The Shack

When I read The Shack by William P Young a few months back, I was touched by the insight into the personal view of God which this author expressed. Definitely outside the usual images and concepts that we associate with the Divine, this book expresses a reality that I found both challenging and comforting. The author has captured a very personal and relational vision of the inner workings of the Godhead, while also picturing that same intimacy as available to us.

This book has at the same time caused quite a stir and fury among some believers who consider it blasphemy, heresy and unbiblical. They tend to harangue about this book with a ferocity that certainly calls into question their real fears and motives. What is it that really bothers them? Why is it that they feel a need to attack?

I have found that this group of people is made up of individuals who have a rather rigid and narrow concept of God. Somehow God is defined by their language, their concepts, their images, ideas and theology. Anything that varies from that paradigm somehow is not true, but even seen as evil.

Yet as I read the Bible, I am struck by verses such as Is 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts."

God is not confined to our limited understanding, nor hemmed in by our narrow vision. I don't care which religion or faith we profess, whether Christian, Buddhist, Jewish or Muslim, as soon as we think that we have a corner on and control of the Divine, we have set ourselves outside the Reality. Whether Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist or Evangelical -- or any other denomination -- our finite grasp of the Infinite is more unlike the Truth than it is like it. We have more inaccuracies in our personal view than certainties. God is totally Other. When we think that we have solved the Mystery, we are just plain wrong.

In the Old Testament, the Lord said: "I am the Lord your God...You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:2-3). Yet the Israelite people were constantly being warned and punished for making images of God which they would then worship. These were in the form of a golden calf or one of the other neighboring gods. Continually God called them to abandon this limited image of God.

In our own lives, God from time to time also calls us to let go of our encrusted image of the Divine and expand, stretch our understanding. Maybe we are not making actual physical idols. However, sometimes the idol has become our own understanding of Who God is and how God works. God then challenges us to grow, to move beyond that idol.

So when I find people defending God against supposed attacks, I am led to think that they are rather defending their understanding of God. It is their own insecurity many times that pushes them to this offensive posture. Their own fear drives them to tear down what they find to be threatening.

Somehow, I believe that God is able to take care of the Divine Godhead. It is I who need to change.

So if you are looking for a book that will stir you up, give this one a try.

Spring Lake

For the last two evenings, My Love and I have walked around the small lake on the south end of Cherokee. (Of course, I did not think to bring a camera along!) Called Spring Lake, it is a gravel pit that has been transformed into a wonderful park with shelter houses, picnic tables, grills, playground equipment for children, camping facilities for motor homes and travel trailers, several fishing spots, and a paved walking trail around the outside that takes about 1/2 hour to complete.

Swimming on the water were Canada geese with their little goslings in tow, mallard ducks with several small ducklings following, and many and varied species of birds flitting through the trees as they serenaded us with their sweet melodies.

Set off by the flowering lilac bushes, honeysuckle, bridle wreath and other blossoming trees, it is a true piece of paradise. Immersing ourselves in this reawakening of creation, it is impossible to be sad, worried, depressed or anxious. The surrounding beauty is almost intoxicating with the glory of God.

Even such a short half-hour stroll sends my heart bursting forth in praise and thanksgiving to God who encircles me every day with such reminders of the Eternal Presence. From time to time, I need these obvious taps on the shoulder to bring me again to consciousness of what is always there. Thank you, God.

Big Fish, Little Fish

Last Saturday, My Love and I took her parents to the graduation of their LAST of 34 grandchildren. Their son Don's youngest, Luke, graduated with high honors from Elk Point-Jefferson High School, near Sioux City. We were all proud when Luke delivered a very impressive speech as the representative man of the class.

In addition to Luke's excellent discourse, I was struck by two other things during the graduation. First of all, of the 54 students in the graduating class, all but one were going on to some form of higher education, be it college, community college or trade school. It spoke very loudly to me of the high value and emphasis that their families and educators have instilled in them over the years.

Secondly, I was impressed by the fact that a large percentage of the graduates were entering fields related to science. There were future biology majors, pre-dentistry, nurses, physical therapists, veterinary medicine and dietetics. This fact told me that there must be a very strong science department in that school.

I began to wonder: Is it better to be a big fish in a little pond? Or a small fish in a big pond? For years I have pondered this. I have met many people who have risen to the "top of their heap" however small the heap may have been. They have found and developed their talents and specialties until they have excelled to the point of standing out from the crowd. They may be the best in their field of endeavor.

But I always have the question: How much of their ability has really been realized? As we become more proficient in any given area, it seems to always be at the expense of developing other areas of our life. Our field of focus tends to get narrower. I've heard it said of specialists: "They learn more and more about less and less, until finally they know everything about nothing."

Is it not better to be a broadly developed person, knowledgeable in many areas? A well-rounded person certainly fits in much better in more varied situations. A person who is comfortable with different kinds of folks with varying educational and developmental levels is certainly more pleasant to be around, to work with, to share life with.

For me, the answer is not simple. We only have one life to live. We can only choose one path which may then branch off in various directions. It is possible to make changes, adjustments to our course, but only to a limited degree.

When I see young people, like Luke and his classmates, I think that they have their whole life ahead of them. What an exciting reality filled with infinite possibilities! I only pray that they will make the right choices that will bring them the fullness of life that God has in store for each of us.

Hindsight Now

Yesterday on our morning Bible sharing, Gail was telling how painful and depressing it was to go through a bankruptcy back in the 1980s. In that experience, he lost his business, and their family lost their home. Then, he went on to make the statement: "It was the best thing that ever happened to us."

