Sunkist, Popsicles and a Broken Window

Hello Church,

This edition is a bit late, but for good reason.  I got a call this morning that the church building was broken into.  As I arrived at the building, the sheriff deputies were in the process of catching the burglar.  Four hours later I am back home.  And this is what I learned....

His name is Shawn.  He is from out of town and was living in the shed since at least last Thursday.  To our knowledge, he had taken a pack of Sunkist and popsicles from the Youth Room fridge and nothing else.... no electronics or any 'expensive' items.  Even the chocolate Easter eggs that were still unsold remained safe in the kitchen fridge.

While this doesn't seem to make total sense to me, I do wonder about Shawn's life.  Why was he where he was?  How did he come to be at the church building?  Why didn't he take more advantage of all that was in the building?  Though it likely won't happen, I would like to hear his story.

I don't tend to feel sorry for criminals. However, I do get curious as to the circumstances that lead to their bad choices.  The fact that he only wanted pop and popsicles raises my curiosity higher. 

In addition, Mark, the window guy, mentioned the increase in break-ins over the last couple of months.  I imagine more people are more desperate on many levels.  Was Shawn a victim of Covid?  Or would he have been just as homeless otherwise?  Where was his family?  Was addiction a part of his story?  Mental illness? 

As we hear more stories as we 'uncurl' from this pandemic ('uncurl'... a reference to my Sunday Podcast that you can find here), we must be cognizant of God's desire to infuse Himself into people's stories, even and perhaps especially the very broken stories.  Not everyone will recover from the chaos of 2020.  Some may even find themselves living in a church shed.

I hope as you get frustrated with those who become desperate, you will be curious enough to be willing to hear their story.  And when the opportunity strike, let them know that God cares about their story.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

Alaska is 'Reopening"...... Really?

I am convinced that cats think they rule the world.  That's okay.  We do too.  I recently made a Facebook post referencing the state of Alaska's 'reopening' as declared by the governor.  I found this funny.  Like 95% of Alaska cares what the humans do.  'Reopening' seems more than a bit egocentric.  So here is a funny bit from 25% of the Royer home.  Let this be a lesson regarding humility.   

Hello Humans,

God must be punishing me.  True, He created me and my beautiful fur (though He could've made it much easier to manage).  However, for whatever reason, my humans are around much more often than usual which is cramping my style.

Always before I would have my territory to myself, especially during the day when the sun would warm my favorite room.  I could lay in any of my favorite places, which is any place I so choose.  But now my favorite chairs are often taken.  And when I do get a chance to snuggle into one, a human comes and displaces me.  I give dirty looks, but to no avail as usual.  They simply don't respect authority.

They go into the food room much more often, but don't think I get any more food than usual.  I try to tell them, but again, to no avail.  Savages, they are.

Their impositions onto my space is not much more inconvenient than the noise they make.  The two females decided to do what they call 'singing'.  It's so incredibly annoying that I had a few choice words for them.  They sound awful, but don't seem to pay me any mind.  They would do well to heed my advice.  Like I said, 'cramping my style'.

Their attention to my needs are too often trumped by their own self-absorption.  They think only of themselves.  It's pathetic and a little bit embarrassing.

I may, at times, be tempted to feel sorry for them.  However, the problems they make are their own doing.  And they don't do anything to help themselves except sit around and complain about their own state of affairs.  Maybe some day they will clue in and evolve into something closer to my sophistication, but I doubt it.

Sometimes I think the humans think they rule the world.  I'll just let them think that.  It would be too much of a bother to convince them otherwise.

God is good (after all, He made me)

Dora the Cat

We don't really rule the world.  God has made us to only be a big part of it.  So the next time we want to 'reopen' anything, maybe we should first consider if it was really closed to begin with.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

The Thrill Of Sharing A Table

Hello Church,

Lately I've been wondering how many different things we will learn out of this pandemic.  There are numerous areas of life that might be changed forever.... or not....

