Kissing Frogs and Missing Princes (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

In a scene in the film Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise, Police Chief Stone (Tom Selleck) wants to mend a relationship with a woman he previously upset. But she’s frosty. She’s “kissed a few frogs” in her day and wonders aloud if he is one. When he offers to make it up to her “over a cup of coffee,” she quotes Mark Twain: “There's nothing to be learned from the second kick of a mule.”

 

You’ll need to watch the movie for the full effect, and for the resolution. In romance, it is our hope people will finally find what they’ve been looking for. We always want conflicts to resolve. But experience can be a cruel teacher, and some of us are slow to learn. 

 

That seems to be a running theme in this week’s Exodus and Jeremiah passages. God’s people were supposed to be in a committed relationship with God. But they just kept being drawn away to false gods, over and over. Still, you have to wonder: It’s not like they did these things in a vacuum. God kept giving them reasons to know that He was the real deal. He kept showing them that those false gods never delivered—that, at best, they were just frogs claiming kisses would make them princes. 

 

God’s people spent a lot of years “kissing frogs.” In fact, they kissed frogs for so long, they came to believe that was how things were supposed to be. 

 

Hopefully, we can read the Exodus and Jeremiah passages and learn their lessons. There’s no need to subject ourselves to a bunch of lies and liars trying to take God’s place in our lives. We should also be able to lean into what Jesus teaches in the Luke passage and the example of the Apostle Paul in the 1 Timothy passage. 

 

Because, after all, there really is nothing new to learn in the second kick of a mule. 

 

 

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PHOTO: Adobe Express and Photoshop Express 

 

“Stop Kissing Frogs!” (a short how-to article by Stephen White about focusing on what really matters): 

https://competitiveedgecoaching.com/stop-kissing-frogs/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CStop%2520kissing%2520frogs%E2%80%9D.,that%2520are%2520toxic%2520or%2520unproductive.

 

 

 

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DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets Friday morning on Zoom** and in person at Our Breakfast Place. The hour starts at 8:00. Join us for food, fellowship, scripture, and a robust exchange of ideas. Plus, there’s always a high chance of some possibly inappropriate laughter..

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

**Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=75

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper19.pdf

 

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Psalm 14

Exodus 32:7-14

Psalm 51:1-10

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Luke 15:1-10

Proper 19 (24) (September 14, 2025)

Toto and the Rains Down in Africa (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

When members of rock band Toto first wrote and performed their Number One hit song about Africa, none of them had ever been near that continent. Keyboardist and lyricist David Paich later revealed that the song’s descriptions of Africa came from what he had read in National Geographic. When he finally toured Africa almost two decades later, locals were shocked to learn he had never been there before. They felt he had described it “so beautifully” in the song.

But the really surprising part of the story is that the song is actually about a lonely missionary.

Wait. What?

 

In an interview,* Paich explained that he had attended a Catholic school as a child. There, he first heard from teachers who had served as missionaries in Africa. They told tales about their work, and did not hide how lonely it often was for them. The song reflects these stories. It attempts to capture the thoughts of a lonely missionary struggling with whether to follow his heart to a future with a woman he loves or to follow his heart to stay and minister to Africa.

The lyrics move back and forth between his feelings for the woman and his feelings for Africa. To the woman he sings: “It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you! There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do!” Yet, Africa keeps interrupting these declarations, calling to him with its sound and beauty. He seeks the advice of an Elder, hoping that person can provide wisdom from “some old forgotten words or ancient melodies.” He is advised to “Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you!” The “she” in this guidance is not clarified for us: Is “she” the land and the people? Or is “she” the woman? The song doesn’t tell us. We are left to ponder.

 

Who writes a rock song about missionaries, about people felt called by God to go and serve others in a foreign land? Perhaps a person inspired to do so? Paich admitted that, since the song poured out of him almost fully formed, he felt “as if a higher power was writing through me.” I suspect the psalmists and the prophets of the Bible would recognize that feeling—and not just that feeling, but the struggles and loneliness, as well. 

 

Does a person need to be a missionary to relate to all that? Of course not. As we move along our own spiritual journey, we face struggles and loneliness. We question our commitment to the Lord, our adequacy to the task. We wonder whether anyone even cares about what we are experiencing. It can be daunting. 

 

Those struggles are at the heart of this week’s Luke passage: We must “count the cost” of following Jesus long before the time when we might have to pay it. How we do that weighing of choices varies with each of us. But it is an essential task to complete before moving forward. The Philemon passage hints at just such tough choices. It’s worth your time to read the entire letter.

 

That weighing of choices is at the heart of Toto’s song, too. And, while they were making their choices, those missionaries were not idle. Which brings us to another thing that stood out in Paich’s memory of his school days: the attitude the missionaries had toward those to whom they ministered. He recalled that, despite their struggles and loneliness, these missionaries blessed everyone and everything: “the villagers, their Bibles, their books, their crops.” Despite their own personal problems, these ministers never stopped ministering, never failed to extend their blessings.

 

They even blessed the rains down in Africa.

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PHOTO: Adobe Express and Photoshop Express 

Link to Africa performed by Toto (with lyrics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDLJ3pUZm9A&app=desktop

 

*The Guardian interview: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jan/30/toto-how-we-made-africa

 

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Friday morning is coming. Will you be with us? DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast is a perfect place and time to explore the scriptures, discuss how they impact our lives, and eat a nice meal. We read, we talk, we eat, and we laugh. Join us at 8:00 on Zoom** or in person at Our Breakfast Place.

