A man named Lucious, a Perkins Restaurant, and God

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Laurie and I made it to Owatonna, Minnesota.

I cannot ever figure out why our family can't just live in places like Ames, Iowa or Kuna, Idaho; no, our family has to live in Owatonna, Minnesota and Minneapolis, Minnesota, SpearFish South Dakota, and Washougal Washinton; we do have family in Thane, Wyoming, but nobody can ever find Thane Wyoming on a map; I think it is because only five people live in Thane, Wyoming, well six now when Tao was born. 

We left SpearFish yesterday and stopped at a Perkins restaurant for breakfast. Perkins is like Elmer's, and we know how I like Elmer's, so we stopped at Perkins. I did ask Laurie if she ever dated a Perkins, but she didn't think I was funny. 

We parked the car and proceeded to walk to the door. An older gentleman, who was all by himself, walked in behind us. He was obviously traveling alone and had an aura of loneliness about him. When the hostess asked how many were in my party (Yes, Perkins is fancy dancy, it has a hostess), I said, "three." 

I turned to the gentleman behind us and asked, "Will you join us for breakfast?" 

He said, "Why thank you, that would be lovely."

Now I know why Laurie didn't date a Perkins; hostesses and well-mannered patrons are a bit much.

Lucious that was his name, came and sat with us. Lucious was a Vietnam vet and was moving to South Dakota. "The people just fit me better," he said.

We ordered our breakfast, and the conversation started.

Lucious had a different political view than we had; his worldview was basically the same but had some interesting twists to it. When he got a bit loud, we gently swung the conversation to something else. Actually, our time went like this.

I would ask, "Where are you from?"

Lucious would then go into a lengthy discourse on his life.

Laurie would ask, "How is your breakfast?"

Lucious would then go into a long discourse about food.

As the conversation went on, Laurie and I realized two things:

1. We had life experiences that were much different than Lucious's.
2. Lucious was very lonely. 
3. Lucious had lived a hard life.
4. Math is still hard.

When we finished our meal, the waitress, who looked a lot like our hostess, asked, "One check or two?"

I replied, "One, please."

Lucious said, "You don't have to do that."

I said, "I know, but I want to; I have a new friend."

Lucious smiled and said, "Thank you."

We shook hands and parted ways.

I am not sure why Lucious walked in when he did, but I do believe in an intentional God, which makes me wonder what God is up to when he brings people into my life. 

When I am intentional about looking for God in the everydayness of my life and submitting to His little nudges, I find amazing things happen.

Do you look for God in the everydayness of your life?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

A proper Hobbit wedding!

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

I married my niece this past weekend. Now that is something I never thought I would say since I am not from Arkansas (Yes, our camp director is from Arkansas, and Musial is a friend of mine and graduated from the University of  Arkansas). 

The big day started early and was relaxing; if relaxing is defined as my sister (the bride's mother) running around the house yelling, "Where is my phone? I can't find my phone. Roger, stop telling me to look in the bathroom or wait. I found it in the bathroom. Where are my keys, Kim? What did you do with my keys? If you tell me to look in the key bowl one more time, I think I will scream, oh wait, I found them in the key bowl. My shoes, where did I put my shoes? Oh, never mind, I am wearing them. Ok, I gotta go get my hair done, by, love you."

Then Kim (my sister's husband and my brother) asked how many chairs should we set up? The venue is outside and a beautiful spot, but it needs to be set up. The question arose from the fact that there were 150 chairs, and they needed to be symmetrical, so I got to use my math skills. I said, "There are 150 chairs and two sections so just put 80 chairs in each section; how hard is that?" Kim, a retired financial advisor, looked at me and said, "Hey Roger can you do me a favor and get dressed so we can get the venue set up." 

I was glad to help and show off my math skills simultaneously.

Yes, it was a very relaxing morning. 

The wedding went off without a hitch; that is, if your definition of without a hitch includes the bride and the groom not saying their vows during the ceremony!

Hannah and Justin had decided to write their own vows, so I crossed out the traditional vows I had for the ceremony. Everything was going swimmingly until I pulled a Ron Burgundy and read my notes, going right passed the crossed-out part, and we finished the ceremony. No one even noticed until we were finished.