It seems when you are in the midst of something bad it lasts forever.  And when it is something good it goes way too fast.  This is bad.  It seems a year since I've led corporate in-person worship.  However, a year or 2 from now, when I look back, will it seem like a vast period of struggle?  Or will it just seem like a blip in time?

And what will we learn from this?

We humans seem to revert back to the comfortable eventually.  Will we once again, at some point, take for granted the privilege of giving hugs, shaking hands or sharing a table at a restaurant?  Or will we really learn a new appreciation for life that will be long lasting?

History doesn't bode well for these questions.

We wonder why Israel never learned throughout the Old Testament... from Exodus all the way through to that young squirt Jeremiah, who tried to tell the people to learn from their past.  History is repeatable.  It seems like it is a rule rather than a choice.

The Good News says it doesn't have to matter.  I think that some day we will look back and not just see the pandemic as a blip in time, but this life will be a blip in time.  It will seem like a record player skipping for a few moments with the words 'life is good', 'oops, I messed up', life is good, oops, I messed up..... over and over again.... with God being in the midst of it will His ultimate Love.

So I could encourage you to keep the record player from skipping.  However, the encouragement we get from Jesus and the lessons of the Old Testament is much more than I could ever give.  Let's keep giving it our best shot, though. 

So some day I'll be looking forward to sharing a table at Panera and you'll be invited.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

The Simple Things In Life

Hello Church,

I've never been so happy to go to Target.

It's the sad commentary for these days.  Back when the world was normal, Kim would make a passing comment about having to go to Target or Wal-mart or Kroger or Jungle Jims or Burlington Coat Factory or...... you get the idea.

And back when the world was normal I would think to myself, 'you go have fun with that.'  (Actually, I might say it out loud).  The idea of perusing the aisles at a random store filled me with exhaustion and boredom.  When I walk into a store I hunt for a specific item.   I don't meander through looking at this and that with little intentions of buying anything... anyhow....

The world isn't normal right now.  Kim needs to go to Target.  I admit that I am going with her.  In some ways I feel like that dog who gets excited to get in the car and go anywhere.  I may even stick my head out the window on the way there.

These days have brought me back to the trivial things that are preferable to doing nothing.  Putting a puzzle together and taking daily walks are two other things that I have invested in these days. 

So what good is it?

We often look for God in the big, gigantic, exploding, lightning bolt moments of life.  The birth of a child; finding a soul-mate; hearing an answer to long, sought-after prayer; or realizing the purpose of our life.

But in my daily walks I am reminded of the little miracles of the season.  My tree out front is about ready to drop a million seeds.  Spending so much time helping Kim with a puzzle is actually a little satisfactory.  And going to Target reminds me I am blessed with the opportunity every day to buy whatever I need and a lot of what I want at any time with only a few minutes worth of drive-time.

These days give us the chance to see the little blessings in life and the little miracles.  Go ahead.  Stick your head out the window and revisit something trivial.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe 

The New Normal For Churches..... And One Old One

Hello Church,

Get ready for a new normal everywhere..... even church.  As we prepare to get the world moving again, much discussion is being had everywhere on how things will be different moving forward.  Certainly you have your opinion as does every other individual...... from the protesters who wanted things back to normal yesterday to those who will stay at home even when health officials will declare that it will be relatively safe to resume activities.

I believe that, somewhere in the middle, lies the answer.  At this point I believe we will need to be intentionally aware of social distancing for months moving forward (and maybe until we get a vaccine).  I reserve the right to change my belief, but that is where I am now, here, on April 20, 2020.

As such, I am putting thought into what a conversation will look like with the Worship Team at Emmanuel.  How will/can we be thoughtful about moving forward when we get the go-ahead to have corporate worship again in one room?

For some there will be this tension between staying distant and giving hugs (I am not one of those).  For others, there will be a sense of quiet relief that they do not have to feel obligated to shake hands.  Either way, we have had to rethink what it means to 'love one another' in the life of the church which has included 'stay away from me'.  It's counter-intuitive and it will be difficult to adjust.

