Another Calendar...

New Year's is just a holiday created by calendar companies who don't want you reusing last year's calendar.

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. -Maya Angelou

Out with 2017.  In with 2018. 
Not much will change when the clock moves to straight-up midnight and the first day of the New Year begins. 
Well, except that I will have to try to remember to write 2018 instead of 2017.  Most likely, I will mess up a few checks before I get that settled.

The evils of war, and homelessness, and violence, and bigotry, and slavery, and greed, and poverty, and other crud will continue.
The current Presidential Administration will still be...well, they will still be the current Presidential Administration.
On the other hand the pursuit of peace, the struggle for freedom and the gifts of family, and brother/sister-hood, and generosity, and other joys will continue.

Maybe the best we can hope for is, as Carlos Castaneda said, "to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive."

In 2018 the balancing act will continue. 
It could be made easier, I suppose,
if we were to do some simple things like relax a bit more;
be a little kinder;
be a tad more thankful;
get out of our comfort zone more often;
take more deep breaths...count to ten;
learn when to give, and when not to give a damn.

Maybe in 2018 we will pursue the Truth, the Whole Truth 

The Truth that will set us free…

Free from all the lies and half-truths 
that held us back
and held us captive 
in 2017.

Maybe in 2018 we will know better...and then we can do better.

Well, 2018 is here...so each day just get up, show up, and give it all you've got, and struggle with the balancing act once more.

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man (or woman).   -Ben Franklin

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.   -Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and sometimes an enemy to me. But it is the quiet, beckoning Future, an absolute stranger, with whom I have fallen madly in love.  -R.E. Goodrich

New Year’s Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.  -Mark Twain

And this...

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.  -Bill Vaughn

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top_10_newyears_quotes

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top_10_newyears_quotes

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top_10_newyears_quotes

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top_10_newyears_quotes

The Gift of Babies...

E.T. Sullivan wrote these words:
"When God wants a great work done in the world
or a great wrong righted,
he goes about it in a very unusual way.
He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes
or send forth his thunderbolts.
Instead, he has a helpless baby born,
perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother.
And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart,
and she puts it into the baby's mind.
And then God waits.
The greatest forces in the world
are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts.
The greatest forces in the world are babies.”


For the Christian faith...at this time of year...every year...a very big deal is made about the birth of a baby...a very special baby, to be sure...and yet, a baby, nonetheless.

This may be an appropriate time to reflect on the birth of that particular baby in the Middle East some two thousand or so years ago and on the birth of all babies, as well.



With the birth of every baby comes the possibility of
Love and Hope, and Peace, and Grace...
and a Light that dispels the darkness.
The possibility of a Tomorrow.
that is better than Today, and Yesterday.
The possibility that this New Life will
Stop believing the unbelievable…
Stop accepting the unacceptable…
Stop trying to do the undoable…
Stop suffering the insufferable…
Stop tolerating the intolerable…
Stop bearing the unbearable…

In this life, that is a mix of good and bad...sweet and bitter…
ups and downs…birth and death.

In this life that is wild and sneaky,
and messy...sometimes real messy,
each new baby born brings the possibility
that we will begin to turn things around...for the better;
that we will rekindle our graceful inner spirit;
that we will be just a wee-bit more kind to each other.

And why?
Because...
The greatest forces in the world
are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts.
The greatest forces in the world are babies.

Get In Touch...

There's more to us than just what other people see.
We all know that.

Me, I am an old man,
longer in the tooth and shorter on time than ever before.

I move slower than I used to...slower than I would like.
Bending over is not as easy as it once was...back in the day.
I forget things too easily...and wax nostalgic too often.

You don't see it, but in days gone by I ran almost twenty half-marathons and countless 10K races;
I hiked across the Grand Canyon...twice.

You don't see it, but in days gone by I served in the capacity of Pastor for 41 years;
Was a Teaching Assistant in Graduate School;
Taught College Classes in Ethics, Philosophy, and Comparative Religion.

I have succeeded at some things...
Failed at some...Maybe more than some.

But...I am more than all of that stuff.
More than what you see.

And so are you.

Without exception.

There is stuff inside of us that can't be seen...can't be charted or measured.
Its that stuff that all of us would be wise to get in touch with.
Sooner than later.
For better, not for worse.

So...go ahead...Get In Touch.

Get In Touch with:

The Dreamer of the Dream...that is within you.
The Sculptor of the Art...that is within you.
The Breath of the Abundant Life...that is within you.
The Adventurer...that is within you.
The Strength of the Warrior...that is within you.
The Lover of Peace...that is within you.

