I still have not recovered from the last two times we sprang forward then back. Now it is back to springing forward again on Sunday, March 14. Every day something else is changing. Some days I am confronted with multiple changes and the decisions that go with each change. Apparently, I keep asking myself the wrong question: Do I like this change? No seems to be my first standard reply to myself. I have to remind myself of my own philosophy of transformational change: Embrace change because change is embracing you. I am not always happy about the way changes on every hand are embracing me. Each day I gaze into the mirror ever hopeful for a change back of about 20 years. I go to the closet only to discover that my favorite old clothes seem to have shrunk during the night. I can’t wear some things right now, but I hope to one day if I lose a few pounds, exercise, eat healthy, get enough sleep, but that would mean having to change. 

My 2020 vision for 2020 and 2021 did not factor in a year, or two, of constant, unrelenting change, adapting and chaos at every turn. Change is here again and always will be. Change takes a lot of time and energy, but so does denying it. Change is hard work, but so is battling it.  Either way I have to deal with it somehow. It is never “one and done,” once and it’s over. Embracing change has some important strategies that I am learning to implement: I may have to adapt, re-learn, discard and develop new ways, methods and routines. Pretending not to change always seems easier. With all the big and small changes thrust upon me, I must learn to grieve the losses, face my emotions honestly, and seek refuge in faith, family and friends. I must find a way to laugh or sing, somehow, each and every day. 

 Some folks believe that people cannot really change, even though they say they believe the Gospel, the power of God’s Spirit and new life in Christ. Maybe Christians are supposed to be personal examples of transformational change. “I once was lost but now I’m found. I once was blind but now I see.” Maybe we Christians have put too much emphasis on the “once was” instead of the “but now.” 

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

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Easter is the Day. I went back and read my 2020 reflections on church life concerning the pandemic, beginning with the first one on January 28. If you recall, the Averys returned to their home in Shenyang on January 21, the day China locked down. Reading that post again brought home for me the seriousness of their situation and ours. In my article for June 23, I was optimistic we would be gradually returning to in-person worship during the summer. Of course, that did not work out. But now I am sensing that Resurrection Day, April 4th, is the time to return to Sunday church worship. I believe we are coming to a place where many of our people have their vaccinations in process or have recovered from their own encounter with Covid-19. Tulsa seems to be coming down from the highest peaks and we are approaching where we were before Labor Day. Hopefully that trend will continue these next four weeks. Also, God provided us with an icy 10-day lockdown and enough accompanying inconveniences to keep many at home dealing with more pressing issues.

We have the church sanitation routine working smoothly. In addition to the previously reported upgrades in the restrooms, we have secured a better method of wiping down the pews twice a week that uses a fogger-type machine to pump an anti-bacterial mist into the air without harming the furniture. The tables and chairs in Fellowship Hall are cleaned as often as they are used. Monte Los Olivos is going back to Sunday morning and Wednesday evening church on a regular basis again. 

Easter is the most important Sunday in the history of the world. Jesus arose from the grave to give us all new life. It was so hard and sad to close the church last year. I seek your prayers through these next weeks of preparation for this Easter. I am weary of decision making. I am weary of having to learn so many “work arounds” and adjust to never-ending pressures and expectations. In addition to Sunday morning worship, I see the need to keep the weekly Facebook services going. This has proven to be a great way for our church to minister, both near and far. We will need some additional time and expertise to help us get everything organized and operational for April 4. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Easter is the Day. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while apart.

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This has been a rather nippy week. I wore my parka from my trip to Antarctica when I went outside today. I knew I would use it again one day! Today’s temperature went up 26 degrees—from -13 to +13. It is starting to get warmer. I can feel it in my bones. Or maybe it is the hot chocolate. I wrote once about the power of a snowflake and received a strong written response from one of our church members. This happened in January of 1987 following a very harsh snowstorm. I wrote:

Once again, we have seen the awesome power of a snowflake. A snowflake is such a delicate wisp of frozen moisture, yet so strong that it can destroy cars and trucks in an instant. When enough snowflakes get together, they can stop traffic, cause roofs to collapse, destroy power lines and bury a city. Add a half-inch of ice under 8½ inches of snow, slightly melt, then refreeze the whole thing (three or four days in a row) and you have a Tulsa Popsicle, or the world’s largest Slip n’ Slide. Well, it has been pretty. Some Christians tell me they can’t do much, if anything, for the Lord. Think about snowflakes.     See you in Sunday School.    Bro. Darryl

