Aloha Friday Message – September 2, 2011 – Music to my ears

September 2, 2011

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Read it online here.

Roman 8:10-13 (NLT)

Love Fulfills God’s Requirements
8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

As the expression goes “Easier said than done.” At some time or another all of us are difficult to love. At some time or another all of us have trouble loving someone. I am, we are, you are, they are – well, irritating! Infuriating! Insulting! Unfaithful! Liars, cheats, and scoundrels! I am, we are, you are, they are – imperfect. Human. Sinful. Disillusioned. Hurt. Confused, uncertain, ambiguous. Those are the constraints of being alive on this earth.

Fortunately, God is not like us – although we are, in some ways, like him. His perfect integrity is shown to us by his goodness, truth, mercy, kindness, and … LOVE all joined together in his Son, Jesus, the Christ. The Holy Trinity designed Creation to work a certain way, God’s way, but he lets us try to use it our way, and that’s when we get all messed up. It is hard to be lovable when I am, we are, you are, they are unloving. And sometimes it’s hard to be loving when I am, we are, you are, they are unlovable.

But hold on a sec; is anyone really “unlovable?” God doesn’t think so, even if I am, we are, you are, they are sure that somebody we know must be! God just doesn’t see it that way, and he wants us to stop thinking like that. So, he sent Jesus to help us figure it out – and that was after a very long succession of Priests, Prophets, Kings, Judges and Apostles. We’re still trying to figure it out.

Here’s some additional advice from our dear friend, St. Paul in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” So maybe it’s time to put away the rap with all the nasty words, put away the Internet “distractions,” the gory violence in the cinemas, and all the filth that confronts us in every community at all hours. “Garbage in, garbage out.” Where is the value in trying to entertain us with suffering, to enlighten us with violence, or to encourage us with deceit?

I have often said, “You don’t have to have fun to be happy. You have to be happy to have fun.” Or like the little green frog said, “Time’s sure fun when you’re having flies!” So today I want you to experience, to think about something that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and FUN!! If you can get YouTube, this should give you a few moments to enjoy Gifts for the Giver of All Good Things – Music for example!

For just the sheer fun of it I invite you to listen to this.

That’s all for today, Beloved. Pray for one another. Please spend a few minute in heartfelt prayer for people you think might just be unlovable – for whatever reason. Love them and forgive them and hold them in your heart like a beautiful song.

I also ask you to pray for JE who continues his perilous dance on the border between life and death. He had his 48th and 49th surgeries this past week, and yet clings to the Goodness of God and the love of all of us, his family – that includes you, MBN!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

WBS, OK?
PS: Thank you AT for sending us that link!

Time's sure FUN when you're having FLIES!

Aloha Friday Message – August 26, 2011 – Pass it around!

August 26, 2011

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Read it online here. This is from this Sunday’s Gospel reading.

Matthew 16:26 – What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life, or what can one give in exchange for his life?

Somewhere, sometime, I know you have sung 99 bottles of beer on the wall, and you know all about “you take one down and pass it around: 98 bottles of beer on the wall.” Today I am thinking about what Jesus said about having everything the World can offer right within your grasp, in fact even right within your possession, and then WHAM!! It’s all gone. Beloved, Jesus has challenged us to be generous with our gifts from God. If we are selfish with those gifts, no one will derive the benefit from them – not even us … especially not us! Why? Because when we invest God’s gifts in our own lives instead of in the lives of others, we essentially throw those gifts away. They become useless – and so do we – and eventually we end up losing the most important thing we have: Eternity in the presence of God.

In this ditty there are a finite number of beers on the wall. When we take one down and pass it around, the finite number diminishes. Eventually we get to the verse, “No more bottles of beer on the wall. No more bottles of beer! We’ll go to the store and buy us some more, 99 bottles of beer on the wall!” So, earthlings, where’s the store, and who’s got the money, and after several rounds of 99 beers … well I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d feel so good. And for sure and certain, had I not taken them down and passed them around, I definitely would not feel well, probably for days on end.

