It's the 3rd of July! Another year passed, another summer here. More hot, humid days and nights to come. Vacations, summer school is over, Vacation Bible School is here, baseball season in full swing. Time to head to the creek or the pool. Pull weeds, pick corn, tomatoes and eat all the watermelon you can hold. Time to celebrate...wait, one more day for the official Independence Day celebration, even though popping and cracking have been going on all around for a week.
I always imagine it is kids shooting them off, but maybe not. If it is kids, what are they celebrating? Freedom of course. Freedom to do something deemed illegal the rest of the year. Freedom to play with matches and to blow things up without the threat of seriously harming someone. But mainly freedom of experience. Freedom to do something just for the fun of it, without any other justification. That is true freedom.
Growing up we didn't get to spend much money on fireworks, so we mostly bought firecrackers. Most bang for your buck. A pack of 100 meant lots of pops and the ability to completely destroy large ant hills and still have ammo left. Yes, of course it meant blowing up plastic army men and seeing how high a tin can would go relative to how many firecrackers were under it. This was freedom to commit wanton destruction, as long as we did not turn the power against each other. Freedom meant restraint. Restraint from throwing a lit firecracker at your brother or any person. Restraint in the area of conservation, we only had so many pops and so we had to make them last, very rarely did we set off a whole string of firecrackers at once, how wasteful was that.
Now that I have a little more money of my own, more than when I was 12, I find that freedom and restraint often become excess. And with grown kids and young grandkids, excess has a whole new upper limit. Anyway, I now have greater freedom to celebrate the 4th of July. In combination we have had fireworks displays at Windrock that lasted an hour and would have rivaled any put on by the local Lions Club back in the 1960's.
So we celebrate the Independence of our country, that is true. But maybe you are a little like me , and find that down deep, I'm really celebrating the freedom of self, the ability to do something different without the judgment of others. Celebrating and doing something just for the fun of it with restraint of course.
Peace.
Welcome to Windrock
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Buddy, could you spare some change?
It's the last week of my wife working as the associate pastor at Ozark United Methodist Church. On July 1 she will become the pastor of the Golden City United Methodist Church in Golden City MO.
Obviously her life is changing significantly, but in this marriage thing, so will mine.
What is changing? Well, other than a new location to worship, and not seeing all our friends at OUMC and meeting new people there, not really much.
We won't be leaving Sparta, so there will be the same bills to pay, the same grass to mow and the same bed to sleep in. Boring, perhaps, but comforting.
Regina will be commuting to Golden City and will have days to work there, so a regular routine around here may take a while to establish, it may never happen.
There is the change the disrupts not only my life, but everyones, losing my routine.
Over the years, knowingly or unknowingly, we all establish a routine. It may not always be exact, but it probably involves family time, a job, a hobby and some really wasted time. We don't like it to change, and when it does it can be upsetting or exciting.
Right now with the last week at OUMC in the headlights, I can only say that my routine is being changed and it's kind of exciting, and kind of sad. Needless to say, for some of you reading this blog, you agree. Life is changing, times are changing, but if we so desire, friendships don't have to change.
Peace.
Obviously her life is changing significantly, but in this marriage thing, so will mine.
What is changing? Well, other than a new location to worship, and not seeing all our friends at OUMC and meeting new people there, not really much.
We won't be leaving Sparta, so there will be the same bills to pay, the same grass to mow and the same bed to sleep in. Boring, perhaps, but comforting.
Regina will be commuting to Golden City and will have days to work there, so a regular routine around here may take a while to establish, it may never happen.
There is the change the disrupts not only my life, but everyones, losing my routine.
Over the years, knowingly or unknowingly, we all establish a routine. It may not always be exact, but it probably involves family time, a job, a hobby and some really wasted time. We don't like it to change, and when it does it can be upsetting or exciting.
Right now with the last week at OUMC in the headlights, I can only say that my routine is being changed and it's kind of exciting, and kind of sad. Needless to say, for some of you reading this blog, you agree. Life is changing, times are changing, but if we so desire, friendships don't have to change.
Peace.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Little things add up.
Little things add up. Logical, reasonable and rational. Pennies add up to dollars, single stones picked up in a bucket add weight until you can't lift it. 34 weeks of Disciple Bible study adding up to a changed relationship with God and others. 5 nights of Vacation Bible School that creates a bond between kids and between kids and adults. Short 3 mile runs that add up to a 1000 miles in a year or the confidence to run farther even up to a 26.2 mile marathon.
