On the Way to Wonder

Proverbs 2:1 starts with, “My son (daughter), if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,… v.5 then….” The word “store up” jumped out at me. Certainly during this time of “sheltering” I have had time to work on all my “stored up” projects, watch all the TV shows I’ve “stored” in the back of my mind to watch later, and certainly opportunity to cook all the bread recipes “stored up” in my mind from life in Africa. Yesterday I worked on my sermon, struggling with the image of the Good Shepherd as the “door” or gate in John 10. How do I put together “good” and suffering? Likewise I had two conversations where friends remembered back to my or their youth, ie very young, and made extensive comments on the repercussions from these traumatic memories on their life today. I pondered how long we carry these “stored up” memories that continue to hurt or at least help us explain our disappointments today. Proverbs speaks to me today, challenging me about what I “store up” as I enter and exit each day the gate, Jesus, anticipating green pastures but sometimes meeting the wolf or the bear on the path. Am I storing His promises of presence, of protection, of guidance? Or am I storing memories of the failures of other sheep in His pasture? Psalm 23 is the accompanying psalm for tomorrow and makes me think of “my rod and my staff comfort you,” beating up the bad guys that seek to defeat me? Finding the sores buried in my wool? Tapping on my rump to encourage me to shift direction? Lord, today may I “store up” your commands and memories of your work in my life rather than ruminate on my failures. Blessings on your day!

Calendar wisdom for May 1, “There is no better exercise for the strengthening the heart than reaching down and lifting up another. (author unknown)” Proverbs 1:1 wisdom for May 1, Proverbs are “for attaining wisdom and discipline, for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young – let the wise listen…” Meanwhile exercise clips roll past my eyes on Face Book, I say with my heart, I’ll do that later or as said in Gone With the Wind, “There is always tomorrow.” Whether we choose to exercise by helping or exercise by listening to God, let us not put it off til tomorrow. One is called social justice and the other pietism but in truth, we need both. Faith without works is dead. As we tackle this month and all the uncertainty surround relaxing Covid restrictions, may we be wise in reaching out to others as we are able and wise in using some of our sheltered time to reach out to feed our soul with God’s word. Blessings.

April 30, Proverbs 30, and Good Shepherd Sunday is coming – as is Spring. All to say that I love the images and lists in Proverbs 30. In verse 30 “a he-goat” is listed as one of the “stately” animals. That brings pictures to my mind. My husband and I started our missionary career in a famine relief camp in northern Kenya. 10,000 starving people surrounded our “compound.” They were nomads who had been T-boned by famine and starvation. Goat and sheep pens created from thorn bush surrounded us. No electricity or TV so I was the local entertainment as I was straight from the LA freeway and could not tell a sheep from a goat, much less milk one, so making sure I was not killing myself and to see the funny things I did was most entertaining. I had never seen live farm animals so their lifestyle was equally entertaining to me. They taught me so much about life!

Gradually I began to figure out that goat tails go up and sheep tails go down. Goats bounce around playing and sheep mill about, noses to the ground looking for food and following the leader. When the animals were brought in for the evening, the male goats would play around, rising on their hind legs, twisting their torso, tilting their head down and butt the other guy who was rising on his hind legs. I don’t know that either ever won but they loved to rise up and butt heads. The old male goat was huge, smelly, huge shouldered, long beard and “stately to behold.”

So how does that apply? As the images passed my mind of those little goats, I thought of our news media now, butting heads with each other, if not about the understanding of the virus then about elections. We watch their antics as each tries to better the other and wonder where truth lies. Sunday we will talk about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The passage has three big images, voice, gates, and leadership. The little male goats butt heads and play around but the Sheperd speaks with integrity, guards with love, and leads to green pastures. Oooooh, I feel the sermon forming!

