I’m hoping my little bucket list will inspire you to create your own list. You can always steal from my list, but I’m hoping you will be more creative and out of the box with yours.

1. I want to go back to Bell Buckle. It’s been decades (literally) since I was last there, but I have happy vague memories of that place.
2. I want the biggest, fattest cheeseburger ever from McCreary’s Irish Pub, complete with those fat fries and a sweet tea.
3. I want to hike off all those calories at Radnor Lake State Park. Plus, I want to see all the deer and other wildlife and breathe in nature again.
4. I’d like to go on a road-trip of some sort. I’m not sure how short or how long or to what destination, but it needs to be at least out of my zip code.
5. I want to finally go see The Hermitage again. I have more vague memories of this place that I want to flesh out.
6. I want to see people again. Not that family doesn’t count, but you know what I mean.
7. I want to order hot tea from Starbucks and sip it while reading a good book (or binging something off Netflix).
8. I want words like coronavirus, self-quarantine, social distancing, and COVID-19 to be in the past tense, as in something we overcame and can look back on instead of facing it every day.

You can also add your ideas here. I may or may not add to my own list as more ideas pop into my head (most of which may or may not involve the consumption of food).

“Anxiety and fear are what we know best in this fantastic century of ours. Wars and rumors of wars. From civilization itself to what seemed the most unalterable values of the past, everything is threatened or already in ruins. We have heard so much tragic news that when the news is good we cannot hear it. But the proclamation of Easter Day is that all is well. And as a Christian, I say this not with the easy optimism of one who has never known a time when all was not well but as one who has faced the cross in all its obscenity as well as in all its glory, who has known one way or another what it is like to live separated from God. In the end, his will, not ours, is done. Love is the victor. Death is not the end. The end is life. His life and our lives through him, in him. Existence has greater depths of beauty, mystery, and benediction than the wildest visionary has ever dared to dream. Christ our Lord has risen” (Frederick Buechner, Bread and Wine).

Christ our Lord has risen. That’s the hope we hold on to these days, especially on this Easter Sunday smack dab in the middle of a pandemic.

That tomb that held Jesus for three days is empty. The cross did not have the final word. All that the world, hell, and the grave threw at God in Jesus were not enough to hold Him down. He has overcome.

I revisit an old Easter toast that I first discovered a few years back that applies more than ever in these times: “I raise my glass, and drink to Love that never gave up.”

1. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind-of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blu-Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of a Word document and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with “Miller Lite” than “Kay”.

17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

18 How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

19. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

20. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Jeans? Jeans never get dirty; and you can wear them forever.

21. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket; finding their cell phone; and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey…but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

22. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it took only 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Steven H. Nowak

In the tradition of orthodox Christianity, Good Friday is the day that Jesus died on the cross. It is a somber day, following Maundy Thursday, with less focus on celebration and more on reflection.

I’m thankful that the story didn’t end on Good Friday.

I’m thankful this story won’t end with a pandemic of coronavirus.

I suppose that we call this particular Friday good isn’t because of the gory and brutal events of the crucifixion, but what came from it– namely, the forgiveness of sins and direct access to God by the tearing of the temple curtain.

Still, if the story ends with Good Friday and no Easter Sunday, there’s no forgiveness of sin. There’s no hope. We might as well all go live however we want and cram as much wanton pleasure into our short lives as we can.

But as a sermon once heard goes, “It’s Friday . . . . but Sunday’s comin'”

“There are times when everything looks very dark to me——-so dark that I have to wait before I have hope.Waiting with hope is very difficult,but true patience is expressed when we must even wait for hope. When we see no hint of success but refuse to despair, when we see nothing but the darkness of night through our window yet keep the shutters open because stars may appear in the sky, and when we have an empty place in our heart yet will not allow it to be filled with anything less then God’s best—- that is the greatest kind of patience in the universe. It is the story of Job in the midst of the storm, Abraham on the road to Moriah, Moses in the desert of Midian, and the Son of Man in the garden of Gethsemane. There is no patience as strong as that which endures because we see “him who is invisible”(Hebrews 11:27) It is the kind of patience that waits for hope.

Dear Lord, You have made waiting beautiful and patience divine. You have taught us that Your will should be accepted, simply because it is Your will. You have revealed to us that a person may see nothing but sorrow in his cup yet still be willing to drink it because of a conviction that Your eyes see further then his own.

Father, give me Your divine power—- the power of Gethsemane. Give me the strength to wait for hope—to look through the window when there are no stars. Even when my joy is gone, give me strength to stand victoriously in the darkest night and say, “To my Heavenly Father, the sun still shines”. I will have reached the point of greatest strength once I have learned to wait for hope. Strive to be one of the few who walk this earth with the ever present realization– every morning ,noon, and night– that the unknown that people call heaven is directly behind those things that are visible. (Galatians 5:5) By faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” (George Matheson).

“The tongue is our most powerful weapon of manipulation. A frantic stream of words flows from us because we are in a constant process of adjusting our public image. We fear so deeply what we think other people see in us that we talk in order to straighten out their understanding. If I have done some wrong thing (or even some right thing that I think you may misunderstand) and discover that you know about it, I will be very tempted to help you understand my action.

