Good Bacteria

When I was a boy, I wouldn't have believed that there was such a thing as good bacteria.  I was well-versed in germ theory and knew that the reason you washed your hands was to get rid of germs.  And they were all bad.

Even when I finished medical school, I don't think I understood how important good bacteria were.  My goal, as a physician, was to eliminate bad bacteria and if there were some casualties of innocent good bacteria along the way, so be it.

But as time goes by, medical science has discovered more and more how important good bacteria are for health.  Taking probiotic pills (good bacteria pills) prevents upper respiratory infections, reduces infant colic, and tempers the gastrointestinal side effects of antibiotics.

In a sense, this relates to my mission as a dad.  It often feels like the goal of my life is to wipe out bad behavior.  I am constantly telling my children -- "Don't throw that down the stairs!" or, "Don't bite him!" or, other pithy statements, designed to reduce the bad behaviors that are not infrequent in my progeny.  Even in my relationship with my patients, I scold them for all of the bad, unhealthy behaviors they are engaged in.  But then, what remains?

It is so important, not just to eliminate bad behaviors, but to replace them with good things.  Nature abhors a vacuum and humans cannot live in one for any length of time.  If someone drinks too much, simply eliminating the drinking will simply leave a void, that needs filling.  Exercising, going to church and AA meetings will fill time that was otherwise spent with alcohol.

There is no salvation in doing good works, but the goal of life is not just to do nothing bad, it is to use my talents -- every one of them -- for God.  And as I do that, I certainly will have less time available for getting into trouble.

Bag Phone

I remember clearly my mother's first cell phone.  It was a bag phone of considerable size, but it certainly beat hunting everywhere for a pay phone and using a calling card.

That was in the late 1980s and there were an awful lot of dead spots.  The funny thing was, she continued to use the bag phone into the mid 90s, when the cell phone company refused to let her continue using a bag phone.  There were smaller options that they (not she) wanted her to use.

When I moved to Paoli thirteen years ago, I found that cell phones were not very usable.  Just about anywhere south or west of town had almost no coverage.

Over time since then, the coverage has gotten better.  There was always a dead spot though, between Roland and Shoals, where I couldn't send or receive phone calls.

Now, the cell phone company is putting up a tower there, too.  One more place where I am 'reachable.'

Still, there thousands of miles in this country that are still uncovered by cell phone towers.  They are places that are far from civilized things like telephones.

None of these places is out of sight or reach of God.  So it says in Psalms 139.  There is no place in space or, time that is hidden from God.  And not only does He see me -- better than the best NSA surveillance plan -- He listens to me as well.

Better than the best satellite phone is prayer.  It is a line that is always open, with great coverage.  And the best part is who is on the other end, waiting for me to call upon Him in time of need and in time of plenty.

Super foods

"It's a Quinoa salad," the lady told me.  "It's very good and you know, Quinoa is really 'hot' right now.  It's really a super food."

Over time, I have heard that many foods were super foods.  These included things like Blueberries, Soybeans, Green Tea,  Avocados and now, Quinoa.  I'm still not sure who decides that a particular food is nutritious enough to deserve the designation of super food.  I can only imagine that it is probably Dr. Oz who does so, in his nearly infinite wisdom.

Now, I am not against the consumption of blueberries or, soy, or even quinoa (although my quinoa salad wasn't that great), but I am afraid that the designation of super food takes away from the basic idea of healthy eating -- balance.

You would think that there would be no limit to the amount of super foods that you could eat, clearly more should be better.  The reality is quite a bit different.  A good diet includes a wide variety of foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

I am afraid that when it comes to the Gospel, many people want to set up residence on the "important" commands and ignore the other things.  Things like love and mercy get prominent billing in such rankings.

Yet, Jesus did not ask His disciples to only teach the important things within the Gospel.  Rather in the His Great Commission, He instructed His followers to "teach them to observe all that I have commanded you."

