How to Post a Comment

OK… you’ve just read a posting on the “Alive in the Spirit” blog, and you’d like to post a comment. Comments come in all shapes and sizes, and might originate from any of the following emotions:

You want to comment on such a wonderfully well written and conceived posting (LOL!!!!).

Or, more likely:

You have some thought that will greatly enhance the original post, or
You wish to comment on somebody else’s thought, or
You want to continue a thread (or thought) carried through several comments, or
You want to tell the author of the post just how far off-base his thoughts are (in Christian love, of course).

The thought behind this blog is to be a forum where we can come alive in God’s Spirit, by sharing, by being an open conversation, and by allowing a sense of community to develop. With all that in mind, it becomes important that you really understand that:

Your thoughts and emotions are IMPORTANT!

And, of course, nobody will know those important thoughts and emotions unless you share them. Now, there are a couple of people that comment on a regular basis. There are a few more that post comments on a less often basis, and then there are the vast majority of you that don’t post comments at all. It’s fine if you don’t wish to post a comment, but I’ve received many complaints that it’s too hard or complicated to post a comment.

There is good news… there is hope… there is now a simple way to post your comments! This confusing and arcane mystery is fully explained below:

How to Post a Comment (or a Mystery of the Universe Explained)

Step 1: You just finished reading a post, and you’d like to comment. At the very end of the posting (usually right after the signature) you will see the following:

Posted by YBIC Dave at [time] 0 comments

To post your own comment, simply click on “comments”.

Step 2: A “Post Your Comment” window will open up. You can compose your comment in the window, or you can compose in an editor (Word, perhaps), and then cut-and-paste your post into the window. I recommend using an editor, as communication with the internet is less than 100 percent reliable. This is especially important if this is the first time you are posting a comment! You really don’t want your awesome thought erased because you didn’t have a username/password, and it automatically reset the page… erasing your comment in the process. A word to the wise, eh?!

Step 3: When you are satisfied with your comment, select your “Comment as” profile (this is just below the comment box). Unless you are familiar with some of the other choices, open the “Select profile” selection and choose “Google Account”.

Step 4: Click on the “Post Comment” box. If you are already signed in, your comment will be posted to the blog, and you are done. If you have not yet signed in, you will get a new window that contains a “Sign in” window on the right side.

Step 5: If you have commented before, just enter your Email address and your Password and Sign in and your comment will be posted; done. If you don’t yet have a Google Account, proceed to Step 6.

Step 6: Create your Google account: Look for the box under the “sign on” button; it will say “Don’t have a Google Account?”

Click on: “Create an account now”

This will open a new window in which you will be able to create an account. Enter your e-mail address, a password, a display name (mine is YBIC Dave), and then enter the security word, and accept the terms of service.

If you’ve done everything correctly, you should have posted your comment. Congratulations!

Many people seem to forget their username/password, so print out these instructions, write down your information, and you’ll have a handy cheat sheet. Google will also send you an e-mail requesting that you verify that it is really you creating the account (security feature)… just click on the link they provide; that’s all there is to that.

Why do we need to log in to post a comment? You need to log in because… it’s a secure site; also partly because it’s a reflection of our church site. We need to be able to inhibit threatening, inappropriate, and profane comments.

I definitely want comments and feedback on how useful this post has been for YOU, so why not give it a try right now?

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Discipline

My little grandson, Jeffrey, is a huge blessing in my life. I know that I may be a tiny bit biased in his favor, but you have to expect some of that from grandfathers. As he is approaching the age of two, he is developing a stronger will. Couple that will with his insatiable curiosity and a desire to “have it” and “do it” himself, and he has the ingredients for a tantrum from time to time.

By the way, this picture of a child having a tantrum came off the internet. I thought about keeping my camera at the ready to get some shots of Jeffrey pitching a fit, but then I thought of all the women in Jeffrey’s life (his mother, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother). I imagined them chasing me down to tar and feather me… just because I posted an unflattering picture of my little grandson on the internet. With those images in my mind, a stock photo of some anonymous child seemed like a wise course of action. Besides, as a grandfather, I was finding it difficult to shoot any unflattering images of my precious grandson.