Get In Touch with:

The Hero...that is within you.
The Friend-to-the-End...that is within you.
The Change-Agent...that is within you.
The Grace and the Compassion...that is within you.
The Truth...the Whole Truth...Nothing but the Truth...that is within you.
The Kingdom...yeah, That Kingdom...that is within you.

And rest assured
That Kingdom thing…
Its not on its way, its already here…
Its not out there somewhere, its inside you somewhere…
Its not for later, its for Now...
Get In Touch with it.

You can do this.
You've got this.
Because there's more to you than just what other people see.
Because what is within you
is more powerful than any suffering, or pain…

any sorrow, or heartbreak
that the world may bring.

Get In Touch with it...
Bring it out...
Let's see what the real You looks like.

One Week From Today...(or, All the Years of Recorded History)

This Monday is a very sad day.
There were two church shootings resulting in death
in America yesterday.
26 lives (half of them children) were lost.
We are a violent people...
and our country is awash in the tools of violence.

However...

One week from today we can celebrate something
very different than what we mourn today.

Let's begin here:

If there is anything clear from All the Years of Recorded History, it is this:

We cannot get along. 

We. Cannot. Get. Along.


We cannot get along because there are two kinds of people in the world: 

Us and Them.
Us...Yes!
Them...No!

Us...Good!
Them...Bad!

Us...Winners!
Them...Losers!

Us...Worth Saving!
Them...Not!


This is The problem...Our Problem!

And, even with all our hopes, wishes, and prayers that this problem will get better,
if it ever does get better, it will most assuredly get worse before that happens.


A recommendation from The Good Book is to  

“Go the second mile, turn the other cheek, love your enemies...”


Another, clearly stated…and to the point…recommendation is to 

“Love God (whom you can’t see), 
and love your neighbor (whom you can see).”


Those are good first steps.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. expanded on this with these words:
“There’s only one rule I know of, babies…you’ve got to be kind.”

And that is an excellent next step.

And after that…well, its just one step after another after another…always forward.

Steps in any other direction only lead backward.

All the Years of Recorded History seem to agree.

However...One Week From Today is November 13th.

And...

November 13th is World Kindness Day...

Patience and Wisdom...

Back in 2009, when I decided to try the blogging thing, I chose the picture below to accompany every posting. I find it a funny photo...also an insightful one.

The picture is titled Patience and Wisdom. The dog is smart to employ both...maybe he has learned from experience.

Eight years into this blogging thing, I decided to address this picture and why it was and still is important to me.

Full disclosure: I am not always in full possession of either Patience or Wisdom. They remain, however, worthy goals.

Here goes...We start with an old story.

Legend teaches that each morning when we wake,
we are given the world to care for. 

And each night as we go to sleep we must return it. 

When we do, The Creator asks us, “What did you do with my world today?
Did you add to it…or diminish it?”

I would suggest that to "add to" this world
You and I need (at least) to be Patient and Wise.


You and I are Patient and Wise...
When we forgive
 and seek forgiveness…even in…
maybe most especially in

our most near and common relationships;
When we let go of resentments…

release grievances and self-pities and jealousies

that only weigh down our souls;
When we release our need to control every outcome…

realize that we cannot control other people…

realize that we can only influence…
and the best way to do that is with love.

You and I are Patient and Wise...
When we choose grace over judgment…

choose mercy over self-justification and entitlement;
When we are able to see beyond our needs and desires…

to perceive our complicity and responsibility

in the basic survival of millions far away

and neighbors nearby;
When we let our light shine…
use the gifts we’ve been given

and take advantage of the opportunities before us;
When we choose gratitude over complaint
peace over disharmony
hope over despair
and life-giving over death-dealing.

You and I are Patient and Wise...
When we cease worrying about what we will become…

and instead are concerned about who we will become;
When we choose carefully those with whom we surround ourselves...
pay attention to that which we pursue with all our heart
all our soul and all our might...
and to what compromises we are willing to make in that pursuit;

When we make those compromises judiciously and sparingly...
because when they all add up
we may become someone we do not recognize;
When we realize the who we will become is determined
in large part not by what we acquire, but by what we give…
mostly by how we give of ourselves;
When we make it a habit to give back to our neighborhood
and our world.


Patience and Wisdom. Yeah, that.

Messy vs. Mercy

Life is messy…
each and every one of us knows that…
first-hand…
up close and personal.


My life is messy.
Your life is messy.
The life of everyone we know is messy.

The messiness of life refuses to be ordered...
Its wild and sneaky

Its almost like it lives in our bones

And makes its home in our gut.


The messiness of life is loud and it doesn't care who hears...
Its screams and shouts

Its groans and laments
.

The more and the longer we live

The messier life gets.

A news article from October of 2015 made mention of the fact that Pope Francis and some of the Catholic bishops were wrestling with issues in Rome. The Pope’s response to the issues they were dealing with, the article said, was that he was promoting "mercy in the messiness of life."

