New Column From Norris Burkes

Subject:
Column for Sept 30-31 2018


Column:

Seeking a Healing Touch is a Risk Worth Taking

"I'm sorry" or "excuse me" is a phrase we use almost every day. We repeat it endlessly when we're in a crowded event bumping into people.

Honestly, unless I've physically hurt someone, I will often forego the phrase as I see it more an expression of embarrassment over a social faux pas than it is an actual voice of regret.

Wait, wait, though. Don't count me out as rude. This column isn't a rant against good manners. I just think it's sad when we have to say we're sorry for giving someone a human touch, accidental or otherwise.

Our apology might be better saved for those moments when we fail to give people a caring touch. I think our failure to touch each other is often much more harmful than an accidental encounter.

For the most part I try to avoid sermonizing in this column but take a moment and hear me through today. I want to tell you a story recorded in the Christian Gospels about a woman who spent 12 years seeking a healing touch. She was sick with a bleeding disorder and spent her savings on doctors who proved unable to help her.

In desperation, she used crowd cover to surreptitiously touch the hem of Jesus' robe. The biblical record claims that this brush with the divine miraculously healed her and her hemorrhaging stopped.

Interestingly enough, instead of saying, "Pardon me, ma'am," Jesus asked, "Who touched me?"

The dumbfounded disciples responded with: "Didn't you notice that you're in a crowd?" Their question implies they were annoyed with Jesus' expectation that they would be able to identify any specific individual in such a large crowd.

Anyone who has experienced a pressing Independence Day crowd or the bustle of holiday shoppers knows the impossibility of Jesus' question.

The truth is that touching someone or seeking the touch of another is always a risky thing. If, like this woman, you touch someone seeking help, you risk the humiliation of rejection. Perhaps that's why Jesus' question made this woman duck in shame.

Perhaps she thought, "Who am I to approach such a masterful teacher for healing? What makes me think I'm that important?"

That's what shame does to us. It causes us to question ourselves to the point of diminishing our worth. It causes us to distance ourselves from those who would help us.

According to Luke 8 in The Message version of the Bible, "Jesus insisted, 'Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me.' Immediately the woman blurted out her story — why she touched him and how at that same moment she was healed."

However, it was what Jesus said next that interests me most. "Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!"

At the end of the day, faith always is about risk. It's risking something you have to receive something of higher value — your personal healing.

In reading the story, you might ask: "This woman had nothing to lose, so why wouldn't she risk touching Jesus?" I suspect she had a great deal to lose. After all, she had somehow managed a precarious existence for 12 years, and with that single touch, she risked losing everything.

When I consider how she risked her status quo for a touch from God, I have to ask myself, where is my faith? What do I risk?

My prayer for us today is that we take that risk. Seek a touch and seek to be touched. Live well, live blessed.

-----------------------------
Norris is available to speak to your church or organization. Contact him for details at norris@thechaplain.net or voicemail (843) 608-9715‬. See more at www.thechaplain.net

 

Attachment:


 

 

New Column From Norris Burkes

Subject:
Column for Sept 22-23 2018


Column:

How am I doing on my six F words?

If you're searching for an interesting read, my wife advises that you skip today's column. That's because this is the moment I take every few years to update you on the personal events that I've been writing about.

Today I'm using the outline from my book "Thriving Beyond Surviving" to revisit the personal topics I've raised these past few years. The book was written to encourage the reader to live, as I have attempted, by Faith and five other important F-words.

Pause with me a moment as I ask my regular readers how they think I've been doing in living this outline.

FUN is first on my life-review list. My regular readers know that between many of the heartbreaking encounters I have as a chaplain, I reserve room for fun. This year I was able to spread the fun mantra by teaching a marriage class called "Laughing Your Way to a Better Marriage" for military veterans. I've also garnered some new converts who enjoyed a talk I give about "Laughing Your Way through Love, Loss and Life."

FAMILY keeps me centered. Some readers assume I only have only one daughter because I talk so much about Sara, the one starting children's libraries in Honduras. However, if you've followed the column for the past 17 years, you'll know that Becky and I adopted three other children. Fortunately, we've settled only an hour from them where we are involved with our three grandsons. Becky volunteers at their school while I've helped advise our daughter Brittney in her first home purchase.

FITNESS continues to challenge me. I wrote about the tattoo I got three years ago to celebrate my completion of two marathons. The well-concealed ink art motivates my future fitness. Unfortunately, I've reneged on my fitness goals since spending the winter in Honduras. Conditions made running unsafe, and I've not yet returned to a full routine. However, I'm making a go at it again as Becky and I walk the steep hills around our new home.