Sometimes we treat God’s gifts like those 99 bottles. We don’t know for sure where they came from, we don’t know (or care) who paid for them, we have no concern for the consequences once they are consumed, and if we keep them all for ourselves without passing them around, we end up feeling very unwell! So the question could be asked, “Is it better to go several rounds of 99 beers all by yourself, or is it better to pass them around?” Well, if it’s that many beers, it’s probably better not to get more than three or four down and passed around (or downed) today, and then maybe the same tomorrow and the next day and so on. No need to polish of the whole 99 in one sitting, right? I mean, if you tried to do that – drink like there’s no tomorrow – there just might not be a tomorrow, or tomorrow might not be at all pleasant. There has to be life after the party or else the party is the end of life. That also applies to Eternal Life.

When we don’t know Christ, our choices exclude an afterlife. In reality, our lives as earthlings are just the introduction to Eternity. Our comportment here affects our demeanor there. Whatever we suck up or suck down on earth has no effect on transitioning to eternal life. No great fame, or honor, or wealth, or notoriety, or skill, or genius, or anything of the World can earn any of us a place heaven. When you look at your life and the gifts God has put into you and see it all through your Father’s eyes, the perspective and perception is quite a bit different. Check out these Cross References: Psalm 49:7-9; Matthew 4:8-9 See also Luke 9:25 and Mark 8:35 (with notes). We’ve seen it so often among The Golden Ones in Hollywood, D.C., or pop music. The World sits down to a feast with them and then devours the feasters. The “had everything” and lost it all – taken away by drugs, or booze, or sex, or shame in a thousand different colors. They become trash, castaways, washouts, has-beens, and some even become dead. What kills them? What brings them down? It is a severe Spiritual damage that destroys this present life and imperils or even destroys Eternal Life. You can get back on the wagon and stay sober, but you cannot get a “Get Out of Hell Free” card and go to heaven.

Jesus put this parable in terms a sensible businessman could understand. He was talking profit and loss, investment and divestment, like richness against fabulous wealth.

There’s nothing in this world that can buy you a ticket to heaven, regardless of what some televangelists have said in the past. If you are willing to give up your soul and the eternal happiness that goes with it, then that is the price the Devil sets to buy your soul – next to nothing so that you yourself forfeit all God created you to be so that you can be all that you can be without him. Beloved, that’s not much. Even if you owned 20% of the whole world’s economy all to yourself alone, that’s exactly what you have: yourself alone, because the 20% of the world isn’t worth a puff of cloud in heaven. I want you to click on this link and read a Bible passage in very colloquial English. Please now, after you’ve read that passage, think about Luke 21:19: By standing firm you will gain life.

God is generous. Therefore, since you are created in his image, you are to be generous. Your generosity must not arise from a sense of duty – “I owe it all to God” – but from your deeply felt desire, even compulsion, to live your life in, for, and with Jesus; to emulate and imitate his every thought and move. Right up and through Calvary – your very own Calvary: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20). You know, it isn’t just you who gets crucified on your cross; so do all your sins, all your failings, all your troubles, and all the pain you bring to yourself and others by living only for you.

When I am willing to sacrifice the life of my body and to threaten it with illness or death just to revel in some short-lived pleasure induced by whatever addiction is strongest in me, am I not all the more willing to discount and sacrifice my very soul – the real God-given essence of me – for something I cannot experience with my bodily senses or even clearly imagine? Yet if someone else were to threaten or demand the sacrifice of my body for their pleasure, wouldn’t I fight against that? How much more so then should I fight for the life of my eternal soul? How many millions of lives are demolished and souls lost over the most pitiful pleasures, or the most worthless over-indulgence, sometimes for no greater reason that just being too lazy to say, “No?”

“Oh, it is only a soul which I cannot see and it is only eternity which I don’t understand. I don’t believe in either, so NBD.” Well, as I’ve said before, you’re in for one hell of a good time. We may find celebrating life a comforting way to remember the past, but to Celebrate Life, we have to focus toward the future with enthusiastic generosity, and extravagant sharing of every God-given gift. That is what keeps Life-as-God-made-it going. The other way is what makes life as we know it – worldly, but possibly comfortable, profitable, and even sharable. You can succeed in this life and the next, but you cannot be a success unto yourself and be yourself in Heaven. Here’s the story of a man who did so well, he made plans for doing better (where have I heard that before?) Luke 12:16-21

