I purchased the new Bob Dylan album Friday.  It is terrific!  The first song on the disc is, ‘I Contain Multitudes.’  Some of the lyrics are:

‘ I’m just like Anne Frank, like Indiana Jones

And them British bad boys, The Rolling Stones

I go right to the edge, I go right to the end

I go right where all things lost are made good again

I sing the songs of experience like William Blake

I have no apologies to make

Everything’s flowing all at the same time

I live on the boulevard of crime

I drive fast cars , and I eat fast foods

I contain multitudes’

Bob Dylan

Pastor Kerry told us this morning in our Zoom Church sermon, that we are all ‘slushee.’  Simply put we members of the human family are a unique and enriching and exciting mixture of many things.  We are mammals seeking our creator.   We come from the dust of the ground and we reach toward the heavens!  We live and love and laugh…and cry and mourn and grieve.  We have the unparalleled ability to be aware of ourselves and our life and our place in the world and its effect on those that we know and love.  We understand that we are going to die…and we contemplate the meaning of it all…   When a person attests that they have a narrow and restricted view of life and their role in it…I  am quizzical or dismayed…or frightened.  

The long standing fight to pigeonhole or marginalize or gaslight others…is not the answer to our pressing problems.  The answer is to build a long….long….long…table and invite all of our brothers and sisters to break bread and to listen to each other…and to see each other….and to understand…

Photo by Justin Hamilton on Pexels.com

Photo by Kenneth Carpina on Pexels.com

Photo by Leo Cardelli on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Photo by Burak K on Pexels.com

Photo by Ray Bilcliff on Pexels.com

As I walked the beautiful Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale campus…I was struck with the idea that something good was going to happen!  We are in sore need of something good.  It is easy to develop the ocular malady of tunnel vision.  When in reality there are golden opportunities all around us!  

SIUC is a force for good in Little Egypt!  It has the diversity of thought and people and academic disciplines that can meet the intellectual and social needs of anyone that is seeking to participate and understand the breadth of the human experience.   

This week our campus welcomed our new chancellor, Dr. Austin Lane, and he brings with him his demonstrated skill in turning a university around and placing it on the road to success!  Let us not only welcome him and his family…but let us work with him to make something good happen!  

Adults used to speak of many esoteric ideas when I was a lad in Eldorado, Illinois.  Manners were drilled into my head.  My mom told me that if I was at a friends house and they invited me to lunch or supper…I was supposed to decline at least once and perhaps twice before I accepted on the third invitation.  On more than one occasion I was so hungry that I could visualize partaking in the  delicious and fragrant food that was displayed on the kitchen or dining room table!  Mom and I did not have many worldly possessions…but we had our pride!  We did not want to appear needy or be called a leech…  There was a code of conduct that was not always written but yet was to be observed and obeyed!  You never referred to your elders by their first name unless they had invited you to do so.  As a mature man of 40 years…I could not imagine that the SIU Chancellor candidate, Dr. Jo Ann Argersinger, had insisted on me calling her Jo Ann…  I had been raised to always refer to people by their title as a sign of respect for what they had accomplished in life.  I was guilty of swearing or cussing…since my youth…from time to time…but you never cursed in front of women and you were constantly mindful of the audience that your salty discussions were transpiring in front of.  I was taught to stand up for what I though was right…irregardless of anyone standing with me…  I understood that the courage of my convictions were more important than my job or committee or social standing!  Indeed I have publicly stood upon my convictions at SIUC when it was the most politically unpopular thing to do!

I ruminate and cogitate and mull over my opinions and words and thoughts…for a long time.  I have never spoken quickly…and I would rather listen to another orate.  I thoroughly enjoy the warm comfort of going along with the group that I am a member of…as long as I agree with their creed and the bullet points of their standard!  To disagree is as uncomfortable as a burr underneath the saddle of a compliant horse.  But when I am compelled to go against the accepted thought and to rock the boat of shared assumptions…I do so without regret!  

