A Few Thoughts...

After the halfway point on my walk this morning, heading back towards home, I saw something you don’t see every day.   It was a mockingbird chasing a hawk.   The hawk was probably five times the size of the mockingbird.   But the chase was all in the attitude.   The mockingbird was squawking and chirping in a language that would make a sailor blush.   The hawk wanted no part of it and was trying the flee but could not get away from the mockingbird. What had the hawk done?  What had agitated the mockingbird so much?  Had it been a transgression?  Was the hawk just too close for comfort?  Or did the two have a history.  I was walking a bit later than normal and had not yet seen this routine.  The unusual scene distracted and entertained me as I reflected on a myriad of permutations. As I’ve felt like the one receiving the squawk most of my life as a leader, I was surprised at how proud I was of the little mockingbird.  Maybe ...

Lent begins this Wednesday, and I am eager for the journey ahead. Our Lenten sermon series,   Iconic , invites us to explore stories and teachings of Jesus that have become deeply embedded in our culture. This week, we begin with the parable of the   Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) —Jesus’ response to the question,   “Who is our neighbor?” This question remains just as relevant today. Jesus’ answer was as surprising then as it is now: the hero of the story—the Samaritan—was the least expected to stop and help. Cultural biases and stigmas of the time made this story jarring. And yet, Jesus doesn’t simply answer the question outright; instead, Jesus poses one of his own:   “Which of these was a neighbor to the man?”   The lawyer who initially asked the question is confronted with his own biases and is forced to acknowledge the shocking conclusion:   “The one who showed mercy.”  Jesus then commands,   “Go and do likewise.”   Too often, devotional...

Have you ever felt like you're just going through the motions, tending to your daily tasks while missing out on something greater? Perhaps you've heard the call to step out in faith but hesitated, thinking, "What difference can I really make?" If so, you're not alone. This sentiment echoes the experience of Simon Peter, a fisherman whose encounter with Jesus would change the course of his life – and offers profound lessons for us today. Picture this: A crowded shoreline, people pressing in to hear a teacher speak. The teacher, needing space, borrows a fisherman's boat to address the masses. After finishing his lesson, he turns to the boat's owner, Simon, with an unexpected request: "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Now, Simon and his crew had been fishing all night without success. They were tired, frustrated, and probably eager to call it a day. Simon's initial response is one we might relate to: skepticism tinged...

By now, you have probably seen reporting on A.I. (Artificial Intelligence).  The format of the reports are almost humorously consistent.  There are a few moments of explanation on how computing reached this point.  There is a mention of A.I. being the quickest technology to reach one hundred million users. Then, the report often concludes with the pundit explaining that a portion or all of the report was written by A.I.  So, before I proceed. No, this blog was not written by A.I. Viewing these developments with some level of skepticism, I thought I would test A.I. out myself.  I had worked as a UNIX architect for almost a decade before responding to my call into ordained ministry. I still enjoy using technology to accomplish tasks.  Recently, I attended a Board of Ordained Ministry meeting where a few of my colleagues posited that A.I. performed better on some of the commissioning questions than several of the candidates.  Could this be right?  So...

A Bible, a smile, and a prayer of hope guide the chaplains of Maua Methodist Hospital. Rev. Solomon and Rev. Joyce are amazing in their love and care for those they serve. Their daily challenge is complex. How do you share the love of God with the suffering? And how do you share the love of God with the staff ministering to these needs? How do you faithfully serve the administration, doctors, nurses, staff, and patients all concurrently?    I was blessed to walk with Rev. Solomon through his day on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.  Although we worked until the late afternoon, what I share below all occurred before 10 a.m.  The experience we shared blessed me abundantly with reminders from a Bible, a smile, and a prayer of hope. The morning began early. As we arrived at the chapel around 7:15 a.m., I noticed Rev. Solomon and Rev. Joyce rearranging and wiping down the pews. They do not simply proclaim; they serve. Like so many pastors I know in so many settings throughout the wo...

It began with a testimony.   Speaking with a friend about a dozen other shared items we were working on for the church.   They took a moment to share about something special to them.   This friend had just finished a virtual half-marathon over the weekend.   Due to the pandemic, runners in Marathons run on their own and then report their times in.   As he shared this accomplishment there was joy in his voice not just of his own, but his son had also ran and completed the whole marathon.   It has been a twenty-two year tradition with this family of Marathon runners.   It would be an understatement to describe how impressed I was by the casual intentionality of the statement.  There was no judgement in my friend’s voice.   There was no hint of “look at what I’ve done.”   Only a testimony of what this annual discipline had brought in his life and family.   This morning, as I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.  I knew that ...

