FINAL WORDS TO ANOTHER FRIEND OF BILL W's

Death, someone said, is a defeated enemy... and for people of faith, it most surely is... but it still carries a punch- a punch that leaves us empty, sometimes remorseful; a punch that shatters our tomorrows and mocks our promises; a punch that challenges our faith; and a punch that often seems unfair to us, especially when the one who died... wasn't allowed to finish the dance! Burying our children isn't the normal course of things, and its pain is known only to a small and sacred club- a club that includes a few members of our church, Mother Mary herself, and our dear friend, Karen, whose son... is now in a place of full acceptance. We grieve today.  We shed tears, even as our Lord shed tears over Lazarus' grave, because our pain is real... and because the people we love are worth crying about.  We grieve today... in a way which our awkward words cannot express... but our focus is on life- abundant life, meaningful life, eternal life. Like all of our other services of hope, our focus this morning in on life... because it is such a precious gift... and because, in faith, it goes on and on.

Today, we celebrate life, knowing that life is never entirely easy, and instead is filled with ups and downs, hills and valleys, laughter and tears. chaos and- if we're blessed- serenity too. As we've already heard, Kyle's life was filled with activity and drama. He had trouble settling down as a kid, and he had trouble fitting in as a adult. He always had his mother at his side- she never let him go- and he always had his grandparents rooting for him. He was blessed with these things, and with a great gift for both poetry and music... but even so, he always seemed to be marching to a different drummer than others heard. He was loved, no doubt... but he needed to find a place where he would be accepted for the person he was! Like the rest of us, he needed to experience the joy of being known and loved anyway, and he did! Praise God, he did! He found a group of friends who loved him as they found him and who never once judged him- not for his faith, not for his appearance, not for his assets, not for his way of thinking, not for anything at all... and he fit in. He was at home!

When I was 30 years old, my own life was filled with chaos. I was consumed with being "good enough", and I seldom let others know who I really was. I was doing okay on the outside, but I was desperate on the inside. I had learned to bluster and bluff, and I was pretty good at telling people what they wanted to hear... but I was always alone and never at peace. I was always... a step early or  step late... and I was spiritually and morally bankrupt. Like Kyle and other lost poets, I was desperate for acceptance... and then I discovered a group of people who didn't care at all about titles and money, or gated neighborhoods. They didn't want to hear about all the things I had done, would do someday, or could do for them... but instead, they embraced me as simply "Ken." They invited me to share in a new way of life... which was based on truth, surrender to a power greater than myself...and on real, hands-on service... to others who were in the same boat.  For me...it was like heaven... and I mention it today because this is exactly the same group of souls that gave their love to Kyle.

In the end, Kyle was surrounded with people who really loved him, and Karen was there when they held a candlelight memorial service for him. It was something like we're doing here, but their service involved one speaker after another telling how much Kyle meant to him or her... and they were telling the truth because BS is something they gave up a long time ago... and because Kyle not only took love from the group, he gave it as well. In fact, he gave himself and his heart to this group, and he challenged others to do the same thing. To love and to be loved- to forgive, to be forgiven and to forgive ourselves - this is what it means to be fully human- and when we see the world through these eyes, we can sometimes get a glimpse of God.  Ordinarily I would close by claiming our faith in Christ Jesus... who is my Rock and personal Savior, and by whose grace we are all blessed...but there are people out there... who discover God's grace and unconditional love in another way. They gather in the basements of many churches because they don't feel comfortable in our sanctuaries, and I want to honor their journey of by not being too "churchy" at the moment.  So as the pastor of this church, I will just assure you that the same God who saved "a wretch" like me can easily save Kyle Chambers... and as a man who shared at least some of Kyle's journey, I applaud his victory... because he has entered a place.. where there is no pretense, no fear, no judgment, no masks of any kind- just love, and grace, and acceptance, and joy, and a deep, abiding, honest-to-God peace.  Amen.

WHO'S KEEPING SCORE?

“Who’s Keeping Score?”

Psalm 130

This is the 10th in a Lenten series that I have written for our own congregation. It deals with our fascination with our "score" in life, and our overwhelming need to know how we're doing and where we stand in comparison to others. We seek to "know the score," but as the Psalmist noted, if God kept a record- if we had a score- none of us could "stand." Scores make it difficult for us to enjoy simply "being," and by their nature, they throw us into competition with our brother and sisters. Besides, and more seriously, scores are the antithesis of grace. Lent is a path to freedom, and it leads to a place where there is no score.

