Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

• Matthew 6:2-6

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

• Matthew 6:16-18

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

• Matthew 5:14-16

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

• Matthew 23:29-32

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

• Mark 7:6

The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?

• Luke 13:15

Boilerplate

I’m Harold Dykstra.  I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story.  My time is well spent.  A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel.  I did not know she was an angel at the time.  The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone.  And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy.  She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others.  She changed my life.

In her leaving, she said someone would come.  I had thought that was Jesus, in His second coming, but a new Babs, a little older, the model for the posable action figure arrived.  While I had no desire to start over with romance, Morrie helped her move in, thinking she was the other Babs who had returned.

This Week’s Question

Last week Babs, now with a clean bill of health, had taught one Bible Study, sort of.  And now she had gone to a recent feeding the homeless event.  Mary Sheltie Jones went through the crowd asking for people to sign a consent to use their image in the advertisements.  Babs refused to sign, instead, she invited Joseph and Mary to our house for dinner.  That is, dinner and a Bible study.

Babs met the Jones couple at the door and ushered them back to the kitchen.  I had repurposed the dining room as an office.  This was just going to be two couples.

Babs had usually let me cook the meals.  I had experience cooking meals as my wife’s caregiver.  But since she had invited guests over and dictated to me what the topic should be for the Bible study, she felt obligated to help and, as she said, she wanted to prove that she could cook, and she had never burned the water.  And to her credit, I was cooking something elaborate and she asked few questions, but as a result, when everything was baking, she took that time to go upstairs and shower and get “gussied up.”  As she said, it was almost like we were having the preacher over since Joseph only lacked one or two credits to get his seminary degree.  Not having any experience in such matters growing up, she probably spent some time on the computer and asking friends from the church.  She was especially good friends with Gisele Hart, the purple-haired wife of the police captain where Lt. Dev Yeggs works.

I found out later that Gisele was her first call, and Gisele mostly spent the time trying to calm her down.  Pastors are people, and Gisele knew both Joseph and Mary.  But did that slow Babs down any?  Not hardly.  She was nearing the end of her middle-aged years, and she had never hosted a dinner party.

When Joseph and Mary came over, they were bearing gifts.  They had a case of the original Lily the Pink hard apple cider, and they had a case of the new non-alcoholic version of Freedom Cider.  We accepted the Freedom Cider.  We were not teetotalers, but it would take us years to drink the alcoholic stuff on special occasions.  Joseph wasn’t sure.  He wanted to leave us with both, but he took the alcoholic version back to the fancy pink car in our driveway.

Mary broke the ice on the big question.  “You seem so comfortable around each other.  You live in the same house.  You share the evening meal together.  You do Bible studies every night, but you are not romantically connected.  How is that possible?”

Babs said, “Well, that is changing.  I told him that I wanted a normal dating relationship.  If it grows into something, then we will take it at the same pace that we would if we lived ten-minutes apart down the road.  But our kisses goodnight have lingered a little longer lately.  When we have not heard the usual sounds from the other part of the house, especially if we hear a thud, like someone falling, we hasten to the rescue, usually laughing at a harmless mishap instead.  Genesis 2 ends with Adam and Eve becoming one flesh.  Without that physical aspect, we are starting to understand each other more each day.  Think about it, how often did you two date?”

Mary turned red.  “Joseph was the first man that I ever dated.  I was finishing my double degree, and the university had already slated me to take over the Storm Chasing channel.  Right now, it is part of the university.  The transfer to a totally independent entity may take some time.  But Joseph and I first dated in a town that had virtually been wiped out by a storm, having dinner in the only operating restaurant in town.  From there until the early fall, we bumped into each other.  I was chasing the storms as part of the Turtle team.  He was following the devastation, counseling people who had lost everything.  To be honest, if Dr. Ellie and I had not accepted Jesus, we might have never had a first date.  And I think the entire concept of a Storm Chasing channel would never have been a thought.  But then, after a hurricane on the Gulf Coast, Joseph and I spent a lot of time together.  When classes started in the fall semester at T.R.U.S.T., I was shocked when I went to a dinner party at Lily the Pink and Joseph showed up, announcing that he would quit storm chasing himself, just to see how our relationship would turn out.  And then we married at the exact moment of the summer solstice this last summer, a meteorological thing.  We had a double wedding with Doctors Ben and Ellie Casey.  But, with these dinner dates every night, you must be making great progress.”