I thought to myself, “Yup. We can all use some of that!”  Some mercy in the messiness of life.

One of the great Jesus sayings about mercy, know as The Beatitudes, might look like this...when set over against the messiness of life as we know it:
When life was messy and I was hungry…you fed me.
When life was messy and I was thirsty…you brought me water.
When life was messy and I was homeless…you gave me a room.
When life was messy and I was in rags…you gave me clothes.
When life was messy and I was on the brink...you pulled me back off the ledge.
When life was messy and I was sick…you sat at my bedside.
When life was messy and I was in prison…you came to visit.
When life was messy and I was fumbling in the dark...you brought the light.



I think the Pope may be on to something transformational
when he stresses the importance of people enacting Mercy in the Messiness of Life. 
Mercy really does have the power to transform
Messy events,
Messy situations,
Messy lives.

Be Happy...Sounds Easy but It Ain't

According to Pharrell Williams, the road to happiness starts when we throw worry under the bus and move on down the road.
Good song.

The Dalai Lama offers two quotes about happiness:
"The Purpose of our lives is to be happy."
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
Good words.

Saint Augustine observed:
"Indeed, man wishes to be happy, even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible."
Good observation.

H.L. Mencken offered this:
"Puritanism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."
Good laugh.

It is easy to find lists of all kinds that point the way to happiness.

When I think on the times when I have been most happy...they almost always involve specific places, experiences, feelings, and people.

Go ahead, give it a try: Think of the three or five or dozen times you were most happy.  Are you in touch with the places where this happiness happened? -The experiences taking place? -The feelings you were most aware of? -The people whose company you were sharing?

And so, based only on the facts that I have been around the block a time or two, have been exposed to my fair share of "stuff", and have arrived pretty much intact at the ripe old age of seventy-two...here is a listing of what I suspect moves us closer to being happy than not...taking into account that being happy sounds easy but it ain't.

Try to treat every day as a (good) gift.

When its necessary,  don't be afraid to lean on other people

Practice acceptance: Of Self, of Others, and of Life.

Get in touch with your soul (your essence) regularly.

See the Light (see God) in people.

Let your emotions be your guide, but not your identity.

Leave room in your life for surprises and new possibilities.

Give...but give to give, not to receive.

Let joy lead your forward, not fear.

Do things that are meaningful.

Meditate on things positive, and beautiful, and true.

Don’t confuse making a living with making a life.

Adopt realistic visions of both success and failure.

Accept...even better, embrace...change.

Don’t be afraid to risk or to challenge.

Be aware that everything is temporary.

Invest in yourself...it pays the greatest dividends.

Practice forgiveness...and gratitude, too.

Live only in the present.

A Change of Direction

You've been going in that direction for so long now...it seems like that direction is fate...or karma...or even devilishly- or divinely-directed.

But that direction is not the only direction open to you.
Believe it or not, you can change direction in life.
But it ain't always easy to change direction.

Change takes more steps and more time than we might initially think are needed.
Its those steps and that time that too often keep us from the goal.
That is most unfortunate.

But...don't be too scared of opening a new door...walking a new road...changing your life's direction.

When life is good…and when it is not…Change can happen. 

When things go our way…and when they do not…Change can happen.  

When we are hemmed in by troubles…and when we are not…Change can happen. 

However, Change does require Change.



Pain can be involved in Change.
Loss can be involved in Change.
Still, Change does require Change.

Change may present itself as a possibility in unexpected places where we least expect to find it.
Unexpected places that when we are in them overwhelm our attention.
Change may present itself as a possibility in unexpected times when we would rather think about anything but change.
Unexpected times when we least expect to discover a new path, a new direction, a new purpose.
Change may present itself as a possibility in unexpected people.
Unexpected people who offer a passing comment, a memorable quote, a revealing insight.
And yet, Change does require Change.

If we are here…with our disappointments
But we would like to be there…
We will have to Change Direction.

If we are here…with our incredible burden of guilt
But we would like to be there…
We will have to Change Direction.

If we are here…with our dead-end job, or relationship, or future
But we would like to be there…
We will have to Change Direction.

If we are here…wandering, wondering, floundering, failing
But we would like to be there…
We will have to Change Direction.


Always, Change does require Change.
And we will need to be aware that we can change the things that we can change

but we will have to work at it…

And it most likely will not happen over-night.

Life Did Not Turn Out As We Had Planned...

I graduated from high school in 1963. In 1964 I moved from my small northern Indiana hometown to the big city of Los Angeles. In 1968 I moved back to Indiana...this time to the sort-of big city of Indianapolis. I do not remember how many class/school reunions I have attended over the 54 years since I graduated.

