Parents, Sometimes I Model It, Sometimes I Muddle It. Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Sometimes I model it, sometimes I muddle it. One blistering Summer Day when my kids were young, we were desperate to go to a pool or a water park. However, at the time we had not yet joined the YMCA and for the six of us to go to a water park would cost a small fortune. So, we prayed and looked for a solution to a hot boring Summer day… and with the spare funds God provided from under the seat cushions, recliner, car seat, and honorarium from a recent funeral, I went to the home improvement store and bought 100 feet of plastic sheeting and put it in the parsonage back yard. We just added water and a bit of dish soap occasionally to slick the slide. It was perfectly sloped at the top and provided a fun ride, if you avoided the big rock in the middle. I thought I was a genius, (albeit a cheapskate genius). We could just slide down ⅓ of a football field of water and plastic fun and run back up and do it again endlessly… there was no waiting in long lines. When the kids got hungry, we had a picnic on the porch with fruit, Whales crackers (the discount version of Goldfish) and an Aldi take and bake pizza… no overpriced food and drinks to go to waste. When someone got tired, they went inside the house, dried off and took a nap… no tired whining waiting for the rest of the family to finish at the water park. They had friends over, we all sat on the extra long picnic table that fit all of us, made from a kit at the home improvement warehouse. We had a discount store umbrella… and some discarded tiki torches from the street… how could life get better. My kids' spouses and significant others sometimes listen in bewilderment as my young adult kids now tell these stories and ask, “why didn’t you just go to the water park?” On another occasion, really muddled it when a generous family member had given us a trip to stay in a rental at a mountain retreat a few hours away. I had not realized how much the stresses of being a pastor had taken its toll and I had not really dealt with them in a healthy way. I found myself yelling at my young son, who was simply doing something that curious, resourceful young boys do when driving on a long car ride with three sisters and nothing to keep them occupied. He had made a tiny swimming pool out of his cup holder by pouring his drink into it. As I was cleaning out the minivan, to go t back home so I could prepare a message to encourage people to be patient, I discovered what to me was a mess that would take my time and resources that were already running short. To him it was an experiment using the resources he had to see how liquid responded when the van was in motion...and maybe it was a swimming pool for an action figure… either way we didn’t view it the same way. I didn’t have a towel or paper towels and the soft drink in the cup holder was full enough that if I didn’t remove the liquid it would slosh onto the seat and carpet. Needless to say, I didn’t respond well, I wasn’t very patient. I have since apologized to my son, who says he doesn’t remember the incident. Sometimes I model living with the joy of God and sometimes I muddle it.

Sometimes we creatively act and look like the One we follow, sometimes we lose it. The apostle Paul was jogging the memory of the people he loved in Galatia, to model it, not muddle it by remembering who they were… he said those who belong to God, don’t do the things they used to do when they belonged to the Enemy, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT2) When we belong to God, He gives us His Spirit to guide our thoughts and actions and remind us who we belong to and how it is like us to act. As this pandemic wears on, let God’s Spirit, His Word and His people keep reminding us who we are and how we act.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Love What You Do And Do What You Love!* Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Love what you do and do what you love. I had the amazing privilege of going to a marvelous high school called Webb. The teachers were smart and gifted. Two in particular were great at making learning fun and bringing something extra to the classroom, MJ Potts and Sheila Jacobstein. One taught English and one taught Biology. They could have been professors at any college they wanted, but they loved teaching teenagers. You could tell by the way their faces lit up when we students entered the classroom. They were glad to be with us… and by definition that brought us joy whether we acknowledged it or not. Joy can sometimes be hard to come by in high school, but these ladies were a burst of sunshine everyday. Even when we were being knuckleheads, they wisely corrected us, and kept teaching us, not just material, but character, because of who they were. One time the entire class left the classroom and stood outside the window like frozen statues when MJ stepped out for a moment. I don’t know who may have instigated these shenanigans, but she laughed along with us, got us back inside, and regained control of the classroom to teach us English once again. They each, in their own way created an environment that was the optimum greenhouse for learning. Miss Jacobstein was such a wonderful teacher, I took a class that I had no business taking (AP Biology), but took it because she was teaching it. They both did all they could for this average student in the classroom, but also encouraged my other gifts as the student who tried to keep the announcements interesting and encouraging in Chapel everyday and the one who exhorted people to enjoy the concession stand at every home game to raise money for prom. Teenage years can be uncertain and filled with fear, frustration, and misunderstanding. These negative emotions can put our brains in such a state that makes it difficult to learn. But the joy these ladies brought to the campus not only put our brains in a better state to learn, they motivated us and helped us do better... even gave us a little extra joy to share with others, if we were willing. I just had these teachers for an hour a day for a year, but their impact has lasted a lifetime. I remember them with smiles on their faces, happy to be teaching us. It is said that our lives change more from those with whom we are connected than anything we can know or learn from an ordinary book. For the time that we were in their classes they called us their own. These brilliant, good-hearted, fun-loving, dedicated ladies changed many lives in their years at the Webb School of Knoxville. They didn’t do it for the money or the recognition, they did it because they embraced who they were created and called to be. They each helped produce some amazing scholars, but they also invested in the rest of us trying to make us better humans. They loved what they did, but more importantly they cared about those they taught and brought some joy to the high school journey. Apparently they did the same thing at home, because their kids are wonderful humans too!

Paul reminds God’s people, “And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God.” Ephesians 6:7 (MSG) Whatever you are divinely called to do, at work, at home, anywhere, love it and those you do it for and with. You may impact a life forever.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Are You Rebranding Yourself? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, are you rebranding yourself? When I started college, I was barely 125 lbs soaking wet, yet ate everything in sight. When I decided that I wanted to cheer, it meant that I would have to gain some muscle. My cheer partners had cheered all through high school and were really strong. Since muscle weighs more than fat, some of the girls almost matched my weight. It’s embarrassing when the girl you are holding in the air is stronger than you are. The guys on the squad were really strong and they helped me get stronger. I didn’t want my partner to be nervous that I would drop her, so I hit the weight room. For many months, it was really frustrating. I didn’t notice any difference in how I looked. My “rebranding” from skinny high school swimmer to collegiate cheerleader didn’t seem to be happening in any noticeable ways, except maybe that I could yell louder. After a couple of years, I saw an old friend that I had not seen in a while. He said, “what happened to you?” I wiped my face off and looked at my clothes, I thought something was wrong. He said, “you have shoulders.” As I was becoming a cheerleader, I had changed, I was 165 lbs and could finally hold a girl in the air without making her nervous that I would drop her. Little by little, day by day, I was changing. Of course, I haven’t seen 165 on my scales since then. I’ve had both shoulders surgically repaired and the thought of throwing a girl into the air and catching her makes me hurt. My kids have rebranded me as “old” with every new grey hair and groan when I climb steps.

