How are you doing today? The already grim world in which we find ourselves grows darker with Putin’s war on Ukraine. The consequences of sin are always death and destruction. Covid-19 still lurks in the shadows. Bird Flu is sweeping through the chicken farms of America. World and local economies are being upended by an unpredictable inflation. The daily grind is burning us out. One day it’s like spring, the next day brings snow and ice. Climate change is trying to kill us. Bullies are loud and angry. The strong are grief-stricken and depressed. It is time for us all to lighten our loads. At least the cows are not mad, just yet.

According to God’s Word, sin shattered everything, even the earth itself. All this weighs us down. Our daily circumstances are harder, and our relationships are at breaking points. The longing to get back to “normal” does not seem to be happening. How do we lighten these burdening days? I have a couple of pastoral suggestions: 1. Give yourself permission to experience joy each day; and 2. Share some of your load with others.

With suggestion 1, Dorothy and I have little rituals that help us smile or laugh each day. For us, it involves reading the daily newspaper cartoons out loud, even on the busiest days if we can. For a few decades we also ended each exhausting Sunday by reading a Dave Berry story just before going to sleep. Lately, we have started ending as many nights as possible, rewatching very old 30-minute comedy shows. Right now we are in season one of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

Give yourself permission to find joy each day.

With suggestion 2, listening to someone else tell their story and sharing some of your story with them helps to lighten the load for both. We have become isolated from others, even when we think we are connected through social media. The telephone works both ways. So does slowing down long enough to have a conversation or volunteering some time to serve your neighbors.

I return time and again to the advice of Paul in Galatians 6:1-10. Here he talks about restoration, reaping what we sow, weariness, bearing each other’s burdens, and dealing with our own. Read it for yourself right now. It is another way to refresh your soul.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Lighten your load. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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She is the mother of a daughter, 17, and a son who is 9 years old. She and her husband had a comfortable life, she as a screen and comedy writer and he as a show business entertainer. She was adamantly opposed to her husband entering the political world. He was elected president of Ukraine. Now Olena Zelenska, age 44, is thrust into the life and death struggle that is Putin’s War. Listen closely, that’s what this horrific invasion of Ukraine by Russia is being called, Putin’s War.

In a remarkable show of world leadership, Volodymyr Zelensky has inspired a nation and won the admiration of the world. He has also proven to be a formidable opponent of Russian aggression. His addresses have brought tears to his translators and standing ovations in the European Union. I wanted to highlight a little of what Olena Zelenska, (Zelenska is the feminine form of Zelensky), has been revealing to her people through her Instagram messages since the invasion Thursday February 24.

As I write this on March 1, I do not know how the Zelensky family story is progressing by the time you read this. According to news reports, at least one assassination attempt has been prevented. I cannot imagine what it must be like for any family, famous or not, to suddenly have everyone and everything you love under attack with real weapons of mass destruction. Picture Tulsa or any other favorite city with missiles and bombs exploding in the city centers and random suburban areas, rich and poor alike. There is no safe place to run or hide, even in a country the size of Texas. In these times, a full-scale war anywhere is a war everywhere, just like a pandemic. As you are praying for the Ukrainian people, know that Baptist relief efforts are underway in partnership with the mission ministries and agencies in the surrounding countries. 

After her husband stated on Friday, February 25 that Putin had designated him as “target number one” and his family as “target number two,” Olena wrote to her nation:  It is said that many are a crowd. It does not apply to us because thousands of Ukrainians are not crowds; this is an army! I shall not be in a state of panic or weeping. I’ll be composed and certain. My kids are staring at me. I’ll be right next to them. And right next to my hubby. And with you. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Support a free Ukraine. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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My first dog was named Nickel because his mother was named Penny. It seemed logical at the time. I called him Nicky. Nicky was a mixed terrier. He loved chasing mice down holes and digging up anything he could find. We had him for a few years before he was hit by a car and gravely injured. The vet “put him down.”  I was heartsick as most who lose a favorite pet. Children occasionally ask us, “Do dogs go to heaven?” Grief is a tricky emotion.  I was reminded of this when I came upon a story about a woman’s grief. After her dog died, she confessed that she missed her dog more than her father. 