And what if you do succeed? What if everything you do is returned thirty, or sixty, or a hundred times over? IF you decide you are “too blessed to be stressed” and choose to keep it all for yourself, you lose! God blesses you so you can bless him by blessing others. Remember “bless the Lord” means to give God praise as an act of great gratitude – something which surely pleases God – makes him happy. You’re created in the image of God. All of God’s gifts are given with the intention that you will share them with others just as he has shared his generosity with you. If you short-circuit that and “the bucks stop here,” then you are not being true to God’s plan for his creation – to give each of us an infinite store of blessings, for he sings to us:

“Infinite Blessings of Joy unto all.
Infinite Blessings of Joy!
I’ll send one down. You pass it around.
[and you’ll still have]
Infinite Blessings of Joy unto all.”

August 19, 2011 – Aloha Friday Message – Stories

August 19, 2011

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Read it online here.

Psalm 138:1
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple.

Some of you already know this is my favorite Psalm. Every time we use it as the Responsorial Psalm – as we will this Sunday – I think about how wonderful it will be to stand at the entry to the Throne of God. There will be myriads and myriads serving and listening to God. I imagine the sounds of singing and shouts of praise coming from billions and trillions of angelic voices will be awe-inspiring. Thinking about it is, of course, only a glimmer of what it will truly be like. Whatever I can conceive about it is a pale and poorly extended metaphor – a paltry parable – but still illustrative of the eminently elegant Glory of Heaven. The parable I can grasp; the reality mystifies and humbles me.

In our daily readings this week, we’ve read many of the parables of Jesus. His parables – his extended metaphors – taught the disciples (and probably even many who did not follow him) about the radically-new idea of the Kingdom of Heaven. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like ….” I counted at least 30 times that phrase occurs in the Gospel of Matthew. In most of those occurrences, the setting is a parable, some of which are very short. One of my favorites among the short ones is in Matthew 19:13-14.

I think all of us enjoy hearing those parables, those stories by and about Jesus. When I was a kid we sang a little hymn about that. The hymn was written 126 years ago, and is still popular today. Perhaps you, too, remember singing it. You can find it here.

Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;
Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

First let me hear how the children stood round His knee,
And I shall fancy His blessing resting on me;
Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,
All in the love light of Jesus’ face.

Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea,
Tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee;
And how the Maker, ready and kind,
Chided the billows, and hushed the wind.

Into the city I’d follow the children’s band,
Waving a branch of the palm tree high in my hand.
One of His heralds, yes, I would sing
Loudest hosannas, “Jesus is King!”

Show me that scene in the garden, of bitter pain.
Show me the cross where my Savior for me was slain.
Sad ones or bright ones, so that they be
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

Words: William H. Parker, 1885.
Music: Stories of Jesus, Frederick A. Challinor, 1903

And Beloved, here is one of the many reasons I write to you each week. I love to tell the story! (Please check out this link and play the midi file at the bottom.)

Share-A-Prayer
• Thank you for your prayers for the persons who need help dealing with addictions. Also thank you for your prayers for those who have been just crushed by the loss of saving and income and job benefits and homes and livelihoods. This economic crisis – felt on every continent – is a tsunami of grief and suffering for many.
• Please continue to pray for the deliverance of the oppressed, the orphaned, the starving, and those suffering the ravages of famine, war, and terror. Please also put some muscle in those prayers by helping support relief efforts.
• CT has asked for your prayerful support while preparing for an examination that could lead to advancement at work and more stability for the family. Please ask for clear-minded and effective preparation that will lead to successful completion of the examination.

All of us know how to hear the stories of Jesus. Many of us know how to tell the stories of Jesus. I am asking you today to seriously work on knowing how to be the story of Jesus – be the Gospel for everyone who otherwise might not hear The Good News in the Stories of Jesus. As you work on this goal, you will find yourself in the presence of the angels singing God’s praise not only in your life today but forever at the entrance to God’s Great Throne.

For other instances referring to Psalm 138, see The Moon Beam Network for these dates, or go to the search box near the bottom of the right column and type in 138.

10.05.07
02.12.10
03.18.11

Aloha Friday Message – August 12, 2011 – Would you get that call, please?

