THE CHRIST OF THE COSMOS

The above article appeared in The Vine and Branches Vol. 24, Issue 4, 2009, published in Ohio. It reminds us that the historical Jesus has become the Christ of faith. Our Jewish carpenter, the lowly Galilean who lived in the first century, has been exalted and glorified by the power of the resurrection to become the Lord of the universe.

If there is life on other planets, in other galaxies; they too have a Savior who offers them eternal life. The One who in the days of his incarnation never left the land of Palestine, never journeyed more than 100 miles from Bethlehem of Judah, his birthplace, is now available to the furthest reaches of space. To infinity and back communion with our cosmic Christ is available to all who remember him in his broken body and his blood, shed for the remission of sins.

I invite you to take that step of faith to believe that the man known in history as Jesus of Nazareth is risen to dimensions of eternity. This is not a small step; it is rather a giant leap in a person’s understanding of the love that drew salvation’s plan, the grace that brought it down to man and the mighty gulf that God did span in the incarnation and glorification of his son.

DIGGING FOR NUGGETS OF TRUTH

Embedded in Scripture and lying just below the surface, one can find nuggets of spiritual truth. With daily diligence, one can dig them out and turn them into the gold of Christian character. This daily devotional guide is intended as a tool to assist in the mining of such treasure. The secret is to dig into the Word of God on a daily basis.

Like the Manna in the Hebrew Scripture, which would spoil if gathered weekly and stored; fresh insights must be gleaned from the Bible every day. This kind of daily discipline can maintain a growing and glowing personal relationship to our Lord and Savior that can not be done in a hit and miss fashion.

During their wilderness wanderings the people of God gathered the Manna every morning before the sun melted it. This devotional guide recommends that we reserve a period of time in the morning to meditate on the daily Scripture reading, ponder the key concept and reflect on the devotional study, closing with a prayer for the day. Because of its flexibility, this exercise can be done in five minutes or extended to a longer period of time. By the time you get through the three hundred and sixty five days, you will have the foundation you need to begin composing your own devotional literature.

There is a river of life flowing through the Scripture. As you pan for gold, you will discover nuggets of truth that will enrich your faith.

The Cross Stands Fast

The Southern California fire fighters that were near to this cross, as it was engulfed by flames, felt sure that it was gone. Gene Blevins, a photographer, returned to the scene the next day to get some more shots. He was surprised and amazed to find that the cross was not incinerated; it was not even scorched by the heat.

Some would say: “Big deal, this often happens in a fire. One building is destroyed and the one next to it escapes damage.” True, but this cross was right in the middle of a conflagration and surrounded on all sides. Nevertheless, those who are so inclined can explain this away as a coincidence that has no special meaning. For those, however, who choose to believe, this kind of phenomenon can have deep symbolic and theological significance.

Around the middle of the 19th century, it is reported that Sir John Bowring was involved in a ship wreck. He was able to cling to some drift wood and the currents carried him to an island. As the fog lifted, he saw a cross standing on a mountain, keeping watch over the bay where he was swept ashore. Reflecting on this, sometime after his rescue, these words came to mind which have found their way into our church hymnals: “In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time; all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.”

The Bible tells us that in the eternal plan of God, Christ was crucified before the foundations of the world. Some of us believe that long after those foundations are shaken to their core, the cross will still be standing over the wrecks of time.
Many of us believe that the cross is history’s clearest revelation of a love which survives the worst that man can do and keeps on loving.

Building Bridges

In one of our previous blogs, we summarized our Savior’s ministry as breaking down barriers. He is continually working to chip away at those “Berlin walls” which divide man from man, man from God and nation from nation. To take that one step farther; he would also build a bridge over the ruins of those manmade barriers; bridges of understanding which connect classes, cultures and creeds.

When the French started building the Panama canal in 1870, the thought was to dig a gorge deep enough to cut through the isthmus of Panama and connect the two oceans at sea level. Despite their dedication to the task and their outstanding engineering skills, they ran out of time and money and were not able to complete the task.

What enabled America to succeed where France had failed? For one, by 1907 medical science had made dramatic progress in understanding the causes of tropical diseases and how to control them. In addition, engineering technology had also made huge strides.

But there was something else that was equally important: A new concept had emerged. Instead of cutting through at sea level, why not build over the isthmus, a series of locks, which would use water power to lift the great ships, on the Pacific side, 85 feet over the land barrier and then another series of locks that would lower them back to the level of the Caribbean? Instead of cutting through let’s build over. It was this new concept that enabled the Americans to succeed where the French had failed.

Often times we fail because we think we can, with sheer effort and determination, blast our way through mountains of difficulty. With American ingenuity and ambition we can achieve anything we set our hands to do. History has made it clear that had we endeavored to cut a canal deep enough to connect the two oceans we also would have failed. The topography necessitated not a gorge but a bridge; a water bridge to lift the huge ocean liners up and over to provide a path between the seas.

When we maneuver ourselves by faith into the lock of God’s love, a power flows around us, lifting us to the next higher level in our journey through time toward an ocean of eternity. On the cross Jesus reached out in both directions and provided just the bridge we need.

I’ve heard it said: If you can’t get around a problem then climb over it. If you can’t climb over it, dig under it. If you can’t dig under it, then tunnel through and turn it into a gold mine. I like that kind of can do philosophy. But the day comes, trust me, when no amount of trying in our own strength can avail. That’s the time to start trusting in the overarching love of God which provides just the bridge we need. Next time you see a rainbow, remind yourself of that.

Starlight Navigation

A father and son were fishing beyond the breakwater of San Diego Harbor. It had been a long day, so they decided to hoist anchor and head toward the dock. As night fell the father decided to give his son a lesson in navigation. He pointed out the Big Dipper and showed him how to identify the Little Dipper. From these two reference points he showed him how to find Polaris.

Turning the wheel over to his son he gave him these instructions: “Just run along parallel with the North Star on your port side and you will be going east toward the harbor.” Dad went to the stern of the boat to take a little nap. The son became drowsy at the helm. As he dozed, the boat made a slow turn toward starboard in a southerly direction. Awaking with a start, the son didn’t realize that his guiding star was now behind him. He called out to his father: “Dad, wake up and give me another star, we just sailed right on past that other one!”

Those of us who live in the 21st century are tempted to think that we have gone beyond the guiding lights of the ancient past. The 10 commandments sound so old and obsolete; surely we need a more contemporary standard of ethics to chart our course.

I beg to differ. For thousands of years, ancient mariners have used the sun by day and the stars by night to plot their course and keep an accurate chart of their position. There are some things that are the same, yesterday, today, and forever, because they are grounded in the unchangeable and immutable nature of deity.

