http://happylittlecrittersband.com/

Happy Little Critters Band, St. Louis, MO (2025)

07/21/2025

PRAYER & ACTION
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Throughout religious history few issues have caused more controversy than the relationship between PRAYER & ACTION. We can examine the issue narrowly or broadly, but it always boils down to the question: Can we talk the talk without walking the walk? Can people have a credible relationship with God in prayer, without doing God’s will; or can they act in the name of God, without relating to God in prayer?

For instance, the great Lutheran/Catholic controversy over “Justification by Faith Alone” (Sola fide) has wasted more energy than it’s worth. Mercifully, both denominations finally openly agreed in a 1999 joint statement that Catholics and Lutherans really have always believed the same thing: Faith and Deeds must go together.

Father Richard Rohr, after some soul searching, decided to call his New Mexican movement the “Center for Action and Contemplation” (CAC). Rohr explains: “Some people set out to act first, and an inner experience may be given to them on the journey itself. Others have an inner experience that then leads them into action.”

Rohr agrees that “Faith and Deeds must go together. “It doesn’t matter on which side it begins. Eventually action and spirituality must meet and feed one another. When prayer is authentic, it will always lead to actions of mercy; when actions of mercy are attempted at any depth, they will always lead us to prayer.”

In the Epistle of St. James, the apostle says: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone may say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works” (James 2:14, 17-18).

Our Happy Little Critters Band (HLCB) automatically settles any controversy over PRAYER & ACTION by simply insisting that everything and everyone are parts of the ONE ORGANISM (God). The parts of a single body never quarrel or compete among themselves. As St. Paul said, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I do not need you’” (1 Corinthians 12:21).

As simple as the solution seems, controversy still persists with many people. Very often, both those who pray and those who act deceive themselves—thinking that they are combining prayer and action, when actually they are not. Some are motivated by anger and claim they are enforcing the wrath of God; others are hiding in prayer, while excusing themselves from the obligation to be God’s tongue, hands and feet.

HLCB’s “Soul Music for the Mind” enables us to form truly honest minds. We then use two very helpful principles to test our authenticity. The first is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “You know what you do.” We cannot say we know we are parts of the ONE ORGANISM (God) and then act fearfully and competitively.

The second principle is a more difficult judgment call, but it is still very solid: “Do the best you can with what you’ve got.” Confident that our worth and value is unconditional, we can honestly accept limitations in ourselves and others. Mercy allows us to hopefully grow from the inside out, instead of relying on external force. We have to be satisfied to happily live with sin, hopefully looking to do better tomorrow.

To paraphrase John Lewis’ statement about freedom, “[Godliness] is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. [Godliness] is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even fairer, more just society.” Jesus called it the KINGDOM, and it grows from the inside (PRAYER) and unfolds (ACTION).

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

07/14/2025

LOVE OTHERS MORE THAN
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The “OpenBible.info” website claims there are 34 Bible verses that say: “Treat others as MORE Important than yourself.” Actually, those verses say no such thing—they merely tell you to stop treating others as LESS important than you. Still, preachers will insist that you must treat others as more important.

That’s nonsense! It is overcompensation for the extreme, self-centered individualism that plagues society. Yet, it’s simply not true that others are more important than you.

Two flaws in our thinking cause the confusion: First, we think that we are separated beings. Second, we believe we must earn our BELONGING by sacrificing ourselves. Our Happy Little Critters Band (HLCB) corrects those mistakes by embracing totally new assumptions: We already BELONG, as parts of the ONE ORGANISM (God); also, when we come to our end (die), our “persons” will survive by sharing the eternal God Life.

We must learn from our own bodies (organisms). If we didn’t have individual parts (cells, bones and muscles), we would be nothing but blobs, lying on the floor. But all the parts must work for the good of the whole.

Sometimes one part of the body will sacrifice itself for the good of the whole body, but it makes no sense for the parts to think that other parts are more important. When the steam from a wallpaper- remover blew up in my friend Judy’s face, her eyelids were severely burned. In that particular situation, were her eyes or her eyelids more important? All parts are equally valued, when they work together for the good of the whole.

