Infants

Infants “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3 vs. 1) I confess to you that I cannot quote a lot of scripture; I do not know a lot of biblical history; I have never visited the holy land; sometimes, I skip my Friday bible study to play golf or work out. At best, I am an infant in Christ. That is good because it leaves plenty of room to grow, to keep trying, and a reason to keep writing. There is growth ahead when we do the right things. Our life is a spiritual journey without limits or an end. That’s an excellent thought. As a young engineer, my mentor used to quote Aristotle, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” It is true with our faith. The more we learn, the more the mystery and the higher our thirst becomes. That may be the best part of it all. Thought for Today: Recognize the opportunity to grow in the Spirit, that we are in our infancy and have room for exciting growth! Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we are grateful for your presence in our lives and the peace brought to us through faith. We will face challenges today and go forth with the knowledge that you will be with us. Amen

Patriots Day

Patriots Day “Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9 vs. 24& 25) In Massachusetts, April 19th is Patriots Day. That gave me two choices to write about today: Paul Revere’s ride or the Boston Marathon. There is a similarity, and it is not direction. The marathon involves over 30,000 participants; one woman and one man will make a six-figure paycheck and win. As many as twenty others will receive appearance money and have good paydays. Most will receive personal gratification and a well-tuned engine for their body from the training and recognition for a great effort. They do it out of the passion that endurance athletes have and the feeling of accomplishment. In 2013, two young terrorists interrupted things a bit at the finish line. That was a sad day for all involved, and it infuriated Americans and the free world. In 2020, a virus shut down group events, including spring athletics. There is a new normal in 2021, but 32,000 registrants lined up to run in Massachusetts. It was a scary and sad year for us. In 1775, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Sam Prescott raced out of Boston with a message that the British were moving out. Their message to the people of greater Boston was the call to arms. Unfortunately, Paul did not get very far because a British patrol picked him up in West Cambridge. However, he got the poem named after him. Dawes and Prescott did not rhyme as well. They were on a mission to benefit humanity, were unselfish, and are American heroes. Being fit is a matter of spirit, mind, and body. Life is not a sprint. It is a marathon. We must race it and live it with our eye on the ultimate prize promised through our faith: “…a crown that will last.” Thought for Today: Let us focus on our race for the prize; take a step closer to perfection. Prayer for Today: We pray for the safety and success of the many runners in Boston. May they be blessed with fitness and great memories. Amen

Joyful

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; Come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalm 100 vs. 2) The Psalmist who wrote this knew what Christianity was all about. We must be happy, enjoy our love, and sing it aloud! Can we do that every day? Each day is unique, and some are awful. Our day was bright under the clouds. We had not seen the sun in four days and had drizzle, hoar frost, and ice. Bah, humbug to a joyful noise. However, it was Sunday morning, so we went to an early church service and communed with friends in the chapel with our pastor. It was a joyous time. Then, we had breakfast together and discussed our weekly plan, including a pool party with the youth and several visits with old friends. Gloomy is a mindset. Keeping the Lord in your life can turn a day bright and make it easy to make a joyful noise. Thought for Today: When you are feeling down and out, think about the joy of your faith. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we pray that we can keep our focus on the joys of our faith and that we may share those joys with those around us. Amen

Style Change

Style Change? “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” (Proverbs 1:32/33) The more we change, the more we seem to stay the same (adapted from Alfonse Karr). When we focus on our spirituality, we can live “…without fear of harm.” Negatives build when we lose focus and create a slippery slide. Putting oneself first part of each day is critical to maintaining sanity and personal growth. It is essential to take time to grow every day to be a good parent, employee, and friend. How do we do all we need to do to meet our obligations? The answer is priorities and including the Lord on the list. When we do not have time for God, it is a sign of over-commitment, reacting to our “to-do” lists rather than planning our day. Pat McNamara, a former Olympian from Minneapolis, once advised me that if I was going to stay in shape, I had to give fitness a priority part of every day. Make it a calendar item and follow Nike’s advice, “Just Do It.” The same applies to faith. Schedule a time to listen to the Lord’s message so we “…will live safely and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Thought for Today: Recognize the internal conflict between our over-committed “to-do” lists and the time required for personal growth. The concept is simple: we all want to be better in spirit, mind, and body but lack time. Let’s try placing the Lord first for a few minutes and feel the difference. Prayer for Today: Father, you are at the top of my list today. I look forward to the piece that you will bring. Amen

A Still Place

It is easy to go through a busy day without acknowledging the presence of God in our lives. Sometimes when we get to the end of a day and look back, the day seems un-Godly. We have not done the best job of caring for ourselves when that happens. That is our fault. Confusion and stress seem to find their way into our lives. We will have busy and stressful days, and bad things will happen to us. It is advisable to put ourselves first for a part of each day, which requires a bit of selfishness. Alone time shared with God will make us better workers, parents, and people. There is nothing selfish about that. Henri Nouwen called it a still place “…This still place is where God can dwell and speak to us. It also is the place from which we can speak in a healing way to all the people we meet in our busy days.” We all need to think about that. Thought for Today: Let us remember to be selfish, take a break, and allow God to support us. Prayer for Today: Let us pray that God will be present in our lives as we pursue the opportunities before us. Amen