I abhor being manipulated!  This procedure has happened to me on several occasions during my 62 years and 8 months.  I know it when it is happening and I have rejected it for at least 30 years.  When you ask me my opinion…I will provide you with my unadulterated and well thought out view on the subject at hand.  I almost never answer quickly…because I want to be true to what I feel in my heart as well as what I understand with my head!  

I have never felt the need to affirm my considered opinion.  I offer my opinions in humility and the permanent understanding that I could be wrong…but that I have thought about what I offered publicly…for some time…

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

I stood against the mis-firing of former chancellor Jo Ann Argersinger, over 20 years ago, and an administrator informed me that I was in danger of loosing my job as well the 150 people that I was the manager of…and I did not back down…

I have said for many years…do not ask for an opinion unless you are prepared for one that disagrees with your own…  Do not ask for an opinion that may disagree with your own unless you are willing to live by the results of the survey…

Phase 4 begins Friday…in Illinois.  We can eat inside the restaurant of our choice as long as social distancing is observed and tables are spaced 6 feet apart.  For standing areas restaurants need to limit capacity to 25%.  Indoor theatre are limited to 50 people or 50% of capacity.  Outdoor venues are limited to 20% capacity.    These measures are positive and risky…if not observed properly…  Covid-19 has not caught, ‘the last train for the coast,’ as the, ‘Father Son and the Holy Ghost,’ of the famous Don McLean song, American Pie!  

And, so, we must make up our mind as to the next step on the tightrope of our 2020 pandemic.  The plan is for our primary schools and universities to open for in class learning in the fall.  This plan is not business as usual but rather a detailed accommodation for living in the midst of a virus that has already taken over 120 thousand lives in the United States…and a current upsurge in over 20 states.  Many of the states that are undergoing a spike in COVID-19… began safeguards late and ended them early.  Many politicized the pandemic and the wearing of face masks and social distancing.  The virus does not care who is the president and is oblivious to his rhetoric.  Epidemiologist tell us that the Coronavirus is spread from human to human by aerosol.  Speaking…singing…yelling…wind instruments…all propel the virus if you are a carrier of COVID-19!  The empirical facts of transmission have not changed…and will not until we have a vaccine.  

I learned at an early age, to my chagrin, that there are things that I have to do and things that I want to do…there are items that I need and items that I want…  Our present conundrum may fit this equation?  During our isolation I have been grocery shopping…we need groceries.  Our church has been meeting on the virtual platform of zoom for months…and it has been inspiring and enriching!  I chose to have our Father’s Day lunch by curbside delivery from Del Sol’s.  

We are all influenced by our social circles.  We love to hear what our friends are doing and what they think about a subject.  We may know people and friends and relatives that assure us that the uproar regarding the pandemic is a tempest in a teapot!  It may be comforting to know people that have not observed social distancing or who do not wear face masks and who tell us to live our lives to the fullest, and not to worry…or who say that we are entering stage 4 and so the virus will not infect you as long as you follow the safety guidelines…  Has anyone asked the Coronavirus opinion?

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by Korhan Erdol on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by Nandhu Kumar on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Photo by u0110u00f4ng Viu1ec5n on Pexels.com

We all are afflicted with a bit of a sense of invincibility.  We have been through much in our lives…and survived the battles and have the subsequent scars to prove it!  We have been struck by the lightning of chance on more than one occasion.  But seldom did my being struck…cause you to die… 

When I was a lad living in Sauk Village, near Chicago, my friend, Steve, had a group of marionettes.  I was mesmerized by them!  Steve lived across the street from me.  He would bring them over and put on a puppet show for me and a group of my 3 and 4 year old colleagues.  Steve was a few years older than us and his sister, Susie, was older than him.  I remember Punch and Judy being a part of the puppet ensemble.  I had a bit of a crush on Susie and she hugged me on ever occasion that we met…  

‘Punch and Judy is a traditional puppet show featuring Mr. Punch and his wife Judy.  The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between the characters, most typically Mr. Punch and one other character who usually falls victim to Mr. Punch’s slapstick.  It is often associated with traditional British culture.  The various episodes of Punch comedy-often provoking shocked laughter-are dominated by the clowning of Mr. Punch.’    Wikipedia

The puppeteer expertise of my friend in pulling the right strings to facilitate the smooth movements of his intimate marionette brigade were magical to behold!  