Before taking off in an airplane, the flight attendant instructs the passengers—in an emergency—to adjust their own oxygen mask BEFORE trying to help children or the elderly. What good are we to others, if we are not in good shape ourselves? We should never think that others are more important than we are.

We must simply learn to do our own business and share everything we have—stop trying to control others. When some cells take over other cells, we call it “cancer.” God never violates the distinct boundaries of any of us, and we humans must absolutely submit to the ways of the ONE ORGANISM—for better or for worse, we are all in this together. Rarely is it healthy or necessary to control adults.

When control seems to be necessary, try applying these three guidelines to see if the control is healthy:

1. Make sure the situation is deadly or very serious. [Haircuts and clothing don’t usually qualify as “deadly.”]
2. Make sure control is conditional (temporary). [If conditions change, the control must stop.]
3. Make sure control does not do more harm than good. [Pray for wisdom—use the “Serenity Prayer.”]

St. Paul, urged the people of Corinth to share their money, but he added this warning: “[Do it] according to what one has, not according to what one does not have; not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your surplus at the present time should supply their needs, so that their surplus may also supply your needs, that there may be equality” (2Cor. 8:12-14).

Imagine what it would look like if all humans shared their surplus and, at the same time, strictly respected each other’s boundaries. Also, imagine everyone strictly obeying the limitations of Nature. That’s how it will be when humanity grows up. (I believe it will only take another 1000 years.) But you and I can start living that way right NOW. We only need to do the best we can with what we’ve got.

We can serve the ONE ORGANISM (God) by taking personal responsibility—respecting our own value.

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

07/07/2025

PANACHE IS HOGWASH
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When I was a kid, I got a liberal education by reading classical comic books (“Classics Illustrated”). The illustrators brilliantly pulled me into scenes and stirred deep emotions that thrilled my young heart. My favorite story was Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. I loved the final scene.

Cyrano pays one last visit to the convent, where his secret love Roxane is waiting to enjoy his weekly report on the world. He is concealing a wound recently received in a battle. Sensing the end is near, he props himself up against a tree. Drawing his sword, he boldly addresses lifelong foes that swirl before his feverish eyes.

“Ah! There's Falsehood! [slash] And Compromise! [slash] Prejudice! [slash] Treachery! [slash] Will I surrender? Strike an agreement? ... Never!”

Finally, Cyrano drops his sword and acknowledges that his enemies have stripped him of everything—everything, that is, except one last possession. “For there is one thing I have left, void of smear or stain, and I take it with me despite you. - My white plume!”

Cyrano’s “white plume” symbolizes his PANACHE—his unyielding and reckless bravado. Now that I am older, I recognize that PANACHE IS HOGWASH—the foolish arrogance of masterminds (including my own).

Masterminds are like two-year-olds. They “bravely” stand up against the universe, reality, TRUTH and even death itself. They assert their independence from disease, climate crisis and economic interdependence. They are dictators in the tiny world in their own heads. They deny that they are enslaved to an addiction and, consequently, they die miserably alone—with nothing but…PANACHE!

Executed for killing 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh chose for his final words a line from the poem INVICTUS (unconquerable): “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” McVeigh, like Cyrano, was asserting his addictive need to control.

By assuming a completely different attitude, Twelve-Step programs like AA help people to win freedom from their addictions. They admit their powerlessness and acknowledge a power greater than themselves. They surrender their wills and lives to the care of the higher power, and they find victory and peace.

Our Happy Little Critters Band (HLCB) helps people take an even bigger step. We not only give up our own control, we recognize that our higher power, the ONE ORGANISM (God), has absolutely no need to control. Bad things happen simply as consequences, and not because God is punishing us.

Organisms are like gigantic, complicated mobiles. The eternal cosmic organism of God joyfully explodes and expands, or shrinks and consolidates, without ever losing a particle or electron. Each of its forms ends, only to rise into new forms. Its unity is absolute, yet every action must have a reaction—there are consequences.