In my view, these pinpricks of lights from the past are our best reference points to navigate on the sea of life. In the Book of Revelation the Savior is described as “the bright and morning star.” Like Polaris his teaching and example remain fixed in the heavens. We can get our bearings from them and steer a straight course toward our home port.

The Spirit of Brotherhood Survives the Insanity of War

It was Easter Sunrise, 1969, on a beach in Phu Yen province. Rising before the dawn two chaplains and a chaplain’s assistant carried three crosses to a place just beyond the reach of the South China Sea. Looking back, we could see the tracks the crosses made as they were drug through the sand. There we planted them, leaning slightly toward the wind and the waves. Then we sat down on logs and awaited the dawn.

Soon we three were joined by two other chaplains, a Jewish rabbi and a Catholic priest. That morning we stood on pallets and conducted an ecumenical service. We watched the rising sun illuminate the faces of a great diversity of ranks and ethnicities. Doctors and nurses came over from the combat support hospital. Troops from the Republic of Korea (that protected our perimeter) were in attendance with their chaplain, as well as Vietnamese troops. All colors and creeds were represented and they were all looking toward the dawning of a new day that could be bright with hope. We joined as one in praying that peace would rise out of the ashes of war and that broken dreams and failed policies could be healed by a love that was stronger than death.

After the service, the hospital mess hall invited us all to an Easter breakfast. After breakfast, some of us boarded a bus and drove into the town of Tuy Hoa to visit a Catholic orphanage. The GIs set to work painting walls and repairing equipment. The children squealed with delight as they were given horsy-back rides. Combat hardened faces seemed to soften. As we were bused back to the military compound, everybody was in good spirits. Our morale was soaring on the wings of a faith that is risen and survives even in the insanity of war.

I came out of that experience with a new respect for the spirit of unity and the bond of brotherhood than binds us together; orient and occident, north and south, east and west. The Spirit of our risen Lord is as relevant on a beach in a Buddhist country as in the Bible belt of the United States. Jesus of Nazareth has become the cosmic Christ of faith, whose love draws a circle to include the circumferences of planet earth. We often draw circles to exclude people who look and act differently.

A piece of doggerel put it this way: He drew a circle to shut me out; rebel, heretic, a thing to flout. But love and me had the wit to win; we drew a circle that took him in.

The quality I miss the most during my years as a military chaplain is the spirit of ecumenicity that enabled us to cooperate across denomination lines, in order to fulfill our mission of bringing God to man and man to God.

Can Arch Enemies Become Friends?

I’ve heard it said that life is a cat and mouse game. It sure seems that way sometimes. Locked into instinctual patterns of behavior, the cat can do nothing but go on the hunt; using stealth to close in for the kill. The mouse can do nothing but use his speed and dexterity to avoid his perennial predator. Must it always be that way? Is there no way that the survival of the fittest could be transcended by a power greater than itself?

I’ve also heard it said that two people fight like cats and dogs. But again, does not nature itself offer examples where this proverbial metaphor can be transcended? The Hebrew Bible describes an idyllic time when the lion will lie down with the lamb. Why couldn’t the dog rescue the cat in a perilous situation?

Jesus of Nazareth taught us to forgive our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use and persecute us. Is that too much to ask of human nature? Are we so trapped in cycles of revenge we must get even at any cost? Perhaps we are so locked into the law of retaliation; “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” that breaking that cycle is an impossible dream which must wait for utopia to come to this world.

In spite of mounting evidence that screams of man’s inhumanity to man, I choose to cling to my ideal that human nature, with divine empowerment, can transcend the predisposition of instinct and point to a better way. In saints and spiritual giants of the past, we catch glimpses of what humankind could be at its best. I want to keep that vision alive in my heart.

A Leap of Faith

You can click on the picture to find the source.

In a cruise through the Panama Canal, one of our first ports of call was Acapulco, Mexico. There we witnessed the daring cliff-divers plunge 130 feet to enter 12 feet of water. The tide had to be just right for them to have sufficient depth. From where they stood, the rocky side of the cliff obscured their view of the ocean below. They must launch out about 12 feet to clear the rocks. That’s a leap of faith. No wonder, they each take time to pray before they attempt it.

Our choice to believe, in some ways, can be likened to a leap of faith. The logical powers of the mind can only take us so far. What happens when we reach the limits of human reason to prove the existence of God? Feelings can only take us so far. What do we do when the harsh realities of life seem to argue against the existence of an all powerful and all caring Creator? All attempts to employ the powers of the intellect to establish an iron clad system of logical principles are found wanting. We can make a powerful argument that may convince someone who wants to believe but we cannot prove that there is a God. Then what do we do?

It seems to me that at some point, we have to take a leap beyond feeling, philosophy and intellect and make a gorgeous gamble, betting everything that beyond the power of logic and the limits of human understanding there is an all knowing and all loving Supreme Being. That can be scary but it is, in my view, a win/win situation.

If I choose to take that leap and there is nothing there but theological speculation, then I have been comforted and empowered by years of believing. If my faith is confirmed, beyond time, by ultimate reality, then better still. Either way, how can I go wrong? If my hopes are a pipe dream, they have still served me well and ministered comfort in times of despair. If they are grounded on eternal reality, then I am twice blest.

"As A Tree...."

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Given sufficient time and patience, it’s amazing how a tree can be trained to grow into the most unusual shapes. (For more amazing pictures go to pooktre planted).It takes years for the tree surgeon to bend and graft and coax the tree to grow into the image he has in mind. In like manner, it takes a lifetime for the Great Physician to grow us into a shape that is authentically human and reflective of the divine image within us.

The first Psalm describes a blessed person as “a tree planted by streams of water….” What a marvelous metaphor. A tree must grow down into those underground sources of moisture. Then it can grow up and out.

We also need to grow down into the rich soil of truth. In the words of the first Psalm, “our delight is in the law of the Lord, and on that law we meditate day and night.” Being rooted and grounded in the foundations of our faith is a key to spiritual growth. With such an anchor of conviction we can avoid being “like chaff that the wind blows away.”

If our down reach is downright then our up reach will be upright. We will avoid “walking in the counsel of the wicked, standing in the way of sinners, or sitting in the seat of mockers.” There is a sense in which we can be judged by the people we grow to admire. As a wise man said: “bad company corrupts good morals.”

