2009.02.23 Monday Morning! #2

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma!

Ash Wednesday, February 25, begins our Lenten journey. Lent offers us an opportunity for self-examination, which I know is important in my life. Why are there times when I think I have to be right and everyone else is wrong? Pride? Maybe! When those times assail me I try to think of the "cockroach theory".

Have you heard about that theory?

There was a scientist who was convinced he could teach a cockroach to respond to oral commands.

He set out to prove this theory and worked for months. He repeatedly said JUMP while his finger was extended before the roach. Finally the roach did jump. He was elated; his notion was correct.

Then he decided to carry the experiment further. He cut off the front legs of the roach and said JUMP. The roach, in time, did manage to get over his finger.

Next the scientist took off the rear set of legs. When he said JUMP the roach just laid there motionless.

Dismayed the scientist took out his notebook and made this entry: "When a cockroach's legs are removed, deafness occurs."

God save me from having to prove myself right all the time!


Amen and amen,
Richard

2009.02.23 Monday Morning!

From this small congregation with a big heart, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma, Pilgrim Presbyterian Church sends greetings and best wishes to each of you.

This congregation, which has been around for 126 years, is a good model for all small congregations. Its outreach, in cooperation with another small church in Vinita, St. John's Episcopal, and its ministry to Burroughs Manor, a retirement home for people who can't afford the costs of most high-flying retirement havens, is as close to the heart of the gospel that any "church family" can get.

Congregations that don't squabble can do ordinary things in extraordinary ways. That is why these "Pilgrims" in Vinita are so effective in their ministry inside and outside the walls of their beautiful sanctuary.

Well done you good and faithful disciples of our Master.


With a thankful heart,
Richard

2009.02.16 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes to you, wherever you are, from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

It was almost ten years ago that a stray dog appeared on the doorstep of our son, Owen, and his wife, Lori.  They had a small dog who wasn't very gracious about an intruder in her backyard.  So my wife, Helen and our daughter convinced me that we should welcome this black part Chow, part Retriever into our household.  We named him Bendigo, a derivative of a Welsh word for blessing. Pets are wonderful!

Sadly, there are people who seem to get their kicks being cruel to "dumb animals".  Recent news stories in a Tulsa newspaper tell of a soldier, home on leave who is charged for dragging a dog, tied behind his vehicle, until he was half dead.

I hope no one reading these Monday Morning messages will ever do a cruel thing to an animal.  Cruelty is always ugly and cruelty to helpless animals is an exceptionally cruel thing.  Kindness is a universal language, understood even by our pets!


Cheers,
Richard

2009.02.09 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes to you from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

It may be a sign of old age, but I know that life's arithmetic means that for every new year we celebrate, we can subtract a year from our life.

That sounds pessimistic, but what I mean to say is don't wait too long to do what you want to do.

In too many simple things we wait too long to do them.

Don't wait too long to show kindness.

Don't wait too long to speak or write a word of encouragement.

Don't wait too long to express your love and thanks to elderly relatives.

Don't wait too long to love and enjoy your children and grandchildren.

Don't wait too long to read the books and listen to the music that enlarges your mind.

And, of course, don't wait too long to practice a daily quiet time when you strengthen your inner spirit.

Life goes by quickly.  Don't wait too long to do the things you want to do!

With blessings and in friendship,
Richard

2009.02.02 Monday Morning!

Smile! It's Monday Morning reaching out to you from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Laughter is good medicine! Last year I attended a meeting of ministers and elders in Tulsa where one person soon had everyone relaxed and laughing, except one glum person who sat like a sphinx. One gave us all a sense of joy, the other chilled us, never cracking a smile. One was able to laugh at himself, the other almost lost his temper.

There is, of course, the wrong kind of laughter which is prompted by smutty jokes or cruel jibes at someone else. However, great laughter-makers bring a lot of fun and happiness into our lives - and that is an important ministry today.

Hearty laughter for the right reasons is good medicine! And preventative medicine is cheaper in every way than curative medicine.


Cheers...ho, ho, ho
Richard