Diane Mickler's Blog

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:3

“I is what I is and not what I ain’t...copied

Integrity is defined as being honest and having strong moral principles.  At our house, we like to say integrity is being honest even when no one is looking.  

If I say that the first six months of 2020 have been strange, it would be an understatement.  The world as we know it has morphed into one that I hardly recognize – from masks, to social distancing, to closures, illnesses and even deaths of friends, race riots, unethical business practices, constant bickering from members of Congress, murders, and police disrespect. I find myself starting conversations with, “Please tell me something good that is happening in your life.  Tell me there are still people out there with integrity.”

Bishop Will Willimon tells the story of an interview he had with a law firm after his graduation from law school.  They liked him, and he liked them, and as the conversation progressed, he realized he had the job.  Then, the conversation turned to a questionable partnership the company had made.  Although, the company insisted that although the partnership might be unethical, it wasn’t illegal.  When Willimon expressed his objection, he didn’t get the job.   He says he’s not sorry because it gave him a chance to review his feelings, his ethics, and his integrity.

This might be a great time for all of us to review our responsibility to show integrity in this crazy new world.

In the midst of my prayer that there are still people of integrity, we had a good thing happen this past week, and I still marvel at how it all came together.  We had a refund check from insurance issued in the amount of $62.10.  Randy went to the bank to cash it, put it in the teller’s drawer with his license, and sent it to her.  When the teller opened the drawer, the license was there but no check.  A thorough search still provided no check.  Five days later (after we had abandoned any hope of ever seeing that money again) a letter arrived in the mail with the return address from Atlanta Braves club.  I opened the letter and found these words, “I found this check while jogging on Johnson Ferry Road.”  The check, though a bit worse for the wear, was there.  The person left no signature, but I can imagine he/she is a person of huge integrity.  

Integrity is a habit. It is comprised of people who just want to always do the right thing.  Telling part of the truth to get a job is unethical, finding a check and getting it back to its owner is integrity, honesty, and kindness. 

Habits are of our own making. The habit of telling part of the truth is unethical and spins a web of deceit. We need to all get in the habit of using the powerful word “NO” in unethical situations. NO, I won’t compromise who I am; NO, I won’t take part in something that is below me; NO, I won’t change my beliefs because they are unpopular; NO, I won’t go there or do that because I know it’s wrong; NO, I will not stand by and watch people break the laws of the land; NO, I won’t watch my constitutional rights being taken away; NO, I will not tolerate the adage, “What can one person do?” The truth is, the initiative of deeply caring people provide the firmament of our democracy.

If we look back over history, we will discover that almost all movements that really matter started with one or two people. One voice becomes two, then ten, and then thousands. Far too many of us underestimate the power of our voice and the strength of our ideals. When we put aside the pessimistic attitude, our true strength and voice emerges.

Once we do that, we break the habit or the prison and we are free to claim the power of integrity that God offers. We are made in the image of God, and if we remember that, it helps us speak with power, authority, and integrity when we are challenged.

God can take the chaos in this world and restore order. He can make sense of all the senseless things that are happening. He just needs the people of integrity to help get the Word out to the world who desperately needs to know.

Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop them. Zig Ziglar

The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde

Never doubt God’s timing for events in your life. Your days are ordered by Him. Psalm 139:16 paraphrased

What did 1972 look like in America? It was the year that The Godfather movie was released, Nixon was president, the Watergate Scandal began, the War in Vietnam continued, Jane Fonda visited North Vietnam, Bobby Fischer became the first American chess champion, The Price is Right game show debuted on TV, the stock market broke 1000 points, and we got married.

It’s interesting to compare us with couples of today who seem to have lucrative jobs when they marry, have a financial plan, know where they want to be in ten years, and have a road map for their life. We began marriage with a red VW, an awful upstairs apartment, seminary and a construction job for Randy, and a teaching job for me. Other than that, we had no job description for what we would be required to do during our marriage for the ministry or for life in general.

Every marriage starts out with the hope to be “perfect”, and I must confess that I was certain ours would be! Now I know that there is really no such thing as the perfect marriage, couple or person. The visions of bliss can turn swiftly into reality, and it takes true love and commitment to see it through.

