Last year, Dave and I celebrated our 47^th wedding anniversary. Because of Covid-19, there was no romantic dining or even an overnight stay in Kansas City. But that was okay. Months ahead, I had found the perfect card to hand Dave when we awoke the morning of the special day.

I loved the simplicity of this card. “Your husband…your friend…your soul mate”—all tender words letting Dave know that our love was very much alive and would last forever.

That’s not to say we had not been through some valleys. It had not been forty-seven years of bliss. We had made many mistakes in failing to honor God first. We had blamed and argued. We had gone to bed angry. I had used silence to make my point, put the kids ahead of Dave’s needs, stubbornly insisted on my way and forgotten to laugh. But somehow, we had endured, forgiven and stayed the marital course. We were friends. We were soulmates. The card said it all.

That morning, I hid away in the bedroom where I wrote something tender in Dave’s card. That’s when I read the insert: “With sympathy as you say good-bye to the man who shared your life.” I read it three times.

WHAT??? How was this possible? How had I confused a sympathy card with an anniversary one?

Within a minute of staring at the writing, hoping, I guess, that it would morph into something endearing, I started laughing. After sharing it with Dave who pretended to find it funny, I knew that he had to wonder how such a blunder, even for me, was doable.

I have no explanation. I buy cards ahead of time and pull from my collection for whatever occasion is celebrated. Not this card. It was taken from the stash ahead of time and hidden in my drawer. Obviously, I assumed it said something different than it did (and yes, the fact that it started with “your” husband instead of “my” husband should have been my first clue). Had I just taken the time to double-check my assumption, this never would have happened.

My failure was a minor one. No one was hurt by my mistake, but many times that’s not the case. We make costly assumptions all the time, causing us to judge. The person with the handicap sticker who shows no visible impairments. The rude waitress. The beggar on the street corner talking on his cell phone. Read the New Testament. Incorrect assumptions about what the Messiah would be like caused most people not to give Jesus a chance. I have friends who assume there is no God because they can’t see proof. Others believe they will make it to Heaven because they are “good people.”

Any assumption, funny or serious, warrants the time it takes to be validated…which makes me question which of my grandkids probably received an anniversary card instead of a birthday one.

Keys to the Kingdom

 

 

I recently made a trip to Anderson, Missouri to attend a ladies’ meeting at the Banner Church. I had volunteered to help Charlene, her mother, and her aunt with the setup for the evening gathering. When we brought stuff into the Life Center, we must have left the outside double doors open too long. After working a while, someone said, “There’s a squirrel!” He scurried around for a few seconds and then dashed into an adjoining classroom. I swiftly closed the doors to the room in order to contain him while Charlene found and told her husband/pastor that a squirrel was running loose in the church. Dennis nonchalantly came downstairs and quickly formulated a simple plan. We would open the outside double doors, arm three of us with push brooms, and then open the classroom doors so the squirrel could easily exit the building.

Prior to opening the squirrel’s door, Charlene felt it was important to remind us that squirrels can run up your britches leg. Dennis opened the door and the squirrel made a run for it; but it was in the wrong direction. He headed straight for me. That squirrel went totally berserk, jumped over my broom and darted up the stairs, banged his head into the glass door and zoomed back down the stairs. Someone was yelling, “Get it, get it!” as I sprinted up the stairs and opened the glass door. That half-crazed squirrel ran around the tables at breakneck speed, darted back up the stairs and burst through the open door. You might think this is just a wild tale from Ray Stevens’ hit song, but I can prove it happened because every bit of it was recorded on the surveillance camera!

I come from a long line of laughing people on both sides of my family, so I have a natural inclination to see humor in things most people don’t notice. Whenever someone told my Mom a comical real-life story and got to the punch line, she’d cackle like a chicken laying an egg. Laughing is good for our health and God makes that clear in His Word. “A merry heart does good, like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV). A joyful heart will brighten and strengthen your day. The Bible has examples of people who laughed — even God laughs. “And Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me’” (Genesis 21:6 NKJV). Abraham and Sarah named their son “Isaac” which means “He (God) Laughs.” Abraham fell on his face and laughed (see Genesis 17:17).

“We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy” (Psalm 126:2 NLT). What’s on the inside shows on the outside. As kids, we sang: If you’re happy and you know it then your face will surely show it, if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands (or stomp your feet). I once heard a preacher say that some Christians look like they’ve been baptized in dill pickle juice. In the Old Testament, we find that there’s a time for laughing. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to cry and a time to laugh…“ (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 NLT). Believers should take our laughter medicine every day. Studies show that 30-second belly laughs are good for your immune system. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is let loose and laugh.

