Paying Attention III: Uncommon God in Our Common World

By Rollie Johnson

Paying Attention III: Uncommon God in Our Common World
People are tired, empty, anxious, and stressed. Our hectic, fast-paced modern world filled with convenience and incredible technology, has left most of us asking; "Is this really all there is?" Most of us are drowning in an abundance of both opportunities and material possessions, yet feeling unfulfilled, hollow, and longing for purpose, meaning, and direction. We are searching for what the world cannot give. We try to fill the "God Hole" in our souls with everything but the real thing. We are waiting and wanting to see God move in big, dramatic, and remarkable ways and when that doesn't happen, we assume God is not here, that He is distant, or is only available to others.
Rollie Johnson has an exceptional eye for seeing the holy and sacred in our common, ordinary, and day-to-day lives. Rollie lives with an uncommon appreciation for and connectivity to both Creation (nature) and his Creator (God). Rollie's unique and engaging style of writing will draw you in and help you to see and appreciate that God is all around us. Join him on exceptional adventures in the mountains of the west backpacking or elk hunting, mission trips in Mexico, rock climbing up Devil's Tower, or in the wilderness of the north canoeing or winter camping in 40 below zero temps as he points out the sacred and holy in creation. Rollie will also invite you along on day-to-day encounters with ordinary people who reveal that God is alive and well and living amongst us.
If you are looking to deepen and strengthen your relationship with God, then this is the right book for you. But don't expect the typical preachy, churchy vocabulary, or religious jargon of most faith-based books. This book is real, down-to-earth, honest, and practical. Rollie invites you to go deeper with God by seeing Him everywhere and in our common world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667888460

Book preview

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© 2023 Rollie Johnson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Print ISBN: 978-1-66788-845-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66788-846-0

Dedication

to my three wonderful children, Karina, Marissa, and Shane.

Karina for your adventurous spirit, crazy humor, and for continuing to join me in exploring our wonderful world of creation.

Marissa for your compassionate and loving heart, your tender love of children, and your laughter that brings me a smile.

Shane for your strong wit, excellent banter, deep thoughtful insights, football tossing, bballing, and long conversations on the dike.

Introduction

Thank you for joining me in the final book of the trilogy, Paying Attention. Each of these individual chapters is a stand-alone Devotion. There is no rhyme or reason to the order other than alphabetical. Each Tuesday for the past 15 years I have written an email Devo that goes out to church members at First Lutheran in Fargo, ND, and beyond in the cyber world. Each of these Devos is an observation of a real-life happening in my life, and then looking to reveal God’s presence hidden with the event or circumstance. Some Devos reveal God’s movements in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life. Others occur through the many unique adventures of backpacking the mountain west, canoeing the great north of Minnesota and Canada, winter camping in the Boundary Waters, rock climbing Devil’s Tower, or mission trips in the jungles of Mexico. May you Pay Attention and find our Uncommon God in Our Common World!

Rollie J.

Contents

A River Runs Through It

Alex & Maritere’

Americans All

An Army of Cattails

An Empty Shell

Any Given Sunday

Beauty, Strength, Courage & Faith

Breath of God

Broken and Beautiful

Broken-Beyond Repair

Broken

Buffalo on the Brain

Building Bridges

Canis Lupus

Cardboard Box

Circle of Love

Close Encounters of the Large Undulate Kind

Closing a Chapter

Conversations in the Dark

Courage and Creativity

Daily Miracles

Death Row

Death to Life

Deer Sex And Other Signposts to the Holy

Departure

Doug

Earned

Endeavor to Persevere

Evanescent Yellow

Facing Our Mountains

Failure: Whose Voice Do You Listen Too?

Faith of our Fathers

Farewell Old Friend

Fathers

Anxiety, the Unseen Enemy

Finding Direction

Finding Your Way

Fingerprints and DNA

Following Directions

Forgotten Freedoms

Forty

Freedom in the Wilderness

God in Our Midst

Good Gifts

Gospel of the Deck

Grieving and Fear on the Red River

Heaviness

Hidden Wisdom in Plain View

I Am with You

If A Tree Falls in the Woods…

In Our Midst

In Search of Faith & Footholds

Inherited

John Shulstad

Joy in the Rain

Juan de Uber

Lamentations

Lessons From KRF

Life and Death on the Red

Look Beyond the Cover

Messy Games

My Cousin Vinny

My Octopus Teacher

Mystery

NDSU Pancakes

New Model 2.0

Observations & Questions

One Greater Than I

Our Creator Provides

Precious Gift

Priceless Instrument

Pupa Picasso

Reduction & Removal

Rejected

Restoration, Repurposing, and Renewal

Ring the Bell

Seventy-Six

The Fabric of Our Lives

Seeds

Seek & Find

Shameless Audacity

Shane Backpacking

Signs of Life

Sinew Bow

Slow Fade

Snapping Turtle

Soledad – El Ultimo Don(Loneliness – The Last Gentleman)