Looking back, it’s easy to see that there are stages of marriage just like stages of development, grief, or growth. Randy likes to say that marriage went from romance to reality when I insisted that he carry me up the 20 steep steps to our apartment upon the return from our honeymoon. It’s tradition – deal with it!

Romance may bring two people together, but unselfish love keeps them together. Each person has to be willing to be a giver rather than a taker in order to make the marriage work. It takes a lot of teamwork to succeed, just like the empty container – you put nothing in, you get nothing out.

The first year of our marriage was spent with school work, adjustment to married life, and typing papers into the wee hours of the morning. I typed while Randy dictated his thoughts because apparently he failed typing 101 and remedial typing. I remember thinking many times, “I didn’t sign up for this”, but actually I did. I began to realize what “for better or worse” really means.

We were ill prepared for the duties of a minister and spouse, but God has a way of throwing you right in and making decisions that help you learn, mature and grow.

After graduation from seminary, Randy served two years as an associate pastor in Dalton, Ga., and I taught. Before I knew it, the District Superintendent came calling, and he sent us to our first church, a circuit near Covington Georgia and left us with these words; “Love these folks, minister to them, grow these churches and spread the word of God.” I’m afraid I had no idea what was wrapped up in those few words. I love to say, “If I had known then, what I know now,” but that’s not really true, I would change nothing!

Some people think that a minister’s job is easy – after all, he just works one day a week (I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that). I would have probably agreed forty eight years ago. The truth is, Sunday is the easy part, it’s the day to day ministry that makes you strong and humble in what you do. God took us and placed us in every new situation to teach us exactly what He needed and use that to help others.

In Newborn, we had a darling older lady by the name of Eleanor. She lived alone, but she had neighbors close to check on her. One night around three in the morning, the parsonage phone rang, I answered, and she asked me to send Randy over quickly. Thinking she was sick or dying, he got up, threw on clothes and went over. When he returned, he was smiling. I asked what happened, and he said, “Miss Eleanor fell out of bed and she couldn’t get up. I picked her up and put her back in bed. When I asked why she didn’t call a neighbor she said, ‘Oh, Randy, I have my nightgown on – I can’t let a man see me in my nightgown’.” These kinds of events that we share, made a marriage and a ministry stronger. You just can’t make these stories up!

I sometimes used to wonder if God had given us a job description what would it have been? Now, I know. It would have been the words that were written above Randy’s desk for all his years in the ministry, “Not Me, But Thee.” Have we always done a good job of keeping those words? No. Have we always tried to follow God’s lead? Yes, I hope so. Did we make mistakes? Yes. Do we have occasion for regrets? Yes. Have we received more than our share of love, mercy and grace? Absolutely. Are we grateful every day? Yes indeed.

I now live by a story told by a married lady who recalls thinking she should make a list when she married of ten faults she would overlook in her husband for the sake of their marriage. She never got around to making that list. Each time he would do something she didn’t like, she’d say to herself, “Lucky for him that’s one of the ten”.

The day of our wedding, Reverend Henry Erwin said these words, “I know you think you are in love today as you stand before the altar, but in years to come, you will shudder to think how shallow your love was on this day. As the years pass, love only grows deeper.” After 48 years, I must agree. A huge thank you to all of the people that have enriched our lives and taught us about love and commitment over these years! Happy Anniversary, Randy!

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence; so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

My high school English teacher was a very proper lady who strictly abided by the laws of grammar, sentence structure, and pronunciation. We called her “Miss Ann”. Two of her pet peeves were the pronunciation of the word just and the word get. I can still hear her saying, “The word is Just, not jest; and the word is Get, not git.”

Randy and I, both being from the Southern parts of the country, are gifted with the southern dialect and accent; however, because of Miss Ann, I learned correct pronunciations!! Randy must not have had the same instruction! During Randy’s sermons if the words Just or Get came out of his mouth, and they came out as jest and git, (as they sometimes did) the hair on the back of my neck would stand straight up! Even though I was dealing with pronunciation, the bigger picture here is how we can use the word just totally out of context and use it to limit God.

The word Just can be used as an adjective or an adverb. If it’s used as an adjective, it means “based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair”. For example, that law is just. If it’s used as an adverb it means, “exactly” or “very recently.” For example, I just got home.