My Mom used to say, “You might as well laugh as cry.” I’ve found that to be pretty good advice. I actually laugh and cry all at the same time when something is extremely funny.

The Key: Go ahead and laugh like a hyena or, at least, grin like an opossum.

Rural America has been fighting numerous megatrends that have caused us to shrink since 1941, but no event accelerated this decline more than the 2008 recession. It drained billions of dollars of wealth from our economy, government enacted massive new regulations, and a trillion dollar bailout of Wall Street blew a big hole in the Federal budget; all these events negatively impacted rural America disproportionately.

The genesis of the Great Recession of 2008 was a 1999 action by Fannie Mae, the nation’s biggest underwriter of home mortgages, to weaken mortgage qualification requirements. Congress and the President supported this move by this government-funded organization with the intent of making home ownership more accessible to lower income and minorities buyers; the sub-prime mortgage industry was born.

From 1999 to 2008, the number of these loans grew and standards were further relaxed to support more home ownership. The number of sub-prime loans increased substantially because banks could offer “teaser” rates that would later adjust and earn higher fees. Banks fell all over themselves to originate these highly profitable loans.

Mortgage insurance companies and rating agencies joined the party, by rubber-stamping the insurance application and assigning the rating demanded by the bank to ensure the loans were sold. The Collateralized Mortgage Obligation Bond (CMOs) made up of many of these questionable loans became big business, and investors flocked to purchase them; the lion’s share were purchased by Wall Street investment banks, who then leveraged them again through a new debt instrument called Collateral Debt Obligations (“CDOs”); this was like throwing gasoline on a fire.

The high volume of these mortgages to new homebuyers created a bull market for real estate and values skyrocketed. Everything seemed fine through 2006.

The end started when an increasing number of these unqualified borrowers began defaulting on their loans. Next, the adjustable rate mortgages with teaser rates started to adjust and the homeowner’s mortgage payments jumped dramatically, causing them to be unable to make the much higher payment. In 2008, late payments reached a crescendo, and defaults skyrocketed. As a result, home values dropped and the beginnings of a recession took root.

The final straw was the defaults on many of the CMOs and CDOs owned by Wall Street investment banks, creating the need for Congress to ride to the rescue to head off a much larger crisis; more rural money shipped to big businesses.

What was at the root of this disaster? There was plenty of greed and dishonesty that intensified the crisis, but the heart of the problem was the Federal government inserting themselves in the housing market and creating a vehicle by which banks and mortgage companies could make money on loans they would not normally approve. Ultimately, no one benefitted, especially low-income families and minorities, and we all paid the price.

The best thing Washington, D.C. can do for rural America is to quit inserting themselves into the American way of business and life. I believe that given a choice on a level playing field, Americans will prefer the life offered by small town America and Bourbon County. I know I do.

If you want to know more about this topic, I recommend you watch the movie, The Big Short, released in 2015. It funny, entertaining, star-studded and informative; It does contain a significant amount of profanity.

Barb, a precious friend, has been given a year to live.

“Brain tumor,” she was told. “Radiation and chemo will be administered simultaneously.”

We women who have come to know her through the Bible studies she led in her home, through her dedication to the church where we worship here in Mazatlán, are daily reading the postings of her loving husband, Wes.

They are reminders that we are to trust in God and no one else. I know Barb as a friend with whom I’ve shared lunches where we tell Grandma stories, where we are transparent when we are wounded and know that prayers will be offered on our behalf. She was the women’s leader who invited me to speak at their conference and who always encouraged me to use my gifts. I’m pretty sure she did that with everyone she met.

A few days ago, this was Wes’s morning post: “…As you can see, we are settling in for the battle of Barb’s life! This battle encompasses the tenuous “balance” of which I have written several times, the previously unknown challenges we are increasingly experiencing, the dealing with a plethora of drugs with their attendant effects and side effects, and the necessity of increasingly dealing with the ravages of the multiple maladies—surgery, brain tissue removal, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, pulmonary thrombosis, and urinary infection, all-the-while taking particular care that she not be exposed to Covid. But, with God’s help, care and guidance, we are confident that ‘His ways are greater than our ways’ and that our future and our course is totally in His hands and that is exactly where we want to be!”

Today, Wes continued to bless others in the midst of some tough news that the chemo was discontinued because of his wife’s pulmonary embolism and a UTI, and her radiation was stopped for a week to allow her to gain some strength. “Even eating is tiring and exhausting to her! Giving this situation even a modicum of being tolerable is the incredible love, support and caring that we continue to receive from our Heavenly Father and our friends, family and even acquaintances. Another encouragement for both of us is the ability and opportunity to pray for others of whose needs we are blessed to share.”

