Nobody can do what you need to do. What do you need to do?

“I don’t do that, sorry.”  If the only reason we don’t do what we’ve been asked is fear, we have a problem. There are things in life only we can do, and fear should not keep us from engaging in the task.  Sometimes others tell us we’re not good enough for the task, not qualified, not worthy.  If we listen to them we are shortchanging ourselves.  It may very well be that we are also shortchanging God by not engaging in a task he created us to perform. 

We make a difference for God in our households, schools, work environment, when we find time to have God speak to us in prayer, when we ask for guidance, and then live uniquely like Jesus in our own unique environments.  Each of us was created to be what God created us to be.  I was created, among other things,  to be a father and father-in-law and now grandfather to eight awesome people.  What I can bring into their lives no one else can?

What you can bring into my life only you can bring.  There is no other like you.  So, what must we bring to our world today?  What message?  What gift?  What question?  What answer?  What parable?  What good news?  It is in you.  It is in me.  God put it there.  It must come out. 

Let’s do what only we can do today. 

May whatever resistance or acceptance we encounter be received by us as something only we can receive in the way we receive it.  Jonah had a five word (in the Hebrew) message for the Ninevites.  It was God’s gift to them through the man who came up from the bottom of the sea.  A unique man with a five word gift.  And what a gift it was. May peace be ours today. 

Encourage Your Mom Today

For all her gifts and talents. For all her dedication. For everything she's continues to do. For the fact that Mother's day isn't enough of a reminder to have appreciation for our Mothers.

May today be a day when we encourage, not just give things. May today be a day that we respond, not with chocolate or flowers, but with genuine belief in who our Mothers are. Take a minute and call, write, or visit your Mom and encourage how God has gifted her.

Think about the potential God has invested in you.

We've all heard the story: the call from God, the "No thanks!", a boat, the storm, sailors, prayers, a BIG fish, 3 days, a beach, a desert and a reluctant mission. Are you Jonah? a sailor? a Ninevite?

What do they all have in common? God LOVES them. God cares.

God loves me too, no matter who I am. God cares. And God has given me a life and a unique set of gifts. Maybe I'm not a super business executive. Maybe I haven't painted the world's greatest painting. But, every day, I have the chance to use my own gifts for good. Maybe I listen. Maybe encourage. Maybe speak grace without judgement. Maybe I have the energy to accomplish tough tasks. Maybe my courage inspires.  Maybe .... (you fill in the blank because we each have beautiful potential)

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NLT)

God has invested you with potential. Rooted in God's love, how are you going to live into that potential today?

Pray for someone who needs healing.

There is not a week goes by that I don’t pray for healing for someone.  I expect the same goes for you.  We pray for God’s healing grace to touch a friend’s depression, a young child’s fever to break, a marriage falling apart to be whole and well, that a person looking for a job is enabled to provide for her family, and we that our own dis-ease is healed.   

Sanjay Gupta, CNN Medical Reporter tells us “I was never formally trained in the interplay between the type of healing we think of in hospitals and the type of healing that takes place in the private recesses of our minds. Yet over time I've come to deeply appreciate the role of prayer in the healing process. Often patients or their loved ones have prayed with me before surgery.”

Jesus’ healing ministry is often an embarrassment for us sophisticated, modern Western people, as William Willimon reminds us.  We can take Jesus as a teacher, but Jesus the healer is something else for us who have modern medicine, the beneficent side of science. 

Still I pray.  For healing.  I’ve learned this from Moses in Exodus, from David in the Psalms, from the Prophets in exile, from Paul and the other Apostles.  I have learned this from Jesus our Lord whose three year ministry was populated with instances of healing.  Luke 4:40 tells us that people were brought to Jesus with various kinds of sickness, and “laying his hands on each one, he healed them.”

I invite you to pray today for someone who needs healing – physical, emotional, spiritual – healing.  If you have the opportunity, tell this person, maybe visit them.  Your presence could very well be part of the healing they need today.  May the grace, peace, and joy of being Jesus’ follower fill your life today. 

p.s.
Thoughts on healing are multifaceted.  Here is something sent from MINemergent.  A great thought on how we contribute to the healing of others. 

