The snow has finally melted (Thursday). Now, after weeks of ice covered streets, we’ve got huge potholes all over the place. Any weakness in the pavement got expanded by the freezing and re-freezing of the ice. The street cracks are now street holes. What do you do with potholes in February?
We know winter is not done with us yet. Permanent fixes take several days of good weather to set. Temporary fixes take huge amounts of manpower, time and money for something that may only be useful for a day or so before the next snowcover happens. Is it worth it to mess with potholes in February? I say, if it saves just one compact car from going down into a pothole and not coming back up, the fix is worth it.
As of Ash Wednesday, we’ve entered the season of Lent. Lent is about temporary fixes. We work toward Easter, filling the potholes of our souls in order to get back in right relationship with God and each other. We may not have time or energy for a permanent fix right now, but in these forty days, we can let go of what needs to be let go of, take on what God wants to give us, and make our road drivable, for now. Later, when the threat of ice is gone, we can do what needs to be done to fix our soul for good. But for now, that hole is too dangerous to be left untended.
Is there some one that you need to say “I’m sorry,” to? Is there someone that you need to let go, - realizing that you cannot change them? Do you need to forgive yourself for something done long ago?
Lent is the time to try those temporary patches for the wounds of our souls. In prayer, invite God into our wounds. Ask God for whatever it takes to begin the healing. Working together with God, the mystery of healing and wholeness happens. Easter is coming!
Grace & Peace,
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Journeys 2-18-07
By the time you read this, we’re supposed to be thawed out. But today, (Thursday), is the coldest day of the year so far. Since the snow storm Monday night, we’ve been living in a freezer.
The frigid cold slows all human activity down. That ancient hibernation gene kicks in and this old bear just wants to curl up in the back of my cave and sleep. The cold seems to take the air out of my car’s tires. It makes everything sound different; from the scrunch of my footsteps, to the pop of the rifles at the military salute at the cemetery, to the metallic ring of the shell casings hitting the ground.
Just breathing is like breathing into a paper bag; it takes a little more effort. Car doors and windows freeze shut. If you didn’t know it before, you now have intimate knowledge of your vehicles’ anti-freeze rating. Animals living outside are in danger. Getting them inside any kind of shelter raises the temperature 10 degrees.
The icy sidewalks and streets only melt with chemical assistance. Then it re-freezes when you’re not looking. When it’s this cold all outside moisture gets crystallized and falls to the ground. So my mom used to put a huge pot of water on the stove and let it simmer all day, replenishing it when it got down low. Now I follow in her footsteps. Even with pots of water put back into the air, my skin still feels dry.
Living in this kind of cold takes extra effort. It drains you. You only go outside if you have to. Our only consolation in Nebraska is that the weather will change. Sooner or later, our weather always changes. So we can hope that the frigid week we just lived through may be winter’s last attack. We’ve survived the coldest cold of this year and lived to brag about it. Survival may be what Spring is all about.
Grace & Peace,
The frigid cold slows all human activity down. That ancient hibernation gene kicks in and this old bear just wants to curl up in the back of my cave and sleep. The cold seems to take the air out of my car’s tires. It makes everything sound different; from the scrunch of my footsteps, to the pop of the rifles at the military salute at the cemetery, to the metallic ring of the shell casings hitting the ground.
Just breathing is like breathing into a paper bag; it takes a little more effort. Car doors and windows freeze shut. If you didn’t know it before, you now have intimate knowledge of your vehicles’ anti-freeze rating. Animals living outside are in danger. Getting them inside any kind of shelter raises the temperature 10 degrees.
The icy sidewalks and streets only melt with chemical assistance. Then it re-freezes when you’re not looking. When it’s this cold all outside moisture gets crystallized and falls to the ground. So my mom used to put a huge pot of water on the stove and let it simmer all day, replenishing it when it got down low. Now I follow in her footsteps. Even with pots of water put back into the air, my skin still feels dry.
Living in this kind of cold takes extra effort. It drains you. You only go outside if you have to. Our only consolation in Nebraska is that the weather will change. Sooner or later, our weather always changes. So we can hope that the frigid week we just lived through may be winter’s last attack. We’ve survived the coldest cold of this year and lived to brag about it. Survival may be what Spring is all about.
