The Days We Live In

I recently read the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey which asks Americans about their religious affiliations. In general, there are less people identifying themselves as Christian, less identifying with a particular denomination, more identifying with religions other than Christianity and more identifying themselves as "none". That may concur with your own observations as it tended to confirm mine. What does baffle me are the growing number of people who identify themselves with all religions. They are "Eclectics". In other words, they can mix and match what they want from any and all religious systems and ignore or reject the things they are either ignorant of or don't like.

Now just on a rational level, how is that supposed to work? Nothing else on the planet works like that. I couldn't possibly hope to assemble a working car if I visited every car manufacturer and took a bolt here and there, a piston or two from one, some from another, a driveshaft and some brakes from another and try to put them together. It just isn't rational and I don't think anyone could argue differently. So, why do a growing number of people think they can do this with spiritual matters? Barry Cosmin, one of the co-authors of the survey summed up his findings with this quote: "More than ever before, people are just making up their own stories of who they are." It's the "just making up" part that really gets to me. We can just make this stuff up and expect it to work because I said so? Unbelieveable. Really.

Part of the fog in the rationality is the lie that we can't be exclusive in our choices. Somehow it is wrong to say, my belief is right, yours is not right. That makes people mad and offends them. So now in order to not offend, everyone has to be right. Just like kindergarten t-ball, everyone wins because we don't keep score. Well, as offensive as this may be, hogwash. Why can we accept that there is only one and only one right answer to 2+2=4? If I feel strongly about the number 5 I could be really hurt. Who says 4 is the only right answer? If I want it to be 5 it is 5 no matter what you say! I may feel better after my tirade but I still flunk the exam.

Why then are we afraid to say Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Him? It is the only thing that makes sense. I am staking my eternity on that.

Input

I think we have all heard the saying, "Garbage in, garbage out" or "gigo" in reference to what we put into our minds. What we feed on is what we become. Even though the saying is negatively phrased, it does have a positive function as well. Anything good we take in, promotes something good coming out of us. This has huge ramifications for us personally, our relationships with others, as well as guidance in raising our children. That is another reason I try to often encourage people to read or listen to the Bible on a regular basis. Goodness knows there is so much negativity in our world. Just try to find a good movie to enjoy wth your family! It seems there is so much negatively themed offerings out there or the alternative is something so inane and silly it is insulting to intelligence.

The actual thought that inspired this installment of my blog was not particularly the "Gigo" principle, but a collary to it: "nothing in, nothing out." I feel this so much as a preacher / pastor. It is a constant demand in my calling to give out. Give knowledge, apply wisdom, present a challenge, give inspiring material to contemplate, etc. Where does all this come from? In case you don't know, I wasn't born with all of my sermons packed away neatly in my head, which would have been a huge advantage and made life a lot easier for me. Where it all comes from is from somewhere else. I have to constantly be feeding my mind with material that God can begin to use in His way, and His will to give me something to share with others.

So it is with all of us, we need input in order to have output. Keep yourself in the Word of God so that input will be positive and useful to others as we have our conversations and encouters with one another. The benefit to us is a better state of mind, the benefit to others is encouragement to a higher life.

Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Family

JoLynn and I were fortunate to be able to travel out of state last week to be able to attend the graduation of our daughter-in-law, Brittani from Northwest University. It was a grand affair and we had a nice celebration. It was very gratifying for JoLynn and I to see the progress Scott and Brittani have made in their own lives and marriage. They are doing very well and are very happy. JoLynn and I were also able to attend church on Mother's Day with Scott and Brittani. It was a nice plus for JoLynn. Later that day we drove to my sister's home where my brother and his family, as well as my father and mother joined us. It was a great time to visit with everyone and the first time in many years I was able to spend Mother's Day with my mother. JoLynn and I then traveled further to stay at my parents home for a few days.

One of the points I wanted to make with this blog was what we were able to talk about with my parents. On one evening, my brother, sister and I with our spouses were able to meet with my parents and have a converstation about end-of-life issues. To be honest, I was not really looking forward to the meeting fearing it might feel negative or emotional. In reality, it was neither. It felt very positive and we shared some very light hearted moments as well. We were able to talk about long-term care arrangements, what their desires were concerning where they wished to live, power of attorney and who should be given authority to sign checks on their behalf should the need arise. I was also proud of the preparations my parents had made with having a will already prepared, and end-of-life directives.

All in all, it was a very positive time. My parents expressed their appreciation for our desire to be repsonsive to their needs and wishes. It was also a time for us to express our desire that they have the highest quality of life and their wishes honored when they need more care.

For those who may ever read this blog that are in a similar season of life with parents or loved ones that you take the time and have a conversation about their desires concerning long-term care and end-of-life decisions. It will help preserve their dignity and respect their wishes and will also make their passing a less stressful time for your family.

Heros v.5

I don't know as a young child if I ever figured there was a difference between the people who were my parents friends and my friends. Even though my parents friends were obviously older than I was I think I always considered them as my friends. Such is the case again with Walt and Eunice Neilsen. Eunice was one of my Sunday School teachers at Fairbanks First Assembly. I don't know how she ever put up with a room full of rascally boys with such patience and grace, but she did. We loved to go over the Neilsen's house as there was always something good to eat or adventure to be had. Walt was always fun because he did so many things a young man admired. He rode snowmoblies with us. He always seemed to drive a Corvette (very cool) and Walt gave me one of the best dogs I ever had, a German Shepherd that I raised from a pup. Through the years I have somehow stayed in touch with Walt and Eunice. I have been a guest in their home many times, we have met up in Hawaii and enjoyed meals together. Having a friendship with Walt and Eunice has enriched my life in a wonderful way. Their Christian testimony, their generosity and the fact that they are just fun to be with has made a great contribution to my life. Being able to reconnect with them from time to time gives me great satisfaction. Because they never considered me too little to be my friend and have been such great examples to me, Walt and Eunice are my heros.

Heros v.4

I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with these two ladies not long ago while I was at District Coucil in Fairbanks. Jane Shebal (on the left) is a wonderful friend. She and her late husband Leroy have been people I have valued as friends since I was very small. Leroy was a big game guide in the days before Alaska statehood. He was someone I idolized as a kid. He lived the life I would have loved to live. Many of his hunting ventures are captured on a film titled, "This Is My Alaska". Jane and Leroy also established a scholarship fund through Northwest University which helped my son, Scott get through school as well as many other students through the years. Their faith in God, their generosity to others and their love of life make them heros to me. My life has been blessed by them! Dena on the other side of me in the picture is also someone I have known as a friend and admired for many years. She has been a pastor's wife and now for many years the owner of the Bible book store in Fairbanks. It is a wonderful place to spend some time as there are many wonderful things to ponder. I bought three books while I was there.... Dena has experienced difficult challenges through her life and met each one with faith, courage and perseverance. She is a tremendous example of what a Christian should be. Dena is also a hero in my life. I am so glad to call these ladies my friends!

Heros v.3

This is another one of my heros, Ted Baker, Sr. Ted is another one of the men whom I considered my friend as a kid. Ted has lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for many years and I look forward to seeing him when I visit there. Ted was always bigger than life to me, he did all of the adventures of hunting, flying, fishing and what not in Alaska that I wished I could have done. I did get to go on a memorable trip with him and my dad and brother to Chitna, Alaska to dipnet salmon out of the Copper River. It was a great adventure. One of the elements of that trip was the trailer we were towing that held a large cooler to put our fish in, became disengaged from our truck and ended up zooming past us on the road as we were driving! It quickly skidded off the road and tumbled in the brush. The hitch was ground off but other than that, the trailer wasn't badly damaged amazingly. I had every confidence that between Ted and my dad they they could figure out how to attach that trailer to the truck so we could finish our journey, which they did. Ted's also had a "swamp buggy" which was sort of a half-track vehicle Ted had put together that my brother and I were convinced could go anywhere, over brush, through creeks, in the mud, it was amazing and fun to ride on. Ted is also my hero because of his commitment to his Christian faith. He has lived through some adversity and yet still loves the Lord very much. God bless you, Ted!