Babs nodded, with her eyes starting to get wet, “Harold just had his second anniversary of his wife passing away.  I had to give him space for a few days.  I wanted him to make the move for us to do anything romantic, like a hug or a kiss.  But he did say that the hugs helped him over this rough patch.  The kisses seemed too intimate, so it has been a week since we had a kiss past two Mississippis.”

Mary snickered, ‘You count the Mississippis?  That’s precious!  And I noticed that you call him Harold.  Joseph insists on Joseph, but to exert her control over the storm chasing team, Dr. Ellie (Home Wrecker) gave Joseph the code name ‘No Joe.’  He could not complain.  She was the boss, and why should he complain in that the code name reminded everyone what not to call him.”

Babs laughed, “That is hilarious.  I think calling Harold ‘No Harry’ would be his first and last storm chase.  H-A-R-R-Y and H-A-I-R-Y are pronounced the same and I will go no further.”

As Mary cackled with laughter, Harold announced that dinner was served.  We were having Chicken Divan, with a twist, a tossed salad, hard rolls from the Lily the Pink bakery, and a cake from the bakery for dessert.  Mary started talking about Thomas ver Warloosd and his wife, the couple being named TomCat, due to always being seen together, but their careers had taken a decided change when they arrived at Lily the Pink.  Often, Catherine was with her chickens while Thomas was in the kitchen or the bakery cooking and baking.  They only had one or two classes together at the university.  He was the baker of the rolls, and Joseph and Mary would wait until they tasted the cake to see who among Scrambled, Mabel, and Otto could have done that.  By dessert, they had talked about their friends at Lily the Pink, Joseph’s counseling without giving any details, B.B.’s work on the Storm Chasing channel, and their excitement that Babs and Harold were helping with the homeless project.  Mary said that she had brought a copy of the consent agreement for Babs to sign.

Mary said, “Babs, you are always full of energy.  You look great.  I think you would look great on camera.  I have no idea why you don’t want to be one of the faces of this movement.  You would attract people just by smiling into the camera.”

Babs said, “I have my reasons.  The Bible study tonight is the biblical reasons, but I am sure Joseph can punch many holes in that argument, but after the study, I will make a confession about me personally.  And I trust you will not spread that around.”

Joseph said, “We will keep it as confidential as I keep all my counseling sessions, but I would ask of you to keep that bit about Mary, and I once being called ‘Joseph and the virgin Mary’ to yourselves.  There are people who have heard that line on old videos, but it makes both of us cringe.”

When the laughter died down, I said, “Most of the Scriptures come from the Gospel of Matthew.”

Joseph snickered, “I hate it when someone does this to me, but you are about to say, ‘from the Sermon on the Mount, in chapter 6.’”

I shrugged, “Should we forget about the Bible study then?”

Mary laughed, “Guys, I have only been a Christian for a couple of years.  I can benefit from any Bible study.  I told you who Stinker is.  She is my reason for being attracted to Christianity.  I would not be here right now if it wasn’t for my best friend in the whole wide world introducing me to my very best friend in the whole universe.  I attend Stinker’s Sunday school class almost every Sunday and I hop on a bus to go to the First-Third Metho-Presby church when her class is over to attend another Sunday school class.  If we get home in time, which does not seem likely, we will attend Vespers, but don’t worry, Joseph and I will download the service from the cloud.  I am a sponge when it comes to learning more about Jesus.  No matter how much time we need to take, let’s do it.”

Babs smiled, “You’ve been a Christian more than twice as long, no, even longer than I have.  I have my personal reasons, but I want to know what God says.”