This body will eventually give out, it will eventually be rebranded as “dead.” But the good news is God’s plan includes a new body after I die. The rebranding began the day I connected my life to Jesus in loving attachment. He initiated the connection and attachment and I simply reciprocated. His plan is not just for when this earthly body gives out, this rebranding is for all of me, right now. It changes how we act, how we see the world, how we treat other people, what is important… it completely changes who we are. Sometimes I need a reminder that I am no longer the way I used to be, but I am now a whole new person… I sometimes forget that I now think differently, I have new values, I have new habits. I need reminding that when I belong to Jesus, I don’t need to stay the 125 lb weakling. Everyday in the faith I need to grow and learn and become stronger. I need to be helping hold up other people who need a boost. I need to be helping others get stronger. The apostle Paul loved a group of people who had been branded as “Christians,” but they were still living like their old selves. They were treating each other badly, not representing Jesus very well, they were still living out of their old set of selfish values. Paul reminded them, they were not just a rebranded version of their old selves, but a brand new creation. He tells them, “... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSBBible) This pandemic seems to be giving us lots of opportunities to act like our new selves. We have a chance to be in the spiritual weight room everyday. Hopefully, when we re-emerge people will say, “what happened to you?” “You are more joyful, stronger, and more like Jesus than you used to be.”

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Love your Enemies, It Will Drive Them Nuts! Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, love your enemies, it will drive them nuts! I have spoken of my collegiate cheer coach in another post (https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPMcG/posts/10156136400307185). He is an impressive man with a winning personality and he always treats people well. During football games and in cheer competitions, he always honors, serves and shows respect to the opposing teams and rivals. It never mattered how intense the rivalry, he always acted like himself and treated other people well. He always welcomed the opposing teams, encouraged them, valued their strengths and learned from them. He would do anything he could to make their experience better whether or not he agreed with them about who should win the game. He was like the classic 1971 Coke commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM), he would always provide refreshments for the opposing teams’ cheerleaders, only without the brand manipulation and today would have provided some less sugary options. Most of us, attack those with whom we disagree. We quit acting like ourselves. We forget how to treat people civilly, we name call and demonize anyone who doesn’t share the same perspective as we do… it’s like we forget who we are and Who we belong to… it’s like all bets are off and completely lose our kindness and care for other people that God loves and values.

When Jesus came, He never forgot who he was or how it was like Him to act. He loves His enemies and died to save them… He said from the cross, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” When He was attacked, He kept on loving… when people were coming to crucify Him, he carefully replaced an ear lopped off of one of the guards by one of His followers. He tells us all, "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. Matthew 5:43-45 (MSG) We are never more like the One we are following than when we love our enemies. Jesus didn’t let the opinions, words, threats, abuse or accusations of others change Who He was or how He treated those around Him. Next time we feel threatened by someone we perceive as an enemy, I challenge us all to do like Jesus tells us… pray for them, give them your best self and love them. Many people won’t know what to do with your kindness, it will drive them crazy.

(P.S. TBH. There’s a part of me that is not really looking forward to the opportunity to practice this one…)

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Are You Becoming Ambivalent?* Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, are you becoming ambivalent? In elementary school, my mother decided I needed to learn how to play the guitar. I was thinking great, I’ll learn 70’s rock and roll guitar. She was thinking I would learn classical country or bluegrass. She was paying for the lessons so guess which kind of guitar teacher I was learning from? My friends were learning “Johnny B. Goode,” I was learning the guitar version of classic Irish fiddle tunes, because it was my instructor’s favorite. These were not even the lively fiddle tunes of Riverdance, but the slower more dirgelike songs. Sitting still for more than 30 minutes a day to practice guitar after all day at school was difficult enough for me, but add in a little ADHD, an aversion to practice, and the fact that I was not thrilled to learn the songs being taught… surprise... I didn’t become a guitar player. My mother, however, was not shaken, she put me in the school talent show… it was miserable. My face got hot, my fingers were shaking, it was not good at all. The audience gave the obligatory clap when it was over, but had I been able to raise my head from the traumatic shell shocking embarrassment as I played, I’m sure I would have seen forced grimacing smiles to cover the “get this poor kid off the stage” that their minds were silently shouting. It was like a slow motion train wreck that rewound and started over every time I messed up and started the song over. I had become ambivalent to playing guitar. On one hand, I liked the idea of playing the energetic music of rock and roll guitar to the delight of audiences everywhere, on the other hand, that was not what I was learning or practicing. So, not surprisingly, I fell away from guitar. My friends went on to play in garage bands, learning new rifts of the great guitarists of the late 70’s and 80’s classic hair bands. Some keep playing all their lives. While I was glad my mother cared enough to get me guitar lessons, I never owned it, never loved it. It never became a personal passion to me to play the guitar. It didn’t resonate within me, so when it became more difficult to keep practicing with the increasing distractions in my life, I didn’t stick with it. My puppy love with the idea of playing the guitar grew cold.

Jesus warns that many will fall away from their relationship with Him, when things become difficult and the world begins to fall apart. If we just like the idea of being a Jesus follower, it won’t be enough to live out our faith and keep loving people, when things continually get tougher in this world. Jesus says, “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13 (ESV) When we are truly personally lovingly attached to Jesus, there is a joy that goes with us. Even when things get difficult and the world is not what we expected, we will keep on loving Jesus and loving others, even our enemies. If our relationship with Jesus is real we won’t fall away, we will have enough love and joy supplied by Him to make it through the difficult days. This pandemic has brought some difficult days, and it promises to bring more before it’s all said and done. There will be a temptation to quit living out of joy and love and start living out of fear and frustration. Keep loving Jesus. Don’t let your love grow cold.

Hang in there people! God it with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Don't Miss Where God Is At Work! Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Don’t miss where God is at work. Within 10 days, we had moved our three girls out of three different colleges in three different cities, celebrated the college graduation for one of the girls, said goodbye to our Chattanooga church and community, moved three girls for their summer internships and programs, one to the rural mountains of East Tennessee, one to Atlanta, Georgia, and one to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, celebrated an engagement party for our son and his fiance’ in Alabama, listed our house, sold our house to another minister of education’s family who, just like us, had a boy and 3 girls, and we were completely moved out of our house and into our rental home in Ohio… in 10 days! Our heads were spinning, but we were joyful and strangely at peace in all these major life changes that happened so quickly. How did all this happen? A couple of years ago, Anita and I felt a call to Dublin Baptist Church in Dublin, OH from our church in Chattanooga. This would mean a big change in our lives as we had served for 12 years in Chattanooga: our children had completed high school there, we had watched God work in the lives of the the people in our church and community in many ways, we had celebrated births, second births, graduations and weddings, we had grieved deaths, tornados and divorces, we had connected with people as we studied God’s Word together, we had established our lives and ministry there, our parents were close enough to be with them in a couple of hours… a move to Ohio was a big deal. We wrestled with God back and forth, one day ready to go, one day not ready at all. As we struggled, Anita journaled our decision journey… Family and friends gave us scripture and encouragement along the way and we began to see some patterns in all of it. God was doing things only God could do. As we intensely, sought His guidance through this period of about 3 months, He kept revealing His plans one step at a time… We listened as best we could. One of the men on the personnel team at DBC asked the question, “Why Dublin?” and I quickly quipped, “because it's the greatest place on earth, right?” The committee roared with laughter. Sensing later that the question needed a better answer, the pastor in me needed an acronym (since apparently that's the only way God talks to many of us preachers, haha)… So, here were the things God was saying to us from the scriptures to answer the question “why D.U.B.L.I.N.?”