The dying Cyrano kept his PANACHE, but never shared with Roxane how much he loved her. McVeigh kept his arrogance, but died isolated and despised. Who wants that kind of loneliness? Members of the HLCB are able to experience happiness right now, with the graceful freedom of those who have no need for CONTROL.

Jesus died joyfully with a series of surrenders: “Father…not my will but yours be done.” “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 22:42-23:46).

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

06/30/2025

BUILD ON ROCK
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JESUS SAID: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined” (Matt. 7:24-27).

Throughout his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5, 6 and 7), Jesus gave many well-known insights into what is substantial or what is superficial. Build the Kingdom, he said, on the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-10). Build it by good example, loving enemies, by alms-giving (sharing), prayer and fasting and by surrendering—by walking the walk, not just talking the talk. He taught us to avoid building our lives on things like the law, power, fury, judging, sexual abuse, betrayals, revenge, money and greed and by blind faith and gullibility.

We should ask ourselves what and how we are building in our own lives. Are we building on rock or sand? Is time spent with your kid substantial or superficial? What makes something substantial? Does it have to be serious stuff or can it be about blowing bubbles? Just what makes any conversation or activity substantial?

Our Happy Little Critters Band does not judge the value of activities by how productive or controlling they are. We consider any activity to be worthwhile (substantial), if it is passionately about being together (present), in healthy ways. Superficial, for us, are our efforts wasted on ISOLATION and CONTROL—masturbation (with or without someone else), drug and alcohol abuse, the mindless sights and sounds of TV, music, social media and diversions (even religious activities ) that take us away from the present.

Blowing bubbles with a two-year-old may not be earthshaking, but its potential for INTIMACY is enormous. Both child and adult can experience immeasurable joy in their playful presence together.

The film THE LIFE OF CHUCK depicts an accountant, dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase, who suddenly breaks into a wild dance to the beat of a street drummer. Later, the drummer asks him, “Why did you stop to listen?” The same question is being asked of each of us who are so distracted by our past, future and multitasking. It’s a key question. It’s a question that can define whether or not our lives are “substantial.”

My 92-year-old friend Margie says she sometimes stops amid the “noise” and tells herself, “This is NOW.” NOW is all that exists for us. NOW is substantial. NOW is ROCK on which the Kingdom is being built.

However, it would be foolish to think that the NOW holds only one option. Blowing bubbles with my two-year-old may be substantial, but what if the house is burning down? We should select our priorities wisely. Yet, no matter what we choose, we need to fully appreciate the richness of what we are doing in the NOW.

The street-dancing accountant learned from his grandfather that an accountant’s books are not dry, boring figures. They hold the lives of families and businesses. The math spells the difference between bankruptcy and a daughter’s college education or wedding. They contain a thriving restaurant, serving tasty food, hosting birthday parties and supporting the families of employees. An accountant’s books are NOW.

Once we have discovered how to stop and listen, we can add more and more experiences—until we are “dancing” to a constant beat of the NOW,NOW, NOW! We BUILD ON ROCK by blowing a bubble, dabbing a tear and listening to a friend (or a robin)—maybe, on a rare occasion, we can save a drowning “enemy.”

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

06/23/2025

RULE OVER
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After the biblical judge Gideon successfully led the Israelites into battle, they said to him, “‘Rule over us—you, your son, and your son’s son—for you saved us from the power of Midian.’ But Gideon answered them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The Lord must rule over you’” (Judges 8:22-23).

“The Lord must rule over you” was a constant refrain in the bible, until the prophet Samuel finally gave in to the people’s demand for a king. He selected Saul to RULE OVER Israel, but gave them this solemn warning:

“He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots…make them do his plowing and harvesting and produce his weapons of war... He will use your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves... He will take your male and female slaves, as well as your best oxen and donkeys... He will also tithe your flocks. As for you, you will become his slaves. On that day you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day” (1Sam. 8:11-18).