My guess would be that I have attended five or less school reunions. I believe that my last one was in 1998. My excuse for not attending more often was that the reunions were held on Saturdays and I had to be in the pulpit the next morning.

There is an all-school reunion being held this July. I will be sitting at table with fellow graduates from the great class of 1963.

The July gathering has me wondering: How did life turn out for the class of 1963?

I do not know all the personal and detailed answers to my own question...about how life turned out for each member of the class of '63. But I do know the generalized, the universal answer:
Life did not turn out as we had planned.


There are many good, successful, happy, life-loving members of my graduating class. I know this through some limited contact with some of them in the intervening years since we received our diplomas; through continuing social media contact with some; through snail-mail and email exchanges with some; and through hearsay.

There are a few members of my graduating class who are no longer alive. Events such as war, accident, and the rigors of life have over-taken them.

There are some for whom life has been more difficult than for others. More painful. More grief-filled. More taxing.

But for all of us, life has not turned out as we had planned, way back there in 1963.

And what is true for every member of the class of '63...including me...is true of every person who has ever lived...

Life did not turn out as we had planned.

Life did not turn out as we had planned; as we had thought it would when we were still young and very much naive about how life really worked:
About how life favors some and not others.
About the way that even the best intentions and preparations sometimes fail to shape the outcomes we desire.
About how often and how deeply grief, and loss, and guilt can affect us.
About the positive and negative ways that intimate relationships will mold and shape us.
About the depth of despair and the height of joy.

Maybe life was not all sweetness and light...maybe a parent died too soon; or worse by far, one of our children died; we found a lump, or a lesion appeared; affairs happened; the great job was lost; the drunk driver appeared out of nowhere and nothing would ever be the same.

And when life did not go as we had planned, we tried to mitigate the results with things such as destructive relationships, religion, addictions, compulsions, over-work, running-away, creating a false-narrative, over-indulging, shopping, acquiring, denying. And more.

Or maybe life didn't turn out that dark. Maybe we were dealt a better-than-average hand and we did pretty well at playing the cards we were dealt. Maybe we were kind, loved our significant others, successfully launched our children on their adult adventures,  found faith (as different from religion), were employed in work that benefited the greater good. And more.

Either way, life did not turn out as we had planned.

We have seen troubles that we neither anticipated nor welcomed.
And we have been blessed in ways we did not ask for and did not know we needed.
(Thanks to Phil Gulley for those thoughts.)

Life would have worked out as we planned if we were in charge.
But we were not in charge. There were too many variables:
Other people, time, health (or lack thereof), deadlines, diminishing abilities and capabilities, education...and on and on.
Even so, we gave it a shot.
We tried.
We worked at it.
When we failed, we tried again.

My point here is this:
We've tried as we might to come to grips with the hard fact that life has not turned out as we had planned. Chances are good that most of us have adapted to how life has turned out in pretty fine fashion.
The past is the past.
Now is now.
What tomorrow will bring we do not control.
And we are OK with that.

We have endured all these years...waiting to see how life would work out for us. Our greatest strength, perhaps, is that we have outlived most of the stuff that got in the way of life not turning out the way we had planned.
Carl Jung suggested that the painful experiences of life have to be outlived...outgrown, and probably most of the Class of '63 have learned this up-close-and-personal; the hard way.

I expect to find out from my classmates that they are very much like me, and I am very much like them...in most cases. Life has turned out as it has turned out, and we have dealt with it in some ways that have helped and in other ways that have not; and we have learned from both.
But for sure:
Life Did Not Turn Out As We Had Planned.

But maybe, just maybe, along with author Anne Lamott we can find it within ourselves to say, "Hallelujah Anyway!"

Get In Touch With IT...

There is an IT factor in life.
IT is the inner connection each of us at one time or another senses...a connection of self with others and with That-Which-Is-Greater-Than-All-Else.

And...that leaves every one of us to speculate on just how we might get in touch with IT.

A couple of quotes before I offer my thoughts...

“There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you know how you respond to it.”   
-Isaac Marion


"There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long.
'I feel that this is right for me.
I know that this is wrong.'
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you –just listen to
The voice that speaks inside."    -Shel Silverstein

There is an IT factor in life.
IT is the inner connection each of us at one time or another senses...a connection of self with others and with That-Which-Is-Greater-Than-All-Else.

And...that leaves every one of us to speculate on just how we might get in touch with IT.
Here are my speculations...