There are no "super foods" found within the Gospel.  Rather each principle is important.  Our responsibility, as servants of Jesus, is to do and teach them all, through His transforming power.

Presbyopia.

Presbyopia.  It sounds like a new denomination, or perhaps a new brand of designer jeans, but in reality, it is something that eventually effects every one of us.  It is the inability to focus on things close at hand.

I remember my mother telling me a story of how she was teaching a class.  "I am afraid we are going to have to write all of the problems on the board," she told her class of teens.

"Why is that?" They asked.

"Because my arms aren't long enough to read them in the book," she answered.

I am getting to the age where I may soon need reading glasses, although, I still can read things fairly close at hand.  As I think about life, it is a lot harder to see things that are close by, than things that are distant.  It is a lot easier to see small problems or, inconsistencies in someone else's life, than it is to see large problems in my own.

Perhaps the answer is one of focus, but I don't really think so.  Humans just aren't very good at looking at themselves.  The answer to this problem is first of all, to look at myself through the lens of God's Word.  How do I measure up?

The second way is to incorporate someone else's vision into my analysis.  This fo course, come with a draw back -- I have to listen to what my brother, or friend shares, without attacking him.

It is so worth it.  For, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.  The easiest things for me to trip over are things close by me -- that I don't see on my own.

Resistance versus Sensitivity

"I'm calling you about Olive Smith," the nurse on my cell phone said.  "We just got her urine culture results back and it grew out Proteus Mirabilis."

"OK," I said.  "Can you tell me what antibiotics it is sensitive to?"

"How about I tell you what things it is resistant to?"  She asked me.

"No, how about you tell me what it is sensitive to,"  I countered.

There was silence on the other end of the line.  "Is it sensitive to Cipro?"  I asked finally.

"No, it is resistant to that," she said helpfully.

"Is it sensitive to nitrofurantoin?" I asked again, hoping this time to strike gold.

"No, it's resistant to that, too."

"How about Bactrim?"  I asked, a little desperately.

"Oh, Olive's allergic to that.  I guess I should have mentioned that at the start."

There was another pause.  "Can you just tell me an antibiotic that has an 'S' beside it?"  I asked pleadingly.

"Ampicillin/Clavulinate," came back the response.

"OK, let's go with that," I said, telling the nurse the dosage.

It had been an awfully frustrating conversation.  I realized that the reason was that the nurse, for whatever reason had not wanted to tell me any of the medications that would work.  Rather she focused on the ones that didn't.

This is a little bit the tendency of Christians.  It seems easier to talk about things that are forbidden than on the work that is set before us.

But the reality is that Christianity is far from just a list of "don'ts."  Yes, there are things that I don't want to do, because I am a child of God, but it is more than that.  For me, faith is stepping out to follow the best Master I could every imagine, one who loved me so much that He died for me.

And what could be better than that?

Banana Flavor

It was six am at the Louisville Airport as Elaine and I stood in line at Starbucks, looking for a little calorie infusion before our flight to parts west. 

Along with my medium caffeinated beverage, I ordered a chocolate chunk muffin.  Then, we walked down to our gate.  When I sat down and took my first bite, I was disappointed.  The muffin tasted at least as strongly of banana as it did of chocolate.

The reason why was clear to me.  Right next to the chocolate muffins in the window, were banana muffins.  Now, there are some flavors and aromas that just "travel."  I discovered this when someone put mints in the chocolate drawer at work.

Suddenly, all of the Snickers bars tasted more like peppermints patties than like Snickers.

It is said that if you lie down with dogs, you get up with flees.  When you are a chocolate muffin and you lie down next to a banana muffin, you are changed when you get up -- and not for the better, in my opinion.

It is particularly hard for youth to understand this.  The concept that your friends change who you are, even without your ever realizing it, is a hard one to grasp.

The changes can be good or bad.  On one hand, it could lead to a loosening of moral standards and a crudeness of speech.  On the other hand, it can be something that lifts our hearts and lives closer to Christ.

We can choose who we associate with, but once we do, the end is fixed.  For, those who spend too much time with Banana Muffins will smell and taste like one, whether they want to, or not.

Sunflowers

The last three or four weeks were really dry here in southern Indiana at the end of August. Everything turned from a bright green color to a tannish color as we headed towards the fall.

The only bright side was that I didn't have to mow the lawn as often -- well, and that Elaine didn't have to figure out what to do with four new zucchini squash a week.

At the beginning of the summer, I planted a lot of different things, but one that seems to reward me, even on the driest days are the sunflowers. I really didn't do anything to them. I didn't water them, really didn't even take care of them. Yet, despite the arid weather, when I walked out of the garden, I could always see their bright faces smiling at me.

Why are sunflowers so happy, even in dry times? Well, I suppose, because it is their nature to be that way. They couldn't be any other way, even if they tried.

As I look at their yellow heads, pointed at the sun, I know that this too, is a secret. For I have found the dry times of my life are more likely to draw scowls from my face than smiles. However when I keep my face towards my sun -- Jesus -- I am more likely to keep my sense of joy. Even more, I would allow Christ to transform my inner self into one filled with joy. Hard times do reveal who I am on the inside. And in the summer's heat, I would have only joy bubble forth.

Saying Goodbye

It is the end of September and I am saying "goodbye."  I am saying goodbye to a lot of different things, but one of the ones I notice the most are the hummingbirds at my feeders.

No longer do they settle on the feeders, fighting their tiny air battles in the sweltering heat over the sweet water that I put out for them.  Nor are these local birds.  Instead they seem to hum with a Canadian accent, fleeing from the already frosty weather up north.

They take quick drinks and then, they are away again.  Only in the mornings and evenings do my tiny friends linger a little while over the feeders.

And I know that in just a little while, I will put my  feeders away, because there are no more hummingbirds to come.  Only slate gray skies will follow, as winter moves into our county.

I say good bye to these tiny birds, who please so much with their darting, rapid flights.  And I know that life is about good byes and most of them are a lot harder to experience than simply missing a departing humming bird.

At the same time, partings are only temporary.  The hummingbirds will return in the spring and even loved ones who die in the Lord, will be seen in a fairer land some day.

So, I prefer to say "Hasta luego," rather than "adios."  Whether to hummingbirds, who I hope to see again next spring or, to friends and family.

I would that I would see each one of them again at Jesus' side, if not before.  And once we are there, there will be no more good byes.

How to spell Newspaper

"How do you spell 'newspaper?'  Vince asked no one in particular.  Then, in answer to his own question, he began to spell --  "N-E-W-S-P-A-P-E-R."

Vince is a pretty good speller.  I am not certain exactly how he chooses the words he learns.  He can spell words like "engine," and "Thomas" and "fire truck." 

It is pretty handy to be a good speller, but I know plenty of people who aren't.  I suppose with the prevalence of spell checking on computers, it isn't that big a deal any more.

In Jesus' day, it was different.  They didn't have computers, or software.  They did have tablets, but no batteries to put in them.  And most people did not learn to read or, write -- much less spell hard words like "fire truck" and "newspaper."

It tells us of the early disciples that while they were uneducated men, they still spoke with power.  It was the fact that they had been with Jesus that made all of the difference for them.

I am grateful for my education and that I have had the opportunity to learn much.  I can spell words that are much longer than "newspaper."  In fact, I can spell words like olfactory and erudition, without consulting a dictionary.

But, I do not want people to know me for my spelling.  I want people to know of me, that I am Jesus's disciple.

No Light

As I entered the church sanctuary, I looked up.  Everything looked the way it always did, except that one of the light fixtures that hung down from the ceiling was not lit.

Clearly electricity was flowing, for all of the other globes were giving plenty of light.  I suppose that the bulb inside was burned out.  Yet, from the outside, it could not be distinguished from the other fixtures.

