Amy P and Me!

Amy P and I hiked the 8 mile round trip to the Country Store and back yesterday. About halfway there we ran into a quick forming thunderstorm, but, fortunately, we were very close to Amy's storage unit on Cty Rd 314; so, we ducked into the 10 x 8 unit and sought shelter inside until the storm subsided enough for us to resume our hike.

Once at the store we bought some exotically flavored soda pop of which there are about 200 different flavors and brands! Lunch consisted of macaroni salad and some cheese and ham cubes.

Afterwards, we headed west back to town to our current abode, the Horner House on 19th which rests up against Virginia Canyon.

Amy easily walked the 8 miles which was uphill on the way back. She didn't require any breaks unlike myself. And, unlike the last time we hiked to the Country Store she didn't suffer any blisters. She's a real trooper that lady!

These hikes are part of my training for my anticipated departure in the spring of next year. The frequency and duration of my hikes will increase until I can consistently and frequently hike to Georgetown and back, which is a round trip of 26 miles with a fully loaded backpack consisting of 45 pounds including water.

Furthermore, I'm starting high intensity interval sprinting on the off days when I'm not hiking. Doing so will allow me to build up endurance quickly especially before the cold winter clime sets in.

Now, for the news:

Amy and I have been dating somewhat surreptitiously the last few months trying to keep things underwraps a bit. The reason for the secrecy is that there are those here in this gossipy little hamlet who would be and are opposed to my dating a woman 20 years younger than myself. Amy is 36 years old.

But, more relevant to the controversial issue of the chronological age difference is the fact that Amy's cognitive impairment caused by a traumatic brain injury suffered as a child resulted in a lower than "normal" IQ.

A few days ago one of the town's clerics asked to meet with me regarding my association with Amy. I agreed to the meeting thinking erroneously at the time that a frank and objective discussion would take place. Instead, the old pharisee became agitated and accused me of being too "powerful, articulate and manipulative" for Amy...who he said is a " vulnerable woman." I guess the implication is that Amy's not in enough control of her faculties or emotions and that I have run roughshod over both in order to get my way. Whatever that means!

Well...I do not prey on the elderly nor the young for any reason whatsoever. I simply fell in love...and quite by accident after being friends with Amy for about a year and a half.

Amy has her own mind, with her own independent jurisdiction. She has her own bank account, has held down a job for 2 years or so, lives totally independently, attends church, bible studies, shops locally by herself and has had previous male/female relationships.

Her impairment is there, granted, but it's minimal. We have had great discussions along with enjoyable good times together. I have helped her after a romantic breakup, helped get her to the hospital several times after suffering multiple illnesses, walked her home at night after her shift ended at 1030pm, dealt with her insurance needs, cooked and cleaned for her and finally moved her out of her apartment after her building was sold.

I did it all and continue to do these things for her just because she wants the help and asks me for assistance...and because I care for her deeply.

In the meantime, we both fell for each other. Is that so wrong?

This type of relationship bears with it a double whammy of a cultural stigma. First, the chronological age difference. Second, the cognitive impairment issue. In not so politically correct parlance, Amy is considered mildly "retarded."

We all think we are beyond discriminating against people who are cognitively handicapped. But, let me tell you, I have seen it first hand being around Amy. That old religionist mentioned previously who I once faithfully labored with in church believes in holding fast to a certain narrative or story for Amy and those like her. That narrative is this: they need to be constantly protected and hovered over so as to prevent any and all forms of harm...or "life" from occurring. The narrative continues in that the cognitively impaired have no right to the same general happiness that we "superiorly" intelligent citizens find in mutually beneficial love relationships.

It occurs to me...and I think you too that we are all "disabled" wounded, impaired, frail human beings. Some more so, some less so. Would you deny a loving relationship or those elements that make up a happy life to those who are slightly less intelligent than we?

Would you allow Amy to marry? Would you allow her to bring children into the world with her "handicap?"

And, before some of you readers start pontificating that my old ecclesiastical friend is merely trying to "protect" Amy from the vicissitudes and vagaries of life...think again.

This preacher pal of mine hasn't been involved in Amy's life other than he knows her parents. He does not call her to see how she is doing. He does not counsel her. His wife has refused to drive Amy to her physicians office because she "doesn't have the time."

Nor, does he have any intention of meeting with her to inquire as to her desires and goals for her life. In short, he does not know Amy. Yet, both he and his wife interferes in Amy's life.