Experiences, encounters and excursions add up to a life.
As many of you know my wife Regina is a United Methodist pastor and now a new adventure begins for us as she has been appointed to the Golden City United Methodist Church. This little church on the prairie is so familiar in many ways, but our experience with this type church in the past was not all that positive. However, the little things add up, and so even though the "been there, done that" factor seems at first to make this appear to be too easy or too boring, the experiences and encounters we have had in our excursions in life in the past 20 years changes the perspective.
Little things that have added to our world view now make this place of ministry a place of challenge rather than a place to give up on. In our experience in larger churches we have found the same attitudes, desires, problems and challenges that are embodied in this small congregation. What changes those attitudes, desires problems and challenges, in peoples lives is their cumulative encounters with God, experience.
So now, (speaking for me only Regina will have to post her own thoughts) I embark on this new excursion into the flatlands of western Missouri hoping that the little things in my experiences of seeing God work in peoples lives, was not because they were in a larger church, but because they were willing to let little things add up to change.
I too will have changes in this experience and pray that I will pay attention to let the little things, change me where needed and lead where I God wants me to be.
Peace.
Experiences, encounters and excursions add up to a life.
As many of you know my wife Regina is a United Methodist pastor and now a new adventure begins for us as she has been appointed to the Golden City United Methodist Church. This little church on the prairie is so familiar in many ways, but our experience with this type church in the past was not all that positive. However, the little things add up, and so even though the "been there, done that" factor seems at first to make this appear to be too easy or too boring, the experiences and encounters we have had in our excursions in life in the past 20 years changes the perspective.
Little things that have added to our world view now make this place of ministry a place of challenge rather than a place to give up on. In our experience in larger churches we have found the same attitudes, desires, problems and challenges that are embodied in this small congregation. What changes those attitudes, desires problems and challenges, in peoples lives is their cumulative encounters with God, experience.
So now, (speaking for me only Regina will have to post her own thoughts) I embark on this new excursion into the flatlands of western Missouri hoping that the little things in my experiences of seeing God work in peoples lives, was not because they were in a larger church, but because they were willing to let little things add up to change.
I too will have changes in this experience and pray that I will pay attention to let the little things, change me where needed and lead where I God wants me to be.
Peace.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
To be continued:.....
Don't you hate it when this happens. You are watching your favorite TV show and it's really good. A commercial comes on, you glance at the time and realize that there's no way the story is going to be resolved in the next 5 minutes, dang it. So you watch and sure enough the final scene fades to black and those haunting words come on the screen "to be continued..."!
Have you considered that saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."? As my life progresses I realize the truth in this. But it's also true, that today could be the last day of the rest of your life. As life changes and we age, it is true that today is the last day of my life as I know it. Tomorrow (should it come) is new life unto itself. Every day is life continued.
But even in those ..to be continued...episodes, if you do catch the next show, they recap i.e. "Previously on NCIS." and then show clips from the show that ended without an end. So even if you missed the last show you still can be well enough informed to watch this one. I think that's how life is everyday. All our experiences are "Previously in Your life." episodes and as one gets to know who they are, it because they review the previous episodes and are able to continue the story line.
In the recent changes in our life, the story line has changed, and fortunately the new life is much like a previous episode from 30 years ago. Even with all the changes we have experienced in moving around and being in large towns and large churches, where we are now has it's familiar glow to it.
However, it is also a little like being Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films. We know what the future looks like and we would like to get back there, but instead of leaving Doc Brown behind, we want to take him with us. So we look at the church and the people and pray that God will use the Word preached and the Holy Spirit as the flux capcitor that will zap, (with 1.21 jigowatts of God power), the Golden City United Methodist church into the future. Pray for us as we minister here, that the outcome of our ministry will lead to a future, like that at the end of the original Back to the Future film.
Remember what happened at the end? Doc Brown came from the future and took Marty and the last frame of the film....To Be Continued....
Peace my friends.
But even in those ..to be continued...episodes, if you do catch the next show, they recap i.e. "Previously on NCIS." and then show clips from the show that ended without an end. So even if you missed the last show you still can be well enough informed to watch this one. I think that's how life is everyday. All our experiences are "Previously in Your life." episodes and as one gets to know who they are, it because they review the previous episodes and are able to continue the story line.
In the recent changes in our life, the story line has changed, and fortunately the new life is much like a previous episode from 30 years ago. Even with all the changes we have experienced in moving around and being in large towns and large churches, where we are now has it's familiar glow to it.
