shall not perish

(This year’s Lenten posts revolve around John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” With COVID19 on everyone’s minds, I find it hard not to veer from that theme and instead offer Biblical inspiration for dealing with the pandemic. But we need to turn our eyes back towards Lent and the upcoming crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Despite all this chaos, I’m not going to let my Easter be canceled.)

   Jesus told her, “I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. (John 11:25, Living Bible)

When God created the world and put us humans on it, he intended for us to live forever. Without sin, our bodies wouldn’t wear out and fail us. We were meant to have eternal peace and happiness on this earth.

But Adam and Eve sinned against God which began a long list of problems for everyone who followed. I think that as the world goes on and more sin permeates it, things for us continue to go downhill. I know that God will never turn His back on us, but as more people fall away from Him – well – I don’t know.

I think our world is in a rough place right now. Maybe all the shootings, crazy weather, wars, and general anger, distrust, and despair were just the beginning and now this coronavirus pandemic. There’s a lot going on, and I’m fearful, but not for myself. I’m afraid for all the non-believers out there. As for me, I know where my faith is and I know that I will not perish.

LORD, God, Heavenly Father, I turn to You in prayer. I humbly ask that You send Your Holy Spirit into the hearts of non-believers that they may turn to You in time of trouble. Amen.   

Flashback Friday Fotographs

Three weeks ago, I introduced you to my beloved (albeit bulky) 35 mm SLR Yashica. I also shared the second picture that I took with that camera. I’ve been wanting to share some of the better snapshots from that time, but I got sucked into the whole coronavirus craze. I thought it was time to get my mind off of that for a while.

So here are some of those old photos from the fall of 1980. Yes, forty years ago.   

Very First Selfie

Random mushroom 

Maybe I should have waited until the Fall to share these pictures. I think we all want to think Spring instead. 

The playground in Marathon Park.

Lichen or some such thing. It's hard to get the pictures to look the same when you scan them into the computer. 

Under a bridge in Wausau. 

People cookies! My sister Pat and I used to make small round cut-outs and decorate them like people.
How fun! 

We'll Get There

     I’ve been awake since 4 a.m., a stream of various movie scenes running through my head.

The first thing I did when I finally rolled out of bed a few minutes later was to jump on the internet and find the latest statistics on the pandemic. The movie scene that brings to mind is from “Signs”, when Mel Gibson’s brother and two kids are obsessed with watching the latest news on the TV about the global invasion of aliens.

Then I read online about social distancing and how many states (including mine) have instituted a stay-at-home policy. My head jumps to the scene from the old movie classic, “Ben-Hur”, where Charlton Heston’s friend takes food to his mother and sister in the leper colony. She sets the food down and then backs off ten or twenty feet so they can come and get it without having direct contact. It makes me think of our elderly, holed up in their homes, waiting for their kids to deliver food to them on their front porch. No hugs or handshakes, only shouting across the yard.

Of course, the entire pandemic is like any of a number of apocalyptic movies. I keep thinking that I’ll wake up and be back in my real life. Instead, just like in those thrillers, one thing after another keeps getting piled on our hero. You know - he has a plan to save the world but it keeps getting thwarted in one way or another.

Just like how Hubby’s doctor’s appointment turned out on Monday. Instead of getting released to go back to work with his broken arm fully healed, he has to have surgery tomorrow. He was so devasted. The screw they put in his bone on February 7 didn’t hold, so now they have to put in a plate.

The upside of that is that maybe there wasn’t going to be much work for him to go back to (but then again, is work comp going to figure that out and stop paying him?). And then, our vacation to Tennessee the end of April has to get canceled due to the pandemic and he wouldn’t want to drive all the way there with his arm in a sling anyway.

But with that, “The Wizard of Oz” comes to mind. Not just singing that somewhere over the rainbow things will be better, but more like chanting “I want to go home”. As in home to my childhood, where the biggest stress was some boy teasing me on the playground.

But somewhere, out there, skies are blue. And we’ll get there.

that whoever believes in him

 

(This year’s Lenten posts revolve around John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” With COVID19 on everyone’s minds this week, I was tempted to veer from that theme and offer Biblical inspiration for dealing with the pandemic. But I think we need to turn our eyes back towards Lent and the upcoming crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Despite all this chaos, I’m not going to let my Easter be cancelled.)

   Jesus said to the woman, “Because you believed, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace.” (Luke 7:50, New Century Version)

For the month of February, I wrote about the word “love” and was amazed by how many times it appears in the Bible. I found the word “believe” half as many times, but it was still a very impressive number.

