Lists

I have lists on my mind today.  Lists, as you know, are very useful.  We make one for shopping items, one for daily tasks, one for goals, even wishes, and of course we could go on and on because there are lists for everything (music, grievances, favorites, etc.)

My wife is a list person.  She calls them “empowering.”  She’s referring specifically to to-do lists when she says that.  I like a lot of different kinds of lists, but I really don’t like to-do lists.  I find them to be demanding, overwhelming, draining, the opposite of empowering.  I once wrote what I thought was a clever and humorous “break up letter” to my to-do list, but never shared it with anyone because when it was finished it sounded like a really whiny complaint.  And it was.

I use a to-do list, of course.  In fact, I keep an electronic one that is also tied to my calendar.  It’s an incredibly useful tool that is a wonderful blessing that lets me accomplish more.  I hate it.

I’m a thinker and a dreamer.  My wife is a doer.  If it weren’t for her to balance me, I probably wouldn’t accomplish anything useful at home.  I’d be lost in thought, or working on a song, or reading, or watching an informational video on the new methane fueled full flow staged combustion cycle engine that SpaceX developed (first in history!) for its prototype vehicle called Starship.  Yeah, I’m that kind of nerd.  So I’m blessed to have her.  She keeps me in reality.

But I kind of feel like she needs me to balance her a bit too, to say “It’s okay if you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted to today.  After all, we’re called human beings, not human doings.”  I didn’t make that up, but I sure like it.

Well, that’s enough about me.  I’m marvelously flawed.  And my brain is still scrambled from all the Holy Week and Easter stress.  (Scrambled… Easter… eggs… see what I did there?).  It was tough enough for me to string together a few coherent paragraphs for you, so let me finish by making a few lists for you.  Random lists, in no particular order.

Things I did this Easter Sunday that I’ve NEVER done before:

·      Slept until 7:00am.

·      Worshiped after 9:00am.

·      Used the restroom and got more coffee during my sermon! (It’s weird watching yourself preach on TV anyway).

·      Texted a bunch of people in the morning.  The text?  “Alleluia, Christ is risen!”  You know the replies that came back: “He is risen indeed, alleluia!”

·      Cooked lunch with my wife.  She’s a nice lady.

Something completely normal I did this Easter, like I always do:

·      Ate copious amounts of ham.  Nothing says “Jesus has fulfilled the Old Covenant, and we are now free in Christ” on Easter quite like eating a lot of ham.

You might try these entertaining or educational opportunities (which I recently enjoyed) that will help you pass the time during the pandemic:

·      Watch “Onward” on Disney+.  It’s a seriously good movie.  Extremely good.  It is highly entertaining and incredibly profound.  I’m looking forward to using it for a sermon illustration when it fits the text and when I’m not worried about spoiling it for anyone.

·      Watch “Dolphin Reef,” also on Disney+.  It’s part documentary, part movie.  It’s a feel-good true adventure of a baby dolphin and other creatures in its habitat.  It’s really well done.

·      Listen to the 4-episode podcast “Apollo 11: What We Saw.”  This dramatic retelling of the Apollo mission to the moon in the context of the Cold War is both educational and entertaining for adults.  Warning: there is some vulgar language.  Trigger Warning: If you don’t think you’ll like hearing an American astronaut swearing about how terrible communism is, or an astronaut reading from the book of Genesis (“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”) while he’s flying around the moon, then you’ll probably want to go to your safe place and NOT listen to this podcast.

·      Do a puzzle if you have one.  They’re hard to buy right now if you don’t have one.

·      Listen to Joe Satriani’s new album called “Shapeshifting.”  It’s good fun.  He mimics several different styles of songs, as the title of the album suggests.  My wife thinks it very odd that I enjoy his music since I usually listen to classical/orchestral music.  But the man is stellar.

·      Attend many video conferencing meetings!  Oh wait… nope.  Wrong list.

Things I wish I didn’t have on my to-do list right now:

·      Attend many video conferencing meetings.  I’d much rather meet in person!  But I’m thankful for the technology that lets work and ministry continue.

·      Make the next online worship service.  I’d much rather worship together in person!  But I am thankful for the technology that lets us worship “together” in our own homes, and I am extremely thankful for all the encouragement I’m receiving from members and nonmembers alike, saying that the online worship is a blessing to them.  It keeps me motivated.  Here is the YouTube Channel for the church I serve.

And finally, if you and your family are like my family and you are intentionally scheduling things each day for your wellness (exercise, talking to a loved one on the phone or FaceTime, reading, and getting chores done before “screen time”), or even if you’re not like my family, here’s one more list for you…

Do today:

·      Read God’s Word.

·      Pray.

·      Make a list of things you’re thankful for, people and blessings that bring you joy.

We have a lot to be thankful for.  Jesus resurrection is at the top of the list.  A blessed Easter season to you all.

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.”

   - Matthew 28:5-6

“…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”

   - 1 Cor. 10:31

truth + love