However, it is also a little like being Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films. We know what the future looks like and we would like to get back there, but instead of leaving Doc Brown behind, we want to take him with us. So we look at the church and the people and pray that God will use the Word preached and the Holy Spirit as the flux capcitor that will zap, (with 1.21 jigowatts of God power), the Golden City United Methodist church into the future. Pray for us as we minister here, that the outcome of our ministry will lead to a future, like that at the end of the original Back to the Future film.
Remember what happened at the end? Doc Brown came from the future and took Marty and the last frame of the film....To Be Continued....
Peace my friends.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Flowers of God and Grandkids.
Six years ago we moved "back to the country" to this 3 acres of wind, rock and thin dirt that we have dubbed "Windrock", sometimes Windrock Gardens. It was 10 year old house with a mostly grass driveway and landscaping that consisted of one 4 x 8 flower bed with some dying roses, a half dead small tree in the backyard and a oil change gravel pit right out the side door of the garage.
This whole move began with a question of what would one of us do if the other was to die or "something"? Answer: "Sell this too big house in town and move out to the country." Response" "What are we waiting for?" So we listed our house and in a few months God worked all things out and on Valentines Day we moved out of town and into the country.
What we were looking for was a unique place where our grandkids, who we knew would be living in a subdivision, could come and experience something of the farm life we had both grown up with.
We started building gardens and adding flowers and lovely plants. Funny thing, the grandkids,
all three of them, Logan who is now 10, Nathan now 6 and Alyssa 2 1/2 found that the most attractive flowers, the ones they wanted to pick for their mom, (everytime) were not any of those cultivated. Nope, these kids love the same flowers that I believe God must love: DANDELIONS!
When Jesus says to "consider the lilies of the field" I think he was talking about dandelions, whose shining yellow faces are so attractive to kids. I used to think that they were part of the curse God put on the ground, because of Adam and Eve sinning, but now, as I have toiled with the land and fought the good fight against dandelions, I realize that God put them everywhere not to vex me, but to remind me that God is everywhere. Just like getting rid of dandelions trying to separate from God is really hard and can only be done through extreme stubbornness.
My grandkids and all little kids who come to Windrock love the dandelions we grow. They love to pick them when the dandelions have on their original yellow smiley face, or when they are ready to have their seeds blown away, just like God does.
There are still spots at Windrock where dandelions are not welcome, like in my now white gravel driveway, or trying to shoulder in amongst the elite daylilies and dahlias, but for the most part I've learned to tolerate them. I know that when I mow over them, they will just take it in stride and like God show up somewhere else in my yard of life.
I know my grandkids will always remember picking dandelions for their mom. Most of theses cherished flowers end up wilted on the counter in our kitchen. Which is another part of dandelions that reminds me of God. Those little kids are picking flowers for their mom, not because the flowers are beautiful, but because they love their mom. But that's for a whole other blog.
Just remember to consider the dandelions.....
Peace
Dan
This whole move began with a question of what would one of us do if the other was to die or "something"? Answer: "Sell this too big house in town and move out to the country." Response" "What are we waiting for?" So we listed our house and in a few months God worked all things out and on Valentines Day we moved out of town and into the country.
What we were looking for was a unique place where our grandkids, who we knew would be living in a subdivision, could come and experience something of the farm life we had both grown up with.
We started building gardens and adding flowers and lovely plants. Funny thing, the grandkids,
all three of them, Logan who is now 10, Nathan now 6 and Alyssa 2 1/2 found that the most attractive flowers, the ones they wanted to pick for their mom, (everytime) were not any of those cultivated. Nope, these kids love the same flowers that I believe God must love: DANDELIONS!
When Jesus says to "consider the lilies of the field" I think he was talking about dandelions, whose shining yellow faces are so attractive to kids. I used to think that they were part of the curse God put on the ground, because of Adam and Eve sinning, but now, as I have toiled with the land and fought the good fight against dandelions, I realize that God put them everywhere not to vex me, but to remind me that God is everywhere. Just like getting rid of dandelions trying to separate from God is really hard and can only be done through extreme stubbornness.
My grandkids and all little kids who come to Windrock love the dandelions we grow. They love to pick them when the dandelions have on their original yellow smiley face, or when they are ready to have their seeds blown away, just like God does.