When our down reach is downright and our up reach is upright then our outreach can be outright. We can extend the branches of our influence into ever widening circles. In walking through a grove of giant redwoods, we were told by a guide that their roots are seldom deeper than six feet. How can six feet of depth support three hundred feet of height and thousands of pounds of weight without toppling over? The guide explained that their root system grows out perhaps a hundred feet in all directions. They entwine themselves on the surface-roots of neighboring trees, which help to stabilize each other.

We were also told that most of the new saplings spring from those roots which reach out close to the surface of the ground. This gives birth to a growing community where everything is interconnected in a complex network of life. A Lone Ranger lifestyle where we ride off to do our own thing in our own way is very unproductive. Its “leaf does wither,” and it does not “yield its fruit in season” (take another look at the first Psalm). As we are woven into the fabric of a community of faith and we reach out to take the hands and touch the hearts of others, we grow “as a tree.”

A One Word Prayer That Brings Results

Who can resist the cry for “HELP” that this picture invokes? Right away we want to do whatever we can to reverse global warming so that the polar bear will have a platform of ice to sustain itself. Is God any less responsive to his children when they call out for help from their hearts?

The Bible is a library of 66 books. It offers commandments to obey, sins to avoid, examples to follow, principles to apply and promises to claim. I like the promises best of all. I have long believed that one of the best ways to maintain a healthy, positive attitude is to become more promise and less problem conscious. It seems to me that for every difficulty one may encounter, there is a promise, somewhere in the sacred scriptures, that is uniquely tailored to fit that situation.

One of my favorite promises is: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble … God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day” (Psalms 46:1 and 5). As I look back over nearly eight decades of physical existence, it seems that there is one prayer God has heard and answered; boiled down into one word that prayer is simply “HELP!” Perhaps the help did not come at just the time and in just the way I expected but there was a result that later I could see was the divine response to my prayer.

A long time ago, I read a prayer that I have partially forgotten. Part of it went something like this:

I asked for all things so I could enjoy life.
I was given life so I could enjoy all things.
I asked for power so I could do great things.
I was given weakness so God could do good things through me.
I asked for a charming personality so I could win favor with people.
I was given a humble attitude so that I might be a loyal friend.
I was given nothing I prayed for but everything I longed for.
I am of all people most blessed.

You can never predict what may come when you cry “help.” But be sure of this, there will be a response that may take years for you to discern as the answer to your prayer. God may say “no” or “wait and grow” to the literal meaning of our petitions. God has not promised to answer the words of our mouths but he has promised to fulfill the desires of our hearts.

The Feminine Side of Deity

We have the expression of someone “watching over us like a mother hen.” There were tears in Jesus’ eyes as he looked down upon Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and poured out this lament: “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37).

The divine nature, I believe, transcends gender and is a perfect blending of the male and the female. Throughout the history of the church, unfortunately, there has been an overemphasis on the former and a serious de-emphasis upon the later. This has resulted, in my view, in the evolution of a religious institution which, all too often, is focused upon the controlling power of dominance. In Jesus we see a more perfect blending which often brings out the nurturing side of the Almighty.

In a parable Jesus points to a happy Hebrew homemaker as a metaphor for the kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (Matthew 13:33). The transforming power of God often works internally and invisibly, until all of society is lifted by its quiet and consistent influence.

The Apostle Paul who, in some circles, is regarded as the original male chauvinist writes: “There is no longer Jew or Greek … slave or free … male or female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Under the shadow of such wings all are infolded in the warmth of divine grace. Even those whom some would regard as a different breed, who don’t belong to the heavenly kingdom, are welcomed to a warm and comfortable place of rest.

The Treasures of the Snow

“Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail” (Job 38:22)? Living three millennia ago in an arid region of Mesopotamia, snow would have been a rare delight to Job. But there is a special treasure locked up in every snow crystal that Job could not have imagined. Since the invention of modern methods of magnification, it has come to light that as complex snow crystals form, they branch out in amazing patterns of diversity that gives each one a uniqueness that makes it different from all others.

In a high school science class, I was taught that no two snow crystals are exactly alike. My skeptical adolescent mind thought: “how could they know without examining every snow flake that has ever fallen?”

According to Kenneth G. Libbrecht, who is a physicist at Caltech, “it is unlikely that any two complex snow crystals, out of all those made over the entire history of the planet, have ever looked completely alike.” For more information you can go to his fascinating web site, SnowCrystals.com.

I simply want to take his scientific expertise and give it a theological application. “For it was you who formed my inward parts … I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). If snowflakes are so complex in their intricate designs, how much more the formation of a human being? Even in the case of identical twins that come from a division of the same fertilized egg, there are significant differences in personality characteristics and environmental factors, which make them unique individuals. There’s no one that is an exact duplicate of you. As we often say, when God made you he broke the mold.

For me, all this amazing complexity and diversity boils down to this simple affirmation of faith: The value of every human life is so awesome and wonderful it must not be cheapened. Rather, it should be regarded as a sacred gift to be treasured.

Borne on Eagles' Wings

How did the people of the Hebrew Bible survive hundreds of years of enslavement in Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the Arabian Desert? How could they have endured exiles and a holocaust without losing their identity and perishing as a nation? It seems clear to me that throughout their long history from Father Abraham, they have been carried and lifted by a power greater than themselves. In the Hebrew Scriptures we find this inspired explanation: “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4).

I’m told that soaring in a glider and piloting a propeller driven aircraft are totally different sensations. When you reach a designated altitude and the cable is released connecting you to the mother plane you are sitting in an eerie silence. There’s no sound of a motor turning a prop pulling you through space. The pilot often feels the need to over control and to make something happen by trying to steer the glider. It takes a while to just sit back and relax and trust the updrafts to carry you as high and as far as they will. Losing altitude might cause some panic even with a seasoned pilot. One needs an instructor in the cockpit to help one trust and wait patiently for the next current to provide the needed lift. Just let go and let God, it will come. We have a sacred promise on which we can rely: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).

What happens when it’s time for the eaglets to fly for themselves? They will probably need some poking and some prodding. The nest is so cozy and comfortable. It’s so nice to have your meals flown in without any effort on your part. That’s when the adult eagles begin to “stir up the nest” (Deuteronomy 32:11) nudging them closer to the edge of the cliff. One last push and they are tumbling out into empty space flapping their wings while falling to the earth. That’s when old baldy and his mate fly underneath them, catching them on their wings, and bearing them aloft. On reaching a safe altitude they do a sharp banking maneuver and off they go again tumbling through space. After three or four of these elevator rides they are beginning to get it. It won’t be long and they will be soaring on their own like tiny specks in the sky.

Is that not nature’s metaphor of what God is doing in our lives?