Service heals

Fundamentally, helping, fixing, and service are ways of seeing life. When you help you see life as weak, when you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Helping incurs debt. When you help someone they owe you one. But serving, like healing is mutual. There is no debt. Fixing and helping are the basis of curing, but not of healing. In 40 years of chronic illness I have been helped by many people and fixed by a great many others who did not recognize my wholeness. All that fixing and helping left me wounded in some important and fundamental ways. Only service heals.

Rachel Naomi Remen

Excerpts from the article "In the service of life"

Read Jonah 2 and Matthew 7:24-27 and then spend at least one hour doing something you enjoy.

May God's peace surround you today.

Invite Someone over for a Meal

I had an English professor in my undergraduate studies that was fascinated with how food was featured in books. Even the most passing of references got the wheels of his mind turning. He was of the opinion that you could tell a lot about the author and her intentions by how she used food.
Our stories about Jesus are like that too. The one thing you can say about Jesus was that he liked to eat. And, he liked to eat in community. Food features prominently in our gospels because it serves as a vehicle for conversation and relationship building. So many of our stories in the gospels feature Jesus, sitting around a table with others, eating. He was sharing a meal. In Revelation 3, Jesus even extends a cosmic invitation to the church in Laodicea. "Behold, I stand at the door knocking, anyone who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them and they with me."
I believe Jesus should be our model for how we approach food and how we view eating with others. Because, sometimes it isn't about the food. Sometimes, it is about the meal itself. The ceremony, the place settings, the joke that you only break out when someone is at your table for the first time. It is about fellowship and hospitality. It is about creating a space for our Lord to speak an invitation of life together.

Who can you invite in for a meal?

Open the door, look out, say hello to the first person you see.

Sometimes I find myself caught in the web of our ME culture in America.  I don't necessarily want to be, I just am despite my best efforts.  When I read about Jesus though, I see a very different picture.

"Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:35-36 NLT)

Jesus saw people, not just the surface but to a person's thoughts and heart.  So when Jesus saw the crowd, he saw them through and through.

Most of us don't. Not really.

What would it take for us to see people today? Who do I need to look out and say hi to? Who will I encounter and can I remember to really look?

The imagery in John Donne's Meditation XVII echos these thoughts, although I'll admit I readily change the pronouns as needed. Reach out today - don't be an island!

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donne (Meditation XVII) en.wikisource.org/wiki/Meditation_XVII

“Marvel at the amazing creatures God created (look closely at a bug or spider).”

The art of being a creature can be learned through observing one or more of God’s creatures.  Bugs and spiders can be a good place to begin.  Remember the proverbial wisdom of Proverbs 6:6 where lazy people are urged to become wise through the study of ants. 

Plants function is so many ways to provide God’s blessings to other creatures, including those created in his image.  Jonah loved the leafy plant God provided to ease the discomfort of sitting under a hot sun.  How are we blessing the other creatures, human and otherwise, we live with? 

 God loves all his creatures.  The leafy, bark covered, grassy, watery, creatures of creation form an array of beauty that creates a sense of humility at the wonderful mystery inherent in them all.  And we can’t forget that one of God’s reasons for showing mercy to Nineveh was his desire to spare all the animals living there. 

 In the season of Lent this verse from Romans 8 comes to my mind,

“But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.”

Go; take a moment or two to observe whatever of God creatures you see to see today.  Marvel!  Thank God.  Join and share the hope of creation renewed. 

Admit you were wrong about something today and ask for forgiveness

I don't want to do this. What if I admit that I am wrong and they don't forgive? What if I admit my part and they don't admit their part? Then they will think that they didn't do anything wrong. And they did. What if I look foolish for admitting that I was wrong about something? How will I ever be respected again? How do I ask them for forgiveness? Can't I just say "sorry" and be done with it? What if God's love and forgiveness are bigger than what I am comfortable with?

I need to do this. What if I never admit that I was wrong and it just festers? What if they do forgive? What if forgiveness has nothing to do with "sorry?" What if they admit wrongdoing too? What if we open the door for reconciliation? What if we open the door for God's love to take the lead? What if this is an opportunity to learn more about how God loves and forgives? What if God's love and forgiveness are bigger than what I am comfortable with?

I don't want to do this...I need to do this.

Pray the Lord's Prayer at least four times through the day.