There are many people who look a lot like Christians.  They even claim to be servants of Christ and attend to church regularly, but they have no light emanating from their lives.

This is the point of Christ's kingdom parable about the wheat and the weeds (or tares in some versions).  Jesus told a story about a man who sowed wheat in his field and then, while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weed seeds among the wheat.  His servants were chagrined and offered to pull up the weeds.  The man refused to let them, for fear that they would damage the wheat plants in the process.

It is clear that my goal is not to identify which people are weeds and which are wheat inside my church.  My goal must be to make certain that I am Christ's.

My tendency would be to do this by cleaning up my exterior, or trying to do more good deeds.  But, however good these things are, they are ineffective.  It is like polishing the light fixture when the bulb is burned out inside.

Instead, I must open myself to Jesus' light.  As this permeates my life, suddenly it sill begin to come forth.  Only then can I move from being a dark fixture within the church to one who reflect the Light of the World.

Cheetahs

"Zeus can run as fast as a cheetah!"  My daughter said emphatically.  I watched Zeus darting after rabbits.  If Zeus was really as fast as a cheetah, I had a feeling that there would be fewer bunnies in the briar patch.  Brer Rabbit certainly never had Brer Cheetah to contend with.

"No, Anna," I said.  "Zeus is quite a bit slower than a cheetah."

Zeus tries as hard as any cheetah does to run down a rabbit.  You can see it in his eyes as he darts forward, straining towards the escaping rabbit.  There is only one problem.  Zeus is a dog, not a cheetah.

There is no way for Zeus in his dog body to out race a cheetah in it's agile, cat body.

It strikes me that this is the problem that many people have when it comes to serving Christ.  They try and try to act like a Christian and all the while struggle mightily.

For, Christ did not come to make us better people.  He came to transform us.  He came to change us from the inside out.  As it were, to turn the dog into a cheetah.

Only then can we be Christ-like.  For at that moment, we are a new creation, made in His image and likeness.

Word of Mouth

Martin Lindstrom was an advertising executive.  He spent quite a bit of his life trying to get people to buy products.  Then, one day, he decided to try an experiment.

Martin decided to pay a family, the Morgensons, to advertise for them.  In their typical days, as they spent time with friends and neighbors, they would specifically drop references to a variety of products that they were "using."

Martin filmed them doing this and tracked the results.  At the end of the three months, 15,000 people had been exposed to the products in southern California, through this campaign.

Many people know that "word of mouth" is the best advertising.  Few people come to see me in my office because of the large billboards I rent on the edge of town (there aren't any), but because someone they know was satisfied with the care that I provided at Comprehensive Health Care.

It is awfully easy to underestimate the power of a spoken word for Christ.  I do not consider myself an evangelist.  It is awfully easy to believe that my words wouldn't really make a difference anyway.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The testimony I am to share is far from an advertisement.  "Try Jesus, He'll work for you," or even "Jesus fixed my marriage, He'll fix yours too!"  No, the message I need to share is as old as the New Testament.  "Jesus Christ died for sinners, of whom I am chief."

This is a message that will resonate and spread, not because it is a catchy slogan, but because of the Spirit which accompanies it.  There are so many people in need and I can help them, touch their lives, one spoken word at a time.

Okra

Loving someone will drive you to do crazy things.  Some people will buy dozens of roses, some are so in love that they will jump over couches.  I am so in love with Elaine that this spring I planted okra in our garden.

It is not that I mind okra that much.  It just happens to be one of the few foods that I like less than turnip greens.  On the other hand, Elaine has fond memories of eating fried okra, as a girl, and so I planted a row of okra in our garden.

Of course, this meant that I would help take care of it and last week, I ate it with the rest of the family, when our plants produced a bumper crop.

This is the way love is.  The verse says:  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  But when you love someone, it is best to do unto them what they would have you do unto them.

For, love is paying attention to who my wife is and then, loving that person.  Even if it mean planting okra in our garden.