Grace & Peace,
Journeys 2-11-07
This Wednesday is Valentine’s Day; a holiday for love. My experience is that love happens in steps; gradually, over time. There is this base of trust and respect that gets built up with experience. But the feelings of love wax and wane. Blood-sugar levels, hormone surges, (or lack of hormone surges), tiredness, rested-ness, children and grandchildren all effect the feelings of love between two people. One day for love!?! How do you show someone your affection without going too far, or coming up short?
In my early teenage years, Valentine’s Day was an excuse to get up the gumption to do something about that girl I’d been watching closely for three years. In adulthood, it became more difficult. If I was dating someone, the challenge of Valentine’s Day was to do enough, but not too much. If I was unattached the hard part was to let someone know I might be interested without scaring them off. Since my marriage, the difficult task has been to surprise without leaving a paper trail. Cindy keeps the checkbook in our house. And with all transactions traceable on-line or in the check-book, it’s hard to sneak up on her on Valentine’s Day.
May God help us express our love this Valentine’s Day. I do believe that when ever love happens God is a part of it. And my standard funeral sermon is that love is eternal. The gift of love goes on way after we leave this earth.
Grace & Peace,
In my early teenage years, Valentine’s Day was an excuse to get up the gumption to do something about that girl I’d been watching closely for three years. In adulthood, it became more difficult. If I was dating someone, the challenge of Valentine’s Day was to do enough, but not too much. If I was unattached the hard part was to let someone know I might be interested without scaring them off. Since my marriage, the difficult task has been to surprise without leaving a paper trail. Cindy keeps the checkbook in our house. And with all transactions traceable on-line or in the check-book, it’s hard to sneak up on her on Valentine’s Day.
May God help us express our love this Valentine’s Day. I do believe that when ever love happens God is a part of it. And my standard funeral sermon is that love is eternal. The gift of love goes on way after we leave this earth.
Grace & Peace,
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Journeys 2-4-07
There is this gap in the calendar between New Years Day and Valentines’ Day. And we fill that gap in our frigid existence with Super Bowl Sunday. It’s a reason to get together. It’s a reason to buy sub sandwiches from our church youth groups.
Even if you don’t follow pro football, you have to acknowledge the reality of a bunch of highly paid athletes with generally short careers. I will admit to getting caught up in the commercials that bid millions to expose a world wide audience to their product. Every year there’s at least one shocker that grabs your attention. The game itself should be a good one; the best offense verses the best defense.
I must confess to using the NFL as a sleep aid for my Sunday afternoon naps. My kids know that they can change the channel when the snoring starts up from the sofa. It’s a vicious cycle. They turn up the sound to hear their show, wake me up, turn it back to the NFL for a couple first downs then start the whole thing over again.
Most of my sports attention gets taken up by college athletics; Nebraska Football, Duke Basketball, and, keeping up with the kids I’ve had in confirmation competing in Beatrice High School sports.
This year I invite you to use the Super Bowl as an excuse for old fashioned fellowship. The dead of winter is a good time to invite family, friends and neighbors over to watch the game together. Let no one watch half-time alone. Next week, we’ll talk about who had the best commercials.
Grace & Peace,
Even if you don’t follow pro football, you have to acknowledge the reality of a bunch of highly paid athletes with generally short careers. I will admit to getting caught up in the commercials that bid millions to expose a world wide audience to their product. Every year there’s at least one shocker that grabs your attention. The game itself should be a good one; the best offense verses the best defense.
I must confess to using the NFL as a sleep aid for my Sunday afternoon naps. My kids know that they can change the channel when the snoring starts up from the sofa. It’s a vicious cycle. They turn up the sound to hear their show, wake me up, turn it back to the NFL for a couple first downs then start the whole thing over again.
Most of my sports attention gets taken up by college athletics; Nebraska Football, Duke Basketball, and, keeping up with the kids I’ve had in confirmation competing in Beatrice High School sports.
This year I invite you to use the Super Bowl as an excuse for old fashioned fellowship. The dead of winter is a good time to invite family, friends and neighbors over to watch the game together. Let no one watch half-time alone. Next week, we’ll talk about who had the best commercials.
Grace & Peace,
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