Don’t miss where I am at work! (John 5:17, 19-20, Phi.1:6, Eze. 36:26-28,32)
Understand that My plans always supersede yours! (Isa. 55:8-9, Pro.19:21)
Believe that it is for My Glory, the Gospel and your Good!(Isa. 48:11, Rom. 1:16-17, 8:28, Jer. 29:7)
Lean into My Word! (Heb. 4:12, John 14:23,26, Psm. 119:138, Isa. 55:10-11)
I will show you My immeasurably more! (I Cor. 2:9, Jam. 1:9, Eph. 3:20-21)
Now is the time and I will do it! (Isa. 14:24)

As Henry Blackaby reminds us in his famous workbook, “Experiencing God,” God is always at work, find where He is at work and join Him in it. Jesus says in John 5:17 (NIV) "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." Even in this pandemic, God is at work! Don’t miss it, join Him in it, not just for the work, but mostly for the relationship with Him and His other children who are also at work with Him. There is a strange Joy and Peace in the craziness when we join Him where He’s at work.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, It All Comes Down To How We Love. Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, It all comes down to how we love. I had the privilege of working with some really great people when I worked for the Universal Cheerleaders Association for a couple of Summers in College. My first camp was in a cheer country town in Kentucky, (seems like almost every town in Kentucky is known for basketball and cheerleading), with some really good people who were talented instructors. The days started early as everyone went to breakfast, had a wake-up/warm-up routine, then instruction began and lasted until almost dark with a couple of short meal breaks during the day. In the evenings, we did individual coaching sessions with the squads before they were evaluated. Each instructor was given several squads to spend a few minutes with, helping them prepare. My first day, I was given a squad that had regularly competed for the National Championship. After the signature cheerleading “ready, okay” the entire squad did standing back tucks (which, at the time, only a few squads in the country could accomplish). My mouth dropped open and that was just the beginning. I tried to hide my amazement and intimidation as they executed what I saw as a flawless routine. Their coach, however, who was not happy with their performance, made them do it again. I moved on through a couple of other squads and then to a squad of sweet special needs girls. I was able to help them add a simple trick to their routine and then “had to” move on to check back on the super-squad. I’m ashamed to say it, but because I wanted to try and validate myself as an instructor, more than I wanted to help some really courageous special kids, I spent more time with the super-squad, that really didn’t need my help. They already had some of the best coaches in the country. They already knew how to do cheerleading, as well as anyone... and they knew it. The special needs squad coach thanked me for spending time to help them, but as I look back in regret, just a few more minutes with them would have helped them much more than any time I could spend with the superstars. As a pastor, I can sometimes be tempted to seek professional validation by spending my time with the scriptural, and doctrinal super-stars, when it is usually those who are still trying to figure out this whole Faith thing that I could best spend my time with. I regret some of the times that I invested hours with people who knew the Word of God well... some of them mean as snakes, and only a few minutes with some who pronounce the book of Malachi in a way that almost rhymes with Mariachi, who were some of the most genuine and caring people I’ve ever met.

Jesus was criticized for spending time with those who weren’t polished Bible scholars and didn’t know all the religious “rules”. But He said, It's not those who are well that need a doctor. He was always about loving “the least of these.” Jesus tried to remind the Bible superstars of His time that Faith is more about relationships than it is about knowledge… “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:39-40 (NIV) You see they valued knowledge of the scriptures over lovingly connecting their lives with Jesus and loving the ones He loves. If they connected with Jesus in love they would love those around them, regardless of their imperfections. They preferred to try to validate their position as a knowledgeable teacher, rather than love people like Jesus did. Loving people like Jesus, “the Living Word” is real life, knowing the scriptures well, but not loving, takes away life and its joy. Correct doctrine and scripture knowledge is really important, ask any former cult member who has been deceived by false doctrine, but it is most important that we love like the One the scriptures point to, He is Truth.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, What Will You Do With Today's Tabula Rasa? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, what will you do with today’s tabula rasa? In my office, I have a beautiful calendar that was given to me by my friend and DBC Chinese Pastor, Joshua Li.  It reminds me to pray for him, his family and the beautiful Chinese congregation at Dublin Baptist. I also use it to remind me to continue doing the things that are important in my life. I had the privilege of working as a lifeguard at the University of Tennessee Faculty Club pool with a hilarious young man named Henry Cho. He is a Korean-American clean comedian with an East Tennessee accent, who brightened our day with laughter.  During breaks from the guard stand, he and another guard would freestyle their comedy that left us all in stitches. The other guard surprisingly went on to become a Secret Service agent… I guess you need a sense of humor to do that too (I don’t know for whom or where he was a Secret Service agent because, it was, of course… secret).  Henry was funny everyday and one of his friends and mentors, Jerry Seinfeld, says that’s how you get better at what you do...by doing it everyday.  Seinfeld is known for the Seinfeld method or Seinfeld strategy for becoming better at something. He says he takes a clean calendar and for every day that he writes some funny material, he makes an X on that day. He says if you want to improve at something, do it everyday, make an X and don’t break the chain.  So, on the beautiful calendar from Joshua, I make a different colored X for the important things in my life. There is an X for my devoted time in God’s Word and prayer, there is a different colored X for if I have in some way served my wife and family, there is a different colored X for exercise, there is an X for writing something, an X for reading something that helps change my life, an X for teaching someone something, an X for communicating with a friend, an X for other ministry activities. So, if I have been faithful to becoming better at the things that are important to me, my calendar should look like a rainbow chain.  I’m still working on an unbroken chain for some of these things, and some days I only get one or two X’s, but it is one way to see how I have filled in the tabula rasa or clean slate for each day. 

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to carpe diem or seize the day for loving God and encouraging His people.  He says, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” Hebrews 3:12-14 (NIV) So, let’s make sure that on our tabula rasa of our calendar that we make an X for encouraging our own faith and the faith of those around us and that we don’t stop! 

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all! 