Was anyone listening? Beware of asking leaders to RULE OVER you! When human authorities “rule over” us, they impose power from the outside and make us more willful—lying, cheating and sneaking. When we let God “rule over” us, it is the power of truth and reality stirring from within honest consciences. The more we learn from our own mistakes, the more we embrace obedience—becoming truthful, fair and open.

Obviously, human infants and incompetents must be “ruled.” But just as obviously, adults need to police themselves from within. Sadly, most adults still behave as children—waiting someone to tell us what to do. What’s worse, we expect someone to force us to behave. Even St. Paul cried out, “I don’t understand myself. I do the things I don’t want to do, and I don’t do what I intended to do. Who will save me?”

The answer to Paul’s question is quite simple. We have to mature enough to take personal responsibility for the things we want. Do I want to lose weight? Do I want to slow down or speed up? Do I want to get better at my listening skills? I can only do those things by being free to make my own decisions.

But parents and others in positions of authority have a hard time letting go. Their motives for clinging to power may range from genuine love, to fear, to pride. Most likely, when parents and caregivers hold on, they are fearful—they distrust that their charges can make decisions without causing disasters. However, selfish pride usually motivates dictators, driving them to prove their own intelligence, power or worth.

Gideon’s son Abimelech massacred all but one of his brothers. The lone survivor called out those who chose his murderous brother to RULE OVER them: “If, then, you have acted in good faith…, rejoice in Abimelech and may he in turn rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come forth from Abimelech to devour the citizens…and let fire come forth…to devour Abimelech” (Judges 9:19-20). In other words, dictators bring destruction on everyone.

Our Happy Little Critters Band believes that everyone already BELONGS in the ONE ORGANISM (God). There is absolutely no need to CONTROL. We insist on returning to the earlier instinct—“The Lord must rule over you.”

At this stage of development, society is obviously not ready to totally rely on existential freedom, with each individual takes responsible for making their own rules. However, we can continue testing various forms of democracy. In our present capitalistic civilization, democracy has had its good and its bad times. But we should still continue promoting the ideal of allowing truth and reality to govern us from within, rather than allowing royalty, elitism or other forms of authoritarian dictators to RULE OVER us from above.

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

06/16/2025

HE WILL RETURN THE SAME WAY
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“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11)—[REACTION TO JESUS’ ASCENSION].

What does it mean to say: “This Jesus…will return THE SAME WAY”? Jesus was “taken up,” but he also made it quite clear that his mission on Earth had not ended—it was just beginning. His First Coming began within the flesh of a woman. Does his Second Coming transpire the SAME WAY? Or, will he just reverse his going “up” to the sky by coming “down”?—sadly, most people imagine Christ “coming amid the clouds” (Rev. 1:7).

CONSIDER: This morning, I first spotted the Sun in the East. I watched all day until I lost sight of it in the West. So when I now say, “The Sun will return THE SAME WAY tomorrow,” do I mean that it will reverse itself and come from the West? No. “THE SAME WAY” means that it will, once again, rise in the East.

Christians believe that Jesus’ First Coming occurred in the flesh of his mother Mary, stirred by the power of God’s Spirit. In the SAME WAY, we believe the Spirit is moving in the human flesh of the Church, making visible the real presence of God (the Second Coming)—transforming all humanity into a species of people enjoying INTIMACY with God, in the “flesh” of everyone and everything.

Yet most people, even Christians, still think that God is separated from us. We imagine a God who loves us and wants us to return that love. However, we never quite understand the idea of Jesus as God/Man. We never make sense of his “coming” or “going” or his “coming again.” Most of us just think God pushes buttons and pulls strings. We imagine ourselves and God in a power struggle—wanting to CONTROL.

With its “Soul Music for the Mind,” our Happy Little Critters Band (HLCB) tames our unruly minds, by removing any need to CONTROL. We say that everyone and everything already BELONGS as parts of the same ONE ORGANISM (God). The only permanent (eternal) distinctions with the God Life are “PERSONS,” who depend on LIFE for their very existence. Thus, SEPARATION is absolutely impossible.

The precise reason for the Second Coming of Christ is to heal the whole human species of our belief in SEPARATION (the Original Sin). The prophet Isaiah, speaking about the Servant of God, said: “It is too little for you to…restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth” (Is. 49:6). Jesus’ First Coming touched only a few, but his Second Coming is for everyone.

BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, STIRRING WITHIN US BELIEVERS (like Mary), WE PROCLAIM THE LIVING GOD IN OUR FLESH ON EARTH: We “baptism” all the elements of this world, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Tell people they are precious, dear and darling!

When amazed at the brilliance of people and natural forces in this world, we echo the Transfiguration of Jesus and say, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to [them]” (Lk. 9:7). Learn from nature and science!

Seeing people beaten and bloody, ugly and dying like Jesus on the cross, we acknowledge their dignity and say, “Truly, this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54). Stop wars and hunger!

And, in THE SAME WAY, we greet every stranger with, “It is the Lord” (John 21:7). And bow down to universal evidence (wounded or well), as we declare, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Respect everyone!

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

06/09/2025

FIXING THE LEAK
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Every church building has a roof. And, as Archbishop Robert Carlson once quipped, “There are two things you can say about a roof: It is leaking, or…it is about to leak.” One of the most frustrating things for me as a pastor was a leak referred to as a “mystery”—a difficult leak that even the professionals were unable to fix permanently, that is, until some Mexican roofers finally found a solution.

I’m sure that not all Mexicans are good at roofing. (I don’t mean to stereotype any group of people.) However, in my experience, Mexicans roofers seem to be geniuses when it comes to finding and permanently sealing “mystery leaks.” Mexican or not, some people have a real knack for finding the key to a problem.

I consider myself to be a student of some of the very best teachers of human nature, its problems and their solutions—ways to remedy or heal our wounds. However, no matter how hard they try, the experts don’t seem to get to the root of our ills. Their explanations leave gaping holes that they ultimately call “mysteries.”

We should make an important distinction here between “mystery” and “faith.” Faith merely asks believers to embrace things unseen. Mystery demands that we believe things that are illogical or implausible. That the Sun is warming the Earth at nighttime is faith; that the Sun spun in the sky—the Fatima miracle—is a mystery.

Our Happy Little Critters Band (HLCB) has the “Mexican genius.” By permanently “sealing” the false assumption of division, we no longer have mysteries—just faith. We say that everyone and everything is a part of the same ONE ORGANISM (God). The only permanent (eternal) distinctions with the God Life are “PERSONS” who depend on LIFE for their very existence. Thus, SEPARATION is absolutely impossible.

Unlike traditional teachers, our HLCB never traps us in illogical and implausible mysteries—talking about hell, evil, freewill and love. Others may say that God and we are “free” to love or to not love. HLCB says that neither we nor God are free to deny love. At most, we can TRY to separate what is already eternally unified. A child can try to resist sleep but she can never succeed; we can only surrender to love—it’s not really a choice.

The fear of NOT BELONGING has always been the underlying source of human misery and paralysis. By finally repairing the leak of SEPARATION, our “Mexican genius” is training conscious minds to refuse to entertain any possibility of getting lost or left out—even if temporarily rejected. Armed with this absolute guarantee of belonging, the mind is a safe haven where confidence and character can be bred and give birth to action.

Love, of course, is action. Love is the experience of shared belonging. There is no other way to be happy. All evidence reveals that the happiest people in the world are those who find a healthy way to give everything away. Perhaps the most universal human experience of joy is when we extend love to infants—they are so helpless. Our ability to help an infant can melt the heart of even the most hardened individuals.

Again, many factors cause us to harden ourselves, but they all boil down to the fear and pain of SEPARATION. Our HLCB relies on its “Mexican genius” to create a safe haven in the mind, where there is absolutely no threat to our BELONGING. Once individuals have safe and sane minds, they can begin to take action (love).