FLIGHT is the F-word I use for "travel. " Most of you followed my adventure through Europe and Central America last summer. We called it our "Gap Year" between the end of our 40-hour work life and retirement. I'd planned more travel, but the house purchase slowed us down.

Gratefully, Becky allowed me one last hurrah as we are spending September in Quebec City. Last week, we drove to upstate New York where I preached twice on Sunday, shared a bit of humor with a Monday-night crowd, and spoke for a 9/11 Memorial service.

In February, we will return to Honduras. Six of you promised to go with me, but we have room for more. See chispaproject.org/volunteertrip.

FINANCES were key to helping us travel. Many readers commented when we made the monumental financial decision to downsize our life and sell our McMansion. Well, Becky grew a bit tired of that uncertain life, so we assumed another mortgage for a small home in the California Sierra Nevada foothills, just above the fog line and below the snowline. I've now adopted a key financial equation - Happy wife = Happy life.

FAITH – For several years, I've written about something I call God-spots. Those are the places I go, usually near water, to know God's presence. I'm fortunate that my new home is within walking distance to a lake. But even better, we've found a place to worship. The church includes several people that knew my father's ministry, so it feels a bit like returning home.

And with all our traveling, home seems like a nice place to be right now.

-----------------------------
If you'd like Norris to speak to your church or organization, contact him for details at norris@thechaplain.net or voicemail (843) 608-9715‬

 

Attachment:


 

 

New Column From Norris Burkes

Subject:
co


Column:

Please change spelling to Snopes.com instead of Snoops.com?

 

Attachment:


 

 

New Column From Norris Burkes

Subject:
Column for Sept 15-16


Column:

Fake News Hurts Real People

Does "fake news" ever fool you? Or do you count yourself among the discriminating folks who know the difference between fake and real?

I hope so, but what if you were unable to discern the difference? What if your thinking was impaired?

What if you were like my brother?

My older sibling lives in Las Vegas, Nev., and suffers from a lifelong, undiagnosed social disorder, perhaps a high-functioning autism. His condition draws him toward conspiracy theories. He distrusts mainstream media, modern medicine and even NASA since he believes the earth is flat.

Two years ago, I attended his wife's funeral to find my brother living in squalid conditions. Worse yet, he was what medical folk describe as "non-compliant" with his medications. His failure to take his medicine left him nearly blind. Compounding his problems was his constant consumption of fake news.

The majority of us digest our daily news in a thoughtful way, finding the path of truth, often somewhere close to the middle. But my flesh-and-blood brother isn't like most people; he followed the crazies right down coo-coo lane. He gets most of his information from a far-right radio host named Alex Jones.

If you assume Jones is an obscure, harmless nut, think again.

Thousands listen to his radio and online show called InfoWars. Most listeners are entertained by his outlandish portrayal of conspiracy theories. But it's not entertaining when this fake news hurts real people – like my brother.

My brother absolutely swallows Jones's bizarre contention that the government staged the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in order to promote nationwide gun control. He's an outright evangelist for Jones's claim that the government enlisted 20 children and six adults to portray a "fake massacre" in 2012.

My older sibling, by 15 months, has been following Jones since the radio celebrity began claiming that the government staged the 9/11 attacks. Sadly, because of fake newsies like Jones, my brother, a Vegas resident, denies the deadliest mass shooting in US history when Steven Paddock killed 58 people on the Strip in 2016.

Yet Jones continues to cast a shadow over legitimate news. He's interviewed both candidate and President Trump. The twitter-in-chief has even legitimized Jones by re-tweeting his words.

Perhaps we saw a step in the right direction this past week when Jones was permanently banned from Twitter and Apple, while Facebook and YouTube have so far only suspended his accounts. While some might argue a violation of first amendment rights, most of you likely understand that social media barred Jones because he violated their policies, not the constitution.

Gratefully, Jones will soon answer for the irrefutable harm he's done in spreading his fake news. A Sandy Hook family is suing Jones for defamation because they claim Jones's followers have mercilessly harassed and threatened them.

As people of faith, we only have one weapon against fake news – the truth. So I implore you that when you're tempted to repost a story on Facebook or email a tired urban rumor, take a breath and practice due diligence. You owe it to people like my brother to verify the story by consulting the multiple sources I've listed below.

The good news about my brother – the real news – is that I have placed him in a senior care facility where he gets round-the-clock help with his medication. He's much happier, but not altogether clear. He's abandoned Mr. Jones but only because he's discovered that Jones believes that the earth is indeed round.

Jesus promised that the truth would set us free. Help me free people like my brother. Avoid becoming a carrier of fake news. Check the story, corroborate it, verify it and don't gossip because I assure you that fake news hurts real people.

