Flu Shots

Flu season is here once more.  We have a bunch of cases in the last week and I am sure that multitudes will descend on our clinic with high fevers, dry coughs and positive flu swabs over the next week or two.

The funny thing is that when flu cases start hitting the news, we start getting a steady trickle of folks coming in who want their flu shot.

It's probably a little late, since the CDC says that it takes a couple of weeks for the influenza vaccine to be fully effective, but I am sure they are all thinking "Better late than never."

I suppose people need something to put their trust in -- something that allows them to feel in control during flu season -- and flu shots are as good as anything, in that respect.  Yet, the influenza vaccine is only as good as the scientists who choose the strains.  Last year, it was pretty bad, only nine percent effective in people over sixty-five years of age (50 percent effective in younger folks).  Hopefully it is better this year, but we won't know until after the fact.

On the other hand, I know One, Jesus Christ, who is always faithful.  Unlike flu shots which may be ineffective, He is always on target.  So why don't we trust Him more?

Praise

My daughter, Anna, had a school program a couple of days ago.  For about fifty minutes, we listened to songs -- mostly songs of  Christmas, as youthful voices were raised in praise of the Son of God.

I, of course, watched Anna as she sang.  Her face was animated as she sang for all she was worth.  I could hear her voice clearly rising with the others in earnest (if not always totally melodic) song.

As I watched her and the other sing, I realized that praise does not have to be beautiful.  Psalm 100:1 says that we should "Make a joyful noise to the Lord..."  Truly, if our singing to God had to beautiful, it would leave out a good chunk of those of us who would love to have beautiful singing voices, but struggle with the high notes, the low notes, and even at times some of the in-between notes.

This is where children have it over us adults.  Because they don't know that they are bad singers or, good singers, they just know that they have a heart full of praise of God that has to be let out.  And that, more than anything else is what God hears when we sing to Him.

Christmas Caroling

Christmas caroling is here again.  My nurse, Donna, and I chose eight older patients of mine who are shut in , to sing for.

It was a little stressful, gathering things together, figuring out where each person lived, and what order to visit them.  I almost wondered if it was all worth it.

You see, I remember when I was growing up, Christmas caroling for my mother's patients.  I never really knew if the patients appreciated it, but it certainly was fun for me as a kid, singing the hymns of Christmas and then, eating pizza afterward till I thought I would pop.

When I had a practice of my own, I decided that I wanted to do the same for my patients.

This year, as I sat down with my nurse and prepared the list, I was a little sad.  Three of the patients from last year's list had died.

In the end, everything was gotten together and a goodly group from our church arrived to help us carol.

As we sang, I saw in my children's eyes a joy that is too often missing this time of year.  And then, I looked up, to see an elderly man standing in his doorway, with tears streaming down his face as he listened to the songs of Christmas.

It was then that I knew why we were singing and that, without a doubt, whatever effort it took on my part, was worth it.

Scales

Scales always have a range, from worst to best, 1 to 10, or maybe from 1 to 5.  At the hospital, we use pain scales a lot and I've noticed that women who have been in labor, usually put labor pain at the top and suddenly all other pain moves down the scale.

In the same way, my "scale" for judging the quality of food is tempered by the fact that I cooked for myself for several years.  I remember that someone gave me a cooking magazine once and after I looked through it, I decided that I was going to make Gazpacho Soup.

I went out to the local grocery store and bought all the ingredients I needed (that would be all of them) and assembled them.  That was when I realized that you didn't cook the soup!  Needless to say, it was terrible.

I ate it three nights in a row and then, with tears in my eyes (thinking of starving children in Africa) I had to throw the rest of it out.  It was that bad.

In comparison, on a scale of one to ten, the worst thing my wife, Elaine, has ever cooked for me is probably about a 7.9.

I guess that's a very long winded way of saying that I appreciate my wife's cooking more, because I had to endure my own.

There are many reasons why we don't enjoy the simple pleasures that God gives us.  I believe that the most common is simply that our scales need recalibration.

The Heart of a Child

We had a snow fall of seven or eight inches, followed by another couple of inches a few days later.  Now, I have a blade for my lawn mower, but I can't push very much snow with it and so, I ended up running up and down our driveway a couple of times over the course of the day to keep it clear.

As I rode the little lawn tractor in the frigid air, with snowflakes falling on my head, I felt more than a little irritated at the soft, white crystalline water that was piling up everywhere.

That afternoon, Anna and Elliot got on their snow gear and came outside.  For the next hour or hour and a half, I saw snow through different eyes.  To them, the snow was beautiful.  It changed the familiar world into a world of mystery.  Through their vision, I could see a wonder that I hadn't felt until that moment.

It was something that I needed to remember.  For, it is awfully easy, when I am dealing with the practical aspects of life, to forget the beauty of the world that God has created.

I love photography and there are times that I wish that I lived somewhere with more beauty and majesty than the drab hills and skies of southern Indiana.  Yet, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "He has made everything beautiful in its time..."  and it is true. 

I can't say that I enjoy shoveling snow, but it is certainly less irritating to me, when I just open my eyes to see the beauty and the wonder that surround me.  And in this, I must remember to become more like my children.  It seems to me that there is no place where the wonder of God's creation is felt so much, as the heart of a child.

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is coming.  When I was a child (a long time ago), there was much discussion about the secularization and commercialization of Christmas.  Christmas even then was good for sales and stores promised especially good prices in December.  Nothing has really changed today.

Christians have had to contend with this for years, as Christmas becomes less and less attached to any spiritual significance.  For many, Christmas is now more of a secular holiday than anything else, regardless of its roots.

What is far worse in my mind is the current politization of Christmas.  Christmas decorations must be defended -- legally if necessary -- against all assaults.  As the fight about the Ten Commandments in courthouses wanes, the struggle over manger scenes is just beginning.

Even as evangelicals turn to the political and legal processes to defend their faith, Satan must smile.  For it doesn't really matter if there is a Nativity Scene at the local court house or, mall.  What matters is whether or not Jesus Christ is Lord in each life.

Christ does not want me, as a Christian, to defend His name in court or, to pass laws in His favor.  All this has been tried over the years, unsuccesfully.

In fact, there is no command in Scripture to remember Christmas, or to honor it.  Certainly, Jesus doesn't care what those who don't believe in Him do on December 25th, except for one thing.  His desire is on all days that sinners come to repentance.

Christians must stay away from the political process.  Satan will use any cause -- however good -- to draw us in, but we must avoid it.  The fight over manger scenes in the public square is like a big inflatable snowman -- big, gaudy and easily collapsed when someone lets the hot air out.

Smiley Faces

My family and I were driving to Bob Evans and the children were talking about what they would order.

"I will need to see the menu!"  Elliot, our two year old, said emphatically.

"Do you suppose you'll get smiley face potatoes?"  I asked.

"Of course, Dad," Anna said.

"I don't know,"  I said in a worried tone.  "I heard that there was a shortage of smiley faces."

"That's silly, Dad,"  Anna said and all three of the children burst into gales of laughter.

Anna was right.  There were plenty of smiley face potatoes for the children at Bob Evans.   Unfortunately, it seems to me, that there is definitely a shortage of smiley faces in the world and it is worse this time of year.  As I walk around, I see many somber and even angry faces.

I wish that I might be the one who discovers "Vitamin X" or, "The Waldron Factor," which when taken regularly, causes people to smile in a routine and relaxed fashion.  But this is one area where medical science will not improve the situation.

True smiles grow out of a heart of joy.  Proverbs tells that "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (17:22).  Into a chilly room, full of melancholy souls, an individual may walk and raise the temperature ten degrees, simply by smiling.

Ice, Ice

I don't like ice in my drinks.  In fact, I don't even like them particularly cold.  I know this seems odd in the United States, the home of the "ice-cold beverage," but I would rather drink a room temperature glass of water than a cold one, any day of the week.

I suppose this all dates back to my childhood.  For one thing, my mother has (and had) really sensitive teeth.  For another thing, any cubes of solid water we had in our freezer were made with sulfur water, meaning that they added a very intriguing (I won't say good) flavor to anything you put them in.

The reality is that you can get used to and even grow to enjoy most things.  This is a very dangerous aspect of being human.

For, while there are many things for which it does not matter either way what you do, there are many things which have eternal importance.

It is the human tendency to look for societal norms as a guide for behavior.  But societal standards seem to be set by people who have little moral principle and who certainly have no relationship with Jesus Christ.

In such a world, it is awfully easy to allow sinful behavior to become the norm.  Yet, this should never be for the followers of Christ.

For, we know that Jesus did not come to this earth and give His life, just so that a group of uneducated fisherman could become culturally relevant.  Instead, He brought a set of standards that raise moral purity from the level of action to purity in thoughts and actions.  It is to this goal that His followers strive.

Let us never become used to the impurities of society, but rather live our lives with Jesus' perfect example as our goal.