Scripture (Please read Psalm 130)

Refection

Would you enjoy watching football… if there was no score? If the teams were simply trying their best, would you be entertained… or do you need a score? Would you play golf… if there was no score… or would not having a score defeat its purpose? Someone should write an ode to the score… because it means so much to us. Of course, some scores are more important than others. One’s “quality of life” is scored by the luxuries available, or is it leisure time? Success is scored by the amount of wealth you have, or perhaps by the amount of money you earn. Sometimes, it is scored by the amount of people or things you control… but there has to be a score! Otherwise, how would we ever know if we, or someone else, had become “successful?”

As parents, sometimes our children are our tallies. If we have children who attend the right colleges, claim the right occupations, and earn the right amount of money… then we receive a good score ourselves. Some men keep score of their manliness by the number of woman they’ve known, and some women keep score by the number of shoes or purses they have in their closets. Different people… given different points… to different things... but there is always a score! Otherwise, we would never really know how well we are doing as a man, woman, mother, father, son, or daughter, would we? And some people thing that the same thing applies to our relationship with God. In ancient times, almost everyone thought that you could tell if God loved your neighbor by how many blessings your neighbor had… and you could tell if your neighbor loved God by how many religious things your neighbor did. IF your neighbor belongs to a church… which he attends regularly… and is deeply involved with… and to which he (or she) tithes, and if your neighbor doesn’t swear, smoke, drink, run around, or otherwise sin… his or her religiosity score is very high!

No one is perfect, but the greater the commitment and the lesser the sin, the higher the score. Correct? No, this is not right… because God does NOT keep score! Yes, it’s true. God doesn’t keep score. There are no scorecards in the kingdom. People behave, no doubt, because they love God with all of their hearts… but there is no score! People treat one another as if they were saints… because they love their neighbors as themselves… but there is no score! For those of us who try so very hard to be good, this can be a little frustrating. People who color outside the lines should not receive an “A.” For those of us who worship decency and order, it doesn’t seem “fair” to throw the scorecards away. And it’s not! It’s NOT fair. Not at all… but it is Amazing Grace! Like the Psalmist said so centuries ago, “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” (Ps. 130:3)

Questions to Ponder

Who is the most successful person you know?  How did you reach this conclusion?

The most loving person you know?  The best Christian you know?

How do you score "love" or Christian faith, either one?

Does the picture of "not having a score" give you an image of freedom... or chaos?

How can Christ say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," if He doesn't keep score?

MY SHEPHERD AND ME

"My Shepherd and Me"

Psalm 23

Life is difficult.  It is filled with valleys, and storms, and scary dark places. We WILL walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It's not a matter of "if" but "when," and besides, we all need still waters and green pastures. Life, even at its best, is a bit of a chore, but we never have to walk alone. No matter how many have ignored or even forsaken us, we are never entirely alone... because the Good Shepherd is our shepherd, and He is always with us. Claiming this promise for ourselves is transforming. If you've been following along, you know that this is yet another reflection in a series that I have written for our local congregation. If it provides even one person with comfort, it will have been more than worth my time.

Scripture (Read this great Psalm... as if it is your first time)

Reflection

As a minister, I’ve read Psalm 23 at scores and scores of funeral services. It brings considerable comfort to many people who are grieving. This, of course, is a good thing, but the Psalm was written to give comfort to the living! It speaks of eternity, no doubt, but it focuses on the journey we call life. In the end, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, but the promise is this: when we walk with God, He will lead us to green pastures and quiet waters. He will provide for us, and when we grow weary, He will refresh our souls. No matter the threat against us- even in the fiercest storms- even when the shadow of death nearly darkens our path altogether- we will not fear any evil, nor be frightened by any foe. No, we will never be afraid because God is OUR SHEPHERD!

We will never walk alone if we walk with God, and what is more, we need never fear nor worry… because He is our shepherd. In our mind’s eye today, we tend to see shepherds as contented pastoral types, who peacefully watch over unthreatened flocks as they graze. But this image does a great injustice to the Biblical shepherd, who often faced harm and even death for his sheep. In David’s time, shepherds were expected to find pastures, help with birthing, provide medical treatment when necessary, keep the flock together, retrieve those who strayed, carry the ones who couldn’t keep up, and protect the sheep at any cost. Jesus noted that, while a hired hand may abandon the sheep to save himself, the shepherd would put his sheep ahead of himself. Indeed, a “good shepherd” would lay his own life down for his sheep, and God is a good shepherd!

