I Believe

"Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"   Isaiah 53:1

We are now full throttle into the holiday season. I don't know about your neighborhood, but little lighted angels have popped up on the lawns in my community this week, trumpeting and twinkling in the dusk.    Christmas, with all its beauty and twinkling lights, presents to us one vital question: Are we going to believe this unbelievable Christmas story or not? Do we believe there was a baby, Savior of the World, born in a dirty cattle trough?    Unbelievable! That's how many people view the Christmas story--as if it were some fairytale children's story, way too simple for our sophisticated, rational minds. I disagree.  We've been talking about vulnerability on Monday nights and it got me thinking... Being vulnerable is usually spoken of in terms of our human relationships, how important it is to be able to share who you are with those you love and with those who love you. We all know that emotional vulnerability is a key to any meaningful relationship. In fact, it is essential. One cannot stand back with arms crossed and enter into a fulfilling intimate relationship. We must be willing to be vulnerable.   But what about relationship with God? And what does this have to do with Christmas?   Christmas is all about God, through Jesus, putting on skin, walking among men, becoming human, a mere man. And as he was born into the world on that night, he took it upon himself to be--you guessed it--vulnerable. He, King of the Universe, made himself dependent upon a young girl for food and care. Hmm. Vulnerable.    Christ, in becoming man, did not cease to be God. He didn't lose his position or his divine attributes; he voluntarily set them aside to take on our humanity in all its ugliness and depravity. Vulnerable.   Scripture tells us that Jesus would be a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. One whose hands and feet are scarred. One who was despised and rejected by man. Vulnerable.   As the Christ poured himself out for us, he did not stand back at a distance with arms crossed. From the very moment he entered this earth until the day he left it, he willingly made himself vulnerable. It speaks to me of relationship. It models to me humility. I believe God meant it to be that way. I challenge you this year to embrace the love story that is Christmas: God putting on skin and becoming vulnerable for our sake. Believe!  Greg

Giving Thanks

Gratefulness is the key   to a   happy life that we hold in our hands,    because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have,   we will not be happy-- we will always want to have something else or something more.    BROTHER DAVID STEINDL-RAST Benedictine teacher

Thanksgiving. Giving thanks.    I have come to the conclusion that there is a difference between being thankful and giving thanks. What do you think?  Last Sunday morning at Breakfast Club we talked about the story of the ten lepers found in Luke, Chapter 17. They stood along the road, these men with smelly, contagious sores on their bodies, and when Jesus walked past they called to him, asking him to heal them.   And he did. All ten lepers were healed on the spot. Wow.   Now I'm sure they were all very "thankful" for their new-found health! But, interestingly, only one of them went back to thank Jesus personally. Scripture says the one leper returned and "...threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him..."  Then Jesus said something interesting to him. He said, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." The word for "well" in this verse is sozo in the Greek, often translated as "whole." The literal meaning, according to Young's Translation, is "to save."   All ten men were healed; but it seems this one man received wellness beyond the physical. He received a wellness that saved him and made him whole. And when did that happen? When he bowed at Jesus' feet and gave thanks. Perhaps this "giving thanks" triggered a deeper dimension of his faith that released wholeness and wellness to all of his being in a far deeper way than just the physical healing that occurred.    So it would seem there is something about the actual giving of thanks that is important for us. Maybe that's because being thankful is an attitude--a passive stance, while giving thanks requires something more from us. It requires action on our part. We need to speak it out loud, or write a note, or even throw ourselves at Jesus' feet.    The Bible is full of encouragements for us to give thanks, not just be thankful. It looks like giving thanks is a necessary part of living life to the fullest, an essential part of living well and becoming whole. A good thing for us to ponder on this day of thanks.   "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 Happy ThanksGIVING!  Greg

Heart of Gratitude

learn the language of gratitude you will never be on speaking terms with happiness. Thanks to Gayle, who sent me this quote a while back. Hooray for Heros! Hooray for Heros is a project to honor the men and women in our military. We chose a unit that is very dear to Cyndi's heart--her son's unit, deployed to 5 bases throughout Afghanistan. Because of your generous donations we have just boxed up our third and largest mailing. This week we will send 7 boxes that the soldiers will receive in time for Christmas. They are filled with necessities: toiletries, food, notebook paper, goodies and LOTS OF LOVE! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO THIS CAUSE. If you still want to give, you can chip in for postage to mail the boxes. Talk to Elly.

