Bobish, Bills, and Epiphany

Every now and then, I pick up one of my journals from years gone by, and go to the day’s date and see what was going on in my life.  Today I looked at the entry for this date in 2004, and enjoyed a blast from the past.  Michael was a baby, and was saying all kinds of cute words.  The latest at that time was “bobish” for Gold Fish.  (I realize that it is not quite as “precious” to you, but humor me.)  I also noticed that in 2004 I was praying for help with our finances.  I wrote, “We have a bill due - $365 to the preschool – and I just don’t know where the money is coming from.  “Help, Lord!”

Next day’s entry:  “Today while I was at church, I found a check for $100 that I had forgotten about from doing a wedding.  Then when I went home for lunch, in the mail was a check from Farmer’s Insurance for $270 for premiums overpaid.”  Hmmm.  I had a bill due for $365.  I got $370 unexpectedly.  OK, God.  I get the message.

Here’s the “epiphany” on this Epiphany Day:  God has before and always will provide.  God knows, God cares, and God will provide.

Miss Ruth Was On To Something

After church tonight, we took down and packed up the Christmon Tree, the Advent wreath, all the greenery, the Nativity Scenes…all the Christmas bling.  It was cold and rainy, with the threat of severe winter weather looming.  There were only a few of us, but the mood was lighthearted.  Packing up stuff after Christmas is just one of those jobs that you have to tackle.

I kept thinking about Miss Ruth Crowson.  Miss Ruth died about a year ago.  She was a sweetheart of a lady, and a big part of Heflin FUMC.  Her husband had served Heflin FUMC years and years ago.  Miss Ruth was a widow, and lived in a little duplex in Heflin.  I liked to visit with Miss Ruth – the only thing was, you had to have lots of time when you visited her.  You see, Miss Ruth was a talker.

Miss Ruth left her Christmas tree up year round.  I asked her about that one time, and she said that it was a lot of trouble to put up and down, but mostly she left it up because her great granddaughter just loved it.  “I keep it up,” Miss Ruth said, “because I love seeing the look on Sarah Hope’s face when I plug the lights in.”  Not a bad reason.  It made me smile every time I went to Miss Ruth’s.

Maybe we’re too quick to pack up Christmas.  Maybe we should leave out the joy, the wonder, the awe.  Maybe we should keep the goodwill and the smiles out for everyone to see.  It would be OK to pack up the stress and the consumerism.  Surely we can do without that for a few months.  But that other stuff…the good stuff…  Maybe Miss Ruth was on to something.

You Favor Your Daddy

“You favor your daddy,” Betty said to me.  We were standing in the old Barton Cemetery, right after burying my Uncle Slick (Paul Eugene) Hayes.  Betty is related to me somewhere down the line – I’m not sure I could draw the family tree.  “I’ve been told that before,” I said to her in reply.  We didn’t talk for very long.  It was raining, and I was a bit drained from Uncle Slick’s funeral.

At the funeral I met one of my cousins – my 3^rd cousin, Billy Yarbrough.  My great-grandmother was a sister to his grandmother.  He said, “I’ve got some stories about Slick I want to write down and get to you.”  “That would be great,” I said.  He said, “I also have a couple of stories about your dad, Ray, and your granddad, Oscar.”  “I would love that,” I replied. 

The stories came in the mail today.  My favorite story about my dad from Billy’s reminiscing took one sentence to tell:  “Ray was the only boy I knew in Margerum who had ever climbed the water tower near the depot and went swimming.”  (Water tower?  Think Petticoat Junction.)  I love that my dad did that.

The older I get, the more I think I favor my dad.  My memories of him are a little sketchy, since he died when I was 17.  But I look in the mirror sometimes, and I see him.  I say things to my children, and I hear him. 

What if somebody said that about me and my Heavenly Father?  Wouldn’t that be great?   Maybe, as I mature in the faith, I will bear more and more of the family resemblance, until one day, somebody will look at me and say, “You favor your Daddy,” and be talking about God. 

Kindness

The word for today is…kindness.  It seems like everywhere I looked today, this word kept popping up.  First was the daily devotional from Richard Rohr, where he reminds us of the Dalai Lama’s words… “My religion is kindness.”  That sounds all mystical and Dalai Lamaish, until we realize that it’s not just him.  Rohr goes on – “We could dismiss that as lightweight theology, until we remember that Jesus said, “This is my commandment: you must love one another” (John 13:34). Kindness is supposed to be the religion of Christians too!”

