Multiplicity of Faith

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

(Luke 10:27)

It has been over 40 years that I have been making this journey of life with Jesus.  And, as the Grateful Dead sing, “What a long strange trip it has been.”   The more I think that I understand . . . the simpler it seems to get . . . the more complicated it becomes.   Yet, I really do not think that God ever intended for faith—any of our faith—to be complicated. 

One year my mother gave me a framed needle point picture of a turtle with the words: “Keep It Simple Stupid”.  The “KISS” philosophy . . . and, no, my mother did not think I was stupid . . . she just liked the philosophy.  She wanted to remind me to keep things simple.  Ever since then I have attempted to do that.  The lawyer that Denzel Washington plays in the movie, Philadelphia, tells each of his clients that he wants them to tell him their story in words that a third grader would understand.  He believes that if a third grader can understand it then any jury or judge in the land will be able to understand it.  It is the KISS philosophy . . . keep it simple.  And, again, I have embraced that idea when I am trying to share the faith . . . keep it simple enough that any third grader can understand so that everyone can understand.  I think that is what God intended . . . it is we humans who go and complicate the whole matter of faith.  It is humans that seem to screw it up and make it harder than it has to be.

Because I want to keep it simple I pretty much have embraced the quote above as the purpose and meaning to being a follower of Jesus.  We are to love the Lord completely . . . and, love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  I think that Eugene Peterson’s translation, The Message, says it in a way that makes sense: He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”  As Jesus told the lawyer who was challenging him, “If you do that, you’ve got it covered . . . you’ve got it made.”  Just go do it!

That is what I am striving to do . . . love God completely with everything I’ve got . . . love my neighbor just like I love myself.  It sounds so simple, wouldn’t you agree?  And, it really is . . . it is just not easy to live on a daily basis.

I can honestly state that I have spent a good portion of my journey with Jesus with my nose stuck in a whole lot of books . . . ministers have to do that.  They have to read a whole lot of book on theological  topics . . . “theo” meaning God, the “ology” part meaning the study of . . . I have read a lot of books on the study of God in hopes of getting to know God better.  I have shelves and shelves of theological books and books explaining the theological books.  It is mind-boggling the number of books there are about God for the faithful to follow.  But, boy do they complicate things.  It is like following bunny trails.  And, I have to be honest, I really, really liked reading theological books . . . but, a person could spend a lifetime reading about God and never experience God. 

Realizing that such reading was mostly “head” knowledge, I switched . . . I switched and started reading other forms of books . . . literature, fiction and non-fiction, biographies and autobiographies, history . . . books about people and their experiences with life and God.  This was a different type of reading . . . it was reading for the heart . . . reading for the soul.  Finding truth in other people’s stories.  But, once again, this is still burying oneself in books and not really experiencing God.

Prayer . . . being still and knowing God . . . listening . . . just being.  That helps a lot in knowing and experiencing God.  Worship . . . praise . . . thanksgiving . . . fellowship.  These help a lot in knowing and experiencing God.  In doing these things, one cannot hide behind the printed page . . . one is out in the open with no one else except him or herself and God.

In a roundabout way, I guess what I am saying is that I feel fairly comfortable in the first half of the quote from above . . . I am doing a pretty good job of loving God with my whole being.  I work pretty hard on my end of the relationship with God . . . I am not perfect at it (at least not yet), but I have such a relationship with God that God appreciates the effort, understands that I am human, and that I will keep trying no matter how many times I blow it.  I think that is part of God’s love and grace.

The more difficult part of the quote from above is not the part about “loving your neighbors”, but the part about “loving your neighbors as you love yourself.”  That is the more difficult part.  As I look around the world today . . . listen to the news on the radio or television . . . read it in the newspapers and magazines . . . watch people relate to other people . . . witness the senseless wars and crises of our day . . . and, I wonder why we—all of us—have such a difficult time loving ourselves.  If the reality of the world around us is a reflection about how we love ourselves because of the way that we treat one another; well, then, all of us need to work harder at loving ourselves.

I can admit that there are days that I do not like myself, much less love myself.  I can admit that I am not always the nicest person to other people . . . who is?  I can admit that I have my prejudices that color the way that I react and respond to others.  I do stupid things . . . say stupid things . . . react wrongly . . . get mad at people . . . use sign language while driving . . . Hey! I can admit that there are days that I have a hard time loving myself . . . so, how in the world am I supposed to love my neighbor.  And, I am not the only one with this problem . . . we all have it.  Look around and you can see it.