I was simply trying to make a point about how even fragile snowflakes, working together, can change the world. It was also about how some Christians, who may under-value their time, influence, and capabilities, can change the world by working together.  Here is the written response I received. It was published the following week in the Evangel and is being reprinted here with permission: 

In addition to my father’s column about the harmful and dangerous ways of snowflakes, they are very useful. You can enjoy the beauty of the snow or build a snowman. They are quite peaceful and relaxing activities. You could also make snow ice cream, go sledding, or just take a walk in the snow. To keep the snowflake’s good honor, I suggest you read this and remember the good, fun, useful ways of the snowflakes, not just the bad things about snowflakes.       See you in Sunday School.

Dayna L. DeBorde (age 10)

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

Bro. Darryl

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George P. Shultz, a combat marine in World War II, died last week at 100. He was a university professor of economics unless his country called on him. President Eisenhower asked him to be his economic advisor. President Nixon asked him to be Secretary of Labor, Budget Manager and Treasury Secretary. President Reagan called on him to be Secretary of State. This past summer I watched an interview of George Shultz, made in 2016, as part of a subsequent compilation from a gathering of all the living US secretaries of state. On December 11, 2020, Secretary Shultz wrote an article that was published in the Washington Post titled, The 10 Most Important Things I’ve Learned About Trust Over My 100 Years.  He begins the article this way:

Dec. 13 marks my turning 100 years young. I’ve learned much over that time, but looking back, I’m struck that there is one lesson I learned early and then relearned over and over: Trust is the coin of the realm. When trust was in the room, whatever room that was — the family room, the schoolroom, the locker room, the office room, the government room or the military room — good things happened. When trust was not in the room, good things did not happen. Everything else is details. 

His article consists of 10 examples of trust across his life beginning with learning trust at home, at war, at MIT, though labor negotiations, race and political relations, and foreign relations. He concludes with number 10 when he writes:

“In God we trust.” Yes, and when we are at our best, we also trust in each other. Trust is fundamental, reciprocal and, ideally, pervasive. If it is present, anything is possible. If it is absent, nothing is possible. The best leaders trust their followers with the truth, and you know what happens as a result? Their followers trust them back. With that bond, they can do big, hard things together, changing the world for the better.

Trustworthiness is vital. I counsel couples who want to marry that there are four foundational pillars on which to build a marriage, a home or a life—Christ, love, commitment, and trust. If any pillar is forsaken, the marriage, home or life is in grave jeopardy. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Be trustworthy. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while apart.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/11/10-most-important-things-ive-learned-about-trust-over-my-100-years/?arc404=true

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I was surprised to read that Robin Hood was in the news, but not as surprised as the good people of Sherwood Forest. It seems the merry men of the Robin Hood Society of Sherwood Forest suddenly had thousands of new followers on their website and on Twitter. They were so overwhelmed they thought it must be a prank or a hack. Turned out it was thousands of potential investors in the US stock market mistaking them for a day-trader app with the Robin Hood name. 

The Robin Hood stock market investors managed to manipulate undervalued stocks, like AMC Theaters and GameStop, into record highs. This caused millions of dollars in pain to professional hedge fund investors who thought they had the stock market game under their control. (I have just exhausted my understanding of this part of the story.)

Someone else who was surprised by the Robin Hood phenomenon was 10-year-old Jaydyn Carr of San Antonio, Texas. Jaydyn owned 10 shares of stock in GameStop, a company that sells computer games in the mall. His mother had bought the shares for Jaydyn two years ago as a Kwanzaa gift. To introduce him to financial investing, she paid $61.90 for stock in the store he loved to visit,. Last week Jaydyn cashed-in his investment for $3,200! As an investor, Jaydyn has decided to put $2,200 into his savings account, and is looking to invest the rest. He likes Xbox and Roblox games.

An article in the NY Times reported:  “Ms. Carr said she became committed to teaching her son about financial literacy after Jaydyn’s father, an Army combat medic, died in 2014 from combat-related complications. A certificate of deposit she opened with a death compensation payment provided an entry point to teach her son financial responsibility — lessons she said she didn’t learn until later in life. She has taught Jaydyn how to speak to bank tellers, how to save his money, how to use a debit card, when to recognize when something is an impulse purchase and, recently, the charming game of the stock market.” (January 30, 2021)

Jaydyn received a 5,000% financial return on his mother’s investment in him. In what or whom are you investing today? Investing in others brings the best returns. Investing with the Good News of Christ brings the highest returns. (See Matthew 6:19-21.)  