I read Matthew 6:1-18.  “In the description of the Pharisee praying, Jesus says that he already has his reward.  Then Jesus says for us to go off to our prayer closet, essentially, although Babs and I do not have our space for prayer in a closet.”

Mary said, “I have used the closet.  On storm chasing trips, I do a lot of praying while we are in an active chase, but if we ever get to a motel, it’s the bathroom.  Even though I have a private room, especially if we will be there more than a day.  To keep the motel’s Wi-Fi up and running, I have a portable hotspot that I communicate with the Turtle, the actual storm chasing vehicle.  And the vehicle is then tied directly to the satellite.  Otherwise, I would steal all the bandwidth from the hotel, and no one would see their email that night.  I rarely sleep on those days, so no one wants to be my roommate.”

Joseph, in a stage whisper, “She is Obsessive-Compulsive, but since she is not seeing me for that disorder, I can say that without breaking a trust.”

Mary asked, “What about that sickness and health thing that you said, ‘I do’ to?”

Harold snickered, “I spend most of my time in the kitchen and what used to be the dining room.  I have turned that into my office.  So, I am praying while cooking or working on advertisement strategies for our mission work.  Babs sits on the edge of her bed, unless she moved.”

Babs snickered, “A couple of weeks ago, I fell and landed on the floor with a thud.  This man was afraid that I might be indelicately indisposed.  I had just gotten out of the shower, and I was naked.  I fell while trying to get my clothing on.  Note: When you get older, sit down to do that.  But after we talked about what happened, we made a plan to come to each other’s rescue.  Well, two days ago, I was praying, and my Bible and a couple of Bible commentaries fell onto the floor.  The next thing I know, this crazy man is bursting into the room to see if I am alright.  I am sitting on the edge of the bed, and I said, ‘Dear, Heavenly Father, can I call you right back?  The crazy man from downstairs heard my books fall on the floor, and he is checking on me.  He made all this effort to come up a flight of stairs at his age, I guess I should hug and kiss him, but the hug and kiss might last longer if he picks my books up for me.”

Mary, snickering, “Well, did he?”  Babs nodded.

Joseph said, “Getting the subject back on a prayer closet, most days when I am having counseling sessions most of the day – still attending a few college classes – but I pray a short prayer for the lady that is leaving and for the next one about to enter.  Oh, to explain that, Lily the Pink used to be a brothel, run by the Rotten Apple Gang.  Pink Lady insisted that they spend half their workday making cider for her, and that is how this monstrous organization got started.  So, until the last couple of years, all the employees were women.  I have only a couple of guys who I provide counseling for, and one is who I might call my best friend.  Mary has Jemima, and I have a guy on the third floor of our building who is trying desperately to make his wife pregnant.  His prayer after every session is that he does not have many swimmers, but it only takes one.  But I will admit that at the end of the day, the bathroom is my favorite place to pray.  But then Jesus says to help the needy, which is why we are here, how we have gotten connected, then to pray, and then to fast.  We are to not do those things like the Pharisees do them, but to do them in private, in secret, and God will reward us.  The only three times you see those words, and they are in rapid fire fashion early in Matthew 6.  But Mary wants to show bright smiling faces telling how God has moved in their heart to give of their time.  With those advertisements done well, and remember, she is on fire for Jesus, and she is OCD, it will be well done.  You aren’t bragging to others, you are asking them to help.  You are asking them to give money if they cannot help.”

Babs said, “But why not Mary’s bestie, Jemima, the one you call Stinker?”

Mary said, “There are so many thirty-minute shows out there on the streaming service that have Stinker and me talking about one thing or another.  I do not want the advertisements to feed and clothe the homeless to look like a shameless plug for the Storm Chasing channel, not that the university is not allowing us to air the commercials throughout the day, maybe one or two minutes each hour.  It’s just my job to fill in the other 58-59 minutes.  And yes, I should not complain, it was my dream since high school, but I think if I get pregnant, I will have to get more than four hours of sleep each night.”

Babs sighed, “But my problem goes beyond being a worker behind the scenes and letting only God know that I was there.  Have you ever met someone who is a porn star?”