Compare that to another Mazatlán friend, “Debra,” who also was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and given 18 months to live. Yesterday, I spoke with Suzanne, her daughter, who filled me in on all the details that led up to her surgery. Debra and her husband and two adult daughters are atheists, so when I offered to pray for their family and Suzanne said that I could, I was excited. Perhaps through this experience, I thought, they will reexamine their faithless position.

Our phone calls were disconnected three times, and after the last interruption, Suzanne sent me this text: “I guess the texting gods weren’t too keen on us talking.” Not exactly what I hoped for. Two friends of mine. Same age. One whose eternal destiny is secure. One desperately needing to turn to Jesus.

I will continue to pray for both women and their families, but I think we all would agree which of the two is in need of more urgent intercession. Please join me in praying that I might have the right words to share the same Hope on which Wes and Barb rely before it’s too late.

Keys to the Kingdom

Herb Alpert, one of the most-famous trumpet players of all time, was born in Los Angeles, California in 1935. At the age of eight, he began studying the trumpet and had classical training in high school. Years later, while attending a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico, he was highly inspired by the lively brass music and incorporated that feeling and sound into his own music. Alpert formed his own band and became known as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Alpert’s style of trumpet playing achieved enormous popularity and he and his band won eight Grammy Awards plus many other musical accomplishments. He has been recording studio albums since 1962 and some of my favorite hits are Spanish Flea, Rise, A Taste of Honey, and Tijuana Taxi. A fun walk down memory lane is The Teaberry Shuffle for the Clark Gum Company’s television ad.

Because of Valentine’s Day, February is the month we think about love. As believers, we ought to focus on love every day. In today’s world there seems to be a problem with what love is and what love is not. Of course, the best way to study love is the written Word of God. “I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging” (1 Corinthians 13:1 CJB). My oven timer has the most-annoying buzzer. When it goes off, I have to press the “off” button immediately because I can’t tolerate the irritating sound of the buzzer. I wonder if that’s what the world thinks of some believers who are merely displaying themselves instead of the love of God.

Exactly what is love anyway? My late husband’s preaching Bible has these particular scriptures underlined: “If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love“ (1 Corinthians 2,4,5,7,13 NLT).

Walking in love is not always easy. Sometimes love is an uphill climb, but it never falls down. The Aramaic word for love is hooba. The root of the word means “to set on fire.” The concept is “burning love” coming from the inner depths of the heart. Love is essential when we’re involved in difficult relationships at work, home, church, etc. Involvement with porcupine people that are rough around the edges requires a fiery devotion to love. True love is not based on feelings, but rather a commitment.

Believers should have a burning love that overlooks offenses and focuses on what’s good, refusing to harbor any resentment in our hearts. Practicing love is where the rubber meets the road. Without love, we’re just walking around annoying people with our selfish noise. With love, we’re making beautiful music to the ears of those around us.

The Key: If our love sounds like Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, we‘re doing fine. If not, we’re just a pain in the brass section.

It might seem counterintuitive to connect economic vitality to religion, but a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research concludes that there is a strong correlation. Published online in November of 2003, the research performed by Robert Barro and Rachel McCleary in 59 countries over a period of 19 years was summarized by Les Picker in The Digest. The conclusion: economic growth follows strong religious belief and practice.

Supporting this thesis is the compelling evidence that Christian missionaries sent around the world have a strong, positive economic impact on third world nations. This is particularly true of Sub-Sahara Africa, as described in a May 31, 2019 online article entitled, The Economics of Missionary Expansion: Evidence from Africa and Implications for Development. One might think that the resources themselves transported by these travelers caused the growth, but the evidence suggests that the change of character and motivation by the natives created the long-term positive impact.

Since morality and character are attributes that are typically formed in a positive way in religious and spiritual environments, it made sense to me that actions motivated by integrity are productive in an economy. For example, it seems reasonable to conclude that hard work creates economic stimulus, healthy living holds healthcare costs down, and crime-free living mitigates excessive judicial investments by a community; conversely, actions motivated by low moral character can be costly to an economy.

While far from perfect, our Founding Fathers understood this connection. John Adams, who was the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, is famously quoted as saying, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Understanding the tenuous financial condition of the 13 colonies shortly after the American Revolution, these men understood that we could ill-afford misbehavior by its citizens and trusted them to self-govern.