At Emmanuel we have many options to adjust for worship. How will seating change?  How do we collect offering?  Take Holy Communion?  Do we change how the coffee bar works?  Do we even have a coffee bar?  Is this the time to really encourage on-line bulletins?  Do we have a designated cleaner to clean doors and door handles throughout the morning?  Certainly the greeting time will need to go away (or we could stand up and wave our hands as we each spin in a circle).

Silliness aside, we will need to be attentive to a changed world.  The normal, at least for the time being, is going to be a new one.

The only thing that will not change is the presence of God's Holy Spirit.  That will never change.  No matter how we gather, God is everlasting and ever-loving and ever-present and I am ever thankful.  Hope to see you soon.... especially from a distance.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

Our Easter Lunch With A Pic To Prove It

Hello Church,

As a kid, of course, I loved McDonald's.  Every Thursday my grandma and grandpa would take me there for supper.  They would ask me every time what I would want.  Every time would be the same answer:  'amburger, ench ies and ilkshake'.....

Now I can't stand McDonald's. It's food that sits in the pit of my stomach all day.  The fries are too thin and the milkshakes are too fake. 

Fast forward to Easter Day, 2020.  Kim said we were all going out for lunch.  This, of course, could not be true because Easter Day 2020 was in the middle of a pandemic with all restaurants closed.  We soon found out the genius that is Kim Royer.  We went through the drive thru at McDonald's, parked in the lot of UDF and had our Easter lunch as we watch the thin traffic pass by us on U.S. Route 32. 

Not ideal for Easter, but perfect for Easter of 2020.  As a kid McDonald's was awesome.  As a grown-up I became wise to the more refined food of our culture.  Steak and ribs replaced 'amburgers' and loaded baked potatoes embarassed any fast food 'ench ies'.

But for this Easter, it was bliss.  I am returned to what used to entertain me.  The simpler things are not so passe for the moment.  God has reminded me to look for the small things that could bring a little joy to the day.  And for Easter lunch of 2020, eating in the GMC Terrain in the parking lot of UDF with high calorie fast food was really good.

So for this Easter season, look for the little things that bring joy.  The good Lord knows that many of the bigger things aren't possible for the moment.  So take time to be happy for the blessings of life that we used to take for granted.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

How I Keep My Sanity Through This

Hello Church,

This is day 22.... that is, the 22nd day after I realized that this pandemic thing was serious business; the 22nd day after I realized we were going to stop having worship gatherings; the 22nd day after I started getting really concerned about how I was mentally going to handle all of this.

My job aside, I'm trying to take it as a challenge:  how do I maintain my mental stability while, essentially, being a prisoner in my own home?  Here are my thoughts.  I'd be glad to hear yours in the comments below.

- keep my mind occupied.  Dwelling on this pandemic can become depressing and even paralyzing.  So I find other things upon which to think.  I'm binge watching the new show 'Picard' (taking me back to my obsession with Star Trek).  I'm also killing zombies on my VR; planning a bike trip (the Mississippi River Trail.... 1700 miles in 20 days from Minneapolis to New Orleans); and putting more effort in being creative creating church connections. 

- keep my body occupied.  I'm planning a bicycle trip tomorrow.  Don't know how far I'll get since my body isn't currently in shape enough to go very far.  Maybe it will take me all day to go from Milford to Lebanon.  Then again, I could just go to Lebanon and call Kim to come get me.

- keep my spirit occupied.  Though I'm not completely comfortable with the podcasts yet, I still have the opportunity to think through God stuff.  I prayerfully contemplate how to bring comfort to people.  It helps me bring comfort to myself.

- catch the mouse.  My cat is too dumb to get it done.  We haven't had a mouse in this house for a very long time. 

What are your ways to stay stable through this time?  I know that some of you haven't had your days changed too much through this.  Others of you, like me, have had your routines turned upside down.  Would love to hear from you.  Either way, know that God will get us through this and it will be really good on the other side.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe