Pastoral Ponderings- Sculpted Beauty

Pastoral Ponderings- Sculpted Beauty

Thank you for the chance to get away!  We flew out to CA to spend time with Army kiddo Kaz while there, and Kaz and I hiked the Grand Canyon “rim to rim,” down from the North Rim, up the South Rim route, a total hike of about 23 miles.  I’m ALMOST past the sore muscles and my blisters are almost healed!  We then had other kid and wife come join us for a couple days at DisneyLAND—a first for all of us but Karol.

But the hike was the most amazing part—likely a once-in-a-lifetime thing.  Didn’t get to see much coming up the South Rim—it was dark by then—but the STARS—with no clouds, no light pollution at all—what a sight!  Next morning we did the shuttle bus to see what we could from above the South Rim—which appeared much like you’d expect with the stark beauty of all the layers of rock that God carefully carved over time.  The North Rim, though, was a surprise—I wasn’t expecting the trees and shade!   But they were VERY much appreciated, as the temperature was around 108 when we got to the bottom of the canyon by around 7pm.

I’m always struck by the beauty of God’s artwork in nature.  The Grand Canyon is quite the sculpture, with miles of carving thousands of feet deep, leaving intricate layers and signs of what has come before.  Have you ever noticed that beauty often comes like that in our small lives?  Becoming visible only after the long passage of time, with layers carved away through water, wind and grit, to reveal the beauty beneath.

We marvel at God’s sculpting majesty in the Grand Canyon and the beauty it brings—yet complain with a few scrapes and bruises when God is trying to sculpt His artistry on and through us!  And forget the process taking time as it did with the Grand Canyon—Lord, I want relief NOW, and if I need more patience, bring it quick!  (but NEVER pray for patience—God has a way of answering those kinds of prayers by providing LOTS of practice!)

Might it be possible when WE are going through times of carving, being worn down, that we could change our perspective?  Can we eagerly look for the beauty that God is working to reveal in and through the wearing down process, as we can with the Grand Canyon?  More often than not, we’d rather complain with every scrape, and pray for it to just be over quick!  That canyon wouldn’t even be a creek, let alone even approaching being one of the seven wonders of the natural world if God would have stopped THAT sculpting as quickly as we pray for our little times of being worn down to stop!

Being blessed by God’s crafting hand—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Blowout 

Pastoral Ponderings- Blowout           

Have you ever noticed that flat tire always seems to happen at terribly inconvenient times?  I just recently had one—actually a major blowout—not much left of the tire, so my quickie can to fix flats was useless.  And as it happened, it was on one of those rare occasions when I had taken my good jack out of the car for a project in the barn, and it happened on the way to a medical appointment—or what SHOULD have been an appointment, had I not missed it…

I’ve mentioned before the wonderful connection between the air/pneuma in our tires and the Holy Spirit/pneuma that vitalizes our spiritual lives—same word!  Makes for a great illustration—until you get a blow-out!  A shredded tire obviously means no more pneuma—so we were literally stuck, unable to go anywhere.  Which, I suppose, is the point of the lesson—without the pneuma, you can do nothing.

While Jesus doesn’t mention a tire or blowout, He does say pretty much the same thing when He describes Himself as the vine, and us as the branches—“I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”  And of course, in our understanding of the Trinity, just as Jesus plainly states, “I and the Father are One,” Jesus also identifies Himself and the Holy Spirit as being one—so just like the tire, apart from the Holy Spirit/Jesus, “you can do nothing”!

Now a regular flat can be patched—but not a blowout.  And it’s not uncommon for us to find ourselves in places where we can describe our situation as having a spiritual flat tire—we’ve lost touch with the Holy Spirit for a time.  I wish I would have taken a picture of how hopelessly shredded it was!  The GOOD NEWS is, that while a blowout on our car can remind us of our dependence on Jesus and His Holy Spirit, UNLIKE a blowout that can never be fixed, there’s NOTHING we can do that can make us beyond repair!

We can have a “spiritual flat” and lose the pneuma from our lives for a bit (or get to the point of FEELING like we’ve lost the Spirit), but we can never have an irreparable spiritual blowout!  God loves us too much to allow for us to be so broken that we are beyond God’s grace—at least a part of why God’s grace is so amazing!  Jesus gives us a lifetime subscription to God’s spiritual roadside assistance—just a prayer away! (and no obnoxious recording to be all that answers the call!)