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Invest in things eternal. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while apart.  

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When we were courting, Dorothy and I rode a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. I had never been anywhere like a Six Flags in my life. She kept mentioning that it was an unusual day because there were no lines for any of the rides. We saw some shows, wandered throughout the little shops, and rode just about any ride whenever we wanted. We stayed that day until the park closed. It was as if the time together at the park was tailored just for us. Later we learned most people stayed home because of the record-breaking July heat (107°).

Dorothy and I rode only one other roller coaster together after we were married. She quit riding after watching people ride the Zingo at Bell’s Amusement Park at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. Dorothy quietly said to me that I could ride as many coasters as I wanted, but she never wanted a newspaper headline to read, “Pastor’s Wife Dies on Roller-Coaster Ride.”

She has not wavered, even when our family, along with Dorothy’s parents, spent another day at that same Six Flags—the day her 80+-year-old father rode both a roller coaster and the parachute drop! My last roller-coaster ride was at Branson’s Silver Dollar City in December 2019. I strained my shoulder on that ride by holding on too tightly. I had forgotten the rule for riding all carnival rides. The secret to an enjoyable ride is to relax, lean forward and trust the operator of the ride. That is hard to do when your brain and all the voices around you are screaming, you are going to die!

2020 has been a current-event roller-coaster ride that just keeps on going, now into 2021.  In fact, there are multiple roller coasters going. Many of us keep trying to get off one ride only to find ourselves on a different ride. I am not alone in thinking I might be going a little frazzled because of it all. We are all on life’s roller coaster running full force for this season. This too shall change. Don’t let the ride scare you away from faith and hope and love. Let your headline read, “Faithful Through It All.”

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Lean forward and trust the Operator. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while apart. 

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Homer G. Lindsay, Jr. was our pastor when I was licensed to the Gospel Ministry. He was a heavy man and admitted he was big even as a boy. Whenever he was preaching and got close to Galatians 6:7, he would tell the same story. Being able to tell the same story repeatedly as if it were the first time is an artform passed from generation to generation, and not just to preachers. He would recount being assigned one hot muggy day to plant seven rows of corn in the backyard garden. The rows were already tilled. He was given the bag of seed corn and a round measuring stick. The assignment was to poke a hole in the soil, place one seed in it, then cover it over. He was to lay the stick down and poke a hole at the other end, and so on until all the rows were planted. To hear him tell it, he thought he would die after the third seed (not row, seed.) He was sweating, he was dirty, his knees hurt, and his back was beginning to ache. By the time he got to the top of the third row, he was through, but not with the planting. He made up some excuses to go in, but his father sent him right back out to finish the job. He made a couple more half-hearted attempts to sow his seed, then sat down at the top of his row by the fence. Young Homer was leaning on the back fence when he got the idea. He would plant the first 3 or 4 seeds at the front of the remaining rows and bury the rest of the seed in a hole in the back corner. His parents were so proud of him. He was so proud of himself for getting away with it.

The seeds he planted that day were exceptionally good seeds. The stalks would grow tall and provide sweet corn for the dinner table. But it only took a couple of weeks for his deception to be discovered by his father. The gardener always tends the details—looking for bugs and weeds and mischief. Homer Sr. noticed the empty rows behind the tender shoots of corn. It was a mystery. Were there hungry birds or animals raiding his garden? Eventually he saw the messy clump beginning to sprout by the fence. A time of questioning, a time of confession, a time of repentance and discipline; judgment day arrived for Homer Jr. (See Galatians 6:7-10)

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. We reap what we sow. Let’s experience the love and power of God together while we are apart.

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Those who lie to others first lie to themselves. Those who lie to themselves lose the truth.  The Bible has much to say against people who lie or bear false witness. We have seen the sinister effects this week of those who lie to others. The seditious actions of those who would destroy the hallowed halls of our democracy and attempt to assassinate our Vice-President and our Speaker of the House, or anyone else who would get in their way, makes my heart ache. To the insurrectionists, the lie was so true that the “others” deserved to die. Killing someone in revenge because you do not like how they vote is still murder. Doing it as a righteous crusade is blasphemy.

