There I was laid up in hospital room 435 experiencing some discomfort in my chest. The doctors were taking every precaution considering my previous double by-pass surgery. Four the past two days they ran one test after another. All of them came back positive or negative as the case may be and yet there was this pain. If this process had a name it would be called, “Stump the doctors.” They still do not know what is causing the discomfort, but I was released with specific instructions not to do anything strenuous until further tests are run. I was experiencing one of life’s “Speed Bumps” … slow down, get plenty of rest, and try not to over do anything. Just a little speed bump! My life got interrupted!
It did cause me to begin to think about the various “signs” that are placed along our path in this journey called life. Each sign has a distinct purpose to slow down, take another course of action, watch out for what is coming our way … maybe they are signs from God?
I was thinking of a general contractor, a salesman, a financial advisor, an engineer and a teacher – four males, one female. Each of them hit a detour sign as they were living their life. All of them married, some had families, and two were in the planning stages of trying to determine the best time to start a family. They all had successful jobs, which they enjoyed that provided them a nice income that created a comfortable lifestyle. They were just moving through life when life through up a “Detour Sign”. That detour sign was unexpected and in a couple of situations was something they had been “fighting” for a significant period of time. The detour took them all to seminary and they are now successfully serving churches in the state of Florida as pastors. Their lives got interrupted!
Some individuals come upon “Warning – Danger Ahead” signs. Some were taken by total surprise while some had warning signs all along the path of life which they decided to ignore. In each case it meant an adjustment – an adjustment that could be demanding, stressful, and life shaping … it would mean that from this point on their life was going to be different … not worse, not better just different. The news from their doctors wasn’t good, the pink-slip arrived, divorce papers were served, a major decision by their spouse was made, a letter was delivered … something happened … something significant was taking place that spelled out Warning – Danger Ahead and life simply took on a whole new, unexpected direction. Sometimes it actually created a better situation though it took a long time to arrive at the “better” designation while at other times the Danger Ahead was disastrous, life changing, and pain-filled … there simply wasn’t a good way or angle to look at the situation no matter how hard you looked. And life got interrupted … BIG TIME!
In all of these situations life simply got interrupted … our life … our planned and peaceful life … our plans, our hopes, our desires, our wishes, our future … all got changed. We didn’t ask for the change. We didn’t seek the change. We did want the change necessarily. We hadn't planned to experience the change. But, the change came nevertheless. How we face these changes is a testimony to our relationship with God. And so, in the confidence of that relationship, our faith in God through Jesus Christ and in the face of those little interruptions along our life’s journey we can state: “That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Romans 8:28 (The Message)
Therefore, our choice is to “enjoy” the interruptions, tolerate them, deal with them creatively or fight them … or learn from them, praise the Lord in the process and move on.
Quote for today: Start writing a new chapter, for if you live by the book you'll never make history. Ben Sobel
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Struggling with faith in the face of difficult questions - Hebrews 11:1
Last night GLEE dealt with some difficult issues surrounding faith and belief. It was the believer compared to the non-believer; the Christian compared to the non-Christian; between those who believe in prayer and those who have tried it and found it lacking in possibility. Listening closely the discovery is made that Sue prayed and prayed hard for her older sister to be normal, but no matter how hard she prayed the sister remained mentally challenged. The discovery concerns the teenager who has accepted his sexuality, but has difficulty with the religious orders of the day that condemns him and makes fun of him and says, in essence, that God made a mistake. Difficult issues as all hard issues of faith and belief are ... difficult because the answers aren’t simple nor easily arrived at … difficult because there are no real forum outside of church itself for a deeper discussion, especially in today’s climate of separation of church and state ... difficult questions when the believers can only give glib answers or pat solutions afraid to admit their own doubts and struggles ... difficult issues as I try to not only make sense out of Rick Kelly's death, but offer some meaningful answers.
Some years ago there was a television program called Joan of Arcadia. I loved the program, but my churches didn't. God would appear to Joan in various forms, asking her to do his/her bidding in Joan’s school and/or community. The average church member had real difficulty with the show since God took on some rather unconventional personifications – the conventional we could accept the unconventional was quickly rejected ... surely "God won't take on the outward appearance dressed like that or acting in that way" was often overheard. The basic truth is still there … how does God break into our lives and how open are we going to be to God when he doesn’t do our bidding – as if he was some kind of “celestial bellhop.”
Mr. and Mrs. “Rodriquez” can prove my point. Each Sunday they were getting more distant, standoffish … even hostile. Finally, I asked if I had done or said something to offend them. “No, but God has!” she declared. “In what way?” I inquired. “Well, Mr. Rodriquez is starting to lose his memory and I’m losing my hearing AND we pray every day, morning, noon and night, and NOTHING HAPPENS. Evidently we aren’t good enough for God to answer our prayers.” There in lies the crux of the matter for most of us doesn't it. If we pray for something and it happens all for the good. But, and that is very large “but,” if we pray for something and nothing happens then God is written off as not caring or not even there.