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you dream great and good dreams.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you are open to imagining the best that life can become.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you accept that life-well-lived is beyond all measure of clocks and calendars.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you begin to sense that there really is something that holds all things in place…and holds all people in amazing grace.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you experience that there is just a hint of peace that surrounds you in stillness; a hint of peace that surrounds you…always.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you catch just the fleeting sound of the harmony in the universe; a sound so right-on-key…so pure…so true.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you are in touch with the love that is within you; love you have received from others; love that is the very essence of each and all of us.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you sense a yearning for a place you have not yet found; that calls you toward a destination you know is home.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you awaken to the truth that life is not about pie-in-the-sky-in-the-sweet-by-and-by, 
but is about the right-here-and-right-now

.

Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you decide to never be the one to cast the first stone…or any stone, really; 
instead you decide to be an agent of wholeness and wellness, help and healing

.



Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you begin to pursue of The Truth, the Whole Truth, The Truth that will set you free; 
free from all the lies and half-truths that have held you back 
and held you captive for too many years…and too many tears.



Perhaps you get in touch with IT when you come to believe that you can live life differently than you're living it now
.

IT is not on the way, IT is already here…
IT is not out there somewhere, IT is inside you somewhere…
Get in touch with IT.

If Prayer Would Do It, I'd Pray...

Today, May 4th, is the National Day of Prayer in the United States.
People are asked to "turn to God in prayer and meditation."
The President always signs an official Proclamation "...encouraging American to pray..."

I suspect the whole thing is not as much a celebration of prayer as it is a celebration of showing we are in favor of prayer...much like we are in favor of mom and apple pie.
Those are my thoughts on the importance of the day...they will not be the thoughts of everyone.
Everybody gets to think their own thoughts.

Here...on this National Day of Prayer...are thoughts (some of which I have previously put in print) about what prayer may or may not be.

What prayer is and is not is a mystery to me.
Does it involve words?
Is silence the real key?
Does prayer only "work" when its offered in some deity's name?
If 500 people pray for the same thing (like a sick friend, or world peace) is that more effective than if just 1 person prays?  Or, 50?  Or, 499?

Is contemplation the same as prayer?
What about reflection?

If I say "I will pray for you," is that dismissive of your problem/pain/illness, or does it show compassion and concern?  Maybe both?

Found a definition of prayer that describes it as "an invocation or an act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity."  I wonder if that is really the best way to invoke or activate a relationship with a deity.  Any deity.  Don't know that it is, don't know if it isn't.  But I suspect there may be other and better ways to go about this thing.

I wonder what the proper place of prayer in real life is.
I think often of these words from Stephen Levine:
“If prayer would do it, I’d pray.”

At the advanced age of 72, and after over 41 years of serving as a pastor, I think very differently about prayer than I did earlier in my life. I think of prayer now as a way of quieting myself in an attempt to sense what can be known about the Creator's presence. I think of prayer now as a way of "dumping" some of the busyness...some of the crud...some of the trivia that resides in me, and taking in some calmness and grace that the Creator may want to send my way.

On those Sunday mornings when I led the prayers during worship at the final church I served, I offered these words: 

“In these moments of silence

Speak, and we will listen

Listen, and we will speak the words of our hearts.”


That’s where I am with prayer these days…and most likely where I will remain.

Getting From Here to There...

From Here-to-There just may be the longest, hardest, gnarliest trip we will ever take.

Before setting out on the trip, there are some things to keep in mind:
-You don’t need to know every detail to get from Here-to-There.
-You should set realistic expectations for the journey

.
-You need to be aware that you will change along the way.
-You should not settle for only the easy, the simple, and the convenient

-
the journey will be tough at times.
-Along the way you can make big changes-
but they most likely will not happen over-night.

Most likely, the trip from Here-to-There will be a solo-event.
You'll be going it alone.
It will involve negotiating unknown and uncharted territory.

You are Here…with your disappointments,
But you would like to be There…

You are Here…with your incredible burden of guilt,
But you would like to be There…

You are Here…with your dead-end job, or relationship, or future,
But you would like to be There…

You are Here…wandering, wondering, floundering, failing,
But you would like to be There…

Here is some wisdom on the trip from Here-to-There...just in case you are thinking about making that trip any time soon.

I remember reading an on-line article by Mike Foster about his months spent is SE Asia in the summer of 2010…He wrote:

Crossing the street in Hanoi, Vietnam is an experience.
Cars don’t stop. Taxis don’t stop. Buses don’t stop.
And the 5,000 mopeds coming at you don’t stop.
So you could stand on the side of the street and wait. 
And wait.  And wait. 
Hoping that there might be a good time to cross to the other side.
If that’s your strategy…you will be waiting a long time.
The key to crossing to the other side is:

1. STEP OUT INTO THE STREET

2. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OBSTACLES COMING AT YOU

3. DON’T LOOK BACK

4. CELEBRATE WHEN YOU GET TO THE OTHER SIDE


Good luck. 