The Magnificent Monarch

Nature is full of surprises! Who could have imagined that a tiny insect, the Monarch butterfly, could migrate a distance of sixteen hundred miles from Canada, along the west side of the Continental Divide, to winter at various locations in Northern California. Several generations have passed along the way, yet the following generations somehow remember the exact location of their destination.

Those Monarchs that fly east of the Rocky Mountains travel as far as three thousand miles to various arrival points in Central Mexico. Research has shown that the magnificent Monarch is even capable of transatlantic migrations. How could such delicate wings carry them such great distances? It’s another of nature’s mysteries.

One year, I found myself at Natural Bridges state beach in Santa Cruz, California around Thanksgiving, when the Monarchs, with their distinctive orange and black colors, arrived on schedule. They clung to the drooping branches of Eucalyptus trees to feed and recover their strength.

What fascinated me the most was the way their overlapping wings, like shingles, could shed the moisture and lock each one into place. When a stray butterfly would approach, they would hold their wings up in unison as though they were saying: “there is room here for you,come, join us.” Then, when the stranger slipped into place, they would lower their wings as one. They had traveled over a thousand miles to form such interlocking clusters that would give birth to the next generation.

A sense of community is all important. We need not cling to life in our own strength. We may have to travel far, but we can find fellowship with others of faith. There is a welcoming community out there that is willing to lift their hearts in acceptance and receive you into the fold.

Breaking Down Barriers

At the Ronald Reagan Library there is an authentic slab from the infamous Berlin Wall. Hundreds of people were shot to death trying to scale that barrier and escape into the freedom of western democracy. Perhaps President Reagan’s most shinning and prophetic moment came in 1988 when, at the Brandenburg Gate, he hurled this challenge into the face of tyranny: “Mr. Gorbachev take down this wall!” At that moment, the president was standing on the right side of history and facilitating the work of God.

The work of Jesus is summarized in this biblical phrase: “he has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility … thus making peace” (Ephesians 3:14-15). We humans have a long history of building walls of hostility. The God revealed in Jesus is forever working to break down barriers and build bridges that span the gap between warring factions, ethnic origins and ideologies.

My wife and I happened to be living in Heidelberg in November of 1989 when the wall finally came down. People were literally dancing in the streets as a delicious whirlwind of euphoria swept over the land so long divided and now united. For the first time in 40 years, German people could flow freely back and forth to embrace family and friends.

For me, this has become a historical paradigm, which illustrates what Christ is doing in our modern world. He is chipping away at those man-made barriers that divide people, churches and nations. The important thing is not that he be on our side but that we are on his.

A View From The Top

What if you stood at the top of the earth near the North Pole? You could be amazed by a vista so different from anything you had ever seen before. From that vantage point, you might see the sun shining at mid-night, appearing to hang beneath a greatly enlarged, partially illuminated moon. At any other position on the planet such a view would not be possible. It illustrates the importance of perspective.

I have a memory trace as a child, playing around my mother’s knees. I looked up as she was embroidering. I remember her saying “pretty.” Looking up at it from the bottom, I saw only knots and threads going off in all directions without apparent rhyme or reason. When she turned it around, so I could see it from the top, a colorful design greeted my eyes. I repeated back to her, “pretty.” It was one of the first words I learned to say after dada, mama, no, and mine.

By faith, I believe, we can rise above circumstances and view them from the top. What was confused and chaotic can now be discerned as having plan and purpose. Our angle of observation is all important.

I am told that in India rugs are hung vertically and woven from the backside. Only the master craftsman can see the pattern developing. He instructs the workmen how to weave. What if they make a mistake and sow the wrong color or stitch? Does he have the mistake pulled out of the pattern? I am told that if he is truly a master craftsman he can leave in the error and direct the workers to weave around it so that the finished beauty of the carpet will be enhanced by the mistake.

This does not give us an excuse to mess up. But it does comfort us to realize that when we make serious errors in judgment and behavior our God is great enough to use them to beautify our lives with his grace and mercy. Let’s try to see this from the top.

TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS

I can’t help believing that if we could only look at others through the eyes of Jesus, we could penetrate the crumbling clay of mortality and catch a glimpse of the immortal spirit hidden therein just waiting to escape. A psychology professor once confessed to me that he was a psycho-ceramic, meaning a crack pot. But then he added, with a twinkle in his eye, there is a lot of light shining through the cracks. The brightest light of our inner beauty shines through the cracks in our humanity. Oh that we had eyes to see it. Those who first discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls hidden in a Palestinian cave, at first, had no idea of the priceless ancient manuscripts contained within the pottery jars.

In like manner we are often blind to the inner beauty which is contained in every life. The following anonymous poem touched my heart with a new awareness of that. It was found in the personal effects of an elderly man who died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte, Nebraska. It was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, however, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

Now this little old man, with nothing left to give, has these simple but profound words winging across the Internet and touching the hearts of thousands.

CRABBY OLD MAN

What do you see nurses? What do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice; 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice the things that you do
And forever is losing a sock or a shoe?

Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding the long day to fill.
Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters who love one another.

A young boy of sixteen with wings on his feet,
Dreaming that soon now a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at twenty my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now, I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide, and a secure happy home.
A man of thirty My young now grown fast.
Bound to each other with ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee.
Again, we know children my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my wife is now dead.
I look at the future and shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own.
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man and nature is cruel.
Tries to make old age look like a fool.
The body it crumbles, grace and vigor depart.
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass a young guy still dwells.
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living life over again.

I think of the years, all too few gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people open and see.
Not a crabby old man; look closer see ME!!

The Therapy of Laughter

There is nothing better for the health of soul and body than a good belly laugh. The ancient proverb has it right: “A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). When we take ourselves too seriously and fail to see the humor of our situation, our life becomes as dry as dust. Holy hilarity is a lubricant that makes everything work better.

I have only two tools in my box: duck tape and WD-4. If it moves and shouldn’t I tape it; if it doesn’t move and should, I squirt it. Duck tape is like the laws of God. They hold everything together lest they fly apart. Laughter is like a lubricant, it keeps everything running smoothly with less friction.

If I were to take a peek in your medicine cabinet, I might find all sorts of over the counter and prescription drugs. When taken in the right dose and for the right ailment, they can be very therapeutic. When taken in the right dose, the medicine of a merry heart can be a powerful potion.

Sometimes we get all wrapped up around the axel and so close to our struggles; we can no longer see the forest for the trees. We need something to help us unwind; we need a buffer zone to put some space between ourselves and our situation. The great comedians knew that quite well; so many of them came out of tragic childhoods. Many have told us, they turned to comedy to cope with the pain of the past. They found that the exhilarating effect of making people laugh was just what the doctor ordered for their own remedy.

