Children of the Corn 'Maze'

I know - I say I put together complicated puzzles for a living.  However, I have a confession - normally I try to avoid any sort of a maze, anything that leads to confusion and despair. They might be great for rats, but not for people.  Yet, this is precisely where people seem to migrate this time of year: in a maze, a labyrinth, (a puzzle), conundrum, befuddlement.  I am not sure why but every time a pass a new "fadish" corn maze I think of the first scary movie I ever watched was Stephen King's Children of the Corn.  I don't think it won a Oscar.  I am still creeped out by the crucifix made of twisted corn with INRI written on it.  Remember the demonic cult that worshipped "he who walks behind the rows?"  Me?  I'm not going into a corn maze. I passed one maze that is billed as "The Corn of Evil."   NOT going there.

Today, mazes are hot. Labyrinths, created on ancient patterns dating back 6,000 years, are all over the country. They've been mowed and shaped in fields, painted on parking lots, laid out in back yards, and installed in church foyers and cathedral naves.  Ready for this? A-maze-ing, no? (You saw that coming right? Really bad joke!)

Floor of Chartres Labyrinth

Many of them are based on the famous pattern of the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France, still visible today. Those who walk the labyrinths testify that the experience evokes healing and self-knowledge, serenity and anxiety reduction. A friend recently told me that if I were to walk a maze with the right frame of mind (?), I would be a different person when I came out of it. (Now - of that I am sure).  That is - if I came out of it.  Knowing me I would get frustrated, turned around, lost, and have a nervous breakdown instead of achieving spiritual nirvana. Or some corn child would jump out from behind a stalk with a chainsaw. Nevertheless - I was told that I'd be less likely to yell at someone who cuts me off in traffic; maybe I'd be a little more patient and willing to listen to the voice inside me. Mmm.  Not so sure.

All this from walking circles in a parking lot? Or wandering through corn?  Sounds far-fetched, doesn't it? I been forced to DRIVE circles in parking lots, scavenging for spaces, and there's rarely any stress reduction in that exercise! But the labyrinth-lover encouraged me to give the coil a chance.
Here's the drill: I start at the sole opening of the maze and wind my way around the circles. At the center (if I make it there), I stop to read, think or pray;  I am told that sometimes people who are grieving leave an object there (I might just leave myself there as I will probably be grieving my inability to get out).  Then I am supposed to follow the same path out.
Suppose it's a good metaphor for my life.  I get really frustrated because I can't see where I'm going, and I have to trust that the path will take me to the center and then actually remember where I have been.  Life can certainly feel like a labyrinth -- with tortuous turns and stupefying setbacks -- so maybe some direction CAN be found in a meditative maze.  If I follow the labyrinth to the center, the process may seem murky and muddy, unreasonable and inconvenient.

But it is a process, the journey in which the fullness of life is found. Following the path to spiritual wholeness requires humility, the kind of humility that is finally willing to obey (That's the really tough part for me.)  It  still sounds a little too"zen-like" for me.

Funny is always close to true

Alas - obedience is the key. Obedience to the will of a Lord who says, "Walk by faith, not by sight." Obedience along the lines of pious pilgrims in the Chartres Cathedral who move through a maze to get to Christ at the core, following paths that expose them to stained-glass windows and creative carvings full of stories of the faith.

Obedience along the lines of modern labyrinth-lovers who find that their disciplined walk gives them a chance to cry -- to open themselves to feelings of hurt, sadness, grief, disappointment, betrayal, pain or fear, and to bring these deep and honest feelings to the Lord, who coaxes them always toward completeness.

I once assumed that life was or should be a straight-line experience leading to happiness and wholeness. Hello! Life is seldom a straight-line experience, but rather is filled with innumerable conundrums through which I can find a center -- a center which is always located in the will of God.