We’ve all been there at one point or another. Even Mother Teresa illustrates her own personal struggle in this area in her journals. How we work through this actually makes our faith stronger ... if we are willing to be honest enough with ourselves to actually work through these faith issues. In last nights GLEE one of the interesting conversations was between Sue and her sister. Her sister asked Sue if she believed in God and couldn’t understand why Sue couldn’t believe … especially if she, the mentally challenged one, could herself believe … believing not to answer the unanswerable questions, but to make it possible to go through another day.
The theme song from Joan of Arcadia was powerful. The words still haunt my spiritual being as the have a tendency to pop-up at different times on my spiritual journey. Here are the lyrics to:What If God Was One Of Us
If God had a name, what would it be?
And would you call it to his face if you were faced with him and all his glory
what would you ask if you had just one question
yeah yeah God is great
yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
What if God was one of us?
just a slob like one of us
just a stranger on the bus, trying to make his way home
If God had a face, what would it look like?
And would you want to
if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven
and in Jesus and the saints and all the profits
and yeah yeah God is great
and yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if God was one of us
just a slob like one of us
just a stranger on the bus
trying to make his way home
trying to make his way home
back up to heaven all alone
nobody calling on the phone
except for the Pope maybe in Rome
yeah yeah God is great
yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
what if God was one of us
just a slob like one of us
just a stranger on the bus
trying to make his way home
just trying to make his way home
like a holy rolling stone
back up to heaven all alone
just trying to make his way home
nobody calling on the phone
except for the Pope maybe in Rome
And so, we get up in the morning, wash our face, put on our clothes, have breakfast and face another day … we can either face it with God or without God … it actually depends on how we want to face the difficult questions of life. Are we or can we be comfortable with the questions going unanswered while we still try to find answers knowing full well that we might never unravel the problem and discover an answer? Even in the light of unanswered prayers? In the journey consider Hebrews 11:1 as shared in The Message: The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.
Quote for today: For every complex problem there is a simple solution--and it is always wrong. H.L. Mencken
Some years ago there was a television program called Joan of Arcadia. I loved the program, but my churches didn't. God would appear to Joan in various forms, asking her to do his/her bidding in Joan’s school and/or community. The average church member had real difficulty with the show since God took on some rather unconventional personifications – the conventional we could accept the unconventional was quickly rejected ... surely "God won't take on the outward appearance dressed like that or acting in that way" was often overheard. The basic truth is still there … how does God break into our lives and how open are we going to be to God when he doesn’t do our bidding – as if he was some kind of “celestial bellhop.”
Mr. and Mrs. “Rodriquez” can prove my point. Each Sunday they were getting more distant, standoffish … even hostile. Finally, I asked if I had done or said something to offend them. “No, but God has!” she declared. “In what way?” I inquired. “Well, Mr. Rodriquez is starting to lose his memory and I’m losing my hearing AND we pray every day, morning, noon and night, and NOTHING HAPPENS. Evidently we aren’t good enough for God to answer our prayers.” There in lies the crux of the matter for most of us doesn't it. If we pray for something and it happens all for the good. But, and that is very large “but,” if we pray for something and nothing happens then God is written off as not caring or not even there.
We’ve all been there at one point or another. Even Mother Teresa illustrates her own personal struggle in this area in her journals. How we work through this actually makes our faith stronger ... if we are willing to be honest enough with ourselves to actually work through these faith issues. In last nights GLEE one of the interesting conversations was between Sue and her sister. Her sister asked Sue if she believed in God and couldn’t understand why Sue couldn’t believe … especially if she, the mentally challenged one, could herself believe … believing not to answer the unanswerable questions, but to make it possible to go through another day.
The theme song from Joan of Arcadia was powerful. The words still haunt my spiritual being as the have a tendency to pop-up at different times on my spiritual journey. Here are the lyrics to:What If God Was One Of Us
If God had a name, what would it be?
And would you call it to his face if you were faced with him and all his glory
what would you ask if you had just one question
yeah yeah God is great
yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
What if God was one of us?
just a slob like one of us
just a stranger on the bus, trying to make his way home
If God had a face, what would it look like?
And would you want to
if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven
and in Jesus and the saints and all the profits
and yeah yeah God is great
and yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if God was one of us
just a slob like one of us
just a stranger on the bus
trying to make his way home
trying to make his way home
back up to heaven all alone
nobody calling on the phone
except for the Pope maybe in Rome
yeah yeah God is great
yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
what if God was one of us
just a slob like one of us
just a stranger on the bus
trying to make his way home
just trying to make his way home
like a holy rolling stone
back up to heaven all alone
just trying to make his way home
nobody calling on the phone
except for the Pope maybe in Rome
And so, we get up in the morning, wash our face, put on our clothes, have breakfast and face another day … we can either face it with God or without God … it actually depends on how we want to face the difficult questions of life. Are we or can we be comfortable with the questions going unanswered while we still try to find answers knowing full well that we might never unravel the problem and discover an answer? Even in the light of unanswered prayers? In the journey consider Hebrews 11:1 as shared in The Message: The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.
