My Sunday morning began with me grumbling, grumbling that ended when I walked into church.  There I shook hands with the greeters and smiled at the people in the pews around me.  Dave was not fooled. All of this started when our company left that morning, and let’s face it: some people are meant to be house guests, and others…well, they need lessons.

When they arrived a few days earlier, “Jim” wasn’t talking to “Helen.” That remained unchanged.  She catered to him, did everything to please him, but he clearly was irritated with her and refused to acknowledge her.  Jim loved his time with Dave and me, but his actions toward Helen left me asking her why she didn’t deserve even a little respect from him, that God did not make her a doormat. (The fact that they have dated for 15 years but never married affected the way I counseled her.)  Details don’t matter, but it was a long five days.

When they left, he announcing that they might come here and rent for a month, I gasped.  That was Helen’s chance to lay down the law and tell her “boyfriend” that things needed to change before she would spend 30 days with him.  (Actually, 30 minutes would have been too much for me.) That’s what led to my Sunday morning rant.

“You know what’s going to happen, Dave.  Jim will be at our house every day, hanging out, and I will need to babysit Helen who will be griping about Jim.  She won’t listen to my advice, so what am I to do?  30 days!  Do you realize how long that is?”  And with that, we drove to church.

No surprises here, but the sermon dealt with the use of our time.  The pastor cited about 20 scriptures addressing how life is short, and we are here for one purpose: to glorify God. Life is not about me and my desires to fill my time.  Our job is to be a disciple for Christ and to share our testimony with everyone we meet.  I guess “everyone” probably would include Jim (an atheist) and Helen (of Jewish lineage).

I was convicted.  In the 15 years we had been friends with this couple, we had not made a dent in how we represented what Christ had done in our lives.  They know we are Christians.  They have heard us pray before meals and have turned down our invitations to go to church with us, but they have not made any move to want what we have (except for the grumbling part).

Sunday’s pastor addressed all the ways we fail to do what we are called to do, and I met most of the requirements.  We should wake up with intentionality, seeking to introduce others to Jesus.  Instead, we wake up with our “to do” list beckoning to be met, or we seek social time that makes us happy.

On the drive home from church, I asked Dave if he had called the pastor and asked him to preach directly to me.  I told him that the sermon made me realize how selfish I am, how 30 days is nothing if I can show this couple the love of Christ and have opportunities to speak boldly about him.  Instead of Dave agreeing that I needed that message, he said that it was directed at him, that there are areas—he listed them—he needs to improve also.

Looks like we both are in need of a little more Jesus.  No, correction…a lot more Jesus.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

KuneKune BBQ

My daughter, Mariam, is having the time of her life raising farm animals on their little homestead. A few years ago, she acquired two KuneKune (cooney cooney) piglets. The name of this breed means “fat and round” and they produce high-quality pork. KuneKunes are friendly, docile, and easy to handle which made them sweet and fun pets. My three granddaughters were told from the get-go that Cookie and Oreo would eventually end up on a dinner plate, and they were OK with that because they love bacon.

When the big pigs were butchered, there wasn’t enough freezer space to store all the meat. So Mariam brought a bunch of it in a black trash bag to store at my house. One day  my son Aaron was at my house and he put some venison burger in the deep freeze. I mentioned that there were several outdated packages of meat, so he took the hint and started cleaning it out. I couldn’t oversee this project because I was cooking our Thanksgiving meal — so he was on his own. He took all the old stuff out and threw it on my brush pile in the pasture (to be burned sometime in the future).

When all the family was enjoying our holiday meal together, I mentioned the good job Aaron had done in cleaning out the deep freeze for me. My daughter’s eyes got as big as quarters as she looked at her brother and, with a mouthful of pickled beets, point-blank  asked, “You didn’t throw away my KuneKune pig meat did you?!” Aaron nonchalantly answered, “I don’t know, maybe.” The end of the story is yes, he threw it out, but she retrieved it from the burn pile, still in the bag and still frozen.

Aaron simply didn’t take the time to open the trash bag and look inside, therefore, he didn’t know what was in it. It’s been said that believers live below our privileges as children of God. The Word of God is full of promises but many of them are never “cashed in”  because we don’t know what they are! We must open the Bible to read and study it so we won’t be ignorant. For example, we may personally pay for damage to our home when, in fact, we have insurance that would cover the cost. Ignorance is certainly not bliss when it comes to knowing God’s inexhaustible spiritual riches.

