Maturity!

 Maturity

“until we all reach unity in the faith

and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,

attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

(Ephesians 4 verse 13) 

            The piece of twelve step programs that I like best is the part where it is explained that our goal is spiritual growth rather than spiritual perfection. That lets us off the hook regarding being perfect which we cannot attain. It removes a lot of guilt!

            Yes we always need to grow in spirit, we need to work on it daily and we need to measure our progress. The question we have is what do we measure ourselves against? Recently I read that I must measure against “…nothing less than the character of Christ.”      

            Hmmm, that is a problem because I cannot attain perfection! That does not diminish the dream of being Christ like. So what seems to be a cunumdrum is actually a gift. When we are faced with options and choices we need to ask; What would Jesus Do? Then we need to do it to insure our growth.

Thought for Today: Today let’s do things the way Jesus would by being loving and forgiving in all of our activities.

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord we are blessed with your presence, Today, we pray for guidance and the ability to be more like Jesus; the ability to do your will.

Amen

Home Care!

Home Care

"Love bears up under anything and everything that comes,
is ever ready to believe the best of every person,
it's hopes are fadeless under all circumstances."
(1 Corinthians 13:7, AMP)

            We are all adjusting our lives to worldly conditions. We have wars and sickness that give us concern regarding our safety. Travel is more difficult, we are more tense and restless, we are changing our style of operation and the way we live our lives. I personally have a deep seeded resentment regarding the changes because they hinder my travel and other retirement activities.

           One of the reasons that my messages exists is exactly the above. We cannot change the world but we can change our feelings through meditation. Meditation works and helps bring us back to reality. One of our friends has a wife chronic, degenerative back disease. She is tired of pain killers and muscle relaxants after fifteen years. She started meditation classes and learned to meditate almost to the point of self hypnosis and reduced her drugs to one quarter of her previous dosage. Her symptoms have been minimized.

          One of the things they teach us in sales is to always be ready for the "sales call" or meeting. Sit in the car before entering the building and review in your mind why you are there and what you hope to accomplish; meditate! It works in sales and in life.

           Many of us bring our daily problems into the home at night and let our frustrations affect our family life. The children bring home their frustrations from school, mom and dad from their jobs (or from a bad round of golf) or from the evening traffic. What for? Tonight when you go home, try sitting in the driveway and read this weeks’ passage and leave the stress behind. Pray that you can go into the house in a loving and caring mood and contribute to the peaceful and loving environment called home.

Thought for Today: Someone once said that at times we are all salesmen. My example of preparing for a meeting is a serious part of business life and success. This week, let us all focus on "preparing for the meeting" with our families and with God. Let us contribute to peace and tranquility rather than helping increase stress.

Prayer: Heavenly father, in our world today there is war, fear of attack, theft and many negative forces. Somehow please guide us to contribute to the peace and friendship, somehow show me how to act when stressed, somehow give me the good judgment to stop and pray rather than to react. Help us do your will through our presence here on Earth.
Amen.

Protect our Hearts!

Protect Our Hearts

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes...
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that
comes from the gospel of peace...
 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying ..."
(Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV)

        Today we need to protect ourselves from our own self induced stress as well as the negativity in the World that we cannot control. As Mac Hammond from the Living Word Christian Center puts it, "We need to protect our hearts". The question is how?

        Over the years I have often heard the expression "When the going gets tough, the tough get going". In sports this meant to me that when the pain sets in, push harder; in business when the order is being lost, dig deeper. In each instance, "I" assumed the full responsibility for correcting "my" problem. My male ego would come into the issue and apply pressure to the situation. This has worked very well over the years, but it is not how I have acted since the mid 80's.

        Like many parents, when my two youngest were in private colleges, my ego driven logic failed me. The financial pressure combined with the desire to service the educational needs was too much to get through. This tough guy needed help and it came through the simple saying, "Let go and let God". Funny how that works, everything turned out OK.

        When we are deeply involved with our loved ones, we need to protect our hearts. We need to keep our feet on the ground and make caring decisions through love. If we allow the Lord to help protect our hearts, if we listen to Him and accept His part in our lives, our lives will be better and simpler. Keep on asking for support through prayer.

Thought for Today: Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. It offers each of us a chance to renew ourselves, forgive others and move forward with positive thoughts. This week let us move forward through daily prayer and let the Lord help us over the bumps.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly father, here in America life is good. The kids have food and shoes, there are two cars in the garage, and TV sets in every home- we are truly "fat cats" living under your domain. Today we pray that we keep in mind that the world is not all like we are experiencing it. While giving thanks for our abundance we need to pray that we are doing your will throughout the world for peace and prosperity to spread in a Godly way.

Amen

Hallowed Eve! (Halloween in America!)

Halloween 1991

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God. …which transcends all understanding…?”

(Philippians 4 verse 6)

            Halloween, October 31st in 1991 was a significant event in the northern part of the United States. In our family we had two significant events to prepare for; children trick or treating and June’s departure to the UK for a family visit on November 1^st. Mother nature also had a plan that she had not consulted with me on; the great Halloween three day blizzard in Minnesota which was a piece of what is now known as “The Perfect Storm.”