Parents, Don't Be Stymied By A Hooey!* Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, don’t be stymied by a hooey. I remember being asked to come play some pickup football with my friends in the ball field at the church next to my house. I jumped up from my boredom, threw on my shoes, hopped on my beloved Spyder bike (see earlier post http://williampmcg.blogspot.com/2020/05/parents-anticipation-what-are-you.html) and began furiously pedaling across my yard, like a calf out of the shoot. What I had not considered was that I had taken off so quickly, I had not tied my sneakers. By the time I realized it, I was in the middle of the yard, my shoelace had wrapped up in the chain tying my foot to the bike. As I lost momentum from not being able to pedal, I fell over awkwardly, unable to get off the bike. I lay there, tangled in my bike, like a calf in a hooey, not the hooey that we mean as “nonsense”, as in “that's a bunch of hooey,”(though come to think of it, that term also may work here), but the kind of hooey that calf ropers use to make a knot in the rope once three legs are tied to secure the young bovine. There I was stymied in the middle of the yard, tied to my bike to be seen by the rodeo gallery also known as the neighbors who just happened to drive by. It was much longer than the required 6 seconds in rodeo ropin’ that I lay there trying to figure out how to escape. I thought, I will just pull my foot out of my shoe. But the laces had twisted my sweaty, stinky, vinyl tennie so tight, my foot wasn’t going anywhere. After laying there for what seemed like forever, I finally figured out how to get myself and the bike upright while I was still securely fastened like a seat belt in turbulence. I was no Houdini, but I managed to free myself and go play football. There are some things I really want to out and do in this pandemic, but I really need to make sure my shoes are tied first and not go charging like an unsuspecting calf out of the shoot.  As my Burns and Steinbeck quoting mother used to say when something would mess up, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

So, what do we do? How do we live our lives? How do we move forward? God definitely has our attention at the moment, so we should talk to the One who was not caught by surprise in all this. Jesus’ half-brother James reminds us of our humble position and says, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” James 4:13-16 (NIV) We have family plans for this Summer, and really want to see each other, but we also want to keep everyone safe, so after some stops and starts we are still praying about what to do. The Good News about all of this pandemic is that we are urged closer to the One who loves and cares for us and has plans to prosper us, plans not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future.(Jer 29:11)

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, How Do We Avoid Acting Infantile? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, How do we avoid acting infantile? I haven’t heard that word used too much since my mother used it often when I was a teenager. Not that I don't still act infantile sometimes. Maybe she used it the time I threw a tantrum because my sister was on the riding mower and I had to do our least favorite task of running the weedeater, when it was my turn to mow. I grabbed the chunk of ice out of my cup and hurled it 30 yards down the yard and she just so happened to drive right into its path hitting her in the side of the head… just so you know, while I still regret this, she was not significantly hurt, but her artful dramatic performance in front of my parents got her out of doing any yard work for several weeks. Infantile means what it sounds like, behavior befitting an infant, babyish, or childish. We recently watched a documentary about Taylor Swift in which she states the generally accepted truth that “stars get stuck at whatever age they became famous.” She states the axiom when talking about turning 30 and having to reinvent her public persona several times since she became famous as a teenager. I also understand that we can get stuck emotionally at whatever age we experience significant trauma in our life. This trauma can be the kind of trauma in which we experience a life changing physical or emotional hurt, like a major accident, or a parents’ divorce, or loss of a close family member. This can also be the kind of trauma where something we desperately need for normal development is missing. As children, certain parts of our brain develop at certain ages, if a parent or caregiver is missing physically or emotionally during that time we get stuck at that age in our development. We may miss getting the discipline or established boundaries we need because a parent is too exhausted or preoccupied to do it. Unless we are able to work through and let God reparent us, we will react to our world from the perspective of a child at whatever age we get stuck for the rest of our lives. Trauma may have happened to Jacob when he realized that his twin Esau was his Dad’s favorite, or when his mother failed to teach him not to trick his brother out of birthrights and blessings. Eventually, after acting like a knucklehead all his life, He encountered God and God wrestled with him, changed his life, humbled him, matured him and he began looking out for others instead of just himself. He quit acting so infantile. God even changed his name. He was not perfect, he still played favorites with his own sons, but he and his sons eventually began treating each other well. (Jacob’s story is in Genesis 25ff). God’s plan is for us to grow up, not stay infantile. Unfortunately it seems that many of us so-called adults are stuck in an infantile state, name calling, taking advantage of someone because we can, whining when we don’t get our way, holding a grudge… We need reparenting. There are some good things coming out of this pandemic crisis, maybe some of us will grow up through it and not let the traumas of it get us stuck even deeper.

When we encounter God, our lives change, we begin maturing, we are no longer infants looking out only for ourselves. Peter tells us: “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. 1 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT2) It’s easy to act infantile when we are hurting and life is difficult, but it is also a perfect time to grow up. Let’s talk to God, let Him reparent us with the truth of His Word, the power of His Spirit and those around us who are more mature. Let’s keep maturing and help those around us mature too.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Did You Try Unplugging It and Plugging It Back In? Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, did you try unplugging it and plugging it back in? Anita and I used to enjoy watching the sitcom “The Middle.” Many of the middle class, middle America situations that the producers built their comedy around were situations that we were living through in our own home with our own kids, so much so that we sometimes felt there must have been secret cameras capturing the everyday drama of real life and rewriting it in sitcom form. One particular episode that lives on in our home is when Patricia Heaton’s character, Frankie Heck, had a computer problem. Everything she tried to make the technology work correctly and recover the files of pictures she reluctantly saved to the computer never yielded a good outcome. So, after an emotional meltdown she dramatically unplugged the computer, counted the exact amount of seconds and plugged the computer back in. Miraculously the computer worked again and the photos were found. This still happens with the technology around our house now. When the cable box is being wanky, we ask, “did you try unplugging it and plugging it back in, Frankie?” And most times the cable comes back up. We do this with smart TV’s, laptops, smart phones, and anything else that we feel technically unfit to fix. (Interestingly, this was my instruction to the DBC Connect Group leaders as all of our Zoom meetings were having problems this morning…just reboot! haha!)

When life is going nuts and things just don’t seem to be right, sometimes we need to unplug a moment and then plug back in. When I do pre-marriage counseling, I tell couples when they become angry or frustrated to the point of engaging the fight, flight or freeze response in their brain, it takes the body 30 minutes to calm down and allow function back into the part of the brain that reminds us who we really are, how we really act, and Who we belong to. If we don’t recover, we continue to act in fear instead of joy. And that means I have to win and everyone else has to lose… so then we all lose. God reminds us through Paul that if we let anger control us, we quit acting like Jesus and we start acting like the Evil One. Paul says, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) So, when something triggers us, we need to unplug, take some time to return to joy by plugging back in to Jesus, and then plug ourselves back in to the relationships with those around us. We can start acting like our “Jesus self” again. There will be some things in this pandemic and its consequences that will trigger our anger, we’re gonna’ hafta’ remember to unplug sometimes and plug back in.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Antici...pation, What Are You Waiting For? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, antici...pation, what are you waiting for? Some are anticipating getting back to their hair stylist or barber, some to their favorite restaurant, some to the gym, some to church…It's going to feel like Christmas for some of us!  Here’s part of an article from a few years ago that may have some encouragement for us as we anticipate some things getting back to normal from this pandemic… hope you enjoy it! Christmas mornings as kids, my sister and I woke up really early. Many times we were sent back to bed for another hour or two.  Trying to stay in the bed when my heart was racing in anticipation of what could be under the Christmas tree was often a task too great for this youngster.  Sometimes I would sneak back into the living room with the lights out hoping to see the outline of any of the gifts that were left unwrapped.  In the low light I could see faint outlines of what I thought was the gift I had “always wanted.”  Then my heart would race even faster as I imagined myself riding the new Big Wheel, pogo stick, moon shoes (now those were an accident waiting to happen!) or shooting a Red Ryder BB gun (“you’ll shoot your eye out kid”). But the year I thought I would get that Spyder bike with the cool “monkey hanger” handlebars with black simulated leather tassels and the “banana seat,” the picture in my mind was too much. I was so absorbed in my imagination,  I caught myself making “varoom, varoom” noises as if the bike was a motorcycle. I looked around in embarrassment to make sure no one had heard me.  The anticipation had me standing on my toes peeking in, leaning forward, straining my eyes in the dark to see if I really saw that bike.