Lately, the word just has taken up residence in many prayers that are offered to God. Some people begin their prayers with, “We just come to you today, Lord, or We just pray that You would…” Those are called Just prayers, and they unknowingly limit God. What exactly does it mean? Does it mean we just thought of You, God, or does it mean that we hope because of this prayer that You’ll be just to us? Maybe its just a way to add drama to a prayer or put it into more common language. No matter the reason, it demonstrates a lack of faith and confidence in approaching the throne of God even though it’s meant to sound humble.

We should all have confidence in knowing that if we ask anything in His name and abide in His will, He hears us. If we know that He hears us, then, we should know that all we have asked is being done. He doesn’t need to be limited.

I think using the word just in a different way would apply to these times. When I was growing up, and we sat around our table for supper, Mama would say, “Did you get enough? Daddy would usually reply, “Just enough.” It means sufficient or exactly. I like that for us today. God gives us just enough love, just enough joy, just enough power, and just enough hope to sustain us. If we believe it, then, He will take if from there and give us just enough mercy, just enough grace, and just enough love.

The beautiful anthem, In This Very Room says it best, and if we substitute the word just for the word ‘quite’ in the song, I think it shows us the perfect way to use that word. Think of the room as your heart, your home, your church, your life, or your world. The lyrics (after taking license to change one word) are: In this very room, there’s just enough love for all of us; In this very room, there’s just enough joy for all of us; And there’s just enough hope, and just enough power to take away any gloom; for Jesus, Lord Jesus, is in this very room. Ron and Carol Harris

Jesus is in this very world, and He offers us just enough.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative; latch on to the affirmative and don’t mess with Mister In Between. Johnny Mercer

The song above was first released in 1944 and debuted in a movie Here Come the Waves which was a recruitment film during the war. My Mama used to love to sing it because it has a strong message. The song was written in the style of a sermon which explains that accentuating the positive is the key to happiness.

Remembering that song has helped me realize that even though there’s always something negative, the positive should be the side that’s accentuated.

In the midst of all the bad news out there, I have a facebook friend who always errs on the side of the positive. Instead of listing how many people have died from the virus, how many new cases per day, how many people are in the hospital, she posts the encouraging number of how many people have survived. She accentuates the positive.

I ran into another old friend yesterday, and when I asked her how she was, she replied, “I’m not just surviving, I’m thriving!” She is taking the high road and accentuating the positive. I love those positive thoughts!

I seem to be in line at Starbucks some afternoons about the time when everyone else is in line, but during these days, I don’t mind the wait. On this particular day, when I pulled up to the window to pay, the server said, with a huge smile, “Guess what? Your coffee is free?” When I said, “What? Why?” He replied, “That car of crazy teenagers in front of you paid for it!” What an accentuation of the positive they gave me that day!! Thank you!

It’s so easy in today’s world to put all the attention on the negative things which are plaguing our society, but negative thinking isn’t helping anyone. In some cases, the negativity leads to depression and the mindset of unhappiness. It’s impossible really to completely eliminate negativity because it’s human nature to use the negative as a method to warn us of danger, but there are things to remember.

The best way to accentuate the positive is to only speak uplifting and good things about others. Speak things which build up others. Spend time with positive people doing positive, thoughtful things. When people began to speak negatively, try to interject something good that’s going on – we can always find a bright spot.

I find that when I let the news start my day, the entire day has a negative slant. There are more and more people who are just turning off the TV or radio, putting down the I pad, computer or social media, and pulling out the Bible or a devotional to start the day. I’m here to attest to the power it can have to accentuate the positive every morning!

Finally, give thanks to God every day for all the positive blessings in your life. No matter where you look, there’s always someone who has more problems, more pain, more suffering than you. Be grateful for what you have! Remember, this will all pass one day, and we will be glad we accentuated the positive.

Everything comes to pass, nothing comes to stay. copied

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5:13

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way. Charles Dickens,  A Tale of Two Cities       

In this epic novel, Charles Dickens seems to point out a major conflict between family and love, hatred and oppression, good and evil, light and darkness and wisdom and folly.  It tells about a time of chaos, conflicts and despair as well as happiness. It tells about a time of direct opposites with no in between.