A Bigger Deal Than Easter Itself...

The Weekend is upon us…

The Good Friday-Silent Saturday-Easter Sunday Weekend.

And its quite a big deal.
The Easter Story…

The Resurrection-of-Jesus story 

…does not begin with triumph, or hope, or shouts of joy. 

Instead, it begins with
…
fear, and disbelief, and silence.

A lot of silence.
The story…according to Mark’s Gospel…

the first book written about the life of Jesus…goes like this:
“…Early Sunday morning, a small group of women arrive at the tomb of Jesus,
to find it empty,
and to find a man dressed in white 
bearing a cryptic message that Jesus had been raised.
…
Their response isn't to raise their hands and weep with joy.

Nor is their response to cry out, 'Alleluia, Christ is risen indeed!' 

…Rather, they run as fast as they can, and don't dare breathe a word 
of what they’ve
seen or heard…so terrified are they.”

In the oldest version of the Gospel of Mark, the story ends there

…disarming in its abruptness, troubling in its lack of closure.

Even when later writers fill out the story with embellishments, 

the first responses are almost always Fear and Disbelief.
I like The Gospel of Mark’s Easter story…  

It refuses to tie up loose ends, and leaves the idea of resurrection

filled with conflicting emotions, and multiple possibilities.
It wonderfully absorbs both joy and fear… 

both triumph and disbelief. 

And it holds in tension all our contradictory raw emotions, 

and molds them into A Profound Existential Mystery.
A Mystery that invites the expectation 
that we might just run into this Alive-Again-Jesus… 
anywhere…any time!
A Mystery that invites the possibility that Jesus’ story

can be our story, too.
And that invitation is a bigger deal than Easter itself.

At least it can be that.

Every one of us has been where the Weekend begins.

We’ve been in that Friday Nowhere Place 
that feels like somewhere between
Life and Death…

Heaven and Hell. 


Everyone of us has been in that Scary Place

where what is left of life feels fragile
 and very, very temporary.

Where everything that is
 is overwhelming…

and hectic, and hellish, and out of control.

Where if life did have anything more to heap on us

we could not imagine what that more would be.
Everyone one of us has been in that place that is
 sucking the heart and soul right out of us.

Where who we are is folding back in on itself.


Everyone one of us knows exactly what the Friday
 of this Weekend feels like.

And equally, everyone of us knows what the Saturday 
of this Weekend feels like.
Silence.

It feels like silence.

Deafening, entombing silence.

And darkness.

And aloneness.

Abandonment even.

We are completely untouchable by any living being.

Friday.

Saturday.

And then…Sunday.

What makes this Profound…Existential…and Mysterious
 Weekend
a bigger deal than Easter itself
 is that everyone of us has…or yet hopes to have…

a Sunday that follows Friday and Saturday.

A Sunday when we realize…by experience…

That Love is stronger and longer than Death…

That Light will overcome the Darkness…any time and any place…

That Peace can come in spite of Circumstances…

That nothing but self can ever control the Human Spirit…

That Compassion will outlive Cruelty…

That Justice will ultimately prevail…

That the best of life is never ultimately lost…

That death will not have the last word…

That we are never ultimately forgotten, alone, despised, or worthless...

That any stone can be rolled away...
That there is always something bright and believable 

maybe even miraculous and possible for us in this life.

And when That Weekend of Life takes place for us…

I submit to you that it is a

Bigger Deal Than Easter Itself.

Because when That Weekend of Life takes place for us…

It won’t matter if we are religious or not…

It won’t matter if we subscribe to a literal or figurative resurrection…

Not much of anything like that will matter…

Because for us The Whole Event Will Be Real.


Old Age...

I am older now than I have ever been before!

So are you.

I am now...and have been for several years...the oldest living male in my family in three generations. (It could be even more generations, but since I don't do that genealogy thing, I am not certain about that fact.)

And so...when does "Old Age" begin?
And what are the symptoms of this malady?
And what comes next?

I found this:
Responses to the question, “When does old age begin?” vary by sex as well as age, with women taking the more generous view. On average, women say old age begins at age 70, according to the Pew study. Men, on average, say that old age begins at 66.

One definition of "Old Age" is that it is "the later part of normal life."

I discounted that one because by my own account...and that of others...I have not lived a normal life.

This doesn't help much either: You know you are old when you still got it, but don’t know what to do with it.

I never did have it.

When I was born:
The average new house in America sold for $4,600.
The average annual wage paid in this country was $2,400.
A portable typewriter sold for $68.37.

When I started high school:
That new house was going for $12,400.
Wages were at $5,010.
A gallon of gas sold for 25 cents.
A movie ticket cost $1.00.
A Kodak movie camera set you back $67.50.