As in all acts of commitment to God, once is not enough. A single trip in the labyrinth is never enough for authority-resistant creatures - remember Naaman?  Seven plunges were required -- or Peter? 70 times seven. I have found that only multiple immersions can drown my obsession with precedent and practicality, and overcome my obstreperous (noisy & difficult to control) resistance to the guidance of our God. Spiritual wholeness requires a daily deep dip in the healing waters of obedience, even when the river is muddy and the path of the quickly flowing maze is completely perplexing. When I take this faithful leap, I discover that the water is healing and the wandering itself is revealing -- the twists and turns of the labyrinthine experience actually lead to clarity, not confusion. It's a strange little story, isn't it? But so true to life in the labyrinth. Sometimes my healing takes a path I do not expect, or it seems incomplete at first. I have to hang in there and let Jesus continue working with me.
Fullness of life in the center of a muddy labyrinth?  Only by walking faithfully can I commit myself completely to the will of God, and wind my way toward a spiritual wholeness that wraps together spirit, body, mind, conscience, emotions and reason. It is in deep, daily dips in the waters of obedience that I experience the healing that our Lord provides, healing that continues through all life's twists and turns. Truth?  I'm becoming myself in the making. The right path, you might say, is as clear as mud.  That's why I'm sticking to a quiet time in my favorite chair & leaving the maze to the children of the corn or the rats.

"Learing"

I call it "Learing." Mrs. Huckabee started it.  She made us read King Lear in High School English class.  It is a story about a vain old man who loses everything, including his devoted daughter.  The King goes crazy after foolishly liquidating his fortune between two of his three daughters based on their flattery.  She told us that it was a "classic" and audiences love it. But in the 19th century the ending was edited for audiences who did not like the depressing ending.  Now that's convenient.  I was puzzled as a 17 year old.  Still am.  Why do people like to watch movies like Titanic, Gone with the Wind, or Doctor Zhivago?  I am not fond of going through tragedy.  And, I really don't like reading about it or watching it at the movies.  (Again - I call it "Learing.") Then again, I'm not too fond of going to the movies anyway.  

I have found, however, in my short life that most people are not like me, and that is a good thing. Most people seem to enjoy watching a tragedy on film or reading about it in novels or plays. This is something we probably know instinctively, but it's been confirmed by "studies."  So why is this true?

 I have lost people that I love - it's devastating and tragic. Whether loss comes through a romantic breakup, a separation, a divorce or a death, the grieving process is painful.  Dr. Wayne Oates wrote a classic entitled Your Particular Grief that has been a tremendous help to me.

How about watching a tragedy?  It's a TRAGEDY. It is like when people ask me what the Bible book of Hebrews is about.  HEBREWS - hello?  TRAGEDIES end with loss or death. But audiences since the time of the ancient Greeks have loved them. Why is this?

A team of researchers at Ohio State University has marshaled evidence "that watching tragedy inspires self-reflection, which allows us to refocus on the people in our lives we might otherwise take for granted." They conclude that the melancholy we feel when watching these stories ultimately provokes "pleasant feelings of gratitude."

That's right: Watching a tragedy makes us feel thankful. Kind of weird.

Writing in the journal Communication Research, these cultural scholars say that the sadness we feel during such a story "fosters thoughts about one's close relationships." We naturally contrast our own lives with the miserable fates suffered by tragic characters, and the end result is a feeling of happiness. Tragedies can wake us up, remind us of the fragility of life, and inspire us to count our blessings "with regard to close relationships." At the end of the story, we are grateful for what we have. 

That's the value of tragedy. "Learing." But can tragedy turn my life around? 

I was asked this week a good question.  What do you consider the most important aspect of the Christian faith?  My answer?  The Resurrection of Jesus.  Lots of people died on crosses only one bodily resurrection.  As I reflect, I am still thinking I am sticking with my answer; however, Mrs. Huckabee's speech on King Lear and the value of tragedy has merit.  How often I find things in life dragging me down.  I need help - an advocate.  I long for someone to take my place - a substitute, a savior.  Interesting that those are the three sides of Jesus in the TRAGEDY of the cross.  Resurrected he now argues my case and puts himself in my place. He saves me from any sin that rips the fabric of my relationships with God, neighbor and self.  Yes - self - I am most of the time my own worst enemy.

At the end of His tragic earthly story, Jesus wants me to be grateful and empowers me to turn my life around.
I feel pretty good about my life right now. But reading, watching, and reflecting on tragedy makes me think more seriously about my existence.  It kind of wakes me up, and reminds me that horrible things can and do happen and that inspires me to appreciate each day I have - taking no day or no one for granted.

