One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.                                                                   Proverbs 18:24

I write this blog having just come home from a celebration. It was a 50^th wedding anniversary for one of the couples in our group. “Group”- that’s what we call it- just “Group”. We have four couples in this group and we meet about once a month for prayer, food, laughter and support.

We have done that for the past 40+ years.

We have helped raise each others’ kids through that prayer and support. We have visited the hospital when a member is down. We have been at the funerals for parents who have passed. We have been to graduations, weddings…, well you get it. All the signal events of life.

The children and grandchildren of the celebrating couple put this luncheon together, and they acknowledged that the presence of their parents’ group was so special for them. It gave them a model of friendship and Christian fellowship. They took heart that all four couples have been married over 50 years.

We have been so blessed to have a group such as this. We all know that this is rare. People move away, drift apart- whatever life changes may disrupt such relationships. But our group has stayed together, and we are all better off for it.

My hope is that you can, or already have identified, the tribe that you go through life with. It is an immeasurable blessing.

Prayer” Lord, we are so grateful for the people you have put into our life, Amen

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth   

 Psalm 121:1-2

Remember way back to 2020? You know, that virus and all? Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can put things in the rear-view mirror? I was recently reading about the 1918 “Spanish Flu” that ravaged the world. There are various estimates of the death toll of that pandemic, but those estimates range from 25-50 million deaths worldwide, and as many as 500 million estimated cases.

I don’t know the real numbers, and we will never really know the full extent of the devastation caused by that influenza strain. Actually, COVID-19 is still with us, and it is working its way through the population, with periodic spikes in cases, but with a generally lower death rate.

The “Spanish Flu”, (inaptly named, but that is a story for another day), is also still with us. Because both of these influenza strains have mutated, they are still prevalent, but much less deadly. Thankfully, there was a vaccine developed to deal with COVID-19, which lowered that death toll to a fraction of that of the “Spanish Flu”.  

We are vulnerable people, and we don’t like to think about that. Rightly so. But there are periodic reminders of that vulnerability that can (hopefully) keep us humble. Remembering where our true hope comes from is the best way to allay anxieties about the next pandemic coming down the line.

Yes, God has given us the ingenuity and brilliance of scientific minds to curb the worst effects of such terrible illnesses, but our real hope is in the Creator of those brilliant minds.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the gift of life, and ways to preserve it, Amen

 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him Matthew 7:9-11

Can you imagine what it must have been like for a pious Jew when they saw Jesus preaching to others in the street or in the Temple? I am guessing, (and I am far from an expert in this area for many reasons), that they were appalled and angry. Here was a “Rabbi” (teacher) who was confounding the very basis of some of their core beliefs. He was telling people that keeping the Shabbat (Sabbath) was less important than meeting the needs of their fellow man.

In other words, if they saw a person in need, it was better to actually do work (which was prohibited on Shabbat) in order to alleviate the pain of others, than to rest and honor God’s commandment on rest and worship.

This was consistent with his larger message that we can best honor God by attending to His creation, especially His people. For as a loving Father, God is most pleased when his children are OK. In fact, we as parents are OK if our kids are OK. To a large degree, if they are happy, we are happy. That’s how we feel as loving parents. God as the Creator and Father of us all, wants that too.

So, I’m sure that those pious people, and I trust that they were indeed pious, were shocked and angered about a Rabbi who was going against what they had held dear for centuries. It was like an attack on the culture and creed that had kept them together as a people.

Indeed, Jesus eventually was put to death for his “heretical” teachings. A death that came because he was sent by a loving Father to do just that.

Prayer: Lord, we are grateful for the life and teachings of Jesus, Amen

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.                                                                                                    James 2:14-17

Words matter, but actions matter more. What do I mean by that. Leading by example is one instance of this saying. “Do what I say, not what I do” is sort of the opposite example that makes the point. Words and actions must match in order to have real power and meaning.

There are studies which show that people pay more attention to eye contact and body language than to the words spoken. We somehow intrinsically trust the actions that are congruent with the words spoken.

If those do not match, we are suspicious, or downright skeptical about the truth of the speaker. Often, we somehow unconsciously look for “tells’ in people to see if they are bluffing or telling the truth. Ask a poker player about that one.