Quote for today: For every complex problem there is a simple solution--and it is always wrong. H.L. Mencken
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What does a full and abundant life look like as mentioned in John 10:10?
In the Gospel of John 10:10 Jesus is quoted as saying, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so they can have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way” (NIV). This verse is often quoted because it includes, in other translations, the phrase, “… so that they can have life and have it abundantly.” I like the NIV as it states “fullest possible way.” But, what does this mean – abundant life, a full possible way kind of life? What does that look like? How can it be experienced?
Each Friday morning on the TODAY TV show Willard Scott wishes people who have reached the age of 100 a Happy Birthday. Some of these senior citizens are still living independently, cooking their own meals and a couple of them are still driving (which in my mind is a little scary). Bless their hearts! But, does simply arriving at 100 years or surviving that many years make it an abundant life? Is an abundant life marked by the number of years lived?
I’ve heard it shared about a much younger person like a teenager or young adult who has passed away that though their years were few they had lived “a full life.” Actually I heard that over the span of just 15 days one Christmas in Temple Terrace as I held three separate funerals for teenagers from King High School. Each had died in separate auto accidents that were caused by some who was drinking and driving. Their friends stepped to the microphone and stated, with much emotion, that they had lived a “full life.” Really? Maybe I have different concept of what a “full life” should look like.
Those words or some rather close to them were also used during the funeral of one of my nephews who took his own life when in his 40s. David had much to live for, but the demons that come with depression finally over took him and he couldn’t fight them any longer. And, yet, his friends and fellow fire fighters spoke of David as having a “full life” even if it was cut short. From their understanding a “full life” was marked by a lot of different experiences and simply doing all the things that a person likes to do like fishing, hunting and playing a little football now and again.
I would suggest that having a “full life” is not simply “packing” a lot of experiences into the years that we have been given here on earth. Rather, at least from my understanding of what Jesus was saying, an abundant and full life comes not out of experiences nor out of accumulating a lot of years, but out of a relationship with him.
A case in point was a little Catholic lady that I was asked to visit in the local hospital in New Port Richey, FL. She had to have both legs amputated because of cancer. While sitting in her room we talked about a lot of different things, but she never felt sorry for herself. This was her fifth stay in the hospital because of the cancer. I finally asked, “How do you feel about losing your legs?” Her smile could have stretched across a mile. She lifted her two stumps, patted them and stated, “This is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Having lost my legs has opened so many doors for me to share my Jesus with doctors, nurses and housekeepers at the hospital. And, some have come to accept him as their Savior. I couldn’t be happier!” Now that is a full and abundant life!
Now, blessings are a different matter. The people that Willard Scott honors have been blessed with a great number of years; the teenagers were blessed with some great friends who would miss them deeply; David was blessed to have had the opportunity to enjoy many of things he loved in this life; but the little Catholic lady had the full and abundant life. May it be so for all of us!
Dear God open my heart to your presence. Help me to allow your spirit to come in and dwell within so that my days here on earth will be full and abundant. Thank you for giving me opportunities to share your Good News through Jesus Christ with everyone you have placed in my path. Amen.
Quote for today: The abundant life does not come to those who have had a lot of obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fiber. William Mather Lewis
Each Friday morning on the TODAY TV show Willard Scott wishes people who have reached the age of 100 a Happy Birthday. Some of these senior citizens are still living independently, cooking their own meals and a couple of them are still driving (which in my mind is a little scary). Bless their hearts! But, does simply arriving at 100 years or surviving that many years make it an abundant life? Is an abundant life marked by the number of years lived?
I’ve heard it shared about a much younger person like a teenager or young adult who has passed away that though their years were few they had lived “a full life.” Actually I heard that over the span of just 15 days one Christmas in Temple Terrace as I held three separate funerals for teenagers from King High School. Each had died in separate auto accidents that were caused by some who was drinking and driving. Their friends stepped to the microphone and stated, with much emotion, that they had lived a “full life.” Really? Maybe I have different concept of what a “full life” should look like.
Those words or some rather close to them were also used during the funeral of one of my nephews who took his own life when in his 40s. David had much to live for, but the demons that come with depression finally over took him and he couldn’t fight them any longer. And, yet, his friends and fellow fire fighters spoke of David as having a “full life” even if it was cut short. From their understanding a “full life” was marked by a lot of different experiences and simply doing all the things that a person likes to do like fishing, hunting and playing a little football now and again.