Solivtur Ambulando

Sometimes It Takes a Blindman

Mystery in the CanopySong of the Cicada

Strangers in The Night

Strangers at My Doorstep

Ten Years Looking Back

ThanksGrieving2020

The Death of Stewart

The Gospel in the Dumpster

The Measure of a Man

The Messenger

The Nose

The Shack

The Shed

The Streets of Fargo

The Valley of the Dry Bones

To Be Recognized

Tracks in the Ice

Tracks in the Mud

Treasures of Evidence

Unexpected Blessings

Ursus Arctos Horribilis

Walking in the Dark

Walking Man

Walking Through the Fog of the Unknown

Walking With Jesus

Water in the Desert

Whales of Itasca

What If?

What is My Role?

When the Bottom Drops Out

Withdrawal

Words Make a Difference

Zach’s Birthday

A River Runs Through It

High in the Fryingpan Basin, we climbed breathlessly underneath clear, azure skies. The brilliant sunshine warmed our faces and bare arms and was countered by a delicious breeze that gave cooling comfort. With each step, the trees grew shorter and the air thinner. We were nearing the treeline here in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness of northern Colorado. The towering 12,000’ peaks of the continental divide surrounded this cirque and made me feel small and insignificant. With burning thighs and lungs that begged for more air, I felt a deep sense of gratitude to simply be here. Health, vitality, and life are not to be taken for granted.

My good friend and life-long hunting buddy, John Flaherty, and I were here for our annual pursuit of elk. We each carried our bows, John his compound, and me with my trusty homemade longbow, but neither of us had drawn our bows on an elk for several years. The wilderness has gotten too crowded over the years and our discouragement and frustration of hunting this public land, the over-the-counter, do-it-yourself hunt had reached its limit. Discouragement aside, there was still so much goodness, beauty, comradery, and adventure to be had. A week in the mountains with my good friend John, beats any day in the city or at work to be sure!

As we wandered quietly through this massive alpine basin, we came upon a most beautiful and unique scene. What first drew me to this setting was the beautiful bright lime-green moss. The brilliant green moss sparkled with moisture and was a refuge of wet softness in this rocky, dry, and harsh mountain environment. We paused for a bit to embrace this oasis of sparkling water and greenery. I partook of its offering and filled my water bottle with its refreshing, ice-cold, and delicious water. This basic and essential element of life we so often take for granted. So many on our planet do not have this precious resource. And here we were, standing virtually at the source of this tiny stream, partaking of this gift that had most likely minutes before been part of a snow field.

It’s so rare to experience the absolute beginning of something. To be at the birthing place of a baby stream, felt somehow enlightening, invigorating, and uplifting. I could physically touch, see, and know for sure where this creek had its origins.

We soon took one of several snack/nap breaks as is our way. As I sat munching on some G.O.R.P. I began to ponder this small stream and its mother; the cirque of the Fryingpan basin. Within this bowl were half a dozen or so other similar small streams all obeying the laws of gravity and descending and eventually merging to form Shafer Creek that grew with each contribution of dozens of other unnamed rivulet streams to head down and eastward off the continental divide. Upon arriving on the eastern flank of the mountain range, Shafer Creek adds its contribution to the young and newly forming North Fork of the Platte River.

I mentally connect some dots and have an ah ha moment knowing this water can connect me to my own home. This water runs east from the divide then swings north crossing the Wyoming border and continues north circling the town of Casper. It then journeys southeast towards the town of North Platte where it joins with its twin sister the South Platte. Joining forces, they become one and gain momentum and volume as they head eastward to join with the Missouri River near Omaha, Nebraska. The Missouri descends south and eastward to add its contribution to the mighty Mississippi River at St. Louis. From there I hang a left snaking northward for several hundred miles until I arrive at Ft. Snelling in St. Paul, MN. At the fort, I signal left and merge onto the Minnesota River heading first southwest and then veering northwest across the plains of southern Minnesota. Crossing the waters of Lac Qui Parle, the Big Stone, Traverse, and Bois De Sioux I finally reach the headwaters of the Red River of the North. I follow the downstream flow zigging and zagging until I reach the eastern flank of Edgewood golf course in Fargo, ND. Taking a hard right to the Moorhead side, I follow the twisting Oakport Coulee northward until I arrive at the edge of the dike. Beaching my canoe, I scramble over the dike and arrive safe and sound in my backyard.

The waters of our humble Oakport Coulee and those of the high mountain Fryingpan Basin are not so different. They are in fact, connected. What I do in the hidden seclusion of backcountry Colorado wilderness affects the water quality of my backyard home. How I treat my yard, what I put on it, and how I use this water affects the purity and quality of that distant water high at the source of that moss-covered stream. They are separated by thousands of miles, but not by cause and effect. This precious, primary gift of life, given to us by our Creator cannot be taken for granted. The time of ignorance and naivety about our actions and consequences is over. We can no longer live in selfish isolation and seclusion. We share this mother earth, this beautiful gift of a planet with billions of others. It is time we realized this and begin acting with greater care for this ship that we all share. There are no lifeboats on this ship.

Having been to the mountain top so to speak, or very nearly so, I think about the impact of this one small rivulet high in the Colorado Rockies. This tiny moss-covered stream was not called to do great things. It wasn’t asked by the Creator to do huge, monumental, grandiose things, to be like the Big Missouri or Mighty Mississippi. It was simply called to contribute, to be who it was, where it was, and to give of itself to the world.

For most of us, God doesn’t call us to do great things. He doesn’t call us to huge, monumental, impressive, or dramatic movements or actions. He’s not asking you or me to be Billy Graham, Max Lucado, Mother Theresa, or Rick Warren. He simply asks us to contribute to the whole, to give of what we have, and to impact those in our neighborhood, our family, our school, our soccer team, and our workplace. To be who you are, where you are, and give of yourself to the world. Maybe if we all give our little bit, we’ll have a significant positive impact on the world as a whole.

One thing I so love about Jesus is that he kept things so simple. In our overly complex and complicated world, he brings simplicity. Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself. Love other people like I first loved you.

Forgive one another just like I forgave you. Don’t judge others, unless you want to be judged. Act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Do unto others, as you would have done to you. Put others first. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Seek to serve, not be served. This is easy stuff to comprehend. If only we could better practice what He preached.

One final truth is that water always flows downward. It never seeks an upward path. It simply obeys the laws of nature given by our Creator. Much like our humble moss-covered stream, Jesus always sought a downward path. A path of humility and service to others. He didn’t go seeking attention, didn’t climb the popularity ladder, didn’t purposely seek out the rich, important, and famous, didn’t name drop, didn’t network at parties, didn’t self-promote, and didn’t constantly paste new selfies on Facechat or Snapbook or Instatweet.

Today, may you contribute. May you give of yourself to the world in need. May you keep it simple. May you follow your Lord downward to the lost, the lonely, and the needy. May God use each of us to make a bigger impact on our world.

Soren Kierkegaard has said, "We scramble to achieve. We covet the place of power. But grace invites us to climb down. Instead of struggling toward the top, to live in lonely isolation, we are invited to lowly places of new responsibility and concern."

Jesus specialized in menial/ ordinary tasks that everyone else tried to avoid, washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him because he came to serve. It wasn’t in spite of his greatness that he did these things, but because of it, and he expects us to follow his example. Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks. The little things in life determine the big things. Don’t look for a great task to do for God. Just do the not-so-great stuff, and God will assign you whatever he wants you to do. There will always be more people willing to do great things for God than there are people willing to do the little things. The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants. Rick Warren-Purpose Driven Life

99% of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization. Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do. Tend to the people, and they will tend to the business.

– John Maxwell

That the most excellent method he had found of going to God, was that of doing our common business without any view of pleasing other people. That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. Brother Lawrence

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

It is not our task to judge the worthiness of our path; it is our task to walk our path with worthiness. We have been blinded by the light of heroes and saints. We must learn to trust the small light we are given, and to value the light that we can shed into the lives of those around us."

Kent Nerburn "Small Grace

Alex & Maritere’

The work site buzzed with activity. Spanish, English, Mayan, and Spanglish could be heard in all corners. Our 35 some odd mix of high-school students and adults mixed freely with the villagers of the tiny town of Tres Reyes (Three Kings) deep in the heart of the Yucatan jungle. Shouting, singing, and laughter could be heard throughout the job site, along with lots of well-intended ribbing, teasing, and pranking. Water fights were frequent to help ease the load of heavy work and intense Mexican sunshine. A strong sense of comradery, cooperation, and purposeful work filled our days as our group worked alongside our brand-new friends and brothers and sisters to work on their church.

Quick to catch my eye on day two were an interesting pair. They were escorted by a friend who led them each by the hand, gently and carefully to our afternoon bible school activities. I soon came to know these two as Alejandro or Alex for short, and his tiny little sister Maritere’. It became obvious from our first introduction that they were both blind, apparently from cataracts. Their cataracts caused them to look at objects very closely and from the side of their face to take advantage of what little vision remained.

Frequently throughout our eight days in their village, I would find myself wandering over to their little blue hut on the corner to sit and visit. They each proved to have so much personality, spunk, and vitality. Maritere’ often crawled up into my lap wrapping her arms around my neck. Their attitude, positive demeanor, and sense of gratitude made up for any deficits that blindness had taken from them. Alex and Maritere were pure joy to be with. Little did I know that they would bore a hole deep into my heart and fill it with affection and love.