We can count on it! God will protect us. He will provide for us. He will bring us home safely, and what is more, he will bless us with “goodness and love all the days” of our lives. With this in mind, we don’t hesitate to take the road less traveled, and we never let our fears get the best of us. Knowing that God is “in command” frees us to serve Him boldly, and it motivates us to keep on going… when the going gets tough! Life is not easy, and a life lived for Christ may be filled with challenges… but we can do it. We can walk any mile and climb any hill; we can overcome any challenge and conquer any evil … because Christ is our shepherd! Amen.

Questions to Ponder

Who is your shepherd? Do you even have one?

A real shepherd gets his or her hands dirty, even bloody, for the sheep. Protecting, bandaging, carrying, feeding, finding- all of these are trying duties. Are you a shepherd to anyone today?

What, if anything, do the sheep owe to the shepherd?

PRESBYOPIA AND OTHER FORMS OF BLINDNESS

During Herod the Great's time, the Roman Phaedrus noted that, "the only problem with seeing too much is that it makes you insane." Well... maybe... I know that I've seen too much of some things and more than enough of some others...but it seems to me that our main problem is not seeing enough, or clearly enough. People have distorted views of themselves, their neighbors, and the meaning of life. Everything seems to be out of focus, but even that is barely noticeable... because nobody's looking at anything anyway. Charles Kuralt once said,"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it's now possible to drive from coast to coast without seeing anything."... and I will gladly add "amen." Indeed, thanks to our cell phones, it's now possible to walk for hours... and not see anything. I'm sure that, someday in the distant future, scientists will be perplexed... when they uncover the bones of a human species... that had exceptionally agile thumbs... and eyes that were especially adapted to very small images!  Of course, there are already people who specialize in seeing small things, aren't there?  Some of them are judgmental critics...who fixate on the speck in their neighbor's eye while ignoring the log in their own eye- the ones that Jesus mentioned, but others are simply myopic. They are blinded by detail, and they really can't see the forest for the trees. Years ago, when I was studying perception in a psychology class, I read about a reductionist movement, in which images were broken down into their most minute parts. Thus... a painting was seen as so many pigments of brown, so many pigments of blue, and so forth. Finally, the "Gestaltists" carried the day with the observation that the painting was not a collection of paint pigments and brush strokes... but rather, a picture of a horse in a field!

Some people can't see the big picture to save their lives, but others are blind to the details, paths, and connecting points that form the big picture. Some people with this form of blindness are merely dreamers and talkers, and they aren't seeing as much as they are wandering and dreaming. However, most of them suffer with presbyopia (and not just the Presbyterians)... which means that they just can't see what's right in front of their faces. They may see the city on the hill, but they're blind to the steps that take them there, and they certainly don't see the way things are interconnected. They are blind to the struggles and obstacles that others face, and they always risk unintended consequences. Once, when I was working as a counselor for the Iowa Commission for the Blind, I became convinced that one of my clients could do far more than keep bees, which was what he was doing, and I kept encouraging him to see bigger things. I was pushing him to see a bigger picture, but my boss called me to his office and told me to back off. He said that my client's wife had complained because, every time I left their home, her husband was depressed and dissatisfied with his life.

So, we have the myopics who don't see where the road is heading... and the presbyopics, who don't see the road. In the end, the blind lead the blind. In some ways then, we are a gathering of the blind, an assembly of myopics and presbyopics- which some of us have suspected all along. But there's a blindness that's much more serious than either myopia or presbyopia, and as you probably guessed, I'm referring to spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness is caused by any number of things, most of which stem from pride or sin, but... regardless of the cause, if we are spiritually blind, we are severely handicapped because we'll never see the image of God in our neighbor... or in ourselves; or the future that God wants us to claim; or the work that God wants us to do; or the rainbows that accompany the storms in our lives; or just how much God wants to hold us, and forgive us. When we're spiritually blind, we're destined to stumble through life as lost souls- alone, disoriented, and unfulfilled- and when we're spiritually blind, we will never see just how much God loves us.

Some people who are spiritually blind can't see their need for God. They're doing fine in their own eyes, and as far as they can see, God wouldn't add much to their lives anyway. All that we can do for these people is pray... for there are none so blind as those who can't see that they can't see! If you know someone who has this form of spiritual blindness, pray...pray that God will do whatever He has to do... to open their eyes! Pray that they will have an awakening, "hit bottom," or be reborn. Pray that they will see their need for grace and forgiveness because seeing ourselves as sinners is the first step toward salvation. However, there are many people- legions of them- who know that they need God, but they don't know who he is. They know that they're blind, but they can't see their Savior. This presents a huge opportunity for us, and we can serve these people most effectively as pointers! We can, like John the Baptist, point Jesus out to them, and cry, "There is the Lamb of God." Like the Samaritan woman whom Jesus talked to at the well, we can run and tell our entire village what we have seen and heard, and like Phillip, who led the eunuch to Christ, we can show others how Scripture points to Jesus. If we have seen that Jesus is the Source of Living Water, we can point the way and we can point to the man!

Surely we can do these things. We can pray, and we can point... but there's one more thing: we can do: we can follow. Indeed, we must follow because that's what the Christian life is about. We must pray for those who cannot see, and we must point out Christ to those who want to see... but when Christ has opened our eyes, we must pick up our cross and follow him- to Galilee, to the ends of the earth, to the very gates of hell, and to wherever he leads us! In the end, following Jesus reveals that we have 20/20 vision. People who see... follow Christ. For Christians... it's just that simple!

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

“An Attitude of Gratitude”

Ex. 17:1-7; Psalm 95

Journeys of faith are not easy. They are filled with unexpected and often, unpleasant surprises. They lead us into contact with people we neither like nor understand, and of course, the road is filled with temptations. It is difficult to walk by faith... but it is much easier, and certainly more joyful, when we are filled with gratitude. This is the 6th in a series of Lenten meditations that I have written for our congregation. If it speaks to you, that would be good.

Scripture (Please read both passages)

Reflection

Years ago, someone encouraged me to write a gratitude list every morning for the rest of my life. He said it would improve my health… and that it might even be a life-saving practice for a discontented soul like me. So, I began to practice this discipline. Sometimes I forgot to do it altogether, sometimes I did it mentally… but I tried to start each day with an attitude of gratitude. I had to try…because I was so constantly unhappy. I had a family who loved me, a good job, a number of friends, enough money, more power than I could handle, and a wealth of opportunity… but I also had a bad cases if the "ifs," which is an unsettling spiritual and emotional disease. I could be somebody, I thought, if my parents had done a better job of rearing me, if my wife was more supportive, if I’d moved to a different city when I was younger, if I’d chosen a different career, if I was taller, thinner, or better looking, I would be happy. Even though God had already lifted me from the depths of despair and even though I knew that I had been blessed with a second chance, I was not satisfied, in part because I was preoccupied with my own wants and needs... and in part, because I didn't really trust God. Like the Israelites of old, I knew that God had worked a wonder in my life, and I appreciated it- I really did- but I did not trust him! I prayed to him, and I had joined a church by then... but I didn't trust him, which meant that I was still anxious about matters of security, advancement, and comfort, but I wasn't the first to assign God the role of "helper" without surrendering control.

Consider the Israelites that we join in the 17th chapter of Exodus. They had been freed from centuries of slavery and promised a land of “milk and honey” forever- no small thing.  They had seen a large body of water separate and stand on end as they passed through, and they knew that it was God who had delivered them, but still they didn't trust. One would think that a people who had just been freed from slavery would be gushing with gratitude, but they grumbled from the beginning to the end of their journey. They complained about their leaders, their fears, and about the quality of their food, but in the passage before us, they complained about a lack of water. Not having water is, of course, a problem- even worse than not being taller- but instead of exercising faith and patience, they quarreled with Moses and sarcastically questioned his motives for rescuing them.

Indeed, they were “almost ready to stone” Moses (Ex. 17:4) when he turned to God. Well, God provided water, of course, by bringing it out of a rock (17:6), but the place was given an ugly pair of names,[1] to signify the lack of faith that the people displayed. They seemed short on memory and even shorter on gratitude. They had seen and experienced the power of God. They knew that God was able to save them, but they didn’t trust Him to be willing, and more importantly, they had not fallen in love with God. This is important because gratitude and obedience are both borne of love. Indeed, the “old” covenant was based on love. It included rules… but it was based on God’s grace-filled invitation and His people’s loving obedience. Without love, gratitude is impossible. Without love, people will always be driven by their own needs and desires, and they will never feel contentment until they trust that God loves them. In short, a river of water would have staved off their grumbling… for awhile, because their deeper problem was a lack of gratitude. Their more serious problem was spiritual.

Thus, the psalmist calls us to focus on worship and praise, and he suggests that instead of worrying about the things we need (or think we need), we will be much happier if we come to God “with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song!” (Ps. 95:1-2) It is far better to trust and obey than to question and second-guess, and it is also more appropriate… because the Lord is our Maker and we are the “flock under his care.” (95:6-7) Real joy is NOT dependent on God meeting our every want; NOR is it dependent on God “proving” himself to us. Both of these positions are childish and spiritually immature. Our joy comes from KNOWING our God… because knowing leads to TRUSTING… and trusting leads to CONTENTMENT…which is kin to GRATITUDE. Happiness is not as much a state of mind, as it is a state of spirit. It is not a matter of will, and certainly not a matter of chance. Our own actions have little to do with it. We cannot buy happiness, or track it down. It comes to those who know themselves to be created, called, and saved by God. Knowing this gives them a lasting smile and their souls break into mile-wide grins.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. Write a specific and complete Gratitude List, and refer to it throughout Lent. 

2. Have you ever known a “season of discontent?” Explain. 

3. Put yourself in a Hebrew’s sandals. After walking through the divided waters of the Red Sea, would you have questioned or grumbled against God? 

4. Are you “in love” with God? Does it show in the way you live? 

5. The Bible says that God is the potter and we are the pottery. Thus, God can make us into anything He chooses, and more than that, He can smash what He started and start over again. If He makes you into a piece of art- or an object that no one would find appealing; if He puts you on display, or sets you in a backroom somewhere; if you are rich and famous, or poor and unknown, big and beautiful, or small and homely… are you content with all of these possibilities? Are you content to let God have His way with you? Explain. 

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[1] Meribah and Massah

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD!

“You’re Never Too Old To Go”

Genesis 12:1-4

This is the 4th in a Lenten devotional booklet that I have written for our congregation. If it says something to you, that would be good.

In many ways, our Lenten journey is a matter of following God’s call in our lives. Many of us, like Andrew and Gideon, are called to leave what we were doing when we heard God call. Some of us, like Deborah and Samuel, are called to leadership, and some of us, like James and Bonhoeffer, are called to martyrdom. Some of us are called to touch people, and some of us are called to touch a people. Some of us are called to prophecy and some of us are called to teach, but whether we’re called to sing or preach, to feed the hungry, or clean the temple, we are all called to serve God! Indeed, our purpose is to serve God and to enjoy him forever. Yes, it’s true, we are all called to serve God, but most of us make excuses. We tell ourselves that we're not qualified. We tell God that we are not ready. We say that we have things to arrange. In the Bible, if it makes us feel better, there are many stories of excuse-makers who resisted God’s call, including men like Moses and Jeremiah.

However, there were also several men and women (like Mary) who gave up their own agendas and followed God immediately. They didn’t make excuses. They didn’t hesitate. They claimed God promises, trusted in his word, and followed him, often at considerable peril and always into the unknown. These men and women are our spiritual heroes. They model faith for us, and they bolster our courage. There number is legion by now, but it all began with Abraham (Abram) who lived in a town called “Ur” 4000 years ago, give or take a few hundred. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, nor even a Muslim. He lived in a foreign and there’s no reason to think that he didn’t worship the gods whom his fathers worshiped. He didn’t do anything in particular to earn God’s call… but one night “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Go, God said, and I will make you into a great nation. Go, and I will bless (or curse) others for your sake. Go, “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Wow! What a promise! What an opportunity... and what a challenge! Abram, God said, I want you to leave the only world you have ever known. I want you to walk away from the only customs, culture, and mores that you have ever seen. In the morning, I want you to say good-bye to your family, and your neighbors, and go to a land that I will show you. “Trust me on this,” God said, “And I will make you exceedingly great.” So, Abram did! He believed what God had said, and he lived as if he believed. He went. He began a journey that was based entirely on God’s word. He dropped what he was doing. He abandoned an entire way of life, and he didn’t make a single excuse. He simply trusted and obeyed, and while he didn’t know it, he became a spiritual giant when he took his first step. 

Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Harran… and one wonders if God actually knew that he was that old. Maybe, we are never too young, too old, too smart, too ignorant, too busy, too homely, or too anything… to take a step of faith!

AS SICK AS OUR SECRETS

“As Sick As Our Secrets”
Lenten Reflection #3

Psalm 32

As indicated in reflection #1, I am writing a Lenten Devotional Booklet for our congregation, and while I know that many of you do not observe Lent, some of these thoughts may give you pause for reflection.

Years ago, I heard someone say that we are as “sick as our secrets,” and I’ve come to believe that it is a spiritual truth. Our secrets- our un-confessed guilt, shame, and sin- are too heavy for us. They distort our relationship with God and others, and they force us to live one lie after another. Indeed, secret sins make it impossible for us to have a healthy relationship with God, and they block His grace from reaching our hearts. If our spirits are clogged with secrets, we will be evasive and dishonest with everyone who is trying to love us, including God. Real love only exists when we are fully known and loved anyway. In fact, one could even say that grace demands this depth of intimacy and transparency.

In short, our secrets will kill us, which is why John the Baptist was called to perform “baptisms of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.” Forgiveness, of course, is an act of God… but we will never receive it unless we have a clean heart. Thus, our Lenten journey begins with complete surrender and full confession of our sins. Unless we confess our sins completely, we will always suspect that God wouldn’t love us if He really knew us, and we will never be free to “let go” and follow Jesus. Confession is not only good for the soul- it is necessary for the journey. No less a figure than King David knew this, and the 51^st Psalm is perhaps the greatest confessional prayer ever written. Today, however, our attention is drawn to Psalm 32, which was also written by David. Please read the Psalm for yourself and then ponder my periphrastic words below.

Blessed is the one who transgressions are forgiven; blessed is the one whose sin is not counted against him… because there is no deceit in his spirit. If we keep secrets and hold our sins within, our strength will be sapped. This has been my experience, but when I confessed my transgressions, you O Lord, took my guilt away! Gracious God, my sins had deceived me, but when you freed me from them, I was able to trust in you entirely. O Lord, may others discover that instead of hiding in their sins, it is far better for them to rest in you. If they confess their sins entirely, you will be their hiding place and they will be surrounded with songs of deliverance.

MR PEABODY AND ME

I'm sitting in my living room chair with my laptop on my lap, and my wife and I are watching our new IRobot Roomba. We (my wife) named him "Mr. Peabody," and she is quite amused at how "cute" he is. He's going like the energizer bunny at the moment, and I'm already wondering how we got along before Mr. Peabody (BMP). Actually, I wonder how I got along without most of the things that now occupy my life.

I have my computer and Wi-Fi, and together they give me access to virtually any world that I want to tap into. I listen to my own playlist on ITunes; I read books on my Kindle Fire; I study both Hebrew and German on Rosetta Stone; I share pictures and opinions with my friends on Facebook; and I pursue genealogy on Ancestry.com. I can do research for my sermons, catch up with the news that I choose, and even chat with Russian women, who "would like to get to know me." Sorry ladies, I'm taken... and besides, I already have all of the excitement that a man my age can stand. I've got an expensive treadmill downstairs (which I really ought to use) and a gymnasium quality weight system (that I wish Sears would've assembled). Our biggest flat-screen (we have 3) has Netflix, our refrigerator has two veggie bins, our toaster toasts four slices of toast at the same time, and our kitchen sink is made of copper (which is really in demand right now). Life isn't perfect- our dog just peed on our new Alpaca rug (probably to teach Mr. Peabody a lesson)- but life is good! Before I had all of these blessings, I don't know how I made it at all. How did I fill my time? What was there to do? I can faintly recall window fans, AM radios, 45 rpm records (yes, even 78s), black and white TVs (with 2-3 channels, that went off at midnight), Home Run Derby...and playing outside. for hours. with no telephones!

It all seems so long ago now, and in some ways it was. It was a different age. It was a simpler time, with fewer voices... and just a fraction of the choices we have today. But I digress, and something in the house is "beeping." What is is I don't yet know... but I do know that Mr. Peabody has finished the dining room. Amen!