August 12, 2011

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Read it online here.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

This verse is an excerpt from a passage about God’s call to, and covenants bestowed upon, Israel. The message to us is that whether called as a nation, a church, or an individual, God’s call and the gifts he offers are impossible to cancel, but not impossible to decline. The history of Israel demonstrates the fact that Israel repeatedly forsook the graces contained in the gifts and the calling. We also see the effects of failing to “honor the giver by accepting the gift.” Sometimes we fail to recognize both the call and the gifts,

They are gifts, not rewards. They are a matter of grace and not of merit. Such are all the favors which God bestows on sinners including forgiveness, peace, joy, holiness, and eternal life. It is an invitation (κλῆσις – klēsis in Greek), not a command; a beckoning rather than an imperative – and it is always with the intent of bestowing “grace beyond measure.” In this passage the gifts are things that make up the very core of all of us. They are gifts that allow us to more fully live our lives as he intended. They are not gifts that can be taken away. Are you in a ministry? That can be lost. We’ve certainly seen that before. Have you refused a calling to serve in the capacity for which you were created? You could miss out on a happy life because of it. No, these external gifts can be lost or refused, damaged or ignored. God’s deepest, oldest, and most wonderful gifts are part of us from the moment of creation and come to us by God’s perfect will for us.

In this passage about Israel, and by extension about you and me as well, God’s call to accept the gifts and the gifts themselves cannot be denied, cannot be changed. They cannot be subject to a recall. They will never be revoked, cannot be passed off to another, and most wonderful of all, they are part of every living soul that has or will walk the earth. God calls us – as sinners – and shows us that we have within us an affinity for him that draws us to become one with him. It is an everlasting call, and eternal gift, and a life of perfect joy which he has chosen for us and gives to us with no thought of ever changing his mind about it. God is faithful, the perfection of integrity, and he cannot lie. If he tells you, if he tells me, if he tells us “Come. This gift is for you,” you can rely on that “as Gospel.”

If you accept that call and those gifts, you participate in the inheritance of the Old and New Covenants. I believe that when that happens, you will find that God has placed “the desire of your heart,” your True Mission in Life, there for you to find. I cannot tell you that finding your true mission will not happen unless you accept the Gifts and The Call. Persons who are exceptionally gifted with talent or intellect or faith grow up knowing this external gift – a gift that influences the world, is their heart’s desire. Coupled with God’s most fundamental and irrevocable gift, these prodigious gifts become prodigious blessings to us and to everyone who meets us in this world. Sometimes we think the way we are gifted with knowledge, skills, and abilities is the whole purpose of our life on earth. I submit that without accepting and using the foundational gift of God’s covenant promises, whatever we do in life will be less than what it can be; we are all gifted, but some have accepted the Greater Gift – the gift of giving themselves to all as servants of God.

God gives us so many gifts! Life and health, faith and love and certainly hope, prosperity or poverty, shelter and peace, and all things of earthly life. All of these, if you think about it, can pass from our possession; but the calling to him and his righteousness, and the gifts of salvation are irrevocable. Everybody has them. Not all accept them. But let’s look at one man who did.

We’ve talked about Abraham before. God called Abram to become Abraham, to be the father of God’s chosen people, and to be a cofounder of an everlasting covenant between God and his chosen ones. Paul is referring to that here in this letter to the Romans. These three things are irrevocable, irreversible, permanent, and nailed forever to the fabric of time and space. God does not take back his call to us nor does he snatch away the gifts that come with that call. The special privileges given to Israel and passed to us as our inheritance through our adoption as brothers and sisters of the Christ and therefore sons and daughters of the Promise become forever ours when we honor the giver by accepting the gift and answering the call. And God seals the promise with his own word: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19).

So here is my point (a long last you say!): God has called you, and you will know constant joy and peace in your earthly life when you accept that call because that call guarantees you will receive all of his abundant love and grace here and in eternity with him. God has called you, and you will know unmanageable sorrow and conflict in your earthly life when you ignore that call because while that refusal guarantees you may perhaps receive some of the blessings give to all people of good will, you will not partake in all of the abundant love and grace – not because he withholds it, but only because you refuse it. Do you remember Diana Ross’ big hit, “I’m going to make you love me?” God would never sing that song! He will never force you to accept his love, his protection, his eternal life, or his forgiveness. He will, however, allow you to wallow in the discomforts caused by self-righteousness, obstinacy, and arrogant proclamations of self-sufficiency. To put it bluntly, you’ll be left twisting in the wind.