The CROSS of Christ did that for me.  I am deeply moved by this gift, and accept it with thanks.  God's plans are certainly different from mine.  If it were left up to me there would be no "Learing."  But God knows that right now in our world?  There's lot to "Lear" about.

Stress 911

Yesterday I mowed the grass and trimmed the hedges.  It was a stress relief - the front of my house was beginning to look like the Adam's family lived here.  If worry is the interest paid on trouble before it is due, too often I would be maxed to the gills.  "Toxic" worriers are people who obsess over everything that could possibly go wrong - to the point of paralysis by analysis.  According to "studies," I was told this past week, that toxic worriers were 21/2 times more likely to suffer heart attacks than less stressed-out individuals.  In my brief life I have done a lot of things that were supposed to relieve my stress and worry.

How about the old - just "Don't worry, be Happy?" -remember that remedy? - didn't work for me.  

There are some suggestions that I found that do have promise. Like...

Using my Mastercard to pay off my Visa.

Popping some popcorn without putting the lid on.

When someone says,"Have a nice day!", tell them I have other plans. (rude!)

Make a list of things I have have already done. (short list - could be boring & more stressful)

Go shopping, Buy Everything, Sweat in them, Return them the next day! (Seems that this was a Seinfeld episode.)

Drive to work in reverse. (My aunt Clara did drive (not in reverse though) on the wrong side of the interstate from Jackson   to Houston one time - but she always seemed stressed out.)

Play my old records backwards and listen for subliminal messages. (never did this - now I have to find a record player to do it...I wonder if I can play CD's backward?)

Bill my doctor for the time I spent in his waiting room. (Now this is a good idea!)

Every time I begin to think that  paralyzing fear and worry only strikes other people, I take a good look in the mirror.  Nearly half the American people are consumed with one form or another of worry, says Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist & Harvard Medical School dude. The old English word for worry had the idea of someone choking.  The Greeks?  Being pulled into four different directions at one time.  Now that is a low blow.  Mainly because it describes me 90% of the time.


In know, I know - there is a thing called good worry - a worry that is suppose to lead to constructive action.  Not working for me.  But in theory that is how it is supposed to work.  Toxic worry on the other hand is something of which I am familiar.  It does just the opposite. It paralyzes.  I tend to brood, to ruminate, to wake up in the middle of the night. Meanwhile I don't take action. It sounds a lot like the servant who took his talent and hid it? Remember that gem from Bible School?

When I hear this parable, I immediately think that he was  "unfaithful" or "lazy," because, frankly, that's how the Good Book renders it.  While this is part of the picture, there is another vantage point from which I can view the actions of the servants in this parable. Why did the one servant shirk from developing his gift, while the other two invested their "talents" -- which one scholar estimates equal 15 years' wages! -- and made 100 percent profits?

Again - according to the Book -  the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'" The key phrase for me is right in the middle: SO I WAS AFRAID.  Stressed, worried - and it got toxic. I  sympathize with the poor guy in this parable who, when given some money to invest, fell victim to paralysis by analysis, worried that he might lose the whole wad. So he buried it rather than buying bonds, banking it, or taking a chance with the bulls and bears of the stock market. When the CEO returned, heads rolled. (Sound familiar?)

Now - lets just speculate  - IF worry can inspire action or stop it cold. Accepting -- just for a moment -- the idea that the master was indeed "harsh" and someone who "[reaped] where [he] did not sow," look at the responses of the three servants. It's not that the first two didn't have their share of worry about this assignment. They were no doubt petrified to the bottom of their portfolios.

But maybe they had good worry, the worry that works. All three servants shared the same circumstances. They all had a harsh master. They were all given a job to do. They all had the same stockbrokers, investors to deal with. Two made worry work for them; the third was poisoned by it.
In today's arena, they might have purchased an Internet stock at its initial public offering; or perhaps they became "day traders," captains of the new economy shuttling funds, internet savvy, into this stock and out of that with a rapidity that can make your head spin. (Thinking this may be one of the problems with today's Dow averages).  Whatever the motivation, and whatever they did, these two servants did something substantial: The returned a handsome profit to their master. And, indeed, the master in this parable was pleased with their work, rewarding each for their effort and success.