The following winter, we as a church, raised funds to send Alex and Maritere’ to Mexico City for surgery. I met them both along with their mother Theresa, for the road trip from Tres Reyes to Cancun, and then the long flight to Mexico City. My wonderful father-in-law Enrique Pinto, a retired optometrist, was well-connected in the eye world and had arranged for free surgeries at the world-famous Hospital de la Luz. One of Enrique’s best friends was the hospital administrator. God had been busy making all sorts of connections for us.

The five of us made a strange entourage as we moved throughout the crowded and busy streets of Mexico City from the hotel to restaurants and back and forth to the hospital. Mamma Theresa, two blind children, an aging Mexican Señor, and a very pale Gringo. We got plenty of second looks!

After endless appointments and check-ups, they were each admitted and given two separate surgeries, one for each eye. After a couple of days of resting in the hotel, we returned to Tres Reyes where lots of hugs and tearful goodbyes ensued. I flew home to the northland saying prayers of gratitude and held a very large lump in my throat.

Fast forward 19 years. I have never, ever forgotten Alex and Maritere’. I think about them now and again, especially on other mission trips as we pass by the turn-off road to their village. But over the years I have had virtually no contact or news from them or about them. Until most recently.

A strange name appeared as a friend request on Facebook. I recognized it as most likely a connection from the Yucatan somewhere but ignored it for several weeks for lack of familiarity.

But persistence is a strong force. And then one day, came the soft-spoken, humble written words in broken Spanish; "Do you remember me? This is Alex from Tres Reyes."

My heart skipped a beat, and tears welled up in my eyes, for both joy and shame. How could I have neglected this relationship all these years with the means available to me? I rapidly fired back a more than excited response which began a flurry of messaging back and forth to catch up on 19 years of absence. Soon Martiere’ was connected and more messaging flew back and forth. Each message from them began with a God bless you, you have been in our prayers, we never forget you.

Soon Alex asked for my cell number and within minutes we were conversing live, back and forth in real-time via cell phone. My long-outdated perception of Alex was shattered by the man who was speaking on the other end of the phone! He was still full of enthusiasm, joy, and gratitude as every other word was Gracias a Dios or thanks be to God! He must have said my name a hundred times in our conversation. He told of his recent marriage to his beautiful wife Maria Veronica, and how she had recently given birth to premature twins, who were now out of the hospital and doing well. He was still living in the same blue house and now sells flavored shaved ice throughout the village for work.

Maritere’ is now 23 years old, married to Luciano who works the fields and odd jobs, and they have a two-year-old son Josue’. They all live together in the same house as Alex. Mother Theresa died a few years back of cancer. Maritere’ too, was filled with gratitude and joy and seemed so excited to be reconnected. When I asked how their vision was, she stated still not good, but better than before their surgeries so long ago. A lack of follow-up care is most likely to blame for that. Many a dropped ball, with me at the point guard.

Of course, the primary question of both conversations was, When will you come to visit Rollie? We would love to have you stay with us and bring your family. Mi casa es tu casa.

On almost all mission trips, a strong bond of friendship and love forms when it’s done correctly. Often at the end of our stay, we get asked the same question; When will you return to visit us? The only logical response is Solo Dios lo sabe. Only God knows. And then we receive a heartfelt; Te vere’ en el cielo. I’ll see you in heaven. It is now my hope and prayer that I will get to reconnect with them long before heaven.

God often places special people and relationships in our lives. Some for a lifetime, but most for just a season. Each person is a thread woven into the tapestry or fabric of our lives. Each with a distinct color, texture, and mark of impact on our lives. Sometimes we appreciate the relationships and gifts they bring, but most often we take people and relationships for granted.

These beautiful treads have resurfaced in the current fabric of my life. I intend to act on them and be in their presence face-to-face again. Second chances come about rarely.

Maybe you have forgotten about, walked away from, or neglected a special treasure of friendship long ago forgotten. Maybe it’s time to act on that relationship on this side of heaven.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrew s 10:24-25 NIV

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 1

Thessalonians 3:12 NIV

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." 

Romans 12:10-11 ESV

Americans All

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. What do these very diverse countries have in common? I’ll give you a few minutes to guess. Come back to me when you’ve got it figured out.

The people from each of these unique countries are all Americans. Yes, that is right. It is factual. Some are South Americans, some are Central Americans, and most of you reading this are from North America. But we are all Americans. And unless you are a true Native American, you are an immigrant; meaning that somewhere along the lineage of your family tree, your family moved here on a boat or a plane. And now, maybe more than ever we’re actually all in the same boat. That immigration may have happened two hundred years ago, or last week. But you’re still an immigrant. And if we draw the line in the sand just a little bit further back, most archeological evidence points to the fact that even Native Americans, most likely immigrated here to the Americas between 12-15,000 years ago via the land bridge created over the last ice age between Russia and Alaska. No matter how or when you got here, we are all immigrants.