When I moved from Indiana to California:
That house cost $13,050.
Wages came in at $6,000.
A first-class postage stamp was 5 cents.

When I moved from Los Angeles to Indianapolis:
The house was up to $14,950.
Wages had risen to $7,850.
The average new car sold here cost $2,822.
The Dow closed the year at 943.

When I began serving my first church as pastor:
That house was selling for $34,900.
Average annual wages were at $13,900.
A gallon of gas went for 55 cents.
A Samsonite business case sold for $62.00.
The inflation rate was 11.3%.

When my youngest child was born:
That house was now up to $129,300.
And wages were up to $38,100.
The average price of a new car was $17,200.
A pound of bacon was $2.53.

And when I retired:
That house...$188,900.
Those wages...$44,600.
Four years of college, on average, set you back $160,000.
A grande size latte at Starbucks cost $4.00.
A PC went for $650, and a MacBook went for $1,300.

Obviously, living to Old Age means living through incredible financial changes.

When does Old Age begin? And what are the symptoms?
For me, Old Age probably set in sometime in my late sixties.

My mental capacities weren't so much impaired as they were slowed down.
I began to have some difficulties recalling names, places, things.
Nouns...I had trouble recalling nouns. I could start a sentence with the noun in mind, but when I got to the noun, it was often gone...just gone.

Physical stuff that had been questionable for a few years, got real.
Sports that I used to enjoy participating in...softball, racquetball, basketball, distance running...weren't really fun anymore, They were more like work. And I'm certain my body no longer moved or responded in ways that it used to.
I ran my last half-marathon in 2012.
Wait, that's not true.
I ran my last half-marathon in 2011. In 2012 I finished...by jogging and walking and something akin to actual running...my last half-marathon.
Golf is still an option. And like all old golfers, I hope to shoot my age someday.
(That being the case, I have several more years to go...more than several, actually)

The hip replacement took place in 2016.

I used to think of myself as younger than I actually was.
It was a mental mirage, of course, but I thought it was mostly accurate.
Compared to many others my age, I imagined I acted younger.
Those others might have thought just the reverse.

I had said and done all I thought I could say and do in my 41-year profession.
I found that I was pretty much preaching just one or two or three sermons over and over again:
The Kingdom Is Within, Grace Trumps Everything, Times Change.
My work colleagues were gracious in allowing me to hang around at what was certainly a somewhat reduced capacity.
My long-term friends kept assuring me retirement was a good thing...and not to be feared, financially or otherwise.
When it was over, people were very kind and appreciative.
When it was over, though, it was time to go.
And I have.
Old Age will do that to ya.

What comes next? After Old Age, what is there?
Even Older Age comes next, I would think. Like I said at the beginning, I am older now than I have ever been before.
And that will be true every day hereafter...until there are no more days hereafter.
That's a "tautology."
In the discipline I studies in college...Philosophy...Logic being within that discipline...a tautology is a truth anyway you look at it.
In the profession I undertook, truth was a big deal.
And where Logic and Religion cross paths, you find this sign-post: The Truth will set you free...but first it will piss you off!
(That is also a tautology and big deal.)

I made quite a point in my final six years of sermonizing, saying (to quote Peter Putnam's poem, Detroit Jesus) that The Time on the Clock of the World is Now.

What comes next is Now, I think. And it comes until there is no more Now.

And while the transition from Old Age to The-Time-When-There-Is-No-More-Now takes place, one can enjoy each day as it comes.

Which is pretty much a good rule of thumb at any age.

More Things...13 Actually

In July of 2014, after having announced my plan to retire the coming June, and after having been asked by a small group of folks in the church I was serving to offer any "wisdom" I had gleaned over 41 years of ministry, I offered a blog-post listing the "18 Things I Learned in 41 Years."

I admitted then and I admit now, that there are hundreds (maybe thousands...maybe more) of lists available from all sorts of people and sources...lists of "Learnings" that point to ways one might live a good life, be a better person, feel more comfortable in one's own skin, achieve inner piece, etc. There may be little or nothing in either of my lists that is new or unique. My lists are just two new ways of packaging what is probably common knowledge, and hopefully good thinking.

These 13 More Things have come to my attention since retiring from gainful employment just over eighteen months ago. Since posting that first list of 18 Things, I have played more golf than I would have otherwise, I have had hip replacement surgery, my daughter has completed high school and moved out on her own, my wife and I have traveled more than we had in previous years, and we have been attending a Friends Meeting instead of a United Methodist Church. All of these changes probably did something to make me aware of these 13 More Things. Getting older (I am now 72) has contributed, too, no doubt.