In my view, Jesus was no frowning saint. Children were drawn to him like iron to a magnet. They delighted in his joyful spirit. He often exhorted his followers: “Be of good cheer.” They were so prone to becoming glum and grouchy. He who was “anointed with the oil of gladness” could put a smile on the direst of circumstances. Hopefully just a fraction of his positive personality will rub off on us.

Getting Comfortable With "NO."

GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH “NO!”

As a child, it seemed that everything was a “no-no.” As a teenager growing up in a religious home, I felt intimidated by the thunderous negatives of the 10 commandments.
“Thou shall not” seemed to tie me up in knots. What is God trying to do; fence me in and take all the fun out of my life? It’s only as an adult that I began to realize that life outside of borders is ultimately enslaving and life lived within divine prohibitions is liberating. No one is more restricted than the person who does what he wants when he wants it. He quickly is entrapped by his own desires. To do what we ought not as an obligation but as an act of love is far more fulfilling.

How can we get comfortable with divine imperatives? For me the answer has been to turn those negative prohibitions into positive principles, which produce praise. Turned from tails to heads, “you shall not steal” becomes you shall respect the person and property of your neighbor and honor his right to ownership. When we go around to the back door, we find that each commandment has a friendly side where we can enter without knocking and get comfortable.

Did Jesus follow this same course? He turned all the negatives into one glorious positive: “You shall love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” One might say: “love and live as you please.” Motivated by love everything that pleases God will be pleasing to you and everything that pleases you will be pleasing to others. Assuming that you have a high respect for God and a healthy regard for yourself, this first and greatest commandment is all you need. Kick off your shoes, loosen your tie and get comfortable.

Bathing Butterflys Hold Their Wings Up

As a child, one day I was walking past grandma’s bedroom when I saw her kneeling at her bed, Bible open, head turned up like an overflowing cup and her hands lifted in the air. I was shocked and surprised. Normally she prayed with her head bowed and her hands folded in a very subdued manner. At mealtime and at church this was her style of worship, so this was new for me and different. I asked her about it and she simply said: “Bathing butterflies hold their wings up.” It has taken me years to decipher her meaning.

True enough; when a butterfly lands on a pond, it holds up its wings, as sails, to skim over the surface. Granny was sailing on a pool of praise and catching the winds of the Spirit. Even then, I could catch a glimpse of the inner beauty that shined through her wrinkled face.

I have no doubt that as she lifted her hands and her heart to God she was including me in her prayers. Whatever serenity and smooth sailing I have experienced is somehow mysteriously connected to those bedside intercessions. Decades later, the memory of it still inspires me to be and do my best.

In my church indoctrination, I have been trained not to get too exuberant. That doesn’t stop me, however, from letting my spirit soar on the inside. As I told a friend: I may be sitting on this pew with my hands folded on my lap looking very dignified. But if you could see my spirit soar you would realize that, like granny, I’m holding my wings up for the slightest spiritual breeze that may be moving through the congregation.

Pointing But Never Pulling The Trigger?

As I try to psych myself up to travel the world, I find another thing to do in preparation. Brushing up on my German; is it an avoidance mechanism? Am I cutting bait when it’s past time to start fishing? At any rate, it seems like good stimulation for my stroke ravaged brain. I’m a little surprised that I have so much archived in my long term memory.

Thoughts come to me from afar that I thought I had long forgotten. I feel, somehow, I’m stretching out and warming up for the big challenge; that first space A flight. It might or might not be across the Pond to Germany. Regardless, I’m having too much fun to quite now! If I can refresh my second language, why can’t I renew my whole weltanschauung (world view)? Das ist die Frage (that is the question).

When you’ve been through bypass surgery, cancer, stroke and the death of a spouse, you get a little backward about coming forward. I keep telling myself, if my body says: “you need to retreat” my spirit replies: “the retreat is only to advance, fall back if need be, regroup and prepare for another assault.” Will I listen to my spirit or my body? I should probably listen to both but which one will I follow? Can I convince myself or, must I keep treading water and not launch out into the deep? I guess the future will determine that. Whatever the outcome, I’m sure enjoying the process. So I say again: Trying is winning.

Desperate at the Dell

When my son offered to drive me down to San Diego to visit an old friend I’ve known for 50 years, I jumped at the chance. One night we went to the world famous Dell hotel in beautiful Coronado to listen to a band that was led by my friend’s grandson. We got in as guests of the band. What a wonderful evening listening to the music and watching the sun illumine the beach and set behind Point Loma.

I did something, however, that I never do. I took my credit card out of my wallet and put it in my front pocket. The next morning my credit card was no where to be found. “Panic!” as I imagined someone finding it and going on a shopping spree. Thinking I had pulled it out of my pocket when I withdrew my cell phone, we phoned the hotel and security checked the area. They found nothing.

Now I was fit to be tied fearing the worst. We drove back to the Dell to make our own search. Tracing our steps back to the entrance, we passed some birds perched on a tree looking very peaceful and contented. They seemed to be saying: “Why are you fretting, fuming and fussing? Don’t you know you have a Heavenly Father who knows when one of us falls to the ground. O you of little faith.”

Entering the area, I walked over to the couch and there, partially hidden behind one of the legs was my credit card safe and just waiting for me to find it. Instant relief came to me. Those bird brains got it right: we do have a Heavenly Father who watches over us ! Why can’t my human brain get it? Why am I so fidgety about traveling space A? Why can’t I rest and relax in the awareness that I am in the hands of a Higher Power?

I will keep relearning that lesson and maybe someday, I can launch out in faith and enjoy whatever opportunities present themselves. In the meantime, in between time; let’s just let life teach us how to trust.

Locked in with Love

Today I was fantasizing on my upcoming cruise through the Panama Canal. In my mind’s eye, I could see that gigantic ocean liner positioning herself in one of the locks. Sea water from a higher source flows into the lock effortlessly lifting those two thousand passengers and several thousand tons of steel to the next higher level in her stair-stepped journey. The lifting power of water is truly amazing.

For over half a century, I was wed-locked to one of the finest women who ever walked the earth. Her selfless, sacrificial love flowed freely and lifted me to the next higher level in my cruise through time toward an ocean of eternity. Human love, at its best, is a reflection of divine love. There is no bottom to it. It gets under us and flows around us lifting. The heaviest burden is carried, like a feather, on the buoyancy of such love.

My Easter faith leads me to believe that not even death can quench it. When the transition is made through the canal of time, it keeps right on loving.

A Homespun Philosophy with a Sense of Humor

Knowing my background as retired clergy, you might expect me to frame my armchair philosophy with religious language. Theology is so ingrained in my character, I expect it will burst out from time to time.

As this blogger continues to evolve, however, I can see that one of my most effective tools in escaping the rocking chair for a more rock and roll lifestyle is a belief system that is seasoned with a sense of humor. One of the pillars of my philosophy is that any circumstance has a humorous aspect if we will look for it.

I am told that traveling space available is like public speaking; the first speech and you are frozen with fear. It gets easier as you keep at it. I can remember one of the first Easter sermons I gave: I was quoting the biblical phrase, “this mortal must put on immortality.” I was so nervous, I got my tongue twisted and out came: “this mortal must put on immorality.” Several of the faithful enthusiastically responded, “amen!” Being Easter, I suppose, it was appropriate for me to lay an egg.

Right now I am in the nervous stage, thinking about all the uncertainties that could happen. A sense of humor is one of my best resources in getting comfortable with that eight hundred pound gorilla in the adjoining seat.

A Clash of Cultures

Coming from a rural area in Western Montana to visit my daughter and her family, I experienced a cultural crisis. I was informed that in walking the dog, I should take a plastic bag to scoop the poop. Heck, where I come from, we just leave the cow pies in the pasture for fertilization. I started cramming the bag in my pocket out of sight. When I got some strange looks, I displayed it more prominently, so other dog walkers could see I had good intentions. I might be an alien but I was a friendly one.

I just assumed that people would meet and greet, when dog walking, to engage in some friendly banter. Not so! Even the dogs seemed outright hostile to one another. I tried saying hello but people would walk right past me as though I didn’t exist. I would flash my most engaging smile but they would stare at me as though I were from another planet and maybe they were right.

Back home when we meet someone, even if we don’t know them; we kid and joke as if they were family. That doesn’t work here; no sir! People hang on to their wallets lest you might be a mugger disguised behind a smiling face.

Truly, there IS no place like home. I fear these people are so brain washed by their urban culture that they actually think that their aloof impersonality is normal. Come to Montana and experience a new normal.

House Sitting

Greetings fellow travelers,

Well I just found something else usefull I can do: I can baby sit the house while my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandchildren fly off on vacation. For 2 weeks, I have the place all to myself: feeding the cats, walking the dog and reminising over old family pictures hanging on the wall. The dog has just brought her leash to me, so I guess she's ready for the daily pilgrimage.

We start walking up hill. She is full of energy, so she pulls on the leash and gives me a needed boost. Coming back down the hill she is tired and I no longer need her exuberance. I have joined the over-the-hill gang. But at least, I am over the hill and not under the ground pushing up daisies.

At last: back home and ready to sit down with my blogging for dummies book, plunk on the piano (I told someone, I don't play on the white notes or the black notes, I plunk on the cracks inbetween) read my German Bible and just chill-out. I'm thankful however, because I see this adventure of house sitting as another baby step in leaving nursing care behind and launching out to a wider world.

My kids have abundantly stocked the refrigerator with groceries, so I can live here rent free for 2 weeks and save money for my coming cruise; God is good! Perhaps we can't eliminate the negative but, in the words of the old song; "we can accentuate the positive."

So, let's keep stretching beyond ourselves and leave the rest to our Maker.

Nothing Exciting's Happening

If you were to walk by a cocoon hanging from the tender tendril of a tree, mud brown and wrinkled, you might think: "Nothing exciting is happening in there." You would be wrong. Inside that colorless cocoon an exciting transformation is occurring. At 76, that's the way I feel about whatever time I have left. My effort to escape the chrysalis of comfort ability and move beyond my comfort zone continues. I feel the stirrings of a metamorphosis within me.

Space A travel is still too ambitious for my timid soul, but I did have a travel agent friend of mine make all the arrangements to embark on a 16 day cruise through the Panama canal. "Go for it chaplain!" A wheel chair will be waiting and strong hands to help me up the ramp. In these recessionary times cruising has become more reasonable to one living on a fixed income. This is a good time to launch out on the sea, in search for adventure in exotic ports of call and on board ship. Who knows, this might become my "love boat" (for those who remember the T.V. series).

I'll have to let my nursing care service know, so they can keep me on their list, in case I ever return to home port. Check with you later fellow adventurers. Just keep remembering: "Trying is winning," so don't let the rocking chair lull you into submission.

The saga continues

It's been a while since I have ventured out into the blogosphere. Just to report: the butterfly is still struggling to escape the cocoon of the comfortable and spread its wings toward the friendly skies of space-a travel.

I'm making slow but steady progress. I got a "smart phone" and now I can send and receive e-mails. I can also surf the web with my hand held device, which can also operate overseas. It beats lugging that 7 pound laptop around. It's hard to make my fingers fit into those tiny boxes for typing but I'm improving with practice. It's amazing what persistence can produce.

Today I go to the post office to begin the process to renew my passport. It will be good for another decade through my 86th birthday. I think that will probably be long enough.

All the while, every cell in my body (all 50 trillion of them, sounds like the national debt) seem to cry out; "your window of opportunity has closed, your next stop is a rest home!" I'm determined to add some theology to my biology. Those cells, all 50 trillion of them, are not infallible or omniscient. My spirit tells me; "it's never too late to leave the nest and experience a new adventure. " Can theology trump biology? I want to believe it can.

So I'm taking short flights: 1st to San Jose and then Santa Cruz to celebrate my granddaughters 30th birthday. Then, on to Yosemite to experience those magnificent water falls and the giant Sequoias. Then over to the California coast to take a tour through Hearst Castle. My daughter was an excellent driver. She will drive me to Southern California to attend my grandson's high school graduation; a proud day for the family. Then who knows? As I take little baby steps, I want to build confidence for extending my comfort zone into ever widening circles. Are you with me? Can we encourage one another?

The Therapy of a Happy Heart

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones
(Proverbs 17:22, NIV). For those who have eyes to see it the heavens are aglow with God's shining face.

Praising God anyhow, anytime or anywhere. Dr Praise would like to recommend to you the medicine of a merry heart.

A distinguished looking man was walking by a park bench when he overheard a boy praising God with enthusiasm. He stopped and asked, “What are you so excited about young man?” The boy replied: “O mister our God is so great, it says here in my Bible that God delivered his people from bondage and opened up a way through the Red Sea so they could cross over on dry ground!” Having a background in Bible knowledge, he sat down by the boy in order to enlighten him. “Scholars tell us that the Hebrew word translated ‘Red’ should be translated ‘Reed’ Sea. It was a marshy area of reeds adjacent to the Red Sea that often had only 6 inches of water in it. The people could have easily waded through it. It may not have been a miracle but a natural event.” The boy looked down at his open Bible with confusion on his face as the man stood up and started to walk away. He had only taken a few steps when the boy began to praise God even with more gusto. The man stopped and asked: “What are you so enthused about now?” The boy replied: “O mister, our God is even greater than I thought. He not only delivered his people but he drowned the army of Pharaoh in only six inches of water!”

Life is often not fair. Bad things can and do happen to good people. A sanctified sense of humor can help us transform tragedy into triumph, pain into praise. The greatest disappointments can become divine appointments and the most difficult circumstances can be a call to praise. Even if one could explain away every miracle and attribute them all to natural causes and coincidence, it would not quench my spirit of rejoicing.

Love in Four Dimensions

Dr Praise #3

DIAGNOSIS: As one who has provided pastoral care for over half a century, I have observed that people are often constricted by the smallness of their self centered world. They need to break out of their boxes of me, myself and mine and be stretched by a grander more glorious vision of God. There is nothing more expansive than contemplating the dimensions of divine love.

PRESCRIPTION: Ephesians 3:18-19 is by no means a bitter pill. Rather it is a mind altering medication. “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

PROGNOSIS: Our containers are too small. In order to be filled with the fullness of God we need larger vessels. Our borders of bias and our parameters of prejudice need to be transcended by something as expansive as the universe. That something is the very essence of God which is love: a selfless, sacrificial love that Jesus brought into this world from beyond time and space.

PRACTICE: Let me suggest this exercise. Bring alongside Ephesians 3:18 the most familiar verse in the entire Bible, John 3:16. Notice how they so beautifully dove-tail. What is the breadth of divine love? “God so loved the world….” We often draw circles to shut people out who are different from us. God draws circles which are inclusive of the whole world and everyone in it. What is the length of love? The answer is again in John 3:16-“that he gave his only begotten son.” God went to great lengths to demonstrate his love for us-he cared enough to send the best. His love reaches as far as the cross. What about the depths of love? “That we should not perish….” God sent his son into a perishing world. Truly there is no bottom to the heart of God. Corry Ten Boom (who survived the holocaust) was fond of saying: “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” Let’s practice on the heights of divine love: “…but have everlasting life.” The goal of love is to find us in the depths of despair and lift us to the heights of life eternal.

CHALLENGE: Spend some quality time meditating on the down reach, the up reach, the outreach and the in reach of divine love and let it stretch you out to your full potential. Don’t allow yourself to be limited by the smallness of a time bound, three dimensional world which shuts you in on every side.

Happy Chappy's 2nd hat-Dr. Praise #2

MY SECOND DIAGNOSIS

DIAGNOSIS: We often think of body, soul, and spirit as we proceed from the external to the internal. The Bible reverses that order and speaks of spirit (the core of our being) the soul (the functions of mind, emotion, and will) and the body. We need a therapy that starts in our spirit and proceeds outwardly. Outward therapies often do not penetrate deeply enough to reach the problem of pessimism. I would like to recommend the Holy Spirit who releases into the inner depths of our human spirit the joy of Jesus which radiates out in a more positive attitude and which ministers emotional and physical health.

PRESCRIPTION: Today, I would like to write you a script from Hebrews 1:9. It describes our Savior in these terms: “God anointed him with the oil of gladness beyond his contemporaries.” When you close your eyes and think of God do you see a frowning face? Do you visualize an angry deity, who can’t wait for the slightest reason to rain wrath on your head? It’s time to replace that with the smiling face of Jesus. He did not come to take the wind out of our sails, the spring out of our step, or the blue out of our skies. He came that “we might have life and have it more abundantly.” To have just a fraction of his cheerful disposition, his positive personality, rub off on us, would turn our mourning into gladness. “He that has seen me has seen the Father,” our Savior said. To see the Christ through the eyes of faith is to get a whole new vision of the depths of divine love.

PROGNOSIS: As we turn our eyes upon Jesus, we see that our Creator is everything an ideal Father ought to be. We are welcome to climb up on His lap, throw our arms around Him and call him “Daddy.” We can look up to a star-studded sky and affirm, “My Heavenly Father did that!” We can feel warmed by Papa’s love and sheltered in His care.

PRACTICE: Through the week let your heart-sing with joy: “This is my Father’s world and to my listening ear, all nature sings and ‘round me rings the music of the spheres.” Our God is not an impersonal force; a first cause; an unmoved mover; the eternal ground of all being. That works well for the philosophical, the rational level of our minds. But deep within us is a crying need for personal relationship. The God Jesus revealed to us can meet this need. “His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.” Jesus told us that not one sparrow can fall to the ground without the Father knowing it and we are worth more than many sparrows.

CHALLENGE: Why should any believer get stuck in the slough of despondency and be mired in the mud of murmuring. With renewed spiritual resources, we can turn our pessimism into praise and glory in the gladness of God’s Son. Let us determine to be loyal to the royal that is within us.

Happy Chappy's 2nd hat-Dr. Praise

MY FIRST DIAGNOSIS

DIAGNOSIS: You have a body but you are a spirit. As you must exercise your body to maintain physical fitness; you must exercise your spirit to maintain a healthy spirituality. One of the best ways to activate and energize your innermost being is with the daily practice of praise.

PRESCRIPTION: Take a big dose of John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” Notice, this prescription is for any and every believer. It’s not limited to super-star Christians who are gifted with special enlightenment. This promise is for you. You have locked up within yourself, not just tiny trickles but rivers. Living a life-style of praise is not a matter of getting more of God into your life. Rather, a vital spirituality is a matter of opening the flood gates of your soul and letting out what you already have flowing within you.

PROGNOSIS: Think of a garden hose lying in the sun. When you first turn on the faucet, the water is warm and tastes like plastic. As it flows, it gets cooler and sweeter, loosing that artificial flavor. That’s my prognosis for you fellow traveler. As you become a practitioner of praise so much of the superficiality and staleness in your life will be washed away, bringing refreshment to yourself and others.

PRACTICE: As a general practitioner I subscribe to the therapeutic principle that love will find its way into an open heart. But as a praise specialist, I like to emphasize a reverse therapy. Love will find its way out of an open heart. As love flows out, the stream becomes a river, which carries us along on the current of caring. So find someone that you discern is gifted in some area. Perhaps they don’t recognize their gift but you have observed it in action. Without flattery (which is manipulative) affirm that person in a simple and direct way. You don’t want to spread it on too thickly causing them embarrassment. Just let them know that you appreciate their attitude of kindness which has lifted your spirit.