So how’s the pneuma in your (spiritual) tires?  No matter what, you’re just a prayer away from the assistance you need to get your flat fixed!  Never stuck too long—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Riparian Zone

Pastoral Ponderings—Riparian Zone

I was getting a bit of exercise while hiking through our woods, and ended up with a side trip into our riparian zone.  It’s not the friend zone, not the danger zone, not the comfort zone.  You might call it the ugly zone, the yucky zone, or other equally complimentary names.  I was soggy and muddy to my knees by the time I got out of the riparian zone (the VERY wet zone along a stream bank, river bank or at the edges of other bodies of water).

With all the rain we’ve been having, it’s a real mess of an area.  “Why?” you might ask, would I spend time getting muddy and soggy, when as it’s not generally the nicest nor picturesque of areas?  Well, I was trying to find more deer tracks—we’ve had a LOT out there!  Then I just got distracted and wandered…

Yes, riparian zones are messy—but they’re very important for all kinds of critters, not the least of which area the frogs that are about to sing me to sleep!  They’re also essential for our water supply, cleaning and filtering water as it returns to aquifers, allowing areas for water to soak into the water supply below, and providing an abundance of habitat to all our animal friends.  Just because it’s messy doesn’t mean it’s undesirable.

Might we have some messy areas in our lives that we’d rather avoid too?  But like the animals and habitat around us, the mess is where the stuff of life thrives, and is often necessary, like with our aquifers, for us to recharge and nourish life and growth.

Where are the messy areas in your life today?  Do you fuss about them and just see the mud and muck—or can you try to start thanking God for what brings life and renewal, even if it doesn’t seem so nice at the time?  Any time we shift our perspective to where we can be thankful and focus on the (often hidden) blessings God has for us, that’s when we can find the recharge and new life that God has in store for us in the spiritual riparian zones of our lives.

Look for the life—and bask in the glory of the symphony of frogs, birds, crickets and the light show of the lightning bugs that are all at their best right where God brought all the elements of life together!  — Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Perspective

Pastoral Ponderings—Perspective

I don’t usually sit on the floor.  I don’t often get to gaze into the sparkling eyes of the cutest little kitten in the world, nor get to see the world from that kitten’s upside down perspective!  I rolled Boots (what an original name!) onto his back, and he just stayed there, transfixed, as if hypnotized, so I couldn’t resist snapping a few pics and sharing!

We can’t help but see the world from some distinct perspective- whether from a silly upside down place on the floor from the wonderous eyes of a kitten, or from the eyes of a jaded old warrior—and what we see differs with the perspective from which we see.  I’m always giving Darling Wife a hard time for not seeing what’s right there—the half gallon of whipping cream “hiding” in plain sight behind the small jar of mayonnaise was the latest!  But she gives it right back when it’s my turn—“where are my keys?”  “Look in your other hand!”  Might even sound familiar.

We see what we’re looking for, not what’s actually there.  If we’re looking for ugliness in the world, there’s plenty to see all around us.  When we’re looking for beauty and wonder around us (as we might find in a kitten’s sparkling upside down eyes), there’s ample to fill our souls and more.

When was the last time you were in prison? Not a pretty place is it.  And that was likely a modern American prison.  Can you imagine being in an ancient prison of the notorious Roman Empire?  Yet it was from such a place that these famous words were penned– “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

If from that kind of place, one can encourage others to see the good in whatever the situation, can’t we in our dark places, or in places where those around us are eagerly pointing and yammering about all the terrible things around us, keep our perspective one the borrows the sparkle of an upside down face of grace like that of Jesus’ (or Boots the kitten’s for that matter)?

Looking for the sparkle of life—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Anchors

Pastoral Ponderings—Anchors

Thanks, John!  Had help from John from the Charlestown church  for a big hunk of the day in helping getting a roof up for the lean-to addition we’re putting onto the barn.  Not done yet, but we made some great progress!

