wHo'S on First? Easter/virus baseball

In the late 30's/early 40's, comedians Abbott and Costello did a comedy sketch eventually titled "Who's On First" (Wikipedia). It was a play on words where the baseball players names are pronoun/phrase "nicknames".

This year, 2020, many sport seasons were cut short and/or not starting on time due to the Covid-19 virus. Large gatherings of people for sporting events, concerts and festivals have been called off. The pandemic caused by the virus has rippled into cancellations of May and June events as major planning for Spring and Summer happens right while all of this is happening too.

It is also Easter weekend. A time when many of us would be attending church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. A time when many of us would be having dinner with family and friends. A time to celebrate Spring and nicer weather. However, many of us are under Stay at Home orders. Our celebrations will be different this year for many of us.

The above events are what (2nd base!) got me thinking about what I'm about to write. I have also heard people struggle with faith especially at a time like this or when some other event rocks their world. I do too. Still. I don't know (3rd base!) all the answers. Still. Too much of the time I still find myself overthinking God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible.

It is when I overthink, I start to question something I have stood on most of my life. Faith. To some this is going to be too simplistic. To some this will be filled with theological/non-Biblical holes. Honestly, I don't know that much about baseball other than a comedy sketch and watching some of my nephews games. 

I often hear people say, "How could a loving God let "x" happen?" We often refer to God as our Heavenly Father. When a person has not had a good earthly example of a father, this can be a major sticking point to belief in God. I hear people say that the Bible is full of archaic information and too many rules. However, we follow rules everyday. Traffic lights. Employment. Safety. Rules to Stay at Home when we'd rather be out, even if we have nowhere currently to go.

So. Take a walk with me in your mind to your local baseball/softball field.

The rules. The Bible. How do you play a game without rules? How can everyone play by the same guidelines if each team and/or each player made up their own rules? We may not like it. We probably won't like all of it. Doesn't make it less of a rule. The basic rules of the Bible are the ten commandments*. If it has been awhile, it might be a good time to check out the Bible. It is more than just rules. There are more ways than ever to read and listen. Currently, in the United States, we are free to read it, search it or listen to the Bible whenever we choose. This is not true everywhere.

The team. Christians believe in the Trinity of God. How can one entity be three? A team contains more than one player. The trinity of God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The other team. In this game, it is called spiritual warfare. Playing to win. The battle of good and evil. In today's world, we water it down to good and not so good. Everybody wins. If we are "good", we will get to go home, if you believe in that.

Umpire. God. We may not like the decision. We can question. We can argue. Umpire makes the final call and coaches and fans have to live with it. In a world of instant replay, wow does this come into question. Maybe more than it used to. Depending on which outcome one wants, we can find info to "prove" what we need to see to make us feel better.

The coaches. Other Christians. Want you to join our team. Encouraging. Cheerleaders. Help us learn the rules of the game.

The fans. Rooting for a team. May or may not understand the game that well. Sometimes embarrassed to let their friends know which team they root for. Coaches can be fans too. They might be sitting right next to you. (May probably will be eating snacks from the concession stand)

Home. Heaven. Christians believe that this life we live is not ALL there is. We believe that we will get to spend eternity with our team in Heaven if we accept Jesus as our Savior.

I'm trying to think of a baseball way to explain hell. I'm not being real successful. Right now, the only way I can think of is if you REALLY don't like the game of baseball, but you are told you HAVE to play whether you want to or not.....the umpire doesn't MAKE you spend time forever playing baseball. You can question the umpire, in fact it is encouraged. You can disagree with the umpire, that's OK too. You've had time to decide if you want to play. That is your choice. That is free will. We have the choice to walk.

The World Series. EASTER On Good Friday, the other team thought they had won. They had KILLED the home team. They sent them to the dugout. The coaches and some of the fans were brokenhearted. On Easter Sunday, the home team rose up and the world was never the same. 