   “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22, New International Version)

Which makes perfect sense. Isn’t that what the entire Bible is about? Believing. Having faith. Knowing in your heart that God is your loving Father in heaven and that His Son has saved you from your sins?

   So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20, New King James Version)

But how many of us have that much faith? That much belief in a God we might not be able to see or touch? The thing is it isn’t up to us to move those mountains.

   Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:34, New Century Version)

It isn’t up to us whether or not we are healed of our physical ailments. What matters is that we are healed of our sin.

Lord, God, Heavenly Father, be with us in these trying times. Send us Your Holy Spirit to heal us of our unbelief and to grant us relief from worry. And if it is Your will, heal us from all of physical afflictions. Amen

Covert COVID19 vs the familiar flu and other crud

     I don’t usually post here on Saturdays, but after the resounding response to Wednesday’s post, I felt obligated to fill you in on the coronavirus a little bit more.

It’s not the flu.

There are some similarities. But let me give you the down and dirty on the flu first. To begin with, when we talk about the “flu”, we mean the upper respiratory kind of influenza. A lot of our patients come in saying they have the flu, because they have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. That is not the flu, though some call it the stomach flu. It is a gastrointestinal bug. You will not have those symptoms from the flu, except for, fairly rarely, diarrhea.

So what exactly are the symptoms of influenza. It usually comes on very quickly. You go to bed at night feeling fine and around three a.m. you wake up sweating and aching all over. Over the next couple days, the fever and chills may continue, you feel exhausted, you develop a cough, maybe sore throat and headache. But the biggest thing is you feel like you’ve been hit by a semi-truck.

Influenza has been around for centuries. That’s why we are able to produce a yearly vaccine against it. But because there are many different strains of influenza, this year’s shot may not kill every type that crops up. Which is why you may still get the flu even if you’ve had the shot. It should, however, be a much milder case. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a flu shot each and every fall.

So how is corona different?  

From what I have seen and read, coronavirus begins more insidiously. You may get a sore throat, mild body aches and fatigue, low grade temp and think you are coming down with a cold. If you are youngish and otherwise healthy, that’s all you may get and it will go away and you don’t think much of it.

However, after five to seven days of those symptoms, you may start to cough and run a fever. You may feel short of breath, as if you have just run up three flights of stairs but have done nothing more than take a sip of water.

A few of our defenses

If again, you are fairly healthy, the fever, cough, and shortness of breath may last another week or so and you’ll get better. You can ride it out at home with rest and plenty of fluids. Or things could go south for you.

If you have those symptoms and are over sixty or have chronic conditions, such as COPD, heart disease or diabetes, call your health care provider to see if you need to be seen. Or go straight to the emergency room. Our ERs are being overwhelmed right now, so don’t go running in there all in a panic. Use your head and seek medical attention if you need it.  

But just like flu season, could this pass on its own?  

At first, along with a lot of others, I was thinking that we had the coronavirus here all winter and some of those cases of influenza were just that. And the only reason the numbers of confirmed positives is so high now is because we just started testing for it. I don’t know. I am no expert – and it’s tough to find all the answers because no one is an expert.

Even though coronaviruses have been around for a while, this strain is brand, spanking new. Our bodies – our immune systems – don’t know what to do with it. And neither do all the doctors and scientists studying it.    

Because it hasn’t hit warmer countries quite as hard, there is some speculation that corona doesn’t like hot weather. But I don’t think anyone studying this thinks it will happily roll over and play dead once the northern hemisphere is hit with summer weather. Look at the number of people in Florida with it.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg.  

There is so much more I’d like to say, but you have read enough from me for today. Just don’t take my word for any of this. I’m not a doctor, I’m just a peon who has worked with many a doctor.

Last reminder though, don’t trust everything you read on Facebook or other social media. Keep your wits about you, people. And keep your distance too.

Main street was pretty quiet Thursday night

(I thought this webpage offered some more good answers. 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters )

Excerpt and Explanation

     I was going to write more about the pandemic tonight, but after losing two nights sleep thinking about what to tell you, I’m giving us all a break. Maybe you need to just do some light reading this weekend.

After he left, Dee looked out the window. The sun was up and not the slightest breeze stirred the leaves that still littered the ground. She’d brought warm clothes; the cool morning air might revive her. Even if it meant walking past cabin number 4.

Outside, the air was nippy, but she bundled her winter scarf around her neck and started the trek through the woods. When she came to the four cottages, the black Suburban was gone. Though the curtains were closed in cabin number 4, she could see lights on inside.