That set me thinking! How often don't we look back at a terrible situation and see the good that has come out of it. How many times in our lives have we not experienced a loss, illness, death or business setback only to come out of it realizing the blessing that has come into our lives. How often have we not been stretched, pummeled and reshaped by circumstances that we never would have chosen, but that life presented to us. As we look back, we see the Hand of God at work. We know the truth of Paul's words in Romans: "Everything works together for good for those who love God" (8:28).

"Faith is hindsight brought into the present" said a preacher one time. If we can look back on an unpleasant situation and see God at work, realizing the good that has come out of it, why can't we, in faith, see that Same Hand in this moment moving in the unwelcome circumstances of life? Or do we not believe that in the future we will be able to look back on this moment and see the growth that it brought about? Do we not trust that God is able to handle this struggle just as well as He handled the last one?

Faith truly changes our perspective on reality. It sets our feet on firm soil, or perhaps on a mountaintop, from which we can see our small piece of the puzzle in the broader scheme of things. From that vantage point we are able to breathe in the fresh air of freedom since we are able to let go of our self-pity, our pain and our misery. What peace comes with that! After all, "if God is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31).

Where is Home?

It was nearly three years ago when My Love flew out to California to bring her cousin, Catherine, to live in South Texas. At 94 years of age, her son had died and she was desiring to be closer to family members. Her remaining son lived in Texas.

As we settled her into the apartment we had arranged for her in a residential care facility, she said: "Thank you. It is very nice, but it will never be home." I felt sad for her as I did not understand what she was saying.

Last year, we lost our home in the hurricane and have moved back to our family roots in Iowa. After living in the small apartment that we have rented for the past 10 months, I now have a better grasp of what Catherine was saying. While our place is very comfortable and quite adequate for our needs, it will never be home. In fact, My Love and I have come to the conclusion, and peacefully so, that we will never have another home. Never again will we live in a place in which we invest so much time, energy and emotion.

When we purchased our home 12 1/2 years ago, neither of us had ever had our own home. We had always lived our lives to that point in someone else's dwelling. Having our own place in which we could invest our hearts, our funds, our time and our energies was a key priority for us. We did that. We made our South Texas ranchito into the small corner of paradise that fulfilled that desire for both of us. And we enjoyed it for 12 years.

Now that it is history for us, we appreciate it for the gift that it was. We also recognize it as past as we have come to see the truth expressed in our faith, that we are only pilgrims on this earth. Our true home is not here, so why should we be like the apostles on the Mountain of Transfiguration and want to build "three tents" and stay here forever! (Mt 17:4)

As My Love is wont to say: "Home is a Love you can count on." That is wherever we are, for it is the love of one another which reflects the Love of God drawing us to our true home.

Glorious Spring!

How wonderful is Spring! If I were a poet, I would certainly spin out mellifluous lines about the beauty around me for there is no end to it. But, woe is me, I'm a prose man, and so you are stuck with reading a prosaic observation rather than a poetic one

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon in the garden with My Love. It is so exciting. We had not been out there since the previous Monday because of the many rain showers throughout the week. What a pleasant surprise! The leaf and head lettuce were standing proudly in their rows. Beans, peas and kohlrabi were stretching up to take advantage of the bright sunshine. Spinach and cilantro added a deeper green to the pattern. Even the onions and corn were far enough out of the ground to be able to distinguish the rows. The only plants not yet up are those that we just planted a week ago.

We spent the time laying down black material between the rows to prevent the weeds/grass from taking over, while still allowing the rain to soak into the ground. According to the plan, this will save us a lot of time over the coming months by eliminating some of the weeding.

At home, we are enjoying orioles, goldfinches and wrens perching on the feeders that the neighbor downstairs has out. They have to fight with the purple finches, as well as the sparrows who want their turn. Of course the robins and black birds are busy searching the lawns for some tasty morsels. Every now and then, a blue jay gets into the fracas to add a note of disharmony.

The flowering trees and shrubs are more full and colorful this year than I can remember. It seems to me that there are so many more of them around than when we lived up here before. Flowering crabs, lilac, Eastern redbuds and many other types are bursting with bright hues and delightful fragrances. It's a pleasure just to drive down the road and experience the collage of colors.

Perhaps we are appreciating this explosion of Springtime more because we have missed it for the past twelve years while living in Texas. The coming of this season in South Texas, while welcome, was definitely less of a contrast with winter than here in Iowa. We are grateful to God for this opportunity to bask in His beauty.

Witness to Love

Our friends, Gail and Marilyn, whom I've written about in a former blog, will soon be rejoicing as they celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. May 18th is the actual date, however they are planning a family gathering to share their gratitude to God with a week of festivities in July in Idaho, where they reside. They are opening their home and their hearts so that others can join them in thanking God, but also so that they can express their gratitude to their friends and family for supporting them with love, encouragement, prayers and faith throughout the years. Without that, they realize that they would never have made it to this historic moment.

My Love and I have been blessed to know Gail and Marilyn these last five years. We met them through Reliv, but it was only a short time before our connections to them broadened into a believing and supportive faith community. Through their instrumentality, we were invited into, and joined a Leadership Bible study with another couple, Greg and Teri. That group has now expanded to include a fourth couple, John and Clar. For nearly four years now, we have joined together by phone on a conference call each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning for one half hour of Scripture sharing. What a gift and blessing this has been in our life, My Love and me.

Through this Bible study, I have come to appreciate the deep faith that Gail and Marilyn have shared over the many years of their life together. In trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows, ups and downs, they have ultimately found their strength and direction in their coupled faith lives and the support of the believing community. They are a true witness to the faithfulness and love of God who "works all things together for good" (Romans 8:28). Gail and Marilyn's support and prayers were especially key in our lives during the hurricane last year and the ensuing uprooting and moving to Iowa. We are very grateful to them and for them.