Dogs have a way of demonstrating unconditional devotion to their owners. The woman’s father, it seems, was distant and judgmental. She could talk to her dog but not to her father. Her father died. Her dog died. She felt guilty, sad, and angry about the whole thing. Do dogs go to heaven? Her dog was affectionate and would curl up next to her whenever she sat down or went to bed. She and her father could not even hug each other. Her father was not a bad man or abusive. He just retreated into himself and never did live up to her expectations of being an affirming, loving Dad.  Grief and guilt walk hand-in-hand. 

Our girls grew up with a dog named Dusty. He died of old age at 16. When the girls were pre-teens one of the young adults from the church took them home for us one Sunday evening. Dusty lived in our backyard. The girls could not get in the house, so they all went around to the backyard to wait for us. Dusty, seeing a strange man in the yard, immediately sprang into action. He started barking and positioned himself between the girls and “the stranger” until we got home. Dusty was their protector. They never forgot his spontaneous devotion. Of course there are dogs in heaven—and cats, horses, lions, lambs, and other incredible creatures of God’s making we know nothing about yet. In our grief and in our guilt, it is good to spend time in quiet reflection. Include Psalms 145 and 148 today.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Spend time with your family and your pets. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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A British man who works in Brooklyn, New York, Josh Wardle, invented an internet word game to play with a friend way back in October of 2021. Someone in New Zealand discovered it and started sharing it with their friends. The game found it’s way to the US again and now it is the puzzle rage of the world. Mr. Wardle called it Wordle. Meanwhile, five years ago when he was 18, Steven Cravotta of California invented an app for a word game that he called Wordle! See the difference. Mr. Cravotta’s game, which had not attracted much attention, was suddenly downloaded 200,000 times in a single day a couple of months ago. He thought someone was trying to pull a scam on him. Those first 200,000 people got a different word game to play. Mr. Cravotta contacted Mr. Wardle to talk about Wordle. Both agreed they had no idea about the other, and they were enjoying their new-found incomes. They agreed to both send a portion of the proceeds to a non-profit literacy program called Boost! West Oakland.

Mr. Wardle’s Wordle is a fancy version of the old game Hangman using only one 5-letter word. Mr. Wardle sold his game to the New York Times. He did well. The player gets six tries to guess the word of the day. The player starts with a random word. Correct letters in the correct place are highlighted in green. Correct letters in the wrong place will be highlighted in yellow. All wrong letters will be grayed as out of play. There are approximately 130,000 5-letter English words. About 1,000 of those words are the ones we most commonly use. There is a British version of the game if you want to learn some extra 5-letter words. 

I had managed to avoid this game until last week. Dorothy and I work the puzzle together when we have time. A success story like this motivates other puzzle creators. Now there is Worldle, a geography game, and Nerdle, a mathematics game. The most amazing thing about this story for me is the level of courtesy and restraint demonstrated by the players to not reveal the answer to the word of the day. People can play nicely with others on a world-wide scale. We can treat others like we would like to be treated. We can show respectfulness. We can refrain from spoiling someone’s joy and pleasure. We can be a people of integrity. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Play well. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Bro. Darryl

This is a free internet game: www.nytimes.com/games/wordle 

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I did not even know time was something to be anxious about. But here it is showing up in some of the current events I am reading about—Time Anxiety. This is another something (malady?)  that has bubbled to the surface because of the pandemic. Time anxiety is defined as a form of  chronophobia, “the fear of the passage of time.” It is a dread that some express that time is slipping away too quickly; their time on earth is limited; they have wasted their life; or it’s too late to accomplish their goals in life. In other words, there is too much to do and too little time in which to do it. Also known as every day.

I talked about the Great Resignation last fall. It is still happening. Millions of U.S. workers continue to resign from their current jobs every month. But that is not the whole story. While these millions have left their jobs, we have near full employment of the work force. The labor shortages are in the low wage, less rewarding jobs. The lock-down period of the pandemic was characterized by a Great Exploration. An unprecedented number took the opportunity to sign-up for on-line enrichment and educational classes. Many invested in their life hobbies by creating a “side hustle,” or new income stream. Working from home eliminated commuter time and vehicle expenses. Many have chosen to “retire” to give a deeper meaning to their relationships and explore their spiritual nature. Others have found higher wages in less stressful jobs. According to some sociologists, political activism is replacing traditional religious fervor and volunteerism. 

