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Muscle Noise

December 23, 2025


“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

My friend, Allan, was talking to me about the pet scan he was scheduled to have. Because of a bout with cancer a few years ago, he has the scan done when his physician considers it a precautionary step. Allan was not looking forward to NOT doing the things that are a part of his daily routine, such as a spinning class on a stationary bike at the local YMCA and taking a long walk. Those exercise activities were no-nos, as well as eating carbohydrates.

I asked him why, and he said it was because of “muscle noise.” I had never heard that term before. Muscle noise…hmmm! He explained that muscle noise can cause a false positive on the test. Muscle noise can make it appear as if there is a tumor or inflammation, leading to misinterpretation of the situation. It can also mask the situation, or, as the physician would say, “steal the tracer,” reducing the signal from smaller tumors that might be present.

Thus, as Allan explains it, he was not excited about a day of inactivity to avoid muscle noise. Probably going to turn him into “The Grouch” for a few hours, and make him a bear to live with. All to keep his muscles from being out of control and, as the younger generation would say, giving a “fake-out.”

Sometimes I wish there could be a spiritual “muscle noise” scan for followers of Jesus. You know…a tool that could signal authenticity or false praise. Who is making a lot of noise that is inaccurately interpreted as heartfelt devotion and commitment? Who is drawing attention to themselves, instead of worship of the Lord?

Shouldn’t there be times when stillness and silence define the person and the worship of the believers? Just as some worship is sedate and unconnected, there is another kind of worship that could best be defined as spastic and ingenuous. Sometimes the church needs to practice silence to hear the still, small voice of the Spirit. Sometimes the church needs to be still and know that He is the Lord.

A friend of mine, in describing his church’s worship experience, said, “We praise the Lord during the worship service and then act like the devil getting out of the parking lot.”

As Allan said, there are certain things he isn’t allowed to do before his scan, which minimize the risk of misinterpretation. That sounds like a good idea for Christ-followers, also. There should be certain things we don’t do during the hours leading up to worship, certain things that cause distance from the One we worship, instead of closeness to the Holy.

Muscle noise. Muscle silence. What an interesting thing to discover.

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Dark Walks

December 22, 2025

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)

December 21st is referred to as the “shortest day of the year.” Actually, it’s the same length of time as any other day. The irony of its logo is that it is the longest day of darkness. Darkness comes early, only a few hours after it had stayed too long.

It is not uncommon for my wife and me to take dark walks during these days, saturated with darkness. There is a degree of treacherous stepping as we proceed up our street and around the neighborhood. Being familiar with where cracks in the sidewalk and potholes in the street exist helps us avoid most stumbles…most stumbles! Darkness hides new developments and dangers until it’s too late.

When Isaiah spoke his prophecy, it was a dark time for Judah. Assyria was dominating. The people were suffering. Oppression characterized the time. The words of the prophet must have sounded strange. “Seeing a great light?” “A light has dawned in deep darkness?” Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrase renders the last part of the verse, “For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
 light! sunbursts of light!“

When darkness dominates, is it a fairy tale to talk of sunbursts of light? Or, does any speck or glimmer of light get interpreted as hope?

When life is defined by the oppressiveness of darkness, seeing light at the end of the tunnel brings a welcome sigh of relief. Many folk describe their lives as being a walk in “the longest darkness.” What an incredible moment for them to have a sunburst of hope! A light that shows the path and the destination.

I read the news this morning. It was a walk into the dark world we live in. Violence, fraud, racism, poverty. I was looking for a light, just a ray, just a twinkle. Isaiah gives me that glimmer of hope. It came to me in the form of a 96-year-old woman from our church. Her daughter convinced her that it was finally time to give up the shoveling of her nieghbors’ driveway and sidewalks. She had done it for years. Two heart attacks hadn’t even stopped her. Sometimes darkness just needs someone to is willing to make a path for others.

Yesterday, during our Sunday worship service, the youth of our church showered her with joy when we gave her a plate of Christmas cookies we had baked and decorated. For a caring, elderly lady, it was a moment of vibrant kindness that brought a radiance to her face.

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Looking Like Carl

December 15, 2025

“ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The Youth Sunday School Class I teach told me that I look like Carl Fredricksen from the movie “Up.” They even found a picture on the internet and displayed it on the screen in our classroom…with me standing beside a backgrounded Carl. Unfortunately, there was a resemblance. I’m a few years away from(hopefully) being a full-fledged member of the Carl Club, but he is leaking into me.

Most of us are hopeful that we resemble someone who is nice, or at least good-looking. A good friend of mine was compared to supervillain Gru from the “Despicable Me” film series. Funny how both of us have been compared to animated characters.

My hope is that, despite my similarities to Carl, minus the walking stick, I am resembling Jesus a little more each day, as opposed to being villainous and despicable. It’s a daily…no, I mean an ongoing moment-by-moment possibility. The closer I stay to Jesus the more I understand His mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and grace. When I talk about needing peace of mind, I need only to look in His direction and have a chat with Him about my troubled soul.