The village idiot strikes again!

Well, I could not have them get married without saying their vows, so the first thing we did at the reception was to bring them together, and they read their vows to each other. It turned out to be amazing, with everyone laughing and crying, and I even got to say, "Hannah, now you can kiss your husband!"

Justin got to kiss his bride during the first ceremony, and Hannah got to attack, I mean kiss her husband, at the second ceremony! 

A proper Hobbit wedding!

It turned out to be a fantastic adaptation; when people asked me if I had done that before, I said yes. In fact, I patented the ceremony. 

One of my other nieces came up and said when I get married, you are doing my wedding, I never said we raised them smart in the Button clan. 

As I thought about my mistake, I kicked myself pretty hard for a while; until Hannah came up to me and grabbed both my hands, looked me deeply in the eyes, and said, "The wedding was perfect. Doing the vows like that made it even better. I love you."

Later after I had time to ruminate on the whole thing, which of course, led to pondering. I realized the similarity between what had happened and the book, Who moved my Cheese, "When You Stop Being Afraid, You Feel Good. 

In the end, we had found a new wrinkle to use in wedding ceremonies. Do the traditional vows during the ceremony and the vows that the groom and bride write for each other at the start of the reception. 

It was magic. 

Just remember, "When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course."

Blessings,

Roger

Today is the day before the big day.

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Today is the day before the big day.

Today is the day before Hannah and Justin's wedding. It is a day full of activities, so many activities, we could do aerobics, we won't but we could. 

The groom's party starts the day with golf, and the bride's party starts the day at a spa. 

I am starting my day with you. It is still early, and the only people up are Kim and me; he is doing important work on his computer, work that involves numbers and math and stuff. I don't know how to do important work with numbers and math and stuff, so I will continue talking with you using words, commas, and stuff. 

When Hannah asked me to officiate her wedding some 15 years ago, it seemed like such a long time, yet here I am, already on the day before the big day, making sure that I have everything just right. 

Time goes by.

On the day before the day before, the big day, Katie and Kim had a dinner party for a bunch of us. Most of us hadn't seen each other in years, like a lot of years. So many years, in fact, that we did not recognize one another; that is, until we smiled and started talking. It is funny how the eyes tell a story, and a smile transcends time. 

We talked, told stories, and caught up on 20+ years of life. We talked about old people's stuff, like hip replacements and knee replacements...There was a time when we would have talked about the great adventures we planned to take. Now we talked about the great adventures that we had taken.

Actually, some of us talked about great adventures that we had taken, and others talked about the great adventures that they never got around to taking.

Today is the day before the big day. The day when Justin and Hannah start their great adventure together. 

Adventures are funny things. You think you know how your adventure is going to go; you do your best to plan for your adventure and to prepare, but adventures never go quite the way you plan them. Some people learn to adapt to their adventure as it unfolds, while others have a harder time. 

For me holding my adventure loosely in my hand has been helpful, not trying too hard to control everything, being ok with the mystery of it all.

It will be fun to watch Hannah and Justin travel their great adventure together, and it will be fun to see what happens next in mine.

What kind of adventure are you on? Is it one you had planned, or has it taken a different path?

Are you happy with your adventure, or do you need to start a different one?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

Turkeys tend to stay at the KOA.

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Lolo and I are still at Devil's Tower; this is our last day here as we mosey (it is a Wyoming term) our way to Spearfish, South Dakota. 

Devil's Tower is a really cool place. 

We hiked all over and went to an actual sweat lodge, not to sweat; I have an aversion to sweating, thus the reason I never went upstairs in our "Y," people sweat up there.

One thing I did notice is that there aren't many young people here. We were surrounded by old people. 

• People complaining about knee replacements
• People saying things like
• I hope you're not in a hurry
• Honey, where are we? I forget?
• What, I can't take my motorized scooter on the trail?

Here is a picture of an old couple on the trail

Like I said, nothing but old people.

Another interesting tidbit about Devil's Tower is that normal people don't stay at the KOA; it is full of turkeys. Turkeys tend to stay at the KOA.