In the last months, it seems we have experienced the worst of times and tried to salvage the best from them.  We are dealing with a virus that has literally brought the world we know to a screeching halt.  We’ve seen job loss, economy weakened, death, separation from loved ones, church closures, sequestered folks, and the emotional stress which comes with it all.  Yet, we are  a strong people and are fighting our way back.  There will come a time when we will look back on this and find the best of times in the experience.

During my growing up years, our granddaddy owned a small house on Mexico Beach, Fla.  The house was two bedrooms, two baths, a loft, a kitchen, living room and screened in porch.  There was no air conditioning, no television, only three beds, one store and you had to walk a couple of blocks to the beach.  The kids slept on cots, the adults too if they lost out on the beds, and sometimes we complained that there was nothing to do.  

Regularly, we had over 25 people in that house with cousins, friends, and others.  The adults played bridge on the screen porch until the wee hours of the morning, and if you were lucky and the laughter had kept you awake, one of them might come in and grab you to take their place at the bridge table so they could go to bed.  No sleep, days in the ocean and the sun, nights of campfires and wiener roasts, s’mores, jeep rides, and so much more!  Yet, sometimes we felt it was the worst of times because we didn’t understand how lucky we were.

No matter how bad our times seem, there are always those who have it worse.  We just found out that in Honduras the folks only get to shop for groceries and water every 14 days.  There is not “curbside service”, or “take out” for them – they must live for two weeks on what they have.  If you haven’t had the virus or lost a loved one, if you have freedom, if you have  friends and family, then you are living in the best of times.  We can sometimes think we are in the worst of times because we don’t know how lucky we are. 

Many say the closings, the sequestering, the social distancing are God’s way of getting our attention and letting us know we should slow down.  Maybe, but maybe it’s the evil one at work to separate us.  What is our world without the fellowship and kinship of human interaction?  The kids and youth are desperate for school to start again because they miss their friends and teachers.  Most people I know are desperate to return to worshiping with their church family.  The many I know in nursing homes are desperate to see loved ones again.  The sick are desperate to get well.  Those who have lost a loved one are desperate to have some kind of closure.  

If you think you are in the worst of times, look back to World War I and World War II, and try to picture rationing of sugar and other items.  My parents lived through that. When the only thing you lack is toilet paper and clorox, it seems you really might be living in the best of times comparatively speaking of course.

In the above verse, Jesus seems to be calling those of us who think we are in the worst of times to pray and ask God to defeat the forces of evil which could be among us.  He also says that if we feeling blessed or cheerful, we should pray and give thanks.

In this best of times, worst of times, we need to remember that with God we always have reasons to give thanks and praise.  We need to remember how lucky we are!!  God bless us everyone!

 

Only if Christ sets you free are you truly free. John 8:36

Our Father’s God to Thee, author of liberty, to Thee we sing. Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light; Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King. Samuel Francis Smith

After the terrorist attack on our nation in 2001, the Mt. Bethel Church family began to honor our nation and our freedom by singing the above verse of My Country Tis of Thee every Sunday during church. This song always stirs such patriotism, humility and pride in each of us as Americans and as God’s people because it reminds us of the cost of Freedom. It also reminds us that God is the author of that Freedom!

The word freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance. The definition also includes absence of foreign domination and state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. Although we enjoy freedom every day in this country, how often do we really think of what it means? What if Freedom stopped ringing?

Last year, Randy and I took a trip, and one of the stops was St. Petersburg, Russia. It was a beautiful city, and the sights, sounds, and people were so interesting. Even though there was nothing wrong on the surface, there was an underlying sense that though everything seemed fine, the people there were operating as though their every move might be monitored or censored. As we sailed away, I remember heaving a sigh of relief and thanking God that I live in America.

Freedom is something we should never take for granted, but many of us need to be reminded how important it is. There are many dangers associated with those who don’t understand the freedom they enjoy, or those who are forgetting to Let Freedom Ring.

People can take Freedom for granted for many reasons. The first reason people take freedom for granted is ignorance. These are the folks who have never lived through a day in their life without freedom, and they don’t take the time to learn the history of it and what it would be like without it.

Next, people often take freedom for granted because of arrogance. These are the folks who just feel Freedom is their right, and it’s up to others to fight for it. They want to enjoy the benefits with no commitment on their part.