The apostle Paul tells the church that creation is doing the same thing, as it strains to see which of us are true believers in Jesus. He says,“For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are,” Romans 8:19. Apparently, in the Greek this verse paints a picture of all creation personified,  literally stretching its neck, leaning forward on its tippy toes in anticipation of seeing who the real followers of Jesus are.  So, as we anticipate what we will experience next as our favorite places are reopened, let’s also make sure that when the Day of the Lord comes we are revealed as one who has attached ourselves to God who welcomes us with open arms.  Jesus says we will be known by our “love for one another!” 

 

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all! 

Parents, Are You A Guru? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, are you a guru? Not the Buddhist/Hindu spiritual guide, but a teacher or expert in some area. “Gooroo,” kinda sounds like a new pasta sauce. Up until about 5 years ago I had the privilege of coaching some great young leaders in cheerleading and gymnastics for 30+ years in some wonderful gyms in just about every city where I served as a pastor. It was an opportunity to get to know more people in my community. In the last gym, I had the rare opportunity to work with a gym coach who was a gymnastics guru… he knew so much about gymnastics technique, he could tell you exactly how to complete every trick… where your feet start, where your hips go, where your arms go, your head position, where to look. He could also tell you how to fix any part of the trick that was not quite right and what muscles to strengthen to make it better. He was amazing… he went to Béla Károlyi’s camp for coaches and was evaluated as one of the top coaches at the camp. As I watched and learned from him, he taught me some coaching tricks for tumbling. I had been around some great coaches before but he was eager to share his best tricks with every coach… he wanted everyone in the gym to get better. Many young cheerleaders learned a back handspring from the coaching techniques this man taught me, including some on my daughter’s cheer squad. A couple of my students became coaches themselves and passed the tumbling tricks on to their students. This is how our faith life should be… those who have more faith experience and maturity discipling those who are not yet as mature. In faith, we don’t arrive at maturity as soon as we begin following Jesus, just like people don’t show up at the gym doing elite tumbling on their first day. God puts us in relationships with people to teach us, grow us, correct us sometimes, and comfort us when things go wrong. The plan is that as we mature and grow we will coach and disciple others in faith.

Paul lets us know this plan when he is writing to the congregation of one of the early churches. He also lets us know we don’t do it alone, Jesus has to coach and disciple us as we pass down the faith to the next generation. He says, “We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.” Colossians 1:28-29 (CSBBible) If God has trusted you with some maturity and experience in the Faith, listen closely to see whom He would have you coach. This will definitely include your own children and maybe your grandchildren. So, go be a guru!

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Here's Your Sign! Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, here’s your sign! When I was in elementary school a friend and I were asked to be “sign boys” at the University of Tennessee basketball games. This was the era of Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King or the “Ernie and Bernie Show.” Coach Ray Mears was doing everything he could to inject more excitement into Stokely Athletic Center. He even had a unicycle riding entertainer and had someone wrestle a bear. So, back to the sign boy thing. My friend and I were like the early Jumbotron except with posterboard, magic marker and yard sticks… yes, I know, not exactly the same thing… but at the time it was pretty exciting. Whenever the Vols took a shot, we would hold up the sign “ZIP” and when the ball went in the hoop, we would hold up “BOTTOM.” If it was a really great shot we would run down the aisles, criss cross in front of the seats and run back up to our perch about halfway up the arena steps. We were outfitted in Orange Blazers, black pants and dress shoes… what is it ZZ Top says about a sharp dressed man? For some reason we both wanted the sign that says “ZIP,” maybe because you got to hold it up every shot whether the ball went in or not, and maybe because at that age to be “BOTTOM” was not great. So, we traded signs every week. We did this for 2 or 3 seasons and it was a memorable experience. We all carry a “sign” with us, not the astrological sign the Bible tells us not to consult, but a sign that the people around us see. If people around us came up with a word or two to describe us what would it be? God made us much more complex than that, but what would be our primary identity? Would it be “KIND,” “GENUINE,” “HELPFUL,” “LEADER,” “ENCOURAGER,” “SMART,” “WISE,” or would it be something like “ANGRY,” “MEAN,” “DEVIOUS,” “SELFISH”?

The Good News is regardless of the sign we carry, God puts a sign over us. In the wonderful book of Song of Solomon, Solomon’s bride says, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was LOVE.” Song of Songs 2:4 (ESV) Those who belong to Jesus are called His Bride, and His sign over us is “LOVE.” God’s kind of love has at least 7 attributes that are true about it. They are:
1 God gives LOVE freely to His people, it is not earned.
2 God’s People reciprocate LOVE back to Him.
3 There is also the expectation that God’s people will LOVE each other and even our enemies.
4 God’s LOVE does not end, it is forever.
5 God’s LOVE is unconditional, it is the “I love you no matter what” kind of love.
6 God’s kind of LOVE is a way of living, it permeates life and involves mercy, grace, kindness, favor… in love.
7 God’s LOVE is a giving kind of love - it involves action.
So, here’s your sign… LOVE! Show it to everyone. Run up and down the aisles with it. Criss Cross in front of the crowds with it. Take it with you. Show it to your family and friends. Show it to strangers. Show it to your enemies. LOVE is our victory banner.
Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Do You Have A Pocket Full Of Posies? Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, do you have a pocket full of posies? My wife loves to plant flowers in the Spring. Around Mother’s Day, earlier if possible, she gets excited to add color to her porch and yard. It’s a reminder of life after the Wintery blandness. Yesterday, she brought home her Mother’s Day posies. For some reason I began thinking of the nursery rhyme. “Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down.” I remember in nursery school at Kingston Korner, holding hands, singing this, dancing around in a circle and falling down at the end, laughing… getting back up and doing it all again and again. Some insist that this nursery rhyme refers to the Black Plague. WHAT?! You mean this fun song and game is about people dying and we teach it to preschoolers?! I was shocked to hear this explanation (which Snopes denies BTW). The “ring around the rosie” was either the red boils that came up on the skin when people were bitten by fleas from infected rodents that were all over Europe or it referred to the piles of bodies in the street who had coughed up blood and died. The “pocket full of posies” supposedly helped cover the stench of death and some were said to help stop the disease with some medicinal properties. This is the only positive phrase in the whole rhyme. And the “ashes” referred to the bone fires, (i.e. bonfires) used to cremate all those who had died. Or some say “ashes” should be “achoo” for the horrendous sneezing that happens with this disease. “We all fall down” must have seemed about right since about half of Europe’s population died in the mid 1300’s from this plague. Now that we have enjoyed that bit of unpleasantness, where are we going to get any encouragement from this? Well, it is well documented that those who belong to Christ in many plagues had saved many lives physically and spiritually because they went to help the sick and dying while the pagans ran away to save themselves, leaving the sick from their household in the street to die with those already dead. In the current pandemic, I have heard of many Christian doctors and nurses who volunteered to go to New York and other “hotspots” around the world to help people live from this horrible COVID 19 virus! In all this bad news, sickness, and death, Christians are still running toward those who are suffering with a pocket full of posies, because every life is valuable. They are bringing life and hope and pleasantness and healing to this tragic situation. Jesus went toward the lepers, the infirm, the withered, the blind, the suffering, even the dead and valued them as God’s children and brought them love and joy. Most amazing of all, He in all His Holiness, comes toward us with our sin-infected, death-destined lives and He loves us no matter what.

