Faith Venture

I am just home from several days at a technical conference. For me, this is the second one in a month. Fourth since December. For many, this was the first one back since February 2020 when this conference was last held. This was also my 24th, beginning in 1998.

Are you sensitive to the energy in a room? They held a cocktail / networking reception each early evening. The energy level at each event was high. I’ve seen quiet ones in down economies and high energy in good times. I think in this case the energy was high because everyone was glad to see people again and discuss common issues and problems. Remember, most people here were engineers–the type of human not usually known to be outgoing (how can you tell an extraverted engineer, he looks at your shoes when he talks…).

Most people are actually neither extraverts or introverts, but a blend. But people can draw out energy even from introverts for a while. They just need to go rest afterwards while the extraverts go out for another drink.

American churches have not recovered from the exodus of covid. Attendance is around 50% pre-Covid. I wonder about energy in those churches. Or if there was too much “artificial” energy created by over-enthusiastic musicians that has not carried over?

Are you out and about, yet? I enjoyed the conferences. I enjoy getting back to the quiet of my office or patio.

Yesterday’s post about reaching out to give provoked a memory from the 70s.

Brothers

I said, brothers

Now you got yourself two good hands

And when your brother is troubled, you gotta reach out your one hand for him

‘Cause that’s what it’s there for

And when your heart is troubled, you gotta reach out your other hand

Reach it out to the man up there

‘Cause that’s what He is there for

Neil Diamond, Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show

Shall we sit on these thoughts in meditation for a bit?

Two sides of reaching out. One for me. One for you. Seems to make sense–unless we limit the “you” like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. With the story of the “good Samaritan” he tried to blow up the boundaries of who the “you” is. Shall we do the same?

Reading from the Didache (dee-dah-kay) a first-century Christian book of instruction–Do not be one who stretches out the hands to receive but withdraws them when it comes to giving.

Some of us must learn how to receive graciously giving thanks. Many more unfortunately have no problem reaching out to receive. Yet, their arms grow astonishingly short when the opportunity to give presents itself.

Let us be known as the person with a generous heart ready to give to meet another’s needs.

I saw two brief essays yesterday dealing with “stupid people.”

One person talked about having compassion. The other said to work hard not to elect them to the US Congress.

Some other reading caused a reflection on those I believe Wisdom literature would call fools. Many times throughout history of humans people exist who profess belief in God. An all-knowing, all-powerful God.

Yet, when life gets down to acting on those beliefs, how they act belies those beliefs.

How many times have religious people talked of the power of God and yet enact laws or rules designed to force people to behave in the manner these god-fearing people think they should in accordance to their interpretation of God.

Pharisees of Jesus’ time come to mind. Or the medieval laws of Europe. Or the Calvinistic laws of early America (vestiges of which remain). Or the modern Pharisees hell-bent on passing more laws forcing us to behave the way they wish they could behave.

Is their God not powerful enough to change people’s hearts? Is their God not strong enough to protect them?

Some people just don’t know. I can go along with the writer having compassion.

I’d rather not have people who don’t know passing laws.

And I’d rather be around people whose trust in God runs deep and sure. And I’d hope to be one of those.

Today’s walk. Two weeks ago, the accompanying music was the soprano chorus of “peepers”, small frogs. This week I have had the solo bass voices of the bullfrog. Sorry for the photo. Someday I’ll follow through with my threat to myself to carry my good Canon with a long lens rather than just the iPhone.

There is meditation, and then there is meditation. I have heard of people who need everything just right in order to meditate. The correct size and firmness of a pillow. The right scents. Either no sounds or a special white noise sound.

Or.

A walk in nature. Ambient sounds are whatever. Sights are whatever. Movement is in rhythm. Today’s ambient sounds were the basso profundo of the frog and the contralto squawk of the redwing blackbirds that seemed to be monitoring my journey around the pond.