There are still spots at Windrock where dandelions are not welcome, like in my now white gravel driveway, or trying to shoulder in amongst the elite daylilies and dahlias, but for the most part I've learned to tolerate them. I know that when I mow over them, they will just take it in stride and like God show up somewhere else in my yard of life.
I know my grandkids will always remember picking dandelions for their mom. Most of theses cherished flowers end up wilted on the counter in our kitchen. Which is another part of dandelions that reminds me of God. Those little kids are picking flowers for their mom, not because the flowers are beautiful, but because they love their mom. But that's for a whole other blog.
Just remember to consider the dandelions.....
Peace
Dan
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Springing to Mind
There are lots of things that spring brings to my mind. Random things mind you. Things that are of significance but maybe not of extreme importance. From the abyss, that is my brain, mind or soul here's a list, random and perhaps ridiculous. Respond by adding to it if you wish.
Springing to mind here in Spring"
Leaves, learning to ride a bike with only "coaster brakes", planting, transplanting, running a marathon, Easter Sunrise service and Easter dinner. Worms, plowed fields, packets of corn, bean, gourd, flower seeds, rain, floods, tornados, tomatoes, ticks, chiggers, poison ivy, English ivy, invasive plants, Vacation Bible School, Spring Break, wearing shorts on the first warm day, getting a short haircut. Mowing grass, planting grass, listening to spring bird songs, stomping down molehills in the yard, making mountains out of molehill issues. New movie releases, Memorial Day, July 4th, summer vacation, baling hay, longer days, clear starry nights, first lightning bugs, popcicles, Kool Aid, bluebird houses, bluebird days, tulips, iris, dandelions, nettle, magnolias, naps in the sunshine. Newborn kittens, calves, colts, puppies and baby birds fallen from their nests. Places that are now shady and cool mornings with warm afternoons. Trout fishing, bass fishing, canoeing, camping in the back yard. Goodbye to winter, frost and wind chill, hello to heat humidity and sweat.
Time to remember the goodness of the Lord as the earth shows his springtime glory and time to show your love to those around you.
Acts of random kindness and peace...they are not random!
Springing to mind here in Spring"
Leaves, learning to ride a bike with only "coaster brakes", planting, transplanting, running a marathon, Easter Sunrise service and Easter dinner. Worms, plowed fields, packets of corn, bean, gourd, flower seeds, rain, floods, tornados, tomatoes, ticks, chiggers, poison ivy, English ivy, invasive plants, Vacation Bible School, Spring Break, wearing shorts on the first warm day, getting a short haircut. Mowing grass, planting grass, listening to spring bird songs, stomping down molehills in the yard, making mountains out of molehill issues. New movie releases, Memorial Day, July 4th, summer vacation, baling hay, longer days, clear starry nights, first lightning bugs, popcicles, Kool Aid, bluebird houses, bluebird days, tulips, iris, dandelions, nettle, magnolias, naps in the sunshine. Newborn kittens, calves, colts, puppies and baby birds fallen from their nests. Places that are now shady and cool mornings with warm afternoons. Trout fishing, bass fishing, canoeing, camping in the back yard. Goodbye to winter, frost and wind chill, hello to heat humidity and sweat.
Time to remember the goodness of the Lord as the earth shows his springtime glory and time to show your love to those around you.
Acts of random kindness and peace...they are not random!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Warning! Warning Will Robinson!
"Don't run with scissors, don't look directly into the sun..EVER, always stay one step ahead of everyone, "This is a test of the emergency broadcast system, this is just a test!" "A tornado (thunderstorm, flash flood , frost, freeze, wind chill, fire hazard, blizzard, lightning) WARNING has been announced by .....fill in the blank. Remember the robot on the TV show Lost is Space who was so highly functional that it could give a warning to the Robinson family whenever the camera started to shake...? The robot of the future is now present in our everyday life. The robot and every one's favorite TV dog Lassie, were leading us into the warning world we now live in. Can you forget how Lassie would bark when the background music went into a minor key, thus prompting Timmy to say "What is it girl?" knowing that in dog language, he was being warned of something bad about to happen, like an abandoned well about to be discovered by the bottom of his Keds sneakers.
Today we live in a warning filled world, some of which are basic to our survival and others are to be ignored, and some are just silly. What made me think of the world of warnings and how it may be out of control was buying a new pair of running shoes the other day. Believe it or not my new Mizunos had a tag attached to the laces that was titled: "Cautions" which in 7, count'em SEVEN languages the following paragraph warned about the use of these running shoes.