Jesus tells those who belong to him when He sent them out, “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'” Luke 10:9 (NIV) Let’s bring posies to the circle during this time. Let’s bring healing and encouragement to someone because that’s what God’s kingdom is like. Those in God’s Kingdom run toward those who are suffering. Some are bringing a pocket full of posies by providing food for those who are food insecure during this time. Some are encouraging those who are isolated and depressed in these stay home orders. Some are organizing car parades of encouragement. A pocket full of posies can whither quickly, but we can get more all day, every day from Jesus and we can keep bringing His love and fresh posies.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, It's Like Going for a Ride in The Smelly Lincoln!* Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, It’s like going for a ride in the Smelly Lincoln! With four teenage drivers, we were always looking for cheap reliable cars… sometimes they were just cheap. One car that came into the rotation was a 2002 Lincoln LS. It was a “30 footer” according to my father-in-law, which means it only looks good from more than 30 feet away. Because of a design flaw in the sunroof, the system that was to take the water from around the sunroof and drain it under the vehicle actually took all that water and channeled it inside the car. The water had settled into the carpet and it stunk like mold and mildew regardless of the number of times we cleaned it. Also, when the car got wet enough, it thought it was submerged and the sunroof and all the windows opened automatically. So, in the middle of the downpour everything was drenched. The water affected all the systems of this luxury car made by Lincoln and Jaguar. It shorted out the electrical system, ruined the computers, and made it completely unpredictable. It would randomly start sounding the car alarm honking when no one was around. Often when one of the girls was driving it, the steering wheel, seat and foot pedals began to move and adjust to different settings randomly… This happened often when the shortest, 3rd child, had the car, so at times she could barely reach the brake and accelerator and others she was folded up with the steering wheel in her lap, and feet jammed up against the seat… she was always up for an adventure and she would make it home from school laughing. I figured out how to remove the fuse to this system so it didn’t happen again. Next, “ the Princess” got the Smelly Lincoln at college when her other car, which had been very reliable, gave out. Because of the compromised electrical system, the car frequently thought it was being stolen, continually honked the horn, and shut itself down.  When this happened and you got in and tried to start it the alarms would sound again and lock the ignition. You could remedy this by removing the battery cable which reset the system and you could then drive the car. The challenge was that the battery was in the trunk under another panel. So, regardless of the weather, you had to get out of the car and into the trunk, remove the battery cable with a wrench, trying not to shock yourself, and wait 10 seconds, then replace the cable, then go back to start the car, and hope it didn’t think it was being stolen again. Cinderella somehow figured out how to make it work. Finally, the youngest had to drive the Smelly Lincoln. She knew of the car's quirks and reluctantly drove it, because she had no other choice on getting to school except the bus. When she drove it to school, she thought she would park it far from any other kids in the back of the parking lot so no one would hear it honking at random. She also thought no one would see her if she had to get into the trunk to trick the car into starting. What she didn’t know was that all the football players gathered after school in the back of the parking lot right where she parked. She climbed in the car praying Smelly Lincoln would not be paranoid that day so she could fly under the radar and no one would know… but NO… this was one of the times the Smelly Lincoln thought someone was out to steal him, so the horn began to honk, and of course it doesn’t stop until the battery is disconnected. So, she began to cry as she quickly opened the trunk to remove the battery cable. When one of the boys came to see if she was okay, she said, “yes,” though the tears betrayed her. She finally got the car started and she drove away humiliated. 

Sometimes, I can be unpredictable like the Smelly Lincoln, all my systems are shorted out. Sometimes fear gets the best of me and I have very little trust of other people, thinking they are going to take advantage of me in some way. I start ranting about this and that. That is not my best self. When I operate in fear, I can also cause the people around me to walk on eggshells hoping not to upset my apple cart. The alternative is to operate in joy. Joy is consistent. Joy makes me always glad to be around other people. If I try to get my sense of security and happiness from the people or stuff of this world, I am going to be as unpredictable as the Smelly Lincoln. People won’t know what will set me off today or whether I will begin sounding an alarm when one is not needed. However, if I get my joy and security from Jesus, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is always glad to be with me. Even when I am not sure about what is happening next with this pandemic and its consequences, I can count on God to love me, provide for me and my family, and be always glad to be with me. Then I will have enough joy to do the same for the people around me.

King David had figured out that God was the source of joy and security and peace and He wrote a song to praise God and encourage the people who belong to Him. He sings,“Many are asking, "Who can show us anything good?" Let the light of your face shine on us, LORD. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety.” Psalm 4:6-8 (CSBBible)

So, in these unpredictable times, let's get our consistency from the One who is always glad to be with us and let’s be predictably joyful, consistently caring and reliably loving to those around us… and maybe they too will seek the Source of our joy, care, and love. Let's not be a Smelly Lincoln!

Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!

Parents, What to do while waiting? Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, What to do while waiting? My father had to take my sister and me to the hospital with him, as he made patient rounds one time when my mother had another meeting across town. We were too young to stay home by ourselves and no one else was available to keep us that day. Instead of us running the halls or exposing us to the germs of a waiting room somewhere, my father took us to the doctors’ lounge, which was just a big board room with a large table in the middle with lots of chairs around it. It smelled like cigarette smoke, burned coffee and old hospital smells. He had been gone several minutes when my ADHD had had enough of sitting still with a pen and a note pad, in a chair too tall for my dangling little legs. I don’t know what adventure my mind had cooked up but as soon as I had ascertained that the coast was clear, I jumped up on my chair and slid across the table, à la one of the Duke boys sliding across the hood of their car, so they could drive fast off road and jump something… a “Dukes of Hazzard” episode was never complete until the boys with the General Lee did something good by outrunning someone, jumping something, and rescuing someone. Only my little jump and slide across the table yielded only an adrenaline rush and a loud crash followed by regret. Back in the day, lots of doctors smoked, so the hospital had provided a fancy ceramic ashtray for the doctors as they met around the table. Young Bo Duke was unaware that his hood slide would send said ashtray flying across the room to crash on the floor, just as another doctor walked in and stepped over it… I was frozen, then I burst into tears. The doctor, not knowing what to do with some crying kid who had invaded the lounge, just turned around and walked out… back to busily saving lives. I sat and waited in a chair, head down, tears rolling down my cheeks, legs dangling, waiting for my father to return and see the mess I had made. When he finally arrived, I couldn’t talk, so my sister gladly put on the reporter hat giving him the play-by-play, maybe embellishing the story a bit for effect as we McGinnises are prone to do at times.(who knew that would come in handy as a preacher!) Surprisingly, he wasn’t too mad, he was in doctor mode, he evaluated the situation and came up with a solution. He picked up the pieces, dropped them in the trash and we went home. He made some comment that smoking was bad for you and they probably didn’t need to be smoking anyway. Apparently, at that time a large number of doctors smoked… doesn’t make sense to us now, but back then it was very acceptable. It would be many years later that hospitals would be smoke free. So, as we wait for this coronavirus thing to be over, there are lots of things we can be doing. Maybe we can take a page out of the Dukes of Hazzard and do something good like rescue someone… probably not a good idea to outrun someone, jump something, break something or smoke something but rescuing someone is a good option.