Every Sunday at St. John's in Henley-in-Arden we prayed this prayer from Matthew 6. After almost three years as an expatriate the words soaked deeply into my memory, giving voice to otherwise unspoken yearnings: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come....."

Let the words sink into your thoughts as you pray it today, in whatever version is comfortable for you. (or look it up on Biblegateway.com in several different versions)  Which phrase is particularly meaningful today? How is God's kingdom coming into your world today? What needs will you trust God to fill today? Where is deliverance on order?

Know that God hears your prayers, spoken and unspoken.

“Become intoxicated with the idea that GOD loves YOU

There is a seat at God’s table with your name on it.  There’s a journey you are invited to embark on with God as your guide. There is a welcome to a party thrown in your honor. 
Once experienced, this love of God for us begins to fill us with joy, changes our view of the world and those who live in it with us.
John 3:16 is so familiar we can gloss over what John is telling us.  God loves the world! This is the essence of the Gospel, the Good News. 
God’s love is expressed most fully in Jesus who announced the coming of God’s kingdom.  God’s kingdom is a kingdom of love.  Those who enter it by following Jesus learn to love as Jesus loves.  God shares his love through us.  Find a person with whom you can share God’s love today. Spread the intoxication! God loves YOU.  May the peace and joy of God be ours today as this knowledge settles into every area of our lives.

Read Jonah 1:3-17 & Matthew 6:24-34 & spend at least one hour doing something you enjoy.

Have a blessed sabbath.

Remember whom God created you to be!

"I wonder if I'll every find my way?"
"Could a garden come up from this ground at all?"

Spinning through my head at odd moments, these lyrics are from a song by Gungor called 'Beautiful Things." The resounding answer in the refrain witnesses to God's ability for renewal:

"You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of the dust.
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of us.

You make me new, You are making me new....."

The snowdrops and eranthis are peeking out their cheery white and yellow faces today along the creek that trickles through our yard, a reminder that when we walk with God in faith, he will continue to make us new. Jonah wasn't so sure about letting God in ... Do we dare to let God make us new?

Talk to or call someone you love and tell them what you love about them

Relationships are a process. On my wedding day I told my wife I loved her. But we would have a serious problem in our marriage if that was the last time I said anything. We speak words of love, because we declare a continuing relationship. Love is a whole-being event. It is something that takes words as well as actions, it takes sustaining as well as initiation.

In this season of Lent we take a posture of reflection. Part of this reflection deals with our relationships with other people. Lent is to speak love back into the world. The love we have that is rooted in Christ Jesus. Who, in your life, needs to hear that you love them? Who in your life needs to hear why you love them? Speak those words today.

Recycle Five Things Today

"I am making everything New!"

These are the words shouted by God in Revelation 21. God is in the process of making all things new. Note: it doesn't say all new things. It says all things new.
God restores,
redeems,
renews,
reconciles,
resurrects,
reconstructs.
God created the world good and he will set everything right again. God is in the business of putting things back together--of healing all of creation. If God cares that much about his creation to reclaim it from its current state, how much joy do you think it would bring to do the little things that show you care that much too?

Give up "anger" for a day. Don't invite it back.

Anger has a way of diminishing horizons, closing us off as we hoard our ill-feelings.

This Lent I am focusing on "living-towards" instead of "fasting-from," but anger is one of those things that I really do need to fast from ... and live instead towards forgiveness. 

Forgiveness opens the door to a heart that expands. When I live in a forgiving space, I lean into God's shalom. My world has seeds of wonder, awe, and possibility.

Now, giving up "anger" isn't exactly easy. Sometimes it takes praying to God every day (or even every hour) for a forgiving heart.  Are you ready for the hard work of releasing anger and living into God's shalom?

Make a card to send to a missionary or a person in a nursing home

Being a part of the Church is being a member of a community. The Church is a costly fellowship of those who share a new life in Christ Jesus and so, are connected at a level too deep to ever fully explore. We may sense this when we have communion, knowing that this links us through all time and space to others who are also being sustained by our Lord. We may sense this connection of community when we pray for those who are close to us in thought.

Because of this connection we should remember those who are either serving the Lord away from their home church or those who are older and are living in a place that does not afford them the opportunity to worship with their community. These can be lonely places and lonely times. They have joys but they also may miss their church family. They may miss the community they know deep within themselves that they are connected to through Jesus.