Is that really true?  I got to looking.  Romans 2:4 says that it is the “kindness” of God that leads us to repentance.  Galatians 6:22 says that the fruit of the Spirit is – among other things – kindness.  Colossians 3:12 tells us to put on a heart of kindness.  There are other references, but these seems to be enough to point to a pattern.  Kindness is a quality of God that God desires to see in us.  The Greek word for kindness is chrestotes – which means “moral goodness, integrity, benignity (favorable attitude – doing kind and gracious acts).”

“My religion is kindness,” says the Dalai Lama.  Turns out - mine is too.  I just sometimes forget it.  Instead, I fight to prove I’m right and my opponent is wrong.  What if I just showed kindness (which leads to repentance)? 

From Grass to Gluttony

From Grass to Gluttony

I read where it became official today…You can now legally buy marijuana in Colorado, as long as you are 21 or older.  You can read all about it here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/01/legal-weed-pot-marijuana_n_4528343.html

The article itself is pretty interesting, but it was the pictures that captured my attention.  The people in the picture were pumped!  I saw that same look on people’s faces the last time I was at Krispy Kreme Donuts and the “Hot Now” light came on.  Total rapture!

Which brings me to another article I read today in Relevant magazine.  This article hit a little closer to home.  It was about gluttony.  Honestly, I have never smoked weed, and don’t plan to.  But hot Krispy Kreme donuts…  Anyway, here’s the article:

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/socially-acceptable-sin

I like this definition of gluttony, which was offered in the article:

At its simplest, gluttony is the soul’s addiction to excess. It occurs when taste overrules hunger, when want outweighs need. And in America, where upsizing has always been part of the American dream, it’s often difficult to distinguish what is hard-earned achievement and what is indulgent excess. In this sense, even the most athletic and toned among us can be gluttons. Any of us can be.

It’s hard for me to be critical for the wild-eyed people in the weed store in Colorado, even though, from what I’ve read, smoking pot is hazardous to your health.  Is it more hazardous than drinking an alcoholic beverage?  Depends on who you ask…  Is it more hazardous than an overweight, middle-aged man with a family history of heart disease ordering a bacon-egg-and-cheese biscuit at the drive thru of Hardees?  Are you feeling this yet?

Maybe the real issue here is our tendency to “otherize” problems.  The skinny guy buying pot in Colorado says, “At least I’m not fat.”  The chubby guy in the Hardees drive thru says, “At least I’m not a drug user.”  And me?  I think I’ll go look in the mirror and see if I can’t get that log out of my eye now.

Pope Francis' New Year Address

I have been very favorably impressed with Pope Francis so far.  I like his humility, his focus on helping the poor, his willingness to be among the people.  Here is an exerpt from his New Year's Address:

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis, laying out his hopes Wednesday for the just-begun year, urged people to work for a world where everyone accepts each other's differences and where enemies recognize that they are brothers.

"We are all children of one heavenly father, we belong to the same human family and we share a common destiny," Francis said, speaking from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, jammed with tens of thousands of faithful, tourists and Romans.

"This brings a responsibility for each to work so that the world becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other in one's diversity, and takes care of one another," the pope said.

Setting aside his prepared text for a moment, he expressed impatience with violence in the world. "What is happening in the heart of man? What is happening in the heart of humanity?" Francis asked. "It's time to stop."

He told the crowd this reflection was inspired by letter he received from a man -- "maybe one of you" -- who lamented that there are "so many tragedies and wars in the world."

"I, too, believe that it will be good for us to stop ourselves in this path of violence and search for peace," Francis said.

In his remarks to the often-applauding crowd, he also expressed hope that "the gospel of brotherhood speak to every conscience and knock down the walls that impede enemies from recognizing that they are brothers."

Does this sound "radical" to you?  How about "liberal"...does it sound "liberal?"  Apparently the new Pope is too radical and liberal for the likes of Sarah Palin, who commented in an interview that she was shocked at how "liberal" the new Pope was.  Ummm...  the leader of the Roman Catholic Church accused of being too forward thinking....  Perhaps this shows just how far away we are of becoming a "community of brothers [and sisters] who respect each other, accept each other in one's diversity, and takes care of one another." 

In my opinion, the Pope's words are neither "liberal" nor "conservative"...merely Christian.

About The Name...

I want to offer a word of explanation about the name of my blog - "The Cornbread Mystic."  "Cornbread" is a nod to my Southern heritage - my roots - not to mention my love for the dish itself (made with Martha White cornmeal and buttermilk in a square pan).  "Mystic" is about a way of seeing that I strive for.  If you want to know more about this way of seeing, I recommend the book, The Naked Now, by Richard Rohr.  A short description of "mystic" seeing can be found in the following article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fr-richard-rohr/three-ways-to-view-the-su_b_822092.html

To repeat - I am striving for this way of seeing.  I am a work in progress.  This blog is a part of the process of growing and maturing for me.  I hope that you will find it meaningful.