My office is located off my bedroom; really just a glorified closet. Since it is the repository for magical props, mobile-making paraphernalia, computer equipment, tons of books, product inventory, and years of packrat activity, it is off-limits to Jeffrey unless he is with his Pop-pop. The other day, my daughter (Jennifer; Jeffrey’s mom) was using the computer in my office. I was in the bedroom with Jeffrey when he decided that he wanted to go into the office.

“Go in,” he said.

“No… not without Pop-pop,” I replied.

With a defiant look on his face, he marched into the office, anyway. I was right next to him, so I picked him up, patiently explained that he could not go into Pop-pop’s office without Pop-pop, and set him back down in the bedroom where he could still see his mother. This scenario replayed itself twice more, with the third strike resulting in banishment from the bedroom. All this meant was that I took him out to the hall and closed the bedroom door. I was still with him, he had the run of the rest of the house and his toys, books, and stuffed animals, but because he was not getting what he wanted, he threw himself down in the hall and screamed… and screamed… AND SCREAMED!

Two year-olds have a true gift for throwing tantrums, and although Jeffrey is a wonderfully sweet, intelligent, and easy-going child, I think he was trying to prove how really well rounded he is by producing an epic tantrum. I sat in the hall with him, but that didn’t stem the tide of tears, or calm the screaming. Jennifer finished what she was doing quickly, but when she came out, shutting the bedroom door behind her, he began to pick up steam. Inconsolable is a word that springs to mind.

Since it was nearing his bedtime, she began to ready his bath. Usually, he loves bath-time, but not while in the throes of a category 5 tantrum. Jennifer, however, is amazing. Through the screaming, and struggling, and crying, she lifted him up, got him into the bath, washed his hair (which he dislikes even on good days), snuggled him in a towel, and dressed him in his pajamas… all the while speaking her love. Softly and gently, over and over, she cooed to him: “It’s OK, baby… it’s alright.” He never really calmed down until she was reading to him just before he went to bed.

A two year-old can’t understand all the reasons something is off-limits. They don’t even know how the dangerous things that attract them can hurt them or kill them. They want what THEY want! They assert their willfulness and let us know, in no uncertain terms, with their toddler mantra: “Want it… do it.” Children often cannot grasp the bigger picture, and protest loudly against any discipline that conflicts with their “want it… do it” philosophy. During the “terrible two’s” this often results in a tantrum.

In disciplining Jeffrey, we weren’t harming him in any way. Indeed, we merely removed him from what had proven to be too great a temptation for him. It was definitely NOT what Jeffrey wanted, but discipline is training that will help him to develop self-control and character.

I had to wonder how many times in my life I had acted like a two year-old with God? How many times had I pitched a fit at God because I wasn’t getting my way? How often had I only seen God as denying me, and not see the loving discipline that protected me and built self-control and character?

When the disciples of Jesus asked him how they should pray to God, he didn’t give them a magical chant. Instead, he gave them a set of instructions on how they should discipline themselves: The Lord’s Prayer. The disciplines of the Lord’s Prayer are simple:

1. Keep your thoughts of God and the use of God’s name holy and pure.
2. Submit yourself to God’s will for your life.
3. Understand that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe; trust God to provide.
4. Love one another and forgive one another, as God loves and forgives you.
5. Submit to God’s discipline to develop self-control and character.
6. Trust in God in times of trial.
7. Acknowledge that God is the Lord of your life.

Think about The Lord’s Prayer. Where do you need to discipline yourself? Have you ever thought about this prayer that Jesus taught us to pray in this way?

And think about one more thing…

When we throw our tantrums at God…
When we are selfish, self-centered, demanding, unforgiving, unbelieving, or profane…
When we are completely wrapped up in our own “want it… do it” philosophy…
When we are whining and crying and screaming at God…

God has you wrapped in His embrace, softly whispering: “It’s OK, my precious child… it’s alright… I love you.”