To what mission were you called in life? What is the vocation God ordained for your happiness through serving others? Come on now, if you think you don’t know, then you are not listening. If you think you can pick one on your own and achieve success equivalent to what you would achieve going down God’s path, well, sad to say you’re dead wrong. Do you know your mission but never quite find a way to achieve it to the fullest? Look inside your heart and soul. If God truly is Supreme there, then you are on the path to fulfillment because your mission is to glorify him with your gifts. If he is not supreme there in your heart and soul, then you have replaced God with something impermanent. You can be happy in life, but your Joy will not be complete.

However, if you heard the call and accepted the gifts, you are happy with your life because “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) And what is his purpose? Beloved, it is simply to be able to spend all eternity with you, one of his all-time favorite bits of creation, so that your Joy will be complete.

Share-A-Prayer:

• Thank you for your prayers for Maddie. I received word earlier this wee that Maddie has experienced a 100% cure; she has joined the choirs of angels and gone to the Lord this past Sunday evening. Please remember her friends and family this week as they grieve her loss.
• Thank you for your prayers for FO. We’re still awaiting the test results from earlier this week, and still trusting in the Lord for the gift of continued full remission.
• I have received more than a few requests recently for prayers for persons who are dealing with serious addictions. These requests resound deeply in my heart, having seen the effects of addiction from both sides many times. Pray that they will rely on God’s compassionate grace to begin or sustain recovery, and pray that God’s compassion be also granted to the friends and family who feel so great a loss; it’s like dying of a broken heart when we see a loved on being destroyed but a thing that has become their master.
• Hundreds of thousands in this country and millions around the world are suffering from unprecedented weather phenomena. Pray that these changes will reverse soon to more normal and comfortable levels.
• And there is another “climate phenomenon” that affects even more people here in the U.S. and around the whole world: The economy. Pray that the extraordinary vacillations in the economy diminish to a point of sustainable stability quickly. Remember also that at the heart of this crises are lust, gluttony, and especially greed – the worldliest of sins. Pray for repentance for the perpetrators and for the nation that has dismissed God in order to elevate these sins to life-styles.
• Beloved, pray for one another. Pray for faith, discernment, patience and perseverance, and especially humility for yourself, for the MBN, for world leaders, and especially for every living soul that refuses God’s irrevocable call and gifts.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

chick

Aloha Friday Message – August 5, 2011 – Whisperings on Aloha Friday

August 5, 2011

1131AFC080511 – Write that down.
[Chick sez: ] Read it online here, please.

Here is a collection of moments when the Holy Spirit whispered, “Write that down.”

1 Kings 19:13a
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

When Elijah did that, he heard God. Often we hear Him in ways we do not expect, see Him in places we cannot imagine He would be, and feel His presence in ways that give us goose-bumps. As I thought about that, I remembered times when that “tiny whispering sound” came to me in ways, places, feelings, and even whisperings I did not expect and strained to hear as I watched another Aloha Friday Message appear on the page. I decided to go back and look at some of those from this week – the first week in August – for a few years back. See if you recall any of these:

8/6/10 Proverbs 13:3 NIV: He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. An analysis of St. James’ treatise on controlling what we say and how that affects what we do; followed by The Story of the Wheat and the Tares

8/7/09 The little ways we know that God loves us came from the story about people who escaped death on 9/11 because little things prevented them from being there. Included was a suggestion to develop a personal Mission Statement. I included a copy of My Mission and the second goal was to be an Intercessor. That led to this prayer: (would you please pray this series of intercessions again? Thanks!)

I am inviting you to join me in that second role today, and every day until the next Aloha Friday. Please give this a try. If you can have friends and family join you, so much the better!