I guess I should have read the fine print at the bottom of my baptism certificate . . . should have read the legalese before jumping in and getting all wet.  But, it all sounded so simple . . . so easy . . . all I had to do was to love God and others.  Easier said than done.  Love and relationships are hard . . . hard because they involve more than one . . . it takes two to tango.  Whenever two or three are gathered . . . no, it is not what you think . . . whenever two or three are gathered someone always spills the milk.  Arguments happen.  Opinions are expressed.  Feelings are hurt.  And, relationships fall apart.  If you have ever really tried to be in a honest and open relationship with another person, you know how hard it is. 

Yet, it really is simple.  Love God.  Love yourself.  Love your neighbor.  Everyone is our neighbor.  Everyone is a child of God.  All we have to do is to love . . .

Faith is simple . . . love; well, love is a whole other story.  Jesus had the gall to tell the lawyer to do this and hit the jackpot.  The problem is that once you start loving you can’t stop.  It grows in you and around you.  It multiples with more and more relationships being experienced and born.  It is like that little mustard seed Jesus spoke about . . . a simple, itty bitty, tiny seed that when it is nurtured and loved grows into a mighty bush that is big enough to support birds and their nests . . . it grows!  Suddenly it is not so simple this simple idea of loving God and others.  It is enough to make one’s head spin.

Then I remember . . . keep it simple.  To focus on God . . . to love God completely.  To focus on me . . . to love myself for who God created me to be.  To focus on others to know this love that makes us connected to God and one another in such a way that we cannot help but to share it.  Not in the words that we say, but the actions that we take . . . love is not a bunch of words . . . love is how we care for one another.  It is as simple as that . . . but, watch out!  It could multiply and get complicated if you really live it.  It is as simple as that.

18th Anniversary of the 38th

I went to Yellowstone National Park to celebrate the 18th anniversary of my 38th birthday, I took the second annual trip to Yellowstone National Park . . . by myself.  Like a true introvert I relish the opportunity to spend some time in Yellowstone . . . by myself.  I did it for the first time last year to celebrate the big double nickel birthday and had a blast . . . the wife suggested that I do it again this year.  Who am I to argue?  So, I am spending the 18th anniversary of my 38th birthday in Yellowstone National Park . . . and, it has been great!

After a nice celebration with my church family, I was able to hit the road to Yellowstone by noon.  With the Chief Joseph Scenic Bypass open to Cooke City, I was able to take my favorite route into the park.  This route is my favorite route as I can pretty much see everything and anything that is in the park.  Before I even got into the park I was able to see a mama moose and her calf hanging out by a river.  The longer that I live in the Yellowstone ecosystem, the more I value the moose over all the other critters that I can observe . . . despite their clumsy looking appearance they are actually quite graceful and fast . . . don't ever get between a mama moose and her baby.  It is always good to knock off the moose on the list of things to see when heading to Yellowstone . . . in over five years of going to Yellowstone, I have only seen a couple of moose in the actual park.

The next wonderful surprise was seeing a wolf feeding off a carcass in Lamar Valley.  The wolf in Yellowstone is a highlight of any trip into the park as these creatures are pretty elusive.  Typically I see one a summer when touring the park.  It is good that I have marked the wolf off early this summer.  I got some wonderful pictures . . . well, I guess it depends on whether or not you like seeing a wolf ripping flesh off of a caraass . . . but, they were great pictures.

Further down the road, heading to Mammoth Hot Springs and the North Entrance to the park, I stumbled upon a bear.  As of this moment, as I am writing this, I am not sure if this bear was a really, really big black bear or a grizzly bear.  I will have to save judgement  on that until I get back home and download the pictures . . . the wife will be the final judge on what sort of bear it was.  All I can tell you is that it was a really, really big bear.  My gut reaction is that it was a grizzly . . . grizzly sounds so much cooler than a black bear.

For the start of the second annual celebration of my birthday . . . it was a pretty darn good day.  Top it off with a nice ribeye steak for supper, a Cold Smoke brew from Missoula, and a nice warm motel room with Wi-Fi . . . I just have to say that it was as wonderful of a present as anyone could have ever given me to commemorate the 18th anniversary of my 38th birthday!

I appreciate the grace of my wife for blessing this ritualistic observance of my yearly getting older.  I appreciate the gracefulness of her urging me to go and visit the park by myself . . . Yellowstone National Park is just about her most favorite place in the world, and to let me go by myself is a huge sacrifice on her part.  She would have loved to see the moose (though we have a lot of them around the Red Lodge area), the wolf, the bear, and not to mention all the other critters I have seen.  It was a wonderful gift for her to give her blessing for me to parouse the park by myself.  I am not sure others would have understood how special it was to have this opportunity . . . and, I still have tomorrow to go!  As much as she has given her blessing upon this trip, I know that it is killing her!  I really do appreciate this gift.