In tribute to their love and faithfulness to one another and to God who has blessed them, I am dedicating this blog to them. May those of you who read it find edification and encouragement through their witness. May you also be led to reflect on the way Gail and Marilyn have touched your life.

I invite those of you who know them, family, friends, neighbors, business associates, to go to the comment section of this blog (directions are in the left column) and add your own comments and reflections on Gail and Marilyn's impact in your life. Please also invite others to add their thoughts by referring them to this blog. As the time for the July celebration draws near, I will compile all the many (hopefully) comments for presentation to them.

"I am sure of this, that He who has begun this good work in you (Gail and Marilyn), will carry it through to completion right up to the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

Then Came the Angels

Part 2 of the story (at Marilyn's request) of the hurricane/flood that brought us to Iowa. For Part 1 see And the Waters Came.

Although a deep peace settled in our hearts with the decision to uproot our lives and move back to our home area in Iowa, we were faced with the reality of dealing with a home and property buried under several feet of filthy water. From the very beginning God sent hovering angels to assist, encourage and uplift us.

First there was our neighbor, Beno, across the road. When Janella stopped there to ask if she could park our car in front of their house because we could not drive in and out of our property, he not only agreed, but went on to say that he had an empty apartment available right there where we could stay. This would also provide us with a handy location to store any of our things as we moved them out of the inundated house. The apartment even had a refrigerator/freezer included.

We began late Thursday afternoon floating things out to the road in three large, plastic garbage cans that we had in our garage. We started with all our food items from our refrigerator and freezer. After floating them out to the road, we loaded them onto our pickup, which we had fortunately driven out of the yard before the water made that impossible. Then, we drove across the road where we unloaded into the apartment. This was to be our pattern, with some adaptations for the next two days.

On one of these journeys late Thursday, as we were attempting to lift the garbage cans onto the pickup, another pickup stopped behind us. Three big, burly guys got out, came over, and asked if there was anything they could do to help. They were oil rig workers who were on their way to check on a well nearby. (So they said! We know they were really angels!) We told them that we would really appreciate their assistance in hauling a mattress from one of our beds to the apartment across the street so that we would have a place to sleep that night. They proceeded to follow us up to the house where we showed them one of the mattresses that was not yet soaked. They picked it up with no problem and delivered to our temporary haven.

The next morning we called our friends, Chuck and Lou, to ask if they could come with their sons, Jose and Dan, to help us. They became our archangels. They arrived with a friend of theirs and began organizing the move of all our salvageable belongings. They stayed with us throughout Friday and Saturday as they oversaw the transfer of our life from one side of the road to the other. At one point, Chuck commented to me: "You know, everything you move out of here, you will have to move back in." My response was: "Not if we don't move back in."

Throughout Friday, many people (angels) stopped along the road and asked if they could help. At one point we had 12 people assisting us, most of whom we did not know. One man who was helping, asked us, in Spanish, if it would help if he went home and got his small fishing boat. Then we could load things on the boat and pull it out to the trucks that we were loading on the road. He brought the boat, and we used it until Sunday. By Saturday evening, we had everything worth salvaging out of the house and across the street in the apartment.

It was late Friday afternoon when Lou invited us to stay with them in their home as long as necessary. It was like a light in the darkness because I don't know how we would have been able to survive if we had stayed in the small apartment, faced with the piles of our stuff that had been placed all over. We accepted their hospitality, which allowed us not only to enjoy the comfort of their home and a bit of normalcy, but also to share faith as we moved through this experience.

The following week was spent going through things in the apartment, deciding what we wanted to keep and take with us, and what we wanted to let go of. We planned and held a yard sale the following Friday and Saturday, right out in front of the apartment on the main highway that passed by. During that yard sale, we were assisted by two more angels, Judy and Phil, our friends.

Meanwhile, My Love had talked with her sister, Annette, in Iowa and asked her to look for a place for us to rent. She was another angel as she spent several days running around, talking with realtors, and scouring ads. But she was also a successful angel for she found the wonderful two-bedroom apartment that we are now renting, at a very reasonable and affordable price.

At the same time that all the packing and sorting was being done, we were busy deciding what to do with our home and property. We met with two friends who were involved in real estate, investments and financial planning. One of them, Rudy, had just been brought into our lives about six months before. He turned out to be another angel. He knew someone, Algis, who was a contractor who was looking for a property like ours. On the following Sunday, we met with Algis and his expectant wife, Daniela, in our water-soaked house. She immediately fell in love with the home. He fell in love with my shop. So, through Rudy, an arrangement was reached whereby Algis would fix up the house and move into it. With this arrangement, we were able to leave with a peaceful and joyful heart knowing that someone else would be enjoying our home as much as we did.

With that taken care of, we then proceeded to rent a U-haul truck which we loaded with all the remaining articles of our life together. Finally, on Wednesday afternoon, August 6, we began our trek north with our little caravan of truck pulling a car carrier followed by My Love in our car. On the car carrier was our pickup filled with stuff, as was the car following. We proceeded as far as Denton, TX, that night where we slept for a few hours. Rising early, we journeyed on, arriving in Cherokee, Iowa Thursday evening about 8:30 pm.

Friday we spent looking at the new apartment, and getting ready to move in. On Saturday, another flock of angels arrived to help unload the truck and move our furniture and other things into the house. The 10 or so relatives and friends did not have an easy task of it, for our apartment is up a flight of 23 stairs on the second floor. Yet they were real troopers and got the job accomplished that day.

