COVID Comforts

With almost all of us stuck in doors, many are growing beards and, perhaps, letting them grow long and shaggy. I know I am.

I was looking for a product to help soften the old beard and minimize the itching. I poked around on the web and found this company:

https://www.onedtq.com/

It's run by a husband and wife team out of Brooklyn, NY. They have a few products; I chose this one:

https://www.onedtq.com/collections/itchy-beard/products/itchy-beard-wash

I really like it and so does my wife. It has a nice, calming smell and a little goes a long way to suds up your beard. Put a nickel size amount in your hand, rub your hands together, and massage it into your beard. Let it sit for about 20 seconds and wash it out. Real nice.

I liked it so much, I bought the matching beard oil and the special boars hair brush. Should be here any day now!

So, if COVID-19 has got you down, do yourself a favor and take care of your beard. You'll feel a little better!

Daniel's Faith

I'm reading through the book of Daniel. Most experts agree that the book was actually written by Daniel and I think he is a good writer. While all the books of the Bible are inerrant and written by humans under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it seems that some of those humans were better writers than others! Maybe his education in Babylon helped in this area, but, in any case, I appreciate his clarity and phrasing.

I also appreciate Daniel's devotion to the Lord. Before he interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2, Daniel blesses his God. He's so sure, so confident of who God is and what He is capable of doing. I hope and pray for that rock solid faith for myself someday:

Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king's matter.”

What's so Funny?

I've been reading a book, The Practical Philosophy, by Rev. R.L. Dabney, a 19th century theologian and philosopher.

This book tackles many subjects that we encounter in daily life: value of feelings, nature of beauty, nature of man, morality, etc. In one section he discusses wit and humor. In other words, what makes something funny? We all know when to laugh at something, but have you ever thought of why it's funny? In a time when the world is not a very humorous place, I thought I would share this with you. This is an excerpt from chapter 4:

The explanation of the witty upon which the best writers agree is, that it is a vivid and pleasurable feeling, arising instinctively upon the unforeseen and sudden perception of an apt, but new, correspondency of ideas, otherwise regarded as irrelevant the one to the other. I think that our consciousness evidently sanctions this account of the matter. Let us examine as many as we please of the witticisms at which we are instinctively amused: we shall find this to be the common element and the essential one: that between two ideas which we should have judged disconnected and irrelevant, the speaker has flashed upon us a relation, unperceived before, yet possessing an aptitude or fitness....

[Similarly] that while the element prominent in the witty thought is the sudden and unexpected display of resemblance between ideas, the chief characteristic of humor is, that it is the sudden and unexpected recognition of incongruity between the ideas brought together.

I think that's pretty cool and I think he's right. I'll give an example from the show, Friends, and see how well his definition explains why this scene is funny:

In one episode, Monica (I think) finds an old video tape and plays it. The videotape flashes back to when Monica and Rachel were going to their senior prom and were waiting for their boyfriends to show up. Monica's dad is manning the video recorder and he pivots to show Monica coming out of the kitchen. While thin now, back then Monica weighed about 200 pounds. When Chandler sees her on the tape, he makes a comment about her weight, to which Monica responds, "Oh c'mon, they say the camera adds about 10 pounds." To which Chandler replies, "Oh yeah, well how many cameras are on you?"

That's funny. There is that unexpected application of the connection between how someone appears heavier on camera. The way Chandler is using it is unexpected and the humor comes because of the contradiction between the ideas brought together.

As you watch TV or listen to the radio, see how Dabney's definitions of wit and humor hold up.

And don't forget to laugh.

Back Home Again

A good friend of mine recently moved to a farm. After decades of working and wrestling with all the pressures of life, he and his wife decided to sell their house and start over, embracing a much simpler and quieter life.

Today, I was listening to an old John Denver LP, Back Home Again. The album came out in 1974 when Denver was reaching his prime in popularity, but he seemed to maintain a certain humility about life and a sense of what really matters. The title song is about recognizing and embracing the important things of life - returning to the essentials.

In a way, I think my friend went back home again, to a simpler life he may have experienced as a kid, or to one that he may have always wanted.

"Back Home Again" is a good song in its own right, but as I listened, it hits a little closer to home now (pun intended).

Live well, my friend.

*************************

"Back Home Again" by John Denver

There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in
The afternoon is heavy on your shoulders
There's a truck out on the four lane, a mile or more away
The whinin' of his wheels just makes it colder

He's an hour away from ridin' on your prayers up in the sky
And ten days on the road are barely gone
There's a fire softly burning; supper's on the stove
But it's the light in your eyes that makes him warm.

Hey, it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again

There's all the news to tell him, how did you spend your time?
And what's the latest thing the neighbors say
And your mother called last Friday, "Sunshine" made her cry
And you felt the baby move just yesterday

Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again, yes it is
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again

And oh, the time that I can lay this tired old body down
And feel your fingers feather soft on me
The kisses that I live for, the love that lights my way
The happiness that livin' with you brings me

It's the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you
It's the little things that make a house a home
Like a fire softly burning and supper on the stove
The light in your eyes that makes me warm

Hey, it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again

Hey, it's good to be back home again, you know it is
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Hey it's good to be back home again
I said hey it's good to be back home again

Read Any Good Books Lately? - Part 2

This is a continuation from the final chapter of Stephen Nichols book, 5 Minutes in Church History on the goodness of reading:

But what happens when we read? I can tell you a little bit about what's happened to me when I read. I've read G.C. Berkouwer's The Providence of God and Jonathan Edwards' A History of the Work of Redemption, and since reading those books, I've never thought about God and what he's doing in the world in the same way. I've read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship and his letters from his six-by-nine-foot cell at Tegel prison, and I've been made aware that I have only a faint idea of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I've read Flannery O'Connor, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and William Faulkner, and as I've read them I've been entertained and I've even been shocked. I've even been brought to repentance when I've been touched by the unveiling of the rich texture of humanity.

I've allowed the prince of Denmark to remind me how stale and flat and unprofitable all the promises of life under the sun seem. I've read the tale of Lady Macbeth and of how unhealthy ambition can breed in the dark chambers of the human heart and produce the offspring of hatred and evil. I've learned of the emptiness of what so many value and think to be so worthwhile.

I've read John Milton, who laments the great loss of what was ours as Adam and Eve leave the garden. I've listened in as Milton has them waste away the hours in endless bickering, before Milton then takes Adam's arm and places it around Eve, and puts these words in this mouth: "But rise, let us no more contend, nor blame each other, blam'd enough elsewhere, but strive in offices of Love, how we may light'n each others burden in our share of woe." I've read Emily Dickenson the playful and poignant poet: "I'm Nobody! Who are you? Are you - Nobody - too?" I've watched Captain Ahab relentlessly pursue the white whale.

And I've read the parchments by Paul himself, where he tells us: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, what is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phil. 4:8). Books help us do that. They lay out for us the whole breadth of the human condition, reflect the best of man's creative work as God's image bearer, and point out our need for a Savior, the glory of God.

Good words, I think. I need to set aside more time to read, and in the process, learn more about myself, others, and the world that God has created.

The Ultimate Quarantine

Today is Easter...Happy Easter! In the current climate, it can be hard to find happiness, especially since most of us are either locked down by government edict or in quarantine by our own choice. Yesterday, my pastor sent out a note that gave me some perspective on all of this; perhaps it will help you, too:

On this day before our Easter celebrations, we should remember something important. Christ’s body really laid in a cold, dark tomb. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism 27 puts it, on the day before Easter, Christ’s body continued “under the power of death for a time.”

I know many of us are growing weary of lockdowns and quarantines. Let us remember that Jesus submitted himself, for a time, to a far greater quarantine – the quarantine of the grave.

But let us also not forget that all of this was for us, to ensure that we as His people never experience the eternal, and double, quarantine of both the grave and hell. Because Jesus conquered the tomb on that first Easter Sunday, our souls will be instantly transferred to the bliss of God’s presence at our death. And on the day of our Lord’s return, even our bodies will escape the quarantine of the grave and will rise to everlasting life.

So in this day before Easter, let us thank the Lord of Life who humbled Himself to spend time in a tomb – for us! And let us rejoice because that same Lord refused to be held under death’s power any longer than was necessary. On the third day, He rose again! And because of that, so will we!

He is risen!

Read Any Good Books Lately? - Part 1

As we have less time for social interactions these days, reading is a great alternative to television, Netflix, and other distractions. In the last chapter of his book, 5 Minutes in Church History, Stephen Nichols asks the question, "Read any good books lately?" I thought I would share it with you because it's a good reminder of what reading has to offer us. I'll spread this over two posts. Here is the first part:

In 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul writes: "When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments." We essentially have the voicing of the needs of a tired, old man. The evenings are growing chillier and he needs his cloak, and for once in his very busy life, he finds himself with time on his hands.

What we are seeing here is what matters most to Paul. As John Calvin says, commenting on the verse, "The apostle had not given over reading though he was already preparing for death." So Paul wants his books, and he especially wants his parchments. Much effort has been expended in trying to identify these books and parchments. Most assume the parchments to be Scripture, as Paul asks for these "above all."

As for the books, that's another story. Were they Plato? Aristotle? Rhetoric, perhaps? Or Logic? Or Nicomachean Ethics? Maybe there was a history, perhaps Paul's well-thumbed-through Thucydides. Maybe one of the books was Aratus; Paul liked to quote the poet, and he quoted him while he was on Mars Hill in Athens. We forget sometimes that Paul was a scholar.

Whatever the identity of the books and the parchments, we do know something for certain about Paul: he loved to read. Books lay out for us the whole breadth of the human condition, reflect the best of man's creative work as God's image-bearer, and point out our need for a Savior, to the glory of God. This concept may be somewhat foreign to us, as reading has fallen on hard times in our technologized culture - entertainment, preferably the visual kind, is in. What Neil Postman said two decades ago is probably all the more true in our day. We have "amused ourselves to death." We have anesthetized ourselves to where we are comfortably numb. Fahrenheit 451is, I'm afraid, off the mark. There's really no need to burn books. People aren't reading them anyway.

We'll finish this in the next post.

Unworthy to Pray

In times like these, prayer is a great comfort for people and a way to honor God. But some people may feel unworthy to pray. They may feel that they have to get to a certain level of "rightness with God" or moral living before they can stand before a holy God and ask him for anything. Martin Luther, the 16th century theologian, struggled with this as well. He wrote a devotional essay about it based on Luke 18:13: "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'"

Here is what Luther wrote:

Some say, "I would feel better about God hearing my prayer if I were more worthy and lived a better life." I simply answer: If you don't want to pray before you feel that you are worthy or qualified, then you will never pray again. Prayer must not be based on or depend on your personal worthiness or the quality of the prayer itself; rather, it must be based on the unchanging truth of God's promise. If the prayer is based on itself or on anything else besides God's promise, then it's a false prayer that deceives you - even if your heart is breaking with intense devotion and you are weeping drops of blood.

We pray because we are unworthy to pray. Our prayers are heard precisely because we believe that we are unworthy. We become worthy to pray when we risk everything on God's faithfulness alone.

So go ahead and feel unworthy. But know in your heart that it's a thousand times more important to honor God's truthfulness. Yes, everything depends on this alone. Don't turn his faithful promise into a lie by your doubts. For your worthiness doesn't help you, and neither does your unworthiness hinder you. A lack of faith is what condemns you, but confidence in God is what makes you worthy.

A note in the ESV Bible adds this: "In petition, the persons praying make their requests known to God, expressing their faith and dependence on Him for all things."

Feeling unworthy? Good. Now you are ready to pray.

God is in Control

Heidelberg Catechism, Question and Answer #27:

Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God
by which he upholds, as with his hand,heaven and earth
and all creatures, and so rules them that
  leaf and blade,
  rain and drought,
  fruitful and lean years,
  food and drink,
  health and sickness,
  prosperity and poverty—
all things, in fact, come to us
not by chance
but from his fatherly hand.