Mar 14 - "Swimming Upstream"

Jeremiah 6:16 - “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ ” (a favorite)

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Do you ever have one of those times when you feel like everything is working against you? We all have periods of our lives where the troubles seem to be mounting and at best, holding our forward progress at bay and, at worst, pushing us backwards.

When these times occur, it is a good time to examine ourselves and ask the question: “Am I on the right path?” If we are being honest with ourselves, I think we all see opportunities to make changes in our lives which would lessen our struggle. The choices we make every day have an impact on the life we are leading. Many times, we know these choices are not in our best interest, or, we have been deceived to think that they are. In either instance, when we make the decision to consider our position, path and progress, we often see that there is another way.

But, I will say, I also see situations where people whom I believe are living on God’s path have really tough things happen to them. Are they somehow not walking the path God has planned for them? From the outside it seems that they are on the path. From the inside, the piece I cannot see, I’ll never really know and it is not for me to know. The question remains, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

These examples can be a challenge to witness. They can cause us to question what we believe, wondering if God is good and truly keeps us in His care. We start to think that maybe we are on our own, with no sure help or salvation to come. It can become disheartening. My good friend Stephen is going through one of those very tough time right now. His wife Kristine had surgery last week, but went back in late last night for emergency follow up surgery due to unforeseen complications. This family needs our prayers.

Do I think in some way that they are not on God’s path? I do not. I believe thy are. But then, how do we answer the question as to why these things happen? Fortunately, there are other answers to this from scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:14 “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.”; Job 2:10 “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”; Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”.

Stephen’s favorite verse is Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” I send these words to him this morning.

When I look back on the rough times in my own life, I can see, in almost every situation, the good things God had come out of those experiences. There are others, however, that I can’t see the good. Maybe later in my life, for some of these, I will have gained the wisdom and gift of clear hindsight to know. For others, I won’t know until I have been reunited with Christ in Heaven at the end of my earthly life. Or most likely, I won’t feel the need to know any more. That will be a joyous time!

So, when times of trouble come, stop; look around. Is there another path for you to take? Is their a stream running alongside the one in which you are struggling that is running in the other direction? By stepping out of the life you are leading and stepping onto a new path, settling into a new stream which God has designated for you, your struggles will become less. A new direction may be just the thing you need.

Mar 13 - "The Evidence of Tears"

Genesis 45:1-8 - “Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ “

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If you’ve been following these Reflections this year or in past years, you will remember that the story of Joseph is one of my favorites. The messages it delivers -- God’s faithfulness over time, how we should align ourselves with His plan for us, the view we should take on life’s challenges, the beauty of reconciliation -- have always resounded deeply with me.

Today we see the story of Joseph and his brothers coming to an end. Joseph lifts the veil, disclosing that he is their brother whom they sold into slavery many years past. Joseph’s weeping and tears represent a burden set aside. He is thankful for having stayed the course over his lifetime, letting God lead the way. He is filled with the joy of being with his family again. He is praising God for removing the anger and hatred he should rightly feel for having been treated so poorly by his own brothers, but rather being filled with the joy of relationships restored.

Joseph is described as having “wept so loudly”. Why was he weeping? Wasn’t he happy? I have always been intrigued by the uniquely human act of shedding tears. Isn’t it interesting that the physical reaction to our greatest joy and our greatest sorrow manifests itself in the same way...by shedding tears? Also as interesting to me is the word used to described how these emotions, existing on opposite ends of the spectrum, make us feel “filled” or “full”. We can describe these situations as being “filled with joy” or “filled with sorrow”. If we think about it, the use of that word is really the only way to describe what is happening in our hearts, souls and minds during these experiences. Is it also not interesting that God’s intense presence with us is also described in the same way, being “filled with the Holy Spirit”?

I think of it this way. When we have these times of great sorrow, our souls need the presence of the Holy Spirt...of God...in order that we are not permanently torn and broken beyond repair. He is there to comfort us. When we have great joy, God is also there, saying to us, “What you are feeling is just a tiny taste, a glimpse of what it will be like when we are together again in Heaven.” In either of these situations, we are filled. I picture us as vessels, filled with tears; tears of joy and sorrow. When you take a glass which is already full and drop in a slice of lemon or a few ice cubes, the water spills out over the rim, making room for what has been added. When the Holy Spirit comes into us during these times, something has to come out. These tears we cry are evidence that God is with us and has come into us to comfort our sorry and share our joy.

So, don’t be afraid to shed a tear every once in awhile. Rejoice in the knowledge that these tears are evidence that God is with you. For when we hold the tears in, push them back inside, we don’t make room for the Holy Spirit and restrict ourselves from being filled.