At times I have found myself performing intricate machinations…that I really could not trace to any particular idea that I had possessed…  So often we accomplish our daily functions by rote…and with little thought as to the reason why or passion for the procedure!  

I developed an appreciation for people that think for themselves… over 30 years ago.  The stultifying culture of follow the leader is claustrophobic and suffocating.  As my mother often asked me, ‘If everyone was jumping off or a cliff…would you jump also?’  

One of the premier qualities of being a member of the First Presbyterian Church is that the members think for themselves.  I just enjoyed three enlightening conversations today with my fellow congregants.  The Presbyterian Church USA believes that God speaks to all of his human handiwork and thus does not leave you at the mercy of a ministers human frailty to direct your faith journey.  The polity of the denomination provides for a board of elders that are elected by the congregation and who serve prescribed terms.  The session, moderated by the pastor, is the local church government.  I have never encountered two presbyterians that were in lock step in their thinking or their methodology for producing successful results for the church body.  They are engaging and free thinkers…and it is a breath of fresh air!  

When I witness political movements that walk in synchronization with their elected leader…I am reminded of a cult.  I have worked with great leaders in all arenas of life…and made it a practice to disagree with them on a regular basis.  Each of these university administrators or pastors understood that I would never fain subservient acquiescence to their ideas…rather I could be counted on to offer them my unvarnished opinion along with my rationale for it.  

During my over 32 years at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale…and my 51 years as a christian…I have observed the deleterious affects of people being afraid to speak up against wrong…or being more concerned for their own well being and well fair than to take the risk to save their fellow human beings from suffering and loss!

It a wonderful and temperate  day in Carbondale!  I am a bit like Goldilocks in that I do not care for the hard bed…or the soft bed…but only the bed that is just right!  I laughed when I saw a posting on Facebook of a Golden Retriever who was carrying a long stick in her mouth.  She walked up to a garden doorway, that had no obstruction on either side of it, and proceeded to endeavor to fit the lengthy piece of wood through the narrow opening…horizontally.  Then she slowly backed up and turned around and began to walk backwards…as she turned her head and body just enough to get the stick through.  It is amazing how our parameters of life change when we look at our problems from another angle.

Photo by PhotoMIX Company on Pexels.com

Photo by Deeana Creates on Pexels.com

Photo by Chelsea Cook on Pexels.com

Photo by Harrison Haines on Pexels.com

Photo by Airam Dato-on on Pexels.com

Photo by Luis Gallegos Alvarez on Pexels.com

Photo by W R on Pexels.com

Photo by Godisable Jacob on Pexels.com

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels.com

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Photo by Life Of Pix on Pexels.com

Photo by Sunyu Kim on Pexels.com

Photo by Henry & Co. on Pexels.com

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Our 2020 pandemic has changed our plans…  When I retired at the end of 2010…I planned on traveling a few times a year.  We were able to enjoy trips to Europe in both 2011 and 2012…but 2013 brought us serious health concerns.  The kind of concern that take travel out of your vision…even your peripheral vision…for a season!  Thankfully our fears of 2013 came out with an excellent diagnosis and treatment plan that ended with continued health success!  In 2014 we spent a month in Europe and in 2016 we relished 3 weeks in the United Kingdom.  Life has a way of presenting reversals of fortune…that must be negotiated!

When we shut the physical doors of our church due to COVID-19…our great pastor and several members of our board worked to facilitate Zoom Church…which is working out wonderfully!  It has brought our congregation a smooth transition from their shared church experience to a virtual and vital gathering that is a blessing…

I was inspired when I saw our local restaurants and bars begin to provide al fresco dining for their customers.  Everyone was happy with the simplicity of the healthy solution to a serious dilemma.

