Difference

 Here is a sad story from the early 50s that we have not solved yet. I used to take the bus from the end of my street in Saugus Mass to the YMCA in Lynn, the next town. My classmate and good friend , Richie Gibbs, was frequently on the same bus. He would get of at one end of Market Street and I the other. We were both going to swim practice, him at the JCC and me at the YMCA, How sad it that.

Differences

"...let us stop passing judgment on one another.

Instead, make up our minds not to put an obstacle in our brothers' way."

(Romans 14:13)

Growing up in Boston in the 1940s and 1950s my family was very strict on who was acceptable and who was not; prejudicial to the max. I have come to believe that the types of things that existed were from the fear of competition within our society. Fear that the Italian and Irish immigrants would become equals to the old-time New Englanders; the blacks, Catholics, and the WASPish list went on. (I made up that word WASPish.)

There was a definite trend to block the social development of certain sections of society. It was the end of the era when some factories' help wanted signs stated “Irish need not apply.” It was a sad time.

The good news is that I was blessed to be a YMCA brat growing up and they were leaders in treating people as equals. I mixed with all factions and never saw any difference so it was hard for me to buy into my family's ideas. At one point I was advised by my grandmother that my Italian friends were not welcome at her house.

At the YMCA, our director, Jim Goodwin, was a leader in educating us in equality (in the 1950s). Paige, his daughter daughter tells me that he spent time reaching out to the JCC (Jewish Community Center) and scheduling joint events. Jim was special and well before his time.

My senior year of high school was at Huntington Prep in downtown Boston. It was my first exposure to a truly mixed nationality and race community. We all had a shared goal, get into a good college. We studied together, trained together, and were fond of each other. It was a confusing time because they were great guys and my family had a true WASish background.

My story has a point somehow I was blessed by being exposed to worldly people and was blind to the differences. My friends were varied. the moral is clear, love your neighbor and do not be afraid to show it.

Thought for Today: Today we will interact with people of all kinds; recognize them as equals and the blessings of our differences. Love them all unconditionally.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father somehow America, home of the free, still harbors prejudices within our society. Today we pray that we can learn to accept others as St. Paul suggested.

Amen

Letting Go

Letting Go 

"So if anyone is in Christ,

there is a new creation:

 everything old has passed away..." 

(2 Corinthians 5:17). 

        With God's help, we can release the past and live in the now. By accepting God's presence in our life, we can release the past rather than reliving it. Holding on to hurtful memories takes us down roads that lead nowhere. With God's help, we can choose new directions and turn from a nowhere destination to live in the here and now.

 

            There is a piece of all of us that seems to need to live in the negative past. Divorced people can hold resentments for years; accident victims often recent the other driver; workers frequently hold grudges against their managers in the workplace, and it goes on. It is easy to do, but in the scope of Christianity, it does not fit. 

Forgiveness is what leads to peace and happiness.     

 Today is a new day in which we can discard the baggage of old habits that limit us. Start anew with God and through divine guidance, take control of our lives and be receptive to all the goodness that God has to offer.           

Yes, today is the first day of the rest of our life. 

Thought for Today:  Today think about what wears us down. When it is a historical issue, deal with it. If you can adjust to the situation, do it. If you can switch to something positive, do it. If you can not resolve the negativity, pray about it. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we need you in our lives more than ever. There are so many negative issues it is often difficult to focus on your goodness. We give thanks for the many blessings that you bring to our lives; the great friends that we need; the world that surrounds us with beauty and our families that bless our lives. We thank you as our creator for our many blessings.

Amen

 

Forgive and Love

 Forgive and Love

 

"Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."
(Psalm 103: 2-5)

 

            Grace means that we are forgiven. We all have, in our history, reasons to be forgiven and memories of being forgiven. I pray that all readers find the previous statements true and ask that we think about the many times in our lives when we were down and out, possibly guilt-ridden. Within a family or social structure growing together spiritually so that faults are forgiven creates great landmarks in our lives.

 

            Children often misbehave. Fight over toys, sneak a treat before dinner; the simple things. We almost always forgive them after a consequence. That is a great example of our love. As teens, some behaviors are  more extreme, but we again forgive the behavior and show our love.

 

            When we were growing up, we often had disagreements with our siblings, friends, and neighbors. Most of the time, we forgave each other and grew from the experience.  That's just life. However, each time we forgave someone or were forgiven ourselves, we created a landmark in our lives.

 

            Forgiveness and love are what create family and social landmarks in our lives. They create memories that make us what we are. To be a positive and happy person it is important to be aware of the many times that God's will has generated forgiveness in our lives and be grateful. We have all experienced His grace through these landmark events.

Thought for Today: Realize that God forgives us for our sins. We pass forgiveness to others who have wronged us. Through the act of forgiving others, we receive the reward of "good feelings" and a growing relationship. Let us focus on being tolerant and forgiving of other’s unique qualities and behaviors.