In this game of life it may be the 3rd strike in the bottom of the ninth. Are you running home? You can be in the stadium as a fan. Or not. BUT you are always invited to get on the field and play.
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*Ten commandments are found in Exodus 20 BibleGateway.com

John 11:24-26 (NIV)
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Revelation 21:5-7 New International Version (NIV)
He 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.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Who is that man?

I meant to write this AT Easter, but life stayed busy. The fog of grief is not easy to get out from under. Planning a funeral is like planning a big party, but the guest of honor doesn't attend. It is a sad occasion with glimpses of laughter clouded by tears. There is paperwork. SO much paperwork. And decisions. Some minor. Some major. Not all can wait until the fog clears. We move slowly through dealing with life without dad, and the world spins on while it feels like a bomb dropped in our family.

I kept thinking what else is there to be said at/about Easter? SO many things have already been said/written. BUT amazingly enough when glancing back there is a link for me this year that I have not felt before. An innocent question recently that reminded me of long ago.

"Who is that man?" asked a 5 year old at our dad's visitation. I had wondered if it would be too overwhelming for the grand kids and other children that would come to see us. While death is a part of life, it is not one that is easy for us as grown ups to process let alone share with children that have questions we may not even be ready to answer for ourselves.

I thought he was looking at my brother so I started to explain that man was my brother like he had his brother along.

"No," he said. "Who is that man lying in the box by the flag?" He meant our dad. I explained it was our dad's body, but he wasn't there anymore. I don't like to say sleeping because that seems like it would make kids scared to go to sleep.

We knew dad's life journey was coming to an end. He had battled melanoma cancer that returned more times than he could fight. We had some time to process at least a bit before that day. While it was painful for us as his children to start grieving. We, as parents, were also worried about how our kids would deal with losing "Grandpa Bob".

I started to explain death to them as a butterfly. The caterpillar goes into that cocoon. When it comes out it is not the same. It breaks out of the cocoon and it is set free!

Each of us are body, mind and spirit. Our spirit lives in our body, but when it is time, we leave this body behind and we are set free!

A long time ago, many people were asking that same question: "Who is that man?"

He was a carpenter's son, he understood things that teachers couldn't explain, he gathered a group of disciples around him, he traveled around doing miracles, healing people, talking about His father, and telling stories that had a deeper meaning. People started to think He was the king they had been waiting for. They welcomed him to town by waving palm branches and saying "Hosanna!"

A group of religious leaders were asking the same question: "Who is that man?" He says he is the son of God. That he can tear down the temple and rebuild it in 3 days. He is getting too powerful. We must stop him! They found a way to get Jesus out of the way. They took him to higher ups that found him not guilty.

They wanted death by crucifixion even if it meant letting someone worse go. The same people that welcomed Jesus to their town with a parade were now shouting "Crucify him!" and they did. They hung a sign over his head to tell the world who he was: Jesus, King of the Jews.

He was later placed in a tomb with a large stone and guards in front of it. On the 3rd day, when some of his friends came, they were met by an angel: He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:6 NIV)

"Who is that man?" JESUS He was and is who He claims to be.

This year, the promise of eternal life became more obvious for our family.

It is BECAUSE Jesus died, that we are changed, we can have everlasting life and we are set free.

BLESSED EASTER!

Life and death in music

We have gotten used to synthesized and auto tuned music. I even "heard" back up singers that were not there because of a plugged in device that multiplied/harmonized a (singular) singer's voice. I only knew this because I was at a concert and it was explained and demonstrated. Wow! It was awesome, but really hit home the point that what we hear may not always match up with what we see if we are watching music being played.

I have had a thought when I SEE music being played, especially recently. There is something different about watching music being played: a band (marching or otherwise), a symphony, a concert, etc. and just hearing it played as a movie backdrop or on the radio.

The thing I notice though is that while watching music being played, I NOTICE more if an instrument is missing during a certain section OR I NOTICE an instrument being played. I may not know the name of it, but I see it being played and can pick out the sound or lack of.

Music. The tempo of our lives. People. The instruments that play along with us in our own personal symphonies.