Photo by ELEVATE on Pexels.com

Photo by ELEVATE on Pexels.com

Photo by Cassiano Psomas on Pexels.com

Photo by Daria Sannikova on Pexels.com

Photo by Vincent Rivaud on Pexels.com

Photo by Pierre Blachu00e9 on Pexels.com

I saw a great photo of Aaron and Jonathon and me at Katy O’Ferrell’s in Cape Girardeau, Missouri that was snapped last Father’s Day.  We were grinning like possums eating persimmons!  There was not a thought in our heads about the Coronavirus…  Father’s Day is almost here again…and I am excited!

Photo by Hannah Nelson on Pexels.com

Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Photo by Emma Bauso on Pexels.com

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

Photo by u5b6b u7f9au860b on Pexels.com

Photo by Laura Garcia on Pexels.com

Photo by Tatiana Syrikova on Pexels.com

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas on Pexels.com

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

Photo by Vidal Balielo Jr. on Pexels.com

Photo by Josh Willink on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It seems to me that one of the foremost human occupations is our eternal search for happiness.  At one time I thought that were I lived could bring me an enhanced happiness experience.  At other times I have believed that travel, and a lot of it, was the pathway to nirvana.  It is in my later years that I have discovered that I carry my happiness with me.  It is more of a heart emanation rather than an identification with place.  I can be abundantly happy writing a blog…or reading a book…or listening to a compelling sermon…or enjoying great jazz or blues music!

So often I have struggled to get the stick that I was carrying through the door…when I could have just stepped to the side and had a wide entrance!

Have you ever thought about a pervasive problem so much that your head hurt?  Or have you sought the counsel of experts who provided you with a plan for success that in some ways had no relationship to your institution or demonstrated mission?  I recall the organization that I worked my career in, Building Services, being evaluated by a team of consultants from Georgia.  As I sat and listened to their presentation it became clear to me that they really knew very little about our group.  They assured us that they were going to interview each of us to ensure that they’re cleaning plan for us would be accurate. I later discovered that they interviewed no one and returned to their Georgian home base to map out their system on floor plans for each university building, on the building layout drawings that had been provided for them by Architectural Services.  In a few weeks we received the 40 thousand dollar consultant diagrams…and no on could relate to them and they subsequently had to be re-written by each of our 30 custodial crews before that they could be implemented in some vague semblance!  The further that you remove yourself from the people who understand the operation and what it takes to make it a success…the more lost that you become…

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Photo by Matheus Viana on Pexels.com

Photo by lalesh aldarwish on Pexels.com

Photo by Samantha Garrote on Pexels.com

Photo by Luca Nardone on Pexels.com

Photo by ThisIsEngineering on Pexels.com

Photo by Roman Carey on Pexels.com

Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU on Pexels.com

Photo by Thau00eds Falcu00e3o on Pexels.com

I have been a member of a church for the past 51 years.  I was 12 years old when I began attending.  Prior to that I went to Bible School at the First Christian Church that was around the corner and a few block from my house.  I recall being captivated by the story of Moses and the children of Israel.  The teacher asked me to explain my understanding of the Old Testament story.  When I had completed my meager remarks…I felt inspired and the instructor told me that she had never heard a young person speak so heartfelt regarding Moses…  I am certain that it was,

Not eloquent…but it was heartfelt…and I remember it 54 years later!

It is possible to push a hope or a vision…so hard…that you cannot see the forest for the trees!  For many years I advised chancellors and presidents at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale that the secret of success for our recruitment and retention of our precious students…was first to love them. By love I mean to befriend them.  To care about them when they are happy… and to be a shoulder to cry on when they are sad…  Dynamic interactions create a magnetic drawing of those who are hungry to see the love of Christ demonstrated by their fellow humans!