Music. Last night I joined a zoom meeting of women discussing the book Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren. The “get to know you” challenge was to share some family tradition that has passed into your family. Wow, strong memories rose as I grew up before TV was the constant companion, backyards had no fences, and entertainment was generated from within, perhaps expressing the soul’s delight. Hearing my parents call, “Coffee Girl,” in the morning and I would take a cup of coffee to them as they sat reading together before the day began, laid the foundation for my morning cup of coffee? Evenings spent on the back porch sharing. One woman realized that she knew my oldest son who is sooooo musical and good with kids. I shared of evenings in Kenya without TV or electricity even, sitting in the living room with our five kids and them pulling out their musical instruments and us having a family sing time. Memories bring tears and blessings.

This morning I happened on this YouTube link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SaBhN2idbM , “Evolution of Gospel Music.” I knew all the songs!!! I resonated deeply with the 1969 song, It Only Takes a Spark. That must have deeply impressed me. Today is the 29^th and sure enough, Proverbs 29:6 shares, “An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.” I pray you can figure out how to play this link. Music that covers 1500 years in 7 minutes! May a song stay in your mind and encourage you today.

One of the fringe benefits of sheltering is that often in the afternoon, my husband and I tune in to see another episode of “The Crown.” My husband is British by birth but adopted into a missionary family at two months so raised in Kenya, married American, but is always fascinated with British history. We are on our second time through the three seasons and nearing the end of Season 1.

Young Elizabeth is being asked by her tutor: “There is expedient and dignified. Which are you?” She thinks and responds. “Dignified.” The Crown is dignified and the government is expedient. A theme seems to be running through the series of how the monarchy must be impartial and so Elizabeth’s various roles as monarch, wife, daughter, mother, and human always have some sort of tension going on. The “dignified” (crown) works best with the “expedient” (government) when each party trusts the others and there is good communication. Winston Churchill, in this episode, has two strokes while his foreign ambassador has gall bladder surgery in Boston before an important meeting with Pres. Eisenhower. The info is withheld from the Queen but, of course, she find out. She must give Churchill a “dressing down” like a good British nanny and she uses the quote, “There is the expedient and the dignified. Government and Monarchy. To work well there must be trust and communication.”

Prov. 28:13 read this morning, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” God is dignified – impartial, representing all sides of humanity at any moment, but also establishes the expedient – the guidelines, laws if you will, that make life work. Churchill stands reprimanded, believing he is still capable of leading Parliament with the Queens “forgiveness.” He backs out and I must run to my computer to read about his life.

Today I ponder our dignified God who is also expedient, above bribery but tasked with making life work for everyone. Whew!   I fear our government is neither dignified nor expedient as we now see with this virus. Hence, the role of confession found in Proverbs establishing perhaps the communication that builds trust. I am so glad our God’s ears are always open and I do not have to file petitions through miles of red tape, that the Holy Spirit interprets my prayers when I do not know what to say, and that forgiveness and mercy are always available. I can start today with hope!

Yesterday I sat in an empty church and prayed for my friends. I went home and as my husband tuned into his home church in Los Angeles to stream the service, I along with 45 others Deaconesses tuned into the installation of a Deaconess friend in Anchorage Alaska! Next I turned to my cell phone and philosophized with my son sheltered in Chicago. My sister in NY State called to chat about her church service and a book we are reading. We finished the evening by watching the movie, Saving Mr. Banks, in which the aunt from Australia arrives in the girls childhood to help deal with the alcoholic father who is Irish?? The girl writes Mary Poppins in London but has to fly to Los Angeles to settle the legal rights for Disney to make the movie Mary Poppins. I feel like from my chair in Indianapolis, I have visited the world. Proverbs 27:8 shares, “Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.” I ponder if that means that when a bird leaves its nest, it flies over how many different scenes and dramas. If I, a mere human, not a bird, can sit in my living room chair and visit LA, Alaska, Chicago, NY, London and LA again in a span of hours, is it so miraculous that God sees and cares for us in ways that we do not even understand. Easter reassembles the faith in a God that stays in his nest, his geographical or linguistic arena, to a belief in a God who flies and sees and is involved in all our lives. A bit mind boggling. Our God does not sit in his nest governing the world but incarnated, became part of his creation, and his Spirit is present with us now. PTL.

“GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED: 1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree. 2) Wrinkles don’t hurt. 3) Families are like fudge…mostly sweet, with a few nuts. 4) Laughing is a good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.” Jello, teenagers and laughter. Yes, I have a memory. My middle school son plopped on the grass on his stomach and looked up at me. “Mom, I have decided when I am in ninth grade, I’m going to kiss a girl.” This was a kid, ready to tackle life, talented and well liked. My heart laughed at his enthusiasm for life. I replied, “Wow, Son, that’s great. Do you want to kiss me, I’m a girl? Do you want to kiss the dog, She’s a girl. Or will any ole girl do?” He of course looked at me and said, “Motherrrrrr” in that tone. I replied, “Just remember, Son, do not act in ways that you are not ready to be responsible for the outcomes of.” Proverbs 25 for today, v. 12 shares, “Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.” I’m not sure my son thought of me as wise or like gold but the verse reminds me to reflect on rebukes, perhaps disagreements, to find the word of truth hidden inside. As we now debate loosening restrictions for sheltering and meeting together again, I reflect on this verse. I so want to see friends and be able to share and touch in person without fear, but Lord, help us to be wise and have our ears open. Help us to v.4 “Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith”, be wise as we face the future.

I will post tomorrow’s service later today.

“GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD: 1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. 2) Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician, and 3) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.” These were another section in the email yesterday but they seem to support Proverbs 24:3, 4 “By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” I like this verse. Aging is mandatory but reflection and learning from our trials is ours. The question floating in conversations now is, what have we learned during this time of sheltering? Similarly, what will the new normal look like? I suppose at one time I might have answered, a cane or a walker. Perhaps in our middle years the marriage dissolved, children graduate, jobs end and we have to reorganize our lives. Easter season is about that reorganizing of faith after the crucifixion. We can get older but are we growing up in our faith? The houses of our lives are built with time but the understanding comes from reflecting with the Lord about our experiences. I think the rare and beautiful treasures in my home are all the wonderful memories He has blessed me with and the fantastic people He has brought into my life that have made me who I am. People like you! Have a blessed day.

Calendar Wisdom on a lighter note. An email is floating around that made me chuckle and think. We have been pondering with Proverbs but here are a couple “truths that little children learned:”

*When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair (do I hear Amen!),

*Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair (my five year daughter and her friend found a pair of scissors and cut her hair straight down the center of her head. To even it out we had to cut the sides short and all the women at the market asked if she was a boy – lesson learned),

*You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk (in fact, “honesty is the best policy” has always seemed truth),

*if your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always Catch the second person (My last mouth washing was playing hide and seek with my sister who was hiding in the closet and squeeled when I found her. When I claimed we were just playing, her squeeling trumped my innocent look as I was “oldest and should know better”),    * but a fitting final wisdom, The best place to be when you’re sad is Grandma’s lap.”

Little truths often reflect great life lessons, even as does Proverbs. Grandma may not be the nicest or even the closest person as I never knew my grandparents but it is for sure true that the best place to be when you’re sad is in the hands of God! Blessings on your day.

April 22, Proverb 22: 10, “Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.” This verse caught my attention today. Our world is so full of strife, quarrels and insults. I would add name-calling, ridicule, and distrust. How is mockery related to our world, I pondered. A “mocker” is someone who “mocks”, hmmmm, not too helpful. A “mocker” is also someone all dressed up in formal clothes acting important. It can be slang for thwarting. “The fool becomes the mocker who calls what is good, ‘evil,’ and what is evil, ‘good.’ To mock, is to ridicule or scorn, to be confused about what is good and what is evil. In the mix-up of values, we become the authority on issues like sheltering, and our feelings seem to be the barometer of good and evil. Oh my. Driving out mockery, seems to drive us from emotional volatility to a stable source of wisdom. My thoughts go to James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him…v.17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming sown from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” What a positive promise to face the day with. Of course, I must be willing to listen! I will post the second study on the book of Daniel near noon.