Mary brightened, “Yes!  Anna Hill, the plant manager for the Washington state cider house on the Columbia River Gorge is better known as ‘The Birthday Cake Girl.’  After making a splash in porn films, starting before she was eighteen.  The sixteenth birthday cake film was on her sixteenth birthday and done in one take.”

Babs gasped, “We heard that was a rumor, and for all of us who did such things, we believed it could have never happened that way in one take.  Can I call her?”

Joseph asked, “Babs, were you a porn star?”

She nodded, “For decades.  I suddenly quit and hid in an assisted living home to hide.  It was while at that home that I had dreams of Harold having Bible Studies with me.  At times, the woman in the dream would stare at the mirror and say, ‘Remember.’  The dreams were driving me crazy.  I had never given God a single thought.  I quit the business because I had seen others who got too old too fast, and it just did not look good, even for porn standards which are really low standards.  In the end, I was mostly director and screen writer with a cameo love scene.  But I wanted out completely and these dreams scared me.  The only counselor who would talk to me was a pastor of a local church there in Arizona, and one night, I begged him to take me to the reservoir and baptize me.  When the dreams stopped, I had to find Harold.  That is why I am here, but there are people in the industry that want me back.  My films sold.  They lost income when I disappeared, and I do not want undue notoriety placed on Tracy or this mission and especially not Harold or Deviled Yeggs or you two.  It would sound strange if you filmed my backside and altered my voice.  That begs hiding criminal activity.  So, please, Mary, in your wide angle shots, if I am recognizable, blur my face or clip that piece out.  Please.”

Mary nodded, she took in some air and said, “Wow!  What was your name?”

Babs smiled, “Not that creative. My name is Barbara Bounty.  I became Bountiful Babs.”

Mary said, “When I call Anna Hill, the birthday cake girl, who is also co-pastoring a church at the cider house with her husband, may I say that Bountiful Babs wants to talk to her?”

Babs smiled, “Absolutely!”

I added, “Thank you for helping us.  I had a few ‘You, hypocrite’ Scriptures but some of those may be out of context.”

Joseph smiled, “In attitude they fit, but maybe not in context with what Jesus was fussing about at the moment.  It all comes back to making a political fuss about virtue signaling, which is rampant in corporate advertisements these days, but then pulling their ox or donkey out of a pit on the Sabbath when no one is looking.  It may not look like the context is there, but all those instances relate back to pretending to be something that you are not and hiding the real you in the shadows.  I am sure that Mary can find someone else.  Anna only became public with her porn activity when she became a prosecution witness against her mother for child pornography.  If it were not for that, I dare say Anna would be keeping her secret today, and she does not advertise it even though it is part of public record.”

We said our good-byes and they left.  With that bit of stress alleviated, I made up for the short hugs and kisses.  At least ten Mississippis, taking a breath, and then ten more.

Credits

All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife.  We would talk about anything and everything.  And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.

After living in Germany for three years, it became a tradition that we never showed up as a dinner guest without a bottle of wine, and she knew all her friends’ favorite wines (birthdays, full names of everyone in the household, and favorite wine).

When my wife and I were dating, she was evasive about a few periods of time in her recent past, possibly only due to her PTSD issues.  Once we married, we never talked about those times.  We were husband and wife, and it did not matter.

And she had her bed for her prayer closet, with her Bible, a notebook to take notes, and all the time in the world while she tried to take care of her health, that was slipping away from her.

The concept of Mississippis refers to counting seconds.  I have heard people say, “One one thousand”.  And I have heard people say, “One Mississippi”.  Whichever you prefer.  They are only accurate if you practice them versus a stopwatch to get the timing right.  I have heard people advise that the wedding kiss should last four Mississippis (four seconds).  Advisors online say 3-5 seconds, absolutely no more than ten seconds, but long enough for the photographer to get the shot.  I think Morrie made up the idea about more than four Mississippis equals wedding bells.  Some suggest a daily six-second kiss to keep the relationship in balance.  If you kiss fifteen seconds, you get to the point where “you can’t fake it that long” according to some people.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.