Here is proof.

I think they were looking for arrowheads; either that or one of them lost their keys.

Seeing the country, the changing topography, meeting all sorts of people, and the variety they bring is good for the soul.

I get to see more of the things that God created. 

The beauty of nature. 

The crankiness of some old people.

The joyfulness of some old people.

As Lolo and I mosey our way to Spearfish, South Dakota, we notice things; a rock formation or the way the sun hits the red dirt. We get to listen to people's stories and hear about their lives. 

I enjoy my life, the life that God gave me. Sure, it hasn't always been easy, and I guess I could have focused on the things that hurt or made me feel bad, but I chose not to. 

There are choices in life, one of which is how you feel and see the world. 

I choose love.

I choose compassion. 

I will continue to work on seeing life through these lenses.

How are you seeing life? What lens are you using?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

Lolo and I are at Devil's Tower.

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Lolo and I made it to Devils Tower, Wyoming, a short 644-mile drive from Missoula, Montana; more on that later, but first, I must address and correct a couple of things from yesterday's post, thank you, readers, for your ever-needed eye for detail. 

1. Frederick the Great pointed out that I told the joke wrong; it was supposed to go, "CColorao asked Nebraska, "What will Delaware to the dance." and Nebraska responded, "Idaho, Alaska." 
2. Frederick then asked, "If you stay in a Holiday Express, you are an expert on everything, but what if you stay in a KOA? The answer is Roger, the village idiot:) (I made that part up myself) Frederick would never say anything like that; he may think it but not say it.
3. Gladys Kravits, the ever-nosey neighbor, noticed that I used Elizabeth when I should have used Samantha. Good catch, Gladys, now close your window shades!
4. Lastly, Elizabeth, could you do me a huge favor and wiggle your nose and make Frederick talk like Pee-wee Herman or a duck? That would be hilarious.

Now that we have addressed everything nobody cared about, we can move on.

Lolo and I are at Devil's Tower.

With the smoke from the wildfires, Devil's Tower looks a bit like Dante's Inferno and the 9-circles of Hell.

It is an epic poem commonly referred to as "The Divine Comedy." 

I have read this book a few times, and it never seemed funny to me! (I can't wait to hear from the Literary experts Man-splaining Greek Comedy)

• The First Circle is Purgatory (Limbo, for all of us non-Catholics)
• The Second Circle is Lust (the 2nd definition of the word love in the Webster Dictionary, "I love my mother. but eweeuu!)
• The Third Circle is Gluttony (Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor Don't say it)
• The Fourth Circle is Greed (Lolo and I were noticing RVs and stuff as we drove down the road. The conversation went to sporting events and fancy vacations. I asked Lolo, "Honey, are we poor and don't know it?" She just looked at me and said, "Yep, isn't it wonderful!" Like I said yesterday, " I wonder about her critical thinking skills after leaving Elmer's son for me.
• The Fifth Circle is Wrath (Wrath comes from being wronged, which comes from anger, which comes from fear, and hurt. Hmmm, Who Moved my Cheese comes to mind.
• The Sixth Circle is Heresy (Heresy is a funny thing; it is a truth told by those in power to those who actually think outside the box. Now don't get me wrong, I can define the Heresies in my worldview fairly well, yet at the same time, see how someone got there. Oh, these are tough times to be a shrubbier)
• The Seventh Circle is Violence (Violence is terrible, don't do it, or you will end up in a divine comedy, which by the way, isn't funny)
• The Eighth Circle Fraud (I think at some level we all fall into fraud. I should start a small group on fraud, maybe a few will avert the Eighth Circle)
• The Ninth and worse Circle is Treachery (A violation of allegiance, faith, and confidence). Great, has anyone not been treacherous according to this definition?

Lolo and I are at Devil's Tower. The ancient Native American story behind Devil's Tower is that a giant bear chased some young Native Americans up the Tower, trying to eat them. The marks on the Tower are left from the Bear's claws scratching to get at them.

I know what you are thinking, "Oh, that is a silly myth."

Maybe so, but it is also a silly myth that people think they can stay in the same place, not move a muscle, not think of anything new and not grow stagnant and die. 