Paul says when we belong to Jesus and His people, our lives are changed, we become eager to do something good. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.” Titus 2:11-14 (CSBBible) So, while we wait, ask God what good something He has for us to do today… who needs to be rescued, even if it's in a small way. We can rescue someone else from loneliness with a phone call or driveway visit. Or rescue someone from boredom with a fun game played together on Zoom. Or drop off coloring books, sidewalk chalk, or a board game to someone with young children.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, To Mask or Not To Mask, Is That The Question? Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, to mask or not to mask, Is that the question? I had a group of friends in high school who wanted to see the latest horror movie featuring a man in a hockey mask. I was not a fan of horror movies, I hated being scared and I hated watching someone get hurt. After much teasing, I still chose NOT to go to the movie. The fact is, I still wanted to hang out with them, they were my friends. So, I chose to hang out with them when the movie ended. I parked in the movie theater parking lot next to their cars and pretended to be dead. They all knew I was being silly and we all laughed. We all got some fancy overpriced ice cream at a shop called Swenson’s, where we laughed and talked some more, then called it a day. They didn’t isolate me for my choice not to go to the masked slasher movie and we all still enjoyed being around each other. I know this issue of wearing a mask or not has become a really big deal depending on who you get your news from. Some say it's safer and better to wear it, some say it's worse and will compromise the community’s health more in the long run. I really don’t know what to think… I have wrestled with this question myself. But I do know that as we begin to be around more people again, we will have to be very careful how we handle this issue and others like it. We have to remember to remain relational, that relationships are more important than problems. We cannot let differences of opinion divide the people to whom we belong. If we need to wear a mask for a little while when we are with someone who may feel threatened by us not wearing a mask, then let's wear a mask. If someone chooses not to wear a mask and we feel threatened, we have to remain relational and choose to stay a safe distance from them physically, while staying connected in other ways. If we are going someplace that asks us to wear a mask because they think it is for the safety of the community, wear a mask. When we belong to Jesus and His people, our obligation is to love one another and take care of each other. There are some things that are non-negotiable, that God’s Word tells us to do or not to do… I’m not talking about those issues, we need to do what is right… I’m talking about the issues that have no clear answer. We can’t let problems become more important than relationships. There seems to be a movement about to divide us, scatter us, and isolate us. We have to fight for connection, unity, and relationship. Let’s not elevate our “rights,” over relationships. The question is not, “to mask or not to mask?” but it is, “how do I honor God and love people best in this situation?” We have a bigger purpose than just our own life.

Some of the early churches struggled with issues that threatened to divide them, isolate them from each other, dishonor God and hurt any possibility of sharing the Good News with people who didn’t yet belong to Christ. God, through the apostle Paul gives them and us this encouragement, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 (NIV) How we handle divisive issues can either build people up and bring God glory or we can tear people down in an attempt to bring ourselves glory and prove ourselves right. Don’t get caught up in the divisive hype. Let’s ask ourselves, “how do I best share God’s love with these people around me?”

Hang in there people? God is with us? I’m praying for you all?

Parents, I Want Patience And I Want It Now! Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, I want patience and I want it now! As a boy, my family had a mini-farm not far from our home. I learned to plant and harvest a garden, pick cherries, ride a pony, help raise a few cows (though I could tell you nothing about this now), and I learned to fish. I had a cane pole that I took to the dock after digging my worms or catching crickets. I had learned to bait the hook, add a weight and move a bobber. When I caught my first catfish, I thought I was something. I just knew I was ready for a Zebco closed face reel and to go in the boat with my dad and fish. So, Dad decided to put me in the boat with him and my uncle one day. I was so excited I tried my first cast. Somehow my lure went straight in the air, over a wire across the river and fell back into the boat hooking my uncle in the back. Of course I tried to remedy the situation and reel it back in. My uncle said, no, no, don’t reel, let some line out as the lure dug deeper into his flesh. Meanwhile, we continued to float down the river and the line tightened digging that lure into my uncles back. It happened to be right in the middle of his back where he couldn’t reach it. So, my quick thinking Dad, scrambled to the front of the boat, cut the line, released the pressure on lure in my uncle’s back, reeled the line back over the wire, worked the lure out of my uncle’s back and reattached the lure. Of course, I felt terrible, but both of these men were so gentle and patient with me. After some casting practice in the yard with a lure with no hooks, I was invited along on another fishing trip. Those of you who are home with kids… KUDOS! They give us lots of opportunities for patience… Thank you for loving your kids well and being so patient. Patience was one of those virtues/fruit of the Spirit that does not come easy for me. It seems easier to be patient when everything is smooth sailing, but, for me, occasions to be patient don’t seem to come when everything is great. It’s usually when I’m stressed out from work and/or work and/or …

Paul tells us that when we belong to and attach ourselves to Jesus and His people, patient is one of the things we become. It is a fruit of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Our old self is impatient, but that is not who we are anymore. He encourages us, saying, “Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Is It Time for A Checkup? Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, is it time for a checkup? My father was a physician and worked a lot... to help restore people to health. So, as a young child, I was thrilled when we would go see him for a moment at his Doctor’s office… until those times when we HAD to go see him, then I was conflicted. I loved my daddy and going to his office for a checkup was exciting...the smells of cleansing alcohol, medicine, and old medical books, the sights of medical graphics on the walls and sculptures on the tables showing different parts and systems of the body, Highlights magazine in the waiting room (though we never waited in the the waiting room, we just came in a the back door and waited in his office), the sounds of a medical centrifuge and stool rolling across the floor in the exam room, everything all clean and shiny, the feel of the squishy foam, cool clean vinyl, and crinkly paper of the exam table, the bitter taste of a tongue depressor, the feel of a otoscope in your ear, and a cold stethoscope on your chest and back … but then… ouch...the sharp sting of a needle filled with something to help make me healthy. I still loved my daddy, but that nurse, I wasn’t so sure! (btw. he had wonderful and capable nurses who cared about us and all the patients) What is it in us that doesn’t always want a checkup? Why do we let the possibility of bad news or a shot ruin the adventure of a checkup and prospect of being more healthy? I sometimes do the same thing with an emotional and spiritual checkup. I love the Great Physician, and love to hang out with Him. He has me on a great adventure, but sometimes I am not healthy and need a checkup. During this pandemic it is easy to become depressed or angry or not healthy in our relationship with Him or the people around us or ourself … It may be time for a checkup.

