Not much theology today...

I've read this week's gospel reading in the lectionary schedule and I don't feel like I have it in me to try to figure it out. It's an account of two of the miracles of Jesus and you can read about them here. 

With all of the people that follow Jesus seeking healing and other miracles, I sometimes wonder how he decided who would receive a miracle and who would be left to suffer without. 
I'm reminded of the story of the man that is walking along a beach covered with starfish that have been left by the receding tide. One at a time, he is picking them up and throwing them back into the ocean. Looking at the vast number of stranded starfish, an onlooker challenges the man saying there are too many to make a difference. The man bends down, tosses another starfish into the ocean and says, "I made a difference for that one!"

What if there isn't any deep theological meaning to these stories?
What if Jesus is just making a difference one person at a time?
What if the stories are given to us so that we would do the same -- make a difference to the people we encounter, one person at a time?

Honestly, I know that nobody really comes here for theology since I am most definitely not a theologian. I'm not really a student of anything, much less a student of God.
I am, however, an observer of people, and it just may be that while few of us are equipped to go out and change the world, we can each make a difference if we just focus on doing it one person at a time.

Chances are pretty good that the few people reading this will be the only people that I have any kind of interaction with today. Maybe one of you will think -- yeah, I can make a difference for one person today! That would be cool -- to have done something positive for one of you.
Otherwise my day will be working on some positives for the bees and butterflies as I do some work in the yard and in the flowerbeds.

John 

Enjoying the morning rain

Yeah, there really is nothing like sitting on the screened in, covered deck while it rains gently on the land. The thunder is rumbling through the clouds, but I haven't seen any lightning yet. Occasionally the wind picks up a little bit and the rain pours a little harder, but it's still quite nice from my morning point of view. With the wind primarily blowing in from the north, the back deck stays dry from the rain spray that blows in when the wind is from the south or west.
It looks like it will rain on and off for most of the day.

I am happy that I won't have to water the new flower beds today. There is nothing like rain water to stimulate plants into growing. I had planned to mow the field today, but that will have to wait for another day.
Today looks like a good day to read and enjoy a good smoke.
I should probably do a little writing, as well.

If you came here looking for some Wednesday Wisdom -- be grateful.
Be grateful for the rain.
Be grateful for the sun.
Be grateful for the way they both work together to bring us food, beauty, and life.

John

Monday Meditation

I'm going to do today's meditation a little differently.
I really do get a good feeling from working in the various flower beds around our yard. There is something about digging in the dirt that stimulates the internal energy of our bodies. I have read about the +/- electrical energy of the earth and certainly believe in the benefits of grounding, but working to bring forth the beauty of the many varieties of flowers is something more than just that.

I'm up early today so that I can work before the day gets too warm to enjoy working outside. I hope to manage a few hours of work before then. I have a large area where the weeds have taken over. I am always amazed at how well certain plants grow unwanted and without cultivation while I struggle to get other plants to grow and thrive. 
Nature can be such a beast.

I am also fascinated by how much pleasure I get from watching our flowers grow from seeds or bulbs into fully blossomed plants. 
Truthfully, our yard is not a well manicured, well designed landscape of flowers and shrubs. It is a haphazard bit of work that brings me pleasure. I enjoy the butterflies, birds, and bees that it attracts. And while larger flower beds mean less mowing, I'm not certain that the work exchange works in my favor. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the opposite. (sigh)

That will be my meditation for today.
That and relaxing with a cigar and drink later this evening!
Where will you find your peace or purpose today?

John 

A Beautiful Day in the Ozarks

It looks like it is going to be another beautiful day in the Ozarks -- sunny and 90f (32c)!
My plan is to get in a couple of hours working in the yard this morning and then settle in to watch the UFC fights this afternoon. The fights this weekend are in Saudi Arabia so they begin at 11 this morning in the Midwest. I'll probably skip the early prelims and work until around noon. Then I'll grab something to eat and enjoy a cigar and drink while watching the main card.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am pretty excited about the new flowers that are growing and can't wait for them to start blooming. I have some overcrowded irises in one bed that need to be thinned or moved. I haven't decided what I plan to do with them. I will probably move them all and give them some more room, but I really don't know where to put them. I lack the creative ability to just see them and the yard and know where they'll fit in.
I'll eventually figure something out for them.

No worries for today.
I grilled pork chops and spicy brats yesterday, so we have meat already cooked for today and tomorrow. Even dinner will be easy tonight. There is enough of Chris's cheesy potato bake left so all we need to do is add a salad or veggie.

It's not an exciting life and it isn't very glamorous, but I'm not that guy anyway. In my simple world -- it's a good day to be John Hill.

John

Good Friday!

Let's make today a Good Friday!
Tell me something good!

Good for me is a very small thing --
The bulbs and seeds I just planted are growing!
We're still quite a bit away from actual flowers, but it is exciting to see the growth and imagine the beauty of the colors that are coming. 

Another small thing that makes me happy --
It's summer!
Yeah, I know it's hot. But seriously, having AC at home and having most places that I need to go to air conditioned really takes away the heat argument for me.
A little shade, a breeze from a ceiling fan, a cool drink, and a pleasant view from the deck and I am a happy boy.

Tell me --
What's good in your world?

John 

Did you know ... ?

Did you know that the June solstice of 2024 is the earliest it has occurred in 228 years? 
The solstice marks the beginning of summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere and hasn't been as early as June 20th since 1796!
Here in the Midwest, the solstice happens at 3:50 this afternoon.

Even as everyone is bracing for a hot summer, I am ready for it. 
Summer is my season.

I'm up early this morning (before 6). I don't know why. I sleep until I'm finished and this morning that was about 5:50. Getting up a little earlier could be to my benefit when it comes to getting some outdoor work finished before it gets too hot. I'm a slow starter in the mornings and it is often 11 o'clock before I'm ready to get started. It might be better to get started on whatever planting/weeding/mowing/trimming/watering needs to be done on a given day before 9 or so. I'll still have my afternoons to sit in the shade of the deck while listening to music, smoking a cigar, and enjoying a cool drink.

Happy summer!

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Monday Morning Meditation

I don't usually empty my mind or try to think of nothing when I make the effort to meditate. I can if it is necessary to isolate from distracting sounds, but here at home I don't usually have that problem. Here I try to be aware of the many nature sounds around me -- the different birds singing, the hum of the little hummingbirds wings as they feed at the feeders, the buzz if insects, the sound the breeze makes as it weaves through the plants, even the sounds from the highway (okay, those I recognize so I can tune them out).

I'm in a different place this morning -- front porch!
I like our front porch almost as much as I like the back deck. It is a very different perspective from the front. There is more of an awareness that we live in a neighborhood with other people in relatively close proximity. But it is a nice little one street neighborhood.

It is a different exposure to the morning sounds. Because the lot across the street has many more trees, the bird sounds are more plentiful and much louder. From the front porch, my thoughts drift to the different flower beds that I can see and what I need to do with them. Thinking about work may not be the most relaxing kind of thing, but there is a comfort in planning and visualizing the flowers and colors that will be here in a few weeks. 
I am late getting most of my flowers in, but they will bloom quickly and share their colors and beauty through the summer and into fall. I'll be planting some more annuals later today. Even in the heat and humidity of the day, there is something calming about digging in the dirt and planting flowers.

I have a breakfast meet with an old friend this morning. I am looking forward to catching up on what is going on in his life. He is a more experienced gardener than I am and I'll be getting some good information from his as well as a couple of black raspberry plants!

I hope you find peace in your day.

John

Thursday Theology

I want to take a pass on the gospel reading for this week's lectionary schedule. If you want to read it you can find it at Mark 4:26-34. 
My simple take on this is that the Kingdom of God is maybe simple to describe, but difficult to understand. I think that the thing that makes it difficult for us to understand is that it includes everybody. Our world is not like that. Part of our survival instinct as humans is to exclude what we don't know or understand and we think God is okay with our wanting to exclude people from heaven.

God seeing us differently than we see each other is demonstrated quite well in this week's Old Testament reading, 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13.
If you remember, the Israelites wanted an earthly king and God gave them Saul. Saul kind of went and did his own thing rather than following the guidance of God's prophet, Samuel, so God rejected Saul as king and sent Samuel to anoint the new king.  
The prophet Samuel is to go to the house of Jesse and find the new king from among his sons. Each son is presented to Samuel, and each is rejected by God. Samuel asks if this is all and is told that the youngest is in the field tending the sheep.
It should be noted that -- 1) David is the youngest of the many brothers and would therefore be extremely unlikely to be chosen for any task before one of the older brothers (except watching the sheep), and 2) Shepherds were considered to be the lowest of people on the social ladder and would be looked down upon by nearly everyone in the culture.
David is called and is anointed as the new King of Israel. 

God doesn't see as man sees.

It seems that religion today is more about building a God that sees the way we see other people rather than trying to see others as God sees them.
Yeah, that fits well with a gospel story that God's kingdom is for everyone. 

Love God.
Love all of the people God has created (btw, that's everyone).
This is the kingdom of God.

John

Changing it up this morning

I decided to do things a little differently this morning. I got up and headed out to fill up the truck and get another load of mulch. I stopped for coffee on the way. I have been taking the longer route home from the landscape place where I get mulch. I think I lose less of it than if I were on the highway. The slower speeds through Springfield and the hybrid Maverick get me on the plus side of 50 mpg, even with a full load.

Once home, I had my breakfast and now a cup of Ryze mushroom coffee and some computer and quiet time before getting to the yard work. I am enjoying the little bit of work that i have been doing and try not to think about all of the work that needs to be done. It's all kind of a work-in-progress kind of project that I expect to be ongoing for years. I think that's a good thing.
It would be helpful if I were more organized and a little driven, but I think we've already covered the fact that I am neither.

I have some moon flower plants starting and I am hopeful to have them blooming this summer.
My hardy hibiscus and swamp mallow seeds haven't taken so I'll have to retry those and I also want to look at propagating my hibiscus and peony plants from stems.

It is going to be a beautiful day for working in the yard so I may put in a little more time than usual. At the end of it I will reward myself with a good cigar and a cool, yet to be determined drink.

Time to get busy!

John

Dreams

Today is launch day for my friends at The Flipped Table Collective!
Go ahead. Check it out.
It has been a lot of planning and a lot of work and I hope it will be a source of comfort as well as a great resource for many that are seeking truth and peace and a healthy connection to our Creator and God.

This morning I am thinking about my friends and this dream of theirs being put into action.
I'm also thinking that I don't think that I've ever really had a kind of dream/vision/goal that I've worked towards or for. Didn't have a dream career. Didn't have a dream house. Didn't even have a dream car.
I don't know if that makes me unambitious or boring or maybe just normal.

I know that some people are driven. They are always pursuing a goal, chasing down a dream.
I am not one of them. 
Today I am just happy that my dahlias are blooming!

I don't think that retirement was ever really a dream, but I am most definitely enjoying it.
I never dreamed of nor planned to spend my mornings drinking coffee on my deck and writing about meditation/contemplation, but I am enjoying it very much.
I know it's not the same thrill or rush as launching a website, opening a business, or achieving a challenging goal, but it is a great feeling and I cherish each morning, each sip of coffee, and each of the birds that are chirping and gathering food for the babies in their nests.

Living a quiet life and enjoying the sounds of nature may not be the achievement of a lifelong dream, but it is a pretty grand way to spend each day, and I am very much aware of this privilege that I enjoy. I know that it may be the dream of others to have a simple, quiet life -- free from striving to achieve or the competition with others for a pay raise or promotion.

Maybe it's a blessing that I don't feel like I need to act a certain way or say the right things so that people will like me or think well of me. Maybe it's not. Not conforming has cost me some friendships in the past, but I really don't regret my decisions. I have to admit that I am a little sad about their decision, but there just isn't much that I can do about that, so I move on.

I am to the point in life where I have fewer days left than I have already lived and it is enough for me to appreciate today. My planning for tomorrow will be the hope that the flowers I planted last week and the ones I'll plant today will bloom to provide for the pollinators and grace us with their beauty as the summer passes.

What are your hopes for tomorrow?
What are your dreams?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

click it to big it

Aging -- Definitely not for sissies

In 10 days I will be 64 years old. That's 23,376 days.
I'm hanging in there and pretty healthy for a fat guy, but I definitely need to make some changes if I plan on making it for another 25 years or so.

The motivation to actually be more mindful of diet and exercise should be plenty, but it has become more difficult--both mentally and physically--to do anything that really has an impact. Just 10 years ago it didn't seem as big of a deal as it does today.
It is as if there is a gravitational inertia to remain inactive. When you combine that with the aches and pains of a little arthritis and normal wear on a fat boy's joints, it becomes a nearly irresistible force.

While it might be a little late in terms of damage done, I really need to look forward and take action to be more comfortable and mobile in the coming years. I have had some minor success in focusing on improving my mental and spiritual beings in the past few years. I need to apply some of that to focusing on my physical well being, as well.

Ten years ago I was finishing up a successful year of losing 54 pounds in my 54th year. I actually lost just over 60 pounds and was below 200 pounds. Today I will need the same kind of +10% of my goal to lose 65 pounds in my 65th year to reach 200 by June 13, 2025. 
Sacrebleu!
I mean it's only a little over a pound a week, so it is so very doable with minimal change in lifestyle and diet. It is in many ways more difficult than getting serious and just doing it -- say in half that time.

For me -- this kind of thing takes some mental acceptance and will. I need to move from -- I'm pretty healthy for a fat guy -- to I'm a fat guy and nothing good is going to come from that. In fact, too many bad things are probably in that fat guy's future -- diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, poor circulation, and so many other maladies associated with old, fat people.
Where most people think of physical health first, I seem to have put it off to the end. It is definitely time to add my physical well being into the picture. 

What are you thinking about today?

John

Daily Appreciation

I'm sitting here on the deck this morning (again) and just appreciating that I have this great spot where I can begin each day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the view is peaceful and serene. From now until late September the hummingbirds will be at the feeder sipping their morning sugar as I sip my coffee.

I hope that I never grow tired of this or even come to a time when I take it for granted.
I think that I am learning to appreciate just getting to hang around each and every day. I am aware of the privilege that is mine -- this home, this place, this freedom to be retired, and the freedom that a decent retirement gives me to live comfortably.

I have a pretty spectacular family. Chris and I don't get to see our kids as often as we would like, but we love them and are so proud of the adults they have become. They have moved to a couple of beautiful places to live so we get a nice place to go when we do visit them -- mountains for one, beach for the other! 

And I love my birth family, too!
It seems to be an unfortunate circumstance that we are an abnormality in today's world. Maybe the fact that we all grew up and spread out has somehow helped us to stay close to one another. Or it could be that my siblings are just pretty incredible people -- each with their own loving and incredible families.
We chat often via text, and I talk to our mom almost daily. I do wish we got to see each other more often, but then again, maybe that's a part of the dynamic.

I hope you have an appreciation of life every day.
I'm going to enjoy this day.
I'll do a little work in the yard, smoke some burgers and brats on the grill, get started on a new book, maybe enjoy a decent cigar and a pour of tequila.
But first -- another cup of coffee and some quiet time.

John