Yes, I am still on the Who Moved my Cheese kick; but here is a dirty little secret, I am a Certified Spiritual Director, and I know that Spiritual Transformation is a river, not a lake. A person is either moving toward or away from God; spiritual transformation is not stagnant; it is not inside a box, nor does it reside in the same place in a maze. One is always on a journey; one must always have their shoes ready, for it is a walk that one must take.

I get what Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor is doing; I have been taking people on the same journey for many years; some will refuse to go on the journey, others will embrace it, and a few will follow tentatively.

The question that I have is, "Are you willing to risk, to go on the journey, or would you rather watch from the sidelines holding ever so tightly onto your myth?"

Something to think about.

Blessings,

Roger

Who Moved my Cheese

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Lolo and I have made it to Missoula Mt. We are getting settled in, and I thought I would take a minute and talk with you.

We left Spokane are 9 am and immediately drove into Courdelane, Idaho; this reminds me of a joke, "Deleware asked Nebraska, 'What is Colorado wearing to the big dance?' Nebraska responded, 'Idaho, Alaska!"

We got to Courdelane, Idaho, and found an Elmer's restaurant to eat breakfast. Lolo loves to regale me with the fact that before she started dating me, she dated Elmer's (Of Elmers Restaurant fame) son. He would drive her around in either his Corvette or his Porsche, take her to Blazer games and sit courtside, along with posh restaurants and stuff.

I just look at her and grin, thinking to myself, "Lolo should have really thought that one through before she traded him in for me." After all, we are driving across the country in a VW and staying in KOA's.

I like taking her to Elmers to eat, I don't know why, but I do.

Before I left on vacation, Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor had us read the book Who Moved my Cheese? By Spencer Johnson, it is a book that helps people deal with change. I bet Frederick the Great has already read it. Remember, he is good with change; it is a CPA thing. 

Another person who is good with change is Elizabeth, our CFO. No, Elizabeth is not her real name; in fact, I named her after Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha on the T.V. show Bewitched. 

Why would I name our CFO after a character in Bewitched? Simply because how Elizabeth handles our finances is magical, just say-in.

In his book, Who Moved my Cheese, Dr. Johnson says, "It would be all so easy if you had a map to the maze. If the same old routines worked. If they would just stop moving 'The Cheese.' But things keep changing."

I am reading through his book again, taking in the cheesiness of it all!

I wonder if I will ever be able to completely let go of my cheese, or will I just become Limburger?

I will ponder this for a time.

Do you ever think about this stuff?

Blessings,

Roger

  

Laurie and I are on our road trip!

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Laurie and I are on our road trip! 

I can't tell who is more excited, Laurie and me for being on vacation, or the YMCA for me being on vacation!

It is Sunday evening, and we are at a KOA in Spokane, Wa. We have a cabin and a toilet, which, if you know me at all, is glamping!

We are sitting here waiting for our pizza from River City Pizza to arrive. Best pizza in Spokane, I am told. I googled pizza in Spokane and found that River City Pizza is the only pizza in Spokane; I am a bit dubious of the quality now. 

Not to mention the fact that Darryl has a statue dedicated to him.

As we sit here, me with my bread (darn those carbohydrates) and Laurie with her phone. I started thinking about our last round-up.

People have been talking about the round-up post.

Here are a couple of comments:

• In Kansas, they don't have falling housing prices; they have falling houses!
• Be careful, Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor, he may send the flying monkeys after you.

I wish Frederick the Great had been at the Round-up. he would have been a big help getting people to understand change. Did I mention Frederick the Great is a CPA? CPA's handle change well, or so I am told. 

After the Round-up, Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor, Darren, Daryll, Natalia, and I went to, and I don't really even know what to call it, this place that had 57 million, 312 thousand, 465 beers on tap under one roof. Surrounding the place that had 57 million, 312 thousand, 465 beers on tap under one roof was a wagon train of food carts in a circle, just like in a John Wayne movie, Wahaa. If you don't know what Wahaa is, ask Padme, and she will tell you. 

My Dad used to tell me, "If I have told you once, I have told you a million times, don't exaggerate!" 