CHALLENGE: Why should any believer stand on the bank and just observe, while others are splashing and frolicking in a river of living water, which cleanses the soul and inspires praise in the heart? We can find ways to release the indwelling spiritual resources which are flowing just below our level of consciousness.

A Grasshopper Mentality

It's sound advice that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. On the other hand the pendulum can easily swing to the other extreme when we think too lowly of ourselves. To find that delicate balance between haughtiness and humiliation is true humility.

A case in point: when the people of God first entered the Promised Land to possess their possessions, their task seemed daunting. The walls were high and the cities well fortified. They seemed like impregnable fortresses whose inhabitants were gigantic. In stark contrast they saw themselves as grasshoppers. "To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them" (Numbers 13:33, New Revised Standard Version). In reality these "giants" were cowering behind their walls having heard of the miracles God did in liberating his people from their bondage in Egypt. They were fearful that what had happened to the Egyptians would happen to them.

The people of God couldn't see their position of strength because they were demoralized by the negativism of a grasshopper mentality.

After they got a few victories under their belts, their problems didn't look so formidable and they began to have a more healthy respect for their own resources. I think something similar will happen to us, after we get some experience traveling the world. Something of the can do attitude of Caleb will deliver us from grasshopperitis. "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30). Now that's the spirit we need.

Trying is Winning

We live in a culture which is profoundly influenced by the professional sports mentality that winning is all important; nothing else matters. If you’re not a winner you can’t attract the fans in sufficient numbers to pay the bills. This philosophy, I believe, prevents many people who are not world class athletes from competing.

Happy Chappy subscribes to a different value system. I believe that the only ultimate failure is to give up on trying. All those who try are winners in my book even if they come in dead last. That’s how I feel about Space-A travel; or anything else for that matter. I may not have the strength to do it at my age. I’m not sure I can motivate myself to face the uncertainties of not having a confirmed reservation. But that should not keep me from trying. So, here I am a few days later, with a wireless lap top computer to make reservations ahead and stay in contact with family and friends. That way, they will know where I am and what I’m doing.

My workouts at the Fitness Center are building my strength and my confidence. I’m giving it the good old college try. That makes me a winner regardless of the outcome. Are you with me?

Here goes an easy one to get me started. I have a reservation to fly to my son’s house and spend time with the grandchildren. Then what? a cruise, bus trip, train ride learning as I go? When I run out of money, I’ll have to come up with another plan.

I have a senior friend who goes from cruise to cruise. She claims it’s less expensive than a rest home and they do it all for you and provide plenty of entertainment when you get board with the ocean. Now that lady has some spunk!

What about timid little me? Can I strap on the back pack and the money belt and with passport in hand face the world? Time will tell. Whatever the outcome, I consider myself a winner. Just keep trying to fulfill your dreams and you will be a winner in your eyes, regardless of how the world sees you. Amen, that will preach!

Confidence Rising

In my first blog, I talked about the fear factor. That’s not very relevant to young people, who somehow feel, they are immortal and indestructible. As we grow older we can more clearly see that thin line between faith and foolishness. Am I being foolish to think that at my age, I could throw caution to the wind and succumb to the thrill of a new adventure? How nice it is to have this platform where I can think out loud. Maybe no one else is listening, but I can throw it out into the blogosphere, like a boomerang, and see if it returns for another cast.

I am happy to report today that my confidence is rising. For one I went to the Fitness Center and had a workout for a change. The endorphins are activated and I am feeling better about recovering 100 % from my stroke and shedding some extra pounds in the process. I feel that I’m on a roll and who knows where it will lead.

Also I have been doing some research and it is amazing how many places in the world a military ID card can take you. It’s truly mind blowing. I should have started years ago, but better late than never. With a debit card, a money belt, going light with a back pack, and a small air mattress to use when spending the night in an air port, one is well on the way.

I hope this will not sound too weird. The last thing I told my wife of 57 wonderful years as she was passing over was: “Where ever I go and whatever I do in the time I have left, I will take you with me in my mind and heart. You can see through my eyes and hear with my ears.” Does that sound spooky? The good book says: “All things are possible only believe.”

It may have been General Douglas MacArthur who coined the phrase: “Old soldiers never die they just fade away.” I would rather say it this way: “Old chaplains never die they just praise away.” I’ve been wallowing in the slough of despondency long enough. It’s time for me to propel myself out of this pit of pessimism on the wings of praise. We need not be mired in the mud of negativism. I believe our God is waiting to turn our mourning into melodies and gird us with garments of gladness.

I’ll keep you posted on how my metamorphosis goes, as I struggle to escape the cocoon of a comfortable environment.

The Fear Factor

Does it irk you to have a valuable benefit and not utilize it? I retired in 1992 with 25 years of military service. For the last 17 years, I have had the privilege of traveling space available and have not used it once! My friends tell me; “you better do what you can do while you can do it.” True but I get cold feet: I’m 76 years old. Don’t I need the comfort of a confirmed flight? Could I take the frustration of being bumped off and having to wait around for a later flight? What if I ran out of medicine? What if I had another stroke? What if I got stuck somewhere and couldn’t get back? If I needed medical help where could I go and what insurance would I need? Could I learn enough about the Space-A system of travel to use it effectively?

100 different questions gnaw at my confidence and point invitingly to the rocking chair or the rest home. I can see that I need to build up my courage in little steps by starting with simple trips. So I’m going to take the first baby step. I’m reaching up and taking down a 1993 edition of Worldwide Space-A Travel from my book shelf. It’s outdated but it will get me started learning the system. As an old Chinese proverb says; “The distance of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.

Let’s see, what might be further steps? A lap top would be essential to e-mail ahead and make reservations etc. Can I work that into my budget? Can I get a camcorder, in addition to my digital camera, to record my adventures? My mind is spinning with things to do in preparation for this radical change in life style.

The cautious side of my nature is inclined to think about less adventurous trips like flying commercial to visit my kids and grandkids. How about using those frequent flyer miles (before I loose them) to take a trip to the east coast? How about a cruise where one can just kick back and be pampered? That could be followed by a train trip and then a bus trip. Am I chickening out? I would like to think that I am trying to build up my travel muscles so I can launch out and just fly off into the sun set with the 600 lb. gorilla in the room, military Space-A. Stay tuned as Happy Chappy keeps you updated on a military vet with a 40% disability, stretching out to tramp the world. If I can do it (which is not yet determined) anybody can do it that has a military ID card.

I’ll keep you posted.