Our culture’s understanding of transformation is more instantaneous. You weren’t, and now you are. You didn’t have it, and now you do. My hunger was transformed in a few moments by the super-sized McDonald’s meal; and then shortly after that, my appeased appetite would be transformed into indigestion. Transformation is understood differently in the physical world.

In the spiritual world, it’s a journey, more like slowly turning a giant freighter in the midst of the vast sea. It’s a daily prayer of repentance and hope, thankfulness and praise.

I am thankful for others who have been on this journey before me and whom I can look to as reflections of Jesus. My dad was one of those. Some say I am a physical recreation of him. He was the Deacon Emeritus of his church, a man wise and grounded, kind and friendly, a listener and a doer. In his last couple of years of life, he had what was called a “hurry-cane,” like Carl’s, but he was never in a hurry when there was someone who needed a word of encouragement or redirection.

I may look like Carl Fredricksen, but I hope I reflect Laurence Wolfe.

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Slip Ons

December 11, 2025


“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” (Proverbs 12:24)

I bought a pair of shoes that are “slip-ons.” They sit on the floor of my closet, and I effortlessly slide my feet into them. I’m not sure how I feel about it. There’s a slither of guilt as I slip into the slippers. Is it a sign of my laziness? As Proverbs hints, am I one of those slackers that thinks work is a four-letter word? Oh, that’s right. It is.

What are the limits of convenience? I have visions of Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons, running around and making life easy for George and company.

Slip-ons are nice. I don’t grunt when I slide into them. When I revert to a pair of shoes that have shoelaces that need to be tied, I grunt as I lean over to tie the knot. I never used to grunt like a pig when grabbing the laces, but it’s now come to that. Unfortunately, I don’t have slip-on socks, so Porky is still making sounds.

Which prompts the question? What’s the next invention that will lean me even more into being incapable of labor? A car that drives itself? (Oh, I guess technology is ahead of the game already on that one!) A business that allows me to order up a meal without having to cook it, and have it delivered to my residence? (Oh! I’m way behind on that one!) A buttoned-down shirt that doesn’t need to be buttoned, but just slides on (even over my mid-section)?

I know, I know, convenience has saturated my life for a long, long time. I’m now having a hard time even remembering the pre-microwave oven days, or the days when someone had to actually get out of their chair and walk to the TV to change the channel. In the distant memories of my mind are the days before my grandparents had indoor plumbing. (Yes, they had an outhouse…complete with spiders and other creepy things)

The bible seems to promote a work ethic that has now been redefined. When work ethic is discussed, it is usually equated with getting things done, rather than slouching in the recliner with a beer and a bag of chips close at hand.

Students with a solid work ethic are usually organized and complete their assignments on time… and well. True confession! I was a procrastinator who completed assignments at the last minute. In recent times (Maybe it’s a COVID thing), students don’t even do the assignments. Sloth has settled into the classroom.

Of course, our churches have “slip-ins.” They are people who slip in and slip out, like cars in a McDonald’s drive-thru. Slip in to get a nugget of spiritual direction and slip out to resume the other 99% of life. That is, unless there is a crisis that needs more than a moment. That sounds like a variation of laziness that results in “forced labor.” Forced labor being defined as “having to deal with what has been ignored.”

Back to my “slip-ons.” One remedy is to hide them in the closet and return to my days of grunting and bending over in discomfort. Or, maybe a better solution is to balance my convenience with another way of service and help, like emptying the dishwasher, shoveling the snow in the driveway of one of our neighbors up the street who is dealing with cancer, making myself available to help at school, or inviting the neighborhood to our house for hot chocolate, cookies, queso, and chips on a Sunday afternoon. (Actually, Carol orchestrated that last suggestion this past February, and 20 of our neighbors came and stayed…and stayed…and stayed, almost like they were cherishing the moments)

Every time I slip on my slip-ons, it is now a reminder that my life is filled…okay blessed with an easiness. I’m reminding myself that the easiness is also a path that frees me up to do harder things.

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Pickleball Annoyance

December 1, 2025


“And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

The town council of Carmel, California is having the first reading on December 2 of a new ordinance that would ban pickleball in the town. The constant noise of paddles on the hard plastic balls of the most popular sport in America has taken its toll on citizens seeking peace and quiet.

One solution that went thud was the suggestion to play with quieter equipment, but pickleball purists said that was not an option. To them, the sound of the ball hitting the paddle needed to be at a certain pitch…kinda like the smack of a baseball bat making contact with a pitched ball. Carmel citizens living around the current pickleball courts aren’t going for that. They never knew how pleasant the sound of quiet was until they no longer had it.

Sometimes, one person’s peace is another person’s disgruntlement…and vice versa. It’s interesting to me that we often couple quiet with peace, as if quiet is peace. In a noisy world, quiet is a hard find. I doubt the citizens of Carmel will find peace once the pickleball fanatics have migrated to a kinder, noisier area. They might breathe a sigh of relief that the pinging has subsided, but peace is a much deeper find than silence.

The scriptures connect true peace with God, not with quiet. It’s an inner calmness and quiet that is able to drown out the chaos of the world and the shouting of the urgent; an inner “settling” that firmly grasps our God Who is a caregiver and a stress-taker.

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