I try my best not to exaggerate, but stories always go better with a bit of embellishment, or so I am told.

Anyway, Daryll found a beer from his heritage, a Sasquatch beer; he ordered the beer and was very proud of himself. 

Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor claims he ordered water and that Jesus keeps turning it into wine; I told Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor not to make up stories; that is my job.

Darren ordered this thing with mango in it; I guess it is a California thing. 

Enough about the round-up, Daryll and his Beer, Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor and his wine, and Darren and whatever that was he ordered. 

Laurie (Lolo, as the grandkids call her) and I are on our way to South Dakota. I will officiate my niece's wedding, a contract we cemented 15 years ago when she was just a kid. Hannah, yes, that is her real name, looked at me and said, Uncle Roger, when I get married, you are going to marry me! I looked at her lovingly and replied, "Hannah, I am already married, but I will officiate your wedding for you. Words are important.

I am sitting in Spokane, Washington, wearing my Ridgefield Octoberfest t-shirt. Yes, I was officially on vacation as I worked the Y-on-the-fly pop-up tent at the Ridgefield Octoberfest. Introducing Padme to the community as their new E.D. Archibald and the Safety around water program, and Esmerelda as the most incredible membership person ever. 

Lolo and I are on a journey. 

Our Y is on a journey.

Our journeys are much alike. 

We spend our days meeting new people and loving our neighbors. 

I wonder what adventure tomorrow will bring.

Blessings, 

Roger

We have a roundup today.

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

I got up a bit early this morning; every time I say the word "bit" I am reminded of the witch scene in Monte Python's Holy Grail.

I know what you're thinking, "Really, you had to bring Monte Python into a bread?"

My answer is, "Yes, how else can I make nut bread?"

I know it isn't funny, but it does beat Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor's "Two guys walk into a bar" joke!

Anyway, I got up a little early this morning. 

We have a roundup today.

These roundups are nothing like the roundups we had back in the land of Dorothy and Toto. While it is true that I still have to get up a bit early for these roundups, that is where the similarity ends. These roundups don't involve going out to the corral, waking up a sleeping horse, getting stepped on by said horse, feeding it some hay, and then going through the whole putting a saddle on a horse that thinks it is a bit early to have a saddle on its back. Then going out to the pasture with a bunch of other riders and horses that also think it is a bit early to both be ridden and to ride. Find a bunch of cows that also think it is a bit early to be pushed around by a bunch of weak men with their bully horses. 

If you think cows don't get mad, try waking up a Black Angus bull first thing in the morning; it will give you a whole new definition of, "A bad start to the day." 

This is a YMCA roundup, and it involves people. Of course, these people also think it is a bit early to start a roundup and can be a bit cranky. 

Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor knows how to deal with cranky people; his magic involves two guys, a bar, and a bad punchline. 

I'm never quite clear on whether this actually puts people in a good mood or they are just scared that if they persist with their crankiness, he will tell another bad joke; either way it seems to work. 

At our roundups, we talk about many things; at this one, we will be talking about fear and how it can paralyze people and organizations; change is hard and can be scary.

Today we are going to ask:

• Do I want something else?
• Do I want something more?
• Do I want something different?

It will be interesting to hear everyone's answers.

Of course, this causes me to wonder.

• Do I want something else?
• Do I want something more?
• Do I want something different?

I will ponder these questions. 

Will I be able to walk through the process or be frozen by fear?

Will you ponder this too?

Something to think about.

Blessings,

Roger

Life Together

Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

One of the things that I love about being a chaplain in the YMCA is that I get to do life with all those that call the Y home. 

I grew up in a small town, and when I say small, I mean SMALL!

I grew up in Kansas, you know, the place where Dorothy grew up, and her little dog Toto (To quote a witch). 

Not only did I grow up in Kansas, I grew up in Cheyenne County Kansas, a part of Kansas that even Kansaner's (Not sure if that is a real word or not, I guess now it is. I feel a bit like Paul, making up new words to make a point), would say, "I didn't even know we had a Cheyenne County!