God gave Apostle Paul the special responsibility of preaching salvation to the Gentiles. “And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6 NLT). God’s riches are our spiritual blessings as we daily live our lives in Him. Let’s read God’s Word to find out what inexhaustible riches are ours. When I purchased a new dishwasher, I read the owner’s manual in order to benefit from all the available options.

Apostle Paul wrote: “Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, He graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ” (Ephesians 3:8 NLT). Paul wrote letters (manuals) to the churches in the Books of Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. If we want to walk in the spiritual blessings that God intends for us, let’s  study the Owner’s Manual from cover to cover and stake our claim.

The Key: Don’t burn, through ignorance, what’s rightfully yours.

Greta watched me play pickleball and asked if I would like to join an elite group of female players.  Would I ever!  My tryout would be the following Thursday evening.  I showed up a little early, not too early (as not to appear overly eager), but just the right amount of “early,” I hoped.

Greta arrived soon afterward and asked me and another player, Kim, to play against Greg and John. She and Stephanie, the advanced team’s captain, would watch and determine if I was good enough. I was confident and excited to show I had the skills they were seeking.

Greg served the ball. My paddle never touched it.  His spin caused the ball to hit the ground and skid, not bounce like a normal serve. For the rest of the match, this did not change. Greta and Stephanie stood on the sidelines and whispered.  This was not good.

In my next match, I was paired against John and was forewarned that he took great delight in smashing it right at his opponent’s body, especially females.  Which he did. And even though I was able to deflect his ball, I was unable to return it into his court.  The harder I tried, the worse I played.  My mind kept repeating, You’re pathetic.  What’s wrong with you?  Get it together.  You’re embarrassing yourself.         

I had the yips, a term sports teams use for players who cannot do what they are supposed to do.  With the yips, for example, pitchers will throw twelve feet from a catcher, quarterbacks will pass the ball to the sidelines instead of the receiver downfield, and golfers will swing like I do.  It’s all in their heads, and few ever come out of it.

Perhaps I would take up knitting.  (Do knitters get the yips?)

When I arrived home, Dave asked me how I did; I told him I was terrible.  He didn’t believe me until a few days went by and Greta never invited me to join their league.

The following week, playing in my recreational pickleball league, with Greta present, Janel said that she was going to sign me up for the advanced women’s league.  Greta started stammering like a jackhammer as to why that wouldn’t work.  Janel disagreed.  I would have found it amusing, had the argument been about anyone else but me.

In my tryout, I had let my nerves (fear) get the better of me.  Have you been there?  You want to try out for the Praise and Worship team or take up photography or lead a Bible study, but those inner voices scream your unworthiness.  And if, by chance, you take a stab at it only to be told you’re not quite enough, is your confidence shaken?  I hope not.

According to Paul’s second letter to Timothy, God does not give us a spirit of fear.

The Bible is not short on stories of individuals who feared something.  Moses.  David.  Elijah. The disciples.  They all had to overcome that fear to use the gifts God had given them.  I was no different.  What happened to me on that pickleball court was all in my own mind, doing what it does well…making me doubt myself.

Ironically, as I was writing this article, Greta texted me and asked if I would help her coach a couple of relatively new players.

A chance to redeem myself… or a subtle way for her to coach me as well?

Something is seriously wrong with my mind.

Our county discussion of commercial solar energy is like blind people describing an elephant. Everyone speaks to their issue but no one identifies the issue that should unify us all. Climate change is real. The science is undeniable but your common sense tells you conditions are changing. Armadillos should not be in Kansas. The apocalyptic cascade of rising and warming oceans, worsening storms, draught, famine, resulting mass migration to avoid starvation, social unrest and eventually violent conflict is already unfolding. WAKE UP! We can do something about this. Many from Bourbon County have traveled far to do clean up disaster relief. Embracing renewable energy like commercial solar is our communities’ opportunity, even obligation, to help “clean up” climate change. Yes, our county is not zoned and land owners have the right to use their land. In this case using it for solar will ultimately benefit us all. Yes, we should listen to people who have voiced concerns but the risks they describe can be mitigated and, in the larger picture, are minor compared to the disaster of unresolved climate change.

Our county commissioners have a choice. They can use citizen concerns to block solar development or they can address the issues, solve the problem and move forward with solar. Solve the problem and serve the world by becoming part of the climate change solution. Solve the problem and, in this win-win scenario, promote economic development for Bourbon County. Development with the potential to yearly bring millions of dollars into the county for the duration of the projects. Solve the problem and avoid the potential for significant legal liability loss that becomes a burden on the citizens of this county. Commissioners, the choice is in your hands. The path forward seems pretty clear.