Photo by Arvind shakya on Pexels.com

Photo by namo deet on Pexels.com

Photo by Yogendra Singh on Pexels.com

Photo by hitesh choudhary on Pexels.com

Photo by Dazzle Jam on Pexels.com

Photo by Lucxama Sylvain on Pexels.com

Photo by Nicholas Githiri on Pexels.com

Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Photo by Barcelos_fotos on Pexels.com

Photo by Dhyamis Kleber on Pexels.com

Photo by Charles on Pexels.com

Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

When members of your congregation seem dis-connected from the numerous missions of your church…they are not complainers…..they are hungry for someone to invite them in and to care about them and to value what they have to offer!

Church growth is not about targeting a select group of brothers and sisters that are mirror images of you and your congregation.  We are in he midst of a 2020 pandemic that may be a 2021 pandemic…and beyond.  We have nearly 40 million people out of work in the United States.  There are protests across the globe regarding the murder of Mr. George Floyd and the cancer of racism…  God is searching for somewhere to send his lost sheep who are battered and beaten and crushed by the inhumanity of their fellow man…  Let us be the shelter in the time of storm…

Photo by Trinity Kubassek on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Photo by kailash kumar on Pexels.com

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Photo by Paul Seling on Pexels.com

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com

Photo by Matthis Volquardsen on Pexels.com

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Photo by Gabriel Peter on Pexels.com

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com

Photo by Trace Hudson on Pexels.com

Photo by Lukas Hartmann on Pexels.com

Photo by Su00fcleyman u015eahan on Pexels.com

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com

The weather is changing in Carbondale.  Storms are on the horizon and the temperature is supposed to fall.  Yesterday I saw the most magnificent duck family and was able to take a few photos.  The weather is in a state of unrest…much as our country…  The decision is before child care facilities and churches and businesses…to open or not to open.  MJ got her first haircut, in a few months, today…and she is quite happy about it!  I heard on the radio that 23 states are experiencing spikes in Covid-19 cases.  Just because a church is no longer under governmental restrictions for reopening…does that mean that it is essential that they reopen immediately?

I have ruminated on the subject of what does it take for a minister of a christian church to be a good pastor?  This would be due to the fact that in my 51 years as a christian…I have experienced all kinds.  I come from the old holiness people who believed that to be a minister or a pastor…you had to have a calling.  Now, that does not mean that a pastor should be an itinerate  preacher…although I have been blessed by the ministry’s of some of these expositors.  In fact the Presbyterian Church USA is an organization that produces detailed and lengthy and theological degree holding, pastors.  Also, the first consideration that a congregant should hold dear to their heart is that their pastor is as human as they are.  I do not want to disillusion you…but there is no magic dust or pixy dust that is sprinkled on the head of your pastor!

Photo by luizclas on Pexels.com

Photo by Tu00fa Nguyu1ec5n on Pexels.com

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Photo by Tu00fa Nguyu1ec5n on Pexels.com

Photo by Jennifer Murray on Pexels.com

Photo by Digital Buggu on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

Photo by Carlo Martin Alcordo on Pexels.com

Photo by Ricardo Garcia on Pexels.com

Photo by Rene Asmussen on Pexels.com

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

Photo by Janko Ferlic on Pexels.com

Photo by Su00fcleyman u015eahan on Pexels.com

Photo by Ekrulila on Pexels.com

Photo by Ekrulila on Pexels.com

Photo by Ekrulila on Pexels.com

Photo by John Lambeth on Pexels.com

Photo by Agostino Toselli on Pexels.com

However, there are certain gifts that all sincere members of a congregation should look for in a prospective pastor…or in their current pastor:

1. Does your pastor exhibit strong and empathetic care for all members of your congregation?
2. Are you intrigued by their humility and that they do not take themselves to seriously?
3. Does your pastor have the facility and methodology to bring all of the members of your congregation together?
4. Does your pastor connect with all members of your congregation…and is she/he able to telegraph to all members of the congregation their individual importance to the mission of your church?
5. Do you feel like your pastor is a breath of fresh air and a gift to your church family?
6. Is your pastor friendly, but not familiar?
7. Is your pastor good, but not gullible?
8. When you or a member of your family are experiencing a crisis…do you seek your minister’s pastoral counsel…or would you rather not?
9. When you hear a funny story or a cute anecdote…do you think of your pastor to share the narrative with?
10. When you are in a meeting with your pastor…do you feel comfortable and at peace…or are you anxious?
11. Do you enjoy having a cup of coffee with your pastor…or a glass of wine?

