Normal is as normal does

The computer-internet-social media experience for my generation and those younger has certainly helped maintain relationships with friends, classmates and teammates.  One of my contacts is an old high school football teammate who is 69 years of age and I’m 70. My friend Chuck has lived an extraordinary life of teaching, coaching, writing and being a great father and husband to a lady he says is his joy.

We played together on an undefeated (28-game win streak) football team in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. In the early sixties, school desegregation had already been implemented several years earlier, but racism was far from being eliminated or is it today.  God chose to make Chuck and me different colors in His many flavors of created children.  Chuck was a grade below me in school and in our football connection, through the encouragement of others, Chuck and I had a wrestling match one Saturday in the gym to see who was toughest. It turns out that we both won the wrestling match, for this was the beginning of a relationship of love and respect that continues today. The icing on the cake of this relationship is a joint love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I must say that Chuck is a much greater stimulator of conversation in the social media than I am. About the time I think he has run out of questions and comments, here he comes again with more thought provoking stuff that reaches out to all of his many friends, students, classmates and teammates. Discussions about his spirituality are frequent and usually elicit many comments and questions from others.

Recently, Chuck began a long discussion that started like this: “Are you normal?  I am not. I have always had a cross section of heroes and friends. Most people my age, and I am just 69, their heroes are from their ethnic background. My heroes cover every racial and ethnic group and age category. I have often wondered why I am so strange and different.” This was just the tip of the iceberg of his comments, but it got me thinking about just what is normal. It made me think of a quote from Maya Angelou. She said, “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

I remember reading a book entitled Same Kind of Different As Me that dispelled the idea of being normal. The awkward friendship between a white man and a black man that begins over coffee eventually evolves into the two sharing their lives with one another, even going on road trips together.  Denver Moore is a poor, black man who is bitter and penniless that ends up graciously loving those who hate him. Ron Hall, a self-absorbed affluent successful art dealer ends up serving at a local homeless shelter and inviting the poor into his home. This true story of friendship calls us to evaluate our lives with love and compassion. In the parallel stories of these two men we see completely different men, both from the South, both searching for life’s meaning in different ways.

There is no “Normal” in this life we live. Each of us is created by God with our one of a kind set of attributes. We should use them to seek God’s Will for us in this world. Each result is different not normal.

We are informed as to how God uses our unique differences in St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 12:12-25, which says in part:--  “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.”

Science is moving closer to God

We have Holy Scripture and church doctrine that help us to understand the existence of and our relationship with God. Jesus, as God’s Word, took God’s message to a new level. Even with scripture and church doctrine, we can enhance our understanding and relationship with God in other ways as well.

We can get a glimpse of God in the beauty of nature that is around us and we can get an understanding of our Universe through science that seems to support our faith more as new discoveries are made. Seeing God’s gifts of plants, animals, land, sea and ourselves can help confirm our faith.  Understanding the universe better supports our faith and describes what a magnificent plan and gift God has given us.

Chet Raymo, a noted writer, scientist, educator and naturalist, decided in his early twenties, to explore more of nature on Earth and ponder the new discoveries in science relating to not only our Earth, but to our universe. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column Science Musings appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years. In Raymo’s studies of the universe he said, “In science I discovered a universe of wonderful dimension, complexity and beauty. It was a universe that folded inward to embrace the helical dance of [our] DNA, and outward to enclose the enigmatic quasars and spiraling galaxies.” Raymo goes on to say, “The questions I then asked were these:        1) What is the relevance of traditional religion in the world described by contemporary science?    2) Is scientific knowledge a satisfactory ground for the religious experience? 3) Can the language of traditional religion constitute an appropriately modern language of praise?

In one period of his life, Raymo spent 8 consecutive summers on the peninsula of Dingle in Southwestern Ireland.  This piece of land was full of signs of creation in the rocks, flora & fauna. Dingle’s unpredictable weather and difficulty in entry has kept out industry and sightseers. In his book, Honey from Stone - A Naturalists Search for God, Raymo explains his search for a connection with God through nature. His book title is taken from a quote by St. Bernard of Clairvaux: “More things are learnt in the woods than from books; trees and rocks will teach you things not to be heard elsewhere.  You will see for yourselves that honey may be gathered from stones and oil from the hardest rock……”

In addition to his reconnections with nature, Raymo makes a comparison involving Earth and the Super Nova’s, Quasars/Black Holes, Galaxies and stars in general. For instance, a Quasar is a very distant semi-star powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun. Quasars are believed to be powered by swallowing up other mass in the universe. A super-massive black hole would have to consume the material equivalent of 10 stars per year. The brightest known quasars devour 1000 solar masses of material every year. The largest known is estimated to consume matter equivalent to 600 Earths per minute. There is a very distant quasar powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun. That is humbling information for us tiny Earthlings.