Then, people can take freedom for granted because of complacency. These folks just believe nothing can ever threaten America, and they trust the government to protect their Freedom. These are the folks that are totally unaware of the dangers of losing Freedom.

Finally, people can take freedom for granted because of reluctance. These people just stand back and let things fall apart because they don’t want to get involved. These are the silent majority.

People in our culture today want Freedom, in fact they demand it! This freedom is escalating to such a degree that they want to be free to do whatever they want, to whomever they want, and they don’t want anyone to object to it. They want all the things that are wrong to be tolerated and blame it on Freedom. I don’t think that’s the Freedom our fore fathers fought to gain for America.

There are things we can all do to Let Freedom Ring. Rather than being ignorant, become educated; rather than being arrogant, practice humility; rather than being complacent, become uneasy; rather than being reluctant, become eager.

In every school I ever attended or in which I taught, we started the day with the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America. The most humbling thing ever is to help a young child learn to take their right hand and place it over their heart during this pledge. It’s the utmost privilege to teach them how to respect and honor their country and freedom. It’s a privilege for all of us to practice this respect and pass it on!

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our great nation, my prayer is that Freedom will Ring. Happy 4th of July!

My country ’tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty, of Thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, Land of the pilgrim’s pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. Psalm 84:11

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

It’s amazing how many times we hear people say, “If I knew then what I know now, things would be different. I would have done a lot of things differently, and things would have turned out better.” Sometimes we wish we could live life backwards!

Years ago when we were serving a county seat church, Randy felt that he had done all he could do there and that it was time to move on. He met with the bishop and they talked. At the end of the conversation, Bishop Fitzgerald asked him one question, “Do you trust me to do the right thing for you?” The answer was “Yes”. Randy came home and recounted the conversation, and said, “Now, what the heck does that mean?” We stayed another year and the church was recognized as church of the year for the North Georgia Conference. The next year, Randy was sent to Mt. Bethel, and we realized exactly what the Bishop meant – the rest is history. If we had been in control, things would have certainly been different.

Ruth Graham said that if God hadn’t been in control of her life, she would have married the wrong man several times. If she could live life backwards, she obviously wouldn’t.

That’s exactly how God deals with every child of His when we turn things over and sacrifice our will to His. We leave a growing area of ministry at His command, then He provides one better than we had ever dreamed. We surrender all our cherished hopes and die to self, then He sends overwhelming joy and life more abundant than we ever imagined.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about changing the history of our country and our people. People want to remember life differently than history records. What part of history should we change? Would that make us a better nation today? I wonder what the brave men and women who fought and died in the World Wars would think of eradicating their sacrifice? How would veterans who died in unpopular wars view the change? Would they want to live life backwards so they could change a decision they made?

Would we want to live knowing that all the joy, sorrow or pain that has been a part of our lives might be lost forever? Which event would we choose to eliminate in order to make our lives better? Instead of changing history, shouldn’t we learn from it?

When most of us look back over our lives and ask ourselves, “What would I do differently if I could live life backwards?”, the answer is obvious. Each decision or path we made or took leads to us being who we are as a person, a community, a nation, and a people. For most of us, the answer is that God has directed our paths, so we would change nothing.

Our job now is to look back over mistakes, bad decisions, lack of compassion and love, selfish ways, and anything that holds us back from achieving the life God has planned for us. The reality is we can’t live life backwards, so let’s make the most of the life that is in front of us.

A book is best enjoyed from beginning to end, but best understood from the end to the beginning. copied

Where He leads me I will follow, where He leads me I will follow; where he leads me I will follow, I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way. E. W. Blandly

Start children off on the way they should go and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Our Daddy had many nicknames and just as many personalities that fit them! He was John Jr. to some, Bubba (a good southern name to the family), Captain (because he always drove the boat and ran a farm), Flash (because he never could get past snow plowing on the slopes), Running Bear (because he always baited duck ponds and dove fields, but never got caught when he ran from the game wardens even though they knew exactly who he was), Mr. John (because our friends held him in high regard or were scared of him, don’t know which), Honey (to my mother), Daddy (to his three girls), PaPa (to his grandchildren), and Big John (to his sons in law who to this day hold that name reverent). Most people in town just called him “a character”.