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Connecting

A few days ago, we here at Messiah celebrated Easter… along with approximately 2 billion other Christians around the world. We rejoiced in Christ’s triumph over sin and death that purchased “God’s Redemption At Christ’s Expense” (GRACE) for all of us. It was an awesome day of connecting.

People who just come on Christmas or Easter were connecting with family and friends. I pray that the Scripture readings, the Pastor’s message, the music, or someone’s friendly “Hello” may have made a deeper connection.

Dozens of staff and volunteers were making the connections they make every Sunday:
- The Pastors coming close to connecting with everybody;
- The musicians, singers, and choir connecting us all with their music;
- The greeters, ushers, and information people connecting while serving;
- The breakfast team connecting us with food and beverages;
- The childcare staff connecting kids with smiles, games, and hugs;
- The parking crew connecting with just a smile and a friendly wave;
And most importantly: all of our members connecting in fellowship.

Families who attend every week were connecting with each other in worship. On Easter, there are no adult learning classes, special high school worship, or Sunday school, so… grandparents, mom and dad, and all the kids streamed into the sanctuary to worship God, to pray to God, and to praise God… together.

This week’s picture was taken during the last service on Easter Sunday. Pastor Ron was leading the congregation in prayer, and I was struck by the tiny little girl in front of me. You may notice that the picture is blurry. That’s because I had the flash turned off during the service, and another contributing factor was that the girl’s father was gently rocking her back and forth. She had her head bowed, her eyes closed, and her hands folded in prayer.

Certainly, a young child does not approach prayer in the same way as an adult. Actually, there were many other children that were squirming, chattering, or struggling in a parent’s grasp. Yet here was this precious little girl… meekly assuming an attitude of prayer.

Her parents had obviously connected with her, and taught her the importance of prayer. In doing so, they connected her to a future that includes a walk with God. At some point, they must have connected to Scripture:

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6

This Easter, I believe I connected with an inheritor of the Earth.

As she was being held in her earthly father’s arms, I could envision her being held in her Heavenly Father’s arms. This is the relationship that is the promise of Easter… that God loves each of us as a precious and dear child. That God so loves us that he sacrificed himself to make sure each of us could make that connection. It’s time to stop squirming and struggling. It’s time to say: “Pick me up, Daddy!” It’s time to be swept up in the strength and security and the love of our Heavenly Father’s embrace.

As we walk from Easter into Pentecost, I continue to encourage you with the Easter greeting/response:

“Christ has risen. He has risen, indeed!”

Your brother in Christ,
Dave

P.S.: I apologize that this week’s posting is so late. I’ve had several challenges to overcome… not the least of which was that the blog server was not accepting my new post for the last few days. It seems much better today. :)

Bees!

Last Sunday, Patti wanted to trim back some bushes in the back yard. Before she started chopping, however, she noticed a whole lot of big insects flying around, so she had me go take a look. These bad boys were really BIG! They were fuzzy and orange and had faint dark stripes. They were all in the air… all in constant motion; held aloft by furiously buzzing wings that seemed ridiculously undersized to the proportions of their big, fat bodies. It was hard to get a good look at any one of them, even though there were hundreds cruising about, as they were franticly zipping about exploring every inch of our garden. And I must admit… with so many of them, and with each one sounding much like an approaching B-17 bomber, we were not too keen on provoking them. Though we don’t normally see bumblebees in our yard, and these menacing interlopers were much bigger than the normal bumblebees I had seen before, and they didn’t look much like the traditional picture of what I thought a bumblebee looked like (see picture), we both thought that they MIGHT be bumblebees. The prudent course of action was to withdraw to the safety of the house, and search the internet to determine just what kind of visitors had descended on our garden.

It turns out that there are over 50 species of bumblebee in North America, and the swarm in our yard was either a variety of Bombus, or more likely… the Valley Carpenter Bee. Not being a trained entomologist, the best I could hope to do was pin it down to the insect family Apidae, order Hymenoptera; Bees! LOL!!! It didn’t seem like a particularly big swarm, so we thought they might be searching for a new home. I really didn’t mind their visit so much… it got me out of having to work in the yard that afternoon. After a couple of days, they moved on (felt like Passover), but the memory of their presence reminded me of the following story I had often heard repeated. I got it off the internet, and it’s not attributed to any author, so I leave it to you to decide on the validity of all of the details of the story.

Why can bumblebees fly?

For years I have often heard people say that bumblebees should not be able to fly. Unfortunately, no one seems to have told the bumblebees this as they still fly around unaware of the fact that they are 'aerodynamically incompatible with flight'.

So let’s think about it rationally, is the bumblebee too stupid to realize it can't actually fly or are the original mathematical calculations that came up with this theory of non-flight flawed?

Let's go back to where this whole thing started. There was this Swiss aerodynamicist, while at a posh dinner, who got talking to a biologist who started asking about the flight of bees. So the aerodynamicist scribbled the calculation on the back of a napkin but, seeing as he was at a dinner party (and therefore possibly on the tipsy side and uninterested in talking shop), he simplified it. He assumed that bees have a smooth, rigid wing, like the wing of an airplane, and he had to guess the weight and wing area of Mr. Bee. Shockingly, the calculations suggested that the bee generated insufficient lift to be able to fly, but the aerodynamicist had had enough by this point and went back to getting drunk (OK, I might have just made up that drunk part).

However, the story spread and unfortunately wasn't taken as a lesson that a mathematical model of something is not the same as the real thing. Anyone who played with a dead bumblebee as a kid (was that just me?) will have noticed that their wings are nothing like the wings of a plane. Instead, they are not rigid and they bend and twist during flight. In reality, the beating bee's wings have more similarity with a helicopter rotor than an airplane wing.

A recent model of how rapid oscillations, like those created by a bee flapping it's wings 130 times a second, affect the air around them have in fact shown that bumblebees can fly. Insects appear to fly in a sea of vortexes moving against the main current of the air. I'm sure the bees will be glad to know that they don't defy the laws of nature after all.

So, in fact no one ever proved that a bumblebee can't fly. They simply illustrated that a simple mathematical model is not appropriate for describing the bumblebee's flight. However, the myth that a bumblebee can't fly is still flying around, unaware that it, unlike Mr. Bee, is the one that is wrong.

In high school and college, “the bumblebee can’t fly” story was often held up as proof of the dangers of applying a mathematical model without a complete understanding of the variables and forces at work on any hypothetical situation. I submit to you that Christians are often guilty of applying the wrong model to our lives, and to our congregations. As Christians, we either convince ourselves, or let the world convince us that we are bumblebees that cannot fly… even though God has promised us in Jeremiah 29:11-13…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Paul reminds us in 4:13 of his letter to the Philippians that when we do what is pleasing to God, there are NO LIMITS on us:

“I can do everything through him that gives me strength.”

Christ gives us the strength to do amazing things… to the glory of God! So, we followers of Jesus are called to stretch our spiritual wings and fly in a sea of the Holy Spirit moving against the main current of life and secular expectations. Seeing how the secular model of the world is not appropriate for describing the power of God’s spiritual realm, we need to depend on the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

The bee is but a tiny piece of God’s glorious creation, yet the humble bee, in its pursuit of nectar, pollinates the crops and increases the harvest. Like the bee, we Christians need to pursue the dreams God put on OUR hearts… and we need to fly with OUR spiritual gifts. Along the way, we’ll have no greater idea of God’s plan than the bee, but God will use us to pollinate for his kingdom, and we’ll increase the harvest, too.

This entry is very late in being posted to the blog this week. My mind has been on Holy Week, and even as Easter approaches, my thoughts just kept flitting around (the bee metaphor seems appropriate here, too). It all seems pretty jumbled to me, but I felt called to write it. I pray that the Holy Spirit somehow helped me to get out of my own way, and that something in this post touches someone to the glory of God.

With Easter only a few days away (as of this writing), I encourage you with the Easter greeting/response that is appropriate on any day, as much as it is on Easter:

“Christ has risen. He has risen, indeed!”

Your brother in Christ,

Dave