Walks with Barry - Profoundly Simple: A Walk Reframed

  Ever since I was a boy, I have loved to walk in the woods. I feel at home in the beauty of nature. As much as I appreciate a well kept garden and carefully trimmed trees, nothing is as lovely as what just happens in the natural world. This once tall and soaring tree has passed from its role as sentinel of the trail to that of a bridge across. It is interesting how strong it still appears. Tough it has fallen, there is no doubt that this tree still has a long future ahead. So it is with us. Our lives move from one stage and one phase to another. But we are still who we are. We look different across the years. We have different stamina and strength across the years. We find ourselves in different situations and circumstances. But we are still who we are in the circle and embrace of God’s love and grace. If we have to age, and if change is inevitable, let us live graciously. We can, because all of life happens in the unending and sustaining Spirit of God. “Therefore, since we have b...

  It was a beautiful day for a little hiking, so the mission team headed to Petit Jean State Park to visit the falls. The landscape in that area is so beautiful. The towering trees, the stark outcropping of rock, the play of light and shadow on the trail, unseasonably cool temperatures - all factors added up to a wonderful experience for one and all. There has apparently not been much rain recently, and I don’t remember the falls being this low on any previous trip, though the distance of many years cloud my memories. But still there flowed just enough water to provide the cascade we sought. The beauty was not diminished. In fact, the delicate streams seemed to tenderly kiss the rocks below as the birds sang and people of all ages took in the beauty. The prophet Isaiah writes, ”With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” The waterfall reminded me of the water of life that never runs dry. It reminded me of God’s presence that is always with us, even in the drought ti...

  As we walked along the river in Little Rock, the weather was perfect. Cool breeze, beautiful light, just the hint of the coming sunset. The Arkansas River rolling past on its never ending journey. Our group had worked hard and served well today. We had enjoyed a great dinner and were beginning to wind down. Soon we would be back at the church where the group is staying for a little ice cream and games. A devotion led by one of the youth would wrap up the night. The philosopher of Ecclesiastes writes, “All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.” It is amazing how the waters flow. It is amazing how, through the years and all the changes in our world, this old river keeps on flowing. Never ceasing, never ending. Constant as the sunrise and sunset. Moving ever forward, month after month and year after year. When I struggle with weariness or disappointment and feel I can’t go on, I should think of the river. sometim...

  Immediately following the end of the 11.00 worship service on Sunday, I headed out with a great group of senior high youth and adults on a mission trip in Little Rock, Arkansas. Three vans headed east with much energy and joy and anticipation. Great conversation, much laughter and loud music made the 5 hour drive fly by. After we were into the state of Arkansas, the terrain changed. Trees everywhere. Hills. I am always amazed that after more than 40 years away, it still feels like “home”. Immediately. As we passed each sign along Interstate 30, I bored my travel companion with stories and trivia of my early life. I’m sure they wanted to jump out of the van, but I had a wonderful time. We passed the sign for the exit that leads to the community in which I grew up. Of course, Mabelvale has changed so much. It is now a part of Little Rock, instead of a small community in the county. There are stores and restaurants and medical buildings. Totally different. But still home. I feel the...

  I always enjoy passing this house where the owners rotate great signs from time to time in the front yard. This is my favorite. I think it captures perfectly the teaching of Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In that wonderful story we hear the Great Commandment that fulfills all commandments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” In the story, Jesus goes on to broaden the definition of neighbor for us all. We all must stand against the tendency to love only those who look like us. As my mentor and friend always taught me, “All our spots don’t have to match to love one another.” In a world where we have the ability to hear only opinions with which we already agree and to insulate ourselves from the opinions and people different from ourselves, we need to hear this message. Who knows what we might learn from our neighbors. Who knows what we will find w...