She watched for any sign of life inside. Nothing at first, but then she saw a shadow pass by the window. Dee waited but couldn’t detect any other activity in the small house.

She strode passed it without looking at it again, intent on getting to Lake Michigan. The walk, as the maintenance man had promised, was short and the trail well-groomed.

The water was calm, the waves gentle, nearly whispering as they feathered the rocky beach. She walked the stretch of beach until she came to what must be the parking lot the man had told her about. She considered walking back to the resort via the road but instead turned back the way she had come.

She almost missed the secluded trail back, not realizing how thick the trees were growing that close to the shore. When she arrived back at the cabins, the SUV had just pulled up. 

I’m only going to bore you with my latest story “To Find Justice” a few more times. I thought I should at least tell you a little of what it is about.

Dee Richards, a devoted wife and mother, dreams of writing a mystery novel. When friends loan her the use of their condo for a week, she seizes the opportunity to make her dream a reality. A secretive couple who is also staying at the resort captures her imagination. Will she finish writing her book or will the mystery right next-door change Dee’s life forever?

Dee works at a store in a small Wisconsin town, her husband at the paper mill.  Yes, they live in a town much like my hometown of Tomahawk. Years ago, I wrote two other short (and horrible) stories about this place, only its name was Owilli. Can anyone guess where I got that name from? Way back when I was growing up, our papermill was owned by Owens-Illinois. Maybe someday, I’ll bring out the other (only much improved) stories of the people who live in Owilli.

The main location for “To Find Justice”, though, is a resort along the shores of Lake Michigan. A place similar to where the picture above was taken. Or perhaps this one. Both taken of Lake Michigan in August. But I soon realized that they were too bright and the wrong season. 

The picture I did choose for the cover is from Lake Superior in September. Wouldn’t you agree it fits the setting much better?

I imagine most authors use stock photos for their books, but that darn photographer in me insists on coming out.

You can find “To Find Justice” on Amazon here. Waiting for my first review of it. Hint, hint. And also, if you find formatting errors, my apologies, this was my first time doing something like this. I'll do better next time. 

Have a good weekend. Be safe, stay healthy.

Coming to the Clinic during Corona Crisis

     Do you want to know why I really don’t sleep at night? Many a night I am writing an upcoming blog post in my head. Instead of getting up to type it, I just keep editing it in my head, feeling confident I will remember it when the time comes to actually type it. Right. That’s what happens. Not.

Anyway, I had a totally different thing written up for today anyway, and then Monday night a totally different idea jumped in my head. But by yesterday morning, I was feeling like I should really give you more of a public service announcement today.

Yes, you’ve all heard everything there is to hear about coronavirus (aka COVID 19). I’m going to try not to bore you with all of that; instead, hoping to present something new or that you haven’t thought of before.

For starters, do you know what a corona is?

In astronomy, it is that rim of gas that surrounds the sun and other stars, usually only appearing during a total solar eclipse, when it might look like a crown. That’s not so bad. (I’m afraid I will go down the rabbit hole of Corona beer and its crown logo if I don’t stop this line of thought right now.)

As most of you know, I have worked in the health care field for over thirty years, the last twenty in family practice. I’ve seen a thing or two. And with my active imagination, I’ve imagined way more than that. I also watch the occasional end-of-times action movie, so I could picture a virus taking over the world and destroying life as we know it. And now here we are.

No, the coronavirus is not going to change our lives forever. A lot of people will get sick, a few will die. Things could get uglier than they are right now. But let me stop before I digress.

This is a virus. There is no treatment for it, no cure. If you get it and you are reasonably healthy and have the body of someone less than – let’s say – 65 years old, you can ride this out at home, with lots of fluids, rest and ibuprofen or Tylenol for the fever and any pain.

Do not go to the ER, do not go to your doctor’s office, and do not even call your doctor’s office, unless you have difficulty breathing or an underlying serious health condition such as heart disease, diabetes, or COPD. Do not demand to be tested for it - there just are not enough kits available and the labs are already working around the clock to run the tests on those people who are really sick. 

Also, do not go to your doctor’s office for your routine checkups. It’s not worth the risk of picking up any and all of the bugs the other patients have brought in and left all over the waiting rooms. Your health care provider will call in any of your regular meds so that you don’t run out before this black cloud lifts.

Umm, what else? I have to tell you that the patients I have called to reschedule their annual exams this week have been way over the top appreciative that we have thought to cancel their appointments so that they can just stay home. I’ve heard and read a lot of crazy stories, but I feel very blessed that in my little world, things haven’t gone completely out of control.

