We Can Be...

We Can Be…

As our family grows, it’s important to make time to be together. Given geographic distance and time restraint, planning ahead for family reunions is crucial. Judy and I just returned from Sandpoint, Idaho where we spent a week with our four adult children and five grandchildren (actually six because there is one in the oven).

We discovered a get together plan that works for us. First, we set an agreed date one year in advance so everyone can get vacation time. Second, an intense search on the internet for a rental house with enough bedrooms, bathrooms and living space to accommodate nine adults and five (next year six) children that is within a day’s driving. Third, we pay for the house rental and our kids pay for the food.

Last year, we met for a week at a lake cabin in northern Minnesota. This year we rented a very nice home at the Idaho Club near Sandpoint, Idaho. And what fun we had. Lots of noise and conversation around the dining room table. Splashes and squeals at the outdoor hot tub. One day on a rented pontoon boat and another day at the beach. In between some golf and just enjoying family life together.

 As we gather, we experience how fast life is changing. Our kids are not only taking care of their own children but they are also taking care of Judy and me. They do the cooking, cleaning and organizing while we watch with awe at their proficiency. I guess that’s enjoying the fruit of our labor.

The best part is we all get along. The days of adolescent competition and complaining are gone. Enjoying each other’s company and mutual respect have somehow found their place in our family. No, we aren’t the perfect family but we are a happy family.

When are kids were young, we taught them a song that has found a place in their hearts. It goes like this: “We can be a family of friends, a family of friends. Oh! We can be a family of friend. We can be a family.”

Yep!

Paraprosdokian

Paraprosdokian

If you frequently read my blogs, you know that I like strange words. It must have something to do with classical education and my preaching vocation. Although I had several years of Latin, I am not proficient in it. Because the Bible, as we have it, is a translation from the Hebrew and Greek, I have an academic familiarity with both. That plus an addiction to crossword puzzles should explain my fascination with obscure words.

Paraprosdokian is a combination of two Greek words meaning “contrary to expectation.” A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and frequently humorous. This is a favorite ploy of comedians and people who cultivate a refined sense of humor.

Here are a few examples:

·      Where there is a will, I want to be in it.

·      The last thing I want to do is hurt you…but it’s still on my list.

·      I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

·      I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not sure.

·      You’re never too old to learn somethings stupid.

·      If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

·      I don’t belong to an organized political party, I’m a Democrat. (Will Rogers)

I think life is tough enough but when you can’t laugh at a quick turn of a phrase you might be in need of a therapist. The Bible reminds us that laughter is good for the soul and that’s from a good book that’s got lots of serious stuff in it. I like a quick turn of a phrase because it catches me off guard and tickles my funny bone.

There is a small plaque in our guest bathroom that I frequently ponder on my visits there. It reads “Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.” I think that’s a paraprosdokian!

Fairy Lake

Fairy Lake

Montana is a feast for the eyes. There is hardly a spot that doesn’t showcase the grandeur of Big Sky Country. Whether it be the prairie lands east of the Continental Divide or the majestic Rocky Mountains, Montana is a beauty to behold.

Among my favorites is a small out of the way place called Fairy Lake. Located about 26 miles north of Bozeman, snuggled in the base of the Bridger Mountains at the foot of Sacagawea Peak is a small aqua-green lake surrounded by a pine forest. It is not known who named the lake but it is easy to see that fairies could live here.

Don’t let that nice paved road from town fool you. There is still eleven, bone jarring, tire puncturing, muffler smashing miles before you get to the lake. A construction crew of bad elves must have designed this road from hell. Strewn with lots of rocks and ruts, it takes an experienced driver and a tough vehicle to make it all the way.

Taking the mile hike around the lake shoreline provides breath-taking views of God’s handiwork. The lake itself is spring fed from the mountain snow that rarely leaves the higher elevations. A small herd of mountain goats live just above the lake. If you take the trail to Sacagawea Peak, you can see them up close grazing in the alpine meadow.

Over the years Judy and I have brought visiting family and friends to Fairy Lake. We never tire sitting on the shore sharing a picnic lunch taking in the grandeur of God’s creation. Once I braved the hike to the top of the mountain and experienced a panoramic view of the Gallatin Valley.

Fairy Lake what a magical place.

The Psalmist sings: “Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops…oh let them praise the name of the Lord.”

TINSTAAFL

TINSTAAFL

Not too long ago I was in a discussion with a friend who retired from a career in the banking business. It was interesting to hear his perspective on the current financial environment of our country. He told me that in college, at his first economic class, the professor wrote TINSTAAFL in capital letters on the blackboard. Turning around he asked his students if they ever hear of this word. No one had so he explained to them the first principle of economics: There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!

I remember my father telling me that very same thing years ago. I believe it was around the time he told me to go out and get a job. I was in high school and never had a paying job. I worked a lot around home picking up dog poop, making my bed, cleaning my room and trying to stay out of trouble. My dad was talking about a real job where you earned money and experienced job satisfaction for work well done.

Since those days I have always had a job. Most of them pastoring. Along the way I learned somethings about manual labor on a job site, clerked in a liquor store, a tobacco store and later a men’s clothing store. I caddied on a golf course at a country club, drove a Big Bud farm tractor, spent a day harvesting wheat, picked strawberries; a carry out boy bagging groceries and working in the produce department at a grocery store. I spent four summers as a counselor at a Boy Scout Camp. In between pastor positions, Judy and I ran a ski lodge in Montana. I am sure there are more but in old age you forgot some.

Interesting enough, none of those jobs ever offered a free lunch. But life was different back then. You were expected to work for your keep even if you didn’t especially like the job. I will say that my varied job experiences added spice to my life. I had opportunities to see how other people lived and worked. I appreciate that I am still healthy physically and mentally to enjoy working!

I like this Biblical admonition: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” So, since there is no such thing as a free lunch, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Decisions

Decisions

Did you ever hear the old joke about decision making? It goes like this: “Do you have a problem making a decision?” The answer, “Well, yes and no.” Almost unknowingly, we make lots of decisions every day. Most are mundane and repetitive but none the less decisions. Every once in a while, a big decision come along; buying a car or where to go for vacation. It’s the really big ones that test our ability to make good decisions: who to marry, a job change or even a geographic move.

The best way I know to make good decisions is by learning from the bad ones. Thankfully, those poor choices that I have had to live with were not life altering. It only takes a lemon car purchase to make me a lot smarter in shopping for the next one. Gathering the facts and asking for counsel are essential to making good decisions.

Here’s a quote that recently appeared on my Facebook page: “Be decisive. Right or wrong make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.” Hopefully the unknown author wasn’t suffering from indecision himself.

Over the years I have used three questions in making major decisions. First, is this a good opportunity? Two, does it violate the Scriptures or my conscience? Third, do I have peace in doing it? When I have the answer to those questions, I can confidently make a good decision.

Decision making is a human endeavor. Animals function by instinct. God created us with a mind and a will to make choices. Hopefully as we mature our ability to make quality decisions will enhance our lives. I like these words of Jesus, “Say just a simple ‘Yes, I will’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough.”

Now that’s a good decision.

Time

Time

When asked if I am available to do something, my usual response is that I have more time than money. That is the truth: I do have more time than money. However, I am getting older not only is money running out but time as well.

Time is one of those things that I have taken for granted. My work allows me quite a bit of unstructured time. Not having to an 8 to 5 job, I have the luxury of planning how to use my time. Looking back, I confess that there have been seasons when I was not a good steward.

Now, for some strange reason, the clock is running faster. The mornings quickly turn into evenings; days into weeks, months into seasons. Before I take notice, another year has gone by. Not only am I getting older but my kids and their kids are too. As the old saying goes “time stops for no one.”

A benefit that time does offer is perspective. Life experience over time allows one the opportunity to see life more clearly. The convictions and priorities of earlier years such as fame and fortune no longer hold my interest. Family and faith now take center stage as well as the desire to finish life well.  Funny how the sense of time running out changes our focus.

Lest the reader fear I am priming the pump to write my obituary, I am simply taking the opportunity to reflect on the importance of wise use of time that is left. No longer is time infinite. Just as there was a beginning, there is also an end.

I am reminded of the words of the Psalmist David: “But I trust in you, Lord. I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands…Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.”

Amen!

Snollygoster

Snollygoster

I bet you never heard this word before. I hadn’t until I came across it in a biography of Harry S Truman, the 33^rd President of the United States. Intrigued, I looked it up in the dictionary. A snollygoster is “a person, especially a politician who is guided by personal advantage rather than by consistent, respectable principles.” The word first appeared early in the 19^th century to describe a person who is clever and unscrupulous.

Given the present political climate in our country, it wouldn’t take much for the finger pointers and name callers to add this word to the caustic rhetoric of the day. But I don’t think this word should be used exclusively by politicians. It’s much too good a word.

Raised with moral platitudes ringing in my ears, I remember phrases like “say what you mean and mean what you say” and “talk is cheap.” Our world of talking heads and social media 24/7 doesn’t allow for much reflection on words spoken. The fast pace of life events challenge us to keep up. Reflection and formulation of one’s own opinion seems to be a dying discipline.

It must be my philosophical training that wants to get behind the words and know something of the speaker’s character. Some years ago, the political climate changed when we were told that a person’s personal life had nothing to do with their public life. As if one were able to separate one’s words from one’s person. This sounds a lot like “do as I say not as I do.” No wonder the spoken word has lost credibility.

The Bible is full of life giving words. The Book of Proverbs has words that give life. Here is but one example: “You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight, but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.” I am sure this in reference to a snollygoster!