You cannot approach Thanksgiving without thinking about Gratitude. Thankfulness. Praise.   These are things God desires from us. They're part of our faith journey. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18       We may be tempted to think it is impossible to give thanks in all circumstances, especially the bad ones. But isn't it intriguing that God doesn't think that way? His word is clear: In everything give thanks. Or maybe I could paraphrase it: "During every dark day give thanks," or "In the midst of every mess give thanks." Or how about, "In even the worst of situations, God is worthy of our thanksgiving and praise."  That is so foreign to the typical way we think. Everything? Always?   I believe gratitude is learned. It doesn't come naturally to most of us. It is a mindset we choose and it is something we must practice until it becomes second nature to us. The more we practice gratitude the more we experience its powerful effect on our lives.    Something happens inside us when we choose to go through our days and weeks with an attitude of praise and gratitude, no matter what.  Gratitude is the springboard to joy and happiness. Therapist and author, Melody Beattie says:  "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.       It turns what we have into enough....and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.       It can turn a meal into a feast,            a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." I have noticed something; maybe you have too. There is always a reason to be unhappy. There is always a difficult challenge in front of us. There's always a mountain to climb. There's a glitch in the Matrix, Neo. Gratitude. Thanksgiving. Praise. These are the things that are to be a constant in our lives, drawing us ever closer to our Father's will for us. This holiday season, let's try a new approach. Let's choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives, but on what we are grateful for. Just try it. It's not going to hurt us, and we might find a small seed of new-found joy and happiness bursting up inside.       What do we have to lose?   Greg

Dancing in the Rain

Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.    ~Vivian Greene~

Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain. We have all heard that quote. It sounds kind of Pollyanna, but if you look deeper I think it contains a great truth. I know a lot of people who wait to be happy until their lives are perfect and hassle-free. It never happens. The storms of life never let up, whether it is a broken relationship, a financial crisis, a devastating diagnosis, a disappointment, an unfulfilled dream.     God doesn't think we need to wait.  Life is uncertain and storms are guaranteed. They often overlap, bringing one challenge after another. Sure, there are islands of calm, but soon the thunder is heard in the distance and before you know it, it's pouring again.   I think there is an unspoken perception that we should not have to endure these difficulties. Surely God will protect us from all that! But God never promises a life without trouble; he just promises his faithfulness and peace in the midst of it. In fact, he doesn't talk about simply gritting our teeth and "enduring" hardships; he goes a step beyond that--to joy. Perhaps even dancing. That might sound just too unrealistic. A tall order to fill. Not fair. Hard to swallow. Doesn't God know what it takes? He doesn't understand how hard it is! Friends, we who love the Lord have his Spirit within us. Scripture tells us that we are in this world but not of it. We can reach down and find that peace and joy in him, no matter what the circumstances. Wrap your arms around it. It is ours to embrace as sons and daughters of the King.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33    Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." John 14:1  "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Sounds like dancing to me. Greg

Fix Me Please!

"I am my Beloved's and He is Mine, His Banner over me is Love."    ~Kevin Prosch~ His Banner Over Me from Song of Solomon

I love our neighborhood. I love the many walking and biking trails that wind through the greenbelt by our house. My dog likes them too. But on a beautiful morning not so long ago I came across this message scrawled on the sidewalk in chalk: Fix Me Pls!      I pondered the message, wondering who wrote it--and why. Was it written as a joke simply to tweak the minds of those who would come across it the next day? Or was it a cry from the heart, written to the universe....or to God....or to whoever might listen?     I think shame and its accompanying baggage is one of the most cruel lies of the devil. It says to us that somewhere deep inside we need fixing, and it's probably too late. Unlike guilt, we cannot easily deal with shame because it strikes at the very core of who we are and sneers at our very existence.   Guilt is about our behavior--our conscience. It can be good and actually helpful if it is recognized and dealt with. If we do something wrong or we hurt someone, guilt will usually raise the flag to get our attention so we can make a correction, repent, ask forgiveness. We are wise to heed it. Guilt says, "You made a mistake."   Shame, on the other hand, says, "You are a mistake." It tells us that we aren't good enough, or pretty enough, or have a prestigious enough career, or make enough money, etc. The list goes on and on. Shame leads to  depression, addictions, a diminishing self-worth and, eventually, self-rejection. And this poisonous conclusion then soaks to the core of our being. Ping! The Accuser has hit his mark. But God tells us something different.   Christian author and teacher, Henri Nouwen, says, "Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence."   That, dear people, is why we want to bring shame out of the dark and hold it up to the light--the light of the Father's eyes who looks at his created being and gives us a new name and identity: His Beloved. Let that wash over us until we have the courage to say it and believe it--until we have the audacity to shout it from the rooftops and sing it to the sky!   We have a core truth and it is this: I am the Beloved of My Father.   Who you gonna believe?  Greg