October is Clergy Appreciation month and I write this post simply to encourage everyone to share a word of appreciation with their pastor, priest, bishop, rabbi, or spiritual guide.  Now I make this request with reluctance because I am a pastor who is presently in my 44th year of pastoral ministry and I don't want to give the impression that I am simply seeking "pats on the back" for my years of service.  To the contrary, I am very blessed in that I receive  wonderful (and ongoing) words of appreciation from the members of the congregation I serve.  However, I recently had an "eye opening' conversation with a number of clergy that prompted me to encourage others not to let Clergy Appreciation Month go uncelebrated....

Last night I watched the first Presidential Debate.  Though I definitely have a preference in the race I will have to say that the debate was anything but "presidential."  Both candidates interrupted, attempted to "talk over" their opponent, and stooped to allegations and name calling.  In short, I thought the true looser was the American people.  But, it is not really politics that I want to focus on; rather it is the tension between substance and style in communication...

I greatly enjoyed our recent family trip to the aquarium.  I've been there before but since we only go every two years or so I always find the exhibits to be extremely fascinating.  As a "land dweller" and one who does not snorkel or scuba dive, it is easy for me to be generally unaware of what lies "under the surface" in the vast world we know as the ocean.   Yet that is where so much of the life on our planet exists; generally unseen and in many ways ignored.

The human mind heart are a lot like this.  We are all very aware of the thoughts that dwell (sometimes plague) our consciousness.  Our behaviors can be seen by all; our words can be heard, our thoughts constantly clamor for our attention.  But we all know that there is much more to "us" than what is seen or heard or even the thoughts of which we are aware.  So much of who we are, in reality, lies below the surface....

Recently, while taking a week of vacation, my wife, daughter, and I tried our hand at miniature golf.  Miniature golf is usually a part of our activities while on vacation in Colorado; so, having decided to stay in Oklahoma this year (due to covid-19), we wanted to include this in our week of "at home" activity together.  We played at a very nice miniature golf course in Tulsa.  It had lots of fun "twists," "turns," and "obstacles."  From a competition stand point we didn't do very well.  But we did, at least, have fun.  But in addition to our personal golfing experience, we also had fun watching and visiting with other families.

One of the families, that was just ahead of us, included:  parents, three children, and a grandmother, (whom I'm guessing might have been in her late 70's or early 80's), who was doing very well.  That is, until she came to hole 11 which started off with a significantly steep sloop and a dramatic turn to the left.  The slope was so steep that when I had my turn I had to "tee off" three times just to get my ball up the hill.  It was no wonder "grandma" was having so much difficult getting her ball to the top.  Every time she hit it, the ball would roll half way up then come rolling down again.  But then something wonderful happened...

Recently our grandsons, Andy & Sam, came to spend the week with us and my wife had a host of activities planned that they could enjoy together.  One of these was making "stepping stones."  These stones are made by mixing concrete and pouring it into a plastic cast; then decorating it with marbles, colorful stones, and "meaningful words."  

Making stepping stones is not a new activity for our family.  In fact, my wife did this very same activity with our children when they were young and we still have one of the stones (made for their mamma-d and D-dad) in our garden.

It is amazing to me how the words of Psalm 42 speak, with such relevance, to us today.  The number of new cases of depression is skyrocketing.  Loss of jobs, loss of income, and loss of social interaction are just some of the reasons why many are moving from discouragement, to depression, to despair.  The American Pediatrics Association has raised concern and says that the increased level of family stress coupled with the interruption of regular routine (scouts, little league base ball, family vacations, etc.) is taking a toll on the children of our country.   A friend of mine, who is a therapist with one of the larger Christian Counseling centers in Tulsa, told me in the past thirty days they have had over 100 new client intakes, mostly dealing with depression, substance abuse, family stress and violence.  I believe that the words of the Psalmist (identified as the Sons of Korah) in Psalm 42 are words we need to hear...

My daughter, Beth, and grandson, Sam, are the "chalk artists" in our family and this morning they went to work drawing flags, and other patriotic symbols and slogans on our driveway.  It pleases me that they have an excitement and an appreciation for the 4th of July, especially in light of the protests and strife that has recently been seen throughout our land.  As I think about our country; the beauty of what it stands for and the struggles that we still face, I can't help but believe that the writer of the song, "America the Beautiful" had it right...

My father has been gone, hard to believe, for over twenty years now.  I still miss him and there are times when I reflect on and ponder the wonderful times we had together.  Needless to say, my dad had a huge impact on my life.  There were many things about him that I admired:  his character, his devotion to his family, his ability to face adversity, his faith, his willingness to care for and help others; the list could go on and on.  But when I think about how he impacted my life so deeply, I would have to say that his influence mostly came about from the times that we simply "hung out" together...

Today is June 19th; some refer to it as Juneteenth.  A friend had to explain to me what was meant by that term.  She shared that June 19th, 1865, was the day that marked the official end of slavery in America, as federal troops, led by General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, taking control of the state and freeing 250,000 enslaved people.  It official marks the end of difficult and dark time in the life of our nation.  However, though there have been many signs of progress, racism and racial tension still exist in our country and we as a nation still struggle to find ways to ensure 'freedom and justice for all."  But as I think of this day, and the ongoing struggle we, as American citizens, face; I think back to a lesson I learned in Sunday School so many years ago.  I wonder if this is a lesson we should focus on once again...

May is National Mental Health Awareness month,  It couldn't have come at a better time.  Because of the covid-19 pandemic, many are dealing with personal or family illness.  Others are experiencing heightened anxiety and fear, and many are facing the loss of jobs and income.  Still others are overwhelmed by escalating conflicts as families are "sheltering in place" and "getting on each others nerves."  Is it any wonder that drug and alcohol abuse is on the rise; incidents of family violence are increasing, and the darkness of depression for many is now worse.  This is truly a time when the coping skills of many are stretched to the max.  How can we protect our mental health when attacks seem to arise on so many different fronts?  I would offer three brief words of advice..