He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’                                                                                        Luke 12:17-19

While reading in the book of Luke, chapter 12, I came to this parable about the “rich fool”. I was struck by the harsh and immediate judgment this character got. He was admiring his latest abundant crop, and he was thinking about how he could use this as a nest egg so that he could just kick back and enjoy life. 

The point of this parable was not that it is wrong to save up for the days when we are not able to earn enough to live on. Saving money is always a good idea I think. But this fellow seems to embody a person whose first and only thought is for themselves and their own well-being.

The parable was given in response to someone who had pleaded with Jesus to judge a brother who would not share his inheritance. Jesus took the opportunity to say that he was not going to judge in that particular case, but he used it as a jumping off point to illustrate the problem of greed.

Our rich farmer in the parable had wealth, and he was going to be getting even more when his bumper crop came in. His first and only thought was about serving himself, building bigger barns, and taking it easy the rest of his life. Little did he know that such thinking was the last earthly planning he would be doing!

In the times that Jesus walked the earth, there were some very wealthy folks, but mostly there were people who were barely scraping by. The listeners to this parable must have been thinking about their own situation, and how greed begets greed. They may even have been rooting for the rich man to “get what he deserves”.

 Yet this parable is for all, both rich and poor. Generosity is more a state of mind than a function of giving large amounts of money. If that rich man’s first thought had been to consider how he could alleviate the suffering of another person with his wealth, I’m fairly certain that he would not have been the teaching example of the parable. It would not have mattered how much he chose to give to help, it was just the idea of needing to think about how he could be a good steward of such wealth. Jesus was commenting, I believe, on this man’s failed state of mind- of hoarding more for himself than considering the needs of others.

Prayer: Lord, you expect us to be good stewards of all we have been given. Thank you for that way of looking at life, Amen

“You’ll never run out of material.”                                                                              John Jung

“I refuse to join any club that would have me for a member.”                                                                    Groucho Marx

All the days of the afflicted are bad,
but one with a cheerful heart has a continual feast                                                           Proverbs 15:15

If we are willing to laugh at ourselves, we will never run out of material. Yes, it is true, and it is a principle of good mental and emotional health. Learning to “not take ourselves too seriously” is a key to contentment, and a tool for continual renewal.

Laughter at ourselves is healthy, refreshing, and it takes the edge off of trying to be perfect. It is far better to be aware of our own mistakes, foibles and quirks than to be blind to them, only to have to have someone else point them out to us. If they do, we might become defensive- especially if at the core we know it is true. Don’t you just hate that?

Sometimes anxiety says to us- (remember, I said in an earlier blog that anxiety is our travelling partner, so we might as well get used to it)- “you should have thought of that”; or “that’s not gonna work”; or “this project will be a disaster”; or “if people find out how incompetent you are…”

I remember telling my interns a story when I was supervising them.

Many years ago, I had just taken a new job at Miami County Mental Health Center, having come from work at the state hospital as a social worker. I realized that I had a huge learning curve in working in a community mental health setting.  My work at the state hospital had been difficult, but it was a very different challenge in this new setting. I thought to myself “If they have any idea how incompetent I am here, they will surely fire me”. And I laughed. It was not true, really. I mean, I was incompetent, they would just never get the chance to find out!

My interns usually laughed, and also felt great relief. Because that is exactly how they felt too at the time. My willingness to laugh at myself, and then share it, gave relief to a common anxiety- “I will be found out as a fraud”.  The truth was, we weren’t frauds, just inexperienced, and we knew it. But laughing about it defused it, normalized it, and we could get on with the business of learning, not worrying.

So, laughter is good, especially when we can see it in ourselves. Like I said, we’ll never run out of material.

Prayer: Thank you Father for the gift of laughter. It is healing to our body and soul, Amen

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.                                                                                                     Proverbs 19:17

Isn’t that an interesting idea- lending to the Lord. What does that even mean? How can we mere mortals lend something to the God of the universe? The idea that God has set up this system whereby if we give to the “least of our brethren”, we end up lending to Him, is absurd and beautiful at the same time. God has so affiliated with us, his creation, that he wants us to love him by loving others. Especially those who have less material resources than us. Some people, indeed, have not enough to even sustain basic needs. We are called upon by God to meet the needs of those who cannot meet their own needs.

God did not set up a system whereby we judge who is worthy of our help. He simply says, that we give to the poor, and He is in our debt. The fact that such a concept can come from a sovereign omnipotent God is at least baffling. And amazing.

So, here is the deal. God creates the universe, gives free will to the people to whom he has given life, and only expects in “payment”, that we care for those who are struggling.

Yes, this kind of love is beyond our understanding, so don’t get upset that it is beyond our puny ability to reason it out.

But I do suggest that we take this seriously. The rewards of having God indebted to us somehow is too amazing to pass up. Yet, we do not give to others in order to have God in debt to us, because that is a bad motive. Helping others because we have the mind and heart of God- that is the point.

