Della the Mule

On an early fall day, one of my favorite times in New York, I was sitting at my desk in our ministry center in the South Bronx. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large creature with a long tail, whiskers on her nose, and two large ears. It wasn’t a rat; it was a mule. Although this is not an unfamiliar sight to a country boy from Missouri, in the middle of the concrete jungle, it certainly caught my attention.

A red wagon followed behind this mule. On the side of the wagon, written in white, cursive letters was the word “Footloose.” Walking across the street to the community garden where the wagon came to a stop, I introduced myself to the couple who were busy unhitching their mule. Their names were Bud and Patricia. The mule’s name was Della. She was accompanying her owners around the U.S. and eventually around the world.

Why such a journey? I found the answer to this question in a book of poetry they had written:

We get asked all the time why we’re traveling. Some folks think we must have something to prove. Lots of people expect us to be out here promoting something, while others think it’s a personal quest that keep us on the move. But actually what we’re doing is really much simpler than all that. We’re not searching, or proving, or promoting any cause or code. We just wanted to slow down our lives and take the time to see the world from different sides of the road. (Kenny, Bud. From This Side of the Road).

They wanted to slow down their lives and take time to see.

Of course, the mere act of looking doesn’t mean a person will see. Two people may look at the same thing yet see it differently. I take pleasure in finding hole-in-the-wall restaurants off the beaten path of tourists in New York City. Often that means trying diverse ethnic cuisines. I will try any restaurant or type of food at least once. Almost everything I try I like.

A cow-tongue taco whets my appetite. Not everyone looks upon that long, spongy slab of bovine offal with the same pleasure.

I consider myself a connoisseur of food. The same can’t be said of art. I have tried to like art. I have walked around the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art and looked at the paintings. Despite having little personal artistic ability—I can’t even draw a stick figure well—I can appreciate the artistic skill found in many of the paintings. Nevertheless, I honestly can say I don’t understand the aesthetics of most visual art. That isn’t a reflection of the art itself. That’s a reflection of me, my perceptions, my knowledge, and my understanding.

Similarly, the way I view everyday life is not a reflection of life itself; it’s a reflection of my mindset. In order to see different, I have to think differently.

Jesus helps me think differently. He helps me see things upside down.

What Would Happen to the World If . . .

What would happen to the world if . . .

People kept their promises.

What would happen if men kept their promise when they told a woman they loved her, and vice versa? What would happen if we really meant it when we said those words at the ceremony--for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. What would happen if we really kept our promise to God?

Much of our life is filled with the silly and absurd things we do, and a lot of it is just, well, laughable. But there is one serious thing we can do with our feeble little lives. We can keep a promise.

What would happen to our children if every family had a mother and father that kept their commitments? If daughters and sons were truly delighted in and respected?

Let's be honest. Each of us has broken promises. We have betrayed, as one writer put it, things more important than a country. No sense in pointing fingers--we are all in the same boat. Thank God for real forgiveness. Still, we can't go back and unscramble the eggs.

But we can go forward.

We have today.

What if we just kept our promises today?

Change is in the Air

Change is in the air–you can feel the cooler wind coming after the August heat. Time to decide what we value.

In Proverbs, the spirit of Wisdom says,

“Listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding” (2:1-2).

What we treasure will determine how we use our time. Would you join me in deciding to order our schedule around God’s commands, rather than ordering God’s commands around our changing schedules?

What we tune in to will determine what we hear. Let’s tune our ears to wisdom, not just the world’s options.