Prayer for Today: Dear Loving God, often we find ourselves offended by the behaviors of others. We have noisy neighbors, careless drivers, inconsiderate fellow employees, and many other factors in our lives. Sometimes it is difficult to be a good Christian when dealing with irritants. This week we pray that we can behave as Christ would behave when tested by our society. We pray that we may display tolerance and love for all. Amen

Independence Day in the USA

 

Independence Day

 

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

(Galatians 5:1) 

            Independence is what makes America great and our many freedoms make this a great place to live. Our constitution is based on our ability to self govern. Below is a quote from Abraham Lincoln about our system. 

“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.” 

Pray for the future of America. 

Thought for Today: Today let’s celebrate our independence by obeying the Lord’s commandments. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, our country celebrates its independence. Our freedoms are based on your laws and our abilities to obey them. Today we pray for spiritual growth, honesty, integrity, and ethics.

Amen

God is with Us

 

"Now Moses was a very humble man,
more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth"
(Numbers 12:3) 

Like Moses, we are not always enthusiastic about what God wants. We are a humble lot, conservative, and considerate of other's views and feelings. We are humble before God.

        However, in our lives, we are often asked to perform tasks that require an assertive posture. Many of us are leaders in the community, at work, and church; often in roles that require strength while still being humble. That is a challenging task!

   God's response to Moses was "...I will be with you." and he will be with us always.        

When you are feeling hesitant and inferior, God says, "I will be with you."

When you are wondering if you can make it another day with the job stress, He says, "I will be with you."

When you're faced with a tough decision and wondering what to do, He says, "I will be with you."

When you are experiencing great joy, God is with you.

You may be a bit reluctant, as was Moses, but we need to remember that as we go through life, God is with us always.

Thought for Today: We need to remember that we are not alone. Through our faith, we have help meeting our obligations. So take control of situations humbly and allow ourselves to be led through the tasks ahead.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father we thank you for being with us. We are often confused in a world of activity. Often when things go well, we feel that we controlled the situation. We pray that we can recognize your involvement in our everyday lives and have the forethought to give you thanks through our actions and prayers.
Amen

 

Love and Hospitality

Love and Hospitality

 "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears re-lieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour that I first believed.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace."
(Amazing Grace, Vs 4 & 5)
(Words by John Newton, 1779)

           There are almost as many ways to find joy and peace as there are people. It can be found anywhere at any time. It is something that we all measure in our own way. As Christians we have the tools to and knowledge to reach out and find it.
            However, often we let our every day tasks and challenges disturb our peace. This past week it seemed that the traffic situation was a threat to many people's tranquility. The construction season combined with heavy rains slowed things down to a crawl. Frustration seemed to replace grace on the highways.
            A Good News friend wrote a book called Finding Grace. In regards to traffic his comments were "...leave early, take the pretty route and listen to good music." He is right on.
            As Christian's when we find our tranquility threatened, we need to use our tool kit; prayer, meditation and even a chat with a friend. They all will work. God did not put us here to be frustrated. Experience grace as He wants you to.
Thought for Today: This week let us all keep grace at the forefront of our daily prayers. Let us expect the daily challenges and be ready with our tool kit. This week let's experience grace and joy every day.
Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we recognize that your joy and tranquility are always available and you are always with us. This week we need you to help us daily. This week we pray that we may keep you on our mind and in our thoughts as we work through the challenges of our Christian lives.

 

Perseverance

 

Perseverance 

“Therefore since you have been justified through faith, we have peace with God...

we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our

sufferings. Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance brings character, and

character brings hope. And hope does not disappoint us."

(Romans 5:1-5)

             The keyword this week is perseverance. Our lives are a constant search for serenity or peace. Where does it hide, or do we hide it on ourselves? Certainly, we all go through phases when we are not at peace. Careers get in the way, illness occurs and the general business of our lifestyle disturbs tranquility. 

            When we are not at peace, which is in control? Years ago during some stressful times, my daughter gave me a daily meditation book and suggested I pay attention to it. Not reading the morning newspaper and replacing the news with meditation resulted in a more positive start to the day. I no longer knew the baseball scores, how Tiger did, or better yet, how many negative things occurred in the world yesterday. Meditating gave me a level of peace at the start of the day. 

            So where does persistence fit in? Well, peace is elusive and hard to grasp, or even to define. The search may be everlasting. Paul’s message to the Romans is fairly clear. Throughout the ups, downs, and general activities of our lives, we must be persistent in our faith and keep God in our lives. Through the grace of God, we will find the hope, peace, and tranquility we desire. 

Thought for Today: Today let us review our long-standing frustrations. The demanding boss, the developing teenager, the morning commute, whatever is in our lives. Let us pray for God's guidance on how we should help Him deal with the frustration. If He is involved, we will be less frustrated. 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Lord, I give thanks for the many blessings that are present in my life; the good friends, the lifestyle, the rain, and flowers. There still are many issues that need attention. I pray for your guidance to work through these every day issues.

Amen