Now, I appreciate all of the gifts and well-wishes I have received to acknowledge that I have grown a year older . . . that I have set, yet another, personal record for longevity . . . but, this is still the greatest gift of all.  As an introvert I appreciate it whenever someone else acknowledges my need for alone time . . . acknowledges my need to process all of the hoopla surrounding what I would almost forget if others did not remind me.  Usually I would take off any Sunday in which my birthday lands, but this year I couldn't as I had already taken off a Sunday two week earlier. Thus it was that I put up with all the teasing and joking that comes with the preacher's birthday . . . but, to be honest, the congregation was respectful as they celebrated my birthday.  For that I was appreciative.  As my momma used to say, "Keep it simple" . . . and, they did.  I appreciate it very much.

I have appreciated the "quiet time" . . . time in which I can let my mind go to wherever it pleases.  "Quiet time" to listen to music I want to listen to without apologizing if it happens to be "donker donker" music that drives the wife crazy.  "Quiet time" to appreciate the beauty of God's handiwork without having to say a million times . . . "Wow! Beautiful!"  God knows that I appreciate the creativity of God's touch.  "Quiet time" in which I do not have to listen to our dogs--the roving door bell system--barking their heads off with every movement they hear outside of the house.  "Quiet time" to just be.  "Quiet time" to just look around, rejoice in what resides in that rock garden between my ears, and proclaim, "It is good!"  I appreciate it all.

As I sit in the Comfort Inn in Gardiner, Montana, I rejoice!  I rejoice as I have received the greatest of all the gifts one could receive . . . acknowledgement of who I am, what I need, and the world in which I live.  To the wife, I say "thank you".  It is amazing that after more than three decades of marriage the wife gets it.

I also rejoice in the promise of what tomorrow will bring.  In the morning I will once again explore that place where I mark another year of life.  I could think of worse places to celebrate one's birthday, but I can hardly imagine a better place.  To the wife . . . thank you!  Tomorrow it is back to the world of extroverts . . . the wife has a party for family and guest scheduled.  I guess that is the price one pays for receiving the perfect birthday gift for the second year in a row.

Why?

Why do we always say “It’s colder than Hell outside”?

I am gearing up for when the daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter get back from their little adventure in Alabama in a couple of weeks.  It has been nearly three months since I have seen the granddaughter and she is rounding the corner to her second birthday in a couple of months . . . and, she is getting more verbal.  She has always been verbal . . . she is a talker, but now her verboseness has purpose and meaning . . . she is wanting to know . . . wanting to learn.  Anyone who has been around an inquisitive toddler knows that means . . . WHY!

Why?  I do not care what the research states, “No” is not the first word kids learn in their vocabulary . . . “why” is the first word that they learn.  Once they learn “why” they never stop asking it.  The granddaughter is beginning to ask a lot of questions . . . she is wanting to know . . . and, I am sure that the primary word out of her mouth will be “why”.  Because it will be, I am gearing up . . . preparing myself for the onslaught of inquisitiveness that only a small child can produce.

It has been a while since I have had to deal with answering a lot of the “why” questions from my own children as they are now all in their mid-twenties and can go look up the answers for themselves.  As they were growing up my typical response was, “Because.”  “Because” worked for a while, but they learned the trick . . . “Because why?”  Which I typically responded with “because I said so” and a menacing glare . . . I think that lasted about a week.  I would venture to say that any of you reading this who raised kids knows what I am talking about.  This is the stage that the granddaughter is entering . . . this is the stage that I am preparing myself for.

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest but ducks when guns are thrown at him?

Why don’t women put pictures of their missing husbands on beer cans?

Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet drink?

I honestly believe that my granddaughter’s heart is in the right place . . . that she really will want to know “why”; but, at the same time, a normal human being can only hear the word “why” about a trillion times before losing it.  At the age that my granddaughter is entering they always ask a trillion and one times.  Besides, it is one of the eternal questions of life . . . why? 

Asking questions is how people learn.  It is how little kids learn.  Hopefully they ask the right people . . . I feel for my granddaughter, her mother, and her father . . . I might not be one of those “right” people.  I am less like Albert Einstein and more like Earl Pickle.  If you do not know who Earl Pickle is you need to start reading the funny pages in your newspaper.  Earl is the grandpa who feeds his grandson a whole bunch of nonsensical answers to his constant questions . . . sometimes there is a little wisdom and common sense weaved into the answers, but for the most part . . . good ol’ nonsense.  My poor granddaughter has an “Earl” for a grandpa on her mother’s side.  My poor daughter and son-in-law will have a lot of cleaning up to do.

For example, I found a talking Squirt stuffed animal from the movie Finding Nemo.  Squirt is a sea turtle that thinks of himself as being a “surfer dude” that includes typical surfer dude language . . . things like, “Whoa, dude!”  You squeeze Squirt and he says, “Whoa, dude!”  This is the sound that my granddaughter thinks all turtles make.  A while back her parents took her to a zoo in Alabama, saw a turtle, and she told the zookeeper that turtles say, “Whoa, dude!”  Guess whose fault that misconception is . . . yep, Earl’s . . . no, mine.  But it is cute and I hope she hangs onto until she gets to school.

Why do drive-up ATMs have instructions in Braille?

Why do banks charge a fee for “non-sufficient funds” when they know you don’t have enough money to begin with?

Why do you believe it when someone tells you that there are a billion stars, but you always check when you see the wet paint sign?

The poor girl doesn’t have a chance.  She has me for a grandpa.  The grandpa who cannot answer a question with a straight answer.  Why does it thunder?  Because God is bowling.  Why does it rain?  Because God is crying.   Why do birds fly?  Because it is faster than walking and they don’t have driver’s licenses.  Why is Grandma so old?  Because she married me.  She what I mean . . . the girl doesn’t have a chance.  But, she will have fun.  She will get to laugh a lot.  And, she will get to think and be creative.  I’ll be that grandpa who is full of you-know-what!

So . . . I am gearing up.  I am practicing my responses and answers to questions about “why” . . . and, trust me, there are lots of questions about why.  Here are a few more:

Why is it that everyone driving faster than you is an idiot, and everyone driving slower is a moron?

Why do people never say “it’s only a game” when their winning?

Why is it a “penny for your thoughts”, but you put your “two cents in”?

The best defense is a good offense.  I am preparing myself with a bevy of “why” questions for my granddaughter.  I figure that if she can rattle off a trillion and one “why” questions . . . I can come up with a trillion and two.  No half-pint is going to get the best of me!  No siree.  I am gearing up . . . I am getting ready.  Bring it on, Granddaughter . . . Earl is ready! 

Actually I am really looking forward to the onslaught . . . I am ready for the questions.  Why, do you ask?  Because I see this as an opportunity to really get closer to my granddaughter . . . to spend time with her seeing the world through her eyes . . . of experiencing “old” things in “new” eyes.  I see it as time of great adventure and exploration of the world I have grown callus of as I have gotten older.  I see it as a time of great laughter with this little inquisitive creature.  And, I see it as a time to build up my supply of silly humor . . . silly humor works well in sermons!

I am ready.

Bring it on, Shorty!

Bring it on because I have one for you:

If a jogger runs at the speed of sound, can he still hear his iPod?

The Bucket Drips

I hear people talk about “bucket lists” all of the time.  A “bucket list” is a list of things that people want to do before they die . . . things to do before one “kicks the bucket.”  Never really thought about it much . . . then I read an article about twelve things a person must do before he or she dies.  I was flabbergasted at the list . . . explore the Far East (by private jet, no less), eat a living thing, gamble more than you can afford, float the Grand Canyon, sleep in a tropical rain forest, drive a Ferrari (in Italy), see a sunset from Key West, record a record, climb an active volcano, hug a tree, make front page news, make my children’s life list my own, learn to sail, and many more.  I must be living in a different reality.  These “bucket list” items are out of my realm . . . at least most of them.

Explore the Far East in a private jet . . . shoot, I haven’t explored the town I have lived in for nearly six years yet.  I haven’t seen even an iota of the area of Montana I live in . . . not even in my car.  If they mean “far east” as being Miles City . . . well, I have that covered, though not in a private jet. 

Eat a living thing . . . do a few bugs flying into my mouth while walking, running, or driving with the windows open in the car count?  I like my food cooked . . . not crawling on my plate.

Gamble more than I can afford . . . isn’t that called life?  If you are living, the odds are you are probably gambling more than you can afford.  That is the American Dream.

Float the Grand Canyon . . . I can’t even float the bathtub!

Sleep in a tropical rain forest.  I have lived in Panama for a couple of months, been to Gaum . . . tropical life is not for me.  Too humid, lots of lizards crawling around in the house to kill the bugs.  Besides, I would just like to get a good night’s sleep in my own bed.