Our old friend Martin The Walking Man, is back on my mind as he shared his recent hour-long interview on Argentinian television talking about his epic two-and-half-year journey. His journey crossed fourteen different countries, as he walked pulling his heavy cart for over 14,000 miles. The TV host barraged him with question after question, and one, in particular, caught my attention. It is a question I asked Martin many times during his stay with us. Where did you find the most friendly and helpful people and were there places with bad or nasty folk who gave you trouble?

Just as he did in my presence, Martin shook his head back and forth; No, no, no. People are really just the same, no matter what country they were from. They might have different customs, habits, dialects, or tastes, but I found that people are just people. The great, great majority of people I met along the way were loving, helpful, curious, and friendly. They wanted to know about my journey, and they wanted to help and assist me in whatever way possible.

These are words from a well-traveled soul. These are not judgmental words from a tourist who spent a week there one day. These are insights from a man who lived and walked, talked, ate, and slept alongside of people from all walks of life over 14,000 miles. What Martin tells us carries weight, because he has lived in and amongst so many varied people. Martin tells us; People are basically the same; they want to live a fulfilling life, they want to have a job that provides, they want to be with family and friends and live life through relationships. They want peace and purpose. Crazy… it sounds just like you and me!

Martin is the ultimate master of the selfie. And not so much in the vain way of the typical egotistical or narcissistic Hey look at me! Like me! Love me please! way, but more a way to document, honor, and give thanks to the thousands of people he met and that helped him along his journey. If you jump on his Facebook website link and begin scrolling downward, you’ll soon realize that it is a bottomless pit of photos. Thousands of selfies posing with every type of American you can imagine that he met along his two – and a half—year journey. All included. All a part of what made his trip so memorable. Many of you from First Lutheran and the FM area are posted here.

The many faces of Americans:

https://www.facebook.com/martineechegaray/photos

You’ve probably heard or used the phrase Can you walk a mile in their shoes? It is a wonderful expression that speaks to two huge character traits that move us to become more Christ-like: compassionate and empathetic. Instead of judging another at face value like most of our world does nowadays, we are first called to put ourselves into the shoes of another, and walk where they have walked, see what they have seen, and felt what they have felt to gain a better understanding of their thoughts, beliefs, convictions, and actions. Only then will we begin to understand, appreciate, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Our world is getting smaller and smaller. The entire world is sharing the same frustration, fear, heartache, loss, and challenge of this historic COVID crisis. We no longer live in our little world of isolation, separation, and exclusivity. The Coronavirus has paid little attention to nationality, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, politics, status, or wealth. It has permeated all walks and aspects of life on every continent. We are all in the same boat now. We best get better at loving our neighbor whether it be next door or on the next continent.

Jesus made it about as clear and simple as possible. Over, and over again in scripture, Jesus boils it down to this:

Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

Love your neighbor AS yourself.

Try walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Maybe you will be less likely to criticize, bash or condemn. Maybe you will discover more compassion and empathy. Maybe someone may then be able to see Jesus in you.

The cause of Christian unity at the present time, and indeed all through history, has been injured and hindered, because men loved their own ecclesiastical organizations, their own creeds, their own ritual, more than they loved each other. If we really loved each other and really loved Christ, no Church would exclude any man who was Christ’s disciple. Only love implanted in men’s hearts by God can tear down the barriers which they have erected between each other and between their churches. William Barclay-The Gospel of John

The entire law is summed up in a single command: love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out ! or you will be destroyed by each other.

Galatians 5:13-14

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Teresa of Avila

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up!

1 Thessalonians. 5:11

DO IT ANYWAY

by Mother Theresa

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway!

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway!

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway!

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway!

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway!

The biggest (people) with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the

smallest (people) with the smallest minds. Think big anyway!

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdog anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway!

People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway!

Give the world the best you have, and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway!

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35

Cross-Eyed:

a. the ability to see below the surface, to see the beauty, dignity, and God-given qualities inherent in people.

b. to see Christ in others

c. to know, acknowledge and embrace Christ within yourself.

An Army of Cattails

This past winter we spent a lot of time walking up and down the Oakport Coulee. With minimal snow, the coulee has turned into a virtual sidewalk for man and beast alike. Shane, I, and Bruno, our mutt have been out walking, both during the days but we have especially enjoyed some beautiful nighttime excursions. Sometimes under a bright moon, often under a gorgeous dome of stars, and sometimes in the inky darkness of a cloudy night. It’s all good.

Saturday morning found me up early to enjoy the dawn hiking with Bruno. The sun had just risen over the eastern horizon, and it felt good to be gifted one more day and walk to welcome a new sunrise to our side of the planet.

As I meandered slowly along the coulee with no destination or purpose in mind, I realized that I was surrounded by an army of cattails. Maybe it was the sun glistening off the morning frost of each head, or maybe it was the sheer volume of troops amassed. They all stood so straight and stoic, at full attention, even though they had just pulled the evening watch. Their pencil-thin stalks and narrow leaves all wore the standard issue tan uniform of winter. And all the brown heads were trimmed neatly with a tightly cropped crew cut. Visions of corn dogs and pronto pups danced in my head!

These cattails are the heartbeat and bloodline of our coulee. They provide food and shelter for our local muskrats who eat their roots and build their huts from the stalks and leaves. A variety of geese and ducks overnight here on their long journey north and south and a few make themselves my temporary neighbors each summer. Red-winged blackbirds bobble and dance upon the stems chirping out their territories over the marsh. Within a few short weeks upon ice thaw, we will soon be blessed with the raucous and boisterous bantering of a thousand creepers and leopard frogs whose cacophonic orchestra will lull me to sleep in my hammock. Cattails are to the marsh like air is to our lungs.

Almost every time I travel the coulee, being ADHD, and very tactile, I will normally grab a stalk and shuck the fluffy down into the air. Its soft and downy texture is pleasing to my senses. On a windy day, it’s as if a smoke bomb exploded and the puff of fluffy clouds follow and float on the whims of the wind.

On this morning though, the wind was absent, a rare day indeed and so the parachute-like seeds just fell in clumps onto the floor of ice. The sunlight was highlighting these heads and upon careful close observation, I could see dozens of individual seeds, each awaiting their unknown launch countdown. Where would they end up? How long would they float through the air? At the foot of the stalk? 10 feet away? 50 yards away? Or would they bob and bounce and ride the waves of a strong breeze to land a mile or more away? God only knows. So much is chance, arbitrary, and random in the world of cattails. And when those seeds land… will they blossom or bloom where they were planted?

Having been inspired and curious about these common, ordinary, yet abundant cattails, I spent some time online researching. It turns out that most cattail heads contain over 25,000 seeds! From a single stalk. That’s a whole lot of seeds. And that’s only one plant! Multiply that by the thousands upon thousands that line just our coulee alone…well, you could repopulate and change the whole world with all those seeds.

I came across this most excellent quote:

"Nothing in Nature lives for itself. Rivers don’t drink their own water. Trees don’t eat their own fruit. Sun doesn’t give heat for itself. Flowers don’t spread fragrance for themselves. Living For Others is the rule of Nature. And therein lies the secret of life. ~Amit Gupta. ...

Why is it that we humans get it all backward? We’re the ones who live for self. We grab and we hoard, and we buy, and we buy and then build a bigger house with more garages and sheds to hold more and more of our stuff.

As I drive around our Fargo Moorhead area, I’m simply amazed by the number of churches we have here! It’s quite astounding. Every size, shape, denomination, sub-denomination, and sub-sub-denomination. Pick your flavor. And then I hear all the time of new church plants, or mission start-ups going in here and going in there. And most likely, especially now coming out of the COVID crisis…most of these churches are only partially full or mostly empty. Do we really need one more church? Really!

I think it would be much more productive and far better for our world, if we could simply get the army of Christians, those of us who claim to know and love Jesus, who already exist here, to simply start spreading the abundant seeds that have been given to us. To share the many rich blessings that have been given with the rest of the world. To simply DO the work of being a Christ follower. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Bear with me for a moment if you will. Let’s just say for argument’s sake, that God gifted you with 25,000 blessings in your life. (Please note that I don’t believe in a finite or miserly God!) How are you doing at giving away or sharing those 25,000 blessings with our world? Have you sent your seeds off to land and grow elsewhere? Or are most of these blessings still hoarded and clinging to the stalk of your life? After all, the end goal of the cattail is to release all of its seeds to better our world. Not to hold onto what was given.

What if we got busy loving our neighbors – all of them? What if we took seriously our calling to feed the hungry, take care of the orphan, and protect the widow? What if we actually gave a tithe… and shared our financial blessing with the church and other charitable organizations that are doing God’s good work? What if we actually spoke the word Jesus to a friend or stranger outside of church? What if we quit judging others? What if we quit hiding in the status quo and let our God-given light shine and did good works for others? What if we loved and prayed for our enemies and the people we don’t like at church, in the office, in our neighborhood, or across the planet? What if you and I as followers of Jesus sought first the kingdom of God, above following our preferred political party? What if we forgive as we have been forgiven? What if we loved as God first loved us?

What if you planted just three seeds of a kind word, gratitude, appreciation, or affirmation towards another each day? What if you started giving away all that is stored and stashed but never used on our shelves and in our closets? What if we gave of our time and resources without regard for a thank you, return on investment, or acknowledgment of a good deed well done? What if we walked this planet like Johnny Appleseed and just cast seeds of love and kindness in Jesus’ name, everywhere we went?

You and I have been blessed to be a blessing to someone else. It is a beautiful thing. Your seeds shared will make the difference.

Truly charity has no limit; for the love of God has been poured into our hearts by His Spirit dwelling in each one of us, calling us to a life of devotion and inviting us to bloom in the garden where He has planted and directing us to radiate the beauty and spread the fragrance of His Providence.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Sadly, many people die while living selfishly. Their funerals are filled with individuals who stretch the truth in order to create a semblance of a meaningful life. Nobody would dare say an unkind word at the funeral; there is an unspoken obligation to come up with something nice to say about the person who died. But sometimes we secretly think the same thing: He really wasn’t that great of a person.

Francis Chan: Crazy Love

You are going to give your life for something. What will it be – a career, a sport, a hobby, fame, or wealth? None of these will have lasting significance. Service is the pathway to real significance. It is through ministry that we discover the meaning in our lives.

Rick Warren – Purpose-Driven Life

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

 because he has anointed Me, To proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

Luke 4:18 & 19

Success is about achievements: significance is about impact. Significance is having a meaningful positive and durable impact on the lives of others.

Peter Drucker

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds (good works)? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds (good works).

James 2: 14-18

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

An Empty Shell

A gorgeous spring day had been birthed for us to enjoy. After a cozy, warming coffee around our morning campfire and downing some delicious and nutritious donuts, it was time for a walk-about, explore and see what we could find.

Shane and I were out for a two-day camping trip in the Sheyenne Grasslands south of town. We had made a comfy campsite on a hillside overlooking a vast prairie. Our hammocks and tarps were hung amongst the numerous oak trees and life was good. And now day two was wide open for exploring.

We roamed freely over the rolling grasslands and oak-covered savanna. Blue skies and a slight breeze made for a perfect day. Conversations flowed freely as we poked and prodded here and there with the positive expectations of finding cool stuff. Nature is always generous to those who take the time to immerse and embrace time amidst God’s creation.

We left some of the higher hills descending into a thickly wooded valley. It appeared as though a swamp or beaver pond might be located at the bottom, so we picked our way through the brambles of raspberry thickets, and thick brush and were finally rewarded by the shimmering silver-blue water of a large beaver pond. Bingo!

We picked our way along the edge and finally made the intersection of the beaver dam with the shoreline.

We planned to use the dam as a convenient walkway back to the other hillside to head back to camp. Beaver ponds are filled with all kinds of wildlife and the muddy dams are great places to look for the tracks of fellow travelers like us seeking a shortcut.

Just as we began our balancing act across the narrow stick and mud dam, I noticed a small painted turtle in the matted-down swamp grass. Whoo-hoo! Now that’s something cool to find!

I scrambled down into the grass and reached for the shell, raising it to my face for a better look. Instantly I knew and could feel something was not right. As I raised it to eye level, my touch told me it was too light, and sure enough, it was nothing but an empty shell. I could look right through it. A turtle shell for sure. But it was empty. No one was home. It was now nothing but a lifeless empty shell.

Disappointing, but also a neat find for use later. Maybe a Native American rattle, an oil lamp bowl, or a dish. Who knows? I tucked it into my pocket.

Upon arriving home and cleaning up I placed the shell in one of many treasure boxes that hold interesting finds like this. As I opened the box, I realized that I had four other shells of various sizes. I now had a group of five empty shells!

But five empty shells that look similar do not make a family. Nor a church. Nor a work team. Nor a friendship group. And yet so much of our world these days is empty, void of real life, and vacant of meaning. There is a hollowness to our routine and daily life.

Turtles, even when living, are famous for hiding behind their shells for physical protection. But we as humans often withdraw into our shells and hide behind a mask of pleasantness, Minnesota Nice, churchy politeness, or act chameleon-like to fit in. And much of the carapace that we hide behind is just a façade. A masquerade that keeps us from true intimacy with others.

Much of our masculine world these days is smokescreen, pretense, and veneer. John Eldredge in his superb book Wild at Heart, writes this about modern men. "Posers. We are hiding every last one of us. Well aware that we, too are not what we were meant to be, desperately afraid of exposure, terrified of being seen for what we are and are not., we have run off into the bushes. We hid in our office, at the gym, behind the newspaper ad mostly behind our personality. Most of what you encounter when you meet a man is a façade, an elaborate fig leaf, a brilliant disguise.

One hundred and fifty years ago Thoreau wrote. The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. It seems not much has changed. A line from Braveheart has it, All men die, Few men ever really live. The real life of the average man seems a universe away from the desires of his heart."

We’ve been raised to climb the corporate ladder at all costs only to arrive at the top and find nothing but emptiness. We’ve been told to achieve the American Dream, to get and accumulate all the good stuff, only to find that palaces full of good stuff… are empty and hollow of meaning. The gorgeous and seductive Amazon Fairy lures us with one-click dreams of happiness. The world promises us: newer is better. If we only had the new… we’d be happy; a new car, new house, new outfit, new spouse, new church, new purse, new drug, new fishing rod, new job, new body, new golf clubs, new friends, and the list goes on.

Sometimes emptiness is thrust upon us due to life’s circumstances. Frustrations and loneliness of waiting for a wedding ring to appear on your finger. The agony of a young woman with an empty womb waiting and praying for a child. A tattered and conflictive marriage. A tragic accident. A brutal divorce. The loss of a child, or a life partner. The onset of cancer or long-term illness. A broken relationship. The loss of a job and steady income. An addiction gone out of control. The slow fade of a beloved parent sliding down the slippery slope of Alzheimer’s. Ongoing battles with depression or anxiety. The list goes on.

But emptiness is a common condition of the human experience. It comes with the turf of living this crazy existence. Humankind has wrestled with emptiness since we wandered out from the caves. I believe that just maybe, God built emptiness into the human heart. He purposely created us with a hole in our hearts. A space and place that can only be filled by Him. Emptiness is a gift… when it leads you back to the One true thing that can fill it. God himself.

I have had many stages and times in my life when I felt like an empty shell. I may have appeared good or competent, or like I had my act together on the outside, but that was just a shell or façade. For fear of disapproval or unacceptance, I wore the mask. I think this is common for most of us on the journey of life. But for those of us who pursue God, searching for His truth, He will always restore us and fill us with his love and purpose.

So, if you’re feeling empty, come to Jesus in surrender. Ask Him to show you the what, how, and who of the false fillers you’re using to give your life meaning. Then allow the Holy Spirit to renew and fill your life with passion, purpose, and meaning from within.

The Emptiness of Possessions

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also amassed silver and gold for myself and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. When I considered all that I had accomplished, and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Rom. 15:13

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19

And this is my prayer: I pray that your love will grow more and more. I pray that you will have better understanding and be wise in all things. I pray that you will know what is the very best. I pray that you will be true and without blame until the day Christ comes again. And I pray that you will be filled with the fruits of right living. These come from Jesus Christ, with honor and thanks to God.

Philippians 1:9-11

Men past forty, Get up at nights, look out at city lights, and wonder… Where they made the wrong turn, and why life is so long.

Ed Sissman

Any Given Sunday

On any given Sunday I have a unique vantage point from the stage where I lead worship, to witness and watch people. I can often see written in their facial expressions, posture, or tears the turmoil, stress, or trial that they are facing. When I’m not preaching, I sit on the sideline and can watch the audience. I enjoy observing the crowd and can see how, when or where a sermon is connecting to different people, and often witness when a message intersects with a point of struggle, hurt, or pain in someone.

Seated halfway in the back is Candice, whose adult daughter has not spoken to her for over two years. Heartache and sorrow weigh heavily upon her shoulders for this broken relationship.

Then there is Raymond sitting up front. At 40-something he’s most likely walking his last weeks on this planet having exhausted all forms of treatment in his long battle with cancer. His wife Laurie sits two chairs away, and there is no masking her sadness, sense of fear, and uncertainty as she stares vacantly into the unknown future. Their young daughter Lucy, eight years old, sits between them curled in her father’s arm, staring up at him with searching eyes, not fully comprehending what is or what will be.

And then there’s Tommy, a retired musician. Just diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fear and worry furrow his brow with the unknown of waiting for test results and treatment options. He’s trying hard to be faith-filled, but anxiety still rears its ugly head.

Down the row is Sandra, caught up in an ugly court battle. Her life is filled with angst and confusion pondering her uncertain future. She wonders why God is so silent.

On the other side of the aisle sit Lenny and Carol, who talk the talk, put on the Sunday smiles, dress nicely, and even hold hands during the service. Yet behind the smiles lies the truth of an empty, lifeless, dispassionate marriage that could crumble at any given moment.

A few rows back sit Danny and Maggie. Their twenty-something son Alex died a year earlier from complications due to substance abuse. Greif still clings heavily to their hearts and getting through a service and sentimental songs without tears is difficult. They grieve silently, alone, together.

Sitting near the back at the second service is the young couple Tanya and David, who just miscarried for the fourth time. The empty stare and sunken eyes on Tanya betray heavy sorrow, deep sadness, and a nagging sense of failure. Her posture cries out silently; What is wrong with me?

Sitting in front of them is Steven, whose back pain increases daily. He’s done everything he’s supposed to do, but it doesn’t get better. He feels old, and at wit’s end.

Then there is Paul. Paul lives two lives: Jekyll and Hyde.