\that I prefer the connection to my daughters over my own convenience. Is there a principle here that could be applied to the work of the church? There are my preferences for programs or for worship or for music, but what would our process be if we asked what are the preferences of those we would like to reach? How can we best make contact with them?
09/25/2022
Once I read this statement, but fail to recall who wrote it, “I have settled my complaints with the ruler of the universe.” I wish I could easily say this . Certainly some of my earlier complaints have been settled, but like most of humanity I seem to have a frightenly large reservoir of complaints to draw on from the size of the avocado pit to why the righteous suffer. Large and small I can find plenty to moan to the Eternal about on a frequent basis. On the other hand I find much in life around me to celebrate. So many things cause me to be glad from small to great. I delight in the first buds of spring, in the joy of new fallen snow, in a cooling summer breeze, in a good joke, in a well turned phrase in literature, in a quiet moment at evening,, in a majestic sunset. Even bigger part of society make me rejoice. The family focus of many young fathers, in gains against racism, in acts of charity that expect no reward or recognition, in the receiving of refugees, in the growth of peace in some areas and the hope for peace in others. I am settled in my praise for the ruler of the Universe for all good things.
09/18/2022
Would you rather save up and buy a more expensive and potentially longer lasting item or would you like a less expensive and potentially less durable items and have it available immediately? An open credit card seems an easy answer, but then the bill comes due and may be interest as well has to be paid. Of the first two choices which best fits your style? There are advantages to both. There are also advantages especially for the credit card companies for the third choice. With the first choice- better quality and durability are often pluses. For the second immediate enjoyment and economic savings may be pluses. I’m not sure there is ;a right way, but how we choose does give us clues to our mental state. In the end conscious choice is better than unthoughtful accidental decisions. How would our commitment to the Christian faith speak to any of these three way of spending? It seems like it should. Will not a firm faith reach down into our pocketbook as well as upward into our souls? I hope so, but I confess I do not find choices easy to figure out. In this area as well as others I need a strong measure of God’s wisdom.
09/11/2022
Our earth is a treasure from God. We have it on loan from the Creator. We have a degree of authority over it. We can use that authority to nurture and sustain the earth or we can use it to exploit and even destroy it to feed our selfish desires. This authority is shared with the rest of humanity and is in trust for future generations. When our stewardship is flippant, or selfish, or wasteful, it is like we are unfaithful managers. No matter how clever we believe ourselves to be, eventually the neglect of our stewardship of the earth could end in disaster. But faithful sensible stewardship may help avoid future disaster for ourselves and our d3escendants. We do not all agree with what we should do to nurture and preserve the gift of earth that God has given us, but perhaps we could agree that God has placed this stewardship atleast partially in our hands. We buy insurance to prepare for the “what ifs” of life. We may begr;udge the premiums paid if disaster doesn’t come, but then we remember the peace of mind that comes from preparing the best we knew. What can we do together to insure a good future for our food earth out of gratitude for this gift from the Creator God?
09/04/2022
When the temperature gets high, I want an ice cold drink. My father always maintained that hot coffee cools one down. It never made sense to me. I suppose, that hot coffee on a hot day makes one perspire and as the perspiration evaporates one feels cooler. Some things about which I am skeptical turn out in practice to be correct. Some time ago I signed up with a company called Norwex to get 60% off on their microfiber cleaning cloths. I was skeptical at first that they would be effective with just water and no noxious cleaning products. In practice I found that they actually work. They worked not only on hard surfaces but they body cloths cleaned my oily skin without soap. I still prefer a fluffy cotton towel to dry off with rather than the microfiber towels, but that is because it feels better, but the cleaning cloths really do work. I could have sold the company’s products as a business, but so far I have been content with the 30% price cut. The point for me was I started out skeptical but when I put the materials into practice. I found them to be effective. I wonder how many who are skeptical of the Christian faith would feel different if they put it into practice.
08/28/2022
Long before there were factories in the modern sense, there were home based businesses. This has continued from ancient times even to the present day. Joseph had such a business as a carpenter. Probably it was operated out of his home with family living space sharing the business space. In the United States often a stove front shop had living quarters in the back or upstairs from the shop. There was a living interaction between the home and the shop. In recent times a portion of those living business and industry, do so as a way to start their own business. The satisfaction and challenges of being one’s own boss are many and varied. It is hard and often unglamorous work that may not always be successful. I wonder how it was for Joseph. It was a large family with Mary, Jesus and many brothers and sisters needing food, clothing and shelter. Did Joseph feel the pressure of his small business? It is hard to know as there are no records from that time. We can only speculate with our imaginations. Jesus inherited the business and worked himself as a carpenter. Did Jesus feel the pressure of being a small business owner? Did he decide to go into a teaching – healing ministry out of success or failure? I wonder what it was like for him after 30 years to take his ministry on the road?