Drive a Ferrari in Italy . . . I would be happy to drive one in Montana.  The bigger task is finding one.

A sunset in Key West . . . probably couldn’t beat a sunset in Big Sky Country . . . especially when the sun is setting behind a herd of bull elk in July.

Record a record.  That one made me laugh.  There are laws against noise pollution . . . ask any member of a church I have served as a minister and they will tell you . . .

Climb an active volcano.  Well, I guess I am as close to doing that as I can be without leaving home.  Those of us on the edges of the Yellowstone ecosystem know that we are basically living on top of a huge volcano . . . a huge volcano that if it were to erupt would send us all to the great beyond. 

Hug a tree.  I have probably hugged more than my fair share of trees growing up . . . probably not for reasons I would want people to know.  Usually had something to do with the “spirit” moving through me . . . liquid spirit that is.

Make front page news . . . not really something that one wants to do as a minister.  Most the front page news I read usually has to do with things that none of us would ever want anyone else to know.

Learn to sail . . . naw, I will stay on dry land.  I have no inkling to go sailing or to learn to sail.  Sounds expensive . . . besides, I do not look good dress in white.  I am more of a grayish sort of guy.

Making my children’s life list my list.  Yeah, get real.  I want to live, not die.

I never really gave much thought about things I wanted to do before I died.  Oh sure, there are a few dreams that I had.  I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trial.  The Appalachian Trail always fascinated me . . . the great outdoors fascinated me . . . but, I live in Montana.  Montana’s beauty rivals that of the Appalachian Trail and I haven’t even scratched the surface of what is around me.  But I would be lying if I did not admit that the Appalachian Trail still hangs out in my rock garden.  I’d love to go to Ireland, but I am happy in any Irish pub no matter where it might be.  Always wanted to run the Boston Marathon, but now I am satisfied if I can walk around the block.  I never considered any of these things as being a part of a “bucket list” that I needed to accomplished before I died . . . probably because most of them would kill me in the first place.  I have never really developed a “bucket list” . . . and, if I used these suggestions in the article I read . . . well, my bucket would probably have more than a few leaks!

As I have gotten older I have to admit that there are things I think about that I hope I accomplish before I die.  Not so much a “bucket list”, but a few things I hope happen before I “kick the bucket”.  They are nothing spectacular, but important to me none the less.

I hope to see my grandchildren grow up and start their own families.  That is probably my greatest desire . . . to grow with my grandchildren.  Right now there is the one granddaughter . . . coolest little person I know; but, she will soon be joined with a sister in a couple of weeks.  If this new grandchild is half as cool as the first . . . well, I will be tickled to death.  I cannot wait to meet the future grandchildren . . . it just seems that some of my children need to get down to business.  But, I am a fairly patient person . . . I can wait.  I just want them to know . . . the clock is ticking!  That is my greatest desire to accomplish before I die . . . that I have the opportunity to love my grandchildren . . . and, that they love me.

Another thing that I think about accomplishing before I die is to write a book.  Over the years I have been encouraged by others to write a book, but I haven’t written one yet.  Actually, I have.  After more than thirty years of ministry with a weekly sermon . . . I have written a book.  After more than thirty years of writing a weekly newsletter column . . . I have written a book.  After nearly three years of writing a blog ten times a month . . . I have written a book.  Throw in there countless  dapples at short stories, letters to the editor, and just musings . . . I have written a book.  The problem is that I need just need to sit down, organize all the stuff I have written, and make it into a book.  I could do it, but the problem I have with that is that I would need to rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite again to please some editor before it would ever get published.  Sounds like a lot of work . . . so, in the meantime, I contemplate the idea.  Hopefully I have a few more years!

Probably the last thing I want to do . . . well, it is simple.  I want to live . . . I want to live for as long as I can.  Plain and simple.  Both my parents died younger than they should have and I want to live longer.  Don’t we all?

I guess it is okay to have a “bucket list” . . . a list of things we all hope to accomplish before we die; but, I have never given it much thought.  I often think of how blessed I am to live the life I live.  I have a wonderful family that I enjoy for the most part . . . I live in a beautiful place that constantly gives me opportunities to stand in awe at God’s magnificence tough . . . I have a wife that loves me . . . a granddaughter that adores me . . . dogs that welcome me . . . a computer that allows me to write . . . a church I enjoy serving . . . and, each day an opportunity for blessing.  Taking care of that is more than fulfilling . . . so, who needs a “bucket list”.  It is in the moment that the blessing is held.  Why would I need more than I already have?