I would suggest that having a “full life” is not simply “packing” a lot of experiences into the years that we have been given here on earth. Rather, at least from my understanding of what Jesus was saying, an abundant and full life comes not out of experiences nor out of accumulating a lot of years, but out of a relationship with him.
A case in point was a little Catholic lady that I was asked to visit in the local hospital in New Port Richey, FL. She had to have both legs amputated because of cancer. While sitting in her room we talked about a lot of different things, but she never felt sorry for herself. This was her fifth stay in the hospital because of the cancer. I finally asked, “How do you feel about losing your legs?” Her smile could have stretched across a mile. She lifted her two stumps, patted them and stated, “This is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Having lost my legs has opened so many doors for me to share my Jesus with doctors, nurses and housekeepers at the hospital. And, some have come to accept him as their Savior. I couldn’t be happier!” Now that is a full and abundant life!
Now, blessings are a different matter. The people that Willard Scott honors have been blessed with a great number of years; the teenagers were blessed with some great friends who would miss them deeply; David was blessed to have had the opportunity to enjoy many of things he loved in this life; but the little Catholic lady had the full and abundant life. May it be so for all of us!
Dear God open my heart to your presence. Help me to allow your spirit to come in and dwell within so that my days here on earth will be full and abundant. Thank you for giving me opportunities to share your Good News through Jesus Christ with everyone you have placed in my path. Amen.
Quote for today: The abundant life does not come to those who have had a lot of obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fiber. William Mather Lewis
Monday, October 4, 2010
In memory of Rick Kelly - husband, father, patriot and Rays fan
The phone rang. It was 1:34 pm Sunday afternoon. Usually a call in the afternoon is something a pastor doesn’t normally dread. It is the calls that come after midnight that sends shivers down ones spine, but this was Sunday afternoon – unusual in itself, but just something to take in stride. It was Norma.
I’d been expecting a call from Norma since Friday. She had been in the hospital and when I called her husband’s cell phone to check on her the call went to voice mail which wasn’t all that unusual, but it was Norma who called back to inform me that Rick had come to visit her. He was acting a little abnormal, so much so that the hospital staff encouraged him to go downstairs and be seen by the ER staff. The last part of our conversation that day was, “Call me when you know something about Rick.” “Okay I will. Thanks for calling.” So when Norma called on Sunday I expected just an update on Rick.
After the normal greeting there was a long pause … “Rick passed away this morning of a heart attack.” I sat in stunned silence. Rick had had two other heart attacks over the course of his young life. Rick was only in his mid-40s. What do you say to a woman who is fighting terminal cancer, who has two young boys, has limited income since both of them had lost their jobs, still unpacking from their move back to St. Petersburg and now has lost her emotional and physical support system in the death of her beloved husband?
I first met Rick Kelly when I became the Associate Pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, St. Petersburg. He was in foster care and he was a hand full. He had strong opinions on whatever we were going to do in the youth department and a mouth to back it up. All the chaperons knew that if trouble took place on any outing or Sunday evening one of three boys were behind it … Rob, Richard or Rick … and sometimes all three. They required and demanded the “patience of Job” as the saying goes. But, I moved on and so did Rick.
Rick moved on to the Marines. Then to California as a police officer and businessman, he owned and operated a security business. Eventually Rick moved back to Florida and our paths crossed once again at a reunion of the former youth from the St. Luke’s church. It was just a chance meeting so I thought. Rick came to the reunion with his new wife, Norma, their adopted son Christian and a bundle of energy called Mickey – the little boy that they were in the process of adopting.
Norma was in much pain during the day. Nobody knew it at the time, but the back pain was a result of growing cancer along her spine. The care of the two boys fell to Rick and he showed tremendous patience. I was both amazed and blessed … and wondered when did he grow up to become such a caring and gentle man?
A short time after the reunion a call came that Norma was in the hospital and I was asked if I would go by and visit since it was in Sarasota … just down the road from my home. Thus, began our recent journey together. A journey of pastoral care, counseling and support.
I discovered that Rick had a deep love for his wife and their two boys. He was managing to care for all three, as well as pack-up everything to move the family back to St. Pete where Rick’s adoptive parents and siblings lived. He needed their support as he provided the care required by Norma. Besides, this would allow Christian, their oldest son, to get back into a school that he enjoyed and was very familiar with.
Rick was a caring husband and a devoted father. He cooked their meals, cleaned the house, as well as decorated it (probably with the help of a long time friend Tracy, also from the St. Luke’s youth group) and set about developing a routine for the family to follow. If anything can be said about Rick it is that he tried. He worked hard to provide a secure foundation for the family. Did he always succeed? No, because Rick, like most of us, had a few demons that he was still trying to deal with. Most of the time he was successful in controlling them, but not always as his multiple marriages will bear testimony to along with a day here or a day there that kind of got lost in the process. Actually, he was kind of funny as he would stop, close his eyes and concentrate on how to adequately communicate correctly – to say what he was feeling instead of transferring the issue with a “you” message. He really was trying and was succeeding most of the time.