Daddy grew up in Donalsonville with his mother, father, sister and two younger brothers. As the eldest son, a lot of the responsibility of the family farm and business fell to him. Although farming was his main job, later in life, he got into real estate when Lake Seminole was created, and he sold land around the lake. He loved the land and was always quick to say, “There’s one thing God won’t make any more of and that’s land.”

During the week, he was up early and out driving the 18 miles each day to the farm outside of town. This is not to say he was working all this time. He followed a strict schedule which usually included a stop by Johnson’s store where he visited with the locals, another stop by Harvey’s to chat with his manager about the day, and usually a stop by his Mama and Daddy’s house to chat late in the afternoon. He visited his brother, Wallace, at People’s Supply and his brother in law, Hudson, at Firestone at least one day a week, along with his brother Bill at the Egg Plant. Conversation, family and people were important to him. My mother always said “Your Daddy could talk to a post.”

No matter where he went, he usually had three things with him; his hat, his gun and his pocket knife. Except for church and in the house, he always wore a hat. He removed it when he entered a house and replaced it on his head when he left! He carried a pocket knife to open letters, bills, and for incidentals. He carried a gun because you never know when the opportunity to hunt might arise in South Georgia.

Daddy drove fast, knew everybody in town, had a temper, had a great sense of humor, washed his car about the time he expected us home from a date, and was present when the Alday murderers were captured. He smoked cigarettes until one night when all the stores were closed, and he couldn’t buy any. That made him mad, so he quit smoking and began to eat peppermint candy instead. Until the day he died, you could always find peppermints in his front seat.

As a farmer, he lived and died by the weather and there were many times when he watched crops literally burn up in the field. He and our family dealt with a lot of stress which still plaques our farmers these days.

Every weekend in the spring and summer, would find us on the lake skiing with Daddy driving the boat. Many times he would drop us in the middle of the lake while he went to talk to someone he knew on shore. His parting words were, “Hold your ski up, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Daddy was in church on his pew every Sunday morning, and we sat in the same section with his Daddy, brothers, and sister and their respective families. Church was a family affair and everyone knew if you weren’t there. My Mama sat in the choir and her family attended the Baptist church as they were outnumbered by Drakes at the Methodist.

He loved his family fiercely, and he would do anything to protect them. He was tough, but tender hearted, and the day I married Randy as he walked me down the aisle with tears in his eyes, he was heard to say very loudly, “Sugar, you don’t have to marry this boy! You can live with us forever!” After the vows were taken, and we were pronounced man and wife, Randy kissed the bride three times. My Daddy was heard to say, “Oh hello, we are going to be here all day!”

We miss his humor, his laughter, his antics, but most of all we miss his love and his hugs! As our family celebrates this Father’s Day with all the special Dads in our family, we are grateful for Daddy’s influence in our lives.

Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads!

So in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:5

John Fawcett was a Baptist minister in the 18th century where he and his wife served a small, very poor congregation. John was presented with the opportunity to move to a very large affluent congregation which he accepted. He and his wife packed their wagon, but as they were saying tearful good byes to their sweet congregation, his wife said, “I cannot bear to leave these people – I love them.” John replied, “I feel the same way, so here we will stay.” He ended up serving that church for fifty four years.

I tell that story because John also wrote one of my favorite hymns, Bless Be The Tie That Binds after the experience with his church. During this sad time of social unrest, it would be such a blessing if that song were sung during protest rallies, church services, and public demonstrations. The words, Bless be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds, is like to that above, would be such a comfort.

John Wesley said it best, Though we cannot think alike, can we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these differences. If love is at the base of our differences, we can use it to be the Tie that Binds.

There are many whose attitude may say, if you don’t agree with me politically, you hate America. There might be those who have the attitude, if you have different values or skin color, then you are opponent. Ask the question, “What does God think of that opinion or attitude?”

If you look to the left of you or to the right of you, you have no idea what it’s like to be that person, but you can be sure that each one of them struggles with something. Everyone knows what it’s like to feel hurt, to feel afraid, lost or alone. Collectively we need to do whatever needs to be done to help each other.