Sun. Movement. Absorbing nature’s sounds. Mind open to hearing God and nature speak to me. What a great way to start the day.

Companions on today’s walk around the pond.

It’s the first I’ve seen of the cranes this spring walking around. They make a lot of noise when they fly. I’ve heard the ruckus a few times this week.

One day back when I was running in the morning I left the house only to find a large husky in the front yard. He came over. One paw went on my left shoulder. The other paw on my right. He looked me in the eyes.

So, I just said, “Want to go for a run?” He got down and bounded off. He was my companion for that run. And no other dog bothered me that day.

It’s good to have a companion.

Sometimes there’s a surprise beauty. Sometimes a surprise and a protector. God can be that way. We practice disciplines of reading and meditation to keep us close to God. But sometimes he’s just a surprise companion along the path. Maybe a guide. Maybe a protector. Maybe a companion.

It’s good when we are open and available.

Oh, baby, I’ve told every little star
Just how sweet I think you are
Why haven’t I, I told you

Da-dum, da-da-da-da-da-da-da

I’ve told ripples in a brook
Made my heart an open book
Why haven’t I, I told you

Linda Scott, I’ve Told Every Little Star

If you click that link, then the song will be as stuck in your head as it is in mine (thanks to my wife setting the radio in her car to SiriusXM 60s Gold).

But the song was stuck. That thought also was stuck–why haven’t I told (you).

How many problems–relationship, business, personal, group–would be on the road to recovery if we just said something? We can tell the stars, or the brook, or even God. Best is to tell the other person. With love.

Now. I’ve said it. How do I actually do it given my withdrawing personality? Maybe it’s the only way to get the song unstuck?

We moved to a (sort of) gated community restricted mostly (read the fine print) to people older than 55. It’s a quiet and peaceful community that has probably grown from about 700 to 2,000 in the two years we’ve been here.

The community is blessed with not one, but two, Facebook pages. Let’s consider this equation: old people with too much time on their hands plus Facebook equals a lot of complaining. People worry incessantly about whether the gates are up or down. We border northwest suburban Chicago on one side and fields and woods on the other. We have wildlife. A picture of two eagles appears on the site. People start worrying about the safety of their little dogs. Ditto when a coyote is spotted. They worry about the lawn care service (I love having the lawn care service!).

There are some posts about people helping people. These I appreciate.

I go to Facebook daily to wish people a happy birthday, check out the photos in Pictures of a Beautiful Life, and see what’s happening back home with soccer. In that 10 minutes a day, I can pick up all the complaining (thank you Facebook for guiding me).

I’m not complaining about the complaining. People gotta do what they gotta do. But I am amazed that so many people spend so much time worrying about nonessential things. I couldn’t help myself the other day and responded to someone complaining about waiting five minutes to get through the gate. “Find a good radio station and chill,” I said. I meant WXRT (an original Chicago rock station), but they probably went with talk radio that raised their blood pressure even higher.

Whenever I read Jesus or Paul or James, John, Peter and the rest, I come away with the attitude of focusing on what is important rather than wasting time on meaningless things.

Before taking frustrations out on Facebook, find a good radio station and chill. I’m focusing on nudging people into a more meaningful and fruitful life.

Today is a holiday in America–Memorial Day. My great-grandmother always called it “Decoration Day” which always confused me as a kid. But I was often confused about everything.

So, between being a holiday and recovering from yet another bout with allergies, I’ve been a bit lazy this morning. As I gazed from my patio across the yards, I noticed a couple of large pieces of plastic blown by the wind.

I thought, I could sit here and watch. Or, I could get up, walk about 30 yards, and do the neighborhood a favor by picking them up and disposing them.

So often we are faced with these small decisions. Sometimes we may not even recognize that a decision is required. But it is. We can sit and leave the problem to someone else. Or, we can get up and just do it. Whatever it takes.

Now I (and my neighbors) can sit outside on a nice spring day and enjoy the view.