This little saying from a post some time back on the Jack’s Winning Words blog seemed appropriate for the current situation in Houston and perhaps in the nation right now – “Hope means to keep living amid desperation and to keep humming in the darkness.” (Henri J. M. Nouwen)
Why is humming in the darkness during times of peril or despair important? Not only is it an affirmation of your hope, but it is also a reaffirmation of your faith. Hope based 
upon your faith says that you believe that God is with you and that He will not let this situation overcome you. You may not see how He will make things better right now and you probably don’t understand why this happened to you; but, if you have faith, you know that God will help you get through whatever it is that you are facing.
You hear people saying over and over, on the news shows that cover such disasters, “we lost everything, all of our possessions; but we are still alive and we still have each other and we will go on.” Those are statements by people who have all of life’s concerns and distractions with possessions stripped away and who are forced through the 
circumstances to confront what is really important in life – life itself and the relationships that we have in life. Somewhere in the backs of their minds they are humming through this darkness, perhaps focusing through prayer upon the tiny lights of faith and hope that flicker there.
At the national level, the turmoil that has been created by the current administration can seem at times like a darkness that has overtaken the land. What started as humming in many people’s minds as they sought some mental refuge from the daily stories of stupidity coming out of Washington has quickly turned into more of a chorus of resistance. The initial reaction of “this can’t be happening” has morphed into the resolve of “we won’t let this happen.” It is a testimonial to the strength of our democracy that the checks and balances that were built into the system have so far at least dulled attempts to destroy the values that our country was founded upon.
So, keep humming and praying my friends and keep your hopes alive through your faith…God will get us all through this time of darkness, whether in Houston or across America. The people in Houston will rebuild and go on with life and the people in America will correct the mistake in Washington, so that we all can go on with life. Keep humming…
Posted by Norm Werner 
sorts of sage advice about walking a mile in the other person’s shoes; and, of course, there is that old saw, “Judge not, lest ye be judged”. The truth is that we all rush to judge the actions and words of others based solely on our own point of view. Even if we pause to ask ourselves, “What could have made them do that?”, it is hard to really understand the perspective from which the other person was viewing the situation.
the act that I felt I must judge?
situation out of the emotional realm and puts it into the intellectual realm, where logic and intelligence tend to blunt the need for a reaction. It turns the reaction into an exercise in trying to understand. You may never truly understand the other person’s point of view and actions, but maybe you will also hold your judgement of them in acknowledgement that you really don’t understand. I’ll bet Seneca understood that when he coined his little phrase.
really like the thought about the importance of the people holding (lifting up) those above them. It brings to mind the strong people at the bottom of human pyramids, whether it be a high-wire act or a groups of cheerleaders. While the spotlight may focus upon those at the top of the pyramid, it is the people below them on the totem pole that make it possible. Truly great people who make it to the top never forget that; and, those who do forget eventually topple from their lofty positions.
most uplifting to find volunteer jobs that others may not want to do and volunteering to do them. Usually those are the jobs that nobody sees. Those are the jobs that don’t make it onto the evening news. Those are the jobs for which no trophies or medals are given out; but they are also the jobs that can be most uplifting to do. Those jobs are almost always near the bottom of the totem pole and they usually involve serving others in some way. Most are behind the scenes; but, what is goin
plan to look up at the sun. I suspect that the partying associated with the various gatherings across the country is the real draw that attracts people to travel to get to a site in the path of the total eclipse. Given the choice of being totally in the dark or being in the sunshine, I would choose the sunshine every time.
You just don’t have time for self-pity and dark moods if you are doing God’s work in the world and spreading the sunshine of the Son.
Don’t just say that you’d like to help. Opening your wallet to help is good; but, opening your eyes and heart and jumping in to actually do something is better. By your actions, those in need shall know that you are a Christian. By your actions, you shall know that you are a Christian. By your actions, Jesus shall know that you are a Christian.
I suspect that you will begin to realize that those who made a lasting impression upon you were those who took the time to interact with you, to greet you and to listen to you when you spoke. That is normally an interaction with more content to it than just a cursory “Hi, how ya doing?” exchange as you passed. The second quote comes into play at the point when you realize that what matters to you is your interaction with others that you meet. If you place your relationships with others above your pursuit of money or things, you will find that you matter to them, too.
that matter. You are more likely to have a list of things that you want to do for others and priorities based upon loving, sharing and helping.
more modern terms it would be WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get.
ective of that statement. Ask yourself in whose eyes are you judging your worthiness? Then take the time to recall that you are so worthy in God’s eye that He gave his only son to atone for your sins and to save you. That should make you feel worthy in any situation and free you to live a WYSIWYG life. If you can do that, the next step of accepting others as they are is easy.
living in the most natural state of human rights. Anywhere else, where people are given, or have free access to, things above the subsistence level by the society they live in, is an example of privileges being extended by that society and not examples of people having rights to those things.
One can get in the right frame of mind about life by starting each day with a little “thank you” prayer to God for allowing you to awaken to another day. You weren’t even entitled to that day, so right away you have been given a gift to enjoy. Everything beyond that is just something that you should enjoy and be thankful for having. So, take the advice from today’s quote and make the best of everything that you have; rather than spend your time and energy worrying about things that you don’t have. God has just given you the most precious thing that money can’t buy and which isn’t a right – time. Use your time today wisely; be thankful and happy and make the best of what you have.
chasing, some other shiny thing catches our attention and off we go again. Most people will probably admit that getting the thing of our desires was not as satisfactory as they thought that it might be. In fact, quite often, they will say that the pursuit was the real satisfying part. But, is the pursuit of material things that we don’t really care about once that are obtained really a good use of our time?
feel better? We have a little saying in the ELCA church that is used in many churches – “God’s work, our hands.” The real significance of that saying is that, by doing those things that need to be done in your community to help others, you bring yourself closer to God by becoming the hands through which He achieves his miraculous work. This world that we live in is the job site and God is the site manager, doling out the jobs that need to be done and helping direct their accomplishment. You can’t find a better boss to work for and the benefits are great, both now and later.
based upon careful listening. It would seem that many of the problems in politics today could be attributed to the two main sides not taking time to listen to the other. In our daily lives we encounter many opportunities to listen to others; but, how many of us really put the effort into listening, rather than getting ready for the next things that we want to say?
invitation to a conversation and an expression of concern and care about that person. That conversation will deserve a good listener and there will be therapeutic value in the attention that you pay to the other party. They may rally need to share with someone who is willing to listen.
really listening to you or just thinking about their next opportunity to speak. You can see their lack of eye contact or the expression on their face. It’s that look of, “Oh God, I really didn’t want to hear about your problems; I’ve got problems of my own.” Good listeners will be paying close attention to your words and may interject some words of encouragement or understanding as you speak. Good listeners may also ask questions about the topic that you were expounding upon, because they are processing the information and want to learn more about it.
Are you a good listener? Do you commit to listen when engaging others in conversation or do you just do join the conversation so that you can interject your point of view without real regard for their position? That is the unfortunate situation in the political environment in our county today. The Bible has this to say about those who do not listen, but only want to talk. “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” – Proverbs 18:2.
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