Churches succeed by the combined efforts of all of the members of the group…but those united labors are facilitated by a skilled and gifted leader…  Churches seek pastoral leadership and often have difficulty discovering a candidate that is a good fit for their mission and ministry.  When you discover the leader who is tuned into your fellowship and has the vision to take your church forward….you have found the pastor who is called…to journey with you…back to Jerusalem…

Saturday has become, Dutch Baby Breakfast at the Brooks Ranch!  The Baby is composed of; eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and vanilla.  It is baked in the oven @ 425 degrees for 25 minutes…and it is heavenly!  I am not a fan of pancakes…but Dutch Baby…is a different story!

So, after a lovely breakfast comes a grill day with Aaron.  He is a grill master!  I have been grilling for over 40 years…but he eclipses me in natural skills!  Ribeye steaks today and sausages for tomorrow…cooked on hot charcoal.

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Photo by pascal claivaz on Pexels.com

Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It  is quiet and peaceful in my neck of the woods.  We were zooming with our dear friends, Margo and Jeff, earlier this week, and Jeff mentioned our porch.  I told him that it is my favorite outside room of the house and that I spend a lot of time enjoying its wonders…in all seasons…  I take our zoom church service in sitting on the porch.  When I am on the porch my attitude improves…it becomes more sunny in nature…unless it is raining.  Almost all of my writing is accomplished on the screened in porch.

Life can be mellow…if you let it come to you, rather than chasing it.  Every now and again I get a little glimpse of how much more that we do not know…than we know…  We humans were created with the capacity and facility of contemplation and reflection.  All too often these vital mental and emotional and physical attributes are robbed from us by worry.  If you took a poll that asked how many people, out of a group of 10 are anxious, the honest answer…would be unanimous.  Now, many of the cares of our lives are unavoidable….But others can be lain aside.

Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Photo by Alexander Dummer on Pexels.com

Photo by Eternal Happiness on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Photo by Alexander Stemplewski on Pexels.com

Photo by Roy Reyna on Pexels.com

Photo by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Photo by Ali atiabi on Pexels.com

Photo by JC Cantila on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

Photo by mikoto.raw on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

I discovered not long after I retired that I could be more anxious than when I was working.  We are all in a bit of a hurry.  You see, we do not know our expiration date.  It is possible to work so hard at having fun that the only thing that you miss from the experience is the joy.

Faith is another area that we feel compelled to compete in.  For type A personalities…and others…it is difficult to sneek into the nearest, metaphorical, telephone booth as Clark Kent…and emerge as Superman/Superwoman.

I grew my mustache in 1993.  It was a big deal for me.  Jonathon and Aaron speculated on how long that I would wear the hair above my nose.  The common bet was 1 month.  That was 27 years ago…and for the past few years…I have added a beard.  Not long after I had added Mr. Mustache…a colleague told me that, ‘I wore my mustache…comfortably.’  I wonder if that is not how God would like for us to wear our lives…comfortably and in peaceful anticipation of his plan for us?

Of the multitude of things that I have worried about…most have never transpired.  I have been amazed at how good things have turned out for a poor and unskilled lad from Chicago…and reared in Little Egypt.  Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale was so good to me that I regularly said that I could not out give my second home!  Life has been the same abundance of mercy and care…demonstrated from so many precious people!

So, we are venturing out!  An al fresco lunch at one of our favorite restaurants is in our immediate future.  They have a terrific assortment of burgers.  It is a lovely day to contemplate the future.  Two and 1/2 million jobs were created in May…to the surprise of everyone!  There is good news out there…and it is important to take note of it and enjoy it.  Former Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, spoke of irrational exuberance fueling the markets…during his tenure.  We do not want to be irrationally exuberant…but moderate exuberance is sorely needed!