  It is always interesting how my neighbors choose to stage the items they place at the curb for pickup. There is seldom anyone that just piles their discarded items in a haphazard manner. The homeowners are neat to a fault. Lumber is stacked. Boxes and bags are lined up parallel to the curb. Toys and other items being left behind as children grow are displayed as if the sidewalk were a retail outlet. But the furniture is the best. This chair and ottoman may have served well and seen better days, but it still greets each person who passes by with what feels like a warm welcome and a moment of hospitality. I had the urge to stop and put my feet up for a rest. I was not tired until I saw the chair, then it seemed like just what I needed at the time. In the movie “Bruce Almighty”, there is a great line. After Bruce disturbs the world order by just answering every prayer with “yes”, he explains to God that he was just giving people what they want. God replies, “Since when do people hav...

  There is no end to the interesting things I find placed at the curb in my neighborhood. As I have walked the blocks across the years, these discoveries have been a source of constant entertainment. They often spark my imagination or remind me of stories from my past. I love the variety of items left there. I love the way they are left at the street, the way people display those things they have chosen to discard. On this particular morning I found a set of dishes stacked and displayed at the curb. Dinner plates, bread plates, saucers and bowls taking their place alongside all manner of trash in boxes and bags. My first thought was how interesting it is that, try as we might to keep from breaking a dish from time to time, we do. No matter how careful we are, dishes get chipped and cracked and broken as we use them and clean them and put them away. But not here. These dishes were stacked on the side of the street in the blazing sun, in the weather, in a neighborhood teaming with c...

  As I walked past this lovely home with a thick, lush, freshly mowed lawn, I loved seeing this tiny toy lawnmower all alone in the center of things. The little one who lives there had obviously helped their parent with the task of tending the lawn. When all the clippings were collected and the tools put away, this small but mighty mower remained. It appears that it had completed the work all be itself. It appears as if to stand tall and look with pride on the accomplishment of the day. Small but mighty. It was good to be reminded that there is often great power in small things. A thoughtful word at the right time can change the day, sometimes the life, of another. A thoughtless word can discourage and destroy. Taking time to truly see another person can affirm and validate. Treating another as if they are invisible chips away at a sense of value and worth. Jesus said that faith as tiny as a mustard seed could move a mountain. Jesus said that if we are faithful in the little things...

  As I walked my neighborhood on a recent morning, I loved this image I happened upon at a home setting up for a yard sale. No humans were to be found, so it seemed as if this guy was left in charge of overseeing the operation. I must say, he seemed relaxed and very much up to the task. He was enjoying the morning before it became too hot to sit and watch the people go by. Sometimes we are surprised at who turns out to be in charge. Sometimes the surprise is that we are the one for the moment, the one to lead. Sometimes we are surprised to find that we are the called one. But if we are called, then God will help us be up to the task. The chair will fit. The challenge for us is to trust that God knows what God is doing and to not lean completely on our human perspective. In the story of Samuel seeking to anoint the king that will follow Saul, we read these words, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected hi...

  I love this picture of the youth choir from my church as they served in St. Louis this week. They had just finished a hot morning of work cleaning up a garden that ran alongside the magnificent sanctuary of the historic Centenary United Methodist Church. Before their lunch break, they gathered in a circle on the labyrinth for a time of devotion. The five red doors at the front of the church provide a vivid backdrop for this gathering of weary pilgrims. The red doors of a church symbolize that this is a true sanctuary, a place of refuge. The red doors invite all who may pass into a safe place, into a place of emotional and spiritual healing. The red doors welcome all into a place of forgiveness. The labyrinth was also the perfect place for this group to gather. They talked about how a labyrinth is different from a maze. The purpose of a maze is to get a person lost. The purpose of a labyrinth is to lead a person to the center and back out again. I love that the journey on this la...

