Airborne

Airborne literally means to be carried in or by the air. All life depends on the air we breathe - the oxygen carried in the air - along with a variety of contaminants.  Mold - pollen - gasses - odors - all make up the air - depending on your community - the contaminants present in the air various.  According to Wikipedia "Airborne diseases include any that are caused by pathogens and transmitted through the air. Some are of great medical importance. The pathogens transmitted may be any kind of microbe, and they may be spread in aerosols, dust or liquids. The aerosols might be generated from sources of infection such as the bodily secretions of an infected animal or person, or biological wastes such as accumulate in lofts, caves, garbage and the like. Such infected aerosols may stay suspended in air currents long enough to travel for considerable distances on air currents, though the rate of infection decreases sharply with the distance between the source and the organism infected".  A sneeze - a cough - from any person - would more than likely - contain droplets - contaminated with bacteria - fungi - virus. Those droplets from that sneeze will be airborne for a short period of time - eventually dissipating - settling - landing on the ground. Depending on the virus or bacteria - the time to remain active varies from hours to days - or longer - in the case of smallpox. The AIDS virus is fragile - viable for only a few hours outside the body - Hepatitis B - viable for up to a week. Some diseases cannot survive outside the body - dependant on moisture and heat. The distance in which a virus or bacteria is potentially dangerous depends on the force of the sneeze or cough and the closeness to another person. Those in confined places - elevators - classrooms - buses - sharing the same air - potentially may inhale a droplet spread by another. Inhaling a bacteria - virus - does not mean you will get the disease - the immune system of your body - in a healthy individual - offers protection - helps one avoid contracting the disease. Maintaining good health - eating good foods - getting plenty of exercise - proper sleep - strengthens the body's immune system. Taking proper precautions - avoiding contaminated air space - covering the mouth when coughing - sneezing into the sleeve of garments - avoids spreading the disease. One of the most offensive things that may happen - a person who consciously sneezes directly into another's face. Good manners - demands proper actions by those who are sick - realizing that we are our brother's keeper - we are responsible for our health and the health of our neighbors - friends - family. Paratroopers jumping from an airplane pose little risk to those on the ground - the potential they bear in their arms - once they contact life - immeasurable.

The great Gift that God gives us in His Love - His forgiveness - His protection - carried through the air - airborne - via His Holy Spirit. Like a virus - spread through human contact - to affect the lives of many -to heal - to  comfort - to guide - to nurture. God knows very well the challenges we face - the daily - the common - the uncommon. In all our lives He offers us salvation - life eternal - life outside the limits of time and space - life in harmony with life itself.

Deacon Dale 

It's Not All Fun and Games

Being human means that most of us judge others - it is human nature - to critique - to evaluate - to assess - the good - the bad - the ugly - the wealth - the poverty - how success was attained - lost.  As often as we promise not to judge others - we fail - many - on a daily basis. Quite often we see those whom we judge - have it easier than ourselves - not as easy as we think.  Many times we fail to see the reality of others struggles - excessive hours  invested in projects - personal cost involved - loss of free time - time with family - just to succeed. Unknown to us - to most - it is never as easy as appears. The personal cost - more than most would be willing to invest.  

For a similar reason - many judge wrongly that those who feel solid in their faith - have it made.  A committed Christian - Muslim - Jew - Hindu - Buddhist - Atheist - all judged - wrongly.  Just because you find comfort in your faith - does not mean you will not have issues - that you have no conflicts - things that trouble.  Everyone has something or another that takes - time - energy - effort - with which to cope. In a perfect world - this would not happen - but in this world - perfection - does not exist. There is only one place where everything is perfect  - that place is not here - only in God's world. In His world - there is no judging - no need to judge - all are equal - all are happy - all is fun and games and peace.

Deacon Dale 

What Me Worry?

When I was much younger - my brothers and I - read "MAD Magazine" - originally a comic book - turned into a legitimate magazine - that poked fun at the world and many things that adults took too seriously - often making fun and openly ridiculing politicians and popular opinion. As a magazine targeted to younger people - it appealed and set the stage for future imitators - who also dared to ridicule the institutions that most adults blindly followed - to the delight of youth. It helped to form young people - who refused to be blindly led by government - who learned to think for themselves - who learned that you voted for the individual and not the party - who were to become the thinkers - shakers - movers of the 20th century. The mascot for the magazine was Alfred E. Neuman - who's constant mantra was - "What me worry?".   MAD magazine is often credited with filling a vital gap in political satire from the 1950s to 1970s, when Cold War paranoia and a general culture of censorship prevailed in the United States, especially in literature for teens. Instead of being fearful of the world - teens and young adults looked forward to a world in which they could and would make a difference.

Fifty years later - the world is once again in need of those who are willing to step out of their comfort zone to go against the public opinion to say and speak the truth - even when not popular or politically correct. Jesus had to cope with the same issue in His day - speaking about injustice and wrongs - in spite of criticism by the pharisees - in spite of the temple priests.  Doing and saying what is right - more important - than being popular - more important than winning votes - for words that will not heal or help. We are called - each of us - to be doers and healers - to proclaim the Words of God - to be confident - that God is with us constantly - to profess with His Holy Spirit - "What me worry?" - Jesus is Lord!

Deacon Dale