Month: January 2019

The Tale of Two Jasmines

NOT PEOPLE

A couple of years ago I bought two Carolina Jasmines from a high quality nursery. They were equals in size and vitality. I planted them in identical fashion with no variation, and no kidding, they were planted exactly the same, even the large pots were the same.

plantnursery
Nothing better than a high quality nursery for getting good quality plants!

OPTIMISM

 I chose the Carolina due to its hearty reputation. It’s impervious to summer heat, winter cold, and is easy to grow. They like containers and they seemed happy and well suited to their surroundings.  

Such was my optimism. 

REPORT CARD

Joyfully, one grew tall, full and prospered beyond expectations. It grows so rapidly that it demands pruning every few months. I could take a machete to it.

carolina-jasmine-plant-jasmine-false-carolina-jasmine-plant-care
Not my thriving Jasmine, but close, really very close.

Sadly, its twin hasn’t done as well. It has toiled, struggled and failed. Well, its grown from where it started but compared to her sister she’s produced a shameful result. 

deadplants
Not my struggling Jasmine, but you get the idea!

GIVING UP?

No, not giving up, not yet. I have fed and fertilized. I have pruned and carefully snipped the dead vines. I’ve given extra care to make sure it’s neither under or over watered. 

Is it making a comeback? I don’t know yet, but I’m hopeful. 

AND…?

The tale of two Jasmines has offered some insights:

  • There was no guarantee that each would be as the other.
  • Although identical when purchased, their appearances rapidly differed. 
  • I’ve been discouraged over the Jasmine that dared to be dull.
  • I could have been grateful for the one that’s prospered, but I didn’t.
  • It could be said that I’ve been a bit obsessed by the Jasmine plants.

THE SPIRITUAL

Jesus taught that a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. But he wasn’t really talking about trees, he was talking about hearts, about us.

He once cursed a Fig tree for looking healthy but on closer inspection discovered it was barren, producing no fruit at all. Isn’t the value of a Fig tree the fruit it produces?

The Prophet Jonah complained bitterly about the heat. So, the Lord provided him with a shade tree. But Jonah was bitter about other things too, like the Assyrians, whom he hoped would be annihilated. It seemed that he cared more for the tree than he did for the people. So, he lost his tree and its shade. Jonah was obsessed with two things: Assyrian annihilation and a tree. Of the two, the tree was most important.

IN CLOSING 

  • Are we irritated with God about the “failed Jasmine’s” in our lives?
  • Do we think too much about how we look compared to someone else? 
  • Has bitterness seeped into our souls from the unfairness of it all?  
  • When we obsess over the superficial do we risk a barren, unfruitful heart? 
  • Is there risk for striving to look good on the outside but are ugly on the inside?

Isn’t the value of a good heart the good fruit it produces?

It’s The Tale of Two Jasmines 

Shalom 

I Love Pets!

AN UPDATE

This is an important update, almost a retraction, but not quite.

Yesterday morning in 2nd service I was in the middle of my message, just droning on and on as is my way, when I commented about pet ownership. It wasn’t favorable.

Now I’m under siege from those who love their pets and are wondering how they ended in a church with a Minister who hates pets. They will probably call for my resignation or a show of no confidence. Pet owners are serious people. 

FOR THE RECORD

I don’t dislike pets, I’m not a hater. Over the years the following hairy little critters have shared our space:

  • a Golden Retriever named Mitzi 
  • a Dachshund named Spot
  • Shatera the cat
  • Peaches the cat
  • Newman the cat
  • Merlin the Cat 
  • Various unnamed fish in a bowl
  • Fritz the parakeet (that may not have been his name)
  • a hamster named Fluff Ball or something 

Our years of pet ownership spans 1979 to 2017 or 38 happy, wonderful, fun filled years.

Happy Wonderful and Fun

But now, we are pet free. My wife would like another dog, and maybe another cat. We had a cat named Merlin (see picture below) who we donated to our son when we were selling our home.

Merlin and I struggled. Ours was not a peaceful, happy relationship. He chose to urinate on every horizontal surface that I usually sit or sleep on, multiple times. 

 

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Merlin wearing a tie, it’s Office Merlin. He belongs to our son now. I don’t believe in dressing pets. 

LET ME BE CLEAR

In general, I have nothing against pets or anyone who has them. In fact, I love animals and enjoy watching Animal Planet. I like those shows about the cute, adorable puppies and the super-cute playful kitties. So sweet. 