There were some things that Rick loved besides his wife and family. He loved the Tampa bay Rays baseball team. As they go into the playoffs Rick would be approaching a level of excitement that wouldn’t be matched by many. When the Rays games came on the TV his world stopped … and everyone in the family knew not to disturb him until the game was over. Often his Facebook entries were coaching suggestions for Maddon – not always so kind suggestions at that. Rick also like to go to the gym. It might have been the Marine in him, but it was during those workouts that he was able to deal with his frustrations that could build up within. Rick also worked at getting his family to church and Sunday school come Sunday morning. He wasn’t too sure about the Sunday school class, just too much personal sharing going around which he was a little uncomfortable with … but he went nevertheless.
There are two articles on the Internet about Rick Kelly. One is a reprint of a St. Petersburg Times, The Accidental Dad. This was recently reprinted in Reader’s Digest http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article1011771.ece
The other link speaks of that fact that Rick was one of the Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune who developed breast cancer because of the poison in the water system. The title of this article is, Poisoned Patriots. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-09-25/health/marines.breast.cancer.folo_1_breast-cancer-drinking-water-va-benefits?_s=PM:HEALTH
My life will continue. The routine of the day-to-day activities won’t change a whole lot, but a hole has been created by the untimely passing of a young man who was working really hard at becoming all that God had created him to be. Rick’s heart just couldn’t go on any longer, but his memories will as will the legacy he left in Norma, Christian and Mikey … and the S.L.U.M Rats of St. Luke’s.
Quote for today (one of my favorite quotes): Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. Mark Twain
I’d been expecting a call from Norma since Friday. She had been in the hospital and when I called her husband’s cell phone to check on her the call went to voice mail which wasn’t all that unusual, but it was Norma who called back to inform me that Rick had come to visit her. He was acting a little abnormal, so much so that the hospital staff encouraged him to go downstairs and be seen by the ER staff. The last part of our conversation that day was, “Call me when you know something about Rick.” “Okay I will. Thanks for calling.” So when Norma called on Sunday I expected just an update on Rick.
After the normal greeting there was a long pause … “Rick passed away this morning of a heart attack.” I sat in stunned silence. Rick had had two other heart attacks over the course of his young life. Rick was only in his mid-40s. What do you say to a woman who is fighting terminal cancer, who has two young boys, has limited income since both of them had lost their jobs, still unpacking from their move back to St. Petersburg and now has lost her emotional and physical support system in the death of her beloved husband?
I first met Rick Kelly when I became the Associate Pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, St. Petersburg. He was in foster care and he was a hand full. He had strong opinions on whatever we were going to do in the youth department and a mouth to back it up. All the chaperons knew that if trouble took place on any outing or Sunday evening one of three boys were behind it … Rob, Richard or Rick … and sometimes all three. They required and demanded the “patience of Job” as the saying goes. But, I moved on and so did Rick.
Rick moved on to the Marines. Then to California as a police officer and businessman, he owned and operated a security business. Eventually Rick moved back to Florida and our paths crossed once again at a reunion of the former youth from the St. Luke’s church. It was just a chance meeting so I thought. Rick came to the reunion with his new wife, Norma, their adopted son Christian and a bundle of energy called Mickey – the little boy that they were in the process of adopting.
Norma was in much pain during the day. Nobody knew it at the time, but the back pain was a result of growing cancer along her spine. The care of the two boys fell to Rick and he showed tremendous patience. I was both amazed and blessed … and wondered when did he grow up to become such a caring and gentle man?
A short time after the reunion a call came that Norma was in the hospital and I was asked if I would go by and visit since it was in Sarasota … just down the road from my home. Thus, began our recent journey together. A journey of pastoral care, counseling and support.
I discovered that Rick had a deep love for his wife and their two boys. He was managing to care for all three, as well as pack-up everything to move the family back to St. Pete where Rick’s adoptive parents and siblings lived. He needed their support as he provided the care required by Norma. Besides, this would allow Christian, their oldest son, to get back into a school that he enjoyed and was very familiar with.
Rick was a caring husband and a devoted father. He cooked their meals, cleaned the house, as well as decorated it (probably with the help of a long time friend Tracy, also from the St. Luke’s youth group) and set about developing a routine for the family to follow. If anything can be said about Rick it is that he tried. He worked hard to provide a secure foundation for the family. Did he always succeed? No, because Rick, like most of us, had a few demons that he was still trying to deal with. Most of the time he was successful in controlling them, but not always as his multiple marriages will bear testimony to along with a day here or a day there that kind of got lost in the process. Actually, he was kind of funny as he would stop, close his eyes and concentrate on how to adequately communicate correctly – to say what he was feeling instead of transferring the issue with a “you” message. He really was trying and was succeeding most of the time.