Mar 12 - "Giving Freely"

Mark 5:21-43 “When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around Him; and He was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw Him, fell at His feet and begged Him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So He went with him.

And a large crowd followed Him and pressed in on Him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch His clothes, I will be made well.’ Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from Him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, He saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, He said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at Him. Then He put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with Him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum,’ which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.”

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When spending time in the Word every day, reading the various verses of scripture prescribed by the Daily Office, the rule “less is more” usually applies. Although I enjoy going through each of the readings in total, on most days I find just a small snippet of a certain section brings inspiration and clip that part out as the introduction for my mental meanderings.

Today, however, there is so much here that I could not leave anything out. The three examples of giving freely that Jesus provides for us in these stories of healing are wonderful, simple and yet of great meaning all at the same time.

First, Jesus shows us that we should give to all those who ask. When Jairus, who in all likelihood, being a leader in the synagogue, was a persecutor of Jesus, begs Him to heal his daughter, we do not see Jesus rebuking him. Christ does not say, “You don’t believe in my teachings, you selfish man. Go away from me!”. He went with Jairus to go heal his daughter without comment or question.

Second, Jesus makes His power easily available to all, without Him even having to take direct action. The woman who wanted healing only needed to believe and to reach out, barely touching His cloak. For her to be healed, Jesus did not have to lay His hands on her or speak words; He did not even require direct contact with His body. She was healed easily, without complexity.

Third, we see Jesus exemplifying the importance of giving without fanfare. He does not bring the young girl out into the crowd shouting His healing words loudly for all to see and hear. He only brings His closest friends and the girl’s family to witness His power. He also then tells them to keep it quiet. No one needed to be aware of this gift besides those who received it.

We all possess varying degrees of time, talent and treasure which we can offer to others. We may not have any of these things in great abundance, but what we do have is meant for us to use and share, even in small portions if that is all we are able to do. I am reminded of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-42. Even though her gift was small in comparison to all those around her, throwing large amounts in the temple treasury, her two very small copper coins were infinitely more valuable.

My friend Bob Irvin gives a great example of giving, when he talks about handing money over to people begging on street corners or highway exit ramps. When he gives these people money, his friends often say to him, “How do you know what they will spend it on? What if they are going to by alcohol or drugs?” His response to them is, “That’s between them and God. God does not call me to give with condition, just to give. Once I give it over to them, it’s not mine any more...not that it was ‘mine’ anyway, since God gave it to me in the first place.”

We have the same opportunities to give as the widow did. The small things we do sometimes have the largest impact. A genuine smile to the clerk in the store; a kind word to the person laboring for us; spending time with someone who needs a listening ear or crying shoulder. We also have the opportunity to give as Christ did; freely, simply and quietly.

So, my friends, consider what you have to give. Do you offer it without condition or expectation? Each of us brings a talent, a gift, to almost any situation. I encourage you to give of it freely with love, wanting nothing in return. Be reminded that we are merely jars of clay, continually be refilled and emptied as a means for God to show His great love. He gives to us, we take these gifts, we pass them along.

Mar 11 - “Bent But Not Broken”

Romans 8:1-4 -- “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

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Well, we find ourselves today at the Third Sunday in Lent. We’ve been on this path together for 19 days, with 28 days remaining on our shared journey. How are you doing? Did you make a commitment at the beginning of Lent to give something up, choosing to live in the penitent nature of this season? Maybe you even started 2012 with a New Year’s resolution. Many of us have targets, goals or pledges we set weeks, months or even years before a seemingly arbitrary turn of the calendar. Have you kept your commitment?

As we reflect on commitments made and broken, we can find ourselves in a place where the burden of falling short, the work required to begin again, appear as an overwhelming endeavor. It becomes easier to stay broken and separate than to be faced with the prospect of admitting the temporary failure and starting anew. This condition can make you feel unworthy of the Gift and cause you to close off from the glory and grace freely available to you. The multiple occasions of missing the mark can put you in the mindset that it is better to live in the mindset of perpetual disappointment as opposed to experiencing the emotional roller coaster of joy which you believe will eventually crash back towards fear and depression. This is a trick the Prince of Lies hopes you will believe. But there is something more, something better.

In Christ, we have the ability to renew ourselves again and again. What great and glorious news! The concept of condemnation...damnation, the antithesis of salvation...literally does not exist for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We have this ability, thanks to this gift, to be a part of the eternal Kingdom of God,

To some, the phrase “Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior” can sound very cliched, due to its rampant use in the evangelical setting on “church TV”, books and radio. It can also be a bit threatening or frankly, a mystery, to many. What does it really mean? As I have thought about this in the Sunday School setting or while visiting my brothers in jail and prison, when we examine the words more closely and reflect on their meaning, we can appreciate the real power of this statement.