But after 38 years I called it quits. Here are just a few of things I miss the most:

  1. every corner of the house being confused with a litter box
  2. puppies who required months to house train, if lucky
  3. the bird that tormented the cat (some epic battles between the species) 
  4. a cat bringing dead birds, lizards, mice and a few snakes into the house
  5. an 85 pound dog that ate more than I did
  6. a squeaky hamster wheel that no safe and harmless lubricants could silence
  7. visits to the vet, followed by follow up visits to the vet, and then more visits
  8. cats with snarky, snooty attitudes who got more attention than I did 
  9. cleaning up the back yard even though I was promised I would never have to. 

That’s probably enough of what I miss most. 

TO CLOSE

The Golden Retriever was my daughter’s dog and the two of them were best friends. Actually, I was really glad about that. My son likes cats, he finds them cool and interesting. His cat Newman terrorized animals and humans alike, but he sure was entertaining. Frankly, I’ve never found fish easy to connect with emotionally, or hamsters or parakeets. But we had them. 

I don’t hate animals or despise pets, I’ve simply retired. It was time.

Throwing Out/Bringing In

INTRODUCTION

We moved a lot when I was in school and as the new kid the others would exclude or treat me different. It was always hard being the new kid.

In high school there was a girl with braces on her legs and used canes to walk. She was often treated mean and cruel, not by everyone, but by too many.

Kids can be mean and cruel. Where do they learn to be like that? 

FIRST CENTURY ISRAEL

The dominant Jewish spiritual leaders were known as Pharisees. They were typically devout and dedicated men of God. But there were Pharisees who were not good men, not all of them but too many.  Some were so extreme in their views they flirted with fanaticism. They could be thought of as radical extremists, and mean. 

They were known, “To throw people out of the synagogue.” It was breaking fellowship by casting out being cast out anyone they didn’t deem suitable. Who would they throw out? Anyone who disagreed with their interpretation of Torah. The sick, diseased and defiled. Those who they pronounced as unclean and unwanted. 

Religious leaders can be mean and cruel. Where do they learn to be like that? 

AND JESUS?

Well, he was altogether different. He was passionate, devout and dedicated too. But his devotion to his message and ministry wasn’t about exclusion, but inclusion. Read this:

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

While some were busy throwing people out Jesus was busy bringing them in. He came for those who were lost, he came for the sinners: defile and rejected. 

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” 

Jesus wasn’t “soft” on sin, just soft on sinners. He taught righteous living and keeping the covenant with Yahweh. He practiced love, mercy and forgiveness. 

jesus-and-the-little-children
Not the real Jesus, but close, really very close. He practiced love, mercy and forgiveness.

IN CLOSING

Some are expert in shunning sinners and throwing them out. That’s a shame, because Jesus was expert in accepting sinners and bringing them in. 

He had compassionate towards the lost, for they were sheep without a shepherd. 

Sinners are often treated mean and cruel, not by everyone, but by too many.

Shalom

What’s Cool?

Back to the summer camp in the New Mexico Mountains that I wrote about on Monday.

HIKING

One of the fun activities for campers was to go on hikes. Once or twice each week the counselors would take their campers hiking.

I would hurry, as the Pots & Pans Washer, to get the kitchen cleaned up so I could go on the afternoon hike. 

INCREDIBLE VIEWS

The hikes always took us to a places with amazing views. Once we arrived we rested, or explored a bit, until it was time to head back to camp.

On one beautiful mountain day at a magnificent vista were some hikers who were there when we arrived. There were four of them and they were sitting at the edge of a high cliff looking at whatever there was to be seen. One of the counselors and I walked over to say hello. They seemed surprised by our presence and were not in a chatty mood. They seemed familiar to the counselor, he smiled visited for just a moment and then we walked back to our group and back to camp. 

They were interesting to see. They were relatively young, I guessed maybe in their 20’s and had long hair and were wearing things that seemed odd to me. They wore old ratty jeans, hiking books, vests and had head bands. They wore bracelets of silver and leather and they sat there at the edge of the mountain, quiet and still. 

BACK TO CAMP

As we walked along I sidled up to the counselor and asked if he knew those guys. He said, “I don’t know them personally, but I know who they are.”

It turned out that they were a rock band, and a famous one at that. Being 14 I didn’t know much about rock bands, but Milton, the counselor was very excited that he got to talk with them.

THAT NIGHT

So that night, after washing the evening meal pots and pans, I got cleaned up and ready for the devotional. The guys in the band had long hair and wore leather head bands. So, I unlaced a leather lace from one of my hiking boots and wrapped it around my head and tied it in a bow at the back. UhHuh.

I thought I looked really cool. Mind you I had a buzz cut hair style, and there wasn’t a hair on my head that any chance of falling into my eyes. I walked up to Milton and he said, “What is that on your head?” I said, “Its my hair band.” He said, “Why are you wearing it.” And I said “To keep the hair out of my eyes.” Then he said, “You look ridiculous, take that dumb thing off.”

I did. 

TO  CLOSE

I didn’t really know what cool looked like and I really wasn’t the kind of kid who looked to rock bands to imitate their look. 

Eventually, I learned that my identity, values, and choices needed to be influenced by better sources, beginning with my relationship to God of holiness and righteousness. My life didn’t need to reflect whatever was popular at the moment. It wasn’t from the world that I needed to base my life, but on things eternal.

Besides, I needed to put the lace back in the boot for the next hike.

Shalom

You Never Know!

SAD, LONELY & DISCONNECTED

The first time I ever felt alone and disconnected happened the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I was fourteen. I had been “hired” to work at a camp in the New Mexico Mountains for eight weeks as part of the kitchen staff, not the cooking part, but the cleaning. I washed the pots and pans. I was, “The Pot Washer.” 

The lonely part happened when dad dropped me off. He stayed long enough to see me settled in my log cabin room, a space about 10′ x 10′ with no windows. There was a saggy bed, a rickety dresser that came over with Noah, and a wooden chair. Welcome home!

Dad gave me a hug, said to work hard and behave myself, then he drove off. I stood watching until I couldn’t see his car, then went into my room and started crying. It was an emotion I was unprepared to have.

The tears ran down my face for a few minutes when suddenly I heard a knock. I dried my eyes, opened the door and to my great surprise there were two girls, college girls. They were there to be counselors, and like me, for the whole summer. They were friendly, fun and super cute. There were more counselors too, for the boys and girls cabins.

I was the only high school kid on the staff. For eight glorious weeks I hung out with a dozen college students, it was the best summer ever. 

On the last day my brother arrived to take me home and the tears streamed again. Not because I felt sad, alone and disconnected but because I didn’t want to leave!

images

A FEW THOUGHTS

  1. If I knew how sad I was going to be when dropped off I wouldn’t have gone. 
  2. If I knew how small, sparse, and lonely my room was I wouldn’t have gone. 
  3. If I knew how grimy and greasy those pots would be, I wouldn’t have gone.
  4. If I knew how much fun I was going have I would have hitched hiked to go.

IN CLOSING

We never know what’s around the corner, it’s because we can’t see it. From the worst situations can come the best experiences. From that which we suffer can come surprising blessings of happiness. Keep the faith because, you never know! 

Hey, I think I hear someone knocking on the door!

 

 

 

The New Year’s New You

The mess has been cleaned up. The confetti, streamers and hats have been dumped into America’s landfills. The calendar has turned. 

Happy New Year

DIFFERENT? 

It’s January and about a week’s gone by since we put up the new calendar. I’t’s on the refrigerator and it has pictures of cats, and it’s cute if you like that sort of thing and several in my family do, and me, well, let’s move on. 

fullsizer
Not one of the cats in the calendar, but close, really very close.

I can’t say the New Year has made much difference. Maybe it’s just me. I wasn’t jumping up and down about 2018 being over and I wasn’t bouncing about the new year starting. The new year hasn’t made me new, I’m just a week older.

However, a few thoughts I had:

  • it’s 11 months and two weeks until Christmas
  • it’s eight months until the new college football season
  • it’s four months until my birthday
  • it’s one month until my next Holy Land Tour
  • it’s tomorrow that I have breakfast at a Waffle House

I know, my life is seems terribly exciting. But it’s not all glamor and games.

The new year will bring some good things.

  • more progress for the gospel with the people of Cuba
  • more homeless families will find a home
  • more hot food will be served to the hungry
  • more souls will come to know the love of God
  • more lives will be forever changed

FOR YOU

Whatever you do with New Years and however it affects you just know that the God of all grace cares for you. His plan for your life remains steadfast and authentic. 

Some say that God is good. Some say God is good all the time. Life can be good, but defintely not all the time. 

ManWalkingThroughDarkTunnel
Will there be light at the end of your tunnels?

IN CLOSING

Sometimes there are days when life is good, really good, and you rise up to the highest peaks of Mt Victory! But sometimes there are days when life isn’t so good and you drop down into the valley of despair. When those days come try to keep your chin up, decide not give up, and keep looking up, because on your hardest days God is still there, he still cares and he’s still good.

Shalom