There were some things that Rick loved besides his wife and family. He loved the Tampa bay Rays baseball team. As they go into the playoffs Rick would be approaching a level of excitement that wouldn’t be matched by many. When the Rays games came on the TV his world stopped … and everyone in the family knew not to disturb him until the game was over. Often his Facebook entries were coaching suggestions for Maddon – not always so kind suggestions at that. Rick also like to go to the gym. It might have been the Marine in him, but it was during those workouts that he was able to deal with his frustrations that could build up within. Rick also worked at getting his family to church and Sunday school come Sunday morning. He wasn’t too sure about the Sunday school class, just too much personal sharing going around which he was a little uncomfortable with … but he went nevertheless.
There are two articles on the Internet about Rick Kelly. One is a reprint of a St. Petersburg Times, The Accidental Dad. This was recently reprinted in Reader’s Digest http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article1011771.ece
The other link speaks of that fact that Rick was one of the Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune who developed breast cancer because of the poison in the water system. The title of this article is, Poisoned Patriots. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-09-25/health/marines.breast.cancer.folo_1_breast-cancer-drinking-water-va-benefits?_s=PM:HEALTH
My life will continue. The routine of the day-to-day activities won’t change a whole lot, but a hole has been created by the untimely passing of a young man who was working really hard at becoming all that God had created him to be. Rick’s heart just couldn’t go on any longer, but his memories will as will the legacy he left in Norma, Christian and Mikey … and the S.L.U.M Rats of St. Luke’s.
Quote for today (one of my favorite quotes): Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. Mark Twain
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Changing ones perspective concerning material blessings ("stuff") in light of Matthew 6:24
Two ideas converged on the same day. One came from an article in the newspaper, the other from a listener’s response to a report on NPR. The article was titled, “They made us wealthy, if not wise,” by Joel Mokyr. It dealt with the 18th Century Enlightenment. While the entire article was well worth the read, it was the sentence that read, “The average Briton born in 1700 could expect to live about 35 years, spending his days doing hard physical work and his nights in a cold, crowded, vermin-ridden home.” It has a way of changing ones perspective on life doesn’t it … just 35 years of hard labor … hmmm!
The listener’s response – and here I am sorry that I didn’t write it down, but I was driving to St. Petersburg – but in essence she was thanking NPR for running a news report concerning the economic downturn and the collapsing housing market. Then she continued to share her perspective on the entire issue. She said that she was thankful for the downturn and the collapsing housing market because if it hadn’t occurred she and her husband would have been moving into a larger house with a much larger mortgage, which would have stretched their finances almost to the breaking point. She went on to share that what the turn of events caused them to do was to reevaluate their priorities determining what was really important in their lives. They began to move to a cash only purchasing plan. The end result is that they are much happier and in a healthier financially secure position in life. The economic events changed their perspective as to what was really important.
The other item, that came across my desk, is that prior to the housing/economic bust houses were creeping upwards in size to mini-mansions, i.e. 3,000 square feet or larger. But with the turn of events in 2008 the size of the average home in America is getting smaller … much smaller. Try 700 square feet! There are even homes being built and lived in that are just 70 square feet! Image how it would be to live in something that size. Those that are deciding to move into these houses are sharing that they are learning to live a much simpler life. They’ve learned to tell themselves no, shop with detailed lists, and make do with much less. The important question now is, “Do I really need it or can I live without it?” It is amazing what an individual can really live without. As one gentleman said, “Do I really need a TV screen that takes up an entire wall?”
Adding to the mixture of thinking is the experience of a long time friend of mine. She and her husband are in the process of downsizing in anticipation of selling their Orlando home so they can move to the mountains. Her perspective is that all of a sudden the “stuff” that brought her comfort and enjoyment is no longer that important. She enjoyed the “stuff” while she lived in the house, but now she and her husband are processing through all of it by asking just what is really important … what they would rather not live without.
Perspectives on life – from history, a response to a radio report and friends pending move – thus the question for today: What really is important? When the fires were moving across Florida and they were getting rather close to the home we lived in at the time, we looked around at the various items that weren’t in storage and determined that the only thing we would hate to lose would be a couple of boxes of pictures … the record of our life together and with the children and so, every morning as we headed off to work in the trunk of the car were the boxes of pictures. The rest we left to the fate of the surrounding fires.
Too often we … or at least I, lose sight of what is important. Because I like my “stuff” – from a few collections, to our antiques, to my library … why are they important? I don’t really know, but they are. Would I hate to lose any or all of them? Yes, but eventually someone, probably our daughters, will be left with the decision as to what to keep and what to throw away. Listening to them they have shared, while laughing, that they would simply hire one of those dumpsters to be dropped at our driveway and then they would just throw everything in it … and be done with it. I don’t think that they would actually do that, but you never know. Their comments does place in proper perspective your “stuff” as seen in the eyes of others.
