MASHED UP LIKE TATERS!

But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.

Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 12; from the New Living Translation (NLT)

But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else.

Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 12; from The Message (MSG)

Please forgive me, but today’s thoughts are just a bit lengthy. Just in case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t written anything lately. And truthfully? I don’t have a single good excuse. Heck, I don’t even have a bad excuse. But there is a reason why. Of course, there is always a reason why for everything. And, as painful as it is for me to admit it, it wasn’t a good reason; not in the very least. It’s no where near the level of what some consider to be a justified reason! I have been, and continue to be overwhelmed by a lot of thoughts. Some related. Others unrelated. My thoughts have been and are still looking like mashed taters. Not the kind you measure out of a box or pack, but the real thing. You have to be from the south to get that image.

After a short time at home, we departed Wednesday morning at 2:20 a.m. to return to Florida. Before you get images of white sandy beaches and splashing waves, we are in Bartow, which is over an hour to the nearest beach. We came back for our family. Debbie’s “cousin-more-like-a-sister” died January 18 and according to her wishes was cremated. This past Saturday was her Celebration Of Life Service and Michelle’s husband, Ken, asked me to lead it off. Ken and Michelle are more like brother and sister to me, and honestly I struggled with what to say.

Then we received word that a great friend of ours, Ben, was near death. Apparently he had a heart attack which led to a wreck as he was heading to work. He has been on a ventilator since January 31 and today, they will be removing that ventilator and allow nature to take it’s course. His mother, Donna, had asked if I would do his service. And of course I said “Yes”. And one day after one service, I was trying to put some thoughts together for Ben’s family.

And, now I will explain today’s title. Saturday morning it all boiled over. I went out on the back porch with another cup of coffee (I can’t remember which number it was). The sun was up and the lake in front of me was beautiful as usual. And though I should have been thinking about and focused on Michelle’s Celebration, I noticed my brain was thinking of a lot of things. Though Daddy died a little over a year ago and my sister, Jackie, had died nearly a year and a half ago, I found myself thinking and grieving all over again. Then I had thoughts about the garden I wanted to plant. About plans for next year’s deer hunting. A repair to one of our vehicles. About the church. About this, that, and the other, and that other thing, oh, and that other thing. And one other thought: I’m so tired to doing funerals and even celebrations!

And that last thought just ain’t a nice thing for this Preacherman to say; or any other pastor/preacher to say as far as that goes. These words started to roll off my tongue: Why are all these thoughts running wild like kids leaving school at the end of the day in my mind??? But I didn’t finish them before The Spirit said, “Because you’ve given them permission to be there! Duh!” I failed to heed The Sage, Solomon, and his words: constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else. (MSG) Yes! Preacherman who advocates, preaches, and teaches that we control what we think–had given permission to my thoughts to run wild.

I know that the translations use the word study, but what is thinking but studying? Or what is studying but thinking? And I was thinking/studying about a lot of things; too many things. And I was worn out and no good for anything else. So, what did I do? I admitted my problem! I needed to change my choice of thoughts. Did that solve my problem? Absolutely NOT!!! But it did move me back in the right direction. It’s still a struggle. No, I take that back! It’s a war going on inside this skull. So I fight–not with my strength or my weapons. I’m heeding the admonishment of Paul found in Ephesians:

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Chapter 6, verses 10-13 (NLT)

Today, they will be disconnecting Ben from the ventilator. Today I will be finishing up the words that need to be said. Today I will begin waiting for that call from Donna. Today I will be packing up to leave early in the morning to head back home–and to another funeral service. Today, well, it’s today. And all those thoughts that are like mashed taters? To be truthful, that tater masher is still at work. But I am now relying on HIM to help me in this battle. And the ebb of this conflict is now going in the right direction. With God’s Grace and help, and with my surrender to Him, things are getting better. I still don’t like it–but it’s still getting better. And The Spirit who has got me this far–will get me through this, too. Oh, and if you don’t have anything to do, will you say a prayer for us?

Advertisement

WHO TOUCHED YOU?

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”

Luke chapter 8, verse 45; from the New Living Translation (NLT)

Most are familiar with what happened before Jesus asked this question. There was this woman who had enough faith that if she could just touch the hem of His garment she would be healed. And she was. But she got more than just healing; she got the attention of Jesus. Right? Well, this morning I got to thinking again. What about us? No, not us touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. Rather, when Jesus touches us. Does He have our attention?

Think about it. Jesus is always reaching out and touching us. We call it Prevenient Grace. It has nothing to do with our cognition. HE is the initiator for relationship. And here’s the thing: Even after we accept His offer for this relationship, He doesn’t stop reaching out for us and touching us! You are not someone to check off His list of who has and who doesn’t have The Relationship! You are important to Him! Deep inside you is His Image–and He wants that Image to come out and be seen.

So, each and every day, Jesus is reaching out and touching you. He has something for you that you need. And He often has something for you to do! So He touches you. Question is: Do you recognize that Touch? Unfortunately, lots of others are reaching out and touching us. And too often our response sounds like Peter’s response: What do you mean, “Who Touched me? I’m in a crowd. What do I expect?”

To recognize those moments when Jesus is Touching us, it requires intentionality from us. We have to retrain our thinking when we start this Walk with Jesus. One way to do it is to spend alone time with Him. Reading, praying, and praising are great things to do with you are alone with Jesus. And another great way to recognize His Touch and give Him your attention is to have what is called situational awareness. Look around and see those places, people, and situations where Jesus is needed. Yes, He still touches us! Touches us to get our attention. So, my friends, does HE have your attention? He always knows when you touch Him–now return the favor and know when HE Touches YOU! To help you remember this, I leave you with a song:

MAKING COMPARISONS

For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
    What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?

Psalm 89, verse 6; from the New Living Translation (NLT)

One of the favorite pastimes for many is making comparisons. Some turn it into a sport. Others have made it an art form. By definition, comparison is a consideration or estimate of the similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people. One thing is like another because of… Another thing is unlike another because… But unfortunately, most comparisons are made based on opinion, not facts. For example, the selection of the 4 college football teams to play for the national championship. Comparisons were made on the teams selected, and teams not selected. And though the process is projected as being unbiased and nonpartisan, it’s still the result of of opinions. And some people even compare opinions to a certain body orifice–everyone has one and most of them stink.

Seriously, comparing is quite common. We compare one product to another. One person to another. And especially comparing ourselves to others. We look at another person and think, “I could never do what they do.” Or, “Well, I’m not as bad as they are!” We compare political ideologies, theological perspectives, churches, and you name it. Compare! Compare! Compare! Some even do “taste” comparisons. Which cola tastes the best? Which cheese is cheesier?

But there is One that there is really nothing to compare with. And that is God–revealed in The Bible–affirmed by Jesus–and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. Sadly, some want to compare God by their traditions; their opinions; even worse–to the values of this world. Truth Time! Nothing and no one compares to God. And this is why we need to stay close to Him, to know Him through the Scriptures, and listen to Him. Attempts to comingle Him and what the world says will only lead to disaster and destruction. Sure! He will contradict everything the world says is right. But He IS God. And there’s just no comparison between the two!

The Power Of Touch

The human touch–it can be something sad, or it can be comforting. The last few days, it’s been both for me. Dad’s billfold is on our chest of drawers. When I simply reach out to touch it, a deep sadness comes over me–and a few more tears–so I walk away from it. But then I think about all the embraces we received from friends and family after Dad’s death–and I find it comforting. The most powerful touches came to me without any words. At the funeral home before we opened up for friends, our son-in-law Michael came up and just put his hand on my shoulder. He’s been where I was at–and it was amazing the strength that came to me. And he’s just one example.

Yesterday did not end well for us. Last night I received a phone call that one of our very good friends, Max–more like family–had just died. He and his wife Cindy ARE family. And I learned that another icon of the Center Star Community had also died. I went to school with his kids. And right now I simply want to go back there–though the wounds of my own grief are still very fresh–to give my friends the human touch–the way it was shared with me.

But there’s this thing called COVID–the demon has affected and infected all of us here at home. We are in quarantine. In addition to the sickness and death caused by COVID–for the past couple of years, it’s limited the human touch. First, there was the lockdown–and when some of the limitations were lifted–we could only pretend to shake hands. Facemasks and social distancing were–and continue to be–the norm. Honestly, I’m struggling here–drowning even–because I cannot be with our friends, the way they were with us. And then there’s Dad’s billfold.

What’s a person to do? To be touched in kindness or to touch another person in kindness is powerful. When we can’t be there–when they can’t be here–when even an inanimate object feels like we’re in a tsunami of grief–what can we do? How can we cope? I will answer my own question–know that God is touching us! We know this because the Bible tells us so–In Psalm 139, verse 5 (New Century Version) David wrote: “You are all around me—in front and in back—and have put your hand on me.

This Psalm goes on to talk about trying to get away from God’s presence, from His touch. But in every place, God is already there, waiting for us. His touch is the most comforting touch of all–and no pandemic–not even our own sinfulness–will ever prevent Him from reaching out and touching us. I leave you with this picture. It’s from back in the day before cell phones–so there was this thing called long-distance calling. It could be very expensive. But AT&T had an ad campaign to encourage subscribers to make those long-distance phone calls. The ads were something like this:

When we need it–God reaches out and touches us. Not with a phone call, but His very own presence. And Jesus invites us to reach out and touch Him the way He invited the disciples to touch Him after The Resurrection. And when this *%^#*&_)^%^$(@&#%^ pandemic is gone–reach out and literally touch someone because they will need it. Join me in praying for an end to this virus–so that we no longer need social distancing.