Randy Nichols

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

The Whites of Their Eyes

While driving down the main drag of a nearby town, I noticed the sign, “Contactless Ordering” outside a fast-food restaurant. It seems the business owner was touting this option as a drawing card for customers. But I immediately thought, “I don’t want contactless, I want a real person!” I want to see the whites of their eyes when I’m placing an order. I need to ask questions and get answers. I like to be silly and have fun with people I know and even people I don‘t know. Recently, I approached a local fast-food counter where a young man was taking orders and I said, “Tell me something I don’t already know.“ He was clearly stumped and asked, “About food?“ I couldn’t help but laugh at his response. I love that! Without interacting with people, our lives would be dull, lonely, and greatly lacking in laughter.

Let’s face it, how can we love people if we do everything within our power to isolate? I believe God created us to need one another and, therefore, be with one another. How can we be strengthened and encouraged when we perpetually choose to stay home and watch church online? A few times I’ve returned home from church and re-watched the service online and it was not the same. A sanctuary full of people who love Jesus and love one another is a totally different atmosphere from being home alone with me, myself, and I.

I appreciate what John the Beloved had to say about loving one another: “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:11-12 NLT). Not if, but when we’re tempted to be unloving, we need to remember that Jesus told us to love others in the same way that He loves us. That’s a tall order for sure. But Jesus never tells us to do something we can’t do because He provides the power to do it if we really want to obey His Word. “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NLT).

And then we have Apostle Paul’s letter to the church family in Colossae: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:13-14 NLT). Loving people goes hand-in-hand with forgiving people. We’re supposed to wear love like we wear clothes. You wouldn’t dare leave home without a stitch of clothing on and, likewise, we better not leave home without being wrapped up in a love coat.

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s remember that love makes the world go ‘round. February is known as the month of love, so put your heart and soul into loving people (whether you know them or not). Try throwing your love around like candy in a parade

The Key: Love never goes out of style, so put it on and wear it everyday.

The Kansas City Chiefs took quite a Super Bowl thrashing this past Sunday. Not even my Mahomes jersey and my KC Chiefs’ paper plates made a difference. Our San Francisco friends, Howard and Joyce, had driven to our home in Vegas, and they and Dave’s two daughters, Nanette and Nikki, joined us for the game.

Before the festivities began, Dave asked Nikki if she was rooting for the Chiefs.  What kind of a question was that?  Of course she was rooting for the Chiefs!  Our whole family knows what a fan I am, so when she did not answer, I about keeled over.  “What?  Say it isn’t so,” I said.  After all, the Eagles were enemies. Boo, Eagles!

To explain Nikki’s answer, I need to back up a few years to the shooting massacre that happened when Jason Aldean’s country band was performing here in Vegas.  Nikki’s son’s best friend, Quentin, was there with his girlfriend when the shots rang out.  As it became apparent that this was no fireworks show, people ran for their lives or dove to the ground.  Quentin lay on top of his girlfriend, and when the first round of shots stopped, he got to his knees to look for a way to escape.  That’s when he was shot and killed.

Dave and I were visiting Nikki and her family at the time, so we walked through the family’s pain of losing a 19-year-old whom we had known since he was a little boy.  So beloved by the community was he that the high school he attended painted a large “Q” on the mountain nearby.

What does that have to do with the Chiefs’ game?   Nikki explained that Quentin was a huge Philadelphia Eagles’ fan and that after he died, the Eagles found out about his passion for their team and sent memorabilia for the family to help honor their son. Nikki was torn between my love of the Chiefs and Quentin’s love for the Eagles.

Suddenly, my excitement for the Chiefs was not so passionate.  The Eagles were not bad guys.  They had done something that touched Quentin’s family and friends forever, and now they touched mine.

Isn’t that the way life is?  We are adamant about one position/side, but when we hear of a kind gesture from the opposition, our stubbornness mellows. At least it should.

Philippians 4:8 cautions us about our thoughts: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

There is nothing wrong with being a fan, but that loyalty needs to be put into perspective.  The lesson?  If I’m ever swayed to favor one team/idea/position, I need to take time to look at the other side and focus on the merits of both.