The Tie that Binds should begin locally as well as nationally and globally. A group of ladies meeting together asked these questions of me lately: “Do you know how many homeless people live in your area? Do you know where they sleep? Do you know how many children don’t have enough food each day? Do you know how many single parents are struggling to make ends meet and care for their families? Do you know how many elderly are sequestered in nursing homes and at home and hear from no one outside their family? Do you know how hard it is during this time for people suffering from depression or anxiety to cope? Do you know how many people have lost loved ones during this virus and cannot have memorial services for closure?” I shamefully do not know the numbers or the answers to many of these questions. I realized that though I profess Christianity, maybe I don’t show enough concern for people to know what I’m all about.

If we as Christians do our job, then no one should have to wonder what we are about. It should be evident in our words, our actions, our deeds, our caring, our outreach, our inclusion, and our love. My prayer is that we as Christians and Americans can come together in unity, peace and love. God never creates a person that is not of worth!

(The photo is of Randy and Robert after the Mt. Bethel UMC voted to start a Homeless Ministry)

He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay with his saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes and said, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”. The man did, and he saw. John 9:6 from The Message

All I could see from where I stood, was three long mountains and a wood; I turned and looked another way, and saw three islands in a bay. Edna St. Vincent Millay from the poem Renascence

Randy and I were walking the other day around the lake behind the Field of Dreams at the church. We love the beauty of the property and the view it affords. While we were sitting on the bench, two friends walked by and remarked on the beauty of the setting. Then, he said, “You know, I was against the church buying this property, but I had no idea it was this beautiful.” Randy remarked, “I never knew that. Did you ever walk back here to see it?” When he shook his head, no, Randy said, “Aren’t you glad the church saw what you didn’t?” He needed to see it to appreciate it!

Our friend only looked at one aspect of the acquisition of the acres of land, but the committee who bought the land had the vision of what it could become! Now it’s filled with ball fields, children’s laughter and learning, and people around the lake all the time!

People see things in different ways, and that can have its advantages and its disadvantages. If two people tell the same story, it will probably be different. Different people have differing accounts on the Civil War, WWII, government, politics, etc. it depends on who is telling the story and their perception of the event.

I happen to love crime and mystery books and movies, and it seems that in each, the authorities always place their witnesses in different rooms, listen to the account of each, and compare the similarities and discrepancies.

The word anoint means “to pour on and rub in”. Jesus anointed the man in this verse and caused his eyes to become sighted. Then the man could see Jesus as he was, not only, as a prophet, a teacher, a man, but as Lord and Savior.

It makes all the difference when we can see things for ourselves rather than taking another’s word for it. Florence Chadwick, a long distance swimmer, attempted to swim 21 miles across the Catalina Channel and become the first woman to do so. The fog was so think, she couldn’t see land and despite the encouragement from her crew that land was near, after 15 hours and 55 minutes, she gave up and came on board the boat. In an interview later she said, “If I could have only seen the land for myself, I know I could have made it.”

When we can see things for ourselves, we are anointed and it changes things. It can change the way we see others. In the last months, I’ve begun to learn so many new things about our neighbors. Now, I see beyond any annoyances or differences and see the best in each of them. My eyes have been anointed.

It also changes the way we see ourselves. We’ve all done things during this virus that we never thought possible. We’ve embraced the lonely, called the sick, zoomed with relatives and friends, and visited in driveways and yards. We have seen others in a different light and we’ve been amazed at ourselves -our eyes have been anointed.

It changes the way we see our needs. During this time, we’ve seen people less concerned with what we don’t have and more thankful for things we do have. We have compassion and want to help the hungry, the imprisoned, and the homeless. Years ago when Randy and I served a circuit in the Covington area, which I thought was at the end of the world, one of the churches was so small that it was facing a financial crisis when we arrived. The people were panicking and began to turn their focus inward to save themselves. Once they were led to turn their focus outward and help the community, the church began to flourish. The people began to look beyond their own needs, and their eyes were anointed.

It also changes the way we see Jesus. We begin to realize that Jesus is worthy of our praise and worthy of our heart, mind and strength. He is in charge, and if we only let Him, he will anoint us with a new vision and a new strength. We can see Jesus for ourselves!

Jesus says there will be a test at the end where we are accountable for how we see Him, ourselves, others and the world.

One of my favorite hymns says it best. Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me; Place in my hand the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now, I wait for Thee; ready, my God, they will to see; open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine. Clara H. Scott