SGN is a show that has gone viral on YouTube.  With star power and home production quality, John Krasinski of “The Office” and "Jack Ryan" fame presents a simple look at various stories of hope during the current pandemic.  Bring plenty of tissues to watch these fifteen minute episodes.  Three have been posted at the writing of this blog.  The heart warming good stories are met with acts of kindness by persons doing something to make a difference during this time of social distancing. As we are now in the Easter season, people often forget the simplest truth of Easter.  It was good news!  The simplicity of God’s love for the world can sometimes get lost in the pageantry of Easter.  But, when you look closely the word gospel even translates to mean good news.  Good news is something that we continue to desperately need in times that are often frustrating and full of despair.  In the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ resurrection entered into the...

Do you know the maximum amount that can be carried by a human being?  When I look this up via google, I find that in the 1930s a man named Paul Anderson lifted 6,270 lbs and stood up with it on his shoulders.  To put that in perspective, that is about the weight of a limousine or SUV.  But, the heaviest amount carried by a human over any distance was Patrick Baboumian who carried 1,216 lbs. over ten yards.  That is the equivalent of carrying a fully grown grizzly bear or picking up one of the little two seater cars you see occasionally see around town and carrying them across a large room.  I can not even fathom either of these feats. And yet every day, I meet people who are carrying around weights that are too heavy to bear.  Worried about all things imaginable, they seem to have the weight of the world on their shoulders.  Maybe its their past, maybe it is fear, maybe its their worries, but they often seemed crushed by the weight.  In a world th...

Recently, Dave Ayers, a zamboni driver, got the most unexpected call.  For those Southerners like me, a zamboni is a machine that smooths over the ice on an ice rink.  They come out in hockey games between the three periods.  Like the people who drag grates over the infield between innings in a baseball game and wet the dirt to smooth things out and avoid dust, the zamboni smooths and refreezes the top of the ice for a smooth playing surface.  So, it was a shock when 42 year old Dave Ayers, a zamboni drive got the call to come into the game. Dave is the emergency goal keeper for the Carolina Hurricanes and the two other keepers were both injured.  Although starting slow and allowing two goals, Dave got up to game speed and being prepared he helped Carolina to a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs by stopping eight shots.  Dave described the event as a once in a lifetime experience.  When the moment came, Dave was ready! Lent is a season of prepara...

Have you ever read the Sermon on the Mount?  Let me commend it to you.  Many people refer to it as the best sermon ever.  You can find the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew from chapters 5 to 7.  The sermon is a summation of Jesus’ moral teaching.  And, this sermon of Jesus has been the core of Christian ethics for millennia. This sermon of Jesus begins with the beatitudes and reminders of how those who follow Jesus are blessed and that for each situation, God’s grace is enough.  The sermon then reflects on the Ten Commandments and Jesus expounds upon them in ways that call his followers to a high standard of living through having even pure intentions.  And, as I read and reflect on these passages I am often completely convicted of my own inadequacy and ways that I fall short of God’s will for my life. But recently as I was reading through them, in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount I found the most unexpected blessing.  In the middl...

When is the best day of your life?  No, the previous question is not a grammatical mistake.  Although most people would ask when “was” the best day of your life, I’m asking when “is.”  When we follow Jesus, today IS the best day of our life.  The glorious ability to follow Jesus in love and grace means that the delights of today can be beyond anything of our past. Following Jesus produces delight.  The beatitudes, statements of Jesus found in Matthew 5:1-12, remind us of this delight from our good fortune of being blessed to follow the Lord.  The Greek word makarios that we often translate as blessed means more than we think.  It means happy / fortunate.  My translation into English would be: being delighted due to good fortune.  So, the beatitudes of Jesus would translate into English as: Delighted are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Delighted are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Delighted are the meek, f...

In Sunday morning worship, we commonly say the Apostle’s Creed which is similar to parts of the Nicene Creed.  All of the Creeds provide us a reminder and opportunity to publicly proclaim as a church what we and fellow Christians believe and have believed about God from the time of Jesus.  In fact, the next time you have a United Methodist Hymnal in front of you take a look at 880-889 and you’ll see several affirmations of the Christian faith that we share with other United Methodists and many denominations of Christians around the world.  881 is the Apostle’s Creed that we say most often on Sunday mornings.   A question I often get is about the word “catholic” with a small c.  The word catholic often causes confusion.  The creeds use the Greek word for universal that was brought over to English and not used often in modern language.  When catholic is spelled with a lower case c it means universal or for all peoples.  When Catholic is spelled with...

This morning I was leaving the hospital after praying with a member who was awaiting a procedure.   A person walking by casually said, “Good morning pastor.”   I said, “Good morning.” I did not know the person, but had a name badge and cross on so I assumed that was how the person knew I was a pastor.   As our paths crossed, we exchanged a smile.   Continuing a few steps more, I heard the voice again.   “Pastor, don’t I know you?   You look so familiar?”   Momentarily concerned, I wondered if I was not recognizing a member in front of me.   We visited for a moment.   He did not know me and I did not know him, he just felt I looked familiar.   I asked if he had a pastoral need, but he didn’t at that moment.   He stopped me because he felt he recognized me.   And, he told me a story of who I reminded him of.   It was a pastoral couple who had brought him to faith decades ago.   He thought I might be their son. This happ...

The first suggestion is more of a rule than a suggestion.  Rule one is one that I hope everyone knows.  Don’t look directly at the sun!  It’ll burn your retina and cause short-term and potentially long-term eye problems.  Don’t do it.  Also, make sure that children around you are not staring directly at the eclipse as well.  My second suggestion is to pay attention.  You have to be awake and semi-prepared to see the eclipse.  An old cereal box  and some aluminum foil, a metal colander, or fancy eclipse watching glasses can all help you witness the spectacle first hand.  But if you nap, or more likely becomes so consumed by the business of a normal Monday that you don’t go outside, you’ll miss it. A third suggestion is to take a moment a to be mindful of the many wonders of orbital mechanics of which we are often not aware or daily take for granted.  We are blessed with an amazing universe.  Take a moment to give thanks for it i...

Last Fall, I transplanted a tree in my back yard.  I’m not sure if it is a maple or sweet gum tree.  But as Winter had passed and Spring arrived, the tree that I had transplanted had not yet shown any signs of Spring.  It looked dead.  The young once brown bark was dormant and grey.  I looked the transplanted tree up and down.  It must be dead.  Everything else was in bloom.  The flowers everywhere joyfully reached for the sun, the azaleas were bright, camellias were smiling, geraniums were showing off, and every other tree was beautifully green and leafy.  Yet winter seemed to have taken its sacrifice.  The transplanted mystery tree was dead. After noticing that the tree wouldn't make it, my prayer life seemed to realize many things that needed change.  Not every tree produces good fruit.  Sometimes branches that are not fruitful and need to be pruned.  My life in ministry seemed full of examples where I had hoped to see ...

When did authority, hierarchy, and religion become bad words?  Recently, I heard a mom tell her son that they believed in the Bible but not religion.  What?  How can we believe in a book that was formed by religion and yet not the religion itself?  This seems a peculiar reading of history at best.  The Bible was formed over centuries by the people of God as they collected the stories that helped them keep the faith and described the love of God actively working in the world.  The Bible helps us through faith to become wise about salvation and equips the people of God to do good works (2 Timothy 3:15-16).  The Bible is not against religion.  The Bible provides the correct understanding about what true religion is.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit and tested through centuries, the Bible provides both instruction and correction in how religion should be ordered.   But, before I’m too dismissive of the mother’s assertion.  Could it be that ...

As I strive to make change in my life and remain accountable (i.e. be thinner), I am keenly aware of the deadly sins of gluttony and sloth.  The weight I gained was not put on in a day.  It was added over the better part of two decades.  Most people would not have described me as either a glutton or a sloth.  I am rarely idle.  And yet through two decades of neglecting my corporeal needs, the results of sin and gluttony are plainly evident.  This has led me to reflect on these two deadly sins that were historically recognized. I never realized how much salt and sugar I consumed daily until I stopped consuming them.  Wow.  I feel like I’m actively working against the daily bombardment of food porn in commercials and on billboards.   I’m yet to fully understand if the destination is worth the effort, even though I hope that it is.  But, in this time of cleansing I have found myself more conscientious of food related issues and the hunger o...

When I think of hope, I think of wishful thoughts and things that are improbable.   I think of kids hoping for that Christmas gift their parents  can't  afford.   I think of hope as something like a sports team accomplishing an upset in one of the bowl games.   T he winning team had hope.   They believed what others did not and hoped in a way that defied logic or reasonable expectation.   But, Christmas hope is different.    The biblical message of hope is hope in One who made promises about what would become.   To hope in the Christmas narrative, is to trust the One who made the promises.   Matthew opens with the hopeful expectation of forty-two generations.   The people of God had awaited God’s promise of a messiah.   The hope of Christmas in Matthew is closer to the modern word trust than the modern word hope.   Matthew’s hope/trust was that the one long awaited would be revealed and that God’s love would be fully ...