Once I finally got some nails holding the roof sheathing in place and it started feeling pretty solid up there, I realized how important anchoring is.  It doesn’t do much good to have the roof sheathing without the supports, and it doesn’t do much good to have the roof supports unless they’re solidly anchored on something that holds it all up!  With Jesus having been a contractor prior to His ministry, I’m surprised He didn’t have a parable on this—but since we’re supposed to be Christ-like, I guess I can share the parable!

How is the roof of your spiritual home doing?  Have you noticed that will a good roof, the whole structure can last a good long time—but the roof also needs its supports and anchors!  In the case of our lean-to, the anchoring comes from solid connections both to the existing building, and to the posts, that are also solidly anchored in the ground.  Those connections are SO important!  And protecting those connections too—wouldn’t do much good to have them rust away!

The picture doesn’t show it very well, because in fact, the anchoring connections are not really that big—but they are SO essential!  Are you making sure your life is well anchored in Christ?

Think about those connections that keep you anchored, and how you’re protecting them.  Some of them are family or spouse, some are family of choice, some are church, some are friends.  Make sure those connections stay strong, or even the best of construction can still fall to the ground!                Ever building connections—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Intercropping

Pastoral Ponderings—Intercropping

FINALLY we’re able to start getting our garden in!  While it’s not as big a concern for hobby gardeners like us, this spring’s being so wet has put a damper on a lot of farming and gardening this year!  Not a laughing matter for those whose livelihoods are threatened by it, and certainly annoying for the rest of us.

We were able to get the garden tilled a few days ago right before the busy-ness of the holiday weekend, but it’s still been quite soggy—with more rain expected this week!  We’ve been experimenting in recent years with various facets of regenerative agriculture and intercropping—most specifically right now the practices from intercropping that intentionally builds on strengths different plants bring to the garden.

You may be able to see in the picture along the edge the baby onion stalks we’ve just planted—those are supposed to help prevent annoying pests from getting in the garden.  We’ve not put the basil in around the tomatoes yet, but that’s another facet where one plant literally feeds off another, and putting lettuces around tomatoes and beans is the same, with the cooler needs of the lettuces (behind the pea and bean trellis fence) to be protected by the shade of the beans and peas as they grow into the hotter part of the summer (that’s a statement of faith…).

And while the cardboard is NOT very attractive, and not really a part of intercropping, it is an organic way to fight weeds that would otherwise take nutrients and sunlight from the good veggies.  Such protection isn’t pretty—but very important to a healthy garden!

Jesus likely would have mentioned these kinds of benefits of intentional gardening in His parables, but cardboard hadn’t been invented yet, nor had the language of intercropping, so those hearing Him would have thought Him off His rocker had these words come out in His parables!  But the mutual up-building of intercropping is at lease alluded to later in the New Testament, when “build one another up in Christian love” is cited as a part of our calling.  Likewise the protection from The Enemy of weeds that sucks the life out of the garden, and blocks out the blessings of the sun/Son that the cardboard provides, is also alluded to in many ways across the Bible.

So whether you’re growing your own veggies, or being blessed by other farmers’ efforts, think on these things—and enjoy the blessings of the lessons of the garden while you enjoy the blessings of the fruit of the garden!  And as with other opportunities for eating—share it with others (like that intercropping…) that we may all keep on blessing one another!                      — Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings–Ordinary Heroism

Pastoral Ponderings–Ordinary Heroism

Memorial Day is a day remembering those who gave their lives in service to their country—many whose stories reflect ordinary acts of caring, that in extraordinary times, became acts of great heroism.

Most often we think of those whose acts in battle turn blood into the fuel of heroics.  But as a retired Army Chaplain, I’d like to share a perhaps lesser known story of extraordinary grace that both saved lives on a sinking troop transport ship in WW II, and which has become a beacon of what it means to give your all.

Drawing from articles pertaining to the Four Chaplains, on the US Army Four Chaplains Memorial by Paul Stamps, as well as articles by C. Douglas Sterner and Dan Kurzman, I’d like to share this powerful scene, which demonstrate so well the power of those memorable words, “Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their lives for their friends”:

 

The night of February 3, 1943, began like any other on the SS Dorchester, a U.S. Army transport ship carrying over 900 men across the cold, treacherous waters of the North Atlantic.  But that night, disaster struck with a ferocity that would test the limits of human endurance.

At 12:55 AM, a German U-boat (U 233) fired a torpedo into the Dorchester, tearing a gaping hole in the ship’s hull. The ship lurched, throwing everyone on board into chaos. Panic spread like wildfire. Flames and smoke filled the air, and the ship, already sinking fast, seemed to groan under the weight of its destruction.

In the midst of the chaos, when escape seemed impossible and death hung like a shadow over the ship, four men remained calm. They were (young Army) chaplains, each wearing a uniform that marked them as spiritual guides to the troops. Yet that night, Lieutenant George L. Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, and Lieutenant John P. Washington would become something far greater. These four men of different faiths, bound by their shared mission to serve others, would become symbols of grace, courage, and self-sacrifice in the face of death.

As the ship began to sink, the chaplains didn’t panic. Instead, they did what they had been trained to do: serve. They moved through the smoke-filled decks, offering comfort, administering prayers, and guiding the men toward safety. Their voices—steady, calming, and full of hope—became an anchor for the frightened Soldiers around them.

(As the Soldiers were coming on deck, they found that) there were not enough life jackets to go around.  (The chaplains, though,) made an extraordinary decision. Without hesitation, each chaplain gave up his own life jacket and gave it to a Soldier in need.

Witnesses later recalled seeing the Four Chaplains standing arm in arm on the deck as the ship went down. They were not merely waiting for death. Instead, amidst the chaos, the Four Chaplains prayed in unison. Each one offered his own prayer, but their voices blended in a powerful chorus of faith that transcended every barrier between them.

In that moment, it was the Four Chaplains’ shared humanity and their shared love for others that became their greatest strength. (With their combined prayers lifting) up the souls of the men who would soon face the unknown, and invoking God’s grace as the ship tilted further and the cold waters began to swallow them whole. The Four Chaplains’ courage, sacrifice, and deep faith transcended all boundaries—religious, national, and personal. In those last moments, the Dorchester became a sanctuary of selflessness, a symbol of the highest human virtues.

In a world where differences have all too often created conflict and separated brothers, the Four Chaplains found a special kind of unity, and in that unity they found strength. Despite the differences, they became “brothers” for they had one unseen characteristic in common that overshadowed everything else. They were brothers because all four shared the same father.

U-233 escaped after firing the fatal torpedo.  About a year later, it was sunk by British destroyers with the loss of most of its crew.  One survivor, Kurt Rosser, was interned in a Mississippi prisoner of war camp, In 2000, the Immortal Chaplains Foundation brought him and the U-233 first officer, Gerhard Buske, to Washington, DC.  There they attended memorial ceremonies, toured the Holocaust Museum, and visited with Theresa Goode Kaplan, widow of Chaplain Goode, who reluctantly accepted the visitors’ expressions of respect for her husband and regret for her suffering.  Four years later, Buske spoke at the foundation’s sixtieth anniversary ceremony, saying, “we ought to love when others hate…we can bring faith where doubt threatens; we can awaken hope where despair exists; we can light up a light where darkness reigns; we can bring joy where sorrow dominates.”  Those words, as well as any, represent the lessons of the Four Chaplains.

In the face of war, death, and adversity, the Four Chaplains showed the world what it means to live out one’s faith with profound love and sacrifice.

Their story, combined with the words of U-233’s First Officer 60 years later, show how heroic love can not only bring hope in the darkest of times, but can even build bridges that brings forgiveness and reconciliation, that can turn enemies into neighbors.

May the echoes of that night, and the memories we share this day, not only bring honor to the fallen, but hope to those facing today’s battles.  Amen, and amen.

Pastor Jim, aka Chaplain (Lt.Colonel, retired, USAR)

Pastoral Ponderings—Kittens!

Pastoral Ponderings—Kittens!

The barn cat had kittens yesterday!  It’s exciting to see the little furry things squirming around—even though we tried to avoid them!  We had planned to get the barn cat fixed right away—but it was weeks before she allowed us to get close enough to touch her, and by then it was too late, so now we’re excited to have four squirming little furballs to worry about!

Karol grew up with cats, but never kittens.  I grew up with cats and likely a dozen or more litters of kittens over the years, so am a bit more familiar with their furry cuteness.  But you should have seen the awe and wonder on Karol’s face when she first met their newborn fluff!