The apostle Paul reminds us to do a self checkup when times are tough. He says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17 (NKJV) He’s saying to look around at how you are walking… examine how you are living life and compare it to the Lord’s will… What is the Lord’s will? Its all about healthy relationships... To love God and love others as yourself. If your relationship with God, people or yourself is unhealthy, it's not a good idea to avoid it or run away from it. Walk toward health. Talk to God, read His Word, let Him remind you of who you really are and how valuable you and the people around you are to Him. Let Him help you become more healthy.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, We Can Do This! Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Whether we are with our quaranteens, or quarantiny’s, or with a quaranteam, or in quaranfinement, we can do this! Whether we are quaranteering or feel quarantold, we can do this! Whether we are quarantined to our homes, hospital rooms, or our essential jobs, we can do this! Whether we are like newlyweds making the best of this conjugal quarandream or we are feeling forced into an uncomfortable quarantogetherness, we can do this! Whether we’ve had to experience some rough quarantissues because someone was quaranhoarding the quilted stuff, we can do this! Whether we have been quarantisolated or we’ve had some virtual visitation in our digital Brady boxes, or had some Macy-esque widow parades, we can do this! Whether we are in quarantopia, or quarantheaven or quarangatory, we can do this! It sounds like soon we are going to be vegantined, we can even do this!

The apostle Paul had endured many challenges: beatings, imprisonment, lack of food and clothing, shipwrecks, and stonings. He had also experienced great blessings. He tells us how he did it and the extra blessing of others enduring the hardships with him…He says, “I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship.” Philippians 4:12-14 (CSBBible) We can do this! If we are all by ourselves, we could do it with only Jesus strengthening us. His strength is sufficient. But, it’s even better when Jesus’ people partner together in His strength do this. We are strengthened by who we belong to, who we are attached to… we belong to Jesus, and we belong to each other… we can be quaranstrengthened in Christ and we can also help strengthen each other in this hardship. Spend some time with Jesus and be strengthened, and spend some time with someone you care about, even if it’s only virtually, to act like a Jesus follower and pour some strength into them, as well as, point them to The Source of strength.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, So It Looks Like We Are Going to Need A Whole Lot More! Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, So, it looks like we are going to need a whole lot more… patience, encouragement, positivity, hope… Whatever it was that we thought we were going to need at the beginning of this thing, it looks like we are going to need a whole lot more… with the possible exception of toilet paper and Zoom meetings, we seem to have plenty of those. More people are dying, the usual amount and then more with this nasty virus… More people are losing jobs… way more than usual, like 30 million more. More people have lost their retirement and nest egg in this economic downturn. It would be easy to lose hope. We humans can live without a lot of things, but not hope…. looks like we’re gonna need a whole lot more of that… There was a famous experiment in 1957 in which psychobiologist, Dr. Curt Richter put a rat in a barrel to swim. The rat could not get out of the water, the sides of the barrel were too high, the water was too deep to stand up, and there was no place to rest and stop swimming. The rats tested only swam about 15 minutes before giving up and sinking to the bottom of the barrel… However, if a researcher reached in and rescued the rodent, the next time the rat was tested they could swim 40-60 hours longer… not minutes… hours longer! That's up to two and a half days longer these animals would swim! So, what was the difference? HOPE… these rats were given hope that they would be rescued, that help was on the way, that someone was with them, someone had their back, and they would swim a whole lot longer than anyone ever anticipated.

The apostle Paul knew times would be tough and that humans would need hope and he tells us,”So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (MSG) What is it we need to say to someone else to give them hope during this time, to let them know we are with them, Jesus is with them and they can do this? Some of us are at the end of our 15 minutes and we’re about to give up, others are already sinking to the bottom… your word of encouragement could be just what they need to rescue them and get them swimming again. So, don’t stop encouraging everyone around you, pray for them, keep pointing them toward the Hope of our salvation, Jesus! We're going to need a whole lot more hope...

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, One of Our Jobs Is To Refresh and Nourish Other People: Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, one of our jobs is to refresh and nourish other people. Thought I would microwave this article from a while back and add a little to it… An old movie I enjoy is the Three Amigos. In one of the scenes the three friends are riding their horses across the desert. They are all obviously hot and in need of water. They are parched. So they stop and get out their canteens. Steve Martin’s character turns his canteen up and one little drop of water comes out. Martin Short’s character opens his canteen, turns it up and only sand comes out. Chevy Chase’s character opens his canteen, puts it to his mouth and water gushes out soaking his mouth and clothes. The other two turn to him desperately hoping he will share just a little with them. Chase’s character, however, is oblivious to their need and proceeds to not only gulp down the refreshing cool water, but spill it out all over himself, swish it around his mouth then spit it out. When he has had all he wants, he carelessly tosses the canteen to the side and the rest of it pours out, wasted, instantly soaked up by the dry sand. He then, still clueless, blissfully pulls out some chap-stick and coats his lips. Finally he notices his friends’ woeful stares and offers them some lip balm… a sad consolation for these two who were so desperate for some water. He could have really refreshed them, rather than just treating one symptom of their dehydration.

Isaiah says, if we take care of those in need… “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 (NIV) If you have some extra right now, share it with others who are in need. If you have lots of water, give them more than lip balm… We enjoy a connection to the “Living Water”! We belong to the One who makes us like an endless refreshing spring. It’s our job to let our refreshment spill into the lives of those who need nourishment, encouragement, and hope and not waste it.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Groundhog Day Has Just Been Extended! Words from COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Groundhog Day has just been extended. Last night the Ohio Governor’s office extended the “stay at home” order through May 29! “If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims”… aaaand more quarantine! When I was learning to swim, my instructors were infamous for standing a few feet from the edge of the pool and urging us to jump in and swim to them, but as we swam closer they began to back up, encouraging us to “come on, you can do it,” but always extending how far we had to swim. We all felt a little manipulated, but we were becoming stronger swimmers. Eventually, we were able to swim across the pool without an instructor there to trick, I mean, teach us. I admit, I may have used this same technique to teach some kids to swim too… so there is a whole generation of kids out there who have learned not only to swim, but to never trust a swim instructor! And they may have also learned that they were capable of swimming much further than they ever thought possible. Perhaps, we are learning during this pandemic that we can endure some things we never thought possible as the finish line continues to be pushed out. Before you get the wrong idea, the Ohio Governor and his staff have done a marvelous job of navigating this dangerous situation, encouraging us that we can do it... and I trust that these decisions are being made in an abundance of caution and care for people’s welfare. No one ever promised that this order would not be extended. This is an opportunity to trust that God has a plan and we can grow stronger in our faith through all this.

James, the brother of Jesus, who was no stranger to hardship, has some encouragement for us all. “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (CSB) This joy comes not from having to endure the hardship, but it comes from the fact that God loves us enough to entrust us with these trials so that we can continue to grow closer with Him and His children. We can emerge stronger, closer, and more mature in our relationship with God and each other as we, in the words of Dory in “Finding Nemo,” “just keep swimming, swimming, swimming”... and we encourage those around us to do the same.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!