Silence is one of the deepest disciplines of the spirit simply because it puts the stopper on all self-justification. One of the fruits of silence is the freedom to let God be our justifier. We don’t need to straighten others out” (Richard Foster, Seeking the Kingdom).

Sometimes, it’s good to pray the prayers of others. It’s good to delve deep into the history of the faith to find those prayers written down for our benefit for when we have no words of our own.

One that particularly struck me is adapted from a liturgical book called Every Moment Holy. It goes like this:

“Heavenly Father,
We are yours, O Lord.
Lead us by your mercies through these hours.
Teach us to faithfully shepherd the day,
Tending with patience and kindness to the needs
and hearts of the people within our reach.

Center anew our restless hearts
And remind us that in all things your grace
sustains
Meet us in the eclipsed shadow of our doubt
And lead us into your light once again
That we might find rest in the renewed certainty
That we need not be somehow perfect
To be loved by you.
Amen.”

Have faith. This coronavirus too shall pass.

Jesus spoke of Himself by many names during His earthly ministry– The Bread of Life, the Son of Man, the Good Shepherd– but the one I think that speaks to me in these days of pandemic and panic is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are burdened down with worry and anxiety, who work to the point of exhaustion and beyond, who can see no end to all their labors. Come to Me, and I will give you rest. Not just a good night’s sleep, but true soul-rest.”

May we echo with the Psalmist, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy” (Psalm 94:19, NIV).

Lord, grant your people rest and joy in the midst of chaos and turmoil. May we find that You are our true rest and peace and joy and hope. Amen.

It does seem that there’s a lot of blame going around currently. I heard someone say that in the current climate, it’s easy to pin the blame on the leader that you already didn’t like.

In our personal lives, how easy is it to blame someone or something else for our misfortunes instead of looking in the mirror? I don’t aim to say that everything is our fault. I do say that in every circumstance, we still choose how we respond.

How will we choose to live in the current coronavirus climate? Will we use it as an excuse to blame others or will we choose to look for how God is shaping even this into something beautiful and good?

“We spend a lot of energy wondering who can be blamed for our own or other people’s tragedies – our parents, ourselves, the immigrants, the Jews, the gays, the blacks, the fundamentalists, the Catholics….

But Jesus doesn’t allow us to solve our own or other people’s problems through blame. The challenge he poses is to discern in the midst of our darkness the light of God. In Jesus’ vision everything, even the greatest tragedy, can become an occasion in which God’s works can be revealed.

How radically new my life would be if I were willing to move beyond blame to proclaiming the works of God…. All human beings have their tragedies…. We seldom have much control over them. But do we choose to live them as occasions to blame, or as occasions to see God at work?” (Henri Nouwen).

I ran across this prayer for anxiety and stress that I posted in April 2019. It seems more appropriate now than it did then, so I’m posting a rerun of an older post. I hope it still speaks to you in the midst of these days of chaos and confusion:

“Lord Jesus, the stresses in my life often reach a dangerous proportion—or so it seems. My body, mind, and spirit struggle to keep up physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually. Some days anxiety stalks me like a deceitful predator, and the temptation to worry draws me in. I know better, but some days the challenges outweigh the truths buried inside. My trust in You fades into the background, giving fear and concerns permission to discourage me.

In those moments of apprehension, help me remember that I belong to You, and that You are not the author of fear or anxiety, but the giver of love and a sound mind. Teach me Your ways to respond to problems by giving thanks in them. Your Word assures me that You are always there with me. You are the Blessed Controller of all things, and nothing escapes Your attention in my life. You have given me every tool and spiritual blessing to fight against those things that try to steal my peace. You’ve promised that when I’m stressed and burdens are trying to weigh me down, I can come to You. You will give me sweet rest!

Whether the anxiety stems from work, parenting, finances, physical issues, or even world conditions, You are there, Lord, to shoulder the weight. Teach me to recognize the stressful trials as tools for you to shape me and rearrange me. Through those difficult times, You will teach me patience, enlarge my faith, and help me see things I couldn’t see earlier—if I will only let You. When I’m clueless as to what to do, Lord, I want to turn to you first, not last.

Forgive me for trying to handle things on my own, Lord. The need to be in control sometimes gets a stronghold on my life. That only makes things worse. I want to trust You more and see things from Your perspective, not my own. No one makes me feel uptight, angry, or stressed, and no one forces me to react negatively. I choose to respond according to my beliefs. Do I believe You are in control? Do I believe You created all things and hold all things in Your Hand? Do I believe You are truly good? When an anxious thought creeps in, help me to stop and relax, to take that thought captive, and to turn apprehension into a calm prayer for deliverance. Revamp my belief system, Lord. Show me a new way to handle life according to Your Way.

No matter what issues I am dealing with; no matter how big the problems or situations, I’m laying them all at Your feet today. Turn these potentials for stress into lessons for growth and trust. When I can’t see any possible solutions, I choose to believe that You are working things out for my good—in Your own time, as you have in the past. Show me what to do, or what not to do. As I focus on You, remembering Your promises and Your words, I believe You will fill me with a peace that is beyond all understanding

In Your precious name,
Amen” (Jennifer Heeren)