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

A Fun Refrigerator Door

My brother, Randy, was the best. He was ten years older than me and we got along wonderfully. We shared the same sense of humor and he made my life a delight. He was engaging, fun, entertaining, ingenuitive,  patient, thoughtful, and kind.

One snowy winter day, when I was six to eight years old, Randy found an old refrigerator door by the barn and brought it to the house. He tied a rope to it, told me to get on, and then he pulled me around the yard on the snow as I sat on the fridge door. Like the witch of Narnia, I had my very own reindeer and sleigh! Back in the 1960s, we made use of what we had and simply created our own fun. My brother made my day and that’s why I still have this delightful memory tucked away in my heart.

Randy has been gone since June 2022, and I miss him. He did his best to stick around for his family, but one summer day he drew his last breath and slipped away to Heaven. My sweet brother reminds me of this scripture, “…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV). This verse is often applied to the intimate walk we have with Christ Jesus, and I agree with that theology. Like a good brother, Jesus is there. Like a bridge over troubled waters, Jesus is there.

Being a friend and having a friend go hand in hand. There are friends and then there are special friends, such as a dear friend, best friend, close friend, bosom friend, etc. A genuine friend is someone in whom you have a strong bond, dependable, keeps your secrets, and is honest and trustworthy. Jesus is a friend like no other. No matter how many fantastic friends you have, Jesus outshines them all.

Notice that Jesus called Judas Iscariot “friend” when he betrayed Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. “So Judas came straight to Jesus. ’Greetings, Rabbi!’ he exclaimed and gave Him the kiss. Jesus said, ‘My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for’” (Matthew 26:50 NLT). This was an atrocious act because the kiss was a symbol of friendship and honor. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke with gentle compassion even though Judas’ heart was as hard as stone. Jesus is a true friend that will not betray you. He’ll stick with you like Gorilla glue.

Jesus was known to be a friend of sinners and He would often join them for supper. Saving sinners was the purpose of His coming, so He spent time with them in order to introduce the gospel and welcome them into the kingdom of God (see Matthew 9:9-13).

In the 1800s, Joseph Scriven wrote a poem and sent it to his mother to encourage her because she was ill. He wanted to remind her that she had a never-failing Friend in Jesus. The poem later became a much-loved song in our hymnals: “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

The Key: Believers have a special Friend in Jesus and He will stick even closer than a big brother.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.”  If you’ve ever prayed for something and God appears unconcerned or absent, you’re in good company.  Well, not good company because His faith-full children know that life is all about His timing, not theirs.

In the Zoom Bible study I attend, last week we discussed God’s timing by listening to a sermon by Pastor Craig Groeschel.  He addressed three reasons why God was silent for 400 years between the writings of the Old and New Testaments.

(1).  Learning was no longer done by a teacher speaking while students remained silent; rather, the Socratic method was introduced whereby students were allowed to participate and question.

(2). Rome developed roads and travel flourished.

(3).  Alexander the Great conquered the world and Jewish people spread out.

According to Groeschel, all of that needed to happen to prepare for Jesus’ coming.  God’s timing is perfect, even though it might not seem that way if we spend weeks/months/years praying for something and are hanging onto that knotted rope.

My son, Adam, recently recovered two Haitian orphans, a seven-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, and delivered them to their adoptive, Canadian parents who met them at the airport in Miami, Florida.  His safety and theirs depended on God’s timing.

A year ago, Adam’s sex-trafficking team rescued a missionary family in Haiti and returned them to the U.S.  That family was contacted by two Canadian couples who had spent five years trying to adopt two Haitian orphans, and now that the papers were signed, it was too dangerous for the kids to get out of Port Au Prince.  Did they know anyone who could help?  The missionaries put them in contact with Adam.  This time our son went alone.

A colleague Adam had met in Ukraine knew a helicopter pilot in Haiti who could help in the rescue. When travel to the U.S. was postponed (Flights to Port Au Prince had been suspended by all airlines due to violence in the country), an acquaintance of Adam’s knew a pastor who hid them until they could leave. Had Adam not met these people (God’s timing), this could have had a very different outcome.

Adam knew that God had orchestrated this rescue, so when he was grilled for hours at the Embassy, he did not fret.  After all, here was a white, tattooed, bearded male, attempting to leave Haiti with two young black children, and even though he had all the legal paperwork, he looked suspicious. At the airport and on the plane, he felt the looks and heard the murmurs.  (I’m sure I would have been one of those judging, except I, in my dramatic flair, probably would have made a scene and had him arrested.)