Furthermore, Amy's story as narrated from the preacher's perspective is that she must remain a spinster up to the day she dies without experiencing the joy of a husband/wife relationship while working a "menial" job and possibly living in a group home or with her parents and away from men of all kinds.

Here's where I come into play: I disrupted the narrative, the original story. I changed it. I'm showing people that Amy has her own, different narrative about her life. And, it looks all too threatening.

Oh, the risk involved here! She may suffer the break up of a relationship if she is allowed to date! She may get hurt! In other words, life may happen to her! Oh God forbid it!

Let me tell you, this generation is not only an evil one it's a weak and silly one. We are frightened of everything. We don helmets when we ride bicycles, we throw on life vests when we ply the rivers and lakes in our boats. We don't let our children play outside these days without parental supervision because of our irrational fear of kidnapping. And, the list goes on and on.

We are likewise obsessed with creature comforts to the point that most of us are situationally unable to live in the the wild for any extended period of time. And, the vast majority of us walk no farther than 1 mile per week! We get in the car even to drive to the gym, one mile away, to exercise! Geez!

So, getting back to my point, life is scary and it's not fair. It's not meant to be safe and fair. Furthermore,  none of us are getting out of this thing alive! Do you really understand that? Do you?

If we truly understood the import of that conclusion we wouldn't be so attached to our material life. We would risk more, enjoy more and chill a bit. But, we don't because we have an obsessional or irrational fear of death. So, hey, there's no way I'm going to heed God's call for my life to be a missionary in the Middle East. It's too damned dangerous!

So, I'll just stay home here in my cozy little house in the city and drive to my safe secure job sitting in front of a computer screen buckled in by my seatbelt of course. Then, once I get off work I'll rush home so I can turn on the boob tube on and get myself something to eat and plop down for a full night of "Saved By The Bell" reruns.

That's not really living; but, hey, it's safe I'll grant you that. You won't ever be kidnapped by ISIS fighters to be sure. But, then again what have you risked for the Kingdom of God? Remember, Jesus commanded us to seek first the Kingdom of God...then all these things shall be added into you? And, those that seek to save their lives will lose their lives. Those that lose their lives "for my sake" will gain their lives.

Anyway, Amy and I are dating. Where this will end up at; I don't know. I'm in an autumnal romance and enjoying it immensely. My chronic aloneness has been greatly eased. And, as for Amy, she now has someone who cares deeply for her, who enjoys helping her and keeping her company. Is that so bad?

Well, that's it for today. Talk to you later.

BR Schoenbein
July 21, 2016- Thursday

Took Amy P Down To The ER Yet Again For Severe Ab Pain

Spent all last night and this early morning down at St Anthony's ER in Lakewood, CO with Amy P. She took too much ibuprofen for her TMJ pain and had severe abdominal pain because of it. Apparently, ibuprofen "tears" up your stomach as the doctor told us.

She is doing fine now resting comfortably. Thanks to Mike and June Horner who ran us down the Hill and stayed with us until Amy was out of danger.

I'm staying home today to watch over her while the Horners are working on their son's home remodeling project.

In other news: I have decided to wait until the early spring thaw to set out for the Pacific Northwest. It's just getting too late to negotiate the mountain passes in the Cascades. So, this will give me the needed time to train for this 1400 mile leg of my 2014 trek across America.

For my Colorado peeps...Calvary Church is putting on a summer concert at the Idaho Springs ballfields this Friday July 22nd. Should be a lot of fun worshipping outside next to the Canyon! Hope to see you all there!

Got some big news for everyone following my blog. Announcement to be made later this week in another post. Major development to be sure!

Please pray for Amy P who is trying to manage her chronic pain resulting from her TMJ and her fibroid tumors. It's almost debilitating at this point.

Joe Eaton, my erstwhile friend, confidant and HVAC man will be examining the "furnace" over at the Anglican Church in order to assess the need for a replacement or repair. Susan, the church administrator, says the furnace was installed during the Iron Age, so I'm thinking it needs to be replaced. We will need it to be in working condition for the upcoming winter months. My church, Calvary Idaho Springs, will...hopefully, be meeting there soon.

Lord willing, I will be preaching at Calvary Evergreen Church sometime in August so I'm preparing my sermon for that great opportunity.

Also, I'm hoping to speak at the Cursillo in Quincy IL in late September. Looking forward to getting back there again! Will stay with Jimmy Burns my good Irish friend from Unity Church. Expenses to be paid by a good friend who runs one of the Men's Groups at St Francis Catholic Church in Quincy.

Well, gotta go. Talk to you later this week! Peace to y'all!

BR Schoenbein
July 17, 2016- Monday

Stay In Colorado Until Spring Or Leave Soon For The Pacific Northwest? That Is The Question.

I moved out of the Lucas House yesterday after 18 months of joyful living in that big old circa1872 Victorian replete with steep staircases, high ceilings, antique furniture and even a few spooks to go with it.

My stay in Idaho Springs, Colorado has been the longest so far in my trek westward across the US. I arrived here as a somewhat young 55 year old and now after only a year and half later I have turned into a curmudgeonly 56 year old geezer with a white beard and a noticeable stoop. I came here to this hamlet to create new relationships with townspeople and to assist the local churches in proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.

I have accomplished all of that by getting to know many of the locals, volunteering where needed and finally becoming a church Pastor. My new church, Calvary Idaho Springs is struggling to attract parishioners; but, it's only a few weeks old and it being summer here in Colorado interest in church attendance is frustratingly low.

I'm having my own struggles now. I'm debating on whether to get back on the road and walk west to Seattle in the Pacific Northwest or stay here in Colorado until after winter when roads and trails are passable. If I left in the next week or two I believe it to be a reasonable proposition that I could cross the Cascades before the heavy winter snows. Of course, there's always the chance that injury, sickness, mistakes and general mishaps along the way could impede my progress so as to end up like the Donner Party in the Sierra Nevada in 1846 sans the cannibalism...unless of course I bring along a companion.

I'm writing this article while sitting on the shaded patio at the Horner House in Idaho Springs. The sky is a piercing indigo blue with not a few cumulus white clouds flitting about. Virginia Canyon, steep and high as it is scrapes the sky to the north is only a stone's throw away. It's a cool bright afternoon at 72 degrees with a refreshing wind out of the northwest.

Amy P has the day off from Beau Jos and is napping upstairs. Mike is working in the barn as is his usual custom while wife June is watching over their grandson, Hunter, in the front parlor.

The wind at 5 miles per hour with 10 mph gusts is coming off the canyon wall bringing with it the very noticeable and agreeable smell of piney trees and sage. The low growing lupines that carpet the rocky slopes on this hellaciously steep canyon wall perfume the air with their sweet musky fragrance.

It's summer time in the Rocky Mountains but my thoughts are running towards the now fast approaching winter. There is only one month up here where snow does not fall. July. Every other month it is possible to witness the advent of the flaky white stuff.

But, the first realistic chance for snow comes in September which is only a month and a half out. Like I mentioned previously I'm debating the issue of resuming my hike west now or waiting until the spring thaw.

I can stay here at the Horner House for as long as I want, so, there is no external pressure for me to advance westward to the Pacific Ocean. But, inwardly, I am getting quite ansy about putting Colorado in the rear view mirror. I'm getting that unmistakable feeling of wanting to bushwhack my way through the thick forests of the Wind River Range and the Cascades to at long last dip my feet in the icy cold waters off the town of Ocean Shores in Washington state.

My decision on all this remains undeveloped at the moment. But, time is running out. There is an additional wrinkle in all of this as well. I may be able to procure a hiking companion soon if I play my cards right! Hiking 1400 miles across three mountain ranges and through bear infested woodlands with a traveling buddy would definitely test my low threshold for frustration to be sure.

I do not want to reveal this hiking companion so as not to scare off the potential candidate for general mayhem, all around pain, bear attacks, malarial conditions, getting helplessly lost, dehydration, starvation and the like.

I may be at the cusp of a bit more adventure that I bargained for when I shuffled out of Illinois over two years ago, but, time will tell.

The photos depict the patio at the Horner House, Amy P holding Hunter, meadow grasses and flowers with a myriad of goldenrod and the 4th pic of the rear of the Horner House. The last pic is of yours truly.

For right now, I'm settling in at the Horners and grieving the loss of my old digs at the Lucas House. The next week or so will bring about a decision. So, until then...see ya!

BR Schoenbein
July 14, 2016- Thursday

Helping Amy P Find A Place To Rent

I've got my stuff all sorted and boxed, ready to move out to Mike and June Horner's home off Virginia St located one mile due east of the Lucas House. Move out hopefully will occur Saturday but planning to stay at the Lucas House until the 13th.