Cheyenne County, Kansas, was roughly 1020 square miles in size and had about 5,000 people living in it; 2000 people lived in the tiny town of St. Francis, which only left 3,000 people for the rest of the county. To quote Tony Stark, "If my math is right, and it always is." That only leaves 2 people per square mile for the rest of the county! 

My wife just came into the living room (where I am currently talking to you from), and told me that actually it leaves 3 people per square mile for the rest of the county. She also reminded me of why I spent so much time in school to be a theologian and not a chemist; math is hard!

St. Francis was small enough that everybody knew not only knew everybody, they knew about everybody. 

We lived life together in St. Francis, Kansas. 

Being a chaplain in the YMCA is a lot like living in St. Francis. 

I was on a call with YCP, talking with Tim Hallman, and he mentioned how cool it was that I resided in a branch and not the corporate office. 

I said that there are two reasons that I reside in a branch:

1. Residing in a branch gives me more clarity of what it is the staff and volunteers are going through on a daily basis.
2. Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor (our CEO) refuses to tell me the location of our corporate offices. 

Our Association is broken up into 5-regions:

1. North
2. South
3. East
4. West
5. Central

I reside in the North region, and travel to the other regions within our Association. I am the only full-time chaplain in our Association; we currently have 9 volunteer chaplains across the Association in various stages of training. 

Being in a branch allows me and all those that call the North home to live life together. 

We cry together.

We laugh together.

We mourn together.

We rejoice together.

Somebody, in a book somewhere, said that was important to do.

I am busy training up as many chaplains as I can so they can live life together in their branches too. 

I found out early, in my life in St. Francis, that if you don't walk the talk, people know it pretty quickly. 

It isn't any different in our YMCA. 

I always check myself to make sure that I am not missing anything in my walk with Christ and with my fellow humans that I live life with. 

We like to joke in the Y that the Y would be a lot easier place to work if it wasn't for the members; it always gets a good laugh because we know it wouldn't.

Dietrichtrch Bonnehoffer once said in his book Life Together, "A pastor should never complain about his congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God. A congregation has not been entrusted to him in order that he should become its accuser before God and men."

I like to remind staff and volunteers that they are pastors too; they shepherd those that come to them for help.

It is important for me to remember Bonnehoffer's words. 

As you live life together with those that God has put before you and into your care, are you complaining to others, and to God about them?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

1]

---

[1]Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1954), 29.

And then Darryl said, "There's got to be a better way!"

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

There's got to be a better way!

I first heard this phrase was 11-years ago during our annual closure at our YMCA. The annual closure is a week-long and is accomplished over the Labor Day weekend. It is a time when we all roll up our sleeves and give our Y a complete makeover from top to bottom, a thorough cleaning, painting, refinishing all the hardwood floors...

"There's got to be a better way!" was uttered by Darryl while we were busy scaping calcium buildup from the pool tiles. 

I have now heard this phrase every year during our closure event for various activities; this year Darryl as he sanded down the HVAC system to prep for painting. 

Eventually, we got the HVAC system painted and completed our makeover.

"There has got to be a better way" has become our mantra at our Y when we evaluate programming and services that we offer or when we look at things that are not offered yet in our community.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many times when we look at things and find that, at this time, there isn't a better way that we can see. It is this avenue of thought process that has brought on feeding kids at risk for hunger in our community. It is this thought exercise that brought on free swim lessons for kids in our community. It is this undertaking of contemplation that brought on the "Y on the Fly," our mobile program that takes our Y to communities where there is no Y yet. 

We just finished a Safety Around Water (SAW) event, complete with a mobile movie, popcorn, snow cones, and pizza, in a community that will have a Y built in it in 2024. 

It is the mantra of, "There's got to be a better way!" that has us not only thinking outside the box but thinking, "There is no box." 

I like not having a box. Not having a box is a freeing experience, but it does have its risks.

The safe place to be is inside the box, never stretching yourself, never risking failure and pain. 

Inside the box is a place of comfort, but it is also a place of stagnation. 

Inside the box begins to smell bad after a while.

Outside the box is freedom, of sorts; you can always run back inside the box if it gets too scary, or too painful.