Psalm 18:30 (NIV) is a verse worth memorizing: As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.                                                                

Adam will attest to that.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Welcome Home

I recently purchased a replacement porch mat for the front door. This one has “Welcome” printed on it; my old one didn‘t. As I admired how nice it looked because it was new, I also realized that “welcome” is a very inviting word. The mat actually gives a friendly  greeting before anyone steps foot into my home. I have a decorative sign in the kitchen that reads, “Welcome Home.” The word “home” includes an additional warmth. Where I come from, that means whatever I have is yours with all my love and prayers. John Denver composed and performed the song “Back Home Again” and it won the “Song of the Year” award in 1975. A couple of my favorite lyrics in Denver’s song are: “It’s the little things that make a house a home” and “supper on the stove.”

When believers die, we’re going to go Home, although it’s a place we’ve never been and have only read about. But I’m confident we’ll feel more at home in Heaven than we have on  earth. My daughter Mariam and son Aaron performed B.J. Thomas’ song entitled, “Home Where I Belong” at their dad’s memorial service. Heaven is a home where everything is magnificently perfect and everyone is filled with love. This is not just wishful thinking either. “God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20 MSG).

I’ve attended hundreds of funeral services and the standard Bible passage that’s used to encourage the family is: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3 NKJV). Jesus is telling us to not be worried or anxious, but to believe God is Who He says He is.  We are to grab hold of the promise that Jesus is preparing a Home for us and, if we remain faithful, we can live with Him for eternity.

I helped my late husband build our home in 1980-81. It seems like just a few years ago, but time is beginning to reveal some normal wear and tear. The New Testament states that God is the architect and builder of Heaven and deterioration cannot happen there.  Jesus said: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20 NLT). Our time on earth is meant to be spent loving and serving God and loving and serving our fellow man. Our lifespan gives Jesus time to build the perfect home for us when we wave good-bye, world, good-bye.

“For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven” (Hebrews 13:14 TLB). The address of my current home is temporary — as long as I’m on planet earth, nothing is permanent. We need to remember that this life is not all there is. It’s been said that, “Life is not all it’s cracked up to be.“ Generally speaking, I don’t believe that. But some days are better than others for sure. Believers are going to live forever in an eternal Home of bliss because God is sitting high upon His Throne.

The Key: God’s welcome mat is always out and the Light is on for believers coming Home where they belong.

If you were at all interested in the Kansas City Chief’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, chances are you were on the edge of your seat the entire game. I ran home from church and donned my red and gold Chiefs’ shirt, made Dave and me some lunch and curled up on my living room couch.

My phone texts began dinging an hour before kickoff, and they continued until an hour after the game. As the game progressed, girlfriends were posting emojis of happy faces, then sad faces, then “Go Chiefs” emblems, followed by “I can’t take this!” shrieks.  There I sat, yelling at our players for not catching a pass or for missing a tackle and cheering for them when they made a touchdown or stopped the Bills from moving downfield.

Post game, I couldn’t wait to watch the highlights.  Now that my heart rate had returned to normal, I would be able to enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly because I knew the outcome. I had nothing to sweat.  No longer would I be upset when our defense failed to intercept a pass or sack the Bill’s quarterback.  When our opponents went ahead, I feared not.  I knew the final score: 32-29.  I still get excited when I think about that final minute of action.

When, for some reason, the television station showed no highlights, I was frustrated but I relived the game aloud, sharing with Dave my play-by-play review. He looks forward to my expertise.

I’m funny.

But when I woke up this morning, I had a different perspective.  Shouldn’t life reflect that same attitude so that we see each day, each circumstance, through “I’m not going to sweat this,” confident eyes?  You know, so we don’t get all worked up when things don’t go our way? After all, we know the ending.  Jesus will win; Satan will lose. Eternity will be more than we can ever imagine.

God, knowing most of us do sweat the small stuff, told us a few things about what awaits us.  Our eternal home is an actual place (John 14:1-3, NIV) where we will reside in real, physical bodies (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, NIV) and where we will experience everlasting joys, rewards, and treasures (Matthew 5:12; Matthew 6:19-20; Luke 6:23 NIV).                                                              

God allowed the apostle John to get a sneak peek into what awaits us.  From his time in exile on Patmos Island, he wrote his memoirs which are copied in Revelation 21:4 (NLT): He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.                                                                                                         

And with that waiting all of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we sweat the small stuff…why?