Raymo compares these Black Holes with the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) of all living things on Earth as it encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. In making the connection between far away stars and our own DNA, Raymo talks about our kinship.  This kinship is confirmed in the Public Television series, COSMOS, first presented in 1980. In this series it is demonstrated that the elements created and contained in “star dust” are the same as the elements in our personal DNA Codes. Our bones, tissue, muscles contain these “star dust” elements. For instance, when a Super Nova millions of miles from Earth explodes at the end of its existence, the dust that is created and spread through the universe contains the elements we are made of.

For us Christians, science can only tell us what it discovers about the universe made by our Creator God. Science helps us understand just how great God’s gifts to us really are. The descriptions of Creation in the Bible tell us what science is just finding out. Science is not needed to prove what is already known to us. It only serves as detail concerning what God has already told us: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

There's one thing I know I should do

Several years ago, I began a habit of taking the tune from a onetime popular song and writing my own lyric. I have chosen tunes that I’ve been drawn to and penciled in my own, usually spiritual, lyric. This habit exercises my brain and challenges me to express my faith in a new way.

 I’ve often noticed that hymns we sing in church are many times one person’s lyrics put to another person’s tune. Certain tunes have been used by new lyric writers a number of times. So over time, many have used this way of expressing their thoughts and faith using a tune already in place.

The tune that has recently caught my attention is “Dedicated to the One I Love”, written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass. It has been performed by many artists over the years. While my lyric doesn’t rime with the original lyric, it fits the rhythm and format. It goes like this:

“When I ignore you O my Father,
I know it saddens You, my Father.
And things don’t go my way my Father.
And in the darkness, there’s no song. 

But the times when I go to bed My Father,
And I whisper a little prayer to you my Father
Then you make the stars to shine above
And Your Love and light they flow to me.                                      

Life can never be exactly like we want it to be,
but I should be happy knowing you love me.
There's one thing I know I should do, especially for You. I should let You handle all my needs.

When I ignore you O my Father,
I know it saddens You, my Father.
And things don’t go my way my Father.
And in the darkness, there’s no song. 

There's one thing I know I should do, especially for You. I should let You handle all my needs.”

It is not only necessary for us to turn to our Creator Father in all things, it is mandatory in living the gift of life He has given us. We must not throw away His gift. The verses of Psalm 8 sing to us the characteristics of our God and Father: 

“O LORD our Governor, how exalted is your Name in all the world!

Out of the mouths of infants and children your majesty is praised above the heavens.

You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, to quell the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

What is man that you should be mindful of him? The son of man that you should seek him out?

You have made him but little lower than the angels; you adorn him with glory and honor;

You give him mastery over the works of your hands; you put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, even the wild beasts of the field, The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

O LORD our Governor, how exalted is your Name in all the world!”

We must take God seriously, for we owe this life to Him. Those who go other ways are missing the most beautiful parts of life. Man has achieved great things, but there is no other Creator. He is One.

Who's in charge?

We are challenged in our lives each day as to who is in control. The tension of deciding whether we’re in charge or God is in charge haunts us. We feel like we must do something on our own, but most times we end up taking charge of everything. In Zechariah 7:8--8:8 we hear about the condition of man several thousand years ago: "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another...But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets.”

This stubbornness sounds very bold. It's hard to imagine people being so reluctant to follow and listen to the Lord. But when we are distracted from the Lord are we not doing the same thing? Are not our ears deaf and eyes blind to the Lord when we simply put Him on hold while we get on with the rest of our lives? Whether intentional or just through neglect and laziness, when we turn off the Lord in our lives we are no better than these are.

We treat God as a last resort. We think, "I'll do it my way and if all else fails I'll call on God to bail me out." If we know that He is the answer, why do we wait? Are we embarrassed to call on Him? This reminds me of relationships that I have observed over the years between leaders and their subordinates. I have been on both ends of this myself. There is something unpleasant about having to report bad news. No one likes to tell their superior that things are not going so well. We come up with all sorts of schemes to convince ourselves that we can hide our problems and fix them before we have to come clean about them.