The final touch of God's love came through several angels who sent us gifts of money to help with our expenses of moving. When we totalled it all up, it covered exactly the expense of the u-haul rental, the gas driving up, the cost of the motel and the meals on the way. Is God wonderful, or what?

As I reflect back over this experience, I am overwhelmed at the over-arching love, care and providential direction of God which was so present through the people put in our path. Never for a moment were we allowed to forget Who was behind and throughout this movement. Never could we fail to remember the existence of angels who come when we need them.

And the Waters Came

On our morning Bible study call yesterday, Marilyn asked if I had ever shared on my blog the story of the hurricane/flood that brought us to Iowa. Since I have only referred to it briefly in several writings, she encouraged me to "tell the whole story". So, here goes!

When My Love and I moved to South Texas in 1996, we went house hunting with a realtor. After viewing about a dozen different places, we found exactly what we desired. It was a brick ranch style home with eight acres surrounding and lots of large trees, including many fruit trees. This was our ranchito and we settled in very quickly and comfortably.

Over the ensuing years, we slowly made it our own, adding an outdoor jacuzzi in 2000, a shop/garage in 2001, dogs and cats, and planting additional trees and desert plants. Our adaptations culminated in the summer of 2006 with a major remodeling project in which we totally gutted the interior, added an attached garage, put on a new metal roof, new windows, and extended the kitchen and office. Now it was everything that we wanted and desired it to be.

We enjoyed this small piece of paradise for two years. Then in July 2008, our lives took a sharp turn. On July 23, Hurricane Dolly struck the Texas Gulf Coast, coming ashore about 40 miles from us. During the night, the winds and rain pounded our area and the water began to rise. Unbeknown to us there was a break in an irrigation canal about 1/4 of a mile from our home. At 7:00 am on July 24, the water began to seep in around the foundation of our house. We started to put furniture up on blocks, on tables, desks and beds. The first thing to succumb to the water was our laminate wood flooring which we had installed throughout the home, which buckled up and floated away. By 1:30 pm, we accepted the reality that there was nothing we could do to save our house. The dirty water was now more than 12 inches deep throughout the whole structure and would remain so for more than a week.

In the moment that we accepted the actuality of the situation, My Love and I turned to each other and said: "It's time to go home to Iowa." We did not know how that would happen, but we knew in our hearts that that was where we belonged. God had closed the door on South Texas, but He had opened a window and we floated out. We were totally at peace with our situation, and with the decision that came with it.

Next: How that New Reality unfolded.

African Time

While walking down the street in an African village, I soon discovered the necessity of taking time to visit with the people I would meet. No matter what each person's destination or the purpose of their travels, the most important thing at this moment for them was to stop, inquire into my welfare (at length), and make me feel both welcome and important. Schedules, appointments, business -- all gave way to the pre-eminence of the person standing before them.

I was deeply impressed with the value their culture places on the person. The person is more important than the task at hand; the person is more important than making money; the person is more important than some schedule. This was true not just for me as a visitor, but also for one another in their world.

Therefore, time became a very fluid commodity. We would joke about African time and say "It is 7 o'clock until it is 8 o'clock," because if someone was scheduled for a meeting at 7, they might not arrive until 8. For those of us from a western culture with the emphasis on punctuality, it took some adjustment, and sometimes a lot of patience. I found this same focus on the importance of the individual to the denigration of time in the Hispanic culture, both in Bolivia and in South Texas.

Yet, as I read the story of Jesus in the Gospels, it seems that he was anything but pressured by deadlines or hemmed in by time constraints. He always had time, took time, made time for the needs of the person in front of him -- the blind, the crippled, the infirmed, the hungry. Definitely people were his priority as he went about doing the will of his Father.

If I look at the way my time is spent, what does it tell me about my priorities? Are people more important than anything else? Do I spend time with the people who are the most significant in my life? Or are work, schedules, deadlines controlling me? Is this the way that I want it to be?

Planting the Future

Tuesday evening I was gifted with more than an hour with My Love helping her plant more "goodies" in her garden. Together we put in potatoes and onion sets (red, white and yellow). Yes, I know, the potatoes were supposed to be put in on Good Friday, but they only arrived this week from the seed company. Apparently, due to the economic slump, there are so many people planting their own food this year that the seed companies cannot keep up. Isn't that a wonderful thing! Think of all the quality time that people are taking to get back to the basics of life.

I couldn't help but think of my Dad, who always had a garden. When he would come home from work at the end of the day, he would go out to pull a few weeds, or water, or pick some vegetables. It was his time alone, time for peace and quiet before coming into the house to deal with us children. Somehow we knew enough not to disturb him during these precious few moments alone.

Anyway, instead of Good Friday, we celebrated Great Tuesday. It was a great feeling to get my hands into the soil and experience the hope and anticipation of the harvest as we placed each small onion and potato. In Texas, we tried one year to have a garden, but the heat was too intense. We needed to water the plants early in the morning before going to work, and then again after we came home in the evening. Then we only harvested some scrawny little vegetables. It wasn't worth it, especially when we could go 1/4 mile down the road any day of the week and buy fresh fruits and vegetables off the back of a truck.

As we were finishing our task Tuesday evening, a few drops of rain began to fall. Throughout the night and yesterday all day, we continued to receive on-again off-again light showers. It was truly God blessing our efforts! I am reminded of Paul's words in 1 Cor 3:7: "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is of any special account, only God who gives the growth."

Isn't that the way it is with everything in life? We are planting seeds, or watering what others have planted. Maybe we are even harvesting what others have labored over. But all of it is a gift from God who has given it to us.

What are you doing today? planting? or watering? or harvesting? Do it with a grateful heart.