08/21/2022
Do you have a favorite color? If I was forced to choose, my favorite would be blue. Cobalt or royal blue are strong contenders for first place, but robin’s egg, sky blue, navy and even periwinkle could all get a vote. Then again I also like the sunny yellows, the vibrant gold and even the sultry mustard. The greens seem restful to my eyes and calming to my mind. I prefer the dark forest green to the washed out green of Florida, but in the end both are pleasing. My brother favors the reds as his signature colors and I think my wife looks good in the purple shades. Perhaps we favor those colors which look best on us. We certainly are affected by the colors of the world around us. We are comfortable with the soft pastels, but also like the intense saturated colors. Even black and gray have their appeal. White looks good on more than just brides and most of us have some in our wardrobe. All in all color is a wonderful gift to our senses. How creative of God to paint the world in technicolor even before the movies discovered it. It could have just been multiple shades of gray, but what would be the fun in that? Thank you, God for creating such a wonderful, beautiful and colorful world.
08/14/2022
There is an old saying that has floated around in the success motivation field that says, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” It has a cute ring to it and certainly contains some truth. However, there are some important corollaries to this pithy saying like, “no plan is perfect” and “no plan ever survives without change.” No matter how perfect the process, no one can adequately predict the future. So many things can develop. Which were unanticipated in the original plan. Life moves so quickly that ten year plans are better thought of a five years plans and five year plans as three year plans. It is still the case that a good plan (short term or long term) can be extremely helpful. It is easier to make adjustments from a good plan than from no plan. I am often amazed at the plans evident in the Old and New Testaments. Jesus certainly made plans with a core group of twelve and later seventy sent out two by two. Even Jesus’s plans had to be adapted as the situations changed (remember Judas). In the end the adapted plan was a tremendous success as the faith of Jesus Christ spread around the then known world.
08/07/2022
I’ve never thought of myself as an adventurer. I like to limit the risk, if possible. I’ve never been attracted to motorcycles or fast cars, and two dollars is all I’m willing to risk even on a 11/2 billion dollar lottery ticket. I only had to climb to the top of a fire tower one time and it was enough to last me for the rest of my life. However, as I reviewed my life so far, I have gone on some adventures. After my Freshman year at South Dakota State University, I climbed on a bus and came to Anderson College not knowing anyone. While there I spent a summer in Nigeria West Africa. I went into pastoral ministry (always an adventure). When I wanted a post seminary education, I packed up my wife and two little girls and went to St. Andrews University in Scotland, U.K. for three years. That on reflection seems like much more adventurous than my personal view of myself. Now in my later years after careers in University teaching and pastoral ministry, I wonder what adventures are still out ahead of me. It seems God has set me on more adventurous paths than I expected, but isn’t that just like God who sees in us what we find difficult to see in ourselves. So look out adventure, I’m still hoping to meet you down the road a bit.
07/31/2022
Recently I had a visit from one of my former students. We did not have a lot of time together, but it was great to catch up on the news of her family. Not only was she one of my students but two of her daughters were also my students. It was a pleasure to hear what they are now doing in work and ministry. One is now working on a doctorate and writing her dissertation. The other is involved in music ministry in the church. Even more exciting is their mom is now going back to work on an MA in Christian ministry. To be remembered with affection by three very gifted women who at different ages are now using their gifts in the church is very rewarding to an older retired teacher. As we age we sometimes wonder about what legacy or value we have left behind from our working years. To hear that we had an effect on the lives of our students makes retirement such a richer experience. We may never have an opportunity in this life to know how much we have influenced the lives of other people. Sometimes we get a glimpse, but the Heavenly Father sees it all and rejoices with us at what even unknowingly we have accomplished for Him as we have passed along.
07/24/2022
Independence Day, July 4 is now in the rear view mirror. The fireworks are finished the back yard grill is cold. The parades are over and the lawn chairs are folded up until the next event. I admit to some mixed feelings. I love my country and I cherish its noble ambitions, but at times I am a bit disappointed at how often we fail as a country to live up to our most noble dreams and aspirations. My family and I lived outside the US for three years In Scotland, U.K., so I have at least some points of comparison. There were things I preferred in Scotland and things I preferred in the U.S., but I would never want to give up my place in the U.S.A. I do at times have “a lover’s quarrel” with my country. Our easy resort to violence in conflict, and our glorification of size, money and power distress me. At our worst we seem too often to choose ignorance over knowledge and wisdom. Just when I start to feel most discouraged, a new example of compassion and concern reminds me that we can still cherish our ideals and our most noble thoughts. So I guess I’ll just keep trying to be part of the America that welcomes, heals and helps.
07/17/2022
To more easily participate Sue and I will be viewing Annual Conference on line this year rather than in person. Annual Conference is in Omaha, Nebraska this year. It has been a long time since it was held this far west. The Conference scheduled for California was cancelled because of scheduling problems. This will be a chance for Church of the Brethren from other parts of the country to participate. Participating by video will let us see the business meetings and the worship services. I will miss many of the conferences which are not televised. Titles like: Engaging the Whole Church in All Nations, or Chronicles as a resource for the Congregations and Community, or the General Agencies of Annual Conference in the Global Community, or Part Time Pastors plus Full Time Churches” are among the many that sound engaging. There are sessions by the General Agencies of Annual Conference. There are concerts and special events. There is fellowship, learning, and celebrating. Being there in person is the best, but when you can’t be there, the online presence is still wonderful, but being there is still the best.
07/10/2022
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.