The point I am making is that Christians must have an “orthopraxy” (right practices) that matches their “orthodoxy” (right belief). That is, good belief is not good enough without practices that confirm the truths espoused.  

So, if we see people talking a good game, but not performing loving practices, we should be on guard, waiting for the fruit of the Spirit to show up.

Prayer: Lord, make us people of action to show your love, Amen 

Going to the “wayback machine” today in thinking about how television influenced the culture when I was a kid growing up. Most of us kids watched the same shows, because there were only three networks, and at any given time, there was probably a good chance that the shows we liked would be viewed by many of us.

So, for example, at school the day after a particularly adventurous show of Zorro the night before, the vast majority of kids were abuzz about how cool it was when Zorro stabbed that guy with his sword. You know, boy stuff…

Or the day after the Alamo episode on Disney’s Davy Crockett series. Wow, we were mesmerized. Come on, admit it, you just sang the ballad of Davy Crockett – I know, it’s OK!

The point here is that with the limited amount of TV shows back then, a large percentage of people watched the same things. News was consumed by watching Walter Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley, or maybe John Cameron Swayze. Mostly, the three networks were how people consumed news in those days, and there was a certain uniformity of reporting the news. If there was a political slant, it was pretty slight and very subtle.

There was a unifying effect when choices were limited. For example, in 1983 viewership of the M.A.S.H. final show was 106 million people or 45.5% of the viewing audience. By 2019, the final episode of the wildly popular Big Bang Theory reached just 18 million people or about 5.4% of the viewing audience. By 2019 there were hundreds of choices on TV and myriad streaming options.  

The things in media that tended to unify the American culture are now fragmented to the point that people now live in media silos – narrow places where there is unity only among a smaller and smaller group.

I will talk more about this phenomenon in future blogs. Meanwhile, enjoy the Davy Crockett theme song. You’re welcome!  

A gentle response defuses anger,
    but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.                                                           Proverbs 15:1 (The Message)

The Bible is full of wisdom. Just the passage above is a good indicator that there is sound wisdom and psychological depth contributed by Bible writers over the years. Of course there are many writers, spread over centuries, translated by others, and passed on orally at times. The Bible, as we know it, is a collection of writings that can be used for the good of humankind.

The Bible is not a history book, nor is it a science book. It is a book of wisdom. The New Testament specifically, is a book about Jesus who is the culmination of the book and the plan God set forth from eternity.

The Bible should be understood in context, knowing the audience for whom it was written at the time, and the message to be conveyed to that audience. The Bible should be honored, but not worshipped. Let’s understand that the point of the Bible is to understand God and his plan.

It points us to the One to be worshipped.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the guidance that we can find in the Bible, Amen

When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him.

Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

Job 2: 11,13

There was a movie decades ago starring Peter Sellers titled, Being There. It was vintage Peter Sellers, a veteran comic who had been in the very successful Pink Panther movie series in the 1960’s. In the movie Being There, he played a clueless gardener who was taken, because of his silence and naivete, to somehow be a brilliant, wise person.

The movie was funny, but it pointed to a larger truth. Silence, often just by itself, is golden. In the book of Job, Job was beset by calamities right and left. He refused to be shaken by it, but he was comforted, at least initially, by friends who agreed together to visit their friend Job, and just be with him.   

They were a wonderful comfort to him with their presence. Then they decided to weigh in on why he was having troubles. That is where they made their mistake. Instead of being a comfort, they became a source of irritation. They tried to judge his actions, and ascribe to those actions why God was punishing Job. They meant well, I suppose, but they had become terrible “comforters”.

When they just sat with Job and were sad and lamented with him, they were of great comfort. When they started judging, they became the problem.  

So, the lesson is- just being there for someone, not offering advice or solutions, is a great gift. Do not discount the value of “being there”.

Prayer: Help us Lord not to discount the value of just “being there” with friends, Amen

Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts                                                                                               Psalm 145:4 (The Message)

I have written in this space in the past that there is power in sharing personal stories. I just completed an interview with a fellow church member who has a remarkable recovery story. He outlines his personal story of addiction to alcohol, subsequent recovery (40+ years sober), and his eventual spiritual conversion when he was at the end of himself.