O Great Ones

On several trips to Africa in the 1970s and 80s, I came to understand and appreciate how the people of Tanzania honored and revered the elderly in their society. When a man reached an age that we would call Senior Citizen, he would be given an honorary title of "Mse" (pronounced "Umzay"). This is a title which cannot readily be translated into English in one word, for it means something like "O Great One", or "O Most Honored One", or "O Wise One". It is truly a title of distinction and reverence.

Perhaps this was so noticeable to me because it is something which has disintegrated in our own culture and society. With our cult of youth, we view the elderly in our midst as a burden, if not a down right disposable commodity. My eight years experience working as a nursing home administrator underscored this reality only too clearly. Many people were delivered to the care of our facility only to then be forgotten by their families. It was sad.

For this reason, it is such a gift for My Love and me to be back here in Iowa where we can be close to our parents. We have the opportunity to be in contact with them on a regular basis and to be of assistance to them when they need it.

In fact, I am so very proud of My Love and the care that she is providing for her parents. Not a day goes by that she isn't in touch with them. Most days she spends several hours with them, cleaning for them, shopping for groceries, taking them to doctor's appointments, taking them on outings, playing games with them. Some days she is with them all day doing whatever needs to be done to make it possible for them to stay in their own home comfortably.

She would say that this is no big deal, that it is a gift for her to be able to be for them at this time in their life after all they have done for her in previous years. But that is just the point: it is a big deal because it is not being done today in our society by younger generations. Most of our society would be more in tune with the Eskimo tradition of putting the elderly on an ice floe and letting them float away until they are frozen to death or eaten by polar bears.

Yet, here we are because of God's hand and direction in bringing us back home. Each day gives us more reason for gratitude. As I've said in an earlier blog, it's all about family!

A Special Picnic

On Thursday temperatures climbed into the upper 80s -- a record-setting day. Even though it was a bit windy, My Love decided that it was time for the first picnic of the year. So, she packed up the hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies, drinks, charcoal, lighter fluid, and her parents and headed down to Spring Lake.

While she was preparing the fire for the grilling, her folks went down by the lake to sit on a bench where they could watch the geese. Two were nesting nearby, keeping a wary eye on them lest they present some sort of threat to the eggs, which the setting goose faithfully turned from time to time. Other geese, and even a pair of mallards, skimmed across the water, honking and splashing as they took off or landed in the beautiful sunshine.

I joined them for lunch and enjoyed the refreshing outdoors with its brisk breeze, leaves beginning to pop out, and the wonder of the birds singing. After the long winter, it was easy to appreciate the beauty of spring once again.

I was reminded of the difference I had discovered many years ago when I went to Africa for the first time. There I saw people who had small, simple shacks that they called home. Yet, as I observed them, I realized that they lived outside, and sometimes they went inside. That is, they cooked outside, they worked outside, they visited people outdoors, they shopped in the outdoor market. Then, at night they might go inside to sleep.

We, on the other hand, live inside, and sometimes we go outside. Most of our life's activities are accomplished inside the walls of our home, our office, our church, etc., and we only go outside to go from one inside to another. Maybe that is why it is such a treat to enjoy a picnic, or go camping for the weekend, or spend a day fishing at the lake. There seems to be a hunger within us to get outside, plant our feet once again on real soil and come in contact with our roots.

Yet, on a spiritual level, the opposite seems to be the case. When it comes to our own person, we prefer to live outside while ignoring our inner hungers. We busy ourselves with all sorts of activities and noises so that we cannot hear the still, small voice within. We distract ourselves with activity in order to not notice the cravings in our heart.

Then, once in a while we venture inside ourselves, but that is not where we are primarily comfortable. It is only for a rare picnic that we take a trip to our inner sanctuary. But we prefer not to stay too long.

Where would you rather live?

Sunshine Over Me

Yesterday was a beautiful day with bright sunshine, temperatures in the mid 70s, and only a light breeze. It was actually too nice a day to be inside working, which I was doing. In fact, I was thinking of having My Love write a note to excuse me from work so that I could go outside to play!

Then I began thinking (always a dangerous thing to do). Why is it that I (and it seems like most of the people around me) feel so much better on a pleasant day than on a gloomy, overcast one? Why is it that I have more energy and am so much more ready to get things done when the weather is so uplifting?

At that point, I recalled my travels to Germany in the 1970s and 80s. Often times the weather was rainy, overcast, dreary and cold. I remember thinking on more than one occasion that it is no wonder that European history is so replete with wars, conflicts, skirmishes and struggles. If I had to live in weather that was predominately depressing, I would probably be fighting with someone also.

From there, my musing moved to the question of who/what is really in control of my moods and emotions. Weather is one of the things in my life over which I have absolutely no control. No matter what I say or do, I will not make the sun come out on a cloudy day, or encourage the wind to cease blowing. Why am I wasting my energy on something so useless? Or more to the point, why am I giving something so unpredictable the power to control how I respond to everyday life around me? The only thing that I have control over is my own reactions, my own responses to the realities around me. That brought me back to my Dad's favorite prayer again, the Serenity Prayer.

The bottom line question for me therefore is: Who is the Lord of my life? If I say that Jesus is Lord, then something so "outside myself" as the weather should not be able to have such an effect upon my moods and feelings. I really cannot surrender control of my life to the Lord while portioning some of that control to the forces of nature. Besides, it is much more enjoyable being in a good mood every day!

Carry-ons Only

Back in the 1980s, I traveled to India several times. It was my practice to pack one change of socks and underwear in my carry-on bag along with my shaving kit, passport and other essentials. The rest of my clothes and travel accoutrements would go in my checked luggage.

