The Importance of Play

Do you ever picture Jesus playing?  That may be an image of him that you have never considered.  The Bible does not give us many details about his experiences as a young child, teenager or the years leading to the beginning of his ministry. 

I am absolutely certain that he explored his surroundings and discovered the wonder of the Father’s creation. Smelling flowers, touching rocks of every kind, watching the animals, gazing at the stars and sitting in the sun were surely part of his free play.

As a toddler he probably crawled on dirt floors, pulled himself up to Joseph’s carpenter’s bench and even manipulated the tools.  With Joseph’s help he gradually learned the trade, but not before he had many chances to discover through play.  As a little boy, he may have mimicked Mary in her housekeeping chores or tried to help with the cooking.

Can you see him playing tag or hide and seek with friends ?  Shoveling sand and squishing clay?  Climbing trees or diving into a pool of water? Running and jumping ? Humming a tune or singing with others?  He surely must have created designs in the sand or looked at the clouds for funny animal images.  Did he laugh at the silly antics of friends?  Or have some of his own? 

The point is that Jesus played because that is how children learn.  In the awesomeness of his being, he was human.  He totally enjoyed life. He must have had opportunities to be curious, use his imagination, develop relationships and grow in the way that was pleasing to his Father.  Play was part of that process.   Make it essential for your family!

Revisiting Psalm 23

I’ve been studying Psalm 23 for the past few weeks. I encourage you to dig it out and refresh yourself with the great promises found in this Psalm. If you’re like me, you may have memorized it as a child and now need to take a deeper look at the encouragement you can find for your soul in this beautiful Psalm.

“The Lord is my Shepherd…” is a phrase that has inspired both art and poetry. People read this Psalm at funerals, and yet, it isn’t about death. Instead it’s an invitation to a way of life. The Good Shepherd will lead us by green pastures and quiet waters. He will restore our souls and restore our joy. If we invite Him to, He will even LEAD us through the dark valleys we face.

“The Lord is my Shepherd…” – what would our days look like if we truly embraced this promise? How would our lives be different if we truly lived in the everyday grace of the Good Shepherd?

I invite you to join me as I try to notice God’s gracious provisions found even in the ordinary. Let’s let God lead us in the green pastures and by the quiet waters and then, notice that He has restored our souls.

Harmful Imbalance!

Every person wants his/her life to really matter. For many, work is a place where they feel a sense of significance. There is nothing wrong with enjoying work, but when a person is consumed with work a harmful imbalance may result. Family is one of the areas of life that may experience the effects of this harmful imbalance. At a specific time when my life was consumed by work and imbalanced, my wife, Jan said to me, “if you give up your family, you give up everything.” Jan was right on! What really matters in life are the people I love and who love me; this is my family.

Family is our most important responsibility. In a substantial study taken of American Teenagers by Search Institute in 1997, researchers discovered that kids who “feel connected to their parents, were less likely to suffer emotional distress, think about suicide, be violent, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or smoke marijuana”  (Strasburger). These parent-nurtured kids also tended to delay their first sexual experiences. In this same survey of high school students, 86 percent said they feel disconnected from and devalued by adults, and only 22 percent said they could communicate positively with their parents (Strasburger).  Family is the primary place to influence the next generation for Jesus.

 So what do we need to do to strengthen our families?  Below is a list of practical suggestions on how to strengthen your family.

• Make a commitment to read God’s word daily.
• Read to your family from age-appropriate bible-based books.
• Establish a quiet time each day to pray.
• Pray with your spouse and kids.
• Share with your kids your personal faith story.
• Share with each other examples of God’s care and love that you are experiencing.
• Gather for a family meeting. Have family members each share their concerns about the upcoming week. Set priorities, make decisions, and establish responsibilities and expectations for the week.
• Help your kids learn how to make “to do” lists.
• Think of ways to serve together, (i.e. clean the yard, bake for someone, and/or visit a nursing home)
• Memorize scripture together by posting a selected verse or verses in a prominent place in your home. A few suggested locations are the refrigerator door or a bathroom mirror.
• Play together, (i.e. board games, catch in the back yard, build a fort in the woods, go on a date, go on a fast-food progressive dinner)

 Family is the most important responsibility, achievement, and legacy we will leave after we are gone. Family is more important than a job, income, standard of living, or personal ambitions. God calls us to care for and nurture our families.

Victor C. Strasburger, “Tuning in to Teenagers,” Newsweek (September 1997).

Men at the “table” in Italy

There are many ways to eat in Italy from the most simple to the most formal.  Kathy and I tried each in our short visit to Italy.  Each has its own pleasures.  I have noticed the small town restaurant needs a reservation if not more so than in a big city.  I think in part because the small town family-run restaurant has just one seating and you have their full attention for the night

There is an expression, A tavola non si invecchia,  “At the table one does not age”, that speaks to the notion of the good feelings that come with dining, whether at home or in any sort of eatery.  Italians, unlike Americans, do not adopt special restaurant manners, but instead approach a restaurant meal as a source of pleasure and social relaxation.  One of the joys of eating in Italy is to observe the behavior of diners nearby.  Kathy and I having only each other to talk to on this sabbatical were glad we are extroverts and at times could take a break from talking and enjoy watching the people around us.  The best was one night at Locanda di Nonna Gelsa, in the village of Niccone.  As Kathy told Chiara, “this is the best 50 euros we have spent so far in Italy.”  Chiara is the charming hostess who knows both English and French.  This is a very good family-style restaurant.  I knew it to be family when she decides to start and later stoke the fireplace next to me. I felt like reaching over and helping.

What also made it the best 50 spent yet was the people watching.  Each mise-en-tavola seems to be a small drama, whether tragic or comic.  We delighted in watching four generations of a family carry on precisely as they would at home.  Small children were doted upon and given relatively free rein in terms of self-expression.  The Elderly relatives were closely watched to see that they were eating, as they should.  Everyone plays and laughs, with an occasional outburst of anger. 

One of the big surprises is how the table is simply a social gathering.  And here is the surprise.  It is common in Italy for male friends to go out for dinner as a group while their wives and girlfriends stay home.  This is a legacy I find out since the days when Italian women did not go out unaccompanied.   I am told that in Fellini’s I Vitelloni (1953) in which Alberto Sordi seems to be on a continuous night out with the boys reflect this idea.  While today his contemporaries are less wild, the tradition of men going out for a good meal endures. 

On this night out from my vantage point, I watched two tables (Kathy watched the multigenerational table).  One was a table of two older men in their late 60’s and the other of two young guys (that would be my age, no laughter please).  I will comment only on the older guys.   Unlike other tables these two did not want to order the table wine.  They bought what had to be a good year by the way they breathed in the aromas, held the bottle, the way they filled each others glass, read the label and then comparing it to some of their best wine they have raised in their lifetime.  They were oblivious to everyone else in the restaurant except Chiara.  They knew her well and you could tell coming here was a ritual, a tradition, and a commitment to a soul friend.  I knew this had to be a regular guy’s night out when they got up laughed and laughed and joked with Chiara and then left without paying as Chiara began writing down a new number to their running tab.

For me on the first visit, (though not to be my only in the two weeks there), what I prized was the “Wild Boar Stew” though more like slow cooked pork smothered in a sauce that melted in my mouth.  For them, a conversation that never dragged, a bottle of wine shared together between two close friends over a good meal.  A tavola no si invecchia  “At the table one does not age”. 

What those two guys have we men in the church need and I want personally, a commitment, a ritual, and a tradition. A tavola non si invecchia, “At the table one does not age.”

Guys, we need good male connections.  Heart of a Warrior is a Men’s Wednesday night study led by Virgil Bakken and Mark Peske.  There are a variety of Men’s Small Groups offered this fall and listed on the Small Group brochure.  Oct 15-18th a group of guys are heading to Adventurous Christians a Covenant Wilderness Center along the Gunflint Trail.  This will be a time for fellowship in the outdoors and to plan a few men’s events.  Also, Kevin Jackson desires to give leadership to the men’s ministry.  See Kevin if you would like to help.

Doing “Church” in Flu Season

What is the church going to do if we have a flu outbreak in our community?  First of all, we will focus our attention on taking precautions to keep you and your family healthy. Our great God invites us to be good stewards of our health (1 Thessalonians 4:4).   I will be keeping in touch with public health and MeritCare, and will try to stay on top of the latest information available from local, state and national health authorities. We will follow CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines.

At this point we do not need to change how we do “church”. Continue to shake hands and hug one another, unless you feel uncomfortable in doing so. For some, it is maybe the only time they have human contact during the week. Fellowship and caring for one another is an important part of keeping healthy. I will have hand sanitizer available at the information booth. Please feel free to use it. As we learn more this may change in the future, depending on the severity of the outbreak. Let’s focus on good hand washing, covering our mouths and noses when we cough or sneeze and staying home when we are ill – it is ok to skip church if you are sick.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 NIV).