To verify stories and claims, check these sites:

Factcheck.org
Politifact.com
Truthorfiction.com
Snoops.com
Hoax-slayer.com

_______________________________
Read more at www.thechaplain.net. Email Norris at comment@thechaplain.net or @chaplain or (843) 608-9715

 

Attachment:


 

 

Norris Burkes speaking in NY, OH and Charleston

Chaplain Norris Speaking Schedule Hi readers of Chaplain Norris' column I'm writing to let you know that I'm coming to Elmira NY next week and Springfield OH the last week of October.  I'm also ramping up a speaking schedule for next year so I'm currently looking for booking venues in Charleston SC, Jackson TN and Lakeland FL.  I'm hoping you will help me make connections where I might speak, for instance in schools, churches, community centers, healthcare centers, and veteran's organizations.  Please see a link of suggested topics https://thechaplain.net/speaking/ In the meantime, if you're in the NY area, please share my schedule below. Norris Burkes will be speaking September 9-12 in Chemung County, NY Sunday, 8:00 am &10:30 am  Horseheads United Methodist Church Topic: Spirituality in Everyday Life  Monday, 7:00 pm  Big Flats United Methodist Church  Topic: Laughing Through Loss, Love, and Life Tuesday, Noon Arnot Mall Center Court  Topic: 9/11 Memorial Gathering 3:00 pm - Arnot Mall SW Commons Topic: Faith At Work 24/7 Wednesday, 9:00 am Bethany Village Topic: Finding Purpose Beyond Survival Additional event information:  www. actstt.org/faith247/   Copyright © 2018 Norris Burkes, All rights reserved. You signed up to be on Norris' list! Our mailing address is: Norris Burkes PO Box 247 Elk Grove, CA 95759 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

New Column From Norris Burkes

Subject:
column for 8-9 September 2018


Column:

The News of My Death Precedes Me

I have good news for all of you. Most of you, that is.

I'm not dead.

Apparently, a few of my readers thought, as evidenced by the voicemail I received this past week, that I was singing in the celestial choir.

Lorelei, a nice woman from Lodi, Calif., reported that she'd sent a donation for my daughter's charity, Chispa Project, which starts children's libraries in Honduras. However, the post office returned it stamped, "Recipient Deceased."

We played phone tag, so I left a message in my best ghost voice, "I'm not dead!"

Truthfully, I'm a bit worried that I may be responsible for starting this "false narrative."

One day back in 2004, I stood at our community mailbox extracting tons of junk mail addressed to me. Normally, I'd trash most of it, but with so much identity theft, I was worried that someone might want to become Norris Burkes.

So I began following the advice of consumer advocates and brought it inside to shred. However, with all the unsolicited credit card applications I received on a daily basis, my shredder was on its last leg.

Like most of you, I was tired of sifting through mounds of credit card offers. I started wondering what it might be like if I could obtain the coveted designation, "deceased recipient."

No, I wasn't going to fake my death so my wife could collect the life insurance. Nor was I planning the really convincing kind of demise where folks would actually bury me. But maybe, I thought, there was a kind of heaven where I would no longer get travel brochures, carwash deals or credit card applications.

That's when the deceit began. Standing right there at the mailbox, I tore open a credit card application. I grabbed the return envelope and scrawled– "DECEASED. RETURN TO SENDER."

I thought about smearing catsup on the envelope, but I didn't want the United States Postal Inspectors charging me with sending biohazards through the mail. Without further drama, I dropped it in the community mail slot and raised the flag.

I know what you're thinking. "Aren't you a chaplain? Isn't telling people you're dead kind of like lying?"

Honestly, I gave it some consideration.

But at the time, I thought maybe it wasn't really lying. Maybe it was simply telling the truth early. It was an advanced level of truth telling. Yeah, that sounded even better – "Advanced Truth Telling."

The Advanced Truth Telling (ATT) philosophy was much like the motivational speakers of the day who urged their audience to simply "Announce what you believe and act as though it's true." Or like the televangelists said, "Name it and claim it."

Here's how ATT worked in my case: I believed that one day I'd be dead. I asserted it in my heart and, voila, one day it would likely become true. So that wasn't really lying, right? Again, it was more like anticipating the truth ahead of time.

I repeated this act several more times until I felt a pang of conscience caused me to stop. Still, I'm more than pleased that the junk mail slackened significantly.

Of course, now I have another problem. Not only were a few contributions returned, it seems that my wife is getting phone solicitations for my burial plots. Fortunately, she usually stops those callers by asking, "Yes, but can I use your prepaid envelope to send his ashes?"
_____________________
Norris Burkes is not dead. Email him at comment@thechaplain.net. Voicemail (843) 608-9715 or PO Box 247 Elk Grove, Calif. 95624

 

Attachment: