Monthly Archives: October 2022

Laptops

laptop

I got my first laptop at work, and the benefit is that I can take it with me wherever I go, if need be. I got to take advantage of that when I had to work at home. All I had to do was plug in my laptop, start it up, and all my projects were there on the screen waiting for me to work on. I spent my time at home just like I did at the office, typing and clicking away until quitting time came. I was amazed by how I was able to get the same amount of work done (and perhaps more) when I was home as I got done in the office. Have laptop, will travel, you could say.

It occurred to me that we could say the same thing about the Bible. Have Bible, will travel. We do not have be in church to use a Bible. We can take the Bible anywhere and do the activity of the Church wherever the Holy Spirit leads us. We do not have to worry that the Bible won’t work the same for us in a new locale. It is just as powerful and has just as much impact in a coffee shop or a homeless shelter or a dorm room or a park as it does in a church. Wherever we are following the task our boss, Jesus, has given to spread the Word, the Word will be heard. So take your Bible with you. Use it without fear in each place you find yourself. God will guide you to get his work done for the good of the kingdom in every spot he puts you.

Ice Maker

ice maker

I purchased a new refrigerator about a year ago, and one feature I have enjoyed the most is probably the ice maker. I love to come home and push a glass again the lever and have ice cubes clunk into the opening for me to pour my soda and tea over. It’s like having a little day at the beach to have ice in my drink at a moment’s notice.

The problem is, of course, that is doesn’t always happen like that. Sometimes the ice cubes fly out and land on the floor instead of in my glass. Other times, the cubes do not come out and I have to open up the ice-gathering compartment inside my refrigerator to break up chunks of cubes that have stuck together and blocked any ice from being dispensed. What a hassle, I say then. But some of the best things in life come with at least some trouble, though, don’t they?

Think with me for a moment about the Christian life. We consider our relationship with Christ to be the best thing that ever happened to us. What a blessing it is to receive gifts pouring out into our cup from Jesus. What relief and peace we have experienced through his love and salvation enriching us as we drink life in.

But then the good things of God in Jesus can sometimes seem to shoot off into a different direction away from us, and our sense of stability in Christ can come crashing to the ground. Or things between us and Jesus might get clogged up with our earthly concerns and we are left feeling empty. These are normal developments in our sinful human existence and should never be a reason for us to stop going to Jesus for help and guidance and support.

Don’t ever let momentary problems take away from the overall gift that is Jesus. At the end of the day, he will get us through every “glitch,” big or small, and he will always fill us to the full with everything we need to remain close to him.

In the meantime, I will keep using my ice maker every day, come what may.

Two Screens

two screens

There was a computer upgrade at my office a couple weeks ago, so now I have a two-screen set-up with one large screen to do my work on and one small screen with a camera on a laptop to use for Zoom calls. I find it a little disconcerting to look at different screens for different tasks and sometimes I move open windows from one screen over to another for certain types of work. I sometimes am on a Zoom call looking at the other bigger screen and not on the small screen where the camera is. Confusing.

I say all this because it reminds me in some ways of Jesus’ words: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). If we spend time going back and forth from the “screen” of God’s way to the “screen” of the devil’s way or the love of money’s way, things can get confusing for us mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Jesus knows this and wants us to be single-focused and single-minded on the way of God. There is no room for other points of view to take control of our attention when we are a child of God. So don’t lose your focus on God. Don’t be distracted by other outlooks. Let your master be God and no one else. That is the key to a successful Christian life.

Drooping Leaves

plant cropped

I have a peace lily plant in my office, and one thing I learned about peace lilies is that their leaves start to droop when they need water. After I water the plant, the leaves perk up and point upward again.

I can feel a lot like these drooping leaves sometimes. But when I am drooping, I come to realize that I have not come to drink of the soothing waters of the Word of God lately and I have not let the waters of Christian companionship pour over me for a while.

It takes about a week for the leaves of the peace lily to start drooping again after being watered, so it is only natural that church on Sundays comes once a week to renew and replenish ours souls with Good News and good friends in Christ.

Don’t let your life start drooping for too long. Let your life keep looking upward to heaven, where Christ is seated and where river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1).

Mountains to Climb

dunes

I recently embarked on what is called the Three-Dune Challenge at the Indiana Dunes State Park with some close college friends of mine. I am embarrassed to say that it ended up being only a One-Dune Challenge for me. Halfway up the sandy incline, my legs could go no further, my heart was racing, my breathing increased and I was feeling nauseous. That’s how out of shape I am! My friends kindly came down to where I was and took me by the hand to lead me to the top, where there was a beautiful view. A friend then walked with me slowly back down Dune 1 and to the car.

I have had some metaphorical mountains to climb recently and my experience on this hike symbolically reminds me of all those who carried and led me through the difficulties I encountered and took me safely back to a place of peace when the challenge was over.

Sometimes the only way to make it through a challenge is through the help of others. So I remind myself even now that I do not need to always “power through” and get things done on my own. It is not a sign of weakness or defeat to ask for help. That is what Christian relationships are all about: being there to help when the hard times come and receiving that help when in the midst of hardship.

Jesus helped Peter when he was drowning. He fed people when they were hungry. He healed lepers at the side of the road begging for mercy. We can be the outstretched hand, the provider of sustenance and the ride to the hospital for medical treatment. And we can be the receivers of such mercy with gracious and grateful responses.

I hope to be in better shape someday to complete the Three-Dune Challenge on my own, but until that time, I am happy to rely on the kindness of friends and family to get me through the next hurdle of life on the horizon.

Everything Done

everything done

I recently ran across an old letter I wrote to my grandparents during the final semester of my senior year in college. One passage read: “Suddenly we’re all rushing around trying to get as much done as we can before graduation.” I am not exactly sure what I am referring to here, but I can certainly sense the urgency in my words. There is the clear sense that I knew the end of college was near and I wanted to get the most I could out of it. Beyond academic learning, I know I wanted to fully enjoy the friendships I had made and attend events on campus that I had missed in the years before. I can’t really remember if I got “everything done” I planned on doing in that last semester. But I do know I was happy on graduation day and was glad I completed my overall goal of obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree.

As I find myself in middle age, looking at the days I have left in this life before “the end,” I find comfort in these words from Christ expressed through John: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). I hold fast to my faith in Jesus, knowing that faith is a gift given to me by the Holy Spirit through baptism. My days may seem to be slipping away faster than I want them to, but I know that there is nothing more that has to be done by me to gain the glory of the next stage of living after I have “graduated” from this life. The crown of life awaits me in heaven because Christ has done it all for me by dying and rising. All that is left to do is wait in eager and excited expectation.