But the third servant froze in his tracks. (There I am - again!)  Maybe he believed the untruths he told himself about his master, that this was a man who was harsh and even a thief, someone who harvested what he didn't plant. These things AREN'T true of God, of course, nor of Jesus, but they ARE what many people imagine to be true. (and too often I think this way)

Communication, for me, HAS helped over the years.  I talk to someone -- a friend, a relative, my wife, my kids.  Talking helps me put things in perspective. I attempt should to get the real facts of a situation. Find out what is and isn't true. Leadership Guru Peter Drucker says that "once the facts are clear, the decisions jump out at you."

Finally, I make a plan to deal with the situation, whatever it is. See what can be done to improve a problem -- rather than let it fester.  As a believer, however -- as a servant of the great Master -- I have something even greater than just talking it over with others or making a to-do list as ways to conquer worry. I have a loving Savior who wants to see me do well, to succeed with whatever He's given me to do. His presence, that hope, helps me conquer toxic worry in the here and now -- and in the weeks and months to come.  I have found that most things are not worth losing stomach lining over. Taking Jesus literally -  until the next day -  not worry about that...lot's of stuff to worry about today -I'm at least banking on it.

Living by THE Book

Have you ever wondered what would happen if anyone took all those biblical rules seriously? Even better, what if you took them literally?  I mean, lived "by THE Book." Some folks do claim to follow the Bible in a literal sense, but is that even possible? I re-read an old book this past week written by A.J. Jacobs - it is too funny -  the title?  The Year of Living Biblically.

So here goes - a book review.

Jacobs read through the Bible for four straight weeks, five hours a day, and compiled a list of “every rule, every guideline, every suggestion, every nugget of advice” he found in both the Old and New Testaments. When he finished, he had a list that ran 72 pages with more than 700 rules. Jacobs saw that some of the rules would be good for him — things like telling the truth, not coveting, not stealing, and loving neighbors, for example. But, like those of us who wade through Leviticus and its ilk, he saw plenty of rules that didn’t seem to make people righteous at all; stuff like not eating fruit from a tree planted less than five years ago.  Then there are those biblical rules that are just plain illegal today, like killing magicians (could not do this - I like David Copperfield too much) and sacrificing oxen. Well, maybe the last one is okay if you call it “grilling.”

Given the wide range of rules, Jacobs had to establish some criteria for which ones he could actually follow. Like a good exegete, he figured that there were certain rules that were unquestionably figurative or symbolic, like Matthew 19:12, which is all about eunuchs, especially those who “have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.” Jacobs decided that anything that involved voluntary donation of body parts should probably not be part of his quest. (good call!)

Armed with a revised list and with the help of some human and written guides from both Judaism and Christianity, Jacobs adopted a new persona for the year named “Jacob” and began following the Bible as literally as possible. He grew out his beard and hair to the point that he looked like Moses, Abraham or the Unabomber, depending on your point of view. He dressed all in white (Ecclesiastes 9:8), making sure not to wear any clothing of mixed fibers (Leviticus 19:19). To be safe, he had his wardrobe examined by a shatnez tester — kind of like an orthodox Jewish CSI who looks at the fibers under a microscope. He walked around with money rubber-banded around his hand (Deuteronomy 14:25). He carried around one of those combination cane/seat things called a “Handy Stick” so that he could avoid sitting where a menstruating woman might have sat (Leviticus 15:19). He could watch TV, but he couldn’t actually turn it on so as not to have made a graven image. He “stoned” an adulterer in the park, but since the Bible doesn’t specify how big the stones are supposed to be he just tossed pebbles at an admitted (and annoyed) adulterer on a park bench. The rules that Jacobs followed, and the reactions that he and those around him had, make for a fascinating and very funny read.

NOTE: ADDED this Cartoon simply because it is one of my all time favorites.

One of the more interesting observations that Jacobs makes in the book is that while many religious literalists scoff at the idea of a “cafeteria” style of religion — picking and choosing what rules to follow and what to leave out — the truth is that there’s really no such thing as a true biblical literalist. Even fundamentalists have to browse the scriptural salad bar and can’t heap every biblical rule onto their plate. “Otherwise,” says Jacobs, “they’d … boot out men for talking about the Tennessee Titans (‘make no mention of the names of other gods…’ ‘do not invoke the names of other gods…’ — Exodus 23:13).” 

Jacobs, a self-proclaimed agnostic, went about as far as anyone can (that I have heard about for sure) in adopting a literal biblical lifestyle, but even then he couldn’t literally or legally follow all the rules. Religions and rules cannot all be completely static. 

"Signs of the times?" Get this - the Amish, whom Jacob visited as part of his project, have evolved with the times, even if to a very small degree. He was shocked to find, for example, an Amish woman using a gas-powered leaf blower and an Amish teen rollerblading down a country road. (What more certain sign of impending apocalypse could you get?)

For Jacobs, the most important lesson was this: “There’s nothing wrong with choosing. Cafeterias aren’t bad per se. I’ve had some great meals at cafeterias. I’ve also had some turkey tetrazzini that gave me the dry heaves for 16 hours. The key is in choosing the right dishes. You need to pick the nurturing ones (compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones. Religious leaders don’t know everything about every food, but maybe the good ones can guide you to what is fresh. They can be like a helpful lunch lady who — okay, I’ve taken the metaphor too far.”

My wife swears this is what "literally" happened

As for me -  I probably not up to "living literally" just yet.  Of all the biblical rotisserie I can grab and be nourished on, perhaps the most important one for me is compassion. Giving a “cup of cold water” is a simple act, but it’s those simple acts of kindness, compassion and obedience that best represent Jesus in  daily life. In my life quest to be a “person of the Book,” I have to realize that I can never be outside the rules when I lead with love. 

So - what did I learn from the agnostic guy who wrote this book?  Well - for one, at its core faith is not about a code of rules.  Two - I should do my best to faithfully live out the things about the Bible I already know.  And - a little compassion and kindness go a long way.  Finally - doing the right thing may not always be easy.

A.J. Jacobs learned from his year-long experiment that even as an agnostic there was a lot he could learn from taking on the character and lifestyle of a biblically based person. Jacobs says, “The experience changed me in big ways and small ways. There’s a lot about gratefulness in the Bible, and I would say I’m more thankful. I focus on the hundred little things that go right in a day, instead of the three or four things that go wrong. And I love the Sabbath. There’s something I really like about a forced day of rest ... I also really liked what one of my spiritual advisers said, which was that you can view life as a series of rights and entitlements, or a series of responsibilities. I like seeing my life as a series of responsibilities. It’s sort of, ‘Ask not what God can do for you, ask what you can do for God.’”

Imagine if I lived like that not for just a year — but for the rest of my life - now there's a thought.

Bad Habits

Mental Note:  Remember these are "random" thoughts.

My Grandmother helped me shop for my first plug of tobacco.  I was 9 - I thought my grandmother was "cool."  Little did I know she was teaching me a lesson.  I chose "Bull of the Woods." - One hundred heaves later I realized it was a bad choice - I was sticking to Bubble Yum.

Not too many years ago I was helping that same grandmother (who was now 93) check into the nursing home.  In filling out the paperwork there was a blank:  Do you or have you ever used any tobacco products? "Yes, I have smoked Prince Albert, Camels, and Winston's - dip some three dot Garrett snuff and every now and then chew a plug of Apple Jack or Bull of the Woods."  

"Well, Mrs. Johnson that is not good for your health." "How long have you been doing this?" they probed. Grandmother Johnson - "since I was 9."

We're creatures of habit, and that's not always a bad thing. It's the way we're made. And no one is going to learn to do something well unless some habits are involved. The problem is bad habits and habits that are not good enough. 

Did you hear about this man?  "I can't break my wife of the habit of staying up until five in the morning." "What is she doing?" asked the friend. "Waiting for me to get home." Bad habits!

A woman walks up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look," she said. "What's your secret?" "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day," he said. "I drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods and never exercise." "That's amazing," said the woman. "How old are you?" "Twenty-six." Bad habits!

I have some habits.  For one - why do I too often judge people based on their outer appearance, and not take the time to find out what is in their hearts?  I know better!  So how do I move away from showing partiality and making harmful distinctions?  Maybe my answer is not in better theology or biblical interpretation.  Better habits - perhaps?

I have watched those crazy Febreze commercials where folks smell only a "island breeze" or "country meadow" or "clean lenin" while sitting in a dump?  Funny - when Febreze was launched as an odor-cleaning product in 1993, it flopped. Why? Because people with stinky houses didn't know they needed it. But when the company discovered that people are proud to finish their chores, they suggested a new habit -- a reward with a blast of Febreze. (Pavlovian?)  The product now makes billions annually.

Imagine a rich man dressing in Gucci and feasting on caviar and truffles every day. At the gate of his exclusive community lies a homeless man named Larry, covered with rags, who would like nothing more than to satisfy his hunger with the scraps from the rich man's table. The rich man is in the habit of looking down on Larry and treating him like dirt, shouting "Get a job!"  he blasts through the gate in his Mercedes Benz every morning. Larry dies and is carried away by the angels.  The rich man also dies and is buried. From Hades, where he is being tormented, he looks up and sees Larry, just chillin'. Still in the habit of showing partiality and making distinctions, the rich man calls out, "Hey - Larry  bring me a Perrier; for I am in agony in these flames. Even in the afterlife, the rich man is treating the poor man like a servant."

Now - I understand that takes some liberty with Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus but moves from the first century to the 21st context (Luke 16:19-31). It is time for me to get in the habit of loving my neighbors as myself before it is too late.  Seeing words and deeds as two sides of the same Christian coin is the key to living a life of integrity and avoiding the charge of hypocrisy.  I need to replace the bad habit of favoritism with the good habit of respect for all people. Since my credibility is always going to be based on whether I practice what I preach, I need to find concrete ways to love my neighbor as myself ... instead of simply talking about it.

Saying I have faith is never enough. I have to make a habit of putting my faith into action.

Let the Games Begin

I not a fan of the smell of spilled beer flowing between my feet from a couple seats down.  Hot dogs with mustard and onions - I can take.  Baseball's a game where miracles can happen.  I'm a little bummed that Baseball and Softball are not Olympic sports anymore.  But I do enjoy the sports - especially watching them.  The Games of the XXX modern Olympiad begin this week.  World class athletics!


I am in awe of people who can ski the alpine downhill at 80 mph.  Or - how about the first Brit to win the Tour de France?  He cycled (bi-cycle - peddling) some 2100 plus miles.  Running a marathon?  Pole vaulting? Landing a quadruple toe loop on figure skates - with grace?  Driving a race car while enduring 5 G's in the corners in the 120 degree heat, knowing a mistake can kill you?  Hitting a major league pitch thrown at 90 plus mph by judging it 1/1000th of a second?  If I could pull it off successfully three out of 10 times I'd land a multimillion dollar contract.
Sports feats are difficult. No doubt. They take endurance, skill, training and talent (hopefully foster some world peace?), but ultimately they aren’t that important. After all, athletic competitions, even the Olympics, are just games.  

Are you kidding me Moses?

Although I have never been in an Olympic competition - I sense that life itself is considerably harder and much more challenging. So what’s the hardest thing to do in life? Here’s a list what I think are the most challenging events in life.  I have not personally experienced all of them - but have known people who have.  I have walked with hundreds through these challenges.  I know my list is not your list -  all have our own personal challenges that would make our list look different.


For me?

Raising children - Forgiving - Apologizing - Regaining lost trust - Keeping faith in God during trials and tribulations - living homeless - going to bed hungry every night - burying a child - suicide - murder -removing life support from a loved one.


This list makes the complicated judgments involved in skiing at 80 mph, pole vaulting and hitting a baseball look easy. The "life list" is a tough list, but that last one — making decisions about life or death — is one of the toughest. Even when all the medical facts are known and understood, after the prognosis is clear, even when the choice is obvious, it is a tremendously agonizing decision to remove a respirator from a loved one. I become the judge. It is like I decide between life and death. Most recently - I have an ongoing conversation with a godly person who has lost his will to live.


Top world athletes, even on their hardest days, never make that kind of choice.  Is it what I expected in life?  Probably not.  But I have learned that regardless of what I expected - it is reality.


It’s in the hard places in my life that I must ask the tough questions while seeking godly truth. Then I should listen to the answers, weigh the evidence, judge and act.  I pray my choices be truth-seeking, not game-playing.  When I am presented with life’s difficult choices do I choose to be expedient rather than do what is ultimately right. Making the right choice isn’t always easy or popular. 

So what’s the hardest thing for me?  Is it learning to forgive when I am hurt? Apologizing when I would rather not?  

Was it raising my children with love, kindness and direction every day, tirelessly? Loving my enemies, both personal and national?  These acts take hope and courage and are more challenging than anything in sports. 

But I'm going to continue to face them. No doubt about it. 


It is said that once, when a batter stepped into the box and made the sign of the cross, Hall of Fame catcher, Yogi Berra, said to him, "Let's just leave God outta this, okay?"
But sometimes, God seems to interfere with the game. (And of that I am thankful).  God expects me to step into the batter’s box. And swing.  And I like that.  I still like "The Games" even without baseball & softball.  Let the Games begin!  Or - did they begin a long time ago?  Suppose it depends on my perspective.

Death Calculator

Are you dying to know when you’ll die?  With my folks being feeble at such a young age I decided to go online and take the test.  Okay - so I do believe that death is in God's hands - but there’s at least one person who thinks it’s possible to determine death dates with reasonable accuracy without God. (Maybe this is sinful to do - like taking a sneak peek at my horoscope?)  Dr. David Demko -  a well-known gerontologist did research for over 30 years on the lifestyle patterns that either enhance or diminish life expectancy. 

In 1974, while in graduate school in Michigan, he developed the death calculator and shortly later received the support of the United States Administration on Aging. Since that time it has been used all over the world as a predictor of life expectancy, based upon certain lifestyle behavior patterns.

The death calculator itself is actually a simple quiz that includes questions like the following:

“Do you have an annual physical exam?” If so, add three years to your score. If not, subtract three years from your score.

“Do you volunteer on a weekly basis?” If so, add two years to your score. If not, one year deducted. Volunteering means non-paid service to unrelated individuals.

“Are you able to laugh at, and learn from your mistakes?” If not, subtract three years. (Can I just subtract 2 if I am able to do this just sometimes?)

“Do you smoke a pack of cigarettes daily?” Subtract four years. Live or work with smokers? Subtract one year.

There’s more. “Do you own a pet?” Add two years for interactive pets (dog, cat, bird). Add one year for passive pets (fish, reptile, tarantula) - (This dude does not know my pets - and I don't call reptiles passive). If you are left-handed, subtract one year. (strange? But remember - Judas was on the left of Jesus - and the "goats" are on the left in the judgement).  For every inch of your height that exceeds 5’8”, subtract six months. (I'm toast) “Are you a religious person, and do you practice your faith?” If so, add two years.” (How about if I most of the time practice at least 1 of the 2?)

According to this -long life isn’t just a result of smart genes and dumb luck. Most of the time, it’s due to moderate eating, sleeping, diet, exercise, work and leisure. In fact, 80 percent of the factors that control how long you live are related to your lifestyle, not your genes -- now that's good news for me.  Add that to the fact that I have honored my parents (I think) & I am good to go for a long life. (Remember the commandment to honor our folks has a promise attached to it).

Dr. Demko’s quiz may predict when I am going to die, but that’s not really the point of his death calculator, is it? The point is to choose to live in the healthiest way possible — now, before I'm dead, and have no choices at all.

I better get  my act together ... now! Talk about urgency about getting on with  life now, and not later when it may well be too late.  Paul's words - “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

It’s this lack of attention to life, passing through without deliberate intention to a moral life that led Henry David Thoreau in 1854 to the radical decision to live alone for a time. Thoreau did not want to let life pass him by — he wanted to live it with full attention.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,” wrote Thoreau in Walden, “to confront only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter when I die. It matters only how I’ve lived.  FYI - the calculator says I should have died 5 years ago.  So I'm feeling pretty good right now - right?