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Let it Rain

Posted on April 19, 2015 by RT · 23 Comments

When I was much younger and much more ‘emotional’ I traveled the NYC subway system to and from college. The subway was a great way to travel for me at that time. For 50 cents I could get on one block from my house in the Bronx and land in front of my school in lower Manhattan within 45 to 60 minutes – pretty good. I normally got a seat because I got on the second stop. So the ride also provided me with some uninterrupted time to do whatever reading or studying that I might have needed that day. Now all these benefits did not come without some downsides. Anyone that traveled the subway in the late ‘70s knew that they were subject to regular non-scheduled stops between stations due to one reason or another – whether it be mechanical problems, other subway traffic or just for the heck of it. Sometimes these stops would last a minute or two, others times (likely during the summer before air conditioning was standard equipment) for many minutes and even up to 15-30 minutes – in a dark, cramped, and sticky box.

Now, one evening on my way home one of these extended delays occurred. I remember leaning against one of the doors face to face with a sea of humanity for what seemed to be an eternity, and then the train slowly pulled forward for about 25 feet and stopped dead again. Well, on that particular day and that particular time I had had enough. I took the heel of my boot and slammed it into the base of the sliding metal door. It made a very loud bang and I probably shouted some expletive just to make sure everyone knew how pissed off I was. (As I said I was much younger and a lot more emotional at that time.) As New Yorkers will do when confronted by someone exhibiting aggressive behavior, I immediately was given a little more space as the neighboring sardines backed off. I became a bit ashamed about my outburst and as I calmed myself down I had an epiphany. I came to the simple realization that this situation was something over which I had no control. All the banging on the door with my boot, all the cursing was not going to move that subway car one foot. Sometimes we just need to accept the circumstances, and that day I began to see things a little differently.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago: Ellie and I were traveling with a tour group in Italy and it was the day we were scheduled to attend an audience with the pope in St. Peter’s Square. Our weather during the first week of the trip had been good, but today we woke to a steady rain. Normally, these weekly audiences can draw up to 50,000 pilgrims and faithful, so we dressed accordingly and made our way to the square a couple of hours beforehand in order to get good seats. We waited for an hour in the rain before we were permitted to enter. But when we did we were surprisingly able to get right up front in the first row. Apparently the rain had kept the crowds down to less than a quarter of the normal. We sat in the cold rain for about another hour, but had a terrific view of the podium. And when the pope-mobile performed a couple of drive-bys upon entering the square, we had curbside seats.

Now, we were also traveling with a couple of pilgrims that were restricted to a wheelchair and a walker. During the trip these people were unable to visit several of the sites because of their circumstances. One had mentioned the day before that she was not disappointed in what she missed as long as she was able to see the pope. Normally those who may be disabled to some degree are seated in a special area close to the podium, but because of the inclement weather, this group including our comrades was taken indoors. Our friends were initially disappointed thinking that they were going to miss seeing the pope. But much to their surprise and delight they were told that yes indeed ‘they were going to see the pope.’ And as we sat in the rain soaked to the skin we were equally surprised and delighted to see our friends on the big screen as they reveled in a personal audience with the pope that I am sure they, and those of us who witnessed it, will never forget.

So you see there are always going to be situations that may not meet our expectations. Things that we may first see as misfortunes, bad luck or down-right frustrating – things we have no control over. But we need to remember that we are not in control, and trust that God may just have a reason for that rainy day or that subway stuck in the tunnel.

One Big Tour Group

Posted on April 12, 2015 by RT · 3 Comments

I was recently blessed with a trip to Italy with my wife, sister and brother (in-law). We were part of a larger tour that was being arranged through a bible study class we are associated with – Arizona Bible Class. It was a very gracious and courteous crowd many of whom are seasoned veterans of the tour bus circuit. Our little family group was among some of the ‘younger’ travelers and it was a reminder of several lessons that I had learned over the last few years – a couple of which I soon remembered I was never too old to learn all over again.

It says a lot about the true nature of our creation whenever a previously unconnected group is placed together – whether by choice, chance or circumstance. Our group had a couple of things in common: we were all somehow connected to this bible study class and all had a desire to travel on this tour through Italy – simple enough. Now there are other situations that we find ourselves in when we become part of a group, for instance school and classmates, work and colleagues, maybe the military and our company. Larger bonds can form around university alma mater, cities or the state you live in, or maybe even sports teams you root for. There is an integral part of our being which makes us social creatures. Scientists say that is because our chances of survival increase dramatically when we are associated with each other in groups. So it is a matter of survival of the fittest. Those ancient ancestors of ours that associated in groups survived – the loners did not.