Amy P lost her lease and needs a place to stay. So, I borrowed Joe's truck and we spent the day looking for apartments in Denver and Aurora. But, alas, no luck. They are too expensive. But, the problem with Idaho Springs is that there is a severe shortage of housing . So, I spent the day today walking the streets looking for rental units of any and all kinds. Again, no luck. Amy will be sleeping on the streets if I can't find her a place soon!

In other news: meeting with Fr John Longcamp the Anglican priest from Dillon, CO who conducts Mass the second Sunday of each month at the Anglican Church located at Colorado Blvd and 13th Street in Idaho Springs. We plan on getting together tomorrow July 9 at the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop to discuss how our 2 congregations can cooperate in using this historic Anglican Church building. Pastor Craig Babcock and I took a tour of the church a couple of days ago to assess the feasibility of renting said building for our Sunday evening worship service.

Missed several meatloaf Wednesdays at the Blackwells due to the time I'm spending cleaning up and packing at the Lucas House. I will continue my attendance once I make the move to the Horner House.

I find myself getting itchy feet again wanting to get back on the road. I figure if I left real soon I could make it to the Pacific in 3-4 months right before Winter hits. But, I have the church to consider. It's in it's infancy and it needs it's Mama.

I asked Amy P if she wanted to join me on my anticipated walk to the Pacific...since she can't find a place to live. She'd be homeless no matter what anyway. Might as well walk across the country having the time of your life experiencing nature, testing yourself, camping out under the stars etc. She agreed! But, I think she's kidding.

Pics show me and Amy P on a hike, the Anglican Church and the Lucas House.

Who knows? Maybe Amy P and I will be hittin the road? We'll see!

BR Schoenbein
July 8, 2016- Friday

Leaving The Lucas House In Two Weeks

I just got word from the Blackwells, the owners of the Lucas House, where I have been ensconced the last 18 months that the house has now been sold and I need to evacuate the premises in the next 2 weeks. Although it came as no surprise, the news was nevertheless shocking.

Evidently, the buyers are wanting to start some basic renovations like replacing the wiring and the plumbing. So, I have arranged a room at the Mike Horner House about 1 mile due east of where I live now.

Mike and I have been involved in a couple of Bible studies together one of which we conduct at the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop, the other at the United Church Adult Sunday School. He has been extremely helpful in my ministry and now has committed Sunday nights to my new church, Calvary Idaho Springs Campus.

Mike and his wife, June, were also instrumental in organizing the weekly spaghetti suppers at the Clear Creek Neighborhood Church on Thursday nights. Mike is a retired industrial arts teacher who taught many years in the Clear Creek School District.

They have recently become grandparents for the first time. Now, they have invited me to occupy their spare bedroom on the second floor. Their home is even more historic than the Lucas house as it once formed part of an old hotel that was originally located on Colorado Blvd next to where the Catholic Church is now located.

President US Grant visited Idaho Springs back in the mid 1880s and stayed in that hotel. Later, the building was cut into 2 halves and Mike and June own one of those halves. It was moved circa 1910 to its present location up on a bluff a few blocks north on 19th Avenue.

Although I am looking forward to starting a new chapter here in Idaho Springs, Colorado I am at the same time wistful about the prospect of leaving such a noble if somewhat shabby house that would later become my home.

My first night at the Lucas House was January 28, 2015 and it was around 25 degrees inside portending a long and unbearably uncomfortable residency. Since I had no water I was forced to run the half mile down Colorado Blvd to the 24 hr "Kum And Go" convenience store when nature called...even if it was 2am.

The furnace, manufactured sometime in the first half of the 20th century, evidently had given up the ghost, and to add insult to injury, there was no water, but, at least there was electricity... in some of the rooms.

That first night I set up my tipi tent in the side foyer facing Ninth Avenue. The door to the side foyer was the only functioning one. With my tent opening facing this door it offered me a quick escape should the old firetrap go up in flames at 3:00 am.

Along the way I have endured nights of frightful sounds such as objects falling yet not finding anything that had fallen and the sound of muffled voices echoing from downstairs during certain late nights.

Then there was Cody, my roommate last year, who saw an old man one night sitting atop the dresser in his room staring him while laying in his bed. Then, there was Tony, the homeless guy who on a visit to the house told me he too saw an old man this time dressed up in a brown suit and red tie staring out the southwest corner bedroom on the second floor, which happens to be the bedroom I now occupy.