One of our family's favorite movies has become Mr Holland's Opus for numerous reasons. It is about a teacher by default as music isn't paying the bills. Along the way, Mr. Holland finds out he loves teaching more than he ever thought he would. The music is used to show the passage of time and is almost a character of the movie. The movie has mentions of John Lennon (Husband is a fan of all things Beatles!). There are really good references to history. Throughout the movie, Mr. Holland is always working on a piece of music that could make him rich, famous or possibly both. In the end, he wasn't rich or famous outside of his little town. His family, friends and students were his Opus and they were the music of his life.

In the plot of the movie, I see how this finally tied all together for me. The instruments of our own life symphony are those closest to us. We (most of the time) play well together and make beautiful music. Sometimes more often than we'd like, we hit sour notes....but continue on. Sometimes we lose a member of the band we've formed. Sometimes it is temporary. Sometimes it is permanent. And the beat goes on. But differently.
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It has been 2 weeks since husband's dad passed away. Our beat is out of sync. We're learning to live without one of our musicians. More difficult than thought prior. :(
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1 Chronicles 15:16 (NIV) David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

2 Chronicles 5:13 (NIV) The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud,

Psalm 57:7 (NIV) My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.

Psalm 98:4 (NIV)  Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

Psalm 108:1 (NIV) My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Feeling selfish

When I finally woke up today, I felt a bit blue. Our family has a lot of stuff going on. Everybody does. It would be very easy to just stay in bed, pull the covers up over my head and just have a good cry. Easier, in fact, then getting up and doing the things I know need to get done on a Saturday. I'm even home to do them. Just not really feeling like it. My heart knows not to let my emotions rule. My head sometimes wants to just go back to bed. So, instead I'll write.

I also know that when I take time, even just a few minutes, to acknowledge and spend time with God it is never time wasted. I always learn something. I always feel better when I do. Sometimes I think God will be disappointed that He wasn't my first way of dealing with issues. I'm more disappointed in myself than He ever is.

I got out my Women of Faith Devotional Bible. I read a few different passages. I realized in the front there are different topics....Grace. Liberty. Hope. Joy. Faith. Love. Forgiveness. Truth. Purpose. Peace. Healing. Sovereignty. The one I am most interested in currently is healing. Mainly because cancer has come to visit our family circle again. Maybe even still. Is it ever really gone once cancer has showed itself? The person with a diagnosis seems to handle it better than the rest of us.

The passage I chose to read is in Revelation. The end, the last book of the Bible. (A fleeting thought goes through my head: Is this the end of life as we've known it?) I read Revelation 22:1-6
The River of Life
 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

When compared to life as we know it here on Earth, the river of life sounds pretty promising. Heaven sounds like a FAR better place than here. I start to feel a bit selfish. I know what I/our family wants to have happen. We want to keep our family member(s) here as long as we can. I feel thankful that we have been able to have our parents with us as long as we have. I know there are children that do not get to have their parents around as long. I know there are parents who have not been able to have their child with them near long enough if at all.

No matter what our future holds, I will remain sure that while our days here are numbered we are blessed to be able to be in each other's lives. I believe that God promises a "new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1) and Revelation 21:4-5 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

In an effort of not being selfish with good news, I urge you to consider a relationship with God. Not religion. Relationship. God wants the best for you. I do too.

Now....to get to that laundry. Do One Thing, Do One Next Thing

Playing with words.... Evolve? Adapt?

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” Stuart Chase (Heard this on an episode of Criminal Minds...I rather like it)

One of the benefits(?) of a Yahoo homepage is that one can read all sorts of interesting "news" and stories. It is possible to become totally lost amongst clicks on different stories...and then realize an hour has passed. ugh.

One of the "headline" stories recently involved a "hybrid shark" (http://news.yahoo.com/world-first-hybrid-shark-found-off-australia-070347608.html) Not that I think it is worthy of reading, just listing my source and my thought process (always scary territory!)