All of this does cause me to pause, looking around me and wonder what is cluttering up my life? And why? I wish I knew the answer to that … I would be a very wise person now wouldn’t I? I am starting to take stock and some day I probably will shock my wife of 45 years by finally getting rid of the “dust collectors” that have come to live in our home.
The real question is a spiritual one: does the accumulation of more and more hinder my witness and slow me down so that I cannot respond as quickly to the summons of God when I hear his call? Jesus shares in Matthew 6:24: "You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.” (The Message) Just substitute “stuff” for “money” and you get the picture.
Quote for today: There are two ways to get enough: One is to accumulate more and more, the other is to desire less. G.K. Chesterton
The listener’s response – and here I am sorry that I didn’t write it down, but I was driving to St. Petersburg – but in essence she was thanking NPR for running a news report concerning the economic downturn and the collapsing housing market. Then she continued to share her perspective on the entire issue. She said that she was thankful for the downturn and the collapsing housing market because if it hadn’t occurred she and her husband would have been moving into a larger house with a much larger mortgage, which would have stretched their finances almost to the breaking point. She went on to share that what the turn of events caused them to do was to reevaluate their priorities determining what was really important in their lives. They began to move to a cash only purchasing plan. The end result is that they are much happier and in a healthier financially secure position in life. The economic events changed their perspective as to what was really important.
The other item, that came across my desk, is that prior to the housing/economic bust houses were creeping upwards in size to mini-mansions, i.e. 3,000 square feet or larger. But with the turn of events in 2008 the size of the average home in America is getting smaller … much smaller. Try 700 square feet! There are even homes being built and lived in that are just 70 square feet! Image how it would be to live in something that size. Those that are deciding to move into these houses are sharing that they are learning to live a much simpler life. They’ve learned to tell themselves no, shop with detailed lists, and make do with much less. The important question now is, “Do I really need it or can I live without it?” It is amazing what an individual can really live without. As one gentleman said, “Do I really need a TV screen that takes up an entire wall?”
Adding to the mixture of thinking is the experience of a long time friend of mine. She and her husband are in the process of downsizing in anticipation of selling their Orlando home so they can move to the mountains. Her perspective is that all of a sudden the “stuff” that brought her comfort and enjoyment is no longer that important. She enjoyed the “stuff” while she lived in the house, but now she and her husband are processing through all of it by asking just what is really important … what they would rather not live without.
Perspectives on life – from history, a response to a radio report and friends pending move – thus the question for today: What really is important? When the fires were moving across Florida and they were getting rather close to the home we lived in at the time, we looked around at the various items that weren’t in storage and determined that the only thing we would hate to lose would be a couple of boxes of pictures … the record of our life together and with the children and so, every morning as we headed off to work in the trunk of the car were the boxes of pictures. The rest we left to the fate of the surrounding fires.
Too often we … or at least I, lose sight of what is important. Because I like my “stuff” – from a few collections, to our antiques, to my library … why are they important? I don’t really know, but they are. Would I hate to lose any or all of them? Yes, but eventually someone, probably our daughters, will be left with the decision as to what to keep and what to throw away. Listening to them they have shared, while laughing, that they would simply hire one of those dumpsters to be dropped at our driveway and then they would just throw everything in it … and be done with it. I don’t think that they would actually do that, but you never know. Their comments does place in proper perspective your “stuff” as seen in the eyes of others.
All of this does cause me to pause, looking around me and wonder what is cluttering up my life? And why? I wish I knew the answer to that … I would be a very wise person now wouldn’t I? I am starting to take stock and some day I probably will shock my wife of 45 years by finally getting rid of the “dust collectors” that have come to live in our home.
The real question is a spiritual one: does the accumulation of more and more hinder my witness and slow me down so that I cannot respond as quickly to the summons of God when I hear his call? Jesus shares in Matthew 6:24: "You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.” (The Message) Just substitute “stuff” for “money” and you get the picture.
Quote for today: There are two ways to get enough: One is to accumulate more and more, the other is to desire less. G.K. Chesterton
Saturday, October 2, 2010
A lighter side of life - a child's insight
Those who have followed this blog know that Saturday is usually reserved for something on the lighter side … hopefully something that will bring at least a smile to your face. In fact, I love laughter and a good clean joke or story so much that I’ve designated a place in my memorial service when people will be invited forward to tell their best joke or share their favorite story. I want it to be time of great rejoicing and laughter. When I can find something that brings a smile to my face combined with the delightful insight that children bring to life … all the better. So today’s blog is right up my alley.
1) NUDITY - I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'
2) OPINIONS - On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'
3) KETCHUP - A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle.'
4) MORE NUDITY - A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, 'What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?'