The answer to time anxiety is a re-evaluation of what truly matters, followed by consistent actions to “seize the day.” Poverty, disability, perpetual debt, and medical uncertainty are overwhelming. Anxiety overload is detrimental to our well-being no matter the circumstances.   Things do not always work out for everyone the way we plan, but Psalm 90 is a good place to start. Here are a few other Scriptures I have found helpful: 

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”   (Isaiah 41:13)

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.    (Psalm 56:3)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   (Philippians 4:6)

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Redeem the time. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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When I walk into a bookstore, any bookstore, I become a treasure hunter. I am looking for just the right book to treasure, at least for the moment. Sometimes the treasure is the bookstore itself. Discovering a used bookstore is, for me, like finding a new outlet mall for some I know. I try to poke around in bookstores wherever I may be traveling. My favorite kind of bookstore looks like my church office did before the great disruption, with stacks of things piled here and there.*

Dorothy and I spent a wonderful few days one April wandering the streets of Paris. After visiting Notre Dame Cathedral, before the great fire, we crossed the street and sat down for a cup of coffee at one of those outdoor cafes we had always seen in the movies. We watched the people and talked of the blessings God provides. As we started walking back toward our hotel, I spotted one of the most famous bookstores in the entire world, Shakespeare and Company. Of course, we went in it.

This discovery was like opening a treasure chest filled with gold coins and precious jewels—stacks of new and used books filling shelves, nooks and crannies everywhere. The shop is three stories tall. An old cat kept an annoyed eye on the place. People with legal pads, laptops and even portable typewriters were writing their inspired thoughts and future bestsellers. It was part avant-garde commune and part Airbnb, with cots here and there and little rooms for people to sleep—some staying for weeks. Many famous and not-so-famous writers got their start researching and writing at this bookstore. Its scandalous early years add to its mystique. And the elderly owner at the time of our visit, George Whitman, directed all the apparent chaos of a typical day in his store. Mr. Whitman died a few years ago at the age of 98. In the midst of all of his books, George Whitman hung a sign that paraphrased Hebrews 13:2—Do not be inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Look for treasures (and angels.) And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

*The great disruption refers to this time in history where my eclectic pastor’s study has been turned into a neat and orderly looking video studio. Finding where things were put away is also a treasure hunt.

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In the weeks following my high school graduation my parents and younger sisters moved to Birmingham, Alabama. The next year I moved to Birmingham to live with the family and a newborn baby sister, Dawn, and finish college. After graduation, I moved to Ft. Worth, Texas.  Two weeks later my family moved to Atlanta, except for my sister, Denise, who had married in Birmingham. I had never been to Atlanta, so finding their house that Christmas was a real challenge. When I graduated from seminary my family moved to Greenwood, South Carolina, except for my sister, Diane, who had married in Atlanta. A pattern was emerging; every time I graduated my family moved further away. Dorothy and I had this running conversation about me never really knowing the way to my own parents’ home. Over their 20 years in Greenwood, my parents and youngest sister lived in at least three different places. Mom and Dad made the move to a small town called Pelham, Alabama for their final years. 

Dorothy’s parents, on the other hand, lived in the same house for 52 years. The highways between Tulsa and Waco, Texas were the problem—always under construction.  They were constantly littered with multiple detours and by-passes. The map lady at AAA became our friend. If we had only bought stock in that orange barrel company.  Dorothy and I tried to alternate visits with our parents every other year to spend as much time as we could with our families, who lived hundreds of miles in opposite directions from Tulsa. We came to learn that home, for us, is less about geography and more about deep connections. It’s less about place and more about relationship. It’s less about destination and more about shared love. 

During this season of disruption and confusion, you may know someone who is having trouble finding home again. They may feel like they are lost in a maze with broken connections, broken relationships, and broken hearts. Listen to their stories. Introduce them to the family of faith. Share the gift of grace. Invite them home to God.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Find the way home. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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I was expecting better than this in 2022. There are still no flying cars. We were supposed to have robots that would serve us breakfast in bed. By 2022 we were supposed to have rid the world of hunger, cured the worst of the diseases, and be nations working together for peace and security for all. America would be a united and “shining city on a hill” for all the world to see how democracy really works. I thought if I ever lived long enough to see 2022, the world would know of Jesus and Christians would be the salt of the earth. But here we are. The future is today, and we are still a mess. As someone recently put it, “We are all going through similar storms, but we are riding them out in very different ships (dramatic pause) or floaties.” 