The study by Barro and McCleary further observes that not all religions had the same positive impact; those who have a belief in heaven and hell tended to stimulate more vigorous economic growth. Additionally, strong state support of religious freedom helps the economy, while the persecution of religious thought, such as is the case with communism, has a dampening effect on financial activity. Unfortunately, as the economy grows and strengthens, religious practice tends to wane, and the economy cycles toward weakness again.

One can only conclude that those who have the strongest positive impact on our economy are those among us who have religious beliefs that guide their behavior and the choices they make every day. I encourage you to devote more of your time to your religious beliefs and a faith community of your choice. Bourbon County needs all of us at our best.

“What makes Christianity different from other religions?” If asked that question, how would you respond? Take a minute.

Decades ago, that query was central to a debate on comparative religions in which world experts sat together and presented their ideas.

Perhaps, God appeared in human form? Nope. Other religions had varying versions of that incarnation. Same with the resurrection. In the middle of the discussion, apologist C.S. Lewis entered the room and heard that his colleagues were determining Christianity’s #1 unique contribution among world religions.

It took Lewis no time to answer. “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.” Lewis’s friends could not argue.

It was, after all, the only religion in which God’s love is unconditional. It cannot be earned. Jesus made sure of that.

Do you ever struggle with that? I sure do. Earning God’s blessings comes easier to me than merely being a blessing to Him.

If I rack enough “Good Girl” points, surely God is happy with me. So, I volunteer. I speak words of encouragement. I read my Bible. I pray. “God, you are noticing, aren’t you? Don’t forget to log today’s efforts into your little white book, okay?”

Philip Yancey simplifies “Grace” for us in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace? “Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more—no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no amount of knowledge gained from seminaries and divinity schools, no amount of crusading on behalf of righteous causes.

And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less—no amount of racism or pride or pornography or adultery or even murder.

Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.

Powerful stuff! Don’t you wish you loved like that? I do. Sometimes I have to remind myself to love irritating people, to love them with no narcissistic, yoyo strings attached.

You know, unconditionally.

But the truth is, it does not come naturally. Justice is an easier pill for me to cram down someone’s throat. People should get what they deserve. I mean, some crimes are simply unforgiveable…except, of course, not according to God.

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men, cut them up and cannibalized them. On death row, he had a conversion experience; he was baptized and asked Jesus to be his Lord, a story told in the book Dark Journey, Deep Grace.

His victims’ families and friends were outraged. Most claimed that he did not deserve grace. He deserved to rot in prison. Other loved ones who watched the interview in which Dahmer appeared contrite weren’t so sure.

When asked, “Is anyone ever beyond forgiveness?” no one felt comfortable answering the question.

It’s the Mt. 6:14-15 scripture that keeps on stinging: Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

In other words, show Grace. Maybe, hopefully, someday it will come naturally.

Keys to the Kingdom

 

On a warm fall afternoon, I was relaxing while reading in the pergola. I was totally focused on the book, and not paying a lick of attention to my surroundings, when I heard the pitter-patter of feet on the flooring. I looked up just in time to see a groundhog quickly trot right by me. He was as cute as he was fat — I guess he’d been stocking up on lard so he could hibernate nicely through the winter. This wasn’t the first time I’d spotted him on my property, but I’d never laid eyes on him this close. While visiting with my daughter about my pet groundhog, I mentioned that I wanted to name him. She suggested Fatty Jacky (a nutty character from the crazy Jerry Lewis movie, “The Disorderly Orderly.“) Since we both guffawed, I knew that was the perfect name for him!

As believers, being asleep at the wheel (not paying attention to our spiritual walk) is very dangerous. God’s Word warns us to stay alert and keep a sharp lookout. Since I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on, Fatty Jacky was able to sneak up on me from “out of nowhere.” However, if I’d been keeping a close watch, I would have seen him coming way before he arrived at the pergola. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8,9 NLT). Just as lions go after the feeble, the young, and the stragglers, the devil looks for those who are isolated, weak, or totally unfocused on God so he can devour/destroy them.

The author of the Book of Hebrews gives Christians practical ways to stay alert. “Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent“ (Hebrews 6:11,12 NLT). We’re reminded that loving people will help guard against growing disinterested and becoming spiritual sluggards in our Christian walk. Jesus doesn’t call believers to be passive followers, He calls us to be passionate followers.