Now back to our little tour group. So as we got to know one another, this pack instinct quickly identified those in the group that may have needed more attention than others, you know, those that may be slower or older, or possibly incapacitated to some degree. Maybe even some of us that weren’t so much physically challenged, but may have had a tendency to wander ahead or linger behind. Our ‘nature’ informed us as social creatures, that our chain was only as strong as the weakest link. So instinctually there were several group members that quickly became unofficial guardians of those potentially ‘in-need’ members of what had now become ‘our group’. In less than 24 hours of being connected, and with little other than our tour badges forming our union – we now had established a hierarchy that enabled our group to get on with it. What a great reminder of our Creator’s purpose.

It just so happens that today’s first reading is from the book of Acts 4:32-35 and speaks to this very primary of Christian principles – in short – leave no one behind:

“…The whole group of those who believed was of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

With great power the Apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need…”

A lot may read this and see it as an invitation to communism – something that sends chills down the spine of every red blooded capitalist on the earth. To consider selling everything you have and placing it at the feet of the church is quite a feat – one that requires extraordinary belief and trust. A belief that the church will use the gift for those in need, but even more so, trust that your needs would also be cared for. This is apparently much more trust than most have, and a greater a sacrifice than most of us is willing to make. But we shouldn’t just stop here completely. We can still adjust our attitudes without necessarily selling the big screen. We could simply begin by imagining each and every other human being as a member of our tour group. We all have a couple of things in common. We are all children of God and we are all being called to his kingdom. Heck, I have seen great friendships blossom simply because both parties were Yankee fans…and others because both parties were not!

So here’s the point – Hillary was right – it does take a village – a really big village of each of us watching out for each other, and all of us being watched out for by God in that very same way.

First Class to Waikiki

Posted on March 14, 2015 by RT · 8 Comments

Please bear with me and this post, but I think there are some significant pay-offs if you stick with it as I try to describe something that I am still figuring out. Feedback from several of you regarding the good Reverend Dollar’s talk about salvation indicates this real concern regarding ‘Judgment Day’. Now it is very clear that none of us can truly know the mind of God…not in this life at least. However, God has left us ample evidence in His Word, through scripture that we may at least understand His intent as it applies to us – His creations. So we should proceed as forensic investigators looking for signs supporting our salvation.

We can safely begin as if God has this wonder-filled tropical paradise that He has prepared especially for His children. We can hardly imagine the spectacle that it is tropical or not, but know that it is truly awe-some. And, we know that all of us have open invitations to ultimately dwell in this Kingdom:

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

Now, in order to get there we need to make the journey to this place. He has left us instructions on the journey and the options we have. (Make no mistake; He wants us all there with Him, and one way or another He will get what He wants. Remember He is God.) I imagine travelling through the airport to Hawaii for instance. I can picture those security check points. They have separate lines set up for the pilots and crews, first class, frequent flyers, and then one reserved for the rest of the passengers. Ultimately all of the travelers will get to Hawaii. Some may get there before others and with less hassle. Some of the passengers may get lost and have to back-track to get there. Some may even have their planes crash and burn, survive on a desert island for years, suffer a bit, be rescued and then start all over again on a new plane. But sooner or later we are going to land in Hawaii, because that is what God wants. Now back to Judgment Day:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire…Revelations 20:11-15

Real scary stuff – it’s imagery that definitely sticks with you. But a couple of things that I am wrestling with… The last phrase in the verse – ‘And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.’ The word ‘if’ – is it even remotely possible that we are all in the book of life? I think of that saying I have heard a couple of times from the pulpit: ‘Even though there may be a hell that does not mean that anyone is going there. Or, I consider several verses in the bible that indicate God’s use of fire as a way to refine or test :

This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.'” Zech 13:9
For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. Psalms 66:10
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1Peter 1:7

So who is to say that even if some poor souls actually make it to the “lake of fire” that their journey is concluded? Sure it may be a bit uncomfortable, like an overnight layover in Topeka, but could they re-board once ‘refined’ and get back on to Hawaii? I mean Hawaii (Heaven) is gong to be there for all eternity. Now, for us that are believers in Christ none of this even applies. Go to the next chapter in Revelations and see what is in store for us (Stick with me because this is the REALLY GOOD NEWS.):

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

We are the ones whose names are definitely in the book of life. We avoid the long lines and delays. We go onto that line that says ‘First Class’. No Judgment, for we have been freed from Judgment and reconciled by the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Grace of God:

¹⁸He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18 (everyone stops after 3:16)
¹⁸All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2Cor 5:18
“Their sins and lawless act I will remember no more.”– Hebrews 10:17
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.1Peter 3:18
Among others – you can Google it!