I  was expecting better than this about Covid-19. Here we are again, only it is still 2,000+ Covid deaths per week in the U.S., even with this “milder” variant. Omicron is “milder” mostly for the vaccinated. Out of an abundance of caution, as the disclaimer everywhere says, we have closed in-person worship until the end of January at least. In our somewhat older congregation, too many have reported being exposed and quarantining themselves. I take my lead from the area school districts who are making the open/closing/virtual decisions only for about three days at a time. Positive cases of Covid are racing through our schools, students and teachers alike. Yet above all, we have a faithful God who shelters us, heals us, and is with us even to the end of it all.

I was expecting better than this in 2022, but here we are. We live in a sinful world with some of sin’s consequences painfully visible to all. We are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin, sin’s pay day, is close at hand. Paul calls the wages of sin death. But we have the gift of God, His son Jesus. Undeserved, unearned, unmerited in any way. The theological term is salvation—gracious forgiveness. We are empowered by God’s Spirit and guided by His word. We are His disciples because we obey Christ’s teachings to love, heal and forgive unconditionally. Christ expects better of us. The future is today. The Good News is real. Everyone around us was also expecting a better future. Let them see Jesus.

 Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Tell the Good news. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while we are apart.

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How are you acting and reacting to others in this on-going pandemic? As Christians, we are challenged to live according to the ethical standards of Jesus. This is not as easy as it might sound. Daily applying the biblical lessons we have learned is a rigorous test of our faithfulness and love. Life has grown even more complicated in our time of Covid. What is the greatest ethical teaching according to Christ? Luke 10:27, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

I was confronted with my own set of ethical Covid challenges this past week. On Friday I was notified that I had been exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19. I had spent prolonged time over a few days with the person who had taken ill on Wednesday night. Now what are we supposed to do? The general rule is to be prayerfully honest with yourself about your situation. Tell anyone you had close contact with to allow them to assess their own circumstances. Direct exposure is different than indirect exposure, depending on the length of time spent together (over 15 minutes), masked or unmasked. Next, decide if you should be tested and when. My last long exposure had been on Wednesday, now it was Friday. In a preacher’s world, Sunday is coming soon. Dorothy and I both got tested later that afternoon. We exhibited no symptoms, but that was little help in this situation since even asymptomatic persons can be contagious. The results were expected on Saturday. They did not come through on Saturday.

Here is where the temptation to take unethical next steps gets stronger. The right thing to do was to isolate until we knew what we were facing.  We rationalized, we could go to church Sunday, stay in the office, and only come out to for the worship service, and not speak to anyone up close. It is a big room after all. Or we could do the ethical thing—isolate until we knew what we were facing. We prayed, notified the appropriate people, printed a new service bulletin, and swallowed the pride of our self-importance. We learned late Sunday that we had both tested negative.  Here is my unasked-for advice: get your mask back out and wear it in public until this wave passes by. It is the ethical way to love Him—heart, body and soul.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Love your neighbor. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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Dorothy thawed the stew meat we bought early in December. She is preparing her famous homemade oven-baked beef stew recipe for dinner tonight. There is a chill in the air. Tulsa broke a 90-year record for the warmest December ever. It was 1931, during the dust bowl era, when the record was set—the average temperature for the month was 47.3 degrees. This year we averaged 52.2 degrees. We had 11 days with temperatures over 70˚ and three days when we officially reached 78˚, December 4, 11 and 24. It was even a beautiful day for New Year’s Eve. Naturally we had to cancel church on January 2nd because it was a frigid 16 degrees when the wind wasn’t blowing! 

The hardest part of winter for me is the Sunday Snow Day decision. This past Saturday, New Year’s Day, it rained off and on, and the temperatures dropped into the upper 20’s. Weather forecasts told of freezing temperatures and strong winds for Sunday morning, with a chance of snow, maybe a light dusting or less. “Less than a light dusting of snow,” when translated from the original Greek, means “we have no idea.”  I do not take canceling church lightly. I selfishly think about all the service preparations and printed bulletins. I think about the safety of our older members. I know that even when we try to call everyone, someone will come to church having not gotten the message. We called off the service on Saturday afternoon, allowing word to reach most everyone. Turns out we all needed a Sabbath day of rest. It has been a rough two years for everyone.

My thoughts turned to looking ahead in the 2022 calendar. Only because I am a preacher by day, Easter is on my horizon. It falls on April 17 this year. Also, some years ago I promised the grandchildren an in-person trip to Washington D.C. someday. They think Spring Break would be a nice time to visit. It remains to be seen. The only thing harder than calendar planning in the Era of Covid is making predictions about the future. Flexible is my word of the year. I ate an extra helping of the stew.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Stay warm. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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