It is the wonder of God’s gift of new life that I see reflected on her face, well-seasoned with the birth of new hope, with a sprinkling of giggles and giddiness at the prospect of kitten silliness.  O that we could experience that joy more often!  But why not, when all around, most every day, we see signs of such hope and joy, if only we have eyes to see.

But why don’t we see it?  Why don’t we have eyes to see, or better yet, what does it take to be gifted with those eyes to see?  I see a great clue in one of my current favorite Bible verses, Philippians 4: 8,9—written while the author was in prison in ancient Rome, mind you—NOT a pleasant nor hopeful situation to be in—

“8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

You’ve probably noticed that you see what you look for, and you generally don’t see what you’re not looking for.  What are you looking for today?    — Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings— A Mother’s Hopes

Pastoral Ponderings— A Mother’s Hopes

I always struggle as a preacher with Mothers Day, not because I don’t like it or anything like that, but it’s one of those days in which we can accidently open raw wounds when we’re trying to celebrate something wonderful. Turns out most families don’t look much like Hallmark movie families—they’re only FICTION! Who’d of ever thunk it?

Years ago when I was a jr. preacher on a larger church staff, working largely with the youth group, I stumbled into this reality through a wonderful, gentle woman, forgiving of a young preachers’ mistakes. She was one of the important adults helping to lead the youth group I worked with, not because she was a youth parent, but specifically because she wasn’t—at least not in the expected way.

Though they tried desperately, she and her husband were never able to have kids. Yet in her praying through this painful ordeal, she found both comfort and a vital purpose in realizing that in not having kids of her own, she could have a whole lot more time and energy to be the youth group mom who was always there and available–not just for two or three or an handful such as she might have of her own kids–but over the years, she had been able to be that kind of mom for hundreds!

The wounding can come from many other sources as well—the loss of a child, being the child of a mother who was far from the loving soul God called her to be, hearing of wonderful stories of OTHER situations, when your kid is in prison or worse, or may just never have the capacity to be the child of a mom’s dreams.

We should certainly celebrate the moms who have meant so much to us—whether from biology or other processes. But please celebrate with the prayerful understanding that the glowing pictures of motherhood are much more common in fiction than in peoples’ realities that are too often shaped by wounding and loss rather than joy.

And when your high calling of motherhood hits bumps or loss—pray that God will help you find ways IN your woundedness, to still be a blessing for others—perhaps even others going through similar crises. Keep being a blessing in whatever way you can!

Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Houseplants

Pastoral Ponderings- Houseplants

Have you ever heard your houseplants fussing at you, or begging for more water or fertilizer?  I don’t recall ever hearing them, even when they’re dying of thirst (not that that happens TOO much…)—and I daresay that would be a memorable experience!

When we were in seminary, we had a lovely vining plant that we or I had had for several years—I think it was a philodendron.  It seemed happy and healthy enough, hanging in the bright, sunny bathroom window.  Then we left for the summer, and entrusted its care to a young neighbor.  When we came back and went to pick it up—its growth had exploded, growing more in those three months than it had in the past three years, in the same kind of bathroom window facing the same sunny direction.  It had grown so much, it was deeply entangled in the blinds in the girl’s bathroom.

Since we realized it obviously loved her more than us (though she said it was her heavy metal music tastes it responded so well to), and being so entangled, we just let her keep it!  Though it grew so much better for her, we never heard a peep from the plant all the time we had it, saying it needed more this, that, or the other thing (or heavy metal music, for that matter).

Have you ever noticed that our lives of faith are in some ways like our houseplants?  They bless us and others in their beauty, in their blossoms, often in their reproductive giving—anybody want any spider plant or aloe vera babies?  Yet they—like our lives of faith—never fuss or complain, and are not vocal at all when we neglect them, even when they’re desperate for water or feeding.  When we have eyes to see and pay attention, they show us signs of growth, as well as signs of need—and they usually respond joyfully to our care and attentions.

Have you been taking time to notice how you’re doing in your faith journey?  Have you been intentional in the care and feeding of your relationship with God, or might it be quietly showing signs of needing care, like my aloe, or even desperation, like my Christmas cactus?

Your house plants and your faith can only be a blessing to you, to others, when you are intentional in caring for it, regular in watering it, and when you keep it bathed in the light of the Son.  Keep on growing!                       –Pastor Jim