5) POLICE # 1 - While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, ‘Are you a cop?’ ‘Yes,’ I answered and continued writing the report. ‘My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot toward me, 'would you please tie my shoe?'
6) POLICE # 2 - It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'
7) ELDERLY - While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, 'The tooth fairy will never believe this!'
8) DRESS-UP - A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, 'Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit.' 'And why not, darling?' 'You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.'
9) DEATH - While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole hegoooes.' (I want this line used at my funeral!)
10) SCHOOL - A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'
11) BIBLE - A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. 'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out. 'What have you got there, dear?' With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, 'I think it's Adam's underwear!'
Quote for today: The trouble with children is that when they're not being a lump in your throat, they're being a pain in your neck. Unknown source
1) NUDITY - I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'
2) OPINIONS - On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'
3) KETCHUP - A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle.'
4) MORE NUDITY - A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, 'What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?'
5) POLICE # 1 - While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, ‘Are you a cop?’ ‘Yes,’ I answered and continued writing the report. ‘My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot toward me, 'would you please tie my shoe?'
6) POLICE # 2 - It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'
7) ELDERLY - While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, 'The tooth fairy will never believe this!'
8) DRESS-UP - A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, 'Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit.' 'And why not, darling?' 'You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.'
9) DEATH - While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole hegoooes.' (I want this line used at my funeral!)
10) SCHOOL - A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'
11) BIBLE - A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. 'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out. 'What have you got there, dear?' With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, 'I think it's Adam's underwear!'
Quote for today: The trouble with children is that when they're not being a lump in your throat, they're being a pain in your neck. Unknown source
Friday, October 1, 2010
Miracles in everyday life!
Do you believe in miracles? Oh, not the “Lazarus-come-forth-from-the-grave-after-being-in-there-for-three-days” variety or the “dividing-of-the-Dead-Sea” kind. Those are rare and hard to come by. I’m just talking about the everyday kind of miracles ... the “aha” moments of life … the “now I see it” variety when you hadn’t seen it before … the “taking my breath away” kind.
I believe that God is performing miracles every day of our lives. Many of God’s miracles we simply take for granted – the birth of a child, seeing a sunrise or sunset, an unexpected and unexplained phone call, a touch, a hug, a get well card, an e-mail of encouragement, a doctor finds a blockage, surgery is performed, a healing takes place, life continues and the list is endless. These are just every day occurrences that we simply take for granted, but if we think about it … really, really think about … they do kind of surprise us when we weren’t expecting to be surprised. That’s how God works!
When we least expect it, when life has gotten into a boring routine, when our spirits are depleted, when our energy level is at its lowest, when we think “how can I take the next step,” when we begin to think that nobody cares … the phone rings, the mailman delivers, a knock comes … and bingo, God waltzes into our lives in an unexpected way … our lives are transformed in a second … where there were only shadows before now bright sunshine … a smile has appeared … laughter erupts from deep within … and another miracle from God has taken place.
Look around you and behold the created wonder. Just stop a second and listen. Take in a deep breath and notice the freshness of the good earth. Lift your face to the heavens and allow the warmth of the Sun to embrace you. Lie down in the grass and watch the clouds pass by (you probably haven’t done that since you were a child). Close your eyes and remember that you are loved beyond your wildest imagination. Everyday miracles … God surrounding you, embracing you, lifting you up, holding you in his arms … everyday miracles.
Quote for today: God seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye. C.S. Lewis
I believe that God is performing miracles every day of our lives. Many of God’s miracles we simply take for granted – the birth of a child, seeing a sunrise or sunset, an unexpected and unexplained phone call, a touch, a hug, a get well card, an e-mail of encouragement, a doctor finds a blockage, surgery is performed, a healing takes place, life continues and the list is endless. These are just every day occurrences that we simply take for granted, but if we think about it … really, really think about … they do kind of surprise us when we weren’t expecting to be surprised. That’s how God works!
When we least expect it, when life has gotten into a boring routine, when our spirits are depleted, when our energy level is at its lowest, when we think “how can I take the next step,” when we begin to think that nobody cares … the phone rings, the mailman delivers, a knock comes … and bingo, God waltzes into our lives in an unexpected way … our lives are transformed in a second … where there were only shadows before now bright sunshine … a smile has appeared … laughter erupts from deep within … and another miracle from God has taken place.
Look around you and behold the created wonder. Just stop a second and listen. Take in a deep breath and notice the freshness of the good earth. Lift your face to the heavens and allow the warmth of the Sun to embrace you. Lie down in the grass and watch the clouds pass by (you probably haven’t done that since you were a child). Close your eyes and remember that you are loved beyond your wildest imagination. Everyday miracles … God surrounding you, embracing you, lifting you up, holding you in his arms … everyday miracles.
Quote for today: God seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye. C.S. Lewis
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