So, yea, just be nice out there, people. Be thoughtful and patient and kind. Don’t panic. You are not alone in this, and he who dies with the most toilet paper, still dies.

God bless you all. Chris

that He gave his one and only Son

(This year’s Lenten posts revolve around John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Today I am writing about the second section.)

 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33, New International Version)

Only one person of the Triune God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – came to Earth in the form of a man to live among us. This man, of course, was Jesus. His life here changed this planet forever.

I use Bible Gateway website when I’m referencing Bible verses, and I’ll click on its different versions of the Bible to see what different translations look like. There are over 50 of them just in English (a slew of other languages are listed too). I looked up John 3:16 in over a half a dozen of them, picking totally at random, and they all use the word “gave”. I found this in The Passion Translation —"he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift”.

At Christmas, when we are anticipating opening our gifts, we should remember that Jesus was the first gift we were given. He’s really the Gift that keeps on giving.

Thank, You, Father God, for sending Your Son to live among us and be the perfect gift. Amen.

Keep Calm

    I spent several hours last night, as usual, writing a blog post to share today. Overnight, in my insomnia, I decided to share this instead.

The poem Hollow Men was written by T.S. Elliot in 1925, and you can read more about it here. The last lines are some of the most quoted in literature, and I’ve used them before.

These words are running through my head today in light of the Coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing hysteria. You can interpret their meaning as you like. But it doesn’t mean that they need to come true. Keep your heads, out there, people. There’s no need to panic. Don’t let the media make you crazy. Stay calm. Take deep breaths – yes, please keep breathing, you can’t ward off a virus by holding your breath and passing out.

No matter what happens, just remember, life will go on. It always has.  

Oh, and Happy Friday the 13th. 

Introducing . . .

   As most of you already know, I’ve published four books – the first three quite happily through Aneko Press, just down the road in Abbotsford. They did a terrific job on my memoir and two devotionals, and I have not a single complaint with the entire process. My fourth book, which was my first novel, was published by a different publisher and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

As many authors, I’ve struggled to find a traditional publisher – the kind who pays you upfront and markets your books and makes you feel like an authentic author. I’ve also spent countless hours trying to get a literary agent to take me on. But that’s kind of a Catch-22 – agents won’t look at your stuff unless you’ve been “traditionally published” and traditional publishers won’t read your email unless your agent sent it.  

All those books you read? Writing them was the easy part for the authors; the part that saps the life out of a writer is getting their work in your hands.

But, as with so many things in life, the whole publishing process has gone through a myriad of changes in the last few years. But I’ve rambled enough.

I had a change of heart a few months back and decided to go the route of many authors these days. I won’t make a lot of money or end up on the New York Times Bestseller’s list, but this isn’t going to cost me much either. Maybe I will still have to do all the marketing myself and maybe still nobody is going to read my stuff, but at least I’ve thrown it out there.

I do feel a bit like I have given in to the behemoth, but just know that I didn’t come to this decision without a lot of thought, research, and blood and sweat.

So, ta-da, I present to you “To Find Justice”, my first work published solely by myself through Amazon. (It just dawned on me, after my rant, how apropos that title is.)

It’s not a book, way too short. I’m calling it a novella, but it’s really rather short for that too. What it is, however, is a quick easy read. It’s only currently available as an e-book, because it is so short, but I’d still like to try printing it because . . .  it is really the guinea pig for me to publish my next novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”, hopefully within a month or two.

Stay tuned. Next week, I’ll tell you more about “To Find Justice” – what it’s about and where the idea came from. In the meantime, if you already purchased it on Amazon – thank you from the bottom of my heart and I’d be eternally grateful for your review. 😉

For God so loved the world

 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. . . .

 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:1 and 31 Revised Standard Version)

(Over the past five weeks, I’ve been writing here on Sundays about the different kinds of love. Last week I opened with the very famous verse from John 3 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It dawned on me – well, or God pointed it out to me – that I could break down that verse into five sections and use each one over the next five weeks, up until Holy Week. So here we have it, this year’s theme for my Lenten blog posts.)

We all know how the very first book of the Bible begins – the Creation. God created the heavens and the earth; the sun, the moon, the stars; the oceans, the rivers, the dry land; the grass, the bushes, the trees; the fishes of the sea and the birds of the air; every creature which walks, crawls, runs or slithers on this planet.  

Then finally, God made mankind – male and female – and He made them in His image.

He made all things, and He made all things good and right. All that changed of course, when man fell into sin, but that’s not the story for today. Today is for witnessing God’s glorious creation and realizing how much He loves it all – every blade of grass, every whale in the sea, every hawk in the sky, every whitetail deer which graces my yard all winter. And most importantly, He loves each and every one of us.