Typically, the response to this gift of unmerited favor usually gets a response like, “OK Rob, so if I don’t need to be concerned with Judgment Day as a believing Christian, then I have a ‘Get out of jail free card’ for life! – Yipee! Well yes and no. Yes for most of us who will continue to sin because of our inherent human weakness, no for those who use it as an excuse to sin…St. Paul’s great response sums it up:

1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2

And lastly, our non-stop flight to Waikiki is secured by our promise to follow Christ’s simple instruction:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

To me it is sort of like gathering your immediate family – say your brother and / or sister(s) – in front of your father. Think of that for a second – picture those people. Then you tell your father that you promise to love your siblings and not to do them harm, at the very least, to wish them well. Now at that point could you sin against them? Could you sin against them if you knew for a fact that your father was watching, or would for sure find out about this sin? If you would knowingly then you are likely scheduled for a little longer flight to Hawaii.

Bird Song

Posted on February 7, 2015 by RT · 6 Comments

Submitted by Eizzle:

Before we left it was a pretty typical morning. I had brushed my teeth and shaved, and Yodee was patiently waiting for me to finish so we could go on our walk. We left the apartment about 4:00am. It was dark out, of course, as usual, probably around 50 degrees, and very quiet. There is a peaceful stillness that early in the morning, which allows your senses even more clarity and attunement than usual. It’s probably one of the reasons why I love experiencing the world at that hour.

But something was different. I noticed it within the first 10 seconds of us being outside. It wasn’t completely quiet. I could hear a bird chirping in the distance. Sound carries farther in the morning and I sensed it was coming from the park across the way. Just a single bird. I probably would have thought nothing of it, although it was unusual. I can’t recall hearing any birds chirping or singing that early in the morning. What made this even more unique was that after Yodee and I had walked about five minutes, I realized the bird had been singing the entire time. Chirping, tweeting, whistling. It was quite melodic. Yodee and I got closer to the park and the bird continued. We were on the other side of the street and I could tell the bird wasn’t far away. How special, I thought. The bird didn’t sound in distress. There seemed to be joy in the bird’s music. Was it expressing happiness? Was it calling out to a loved one? Or was it just taking it upon itself to express what made it special. Creating something just to add its contribution of beauty to this morning. And it didn’t matter to it who was listening. Or whether anybody thought it was good or bad. It was its own symphony, its own testament of self, of being. (Hear what Eizzle heard by playing the clip below.)

Such deep thoughts while I’m walking the dog, right? Yodee and I headed back to the apartment and I could still hear that bird continuing on with his song. What a wonderful way to start the day, I thought. I fed Yodee, gave him a hug, and then left the apartment for my morning walk. It was about 4:30am now. I closed the door behind me. It was still very dark. And still very quiet…except for that bird. He was still singing. Still sounding poetic and purposeful. I did one of those motionless headshakes that happens in our brain sometimes. Wow, I thought. But then I also thought, I have to go find this bird. So instead of my usual walking path, I headed to the park. I crossed the street. There was nobody outside of course, and hardly any cars on the road. The bird was somewhere in the dog run, a fenced-in area. I found the tree where the bird was singing from and looked up at it from behind the fence. I couldn’t see the bird in the darkness but it had been singing the entire time I went to find it. Who knows how long it’d been singing before Yodee and I first left some 40 minutes ago. I didn’t want to disturb it so I stood quietly there and just listened. One minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Whether he knew it or not, the bird was putting on a concert just for me. It was so absolutely lovely. I quietly took out my phone and made several recordings of its songs. I wanted to capture this moment. God gave me this gift and I wanted to honor and appreciate it for the rest of my life. (Hear more of what Eizzle heard by playing the clip below.)

I then continued on with my walk and a short time later the bird’s music faded because I had gone too far away. I kept thinking about that special moment and all the things that it brought with it. The thought that each of us can create and add beauty to this world. That we almost have an obligation to share whatever the gifts are that God gave us. Whether we’re a bird, a person, a flower, a sunrise. And that we also have the opportunity to be recipients, to appreciate those gifts from others and other things, those wonders. If we stay aware of them. If we keep our eyes open for them. If we listen for them. If we look for the beauty, for the joy, and the good. God may have even been telling me it was not only an opportunity for me to experience and appreciate these little things all around me, but a responsibility.

About a half hour later as I walked it remained dark and very still and I came back to the park and to that dog run and to that fence and to that tree. The bird was still singing. It was now almost 5:30am. I thanked the bird out loud. I stood there again just listening. A couple of minutes went by, and the bird stopped singing. Amazing I thought. Bravo, little bird! I smiled and headed back to the apartment to get ready for work.

About a minute later in the distance behind me as I walked away…the bird started singing again. (It doesn’t get old.)

Sammy on my mind

Posted on January 31, 2015 by RT · 9 Comments

When I was about 10 my sister and I adopted a street cat and cared for him. Since he wasn’t allowed in our house (My mother was not a big fan of pets.) we would let him stay in a shed we had in our yard when the Northeast weather turned unfriendly. I think it was during the fourth year of our relationship with this cat that we had a particularly cold stretch of weather and Tabby went missing for a week or so. Ultimately my father found him in that shed. He had succumbed to the cold. It was the first time I had lost ‘someone’ that I was in relationship with. It was what you would expect – very sad. I cried. I remember digging a hole in our backyard in January, ground frozen where I buried him. Since then I have had a couple of pets pass – always a sad thing. Just this past week, suffering from a brain tumor which turned ugly the last two days, our cat of 10 years had to be put down. It was the first time that I went through that experience personally. Saying goodbye to Sam was profoundly difficult. Those of you pet people understand. We knew we had no choice, but that did not make it easy. I cried like I was 14 again. It got me to thinking about a few things.

I regret having giving him the occasional swat in the rear when he would do something that I did not like. It prompted me to wonder why my wife would never do that, but that I could get to a place where I thought that a swat was necessary. Would Jesus do that? Regret is a terrible thing, and not easily overcome. Perhaps the greatest regret is not being able to say something to someone that needed to be said, and then suddenly it becomes too late. Thankfully, while holding Sammy as he began to fall asleep I said I was sorry and asked for forgiveness. I still have regret, but less so. I pray that I never am regretful when it comes to my relationships.

I was reminded again that no one is promised tomorrow. In an instant we are gone. I know that our separation will be only temporary, but still, it is a separation. I pray that I never take tomorrow for granted, or for that matter, any of my relationships. That would only lead to more regret – and we covered that already.

I had confirmed what I had first learned that day I buried my first cat, that in times of loss, your perspective moves to the place it should be: away from things and to relationships. You quickly learn that stuff loses its luster. It says a lot about us as a culture when it requires grievous loss to return our focus to that for which we were created.

And that is what this week crystallized for me – we are relationship creatures. For what other purpose are we here? From our conception in the mind of God to this very second we exist simply for the benefit of each other. To think that all of this energy, all of this activity, all of life itself, as complex and intermingled as it is, exists to simply come to be, procreate and then pass away just does not sit right with me. It is the structural flaw in the argument for atheism and why regardless of their personal religious beliefs, the large majority of people will always be those that understand we are created beings and not simply a series of chemical coincidence. Rather, it is the interaction of our relations with God and all of His other creations, every single one of them, which define our being, meaning and purpose.

Every one of God’s creations as it relates to every other (no matter how apparently insignificant we may consider it to be) has its purpose in that it completes the whole. This is our God’s message to us. This is why we hurt so when we lose someone close to us. There becomes a hole in your universe. And some holes are bigger than others. I’ve lost other loved ones – friends and family – each with its own devastation and each with its own understanding. When we lost our brother four years ago, I searched for the good in God’s plan for his illness and premature death. That was, and remains, really hard. But I was able to find some perspective in the loss, and committed myself to trust in God’s plan.

And finally, I first thought it strange that the death of a cat, at this ‘mature’ age in my life, would stir such a deep need to revisit the most important aspects of my being. But I also remembered God knows what He is doing…and this time He did it with Sam. Rest in peace, boy.