" This product has been designed and manufactured for the sport of running. Use of this product for other activities limits the warranty for this product."
So for the record, I didn't know there was a warranty, but now I have been warned. I guess, walking to the starting line of a race in my sock feet will help keep my warranty intact, and if I decide to walk at some point in a marathon I should stop and take them off just to keep my warranty in place. And for casual hiking, bike riding, piggy backs for the grandkids or bullfighting, I will need to wear my old running shoes which I am sure have no warranty left. The problem is I may choose to ignore this warning and wear these shoes to walk to the mail box or at some point mow the grass (by then the warranty will surely be gone), and by ignoring the "caution" may find myself in some sort of jeopardy.
When cautions and warnings come on things that do not have power motors attached to sharp spinning blades, wheels that can crush your foot, or maybe one of the million things your mother told you would 'put out somebody's eye, then perhaps the warning business is just a little out of hand.
But you know in everday life there are warning we ignore, like this shoe warning and the stop hand/running man pedestrian light at a crosswalk, because we know what to do and can use our own judgement, we can see that walking in a running shoe is not bad, and we can also see there are no cars that are close enough to hit us if we jaywalk. There are other warnings in our everyday life that we and many others choose ignore coming from the source we should not ignore, the Bible. Such as when Jesus warns that "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8: 35-36) or "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" (Luke 12: 25-26) These are not just good advice, they are warnings about how to NOT live everyday.
Everything that we are warned about can become a worry, and so much time is wasted on things in life we cannot control. My running shoes will protect my feet when I run, and when I limp across the finish line, or hoist a 6 year old on my back. The freeze warning will allow me to TRY to protect plants in my garden, but in the end, nature will win, and the plants will figure out how to start again... next year. Caution, do not spend too much time worrying about these things.
So for now, when the freeze warning crawls across the bottom of the screen, or the cover of my steaming fast food coffee cup, reads "WARNING, CONTENTS ARE VERY HOT!" I'll try to keep my cool and be happy, don't worry.
But be warned: there will probably be more blogs to come!.
Peace.
Today we live in a warning filled world, some of which are basic to our survival and others are to be ignored, and some are just silly. What made me think of the world of warnings and how it may be out of control was buying a new pair of running shoes the other day. Believe it or not my new Mizunos had a tag attached to the laces that was titled: "Cautions" which in 7, count'em SEVEN languages the following paragraph warned about the use of these running shoes.
" This product has been designed and manufactured for the sport of running. Use of this product for other activities limits the warranty for this product."
So for the record, I didn't know there was a warranty, but now I have been warned. I guess, walking to the starting line of a race in my sock feet will help keep my warranty intact, and if I decide to walk at some point in a marathon I should stop and take them off just to keep my warranty in place. And for casual hiking, bike riding, piggy backs for the grandkids or bullfighting, I will need to wear my old running shoes which I am sure have no warranty left. The problem is I may choose to ignore this warning and wear these shoes to walk to the mail box or at some point mow the grass (by then the warranty will surely be gone), and by ignoring the "caution" may find myself in some sort of jeopardy.
When cautions and warnings come on things that do not have power motors attached to sharp spinning blades, wheels that can crush your foot, or maybe one of the million things your mother told you would 'put out somebody's eye, then perhaps the warning business is just a little out of hand.
But you know in everday life there are warning we ignore, like this shoe warning and the stop hand/running man pedestrian light at a crosswalk, because we know what to do and can use our own judgement, we can see that walking in a running shoe is not bad, and we can also see there are no cars that are close enough to hit us if we jaywalk. There are other warnings in our everyday life that we and many others choose ignore coming from the source we should not ignore, the Bible. Such as when Jesus warns that "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8: 35-36) or "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" (Luke 12: 25-26) These are not just good advice, they are warnings about how to NOT live everyday.
Everything that we are warned about can become a worry, and so much time is wasted on things in life we cannot control. My running shoes will protect my feet when I run, and when I limp across the finish line, or hoist a 6 year old on my back. The freeze warning will allow me to TRY to protect plants in my garden, but in the end, nature will win, and the plants will figure out how to start again... next year. Caution, do not spend too much time worrying about these things.
So for now, when the freeze warning crawls across the bottom of the screen, or the cover of my steaming fast food coffee cup, reads "WARNING, CONTENTS ARE VERY HOT!" I'll try to keep my cool and be happy, don't worry.
But be warned: there will probably be more blogs to come!.
Peace.
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