Bonnie, who stayed in the house for a bit also experienced a couple of bizarre happenings. But, I cannot say I saw anything unusual.

Notwithstanding all this, I completely and thoroughly enjoyed my long stay in the once glorious 1872 Manse.

I will miss the privacy and the independence I enjoyed here where I wrote most of my newspaper and blog articles in the smallish sitting room situated between the southwest corner bedroom and the north bedroom all the while puffing on either my pipe or a cigar.

I cooked many a dinner here on the old stove for myself and friends.  I immensely enjoyed my afternoon teas while eagerly devouring a new book from the library. And, I will always remember the lively Friday evening group discussions right here in this sitting room where at present I am penning this article.

But, as they say, all good things must end.

I will not, however, miss the constant drudgery of shuffling the half mile to the United Church and a half mile back to get 3-6 gallons of water and cart it back to the house. The reader should be reminded that a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds.

I won't miss not having showers or baths or hot water. You see, back in early January the water meter froze and cracked so the water has been shut off ever since. And, the hot water heater has never worked.

Recently, Mike Horner has been helping me fill up 60 1 gallon jugs from his faucet and hauling them in his Ford Ranger pickup. But, that will all end in 2 weeks when I move into his home.

Mike's home is more conveniently located closer to downtown and the Safeway grocery store. So, that means less walking for me. Now, I routinely walk anywhere from 2 to 5 miles everyday just going downtown and to Safeway.

This first chapter living in Idaho Springs, Colorado has been a happy one thanks largely to Brian and Becky Blackwell for the use of their lovely house on the corner of Colorado and Ninth.

The Horner House will be much more comfortable and the company more delightful than that of the old time ghosties that dance and party away the long and lonely nights at the Lucas House. I sure hope they will accommodate the presence of the new buyers and vice versa.

You can see the green roof of the Lucas House in the first photo I took of the west side of Idaho Springs. The third pic is of the Horner House. The second pic is my favorite room in the Lucas House where I wrote most of my articles, read books, puffed on my pipe and cigars and generally just relaxed. Also held Friday discussion group here too. Will sorely miss this tiny room.

Well...until next time, grace and peace to you all. See you down on the sunnyside of the road!

BR Schoenbein
June 29, 2016- Wednesday

Jesus And His Relationships With People

What exactly do we know about Jesus's relationships with people? At this point I'm not interested in what the Apostle Paul or the other writers of the New Testament had to say. That'll come later in another article.

I'm interested in what Jesus said and what he did. You know the red letter words contained in some versions of the Bible.

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters...yes even their own life...such a person cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26.

In the previous verse the writer notes that while a large crowd was following Jesus he stopped and turned to them. Then he tells them they must "hate" the members of their family, indeed, their very life, before they could be considered disciples of his.

Whoa! This is the same Jesus that commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves and even our enemies. Obviously, or maybe not so obviously, Christ does not contradict himself. So, in some way or another these statements are congruent.

In Matthew 10 the theme is the same as in Luke but the language is different. "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

And, finally in the Hebrew Scriptures we read that "God loved Jacob but " hated" Esau. Malachi 1:3.

Now, we know instinctively and by reading the word of God that God loves everyone. Even Esau. Esau and his descendants were given land and blessings( Genesis 25) which although not as lucrative nor all encompassing as the inheritance received by Jacob tends to lend support to the proposition that God "preferred" Jacob to Esau for some reason that fits in God's decree or plan and not that God "hated" Esau.

Getting back to the story. "Hate" in that context simply means to prefer your family less than you prefer the Lord. Jesus seems to enjoy shocking people with his words. I sense a bit of frustration with these crowds that followed him on his from Gailee to Jerusalem. I think that's why Luke noted that he stopped and turned around. I get the sense that Jesus sees through the motivation of this rag tag crowd who probably are less committed to him and his way and more curious to see him perform miracles and get free bread. Who knows? It's the stopping and turning around that signals a tension between him and the crowd.

Jesus later in that same chapter in Luke talks about counting the cost of discipleship. He talks of a man who intent on building a tower committed to the project without estimating it's cost and found to his chagrin that he didn't have enough funds to complete it.

Reminds of me of the building Caterpillar attempted to put up in Morton across from the CAT plant on the northside of I-74. The steel structure or skeleton stayed up for quite some seemingly as a testimonial of the company's apparent failure to "count the cost."

The other example Jesus employed was the King who failed to "count the cost" of taking on a larger foreign army and thus was forced to negotiate a conditional surrender or terms of peace.

This crowd of onlookers and passers-by while following Jesus apparently were not calculating the cost they would have to incur. That cost comes in the form of a cross. Carrying a cross...daily. Giving up all their possessions which for some if not most disciples this meant giving up their homes, occupations and even families...if the Lord required it.

The cost would ultimately involve giving up their very life. Not just in martyrdom but something even more insidious: their secret desires, their ambitions, their agendas.

There is no room for conditions or compromises to be a true disciple. We can be followers of Jesus without great cost just as this crowd Jesus addressed here in Luke; but, we cannot be disciples without full allegiance and love for God. We must be prepared to give our all just as the widow gave up her last two "mites" or copper coins. And, just as the Pearl merchant sold all he had to buy the great pearl and the treasure finder who sold all he had to buy the field that contained the buried treasure we too must be prepared to give our all just as Jesus gave his all for us.

Geez! Now let's get back to the reason for this article! Let's look at how Jesus related to women.

Jesus's relationships with women were profoundly radical, scandalous and unique especially in the patriarchal culture of his day.

We read of several women who followed Jesus as he and the Twelve traveled town to town proclaiming the Kingdom of God. They were Susanna, Joanna and Mary Magdalene. I'm sure there were unnamed others as well.

These women contributed money and labor to provision Jesus and his entourage. But, it appears just as likely that they were more than just hanger-ons and donors. They were probably disciples or "learners" themselves.

Women were considered second class citizens. Their status forbade them from being witnesses in legal matters. They had no right or ability to divorce their husbands. Much like women in today's Islamic culture, Jewish women were not allowed to go out in public without a male member of the family. They were considered unclean ceremonially one week every month.

Women were definitely not to travel with men unless they were closely related. Otherwise, they would be considered prostitutes.

And yet, Jesus made a point of meeting women where they lived, where they worked...all in public arena.

Take the case of the Samaritan woman at the well. Here we find the Lord initiating a conversation with a lone woman who came to Jacob's well to draw water in the heat of the day.

As we all know, for Jesus to be speaking with a woman, alone and a Samaritan to boot this was tantamount to breaking the Law. Likewise, when Jesus allowed the woman at the dinner to anoint him with perfume and to wipe his feet with her tears and her long hair he broke traditional taboos left and right. It was a very sensuous scene to be sure. Jesus developed a bad reputation especially amongst the clerics.

And yet, he didn't care what they or anyone thought. All he knew was that these women represented one of the most oppressed groups or classes in that society and he was determined to identify with them in solidarity. And, he was equally determined to include women in a new alternate humanity, the "Church" equal in every way with men.

That's what Jesus did. He turned societal norms and mores upside down. He didn't just teach and lecture. He was a doer!

Nothing was too sacrosanct for Jesus! He said we should "hate" our families. We shouldn't trust in being members of our nation of origin. We should give up all our possessions. Luke 14:43. Women were equal to men in God's sight. The Temple and all it represented would be destroyed with not one stone left upon another. The Temple for Pete's sake! It didn't get anymore sacrilegious than that!

He pronounced woes against the rich saying it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God!

Jesus touched lepers when healing them. He used his spit to make clay in order to heal the eyes of a man blind from birth. He ate with IRS agents and prostitutes and unclean Romans. He raised the dead, cured the lame, rebuked demons, gave hearing to the deaf! As it said in Isaiah 53 he took upon himself our infirmities and disease.

That's how he related to people! And, we should go out and do likewise. So, let's get out of our comfort zones and out of our church buildings and go into the marketplace...into the world and turn it upside down bringing down the Kingdom of God...today!

In other news... today is the 40th anniversary of my conversion. It was June 23, 1976 when I committed to following The Christ. I was just 16 years old and a green horn to boot. Boy, I had a lot to learn the past 40 years to be sure!

My new endeavor, Calvary Idaho Springs Campus, is holding its second and final interest meeting this Sunday June 26, 2016 at 530pm at the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop. Hope to see all my Clear Creek County peeps there!

Well...grace and peace to y'all. See you on the sunnyside!

BR Schoenbein
June 23, 2016- Thursday

 

Father's Day- The Worst Day Of The Year For A Bad Father

It's Father's Day today they tell me. And, I dread this day above all other days.

The last time I had a father was June 30, 1967. So, later this month it will be almost two score and ten years...to use Lincoln's way of describing the passage of time...a half century ago since I last saw my dad.

It was a beautiful late spring evening that Dad decided for whatever reason to take a little car ride out into the country around Delavan, Illinois...and whoosh like that...in an instant, he was gone. In a car accident caused by a drunk driver.

But, that's neither here nor there except to note that the lack of a father in my youth must have created within me a deficit of some type or another. Oh sure, I had father figures to look up to like my uncles on my mother's side and two wonderful grandfathers and the father of my good friend, Scott Witzig. Bert Witzig to be exact. Incidentally, Bert passed away recently, so, I know this is a really poignant day for the Witzigs.

But...nothing...like nothing...beats having a father at home on a daily basis. Mother...she tried mightly to replace my dad and after all these years I have concluded that she did her level best to be both mother and father. It was a huge responsibility...one that I later failed at.

I was not a competent father to say the least. For various and nefarious reasons I was not there for my children. Ironic isn't it? Because I grew up without a father I should have known how bad it would be for my children to grow up without a father. Unlike my hapless father...I chose not to be in my children's life...because of my selfishness, ego and the like.

And, as bad as that was, after all of these years...I have learned to accept that part of me and my history. I no longer flagellate myself over the past but have decided to look forward. I cannot go back and change my choices. They are what they are. But, know this. The consequences of bad choices will follow us around like a snarling black dog until the day they lower us beneath the weeds.

And, I think we all know that. Karma, they call it in the Eastern culture. Reaping what you sow they call it in the Christian culture.

Fortunately, God in Heaven, is a Father who loves us without condition, without fail, without demands or even expectation.

Look how he is characterized in the Parable of The Prodigal Son. This one of a kind vignette should really be entitled "The Prodigal Father" as the father spares no expense in his indulgence when his wayward son comes back home muttering something about sinning against him and Heaven. The prodigal father doesn't even respond to the son's faked attempts to appear repentant. We see the boy earlier in this masterful story rehearsing the story he was going to present to his father in the hopes he could manipulate his father to obtain a job, if nothing else, on the family farm.

Instead, we find the father, waiting every day out at the end of his driveway craning his neck out hoping against hope for his son's return...and then one day he sees his boy coming down the road and runs up to him and when he meets up with him...he grabs him around the neck and kisses him. And...he gives him a ring. And...he presents him with a new pair of shoes...all of which signifies the boy's proper place in the family as an honored son. The father then calls for the fatted calf to be prepared for a full blown soiree to be held to celebrate the return of a lost son.

Note that the father never went searching for his lost boy. Not at all. Why? I don't claim to know... but, I think the father knew that his boy was heading for a train wreck but had to let him go out into the real world and learn the hard way how bad the boy's choice was to take his inheritance and squander it on wine and women.

Remember Esau? He too squandered his inheritance for a simple bowl of porridge. Yet, although he sought to change his situation...even in tears...he could not for the inheritance had been given over to Jacob.There was nothing Esau could do after that. That was under the Old Covenant. The lost son's story, however, takes place under the New Covenant. God is about compassion, love and forgiveness.

We too can always return to the Father from squandering our estranged life in exile where we live east of Eden...so to speak...by deciding to change. To repent. Deciding to come back home...setting our eyes to the west...to the Shechina Glory of the Father. He will take you back...no matter how profligate you were, no matter how bad your choices were...no matter what. Unconditionally, and without any merit on your part.

I know that my love doesn't usually look that. I tend to love conditionally. In other words I love you IF you love me. That is my failure as a human being. That is me "missing the mark" at becoming a true human being. That is my sin.

That is NOT the way God wants it to be. We are to love our neighbor... even our enemy...with unconditional love and compassion. Yikes! I don't know about the rest of you, but, I struggle daily with loving even the people I would naturally love...let alone my neighbor and let alone my enemy!

As the Apostle Paul once said, " I do the things I don't want to do and don't do the things that I want to do. Oh, wretched man that I am!" Amen to that brother! Paul wasn't perfect and neither are we. So, let's struggle today as best we can and give it to God...because our Father in Heaven knows best.

Happy Father's Day to y'all!

BR Schoenbein
June 19, 2016- Sunday