There are so many distractions in today’s world. When I fire up my computer, all kinds of stuff pops up. If I’m not determined to stay focused on my goal, I can get side-tracked looking at junk I don’t even want to see or read. The same thing can happen to believers in their spiritual life. It’s imperative not to just go with the flow, ignore God’s Word, or disregard plain ol’ common sense. “This is why it is so crucial that we be all the more engaged and attentive to the truths that we have heard so that we do not drift off course” (Hebrews 2:1 TPT).

“We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete” (Hebrews 12:2 CEV). The hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” composed by Helen H. Lemmel bears the truth of this scripture with these lyrics: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

The Key: Keep your eyes peeled so you won’t be devoured by the devil or get run over by a groundhog.

 

The last two years have been difficult for Bourbon County, along with most of rural America, especially for the 45 residents we lost to COVID19 and their families.

According to the Kansas Statistical Abstract (“Abstract”) released in September, the pain is economic as well as personal. Perusing the Abstract, here are some notable trends that indicate the stress under which we have all lived in the last two years:

Beginning with money and banking, our nationwide economy has been awash in cash due to the stimulus checks and deficit spending coming out of Washington D.C.

Accordingly, bank deposits grew by 15.9% in Kansas during 2020; by comparison, Bourbon County bank deposits grew by only 9.1%. This is indicative of how Federal spending disproportionately favors urban areas.

Another important indicator of economic success is spending within our county, primarily indicated by a measure called Trade Pull Factor. This measures the amount of money spent in Bourbon County compared to the income earned by its residents.

Over the last six years, we have hovered around the 70% level, meaning that for every dollar earned by a resident, 70 cents are spent in our county; this includes nonresidents who spend their money here while visiting. This measure dropped to 68% in 2020; the logical explanation is that we have had fewer visitors. The number also indicates that we have an opportunity to evaluate our own spending habits, and consider spending more of our disposable income in our county; it benefits us all.

Employment numbers continue to be difficult for us. The Bourbon County unemployment number jumped from 4.2% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2020.

Why did we have so many help wanted ads alongside so many unemployed people? One can only conclude that some decided that they could live off stimulus money. Hopefully, our unemployment numbers will move in the right direction when the money out of Washington D.C. slows down to a gush. Current numbers indicate we are a still a net importer of workers.

After making some significant gains in per capita personal income in prior years, the Bourbon County growth rate in 2019 slowed to 2.4% compared to a statewide number of 4.2%. Given our continued demand for additional workers, I am hopeful the growth in personal income in the county will get back on track.

One positive trend that continued into 2019 is the drop in the county’s poverty rate. This rate peaked in 2017 at 18.3% of Bourbon County residents; that rate has continued to fall to 15.4% in 2019. It will be interesting to see how COVID19 affects this number in 2020 and 2021.

These numbers can be difficult to wade through, but it is important for us to understand the trends in order to propose effective solutions. Bourbon County REDI is committed to staying informed in order to be a part of the solution.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis

“You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term (“summer”) of 1929 I gave in and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England” (Surprised By Joy).

Those words speak to how hard C.S. Lewis, Professor of English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, fought to convince himself there was no God. Perhaps you know him as the author of Mere Christianity or The Chronicles of Narnia, two of his most famous writings. Disillusioned that God did not heal his mother from cancer, Lewis, age 10, left his childhood faith to throw himself into the defense of rationalism/atheism. That belief was reinforced when years later, as a student at Oxford, he found himself deeply troubled by suffering in the world, questioning how a loving God could allow such evil. Ironically, his firm belief in the nonexistence of God made him rethink some of his position’s inconsistencies. After years of intellectual struggle, Lewis found faith to be rational. Not only did he find factors such as the beauty of nature and art, joy, and even people undermined the foundation of his atheism, he also was able to see evil and suffering as an argument for God and Christianity, not for atheism.

In Mere Christianity, Lewis wrote: “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. Just how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? … Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of justice—was full of sense. Consequently, atheism turns out to be too simple.  If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning.” It’s little wonder that many consider C.S. Lewis to be the greatest Christian apologist of the 20^th century. Sorrow entered Lewis’s life again when Joy, his wife of only three years, died from cancer at the age of 45. Lewis was left to face the problem of grief and unanswered prayer. He wrote that “even after all hope was gone, even on the last night before her death, there were patins of bright gold. Two of the last things she said were ‘You have made ne happy’ and ‘I am at peace with God.’”

I am encouraged by Lewis who boldly admitted the struggle of his faith but later found blessings amongst troubles. The author wrote that he was grateful for the miraculous cure for his wife’s first bout with cancer and that God granted him two more years with her before she died. Still, in Mere Christianity he wrote this: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Can anyone say it better?