Let us today send a card. Maybe an e-mail would work too. Let our missionaries know they are being prayed for. Let our seniors know they are missed. Remind them and ourselves that we are connected. We are the family of God.

(If you want to send a missionary a card but do not know where to send it, please see the bulletin board in the fellowship hall. There is information on the missionaries and organizations we support there).

Pray for peace in the Middle East.

Praying for peace, justice, and healing in the Middle East can seem like a drop in a bucket. This opening of a prayer for healing come to mind: "Sometimes, heavenly Father, the answer has to be 'I don't know.'" I don't know why such unjust systems persist. I don't know why peaceful demonstrations end in violence.

I do know there is HOPE. Each person who prays, who stands for justice, who works for peace, is another ripple that can grow into a wave. Again and again I'm inspired by stories of people who have chosen to take a peaceful stand against injustice, by sitting in a city square or by refusing to use force. I want to join my prayers to these ripples widening in the Middle East.

Sometimes creativity helps me find a different space in which to reflect and pray - this is a quilt created several years ago as God grew the reality of hope within me, helping me to continue to pray and work, even in the midst of a challenging situation.

Is there a country or person or mission in the Middle East that God has laid upon your heart? How do you find the space to pray even when overwhelmed? Can we pray in hope?

Read Jonah 1:1-3 & Matthew 5:13-16 & spend at least one hour doing something you enjoy.

Did you know that Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of Lent? Have a blessed day.

Start Something You Have Been Avoiding

I never put off the easy things. I enjoy accomplishment too much. I never avoid small tasks that will take minimal energy; the bills, dusting, or walking the dog. I don't have a problem with avoidance when it comes to things I love either. You won't have to twist my arm to spend time with my family or finish a book I have been meaning to get to.

I would guess that this is true for most of us. Avoidance isn't an issue with the easy things or the things we love.

When avoidance presents itself in our lives is when things are hard. The issue of avoidance comes into play when we don't really want to do the thing that's required of us. Jonah reminds us of this. When presented with the task of going to Nineveh to proclaim God's message to it, Jonah went the other way. He avoided the task at hand. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh and he knew going there would be hard. They were enemies, he could be in serious trouble. However, the hard thing in the story of Jonah was still the thing that God required.

So what is the hard thing that you have been avoiding? That conversation? That chore? That job? May God enable us to do the hard things however small they may be. May God give us the strength not to avoid what he has put in front of us to do.

Pray for someone you love. Tell them.

Prayer plays a significant part in the book of Jonah. As we read Jonah’s prayers, we find echos of the words of the Psalmist (3, 5, 18, 30, 42, 69, 120). Sometimes, when I don’t have words, words from scripture help me say what is in my heart.

“God, you knit _____ together in her mother’s womb. I praise you because she is fearfully and wonderfully made; you have done a wonderful work in her.” (paraphrased from Psalm 139)

“Lord, you are a shield around ______, his glory, the One who lifts his head high. You will answer when he calls. You will sustain him.  Deliver him from the enemy he is facing. May he know deep in his heart that from you comes deliverance. May he know that he is blessed.” (from Psalm 3)

“Lord, the cords of death are entangling ______; destruction is overwhelming her. Help her call out to you for help.  Hear her cries. Rescue her from the deep waters. Rescue her from the powerful enemy. Bring her into a spacious place because you delight in her.” (from Psalm 18)

Words and prayers can lift me up, helping me to move into a different space. I find it a little easier to let go of my own biases and preconceived notions, and God infuses my longings with a deeper grace, a wider love. Which Bible verses give voice to your prayers?

Love your enemies, all of them. Okay, one at a time. Start today.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Yes, this comes directly from Jesus our Lord in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:44). This is truly a hard saying, yet one which we know Jesus practiced. For instance, on the cross he asked God to forgive those responsible for his crucifixion. Forgiveness can be understood as an expression of love for those who have hurt you and whom you have categorized as an "enemy." What do you think? Is this too hard for you? If so, what do you make of Jesus' command?

Maybe the place to begin this difficult calling is in prayer....

Ash Wednesday

A cross-shaped smudge of ash is on order today.

Sound Schedule 8:45 March 2011

March 6: Jim K
March 13: George L
March 20: Dave VY
March 27: Jim S

March 13 eve: Jim S