I am saddened by the effects this violent discourse has reflected on the witness of Christianity and people who say they worship Jesus as Lord. Have we not learned anything from history? When the Church embraces the Nation State, or the State embraces the Church, the result is always violence and corruption. That is why a major distinctive of Baptists throughout history has been the separation of Church and State with religious liberty for all. Because of Baptists like Roger Williams, Isaac Backus and John Leland, we have the first amendment to the Bill of Rights. 

The musical The Man of La Mancha is a complicated story-within-a-story featuring Don Quixote. Quixote is a delusional character who sees windmills as giants to be fought. No one knows what to make of Don Quixote. The Don Quixotes of today post and repost, e-mail, and explore the dark alleys of the internet. They are psychologically manipulated, immersed in convoluted conspiracy stories, and financially preyed upon by cynical “true believers.” In the musical, the people around Don Quixote try to guide him toward the truth that is obvious to them. He is staying at an inn, not a palace. It is an old rag Dulcinea tosses to him, not a silk scarf. He is a fool who thinks he is a knight. But then they begin to see his humanity. They see his need to be treated with respect. Not every modern Don Quixote is noble, but all should be treated with kindness. Remember, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” Treat people with grace. Answer with respect. Always speak the truth in love. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Be truthful. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while still apart.

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As we have entered this new year, a two-word directive keeps coming to my mind—Press on. As the pandemic continues its rampage—press on. As threatened violence and political unrest continues—press on. As the winter grows colder and we grow older—press on. The image of a hiker staying on a narrow path through forest, hills and valleys to reach the mountain’s summit stays before me. Paul’s words from Philippians 3:14 are in my heart: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Press on.

I went ahead and bought a planning calendar for 2021, even though last year’s calendar was mostly unused. I’m in the process of mapping out a church budget, sermons and Bible studies, and looking for ways to be more effective in our mission efforts in the coming weeks. I anticipate one day returning to in-person services. Will Easter or Mother’s Day be too soon? Until we see more clearly, press on. The response to our on-line services has been excellent. Can we plan to keep doing that as we one day add going back to church? Will people be able to step forward and safely serve? Meanwhile there are still a multitude of big and little details that need to be fixed or maintained around the building. Our Hispanic church family has stepped up in sacrificial ways to support these efforts. Press on.

Hebrews 12 speaks of running the race set before us. Press on toward the prize. In 2 Timothy, Paul calls to mind these trustworthy words from an early church hymn, or maybe a sermon:

• If we die with Him, we will also live with Him.
• If we endure hardship, we will reign with Him.
• If we deny Him, He will deny us.
• If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.

Everyone is watching how we conduct ourselves through these days. Will we try to cheat, or be half-hearted, or leave the race altogether? We must press on toward the mark of the high calling of God.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Press on. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while still apart.

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Trend setters are calling it the 2020 Christmas Star. It is a celestial event set for December 21, the long night of the winter solstice. But it is not even a star. It is the night that the planets Saturn and Jupiter kiss. Even though they are hundreds of millions of miles away from each other, from our perspective, they have been getting closer and closer all fall. They are said to kiss when they are at their closest before their orbits begin to separate them again. Their last kiss like this one was in 1226, nearly 800 years ago. In 1226, Genghis Khan was busy conquering parts of western Asia. Any evening now, if you look outside and it is not too cloudy, you will see the two largest planets in our solar system so close they appear as one bright star. Look above the southwestern horizon just after sunset, a little below and to the right of the soon-emerging moon. They will only be visible for about an hour or so before they drop below the horizon here in Oklahoma.  

The Original Christmas Star has never been seen again. There has been much speculation from astronomers concerning the kind of heavenly light that could lead the wise men from Persia to Jerusalem to Bethlehem to meet Jesus. There was enough Hebrew scripture remaining in the old Babylonian empire from the time of Daniel until Esther and Nehemiah, for these scholars to discern that biblical prophecy might be unfolding in their own day. They were so curious and expectant, they packed up their supplies and rich gifts to set out on the journey. They completed their mission and returned to their land to tell of their incredible experiences.  

In typical 2020 fashion, the so-called “Christmas Star” is a couple of kissing planets that most people will never even see. The biblical story is unfolding around us. The Good News of Christ is being fulfilled every day. Can we see the hand of God at work today? Do we have the courage, and yes, even faith like those wise men of old, to share the wonders of the true Christmas story? 

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

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