Prayer: How amazing is it that you have the plan of giving to us as we give to others, Amen    

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these                                                                      Matthew 19:14

That is the answer to the question, “what was your favorite summer as a kid?”

It was the summer of 1961. I was 11 years old, carefree, and we had the run of the neighborhood. There were four of us who ran around together- my best friend Ray from across the street and his younger sister, Mary Jo; Betty from up the street, and me. We had a club that met in a treehouse which was very cool, and probably by today’s standards, wildly dangerous. Of course, we did not know better, and no one was hospitalized that year. Yes, Mary Jo put her hand through a glass door and was stitched up, but that was pretty much it for serious injuries.

The club was, as society was in 1961, a sexist place. The boys, Ray and I, were President and Vice-President of the club, Mary Jo and Betty were Secretary and Treasurer. That is just the ways things were.  

That summer was amazing too because the Cincinnati Reds were in the thick of a pennant race for the first time since 1940. Yes, they came close in 1956. I remember that because dad was very excited that summer, only to be heartbroken once again in September. However, 1961 was the Reds year, and indeed, they did win the pennant. Just WOW for a kid in his first real pennant race!

I think back to that summer as we encounter some beautiful summer days right now. I also reflect back on this because many children don’t get summers like that. I just recently had a client tell me that, because of childhood abuse, she missed a great deal of joyful childhood memories, forced out of innocent childhood experiences by sexual abuse. She said, “I just wanted to be a little girl a little while longer.  

Many children, too many, are deprived of those wonderful carefree memories which I am privileged to have. Many children around the world are in poverty, sexual slavery, or other abusive situations that preclude an innocent, carefree childhood.

There are things we can do to improve the lives of children who are suffering. Fostering children, adopting kids through Compassion International, mentoring kids through church programs- these are just a few ways to help children who need us. I encourage my readers to check out what volunteer program might be calling you to help.

I don’t want to leave on a sad note, but a hopeful one. Think about your best summer memories and celebrate them. Share them with your grandkids or kids who will not believe that back in the Dark Ages, we played in treehouses and had no concept of what an electronic gadget might look like.

Kids love those stories right!

Prayer: Thank you Father for the gift of childhood and wonderful times in the summer. We lift up those children whose summers are not as wonderful, Amen.

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions.                                                                                                                                                  Matthew 5:1-2 (The Message)

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Mahatma Gandhi

This passage from the Sermon on the Mount is really illuminating when read in the words from The Message. It indicates that when Jesus climbed the hillside to have a good platform, so to speak, to deliver his message, his followers climbed up with him.

This indicates to me that his followers paid a price in effort to hear the wisdom of the Master. They were, as the passage says, “the committed”. They not only believed his words, but they were willing to put effort into practicing his ways.

I see these days that there are many who talk about their beliefs. Many call themselves Christians because of what they believe. Putting those beliefs into practice typically costs something. It may mean swimming against the cultural tides. It may mean literally putting our money into practice to help others in a sacrificial way. Many people looking afar at Christians do not typically care what the Christians believe, they look at how Christians live out that belief.

Remember, following Jesus has a cost, it is not just a belief system.

Prayer: Lord, help us to climb that hill with Jesus, Amen

“When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don’t take advantage of him. Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am God, your God                                                                                                                                                 Leviticus 19:33-34

I am currently reading a book by Jon Meacham, titled, “The Soul of America”, (the battle for our better angels.) He takes us on a journey through American history, visiting some past crises where leadership had choices about leading from fear or from hope.

I resonated to his premise, because as my readers know, I believe that leadership reaching toward a good end is much healthier than leading from a position of reacting to fear, resulting in a need to escape from a supposed enemy.

For example, in the 1920’s, the Ku Klux Klan gained a large membership in the United States, based upon the fear that too many Catholics, Jews, and southern European foreigners were immigrating to America. The result was a significant restriction of immigration based upon fear. That did not work out very well for the soul of our country.

Several interesting aspects of this book arise for me. First, we have been here before. Throughout our history, there have been crises which caused us to overreact, and our system of government has been able, eventually, to weather those crises. Second, we have a tendency to demonize those with whom we have significant differences. If we can dehumanize those who oppose us, or to ascribe Satanic motives to them, it is easier to try to destroy them rather than to interact with them.

So, is Satan alive and well in the world? Unfortunately, yes. Is Satan the motivating force for those with whom we disagree? Probably not. Satan wants us to react in fear- rather, he wants us to overreact in fear.

Perfect love casts out fear. Let’s go with hope when confronted with problems, not reacting in fear and demonizing others.

Prayer: Lord, help us to lean toward hope over fear, Amen

“With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Abraham Lincoln (Second Inaugural Address), 1865

So, Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with.    Acts 17:22-23

Such wisdom from our 16^th President of the United States. On this July 4^th, it seems right to repeat the words of the greatest United States President. He had the task of healing a deeply divided United States just weeks before the surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia by General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy. This essentially ended the American Civil War.   