            Paul told the Philippians “Do not be anxious about anything…” but millions of Americans were anxious that weekend! People died on lost ships on the Grand Banks and Minneapolis had 30 inches of snow. But it was not all bad on our end. Let me explain.

            In the early afternoon we had a temperature drop and a snow squall started. That is not unusual in Minnesota in the fall and we did not expect it to be anything but a fun Halloween! You see, I had already decorated the outside of the house with Christmas lights so we turned them on. The lights drew a large group of Halloween revelers. We met them with a special greeting, “Ho Ho Ho, Happy Halloween.” There was six inches of snow on the ground and we did pray for the safety of the children.

            In the morning there was 15 inches of snow and the visibility was near zero. A trip to the airport seemed impossible. Prayers were needed. We decided to depart after lunch for a 6:30 flight and the 20 minute trip took over two hours and was very dangerous. June’s flight departed 3 hours late and I had a three hour ride home. Happy Halloween.

            I assume you all know about the perfect storm and sinking of the Andrea Gail from Gloucester. Our trials are minor when compared with the loss of a ship and lives. When we heard the story, it put our events into perspective. We were stressed and blessed at the same time.

            Friday is Halloween, enjoy it with your neighborhood goblins!

Thought for Today: This Friday is a special day and we should enjoy it with the revelers. We should also think back to 1991 and be prayerful.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, this week we pray for children on a day they look forward to each year. We pray that they be safe and have a great evening. We give thanks for their presence in our lives.

Amen

           

            

Strength to Love!

(Matthew 5:14-16)

“You are the light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

From "Strength To Love," Martin Luther King, Jr.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.
Thought for Today: Today let us be thankful for those around us. Be at peace and demonstrate our passion and love to others. We are facing a long winter with short days and long nights. Let us be the light that people are searching for!

God's LOve and Grace! (Including Allah!)

Gods Love and Grace

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God;

He is the faithful God,..

 (Deuteronomy 7 v 9)

           

In the last decade June and I have been blessed by being close to people of varied faiths. Through our association with each, we have come to a strong belief that we all worship the same God in different ways and we all experience God’s grace.

Recently a Jewish friend that I have known and liked for years shared with me that he does bible studies so he can learn about the Christian perspective. His strong family values, general positive personality and strong ethical standards make him someone I am glad to know.

This last year we have spent several Sundays in Unitarian Meeting Houses when we return to Massachusetts with my family. We are learning more about my mom’s grand parents who were Unitarian ministers. Involvement with my brother’s memorial service at a Unitarian meeting house was a bit different for us.

To avoid making this a 10,000 word essay, let me summarize some of our other relationships: A son in law who is a southern Baptist, a brother in law who is a Catholic priest, a Mormon best friend who lost touch with his faith, a Native American friend who has involved us in some spiritual activities.

In each instance mentioned, June and I have experienced good friendships and observed strong Godly values in our friends. In most instances, we have observed God working in our friends’ lives and seen God’s grace at work in many ways. Most, importantly, we have experienced God’s grace through our friends.

Thought for Today:Today let us recognize those around us that are different and try to befriend someone new. Let us seek out someone that looks at God in a different way. The Lord blesses them also.

Prayer for Today: Dear  Lord, the world is a great and wonderful creation. There are many peoples of all colors and beliefs. There are generation gaps, social differences, and economic separations. Often the differences get in the way of social graces. Today we pray that we can learn from differences to have peace in our own lives and that we can contribute to the understanding of your will and  your Grace.

Amen

Spiritual Gifts

Good News 111202 Spiritual Gifts

"Now about spiritual gifts, brothers,
...There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
There are different kinds of working,
but the same God works all of them in all men."
(1 Corinthians 12:1-6 NIV)

        Often the bible mentions the gifts given to us by the Lord. However, in every case the same spirit is mentioned. Think about what that means to all of us. Think about us as a team, a Christian body, placed on earth to do God's work. Not alone but as a team.

        I have always preferred working with a partner. My belief is that two people working as a team is four times better than the best of the two working alone. If that is true, then how powerful is a small congregation working together doing God's work?

       In the 2004 super bowl the New England Patriots came out to play without the TV Network’s usual fanfare of individual introductions. They came and won as a team. Last week in the paper there was a page dedicated to the state girls’ soccer championship. It listed the rosters of the two finalists as well as the state all star team. There were no all stars listed on the rosters of the two teams playing in the finals. The championship teams won as a team without any all stars!

        So we all "have different kinds of gifts but the same spirit". We can all participate and use these gifts to do God's work but we do not have the gifts to do it all alone. We need each other; we need our Christian family to get the job done.

Thought for Today: Let us focus on our talents, God's gifts to us. Let us recognize our gifts and use them to do God's work.

Prayer: Heavenly Father we ask, "what is it all about?” We pray to you for the ability to better understand it all. We pray for the ability to recognize our gifts and the knowledge on how to utilize them to help.
Amen