OK, maybe I AM all that

I am sitting in the All About Cha coffee shop in Edmond. I had about an hour before a lunch meeting across the street, and I have seen this place but have never had the opportunity to try it out. There is always some reading that I need to do, so I thought I would pull in and have a cup while reading. The atmosphere in the place is great. Airy and contemporary with an Asian feel, just being in here makes me feel cooler than I really am. (And after all, isn't that what we're all after?)

I am reading a commentary on Colossians written by N.T. Wright in preparation for a series I plan to share probably in January. N.T. Wright is one of the most readable theologians who is writing today. I came across a line I thought was very good.

When the lavish and generous beauty of the world makes you catch your breath, remember that it is like that because of Jesus.

Out of habit I reached for my phone to tweet that, but I feared that it might exceed the character limit. I could have done it on Facebook, but a thought struck me. I am in here with my new MacBook in my backpack case slung casually over one shoulder. I can be one of those people who sit in coffee shops and work for hours on their laptop doing all sorts of world changing things. Suddenly I was overcome with the overwhelming urge to get some leather flip flops and grow a soul patch.

Assisted Living Musings

When I visit my dad in his assisted living center I usually find him sitting in a common area in a chair where he can see down a long hallway. This allows him to watch most of the comings and goings of staff and residents. As I sit with him, he keeps a running commentary on the folks who appear in his field of view. As I have spent time there, I have come to an obivious conclusion: the end of life season is tough.

I see a couple. He is sprightly and clear-headed, but his wife's mind is gone. It is tender and heart-breaking to see him, who gives the impression that he could exist quite well in the outside world, staying faithful to his marriage vows and tending to his wife who knows when he is with her, but very little else.

I see younger people who, for whatever reason, have lost their ability to think things through, and I wonder how many years will their world will be limited to the cream colored walls of the facility.

The older ones, including my dad, fall into one of two categories: those whose minds have outlived their bodies and those whose bodies have outlived their minds. I haven't decided which is less desirable.

I look at Dad, and I know that he is spiritually ready to make the next journey. He hangs on tenaciously to this life because it is what he knows. He knows conceptually about his glorified body in Heaven, but for 94 years he has lived the reality of this life, so he stays with what he knows. But I know that when that day comes, and Jesus says "Well done", Dad will wonder why he hung on so long.

Don't fail to make your preparations for your Heavenly destination.

Memories

I talk to people from time to time who pine for things to be as they once were. They hold an idealized view of a place, a period of time, a group of friends, or an association with others, and it becomes a standard which cannot be attained in any other situation. This ideal changed, maybe slowly, maybe rapidly, but the change is not seen as ordinary transition, and it is for sure not seen as improvement. They find it difficult to enjoy today because they haven't forgiven today for not being yesterday.

The problem is that things always change. Summers end and as fall arrives, leaves die and fall off. Maybe a tornado strips the leaves off early in the Spring and cheats the tree of its Summer leaves. But the tree changes. There is no going back to what once was. If we attempt to recreate the past, we find very quickly that it is a fool's errand. You can reassemble a group of people, but the perspectives, attitudes and worldviews of the people have changed. The chemistry which once held the group together doesn't exist anymore. That's why high school reunions sound so good in theory but are usually awkward in reality.

The best thing we can do with the past is to preserve and honor the good parts, learn from and discard the bad parts, and realize that today we are a much different person than we were back then.

Back in my youth Barbra Striesand sang the song "The Way We Were" (although I liked the Gladys Knight version much better). It went something like:

Memories line the corners of my mind,
Misty water-colored memories, of the way we were.
Scattered pictures, of the smiles we left behind,
Smiles we gave to one another, of the way we were.
Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time re-written every line,
And if we had the chance to do it all again, tell me would we, could we?
Memories, can be beautiful and yet,
What's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget.
But it's the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember, the way we were.

We have the opportunity to enjoy today, today. Tomorrow we can't do anything about it.
And wishing that today was yesterday is wasted effort.

I Was Born To Reject Rejection

OK. This was a new one on me. Last night Carole and I were looking for a quick bite before we went to the evening service at General Council. We had been told that there was a small food court in a nearby hall in the convention center. Sure enough, it was right where we were told it would be. We saw a little Mexican grill and decided that that would be our place. It seemed to have the shortest line and besides that, it smelled good. We took our place at the end of the line and began to read the menu signboard.  Our stomachs began to growl in anticipation. A few seconds later, a young lady, an employee, came over to us and said, "Sorry, we're closing." Then she began to pull the web barrier across the line in front of us. No one was behind us in line. It was just me and Carole. I asked, "Are you serious?" Carole said, "Can't you close the line behind us?" She wouldn't look us in the eye. She just hooked the barrier in place in front of us and walked away. Wow. I've never had that happen before.

So we went to plan B. At the arena where the service was to be held, we found a concession stand that would consent to sell us something, so we got a hotdog, a popcorn and two cokes. And it only cost us $16.50.