When there is no box, you have left the box behind, much like Cortez did when he landed his ships in America in the 1500s when he burned his ships. 

While living with no box might be scary at times, there is no greater feeling than when the process works. 

Watching those kids and their parents have such a great time while they learned how to be safe around water was as much fun as we have had in a long time. 

Living with no box pushes you to cross a desert and take an oasis to the people instead of demanding they cross a desert to come to your oasis. 

I wonder what we will think of next when we ask the question, "There's got to be a better way."

Are you inside the box, outside the box, or have you left the box behind?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

Once I realized I was a dork, the whole world opened up!

Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Once I realized I was a dork, the whole world opened up!

I would tell people my ideas, and they would say, "Roger, you are such a dork!" and I would respond, "I know, isn't it great!" 

My realization came early in my life, mainly because my sister would tell me I was a dork daily. She always said it came out of a place of love. I would respond, "Ok, sure." (We all know what that means).

Speaking of coming out of a place of love, when I was in Jr. High (back in the dark ages, we had Jr. High and not middle school), I had a wrestling coach who also happened to be the P.E. teacher. 

One day, I am not sure exactly what I did, Coach Dufus (Not his real name, but he deserves it) started punching me. He hit me in the head (Which probably explains a few things), hit me in the chest, and punched me in the stomach. 

I said, "Why are you hitting me?"

Coach Dufus responded, "Because I love you."

I said, "Well, don't love me so much!"

He hit me again.

Anyway, once I realized I was a dork, the whole world opened up.

People like to say, "Think outside the box."

I always come back with, "There is no box."

Being a dork allows me to risk failure without fear of what people think of me.

I am reminded of something Theodore Roosevelt once said, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt[1]

I can remember a time when I was fearful of completely surrendering to God. 

He kept calling me into ministry, and I would say to Him, "I am not good enough; I can't do that."

He kept saying, "If I call you, you can!"

When I finally relinquished my fear and submitted, everything came into place. 

I walked through the fear of the unknown and began living in the mystery of God. 

I am comfortable in the mystery of God. 

Living in the known is boring for me. 

Where do you live?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

---

[1] The man in the middle, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=roosevelt&commit=Search Viewed November 3, 2021.

 

Let your dreams be bigger than your fears

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Esmerelda and I met with the E.D. of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) yesterday.

It was a great meeting; September is suicide awareness month, and we want to do some workshops around this topic for our community. 

As Esmerelda and Kamilla (Not her real name, but you know the drill) discussed the finer points of the workshop, I was so riveted that I started to read all the things that Kamilla had on the walls of her office. Neither Esmerelda nor Kamilla had any idea I had checked out of the meeting mentally as I continued to use my Chappy training to appear engaged. I used words like "ok" and "sure," as you know, code words for I am not really listening now. It is a good thing Esmerelda doesn't read my blog, or she would be really mad at me, since I use those words a lot when we talk.

As I looked around the room, my eyes fell on a quote it read, "Let your dreams be bigger than your fears."

I love that quote.

I started to think of things I am afraid of:

• I am not afraid of dying
• I am a bit nervous of the transition process. I am lazy; I want to fall asleep and wake up in Heaven.
• I don't want to outlive my children, or for that matter, any of my loved ones; that would be horrible.
• I have always been afraid of losing my mind, but I think that ship has already sailed.

Then I started to think of things I thought I would be afraid of but am not:

• Losing my job
• I have lost jobs before, and life went on. I have even been fired once; thank God I am friends with a sasquatch; that is a story in itself.
• Getting cancer
• I had cancer, and I found it very enlightening about life, mission, big stuff and little stuff.

Actually, the more I think about it, I have never really been afraid of things. I don't know why; I chalk it up to being the village idiot.

When it comes to being a chaplain and coming up with new and exciting/crazy programs to help our community, I have no fear at all.

I get a lot of:

• What if it doesn't work?
• What if people don't like it

I could go on, but I got bored listing things.

My usual answer is, "It might not work, but what if it does? Look at the good we could do."

As I go through life, the only constant I can see is, change. 

So if the change is inevitable, embrace the change and let your dreams be bigger than your fears.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger