Early summer has arrived in Southern Illinois. It is 84 degrees with 41% humidity. It is a hot day and the Pandemic Prisoners have been released. The restaurants and the bars are open for business and what stores that we have left are in customer service mode. I recall last May. We were scheduled to visit Booth Bay Harbor in Maine and we had to cancel our holiday due to Covid19. We re-scheduled for September, 2020 and found that Maine did not want us due to the Pandemic. This year is quite different than the last. Vaccinations are plentiful and many have been fully vaccinated. A new chapter has been turned in the story of our lives. Our pastor, Kerry, said this morning in MJ and Jonathon, and my Zoom church service, that he wanted to gather photos and memorabilia together between now and Christmas and then for us to secure it until 10 years have passed. Then we could open the collection as a church family and see what we had been doing and what we had been concerned about and the direction our lives seemed to be traveling…way back in 2021. Well, first of all, I thought that it would be a nice goal to be alive for the opening of the time capsule 10 years from now.

I remember become a Christian in 1968 and wondering if would stay with it for the reminder of my life…rather short or long. I had found a lifestyle that suited me like a set of new clothes and I had more purpose than I had ever experienced before. I also had about 100 new friends that seemed to care about me and my mom. I have always been a bit of a loner…as was mother. The Christian life brought so many new and exciting possibilities that it captivated my attention. During those early years I wanted to become a minister. To me there was not a higher calling nor more difficult job to do right…than minister. And the Story continued.

People being mistreated and marginalized and shut out from the normal branches of power that others seemingly could access with ease, troubled me and I hoped to be able to alleviate some suffering and to bring a smile to as many faces as possible. Aren’t smiles and laughs…magical? Christ said, ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’ Jesus did not tell us that he had a Cadillac and if we followed him that we would have one also…

Mom and I were poor. We were especially destitute when she and my dad divorced. I began the first grade carrying my lunch to school in a brown paper bag…and I was the only child in the class that did so. One of my classmates asked if my mother did not have the 20 cents per day for a hot lunch…I replied that she did not. There a number of people in our towns and cities that would be flabbergasted to discover that the financially secure of their hamlet…had an interest in them…

I still enjoy the new clothes of Christianity and have worn them for 52 years. All facets of my life have been better with Christ. I did not say that they had been easy…but they have been better. When members of my family were sick…Christ was there. When I was worried and frustrated in my career…Christ was there. When I have been disappointed in churches…Christ never let me down. I found many years ago that the role of Christian does not need to be explained…it needs to be seen…

It has been a hot day in Little Egypt. I took Aaron over to get his repaired truck with the new bumper and it looked great. Every time that I am with him I think how proud that I am of him. He is an extremely hard worker and such a kind and considerate person. He often reminds me of the best of what I have sought to be…although I have often fallen short of my goals.

Jonathon and I visited Electric Larry’s and Randall looked like a different person without his face mask. Electric Larry’s is following the CDC guidelines that specify that if you are fully vaccinated against Covid19…you no longer have to wear a face mask. It is a new world in facial recognition. I almost always find something that I desire at Electric Larry’s…and with a lot of purusing…I found a transistor radio with a leather case…that reminded me of one that I had in the 1960’s.

Tuesday I resigned my position on the Session, which is what the First Presbyterian Church calls its leadership board, and I did so with reluctance…as it had been the finest most sincere group of Christian leaders that I had ever served with. I have always been a reluctant leader…feeling that I am woefully unqualified to lead anyone…anywhere. Two years and three months ago I accepted a position on the board with the plan of only staying one year…although the typical terms are three years in length. My plan was to be involved, in some small way, with securing a new pastor for our church. To my great delight our Interim Pastor agreed to be our Covenant Pastor…with a five year commitment. Kerry is simply delightful to work with and once his pastorship was affected I felt that my time was completed. I had the wonderful opportunity to work one more time with my former Session colleague and friend, Rob, who has been a mentor and encourager for me since our early days of association.

I received the sweetest and kind notes from my friends, Sarah and Kathy, as well as a lovey card from, Lisa and Ro, which after reading their heartfelt and generous comments…I had tears in my eyes from their Christian love.

The primary reason that the Presbyterian church appealed to both MJ and myself was their unique form of government…their polity. This is a church that is governed by a board of elected elders that work in conjunction with the pastor to affect representative government on behalf of the congregation. It is a beautiful thing…

My heartfelt thank you to my colleagues on the Session and to Pastor Kerry for making me always welcome and for their sincere patience with my minor abilities…and for making me feel like, one of my favorite terms of endearment, a Champ…

Jonathon met the Chancellor today at the Student Center. He was impressed with how friendly the he was and the natural manner in which he spoke to him. Believe it or not…friendly goes a long way with we rank and file folks. When you meet us…do you remember our name? If you are our pastor…do you make it a point to know each member of your congregation well enough to hold a decent conversation with them? Do we feel like a few select people run the organization…while the rest of us are along for the ride.

I spoke with a friendly and timid squirrel today. Now before you think that I am daft…have you ever tried speaking with a friendly and timid squirrel? They are actually quite pleasant conversationalist. We humans are bedrock certain that we are the dominate species on earth due to our big brains and advance intellectual capacities. But…how do we know that it true? Has a squirrel ever told you that fact… I watched some dolphins in Destin, Florida last week while we were eating at the restaurant 790. Our fellow diners stood up and peered and postulated in enraptured excitement and joy at the Dolphins that were swimming so close to shore. I was so taken aback that I forgot to take any photos…and I take a lot of photos!

How is it that leaders feel that some people…rather in our church congregation or in the workplace or the company setting…are so much more enabled to be the advisors and the movers and the shakers and those who have the best ideas for the church or the university or the political party? As the organization diminishes and the church dies…how is it that leadership does not seek other voices and new ideas for survival and growth…

Whatever organization that you are a member of…be certain that only a few people are the decision makers…and the rest of us are subject to the decisions of the insiders or the select few. Often the decision makers have money to back up their voice and their authority. Often they have longevity and perceived career accomplishments to carry in their briefcase of leadership advice. Organizations rally around the tired and true leadership that has taken them from church memberships of hundreds to little over 100. University administrators seek the same cadre of wise men that have taken the Alma Matter from nearly 25 thousand to under 10 thousand…and they wonder what the endemic problem is…

Bob Dylan sang, ‘The Times They Are a-Changin,’ This was true at the song’s release in 1964…and it is true today. I was watching a documentary on CNN with newscaster and commentator, Fareed Zakaria, who noted that the United States is rapidly becoming a secular society. Denominational churches are diminishing in congregants on an annual […]

Where Have All The People Gone? — The Jazz Man

It is another cloudy day as I watch my backyard pond. Currently no rain is falling…but it could any minute. I was in a meeting with our wonderful church music director, this morning, and I and the other four people in the group all agreed that Carlyn is not only a consummate professional…but she has a wonderful spirit…she is a gifted teacher…and inspirational to those whom she leads and mentors.

When I was the assistant superintendent of Building Services I often had to speak on behalf of the superintendent. This was an uncomfortable position for me and I was relieved to no longer have to be someone’s mouthpiece when I became the superintendent…some time later. When someone speaks or plans for me without asking my opinion…I wonder where they received their information. There is a liberty in saying what your true opinion is…even if there is no one in the room that agrees with you.

A derivation of the great author, George Orwell’s Newspeak, is a current political party that simply denies demonstrated reality in the herculean effort to curry favor with their titular leader. It is painful to watch! I always enjoyed speaking with my friend, Bart, who was nearly 90 at the time of a conversation that we were having. Bart told me that he had resigned a leadership position at church rather than be marginalized. I mentioned that although he had encouraged me to do the same…I wondered if I did not…still…have lessons to learn? He mentioned that my comment had merit…but that he had learned those lessons 70 years ago.

We all want to go along and get along. It is intrinsic to our human nature to desire to be a part of the group. We want to be agreeable…we want to be a valued member of the team. However, at critical times in life you must be willing and able to take a stand for what you believe…to say this much and no more… To speak your sincere convictions is a lonely proposition. The Lone Wolf…is alone for a reason… But, as the saying goes, ‘To thine own self be true.’

It is a lovely partly cloudy day in Little Egypt. Many days in Southern Illinois…are overcast…with a light rain falling. The walking was easy on Campus today. The solitude of the Break…suited my mood. We are back from a week in Florida…for old folks. My primary enjoyment came from watching the ever changing horizons of the mysterious ocean and it’s endless waves. We experienced some lovely cuisine and the gulf shrimp is…as Ron says…to die for! MJ and Aaron played endless rounds of cards with Ron and Ira Kaye…and the sound of their laughter warmed my heart. It was a treat to get away after over a year of lock-down caused by the Pandemic. The freedom that being fully vaccinated affords is astounding. While at Miramar Beach we discussed how far back in our lives that we could remember. Some said Junior High while others said 6 or 7 years old….I said that I could recall events that transpired when I was 2 years old. I actually remember things that happened before I was 2…but I did not want to sound like I was bragging.

On our trip to Creal Springs, Illinois this past Saturday, my friend, Jeff, mentioned that he did not allow things that distressed him to take up residency in his head… There is some significant wisdom in this idea. How often have you found yourself allowing unpleasant people and disturbing events to enjoy large estates in your brain? The first thing when you wake up in the morning…they are there….the last thing you see at night is your dysfunctional neighbor walking their dog in your yard…and the dog making a massive poop in your azaleas. Or you awaken in the middle of the night and there is your naughty neighbor sitting on the side of your bed with a toothy smile and asking if you have been thinking about them…

As a child I knew that life was short. I soon found out that everyone had an opinion and a suggestion and their own prescription for how I should live my life. Many advisors are so busy engaging in directing the lives of others that they have little time to consider their own. I mentioned, in a recent blog, that the author, Joan Didion, said that certain faith communities seemed to have congregations that were seeking someone to tell them what they should do. Jeff recounted that it seemed to him that many folks were looking for someone to lead them. I once had a friend who admitted that she did not like to make her own decisions and wanted someone to instruct her as to what she should do.

Letting out large portions of grey matter… real estate… can result in unhappiness and confusion. The property manager of your thoughts and life direction may be running from pillar to post attempting to ascertain if it is the owners whishes that he is supposed to fulfill…or the many renters and those holding long term leases…in you head…

We arrived in Florida a few days earlier than we usually do. The weather was pleasant and somewhat cooler than usual. One day, last week it was chilly…my kind of temperatures. We journeyed to our regular spots…including the Donut Hole at 6:00 A:M:. Ron told us that to get a seat without waiting we would have to leave their condo, at Miramar Beach, at 5:45 A:M:. But we were like doubting Thomas of the Bible…and we would not believe until we saw for ourselves. So, we arrived at 10:00 A:M: and saw a line snaking outside and around the building. Thus we arose and we’re on our way at 5:45 the next morning and enjoyed almost an empty restaurant.

I was pondering how much talent that I lost when I was a manager/administrator when I failed to mentor young people and develop them before it was too late. In my large organization more than one young staff person left our department and I felt personally responsible for the departure. These were people that for whatever reason I had not realized had been marginalized by their peers and thus felt unnecessary to the organization or, perhaps, unwanted. These folks were not necessarily mad… or had a bone to pick…but rather moved on to other interests due to the apparent lack of a company vision that had them firmly affixed in it’s working matters. Often by the time that they were brought to my attention…they had already decided to go somewhere where they were needed and where their skill sets were appreciated.

As I watched the young folks that perform the herculean chore of taking the beach chairs and umbrellas from their storage shed and shoulder two of the heavy chairs on each shoulder and then trot out to the water to place the set-ups near the breaking waves…I considered that these intelligent and motivated young people had a clear vision of their place in the organization and were inspired as to their value to its success…

We in our churches bemoan how few young people come to us and even fewer stay. Perhaps we should examine how we can assure them of their importance to our faith communities and the value that they bring to us…

We have returned from a lovely week at Miramar Beach in Florida. My friends, Ron and Ira Kaye are such gracious hosts. I never tire of the majestic beauty of the ocean. The peace and serenity that it exudes is a balm for the soul. My friend, Jane, says in regard to photos of the Gulf, ‘I see God, eternity, grace, peace and love. What a wonderful God he is!’ I agree.

Sitting and watching the Gulf…for hours on end has taught me how little that I am and how big God is. There is a question that has offend been asked…if you retire from your career or resign a volunteer position…it is similar to putting your fist into a full pail of water and then withdrawing it to discover that there is no hole where your hand had been… So many of the worries and troubled sleepless nights that we spend are regarding self made concerns that have little or no relevance to our ongoing happiness. The beauty and simplicity of ocean waves are like the hands on God’s clock…

Leadership has intrigued me all of my life. Although I have worked with many leaders…it is as rare as hen’s teeth to find a servant leader. I mentioned to our Pastor, Kerry, that he was a servant leader. Many times a person who gets the opportunity to lead a group of people…seems to need a larger hat due the expansion of their head. We in the United States see servant leaders so seldom that we have almost forgotten what they look like.

Often the qualities of leadership and fidelity to truth are fungible to the grifters who hold leadership positions. Truth is treated as a situational commodity. As long as the truth does not affect the leaders bottom line…they attest to it…they cry…’Me Too!’ But, as soon as the factual truth does not comport with the popular lie…it is no longer worth protecting or standing with…if it affects the paycheck. We proclaim that if we had been in Nazi Germany we would have stood up to Hitler and placed our life on the line for the protection of our fellow human beings. When in the sunshine of our current time we see people who tell the truth…expunged…to make room for a leader who will lie…not for the sake of democracy or political party…but for political expediency.

‘The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ ‘Diogenes replied: ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’ -370 BC

‘We rise by lifting others.’ Robert Ingersoll

Cool and rainy today. MJ and I made a sojourn to Aldi’s this morning…to obtain some magnificent low prices. Our lost Gander was greeted today by a couple of his compatriots and they bawled at each other as if they had not seen each other in a month of Sundays. Our goose has become a […]

Embrace Who You Are — The Jazz Man