Pastor Joane has challenged us to study what she is calling “Route 66”. There are sixty-six (66) Bible Books, and we are attempting to preach from each one. While reading in II Kings, I noticed that Scripture records a little boy sneezing seven times. Why did God have that event recorded for our discovery these many years after the incident? We all sneeze, and we often wish the sneezer a “God bless you”.

The Old Testament Historical Books record more than the exploits of the mighty, the wisdom of statesmen, or the splendor of the Temple. They even record the sneezes of a young lad! The Biblical story began by telling us this youngster’s parents were wealthy. The Prophet Elisha had an open invitation to stop by there, because they “left the light on”! He came by so frequently that they built an addition on their home so Elisha could be more comfortable in his travels. A close reading of the story points out that the lady had no children until Elisha spoke into her life, and the boy was born. Later, while working with his dad, it appears the lad had a sun stroke so severe that he died. His body was carried to the Prophet’s Chamber and laid on the prophet’s bed. Mom got on a donkey and road to find the prophet. When she arrived, she was asked, “Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?” This is biblical religion – we are to care about one another! The account goes on to tell us that after Elisha went to the boy and prayed, the boy sneezed seven times, and was alive and well.

Millions do not believe there is a Creator or that if there is, He does not care about the events of this world. It appears to me that in our search for justice and world peace, we have dehumanized society to the extremes of our acceptance of abortions and euthanasia! The loss of belief in God leads straight to the loss of a belief in human beings and their importance as eternal beings. The Biblical story tells me that God hears our sneezes because He listens to the sounds from His creation.

Recently a great pastor asked me why Christians are not very helpful. He and his wife had just had a baby bless their home, and with their busy lives, they needed help. Most of those in their congregation had gladly offered to help, but no one ever did anything to assist. I tried to explain that it is my observation that most of his church members meant to help but were to involved in their own lives to think about his need! “If they thought about it, they would help.”

“Why don’t they remember their promises?” My reply was, “NO one jogged their memories!” THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE!

I personally understand how easily we can lose the human touch, concerned with our own personal survival, we allow the needs of others to slip from our minds. This may be why people are allergic to organized religion. In New Testament days, church leaders were very busy, and even without our modern conveniences that were designed to give us more free time, those saints of old appear to have had more time to help others than we do!

Everything we do as followers of Jesus, all the organizations, all the machines, all the structures must be used to glorify our Creator! When we serve the Gospel message, we will care for those in our community! We must allow the humanity of God to humanize everything we do in His Name.

We must seek to resist the dehumanizing trends of today – to be a community that reflects the human face of God in Jesus Christ. We need to find a need for others and seek to meet it to the best of our ability. We must pledge that we will never allow the hum of our machinery or the clacking of our keyboards (even those on our phones) to make us deaf to the sound of a little boy’s sneeze!

So I spend a lot of time writing about things that happen to me and how I perceive them and at times that is to be expected, as most of us ‘scribblers’ base their writing on personal experience.

Writing also lets you examine other people the way a painter might examine the subject matter of their current painting: Taking in the color and the shape of a person and their surroundings, trying to recreate the very essence of them via the medium of canvas and brush.

This leads me to my subject matter, my muse if you will, a person who sticks by your side no matter what.

If I speak of this person in terms that might make them seem like some rarity, or something mystical creature like a unicorn, that’s only because in some ways they are.

Despite me being one of the first ones to say I love every living thing on this planet in one way or another, I’m also realistic to know that a lot of people have their own burdens which makes them do many undesirable things, including causing them to be unreliable to various degrees depending on the person.

So in that sense people like my subject matter are very rare indeed, because this person has risen to the highest spot of trust I’ve ever given in over four decades of life barring a child’s love for his own mother.

Recently one of my small collections of phobias popped up in my daily life again, that of lilapsophobia, or fear of tornadoes that I’ve discussed here in previous columns over the years.

This person stayed with me for a good two hours or so as the events went on, even though they are physically separated from me by more than half the country (which at times that distance feels like it’s a million miles or none at all depending on the moment).

Never was it a concern, never was it a bother, the way it truly is when someone really cares about you and you alone, not just waiting for their turn to be cared for instead of being caring.
It’s only one of what feels like a million examples of how much this person does for me and what in just under four years they’ve come to mean to me.

I’d like to think that everybody has or had a person like that in their lives, although I know that might not be true, but if not it is still the thing to strive for both in who and what you take into your circle and also what you give out.

(I’ve been deemed at times infamous for my grunts, huffs, and scowls but even I know or have learned that you can expect life to smile at you if you never smile back.)

So this one’s for you my unicorn, my diamond in the rough terrain of life, I only hope I can be as much value to you as you are to me and I hope you understand my intent with you as much as I think you understand mine.

Thank you.

Grace Episcopal Church, Port Lavaca

Join us at 11:00 am every Sunday for Holy Eucharist Service.

Coffee and conversation before and after each service in Parish Hall.

Jesus and Me (JAM) for ages 8-18 (approx.) the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month in library at 10:00 a.m.

Love, Laughter and Lunch on the 1st Sunday of the month after the service in Parish Hall.

All are welcome!

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is planning to conduct prescribed burns in Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area (WMA) at 10769 FM 1289, Port O’Connor, Texas 77982.
Our primary target timeframe for these burns is sometime between now through October 2023. Burn opportunities are dependent on weather, vegetation conditions, current and expected fire danger, and many other considerations.
If we are unable to conduct these burns within this target timeframe we will contact you again with the next potential timeframe.