On this July 4^th, 2022 the United States is also deeply divided in many ways. Yet, healing is possible if we allow it to be. To the extent that we are willing to extend grace and understanding to those with whom we disagree, we can heal our divided country.

When Paul spoke with the Greeks at Mars Hill, he showed that he had respect for the quest for truth of those people for the “true God”.  Paul showed that he was willing to engage those people with whom he disagreed.  

In our current “culture wars”, we are not served well by intolerance and smug disregard for the ideas of others. Paul took the time to learn about the people with whom he disagreed because he loved them. He did not agree with them, but he loved them enough to listen to their ideas, even if he strongly disagreed.

Sounds like the start of real engagement.  

Prayer: Lord, give us the patience to hear before we answer, Amen

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”

Jeremiah 17:9 (The Message)

But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.                                                                                      Romans 5:8 (The Message)

These verses from the books of Jeremiah and Romans really sum it up. God knows our heart, our intentions, our selfish thinking, and he calls us on it. And yet, he loves us. I mean, isn’t that great news? Don’t think you can pull one over on God. He knows us. But even in our state of rebellion and self-serving behavior, he gives remedies. He just asks us to agree with his assessment.

The key here is agreeing with God. You see, if we agree with God- see things the way he sees them- we have wisdom and life. Accept that we are sinners and incapable of saving ourselves, and he will gladly apply the remedies that are needed.

So, accepting our state is key. Yet we cannot be comfortable being so far from God’s intended plans for us. We accept that we are unable to save ourselves, but humble enough to gratefully accept his plans, and ask his help in making us into his intended creation.

Indeed, we cannot get to perfection, but God asks us to start on that journey, to be completed at a later time.

Prayer: Lord, what a plan that you love us right where we are, Amen

Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart Proverbs 3:3

I sometimes wonder if we have been slowly losing the virtue of civility in our society. I look for civility in little actions-like taking an extra few steps to put the shopping cart in the cart corral at the grocery store. Maybe it is just taking the trash in your hand and depositing it in a garbage can rather than littering.

Little actions build upon themselves, and they help us to define who we are. If we act like a kind, caring person to our fellow community members, we begin to see ourselves as that way, and it starts a strong, upward cycle which reinforces itself.

On a little larger scale, it may be showing tip generosity to restaurant servers, volunteering at a church or service organization, or donating blood at the local Red Cross or blood center. These are just some examples of civic and social responsibilities that one might expect of their fellow citizens which make life a little better for all.

We are, perhaps, the most educated society in the world. Higher education is available to almost all in our society, yet education is not the answer to civility.  Education does not ensure that virtue is inculcated into our daily life. That is the province of families who love their children and teach them to love others. Teaching those values and virtues is critical in maintaining a society that can sustain itself, and indeed to touch positively the more vulnerable members of that society.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be aware of ways to show kindness and civility to others, Amen

When the listening crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted (in their local dialect, of course), “These men are gods in human bodies!” They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Jupiter, and that Paul, because he was the chief speaker, was Mercury! The local priest of the Temple of Jupiter, located on the outskirts of the city, brought them cartloads of flowers and prepared to sacrifice oxen to them at the city gates before the crowds.

 But when Barnabas and Paul saw what was happening, they ripped at their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Men! What are you doing? We are merely human beings like yourselves! We have come to bring you the Good News that you are invited to turn from the worship of these foolish things and to pray instead to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.                                                                                                                                                                                 Acts 14:11-15 (Living Bible)

The problem with idols is that they keep letting us down. We have a need, it seems, to place people on a pedestal, then gradually, or sometimes abruptly, those idols begin to show their weaknesses. We have a need for heroic actions, and indeed, there are many, many heroes among us. Often, heroic acts are unseen or unnoted, and those heroes do not get the adulation they might deserve. Other heroic figures, our very public figures, are praised and even idolized. Statues are made, poems are written, portraits made, etc. It seems that we have a need to find these figures and recognize them.

Then, over time, we see the flaws in character. We see the failures, the duplicity, the mistakes, the compromise. We may judge, from a historical perspective, that they were flawed people, and not deserving of that statue. Truly, if only perfect people got statues, we would have no statues.

We have our “Mt. Rushmore” of heroes from all walks of life. Sports shows sometimes ask, “Name your Mt. Rushmore of baseball”, or basketball, or whatever sport. People are challenged to name the top four or five in their sport who deserve a place on the “Mt. Rushmore” of that sport.

The original Mt. Rushmore has four distinguished Presidents- Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. These men are venerated on the side of a mountain for heaven’s sake, and highly praiseworthy all, yet all had character defects.

So, we need perspective on our “idols”. Let’s remember that every idol has flaws. That just makes them human.

Prayer: You have made us in your image, and worthy of respect, all of us. Help us when we do not show respect to all your creation, Amen.