Our 2020 pandemic is still with us, and social distancing and face masks and hand washing are as important as ever.  However, most physicians would agree that living our lives, in a safe and cautionary manner, is vital to both our physical and mental health.  It is also essential to the economic survival of many of the millions who are out of work because of the coronavirus.  We can walk and chew gum…if we are careful…

We humans are completely dependent on each other.  You rely on me to wear a face mask to ensure that I do not infect you with COVID-19, and I rely upon you to do the same.  The United States is primarily a consumer economy that is fueled by a service industry.  We ceased to be a behemoth of manufacturing…many years ago.  When I heard that Illinois had passed a law that allowed bars and restaurants to sell mixed drinks to go….I thought what a smart move.  I did not admire the bold legislative move because of being a fan of mixed drinks in sealed plastic containers…but rather due to the fact that there are thousands of people that work for bars and restaurants, and who rely on alcohol sales for much of their income.

Well,…we drove to the restaurant at 11:40…and we were back home by 12:20…  When we arrived, all of the tables were resplendent with large umbrellas to shade the eager patrons from the sun’s rays.  All accept the one that was left for us.  The sun affects some of us…adversely.  I asked if there was one additional umbrella remaining?  There was not.  I inquired if any of the other tables were soon to be vacated.  They were not.  So we ordered take-out…and proceeded home.  I asked MJ if she had enjoyed her first foray into the world of semi-normalcy…and we agreed that it seemed like the last three months of our pandemic stay at home living…

A pleasant young lady telephoned MJ shortly after we arrived home.  She was happy to announce that they now had a table for us that had an umbrella….

We dipped our toe into the water…but it did not get wet!

MJ order us some tall porch chairs.  When I say tall, I mean that I have to stretch a little to sit in them.  I love them!  I am accustomed to being compelled to fold my legs under me…in short chairs.  I customarily seek the tallest chair in the room!  It is raining…once again.  Our Boston Terrier, Brody, has just returned from his peanut butter/hydrotherapy.  He is 16 + and tired…but happy.

I am continually inspired by our church board, called the session in the First Presbyterian Church, when I meet with them.  What an honest hearted and sincere group of humble christians.  They are amazing and inspiring!

We find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic….And an economic collapse that is likened to the Great Depression…and the murder of an African American by a police officer while his colleagues looked on…which has caused protests across our nation.  I was a member of a church, many years ago, that taught the seven last plagues spoken of in the book of Revelation.

So how to stay focused during the tsunami of calamities?  First we have to realize that we each receive bad news differently and we are affected on an individual basis.  My experience with the devastation of the over 40 million job losses is different from someone who has lost their job.  If you have lost a loved one to COVID-19…and I do not, personally, know anyone who has succumbed to the scourge…we understand its devastation from different experiences.

I can not begin to tell you how lost and lonely the family of Mr. George Floyd feels…as they watched their loved one die in his own country by members of a police force that was sworn to serve and protect…

I do know what is like to be poor in a rich country.  I do no what is like to work 16 and more hours per day…and be food insecure.  I do know what it is like for my friends and colleagues to feel that I must not have it all together…or be doing something wrong…to not be a success like they were…

The Apostle Paul said that he knew what it was to be, ‘abased and to abound,’ and I relate to that scripture.  During the course of my 62 1/2 years I have experienced both poverty and plenty…and I understand how it feels to be marginalized and ignored.

It is our burden and our blessing to reach out to the members of our human family.  We must not picture ourselves as winners of life’s lottery and self made women and men…we must understand and accept that we are the recipients of amazing grace!

Being shunned…and categorized and marginalized and pigeonholed…does terrible things to good people!

Photo by namo deet on Pexels.com

Photo by Dazzle Jam on Pexels.com

Photo by Arvind shakya on Pexels.com

Photo by hitesh choudhary on Pexels.com

Photo by Yogendra Singh on Pexels.com

Photo by Yogendra Singh on Pexels.com

Photo by Denniz Futalan on Pexels.com

‘First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionist, and I did not speak out-because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and did not speak out-because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.’

Martin Niemoller