This article used the words "adapt", "evolution in action", and "survival of the fittest". I have always struggled with the evolution theory. Mainly because it seems to contradict the Bible. When our son was younger, I was pleased that his teacher had evolution on her list of report topics. I was also pleased that he chose this topic to discuss. However, the further he dug into info, the more I could see how people might get confused when presented with all of these "facts".

I like to find out the meanings of words. I looked up "adaptation" and "evolution" at http://www.merriam-webster.com/ (A GREAT resource)  Here's what I found:

Adaptation : adjustment to environmental conditions: as a : adjustment of a sense organ to the intensity or quality of stimulation b : modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence under the conditions of its environment

Evolution: a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations

 a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena

I find it interesting that even the definition of evolution includes the phrase "preexisting types" and "interrelated phenomena". This would seem to indicate that there needs to be SOMETHING there to make another something. It seems that more can be explained by adaptation of species rather than evolution.

It seems like we play with words. I don't have all the answers. I do have a few questions though that have been brought up along life's journey that have at least made me pause and go hmmmmm. Here are a couple.

If humans "evolved" from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?

Who took care of the first human?

What came first the chicken or the egg? 

If you can think of others, I would love to hear your thoughts/comments.

It seems that life started in motion. I do know that I can't explain many of the functions of the human body, but if we didn't have them, we wouldn't survive. I am amazed at the sheer number of species of many animals, insects, birds, fish, etc.  I am in awe of the variety of personalities of people in general, let alone those in my own family. I am touched by the compassion that people can show to complete strangers. I am moved to tears sometimes by hearing what others have gone through. 

I don't even pretend to have all the answers to the questions of life. So, in the meantime, I play with words and hopefully give you something to think about too.  ;)

Genesis 2:1 (NIV) Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

Life and Death....and don't miss out on sharing the ride....

I really should be in bed (what else in new?). But there are times when I realize why I'm up. This is one of them. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. We found out earlier tonight that our Grandma's boyfriend died. Grandma died a few years ago. Both of them had memory issues as they aged. When we would visit, we would have the same conversation about 3 times in the time we were there....and usually in the same order. It would be kind of frustrating, in a lovable sort of way. They could remember things that happened YEARS ago, but not things that happened just a few hours....or minutes before.

I always thought it was kind of cool that they found love again at their age. Both of them had been married before. It really said something about grandma because men were pretty much a high commodity where she lived. Men could take their pick. (lock that in memory for future reference, boys....hee hee!)

I would sometimes have to guilt our kids into going to visit on Sunday afternoons when there was usually something else they would rather be doing. Sometimes there was other stuff I would rather be doing too. However, when we would get there and the residents would be so excited to see the kids, it was all worth it. We still remember some of the residents and being counted by one lady as we walked by.

I would remind us that the time would come that they would not be here anymore for us to visit....and we would miss that. It did and we do.

After Grandma died, we would still visit him occasionally. He was worried we would forget him. He would tell us stories of the things he'd done. He was in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the war. He showed us pictures of himself as a young man. Later, he moved. We went to his birthday party. We told him we would get back to see him. We didn't.

Our older generations are a treasure of history and information. Sometimes we get so busy with today that we forget about yesterday.

^{Hebrews 6:10-12 (NLT) 10} For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. ¹¹ Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. ¹² Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

I received the following link in an e-mail from my sister (very timely)....and part of the reason I started out in tears. It reminded me of those times I took the time to spend with my grandma that lived with us for years, Jeff's grandma, her boyfriend, etc. It reminds me that the day will come when my ride is nearing the end....and I may be the one wishing someone would come visit.

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/

Life seems long, love while you can....even if it's while you're forgetting. Our Sundays are not the same. One day they really are gone.

Life Before the Dash -

I was looking at the copyright information in a book I was reading. I'm sure I've noticed before, but this time I looked at it more closely. When the authors name is listed, it states the year of their birth, then a -, then their year of death if they have passed on. This particular author is still here, so behind the dash was empty.

I have noticed this on headstones as well. This is true especially if the headstone is for a married couple. When one spouse dies, their life information is completed - the year is filled in after the dash. The other spouse may have the beginning date, but not the end date while they complete their life.