Finally, he told of forgiving his father- the one who had abused him for years and had run him out of the house with a shotgun. Yes, heavy stuff! But how uplifting to see the power of surrender to Jesus. How refreshing to see the freedom of forgiveness.

The early church lived on stories of trust and conversion. There was no “New Testament” scripture at that time, just powerful stories. Everyone likes a good story, right?

We just need more of them.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the courage to share stories of forgiveness and restoration, Amen.

Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.                                     Proverbs 20:28 (The Message)

On March 15, 1783, Washington delivered his Newburgh Address to the senior officers of the Continental Army. The speech contained important themes that would later reemerge in the Washington presidency – national duty, the submission of military to civil authority, and the importance of dispassionate and good faith debate. He reminded them of their duty to the American Republic and of his own personal sacrifices for the nation. “A grateful sense of the confidence you have ever placed in me—a recollection of the cheerful assistance, prompt obedience I have experienced from you, … and the sincere affection I feel for an army I have so long had the honor to command, will oblige me to declare… the great duty I owe my Country, and those powers we are bound to respect.”

At the end of his speech, Washington reached into his pocket and put on a pair of spectacles to read a letter from Congress. “Gentlemen,” he said softly, “You will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.”

According to later accounts, many of the soldiers who heard the speech were moved to tears. As one veteran of the war recalled, “I have ever considered that the United States are indebted for their republican form of government solely to the firm and determined republicanism of George Washington at this time.”

Compliments of National Constitution Center (constitutioncenter.org)

I often use George Washington as a model for leadership when I teach on the subject. He was an imperfect man, as are we all, but his wisdom and foresight paved the way for a fledging country to be born. The excerpt above indicates his sense of duty. In fact, when he delivered this speech to his old soldiers who had fought and bled with him during the Revolution, the future of this new Republic was far from certain. These same men who Washington addressed were angry (they had not been paid for months, some even years), and they were armed! They were in no mood to submit themselves to a civil authority which had not treated them well.

Yet Washington was a visionary and he was a strong and courageous leader. He implored those men to have faith and patience in a dream that they could not yet see. He had the vulnerability to let them see the frailty he had as a result of his service to his country. He had the courage to face them, and shame them into not acting in their own self-interest, but in the interest of a larger goal- a new country.

Leadership is about acting in the interest of a cause larger than ourselves.

I yearn for that type of leadership today.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us many gifts, but they will fail if we do not use them in the service of others, Amen

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, …                                                                Ecclesiastes 3

As I sit on my patio writing this blog, I am soaking in the beauty of summer. The pond is clear and babbling with a gentle waterfall. My resident frogs hop warily on the lily pads, waiting for evening dinners of moths and any other unlucky critters that fly near the lights. Flowers surround the pond and the trees in the background sway gently in a warm evening breeze.

Then I think about the brevity of summer. Yes, this is wonderful, but it will pass all too soon. Indeed, our lives will be passing as well. Such is the circle of life.

I recall a breakfast many years ago with my mentor who was twenty years my senior. At one point he said, “You know, I have about four hundred or five hundred more Saturdays left, maybe less.”

This took me aback as he said it so dispassionately and matter-of-factly. He had calculated that maybe he had 8, or maybe 10 years left in his life. He had decided to treasure each of those Saturdays. It was not a morbid thought for him and he did not intend it to be for me. He was simply acknowledging that his time was growing relatively short.

Seasons come and go, and the older we get, the faster they go. Actually, there is a scientific reason that time does seem to go faster as we age, but that is a blog for another time.

The point is, we are subject to changing seasons. I love summer, and my family would attest to the fact that it is very hard to keep me indoors during the Spring and Summer (Autumn as well for that matter!) I have decided to soak in as much as each season has to offer. Enjoying each season as it comes helps us to live in the moment and not rue the passage of time.

So, enjoy this wonderful season. Soak in the beauty of flowers, long evenings, and all the Vitamin D that the sun has to offer!

Prayer: Lord, you have made this earth a scientific marvel of change and beauty!