Accept: This is a gift which has been given, freely offered without expectation of payment or trade. Taking this gift and making it your own, a part of you.

Jesus Christ: God who became like us, fully man, in order to live like us, be tempted like us and die as we will one day die.

Lord: An authority whom we obey and follow.

Savior: The one who heals us, makes us whole and delivers us from certain and eternal death.

So, whether it is for Lent, the New Year or a greater commitment of which you have fallen short, do not be afraid to renew it and begin again. Because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have been made clean by His Holy Sacrifice. You are no longer condemned to a life of hopelessness, fear and regret. You may be bent, but your are not broken. Stand. Straighten yourself up looking towards Him with a smile of happiness. You are a new creation, you are perfect. Live your life as a recognition of this fact and go forth with joy and thanksgiving into this new day!

Mar 10 - "A Quiet Moment of Gratitude"

Isaiah 55:8-11 -- “ ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’ ” (a favorite)

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It is easy for us to underestimate the myriad ways God’s blessings come to us. When we stop for a moment and just sit, listen (“Be still and know that I am the Lord”...Psalm 46:10...Grandma Bonnie’s favorite) and take in all that is around us, we see the constant flow of love in our lives and are able to welcome it in.

The picture I always have in my mind when reading this bit of Isaiah is of gently falling snow on a bright Winter day. One of those days, maybe early on a Saturday morning as the sun is just coming up, when all is very quiet and still. This beautiful scene has so many purposes as it is occurring. The snow and the early morning present us with simple beauty as we look up to watch the flakes come down like feathers, dancing and weaving back and forth in their gentle decent. Although the snow will melt away, either that same day or in the weeks to come, it does not disappear. It is transformed into water, seeping into ground to nourish seeds waiting there in slumber, to eventually come forth in the Spring. Multiple blessings from one thing.

The Divine comes to us in many ways. It can be in the form of the beautiful snowy morning, or the power of a summer storm. God can come to us in the words we read or hear or in one of His greatest gifts to us: music.

So, on this quiet morning, instead of offering up to you words and thoughts, I am offering back to you the time you may have taken to read something longer. I encourage you to take this time to sit in silence, closing your eyes, meditating, praying and experiencing Him. Be still, for these moments rarely come. Just be in this moment of gratitude, giving thanks for all He has given, His simple and beautiful gifts which grow into a multitude of blessings.

Mar 9 - "The Secret Ingredient"

John 2:1-10 -- “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’ ” (a favorite)

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When we lived in south Florida many years back, attending the Chapel of St Andrew Episcopal Church in Boca Raton, we had an awesome priest...Father Steve...who had a great way of taking stories from the Bible and bringing forth meaning, previously undiscovered by others. Like some of the stories I share in these Lenten Reflections, I may have heard them from someone else and are just passing them along. Maybe Father Steve was doing the same, but either way, Greta and I remember him fondly because of this gift he was given and regularly offered to others.

When Father Steve first shared the story of Christ’s miracle of water to wine with us, he made the point to note that this miracle took place at a wedding. In his mind, this was not an accident. The wedding at Cana was a representation of our own weddings, when we became husband and wife, making the choice to no longer live as two, but to be joined as one.

The early time of a marriage is typically a period of newness, excitement and joy. We are given a wonderful gift in finding the one who completes us and exploring that relationship in many ways, sharing happiness as well as pain with the one whom we plan to journey the rest of our lives. But, as any husband or wife reading this knows, over time the relationship can settle into something that can feel less exciting, less new. The “choice wine” we had early in our marriage can be replaced with the “cheaper wine” and, at times, it can feel like our relationship has the taste of just going through the motions.

It is so funny to me how husbands and wives can share with each other their most intimate secrets, work together on all things to keep their family moving along and be close in every way, but not openly talk about their faith with each other. We witness each other at our best and our worst. We see the other at the beginning of the day with bed head and morning breath, no makeup, no hair done, out of the shower with no clothes to hide physical flaws...all things we would expect those close to each other to experience. Yet, we often shy away from baring our souls in talking about our individual relationship with God.

I’ve heard our relationship with God, as spouses, to be a triangle, with the husband at one bottom angle, the wife at the opposite one and God at the top. As we move up the lines of the triangle, individually coming closer to God, we become closer to one another. Try it...draw the imaginary triangle in the air; take your index fingers and point them at the base angles, then move them slowly up to the triangle’s peak, representing husband and wife moving closer to God. Notice how your fingers move more closely to each other as you move up the triangle?