First, here are the 18 Original Things...
1. You don't need to know every detail to succeed.
2. Don't live in the future.
3. Don't set unrealistic expectations.
4. There is more than one way to do just about anything.
5. Stop all-or-nothing thinking.
6. Its OK to be a lone wolf.
7. People change.
8. People never change. (I know 7 and 8 seem contradictory...but not really.)
9. Don't settle.
10. Never forget who you are.
11. People are capable of both great humility and great arrogance.
12. People can be incredible liars.
13. The universe is a tough place.
14. You will be betrayed.
15. Just about everything is political.
16. You can change the things you can change...but you may have to work at it, and it may not happen over-night.
17. Despite how we refer to the One God who has created all that is, it is that One God who loves us, is present with us, and redeems us.
18. For many of us the clearest revelation of God is the person of Jesus of Nazareth, but he is not the only revelation of God.

 

And now here are More Things...13 Actually...

1. To do something, you’ve got to start at the beginning.

   To build something you’ve got to start from the bottom up.
2. Being afraid serves an important purpose. 

   Being brave serves a more important purpose.

   There are lessons to be learned from both fear and bravery.
3. The big picture is nothing other than many smaller pictures brought together.

   Be sure to notice the smaller pictures.
4. If something makes you uncomfortable, try looking at it differently.
   If it still makes you uncomfortable, leave it alone.
5. The truth will sound the same no matter how you speak it.
6. If it doesn’t look like love, no amount of words can make it otherwise.
7. If you find yourself hemmed-in, boxed-in, or trapped, do whatever it takes to break free.
8. If someone demands your silence, leave.
9. To be on the mend first requires the admission that you are broken.
10. Listen to your inner voice.
    Learn from what hurts you.
    Learn from what heals you.
11. Read good books. Often.
12. Its only “Good Advice” if it points to the truth.
13. Learn to listen to and understand the Language of Silence.

The Most Important Time...

When is the most important time?, you ask.

Glad you asked.

The most important time is...NOW!

Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.  -Oprah Winfrey


The most important time is NOW.
All the words you know you should, but have not yet spoken
…
you can speak NOW.
All the actions you know you should, but have not yet take
n…
you can take NOW.
All the feelings you will not let yourself feel
…
you can feel NOW.
All the requests you are aching to, but have not yet made
…
you can make NOW.
All the doubts you suffer with, but will not give voice to
…
you can give voice to NOW.
All the pain you live with, but have not confronted...
you can confront NOW.
All the fears that haunt you that must be stared down…
can be stared down NOW.
All the desires you feel so deeply, but have not taken ownership of
…
can be owned up to NOW.
All the risks you know are necessary, but have refused to take
…
can be taken NOW.
All the dreams you dream, but will not embrace
…
can be embraced NOW.
All the joy you won’t allow yourself to reveal...
can be revealed NOW.
and
…
All the possibilities you refuse to create...
can be created NOW.

Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.  -William James

The most important time is NOW.
Right NOW, you can transform your way of seeing…
Right NOW, you can stop using judgments to close your heart…
Right NOW, you can treat people more kindly…
Right NOW, you can stop fearing those who are different from you… 
Right NOW, you can come out from behind the walls of your own group…
Right NOW, you can respect the rules, but go beyond them…
Right NOW, you can stop wasting your time…

Right NOW, you can watch your step...
Right NOW, you can use your head... 

Right NOW, you can make the most of every chance you get...
Right NOW, you can stop worrying about what you will become, and concentrate on who you will become...
And...
Right NOW, you can mount the resistance needed in these days.

You can do all this...because
The Most Important Time Is NOW!

Dark Days...

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

That very familiar phrase is found in the Good Book...the Bible. Specifically, it comes from from the New Testament book known as The Gospel of John, chapter one, verse five.

There are other ways of interpreting/translating the ancient passage. The one I like best is found in the New American Standard Bible...it reads:
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

Leadership could give way to Bombast...
Oratory could be replaced by Tweet-Storms...
Diversity could be pushed aside in favor of Division...
Opportunities could be replaced by Obstacles.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

Bullying could take the place of Compassion...
Threat could over-power Relationship...
Half-Truths and Lies could throw Honesty under the bus...
Adversities could take the place of Advantages.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

Integrity could be in short supply...
Transformation could give way to Requirements...
Justice could be pushed aside in favor Reward and Privilege...
Exclude could replace Include.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

People may value Complaint over Gratitude...
Disharmony over Peace...
Despair over Hope...
Judgment over Reconciliation...
And Grace, Humility, and Hope may become obvious
by their absence.

This all could be true...because even though the Light shines in the Darkness,
the Darkness does not comprehend it.

The Eternal Hope is, of course, that the Darkness will never...ever...altogether
overcome the Light.

There are times when that kind of Hope is needed more than at others.

This is such a time, me thinks.