If nothing else, a healthy conscious mind allows itself to become aware of the air, the water, the sun, the squirrels, the flowers, the ants and the birds. Even the most wounded individual can water plants, pet dogs and maybe smile or nod at the next-door neighbor. From there, who knows what opportunities for loving action will open to deepen the joy of INTIMACY? Happy little critters can keep enjoying this endless growth.

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

06/02/2025

SHOWING OFF
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I believe the most arrogant and dishonest claim anyone can make is: “I don’t need anyone else.” We all need air, water and soil. We need animals and plants. And, most certainly, we need other people.

Published in 1991, Anthony E. Wolf’s guide to raising teenagers is titled: GET OUT OF MY LIFE, BUT FIRST COULD YOU DRIVE ME & CHERYL TO THE MALL? The rampant individualism of our present society may indicate that humanity is well into its “teenage years.” In the process of growing up, arrogance and dishonesty have always plagued teens. A bumper sticker reads: “Ask Your Teen, While They Still Know Everything!”

Teens, on the way to taking personal responsibility, seem to test their independence in foolish and dangerous ways (e.g. SHOWING OFF to prove ones special-ness). Adults claim they want youths to mature, yet parents ironically refuse their kids the necessary freedom to grow up. Still, as adolescents are trying to find their way, non-controlling adult advice is always necessary or helpful for them.

Our Happy Little Critters Band (HLCB) gives the best “non-controlling” advice any young person can get. Our “Soul Music for the Mind” gives young minds the tools to understand how to be totally unique individuals, as parts within a single body—all at once and with no need to control. Joy is always found in union WITH others.

Each of us has a distinct “person,” but we are parts of ONE ORGANISM (God). We already BELONG—no one can be SEPARATED. Each of us adds our uniqueness to the one God Life, which ultimately shares itself totally with our “persons,” as well as with the eternal TRIUNE “PERSONS.” Young or old, this is a logical and plausible way for minds to think. Freed from fear and the need to control, we can now develop habits of good listening.

A young man once asked me, “What advice would you give yourself as a 20 year-old?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Learn to listen.” By that I mean, let go of control and give oneself fully to the people and situations present at the moment. Enjoy every moment of life, knowing that we BELONG. But be prepared. Enthusiasm and joy can sometimes be misinterpreted as “SHOWING OFF.”

I meet with a group of six women every Tuesday at noon. Actually, the group is seven, if we include Lucy the cat. We spend a couple of delightful hours of laughter and tenderness, sharing how we have related to God and other people during the past week. Meanwhile, Lucy entertains us, as she bats and bounces various items around the room. Lucy’s “mom” will sometimes say about her, “Now, she’s just SHOWING OFF.” Is she?

I was in chapel one morning, waiting for Mass to begin. A person (filling in for the regular sacristan) removed the big pascal candle to light it and then replaced it cockeyed. Smiling, I got up and straightened the candle. Next, the number for our opening hymn lighted up. I was not familiar with it and was pretty sure it had been mistakenly chosen by the celebrant. So, in my head, I began to sound out the notes of the music and had the song learned by the time we stood to begin. I sang out joyfully. Even as a “soloist,” I was enjoying myself.

After Mass, I couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear, watching two inexperienced “sacristans” trying to clear the altar; finally, they were rescued by someone who knew what he was doing. Was I SHOWING OFF or JUST HAVEING FUN? As long as we stay stuck in our thoughts, we are not able to experience the joy of “listening.”

My point is that we live in a kind of “teenage,” individualist culture that says, “I don’t need anyone else.” But, we can never be joyful alone. So, HAVE FUN with trees, with cats or with silly situations. Dig in, like you’re tending a garden. Participate. Smile. Share with others in a world freed of CONTROL. Go on and SHOW OFF.

© 2025 Rev. John Vogler [HappyLittleCrittersBand.com]

Happy Little Critters Band

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