  At the ball park in St. Louis, every time the home team scores they celebrate with fireworks. It is fun and exciting and helps to keep the fans fired up about the game. It is such a dramatic scene against the sky, the different colors of the explosions and the wild trails of smoke that streak the night. At this particular game, there were no fireworks inning after inning. The other team was ahead 5-0 past the midpoint of the game. But suddenly, the Cardinals came to life! They scored. And scored. And scored. The people in charge of the fireworks were suddenly very, very busy. And the fans went wild each time they lit up the sky. The experience was all the more sweeter because it was such a long time coming. Sometimes our experiences in life can be made all the sweeter because of what went before. Long years of hard work to pay our way through school makes graduation all the better. The freedom from pain that comes after long suffering makes each moment of life a more appreciated ...

  It was a great ball game at the park in St. Louis, but the moon stole the show for a while. As it rose above the stadium, it was the center of attention. It was interesting to watch as those around me, one by one, took out their cameras and tried to capture something of this breathtaking sight. It was, for a moment, as if we had all come to the stadium for this moment. The ball game was incidental. Sometimes the best moments of life are the surprises along the way. With all our plans, sometimes it is the unplanned moment that takes our breath away and touches our hearts. Sometimes it is the unexpected that makes everything else more meaningful. We just need to have our eyes open and be willing to pause for a moment to take these gifts into our lives. Whether it is the surprising sight of a burning bush, of water turned into wine or of a miraculous catch of fish after a long night of no luck, the scriptures are full of surprises that changed people’s lives. God is always doing sur...

  I got away for a quick trip yesterday and had the joy of spending a day with the youth choir from my church who were singing and serving in St. Louis. We were at the historic Centenary United Methodist Church, a church that has been faithful since 1839. I couldn’t help but think of the events that congregation has seen across those many, many years. A Civil War. Two World Wars. Korea. Vietnam. American military conflicts ever since. Segregation. The Great Depression. Countless other economic upheavals. Natural disasters. Denominational splits and mergers. Joys and sorrows. Good times and hard times. So much has rolled by. But here it stands. Beautiful and magnificent. Welcoming all, serving all. A witness to the Good News of Jesus and the steadfast love of Christ. The people that are this church are an amazing gift to the world. Their faith endures and endures. They inspired us to greater things when we return home. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God...

  As I walked around the church buildings one morning, I loved the sight of this delicate little flower standing all alone. It looked so vulnerable. Beautiful, yet perhaps in a precarious position going at this life thing all by itself. But then I noticed the garden stone on the ground behind it. Engraved upon it is a phrase from Psalm 18: “My God is my rock.” I suddenly felt that the little flower would be okay after all. I realized even when I feel alone, that phrase rings true for me. That phrase is true for us all. It is that sense of security in God’s love and presence that allows us to bloom wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We can be the beautiful, unique person we were created to be. And when we are who we were created to be, all the world is blessed. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Peace.

  After a long day, I walked toward the west as the day died away. It was an odd sunset for the area in which I live. Usually there are explosions of vivid reds and oranges streaking across the sky. Today, the beauty was more subtle. There was just the slightest brush of soft pink beneath the cloud. It was so peaceful and so calm. It was a beautiful way to begin the night. The prophet Amos writes, “He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.” There is something about the transitions from day to night and night to day that speak to us in a deep and powerful way. How many paintings have been created in an attempt to capture the beauty of a sunrise? How many poems have been penned in an attempt to describe a sunset? How many hearts have been touched by the sight of the vastness of the universe in that moment between ...

  In just the span of a couple of days, I walked by this lone lily and noticed a big transformation. At first, there was one beautiful, perfectly formed blosssom. Then the blossom began to wither and fade. But at the same time a new bud appeared, seemingly in a day. The old dying blossom is drawing near to the moment that it will pass the baton to the new. One fades. Another blooms. The beauty continues on. The philosopher of Ecclesiastes writes, “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north, round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.” While these observations can lead us, like this writer of long ago, to question the meaning of life, they can also lead us to celebrate the constancy of God’s ongoing act of creati...

  As I walked through the large campus of the church where I was attending a meeting, I was so impressed by the design and layout of the buildings. One of my favorite aspects of the design is how, throughout the long covered walkways, there are planters where different types of living things are thriving. They give a wonderful break from the vast areas of concrete and brick. My favorite little oasis is this one, bursting with the life of sunflowers. There is something about a sunflower that invites you to smile, no matter what else is going on in life. They stand so tall, always looking for the sun. Their yellow color glows with life and light. In the summer heat, in the midst of a large complex of buildings, the sunflowers thrive. The prophet Isaiah writes, “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” The land of our lives can feel s...

  As I walked in the quiet of the early morning, I made the corner and stumbled into a raucous murder of crows. The quiet of the morning was over, to say the least! The group cranked up the noise and never stopped until I had turned the corner and was out of their sight. I suppose I disturbed them and crashed their morning routine. I know they certainly startled me. One of the things I have always liked about my life as a pastor is how different each day is from the next. I start out each day with a list of what I have to get done. Then I have a list of what I’d like to get done. But as the day begins, I know I will do what needs to be done. It is an adventure each day, full of surprises and unplanned experiences. It is never dull or boring. Life is full of surprises, some good and some not so good. We begin our journey each morning, never knowing what we will find as we turn the first corner of the day. Raucous crows or a beautiful sunrise. Peace or chaos. Sickness or health. Joy ...

  As I walked across the parking lot Sunday, the sun was rising and I was treated to this view of a red sky to begin the day. The color and angle of light gave such detail and clarity to the trees that seemed to be trying their best to stay in the dark. Even the power lines were interesting and beautiful in the glow of the dawn. The light makes all the difference. The trees were always there, beautiful in their shape and color. The power lines were always there, bringing convenience to our lives each day. But it was the light that created the image of morning. It was the light that transformed this sight from one so common that it went unnoticed to an image that captures the attention. Isaiah writes, “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” I took this glimpse of the dawn as a reminder that God’s light is still in the healing business. This wo...

  I love the variety of plants in the gardens around our church. There are flowers that hug the ground and there are flowers that grow tall and wave in the breeze. You can find all the colors of the rainbow scattered about the grounds. There seems to always be something new blooming if you take the time to notice. These grasses are a favorite. Their vivid spring green blades are constantly brushed by the breeze. They remind me of a mop-top kid whose hair is always askew. The sight of them make me smile. I don’t know the name of this plant, but I am a big fan. I try to stop by and see them every now and then. Sometimes it is good to just enjoy a moment. We don’t have to know all the details or be on top of all the available information. We don’t have to analyze why we like something or why we find something beautiful or why something makes us feel what we feel. We can just embrace such moments as a gift, losing ourselves in the joy or the beauty or the wonder. The Psalmist writes, “...

  As a storm tried its best to form this afternoon, the sky was magnificent. The stark contrasts of light and dark were dramatic, as was the image of these clouds. I had to focus on just what I was seeing in the western sky. First was the tree line, rich and green. Then the dark clouds, low on the horizon, rising like a forested mountain range silhouetted against what appeared to be a window of light. But the light clouds reminded me of Niagara Falls, roaring away and whipping up great columns of mist. It was a mesmerizing vision. I could not help but think how this multi-layered image was a reminder that things are not always as they first appear. Things and situations are often more complicated than first glance might lead us to believe. But most of all, this moment reminded me that creation itself is a constant reminder of the presence of God in our lives. The Psalmist writes, “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majest...

  As I sat writing a sermon at the desk in my study at home on the Memorial Day Holiday, this little neighbor decided to come sit on the other side of the window. I could just see the little head framed between the slats of the blinds, and I wondered if it saw my huge head framed in the same way. I was surprised that the visit was so long-lived; I expected the bird to depart as quickly as it arrived. But it stayed. As we sat so close, separated by less than three feet of space and a window, I began to wonder if the bird was watching me and thinking the same thing. Did it expect me to leave? Was it fascinated with this creature on the other side of the glass? I wonder if our fellow creatures ponder what we do and think and feel as we do them? Jesus taught that one thing we have in common with all of creation is the love and care of the Creator. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put o...