Our relationship with God is similar. We just hate to admit to Him that we can't do it on our own. Somehow we have come up with the notion that He wants us to be strong and independent, showing no weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. God knows everything about us. He created us and follows our every move. How can we possibly think that we can keep anything from Him? He knows it before it's done. He is always holding out His hand for us because He knows that we need Him. He doesn't expect us to do it without Him. But we still refuse to listen; turn a stubborn shoulder; and stop our ears.

For whatever reasons that we have for not seeking the Lord in all things, we must reject them and turn to Him now and every day hereafter. We must have a sense of urgency about getting this right with the Lord. We must surrender our egos when He is concerned. We must not be afraid to share the bad news with the good. He already knows. He is simply waiting patiently for us to take His hand. He is always there for us. We are not alone. God expects us to trust Him with everything. He sees it not as weakness, but as strength. He wonders why His children are slow to come to Him. We must listen to His Spirit, "Render true judgments, [and] show kindness and mercy to one another."

I wrote this psalm many years ago in my attempt to understand the Lord in my life: “Jesus, on Your cross You have blessed me. God has lost all His memory, of my life lived in Sin. Oh Your death brings forgiveness and a promise I see, Yes Your light shines - New life begins. Save me, from my many temptations. When I look at my sad self, I see I've not begun, to turn to You, as I know that You want me to. Help me seek You, in my life.

Every time I turn to things that aren't desirable for me. Your angels fly over to watch and warn me, I know You won't ignore me. Your light is the light I must search for. I must look for the new life that brings peace and ends Sin. Oh Your light shines and shows me that my darkness will end, and eternal life begins.

For all my days in my old ways, You will not make me accountable. For when I seek You and turn my life on over, there's nothing insurmountable. You find it so easy to love me
even though I've strayed far from all the ways that You've shown. You have touched me and now I know the promise You keep. I will never be alone.”

Was that me or God?

I got a call from my church one morning recently to tell me that my longtime friend and church-mate had passed away.  I was asked to go to her home and check in with her family. When I got there, she was still in her bed as peaceful as could be. Her daughter said she thought her mom was ready to go and be with God.  After visiting a bit with her daughter and the hospice folks we gathered around her bed and prayed some prayers. I told her daughter that I would help in any way needed, including her mom’s funeral.

The day before the funeral, our pastor told me the part I would play and that the family had asked for me to say a few words about my friend. I thought this request would be easy to carry out for my dear friend and that I could just about do it off the top of my head right then.

I went home that afternoon and began thinking about how I would present that which was already on my mind. Nothing much changed my feelings that I could get up in church and share what I already knew and felt. So off to bed I went, seeking a peaceful night and praying for God’s guidance in my mission for my friend and her family

Just after midnight, I began dreaming and seemed to be in and out of a full sleep. As my mind turned in this state I was in, I began thinking about a folk song that was sung by a folk group trio I used to go and hear perform back in the early 1960’s. The group was the Journeymen and the song was, Run Maggie Run – (Chase the Rising Sun). I knew every word of the song and its melody. It kept going through my mind and the next thing I knew, I was altering the lyric and putting in my thoughts about my deceased friend. After an hour or so of this song racing through my mind and my adding my special lyric, I thought I’d better at least get up and type some of this down on my computer. It was about 2:00 a.m. and I carefully rolled out of bed so as not to disturb my wife.

As I cranked up my computer, I started writing down my lyrics for this tune. While I used the tune for the base of my message, I used a slightly different format and a couple of extra verses. I had actually contacted an old work mate the day before, that had taken classes from my friend in the local technical college and easily worked some of her comments into my soon to be poem remembering my old friend. My poem named, An Ode to Bobbi, was ready to go and I read it to the family and our congregation at her funeral. It goes like this:

“I sat out one morning beside my garden spring, heard my old friend Bobbi died and I began to sing. I began to sing, I began to sing, heard my old friend Bobbi died and I began to sing.

Me and my friend Bobbi laughed together all the time, Bobbi always cheered me up, as an angel she’ll be fine, as an angel she’ll be fine. Yes she’ll be fine, yes she’ll be fine, she’ll be there to cheer us up; as God’s angel she’ll be fine.

Bobbi taught good business skills to some young workmates of mine, said she was a no-nonsense gal, very professional all the time, very professional all the time. Said they learned a lot from her, they didn’t know it all, said she was a sharp dresser, like she’s going to a ball, like she’s going to a ball.

Bobbi’s sense of humor enriched many lives around; God can use that funny girl to be His Heavenly Clown, yes to be His Heavenly Clown. So, Run Bobbi run, Run Bobbi run, get everything together with God and someday we’ll be one. Run Bobbi run, Run Bobbi run, get everything together with God and someday we’ll be one.”