On one of those journeys, I arrived in Bombay (now known as Mumbai) only to be informed that the bag that I had checked did not arrive with me. Since I was catching a connecting flight in country, I could not await my luggage, but went on without it.

Arriving at my destination, I went to the marketplace and purchased another change of socks and underwear, and one more shirt. With this limited wardrobe, I traveled for three weeks very comfortably. Each evening I would wash out my shirt, underwear and socks, hang them up in my room, and by morning they would be dry. This routine continued throughout my entire trek.

Finally, on my way out of the country, I passed again through Mumbai, picked up my wayward bag and went home.

Because of this experience, I realized that I could travel a lot lighter than I had previously. Many of the items that I considered "necessities" were actually only added weight for the journey. Without them, I passed much more rapidly through customs, waited less time at my destinations, and arrived much more refreshed.

Secondly, I discovered that I did not need to be a slave to fashion. Not once in all my travels did anyone comment on my wardrobe and say: "Oh, you're wearing the same outfit as yesterday!" Even if they were thinking it, never did it become an obstacle.

Lastly, I learned the freedom that comes from not being focused on the material measures of my person. "Clothes do not the man make", as someone once said. I was free to place my energies on the point of my trip - to meet with and help other people.

In these times of economic stress, all these lessons have continued to serve me well. Voluntary simplicity brings great freedom to life. The truth of Jesus' words echoes loudly in my ears: "Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap...yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?...See the lilies of the field. They do not work or spin, yet not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these...Stop worrying then over questions like 'What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?'...Your heavenly Father knows all that you need." Matthew 7:26-34.

Traveling lightly with only a carry-on makes the journey of life much easier. Since we are only pilgrims passing through this world, why do we let ourselves become burdened down with excess baggage?

Bicycle Brakes

I was ten years old when I got my first bicycle, a sleek red beauty that went faster than the wind (or so I thought at that time). My parents had allowed me to pick out the bike I wanted from Montgomery Wards, but they also required that I earn the money first to pay for it. It was a lesson that still serves me well today.

One of the first things that I did after I brought the red beauty home was to turn it upside down, take the back wheel off, and disassemble the brake system. I wanted to know how it worked. So the simplest method was to take it apart, then put it back together again. From that point on, I was able to service the bike whenever it needed it.

At each stage of my life, I see the same desire to understand the inner workings of whatever organization, system, business or association with which I became connected. In college I became part of the Student Council, not as an elected representative, but as the parliamentarian -- the one behind the scenes who guided and even helped to control the workings of the body.

Later on, as a pastor, I wanted/needed to be "on top of" what was going on in the parish. Whether through the Parish Council, the School Board, the Liturgy Committee or any other organization, I wanted to keep tabs on what was happening. This was probably as much a control issue for me as it was a desire to be helpful and serve the needs of the people.

When I moved into the role of nursing home administrator, it was key for me to understand the functioning of all departments within the institution. My job description assigned me, and the law held me responsible for the total welfare of the people left in my care. This was a 24-hour per day, 365 days per year ministry which was confirmed by my administrator's license hanging on the wall. I took it seriously.

As I grow older, I find myself less able to understand everything, and certainly unable to control all things. Slowly I am coming to accept the reality that there is only One who understands everything, the same One who controls all things. Even more humbling is the realization that were I to purchase a new bicycle today, I probably would not be able to take apart and put back together the brake system.

Common Sense

In six-plus months of working in the car business, I have learned much about human nature. My previous life experience had revealed many aspects of the human species, but the automobile business underscored heretofore shaded dimensions of the psyche.

George (not his real name) came in to trade his 2003 pickup for a 2005 model. According to book values, we could offer him $11,200 for his trade in, while the vehicle he wanted was valued at $25,000. While trying to help him get financing for the deal, I discovered two problems: he still owed $14,500 on his trade in; and he had not been consistent in making the payments, thereby jeopardizing his credit rating. So, as a consequence, George was unable to purchase the vehicle he desired, and we were unable to complete a sale. It was a lose-lose situation.

Tim (again a fictitious name) borrowed money from his bank to purchase a new (for him) auto. Before the first payment was made, he brought the vehicle back and turned it in, without even having registered or licensed it. He said that he had bought it to impress his girlfriend, and she left him anyway. Therefore he did not need it anymore.

Why do I bring these incidents to this venue? Because both of them illustrate what I have known for many years, but am discovering over and over again: Common Sense is NOT Common!

It would seem to be common sense that you cannot fail to pay your bills on time and then expect to maintain a good credit rating. Common sense would dictate that you cannot continually pay more for things than they are worth while piling up debt upon debt as you charge, finance, charge and finance again and again. Common sense would tell us that we cannot run indefinitely from the consequences of our decisions and our actions; sooner or later they will catch up with us.

Yet, that is what we have done as individuals, as a nation, indeed as a world. Perhaps that is a simple explanation for why we are in the financial condition we are in.

If there is to be a silver lining to the economic cloud that hangs over us, perhaps it will be that we will once again begin to live within our means. This will happen only as we once again distinguish between our needs and our wants.

In my experience, common sense is not something that can be taught except in the University of Hard Knocks. As someone said: Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from making mistakes. May we extract the nugget of wisdom that is hidden in this mountain of mistakes around us. May we begin to face the whimsical side of our nature that makes decisions based on short term immediate gratification. May we instead see the long term consequences of our choices, gain some common sense, and grow in freedom.