Sadly, sometimes the year before and after is the same. I have seen a baby's life touch many other lives even if he or she was here for a few days, months, or died the same day of birth. The time here does not make that life any less valuable.

^{Genesis 2:7} (NIV) the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

In Genesis, I have noticed that during creation, many times it states "God said....". However, for man, God formed and breathed into him. Humans are made in God's image.

^{Genesis 1:27} So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

At funerals, we look back at a person's life and state their accomplishments. Living life is in and of itself an accomplishment! Making it from one day to the next is an accomplishment!

We touch many lives during that time of the dash. Too many times I look forward to the next thing, forgetting to live in the moment. Life before the dash is made up of millions of moments. Knowing that we are made in God's image should help us make it through each moment, good or bad.

Let's make our lives before the dash the best we can so that when the end does come, we have no regrets.

Roller Coaster of Life

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)

In church, we heard about Elijah (1 Kings 18 and 19). Elijah was on top of the world because he had just proven His God was the real, true God. Shortly after, the queen orders Elijah killed. He runs for his life and actually asks the Lord to let him die. Extreme high to extreme low. So I got to thinking about ups and downs and….roller coasters. Surprisingly, I think faith can be described as a personal roller coaster through life.

You see it from a distance, the roller coaster known as “Your Life with God”. It’s the first ride you notice. However, there are lots of other rides trying to get your attention that look fun too. Maybe you choose to ride some of those first. You find they’re OK, but the roller coaster keeps pulling you back. Maybe a friend asks you to ride with them. The coaster looks daunting. Big hills, deep valleys and twists and turns. Once you get on, you’re on for the whole ride. You have a choice to willingly get on the ride….or not. You choose to ride. You get in and put on your seat belt or harness (think of it as God’s arms) to keep you safe and provide protection. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. You might dread the feeling of that first hill because you can’t see what’s on the other side. S-l-o-w-l-y climb up that first hill. A job is lost (click, click, click), a loved one dies (click, click, click), you question why you got on this ride in the first place (click, click, click). You have to get up high enough to be able to have enough push to get you through the rest. You’re not alone on the ride. You can hear the people in the front cars heading over the top of the hill and picking up speed on the other side. You fly down the hill and head into the twists and turns of life. Some happy, some down. You realize that even when you are at the highest or lowest point, the rails are underneath you keeping you on the ride. You come screeching into the station. The attendant asks if you enjoyed the ride.

In light of eternity, the ride was a blip 2 ½ minutes tops. You may have waited longer to get on the coaster than you did on the ride. Now you get to enjoy the rest of the time in the park. J

BLAH, but wait.....

I've been reading some other sites....and trying to change my attitude. It has been a blah week, there is no other way to describe it. You know how it is when you can read or hear about someone/something else and think "well, it could always be worse"? Now, my heart knows this is true, but my emotions go, "yeah, well, it sure FEELS bad right now!" It seems like life lately has just been one thing on the next and the load is getting a little heavy. And I'm thinking to myself, do you really want to write anything right now when you are in such a funky mood? However, I'll do better writing as it's stuff I'd probably never say (if I'm completely honest with myself). So, why not just put it in my journal? Why post it here? I'm guessing I'm not the only way who is feeling/has felt this way. So, share the load, divide the troubles......multiply the blessings, add some care, subtract the worry (enough math terms?)

Then I get to the blog and look at the verse of the day. I knew I put it at the top for a reason.

“But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33) (NIV)

All of this is still true today, for me...and for you. Granted, we're not going to be the mother (or father) of Jesus. But He came here for US!

"Do not be afraid, _____(state your name), you have found favor with God. Give him the name Jesus. He will be great. He will reign forever. His kingdom will never end."

I don't have to be afraid. God still favors me. I can call on the name of Jesus. He IS great. He reigns forever...including today. His kingdom will never end because he's coming back for us....to a better place and time!

Thank God! Hugs to all....and to all a good night......