 

No one will have to choose between Africa and a loved one.

Blessings,

Steve

 

**Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=72

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper18.pdf

 

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Psalm 1

Philemon 1:1-21

Luke 14:25-33

Proper 18 (23) (September 7, 2025)

 

Elevated (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

The flight out of Midland was packed. 

 

My carry-on was an over-the-shoulder Kluge garment bag. Because it incorporated a space to carry a suit, wrinkle-free, it was the only piece of luggage I would need for this trip. As I made my way through First Class, I couldn’t help but wish I was joining them. They looked so comfortable in their very roomy, extra-wide seats. I saw they had already been provided beverage service. The rest of us wouldn’t get that until we were half way to Dallas.

 

Continuing on, I placed a restraining hand on my bag. Wouldn’t do to accidentally smack one of the high-paying customers. Once I passed into the main cabin, where six of us would occupy about the same space as two in First Class, I kept my hand on my bag. Wouldn’t do for it to smack one of my own, either. 

 

I made my way toward the back third of the plane to find the seat my employer had purchased for this trip. I liked being a “tailie,” preferring to be nearer the coffee and the restroom. Finding Row 26, I was pleased to see there was still space in the overhead. I slid the bag in with its new buddies and sat down.

 

As I settled into my aisle seat, I took a look at my row mates. In 26A, the window spot, I saw a petite young woman. I’ve always felt a little squeezed in a window seat, but I could have handled it. The window adds a couple inches at shoulder height, right where I need it most. Problem was, window seats were almost as hard to snag as aisles. Next to me in 26B was a big guy like me. He looked miserable. Those centers are nightmares. Especially for us big folk. 

 

Despite the extra few inches of shoulder room I get by sitting on the aisle, I’m still crowded. And don’t get me started on those flyers who crank their seats all the way back. I tend to be a bit stoic about air travel. It doesn’t spark joy, but I get through it. With all that running through my thoughts, I settled in and awaited my usual mid-flight beverage—coffee, black.

 

And that’s when everything changed. 

 

I became aware of someone in the aisle to my right. When I looked, I found myself looking into the eyes of a friend. I had known Tom for a couple years, and had, in fact, spoken to him just a few minutes earlier. Tom was an airline agent. He had taken my ticket as I passed into the jet bridge on my way to board this very flight. Still, I was puzzled to find him next to me. Why was Tom here? Why was Tom in the aisle on my flight to Dallas?

 

With a twinkle in his eye, Tom said, “Mr. Orr, I am so sorry. There was a mix-up with your ticket. You’re supposed to be in First Class. If you could retrieve your bag and follow me, we will get this cleared up right now.”

 

OK, I’ll admit I didn’t quite know what was going on. But I knew Tom, and I had definitely heard him say “First Class.” So, I did as I was told and got my bag from the overhead. But before I could take a step, Tom took the bag from me and walked back up the aisle. When we arrived in First Class, Tom indicated an empty aisle seat on my left. He handed my bag to a flight attendant who whisked it away to that little closet we all pass when we first enter the plane. Tom looked down at me and said, “Enjoy your flight, Mr. Orr.”

 

As I watched Tom walk off the plane, a flight attendant asked me if I would like a beverage. Still a little stunned, I mumbled, “Coffee.” Shortly, she was back with a small tray holding a ceramic coffee cup, a silver creamer, a silver sugar bowl, and a silver spoon. As she moved these items to my own tray, she apologetically explained that she would need to collect them soon, because we were about to taxi. But she assured me she would bring me a fresh cup as soon as we were airborne. 

 

Luxuriating in the broad, leather seat, I wondered if this was how royalty felt. Then, in honor of the occasion, I added a little cream to my coffee. 

 

I can’t be certain, of course, but I imagine some of those attending the meal in this week’s Luke passage might have felt as I did on my very first First Class experience. It felt amazing to be invited to join those who were already sitting in the best seats. I felt special and, well, elevated. 

 

The reverse would have been humiliating. 

 

Jesus warns us against positioning ourselves in the places of honor. It’s the same in this week’s Proverbs passage. An honor is something someone bestows upon us, not something we take for ourselves. 

 

Jesus then neatly pivots the lesson from one of positional power to a lesson about what God desires of us: More important than where we sit at the banquet is whom we invite to it. God doesn’t really care where we sit. God doesn’t care about our power games at all. What God wants is for us to open our eyes and see the real needs of the real people all around us. 

 

That’s the real First Class experience. 

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PHOTO: Adobe Express and Photoshop Express 

Vintage Kluge Travel Bags:

http://www.kingportindustries.com/subpg06/K1L_BK_originalklugebag.htm

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Join us Friday morning at Our Breakfast Place or on Zoom** for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. The hour starts at 8:00 and is comfortably packed with Bible discussion, breakfast, prayer, and fellowship. We would love for you to join us. 

 

All the seats are First Class. 

Blessings,

Steve

 

**Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=71

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper17.pdf

 

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Psalm 81:1, 10-16 

Proverbs 25:6-7

Psalm 112

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Proper 17 (22) (August 31, 2025)