Signs of New Life

Trees and lilac bushes budding out. Robins, red-wing blackbirds, meadow larks and other songbirds singing. Grass beginning to turn green. Rabbits and squirrels chasing their prospective mates around the yard. My Love nurturing her garden seeds in small cups in our office window and waiting anxiously to get her hands in the dirt as she and her sister, Annette, plant their garden together.

All these signs of New Life we celebrated as we gathered on Easter to rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus. Besides the Risen Life held out to us, we also thanked God for the gift of life of Annette's husband, Jim, who had a birthday on Saturday. In between the delicious food, the marble games, the naps and the laughter, My Love and I reveled again in the blessing of renewing family traditions.

Together with her mother, My Love had enjoyed coloring eggs last week, making up baskets for various neighbors, friends and family members. This tradition was revived from our days together in Texas when the two of them would play together in the kitchen preparing for the Easter feast, something which they again did on Friday and Saturday.

It was even enjoyable to witness the disappointment on niece Rita's face as she came into the home of her Grandparents on Sunday morning to realize that the Easter eggs were not hidden, but out in plain sight. As a college graduate-to-be (next month), she still looked forward to the family tradition of hiding, searching for, and finding the eggs!

All these small celebrations of life and family traditions are nothing as compared to the New Life that this Easter season presents to us in Jesus. Each of these small "resurrections" is but a reminder of the Resurrection of Jesus that is ours to participate in each day as we choose life over death, hope over despair, love over resentment. Truly, He is Risen. So are we!

Easter Greetings

How wonderful it is to be here in Iowa to celebrate Easter with our families! It is a true experience of the Alleluia that fills our lives because of Jesus' Resurrection.

A year ago we were happily rejoicing on this feast in our home in Edinburg, Texas. Friends (Denny and Linda) and relatives (Catherine and her son, Dan) joined us for Easter dinner. A great time was had by all as we ate, laughed together, and celebrated New Life.

Little did we know that our lives would be so quickly and dramatically changed by Hurricane Dolly on July 24. As we watched our beautiful home slowly sink into the rising flood waters, we knew that God was calling us to return to our roots, rejoin our families, and celebrate our new life back in the Midwest.

This year we are gathering with My Love's family to celebrate Easter Life. Also, we are rejoicing in the gift of life of my brother-in-law, Jim, whose birthday is April 11. With fine food, delicious wine, laughter and love, we will renew our faith, hope and love in the Resurrection of Jesus.

As we do so, know that you, our larger family and friends, will be present in our hearts and in our prayers. We wish you could join with us at the table. May you also find cause to sing an Alleluia in the midst of your own life.

Triduum Pattern

These are my favorite days of the whole faith year: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, or, as they are more properly known, Feast of the Lord's Supper, Celebration of the Passion and Death of the Lord, and the Easter Vigil. In actuality, they are three parts of one reality, and are called the Triduum, or the Three Days.

When I was a child, Lent would end for us at noon on Holy Saturday. We would have been doing our Lenten penance for six weeks, that is, giving up candy. All those sweets would be piled up in a box. Then at noon on Holy Saturday, we would pig out, making up for all the "suffering" we had endured during the previous month and a half. It was at that point that the true suffering would begin as we over-indulged in the mountain of sugar we had denied ourselves.

Now, Lent ends with the beginning of the celebration of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. At that point we focus on the re-presentation of the Suffering, Dying and Rising of Jesus by moving through the three day faith celebration, culminating in the hope, joy and triumph of Easter.

I guess the reason these days are so special for me is that they illustrate so powerfully and graphically the CYCLE of LIFE. This is the paradigm for interpreting my own experience, my own Sacred History. As I look back, I see the pattern repeated: suffering, dying, rising, suffering, dying, rising, over and over again. New life, new hope, new beginnings only come about out of the ashes and agony of the dying process.

With that realization, and the opportunity to celebrate in the midst of a faith community, I feel more hopeful, more joyful, more positive about whatever the future may bring. After all, if God could raise up Jesus after his suffering and death, God can surely bring me through my death experience to a new life. What an awesome God we have!

Sacred History

Gail and Marilyn, who belong to our morning Bible study, are preparing to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary in May. As part of the getting ready, they have been going through photo albums from their married life, picking photos for a slide presentation to be shown during the festivities. Last week, Marilyn shared with us what an awesome experience it has been to walk prayerfully through their history, and see the many ways that God has been present and blessed them.

One of the overwhelming realizations that they came to, and subsequently shared with us, was how God always seemed to be present, supporting them and guiding them, in the struggles and difficulties of their life together. That supportive presence was manifested most often and most consistently through whatever faith community they were a part of at the time. It might have been Christian Family Movement, Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, Charismatic Movement, or any number of other Catholic faith communities.

At this particular point in their faith journey, our morning Bible study is serving in that capacity of supportive and guiding faith community. For the last three years we have been sharing our faith as we reflect on and study the Bible. Their realization is that God has never left them without a faith community. At the same time, they have no idea where their life would be today were it not for the ever-present community of faith surrounding and carrying them along.

As they were sharing their insights and their gratitude for God's loving hand in their sacred history, I was struck with the importance of each one of us taking time to reflect on our own sacred history. From time to time, how encouraging and edifying it could be for us if we would spend time tracing the loving hand of God in our own lives. For it is a fact, God has always been with us. If we are not aware of God's presence, it is only because we have not taken the opportunity to peel back the top layer of our story and discover the underlying hand of God. We don't have to wait for a special occasion, like a 50th anniversary. We can do it today.

How To Flush a Toilet

The first time I traveled to Africa in 1975, it was an eye-opening experience for me. Because this was my first time outside the USA, I was confronted with many new realities, and many familiar realities viewed in a new light. There were about 16 of us traveling together in a group. We had spent several weeks in Germany, a few days in Rome, and finally ended up for a couple of weeks in Tanzania, East Africa.

When asked to summarize my experience on our return to the States, I said: "There are many ways to flush a toilet." What I meant was that throughout our travels, I had discovered that in each country, in each culture, there were differing ways of doing things. Each country had developed certain systems for dealing with human problems, issues, needs and struggles. Some of them may have worked more successfully than others. Some may have been more complicated than others. Some may have been more expensive than others. But in the end, they all seemed to serve the needs of the particular people involved. No one way was better or worse than any other.

That was a life-changing experience for me because it helped me to let go of a certain judgmental outlook on life and people. Who was I to decide that life had to be a certain way? Who was I to judge how others dealt with the issues of daily life? Who was I to say that the way we do things in the USA is the best or only way to live life?

In the ensuing years, I believe that that attitude of letting others be has broadened. I find myself more willing to let others be themselves rather than what I think that they should be. I don't find the need (as much) to shape them into my idea of who or how they should live. And what a freeing development that has been. Since I have resigned as Master of the Universe, my stress level has decreased significantly, and my level of peace and joy has risen out of sight. When I let God be God, and let others be themselves, then I can be myself, and be at peace with that.

Revealing Words

Back when I was a freshman in high school, my homeroom teacher wrote a saying on the blackboard (they were really BLACK back then!) each week. It would be some pithy saying that we could reflect on for the duration until she placed another one before us.

The only one I recall after all these years went something like this: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." Although I have probably violated this more than a few times in my life, the message remains embedded in my memory forever.

Reflecting on these words today, several points come to my mind. First of all, we live in a world where we are bombarded by words every waking moment. Whether from radio, TV, computer, billboards, ipods, cell phone, home phone, email, texting, or whatever the latest gizmo for communicating might be, to say nothing of the voices of people around us every day. All this noise serves to render words very cheap and therefore easily ignored. Rather than facilitating communication, words tend to clog the arteries of interaction by their shear numbers.

Secondly, the words we do use reveal ourselves to others whether we want them to or not. Our chosen verbiage creates a small window to our heart, our spirit. If that verbiage smacks of loss of control, or reflects smallness of heart, or displays minimal intelligence, how can we expect to have a positive influence on those around us? On the other hand, if my words reveal humor, caring, joy, sensitivity to those around me, how much better off the world will be from my passing through it.

I wonder sometimes what my own words sound like to others. If I stop to listen to myself, what is it I hear? How do I sound? What is the message that others receive? Would I be farther ahead to heed the words of my high school homeroom teacher?

Forgiveness Brings Freedom

Several days ago I was speaking with a man at the Wellness Center where My Love and I try to exercise 4 or 5 times a week. This fellow, whom I had only met for the first time the day before, was complaining loudly and at length about a perceived injustice that he had experienced from a local business. The longer he waxed on about this the more upset he became. When asked if he had spoken to the management about this, he said he had, but did not get the desired response from them. So he said that his plan was to "tell everyone he met" about his problem. He didn't want to "get over it", he wanted to "get even".

Since that encounter with him, I have been reflecting on how easy it is to imprison myself in the bondage of resentment. By hanging on to perceived injuries, I am the only one who continues to suffer; I am the one who gives the past its hold over me by continually pumping life into it in the present moment. I grant others power over my behaviors and reactions by keeping the supposed injury alive in my consciousness. I am the one who repeatedly tears open the wound of a long-past situation thereby preventing healing from taking place.

Only in forgiveness can I let go of hurtful experiences and be free of the influence that they wield over me. Only in the act of forgiving another can I break the bonds that enslave me to the past, thereby freeing me to experience the new life that the present holds out to me. As I open my hands to release the past pain, I ready myself to grasp the gift of peace God is offering right now. God lives only in the present, not in past hurts, nor in future worries.

At times I don't even WANT to forgive the other person. Then I must begin by praying for the grace to want to forgive. When I reach the point of desiring to forgive, then I soon realize that the actual pardoning of another is not just a once-and-for-all event. Sometimes this letting go must be done over and over again in order for it to sink to the roots of the injury.

For a beautiful, descriptive presentation of the freeing power of forgiveness in our lives, pick up the book, The Shack, by William P Young. It depicts the journey from bondage to freedom that is available to each one of us when we are open to the mystery of God's healing love.

What past hurtful moments/events come to your mind without effort? Is this the time that God wants to help you let go, to forgive? Is now the opportunity for new freedom?

Assessment Time

As we come to the end of March, it's a good time to evaluate the journey that we have traveled over the last two months of this blog. Time to assess what has been happening and where we are going. This is the opportunity for you, Blog Followers (BFs), to let your voices be heard.

There are a number of questions that I would like to pose for your comments, questions whose answers will help me figure out the future direction.

1. Should this blog continue? Is it something that you want to follow, that you find entertaining or helpful?

2. Are there changes that you would like to suggest, either in format or content?

3. Do you have questions that you would like to have considered in upcoming posts?

4. Are you able to utilize the "Comment" directions in the left hand column? If you are having trouble posting a comment, please email me at franklreicks1@yahoo.com. Let me know if the comment function is not working or is too complicated so that I can make the necessary adjustments.

These past two months of writing this blog have proven to be both a challenge and a blessing for me. I have enjoyed the opportunity to pull together my thoughts and reflections into a (hopefully) readable format that others can enjoy and find beneficial. Yet, at the same time, the lack of response has left me wondering (1) Whether anyone is reading what I'm writing; (2) Should I continue with this project into the future.

Your feedback, BFs, preferably through the "Comment" function, or at least through the above listed email, will be seriously considered. Thank you.