LORD, God, thank You for making this beautiful earth and all that is on it. Thank You for blessing us with Your creation. Amen.

Flashback Friday - Fotography

   If you have been following this blog, you may have realized that in addition to writing, I’ve always had a passion for photography. Back in my youth, I used a Kodak Instamatic of some sort, with no settings except to point and shot.

I still had fun with it. 

I managed to save enough money, that when I left for college that first fall after high school, I had enough left after paying my tuition, room and board, that I went out and bought a real camera. A totally manual Yashica FX-3 SLR 35 mm and multiple accessories, such as a tilt flash, zoom lens and some fun filters. Plus a camera bag for it all. I even signed up for a photography class, which was located just a mile from the dorm where I lived. Which meant that every Thursday night (I think it was Thursdays, that was 39 years ago), I walked twenty minutes there and back, in the dark, along city streets. (Did my mom know I was doing this??)

Last week I scanned some of those old first photos I took back then, planning on sharing them here. 

Then I dragged out my old Yashica to take a picture of it. She looks pretty rough. 

I have had two camera bags in my closet for twenty-one years now, my original one and the one my sister Pat had for her camera and accessories, which her husband gave me when she passed away.

I had to drag both bags out now to see what else was in there – okay, actually I was looking for the receipt for my camera. I seem to remember that I kept it forever and would have left it in the camera bag, but no such luck. What I did find, however, was a third 35 mm. Where that came from, I have no idea.   

Again, the story of my life – everything is a mystery.

Anybody Still Out There From Ten Years Ago?

Wow, sometimes I look at myself and just say, “Wow”. I wonder what is wrong with me, where my head is, how I even get through the day sometimes.

So, funny thing. I had some stuff going on last night (like always) and was trying to get around to writing my blog. Just as I was sitting down to try to get inspired, – not that I needed inspiration, there were already four different ideas in my head, it was just a matter of picking one and getting on it – I took a quick gander at Facebook. I saw a video posted by the publisher of my first three books, where his washing machine was “walking” across the floor during the spin cycle. How crazy is that because I had just been sitting on my washer during the spin cycle because it is all off balance. I replied to his video saying that and he responded that I could write a blog post about that. So, here I am and that’s all I have to say about that.

Because then I scrolled a bit more on Facebook, and one of those friendship anniversary things came up. Apparently, it is the ten-year anniversary of me being friends with someone I’ve known for much longer than that. Which reminded me what March 1 was and what I really wanted to blog about today.  

And .  . .

 . . . When I actually got into my file where I write my blog, that whole topic hit me in the face. A few days ago, I had been planning on writing about this, so I wrote myself a reminder. Good thing, because I totally forgot until seeing that Friendiversary. Hence the question initially posed – what is wrong with me?

Anyway, Sunday was the ten-year anniversary of this blog!!! Well, not really. I think it was actually February 26, but I wrote something very short and very lame, just to figure out this whole blogging thing and then I later deleted it.  

Is anyone still out there reading this who has been with me since the beginning? Let me know! I love hearing from you.

 I haven't changed too much in nearly sixty years, have I? I surely haven't changed in ten.

Unconditional Love

    And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (New International Version)

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been writing about the different kinds of love that are talked about in the Bible. Today, finally, we’ve arrived at the final one, agape love, which is unconditional, immeasurable, incomparable, and pure. It is the love which God feels for us, and which we should strive to feel towards others.

You’ve probably read 1 Corinthians 13 in its entirety – you know, the lines about love being patient, kind, not envious or boastful or proud and that it never fails. Those verses are often used in marriage ceremonies, and we should feel this towards our spouses. Unfortunately, thanks to our sinful natures, we often fall short.

After the book of Psalms, the book of John mentions the word “love” more than any other book of the Bible. Thirty-nine times in the New International Version of the Bible, in fact.

  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is the first Sunday in Lent, so the famous John 3:16 verse is a good place to begin our six-week journey to the cross and ultimately unto eternal salvation.

Thank You, God, Heavenly Father, for sending Your Son to be our Savior. Help us to focus on that every day of our lives, but especially from now until Easter morning. Amen. 

 (I spent probably too much time going through my thousands of pictures to find a good one of white flowers, representing the purity of Jesus's love for us. But the morning glories above reminded me of new life in the morning, as in Easter morning. And the crocus below reminded me of all of the new life which blooms in the Spring. So, I had to share these two pictures, as well.)