When we add Jesus to the mix, as Mary encouraged Him to do at the wedding, we have a new ability to become closer to each other. When we decide as partners to have God and His Son being at focal point of our relationship, miracles happen. We discover each other in a new way, our love is deeper, our joy is greater and our sorrow is lessened because it is shared. The choice wine we thought was so wonderful during the early part of our marriage has been supplemented with an even better varietal. What we formerly thought was amazing has been replace with the truly awesome!

So, I encourage you, add the secret ingredient to your life together. Invite Jesus in and focus on Him together. Talk openly about your faith; pray together and for each other with open and genuine hearts. Allow Him to give you a taste of that which you could, without Him, not even imagine.

Mar 8 - "Precious and Faithful"

Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”

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You never know how your day is going to change in an instant.

Yesterday, I was sitting and talking with my good friend Stephen at the hospital, while his wife, Kristine, was in surgery (It went well and although she is in pain, she is on her way to recovery. Please pray for Kristine’s healing.) When Stephen and I have time together, I try to ignore the constant barrage of emails and calls that come to my mobile phone so we can focus on the Word, prayer and encouraging each other. But, my phone rang, I glanced at it, and it was my Dad calling.

The words he said to me yesterday on that call still hurt: “Grandma Bonnie passed away this morning.”

A bright shining light in my life and in the lives of many, many people, flickered and quietly...peacefully...went out yesterday morning. I am so sad; my heart is broken. But I am also filled with joy that I was able to know this amazing woman for my whole life. My life is better and richly blessed by her love and care for me. I am so filled with joy that she is in Heaven today, singing with the angels and praising our Living God.

Many memories come to mind when I think of her. Her “growling” (our family knows that one well), her vegetable soup, her love of buttermilk, her sharp wit, but especially her loving heart. Whenever I talked with Grandma Bonnie or saw her, I would always tell her, “I love you.” Her response to this, every time, was, “I love you more.” Although love, by definition, is infinite and perfect when used in the way she spoke it, I truly believe she loved me more. She showed it every day and in every way.

The wonderful blessing that of Love is that we always have more. Love makes room. Even though our lives are filled with people whom we love, there is always room for more. It’s not as if we are given a finite supply, which must be parsed out sparingly to make sure we don’t “run out” of it at some point. Just this past Saturday, our family was blessed with a new baby; Alice Ruby Rosen was born to my sister Abbi and her husband Ben. I got to meet Alice Ruby yesterday and I already love her. Even though I love many people, I am able to love her, and my love for others is in no way diminished. In fact, by adding another “loved one”, the love for others is built up in some small, but miraculous way.

But, because love makes room and allows us to bring people into our hearts, when these people leave us, an empty space remains. This is our pain, our hurt. The tears I shed yesterday and today while I write this, come because of the empty space now in my heart because I will not see her again until we meet at the end of my earthy life. The empty space is what causes us the sorrow and grief associated with our loss.

I know that, blessedly, her love is still with me and with all of us. By Grandma Bonnie saying to me, “I love you more”, she was telling me that the love she had for me was enough for myself, but I could also have some left over to give to others. The extra love she gave me was for me to pass on. I am able to love because I was shown great love by her.

Yesterday was filled with so many blessings of Love. I did not expect to be with my sister Jessica (who offered up this verse from the Psalms to us); I did not know I was going to see my Mom and Dad, or my brother. I did not plan on talking to my friend Dave, to ask for the phone number of his parents,who were good friends with Grandma Bonnie. But even these unexpected things, how my day was changed, are blessings caused by the life of Grandma Bonnie. Had she not been in our lives, none of these things would have come to pass yesterday.

The image that keeps coming to mind for me, is Jesus standing and smiling with arms open wide, welcoming her into Heaven. And, right behind Him, just off to the side, her husband, my Grandpa Al, who left this world 31 years ago today, waiting to welcome her too. As Jesus steps to the side, they run to each other and dance...as my Dad says, “the basketball player and the cheerleader”...laughing and loving, filled with joy to be together once again.

So, today dear friends and loved ones, join me in praising God for the life of Bonnie Lucy Wilson. The world is a better place, that she, a most faithful servant of God, was in it. And although we are sad that she is not with us here on earth any more, we rejoice that she is in Heaven with our Lord and with her husband Allen Clifford Wilson, whom we also remember today. Please join me in honoring her by loving...and loving more!