God calls His people to bless them so that they bless Him by blessing each other. We lift our hearts and minds to pray for one another:

Father, you call all of us to seek you in many ways. May each of us find that way that brings us closest to you. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

We pray for those who help and guide us on the way to finding our Peace in You. Give them strength to share with us when we are weak. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

We pray for who are overcome with struggling against their weaknesses. Show them mercy by infusing them with your Wisdom so they will see where strength is found. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

We pray for those among us everywhere who are suffering because of illness in body, mind, or spirit. Let them find comfort in the loving prayers we offer on their behalf. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

We pray for every person who lives in fear because of acts of terror, anger, war, or abuse and neglect. May we find ways to bless them with temporal and spiritual charity. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

We pray for those who indulge unhealthy appetites for what the world offers. Deliver them from their desire to appease themselves in themselves, and let their appetite lead them to the banquet of your love. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

We pray that in all things we will remember that you want us, just as we are, so that in us and through us the world will come to know there is no other god like our God and no better blessing than serving You. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.
We pray for those who have committed their live to you and gained your salvation. For those who are working to purify their souls through prayers and offerings of love to you and for us, we ask for pardon and peace. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

Gracious God, hear the prayers of your servants today and grant us the Peace that surpasses all understanding through Jesus, the Christ, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord, may the blessing we long for be the strength of your faithful people, so that they will never be in conflict with your will. May your blessing always prompt them to give thanks for your unmerited favors. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Make it a wonderful day, Beloved, the beginning of a wonderful week of prayer.

August 1, 2008: Three stories about the Power of Love… The story of Billy who died in surgery, the story of a nameless child who died at age 7, and a story of the revitalizing power of going to church. It concluded with “’Work for justice with joyous compassion, dispense mercy with generous kindness, live righteously, and walk humbly before God and man.’
Jaspard to Fortitude Foundling in The Adventures of Fortitude Foundling
The best way to get through life is to live every single moment of it, because each of them is brand new.”

August 3, 2007: Part 6 of Poems to My Peace. This was the analysis of that poem:

Time spent with people we love doing things we enjoy together is time well spent. Even if that time is spent only reminiscing, it is still time spent together. We can spend time with loved ones even when they are absent from us because L♥ve binds all things, all places, and all persons into Unity, and Unity is the simplest expression of Peace. Unity is the integral expression of God. He is One, absolutely and eternally. Everything that comes together in Unity – “U-N-I together” – is part of that Ultimate Integrity, the most fundamental and essential aspect of Deity. When I do not need to hold my peace but am instead held in Peace, Unity transports us “everywhere and anywhere we want to go just as easily as saying it.”

August 11, 2006: The story of the Dart Test and the effect of taking out our hurt on others. Jesus ends up taking the hit for us. Check it out at this link.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved. Listen for Him constantly. “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

Share-A-Prayer: CN, the trouble keeps multiplying. Pray for his conversion and for peace for his heart and his family. KD, facing more and more debilitating effects of chronic illness. Pray for strength to endure. FO, after complete remission for many months, going back for PET/CT to check on her cancer status. Pray for the good news that remission is continuing. SM, needs Jesus badly but cannot get past a hurtful past, the judgment of peers, and embarrassment about not knowing how to begin. Pray for a credible and empathetic witness to reach that heart.

Do you remember a teacher, a pastor, a friend or relative, or a book that blessed you by being a positive influence? Tell me about it. I want to put a collection of those in a future AFC!

Chick Todd
Age Quod Agis
America Bless God!

Aloha Friday Message – July 29, 2011 – Listen to this

July 29, 2011

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Read it online here.

Today’s Bible verse is Isaiah 55:3
(NAB) Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.

(NLT) Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Dead men don’t tell tales. Dead men don’t die. Dead men don’t wear plaid. Dead men don’t tell Charlie Chan. Dead men don’t cry. Dead men don’t eat. And certainly, dead men don’t listen.

Isaiah is speaking to Israel in this passage. He is announcing that God is going to bless them with such abundance that that it can never be depleted. Not only that, but the blessings of His abundance are so magnificent that no price can be set for them, but it does not matter because they have already been paid for by Someone else. These abundant blessings are far beyond our expectations. We answer the call of God hoping for the simplest things to sustain our lives – bread-and-water things – and instead He gives us rich and luxurious food and drink, wine and milk, honey and finest flour, the richest meats and the sweetest fruits. He says, “Takes this. It is for you. It will answer all your wants and satisfy all your needs. Just listen to what I AM telling you. These are the Word of Life. If you believe, then you shall live. Come and eat and all of this will become part of you for you to enjoy with Me forever.”

Can you hear that? Israel did not because Israel was dead – exiled to Babylon and cut off from the Promised Land. Israel was a captive nation, and they had no way to meet their needs, much less their wants. God said he would restore them to the Promised Land – and then some – and that instead of crossing a barren desert to get there – as they had done in the Exodus – this new exodus would be across a paradise where the mountains would be lowered and the valleys raised, the road traveled would be level, and instead of the barely-adequate water in the desert, their journey would be blessed with pools and streams of fresh, life-sustaining water … FOREVER! Nothing at all would be lacking because God was restoring the Land and restoring the People to the Land. He is calling them to begin this Journey, this New Exodus, by just saying “Yes, I’ll take it.”

And what is this Abundance? What is this promise God is making? Is it all the material, physical, momentary, temporary, short-lived things we work so hard all our lives to acquire? Of course not! It is The Kingdom of God present in and through Christ Jesus. Christ and Heaven are ours without any indebtedness. We owe God nothing for this abundant Grace, this gift of absolute satisfaction and contentment that satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst far, far beyond our expectations.

Those who are satisfied with what The World has to offer do not respond to this call from God. They neither hunger nor thirst for righteousness – virtues, morality, decency, honesty; all these are commodities used to buy worldly products, goods, services, and comforts. They have no expectation of anything greater than what they can possess. Even love itself becomes a possession that can be bought and sold, withheld, decorated, abused, and discarded. Everything is disposable. Only what they want next has value. Everything they have has been bought with a price. And they fail to realize that they, too, have been bought with a price. Thus inclined, they reject God’s offer of abundance, joy, and everlasting happiness. They have what they need because they have taken what they want.

We know these people. Some of them are the agnostics, the atheists, the hypocrites, and the unfulfilled. They may do good deeds in their lives. Some may choose to be kind, generous, and even pious; yet these characteristics are part of their bartering system for the enhancement of their worldly prestige. Even so, we all tend to embrace, or to like, or merely to tolerate them. There are still others who are the criminals and depraved people who cause immense suffering out of greed and evil; the general public has a low tolerance for these individuals. Collectively, these are the earthlings who choose not to hear and therefore not to answer God’s call to the abundant life He promises. They hear only their own music, see only their own finery, taste only their own pleasures, touch only their own world, and smell only their own death.

God is calling you to the Table. The banquet is ready. The table is set. You have been invited to feast with your friends. If you are dissatisfied with The World’s pointless passion, let that disappointment cause you to listen intently to God’s invitation, and then take Him up on it. If the vanities of your life are so mundane that you are given over to addiction, infidelity, or indifference; if your life is filled with the pain of abandonment, the anxiety of confusion, or the pointless acquisition of emptiness; then answer the call. Why should you have to pay for it when it is more than you want, more than you need, and more that you can comprehend? Why work and work and work at filling your life with The World when you can have Everything God has promised – every single Blessing and Grace promised to Israel through King David – free? That is F – R – E – E FREE!

And why does God call you to this eternal banquet? Check out the last sentence in our scripture today: I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

So, now you are telling me you’re already at the Banquet Table, everything’s fine, and you’re just on the verge of getting second-helpings? Excellent! One question though: Is that empty chair next to you for your neighbor? Not sure how to invite him/her? Maybe you can share what you heard in this message, or send them to aloha-friday.org.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

Share-A-Prayer
You have all heard of the tragedy in Sweden. Pray for those who grieve, those who fear, and that those who died will enjoy the Heavenly Banquet. Pray that they will find Peace, and then bless them.

You have all heard of the tragedy in Somalia. Pray for those who are hungry, those who feel terror, and that they will share in the wealth the world can offer to alleviate their suffering. Pray that they will find safety, and then ensure it lasts.

You have all heard of the thousands of earthlings, many of them children, in our own country who are hungry. Pray for those who may not eat tonight, those who did not eat last night, and that never again will they go to bed hungry. Pray that their hunger will be satisfied, and then feed them.

You have all heard of the billions of earthlings who scorn the Banquet, including those who live pious lives. Pray for those who are deluded, those who are demented, and those who are determined to save themselves from the hole they keep digging.

You have all heard of domestic violence and gender-based violence. Pray for the perpetrators, the direct and indirect victims, and support the shelters and agencies who care for those who are abused.

+++++ This may be the beginning of a series. Many of you will hear this verse, Isaiah 55:3, in your church services this coming Sunday. For the next 3-4 weeks we’ll try that out. If you don’t hear this verse Sunday because your pastor spoke on a different passage, that’s OK because then this message is like all the previous messages. If you do hear this passage this Sunday, add what you learn from your pastor to this message, and then share it with someone else. If you don’t hear this verse this coming Sunday because you’re not going to go to church, well, there’s still time to change your mind.+++++

Aloha Friday Message – July 22, 2011 – A Short Lesson

July 22, 2011

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Read it online here.

Aloha nui loa, ‘Ōmea! Today I want to continue with the idea of being part of a faith community. Here is a passage that addresses that issue:

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

And here is a little illustration of the same idea put another way:

Sermon without a word

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending Services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher Decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preachers Visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home but said nothing.

In the heavy silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly-burning ember, and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he silently sat back in his chair.

An ember on the hearth …

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember, and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host, with a tear running down his cheek, said, “Thank you so much for your visit, and thanks especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

We live in a world today which tries to say too little with way too much. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.

What we do says who we are. Actions speak louder than words.

Will the Lord see YOU in church next Sunday? I hope so!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The ember on the hearth is not consumed in the fire on the grate, and therefor has no part in the “life” of the fire. “Were not our hearts burning within us?” In this story the fire is burning without us, and we are a cold lump of charcoal, no longer like the living wood, but more like “ashes to ashes and dust to dust.” We are dead, dead, dead – unless we get back into the Fire into which we have been baptized. We can again be part of warmth and light even though we are consumed in the transition.

In Jesus’ parable, though, the branch removed can never be expected to bear fruit again. It will remain not only fruitless but also, eventually, lifeless – a dead, dried up strip of crumbling kindling. Usually, that is.

But I know of vines that have been transplanted, or grafted into another vine. When that happens, it is possible that life will continue, perhaps as a struggle at first, but still possible. I guess I think of that as what happens to people like me who are converts. I was well-nourished, pruned, nurtured, and bore fruit in one sort of vine. After about 20 years of that, I was cut off from that vine and lay around fruitless and drying up for a while. Then the Vinedresser grafted me into a better, more beautiful, and way more nurturing vine and my life has flourished since then. Oh, I still put out a few yucky fruits now and then (THAT’s an understatement!), but – on the whole – the good fruit is so much better and way more abundant.

In part that is because of the workers in the Vineyard who make sure the vines are living an optimized life. That would include you and all the MBN. So, God bless you for all that you have done and will do to make the Vineyard a cause for Joy from the Master. The branch is viable only on the vine, but the vine – and the faithful worker – are rooted to the Vineyard planted by the Master. And instead of being consumed and going to ash, the vine, the branches, the vineyard, the worker, and the Master produce Life that yields fruit and even wine to cheer the heart and save the soul.

As always, thanks for your prayers and your participation in the MBN. I deeply appreciate your presence in our lives.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

Share-A-Prayer
Thanks for your prayers for M who had chicken pox. Recovery went well and he was able to return to work this week. Let us pray to the LORD to say THANKS!

Please continue you help us pray for KD whose health continues to be a growing problem. Pray for strength, courage, and understanding as things progress.

We learned recently that CN landed in some very serious trouble resulting in some serious charges. Parents, Aunts and Uncles, friends and family are praying that CN will get the help he needs to get his life straightened out. I’m asking the MBN to pray for his conversion – let him come to the Lord for healing.

Here are some suggestions for your daily intention in your intercessory prayers:

We pray for Christians, and for people of all faiths, who are being persecuted for their beliefs.

We also pray that those who fear they cannot or should not be forgiven will find that your mercy exceeds all their fears.

We pray for the conversion of sinners everywhere. Help them to nurture and cherish the spark of your Spirit that dwells in every living soul.

We pray for the children and youths, especially on our island. We ask that you will watch over them and reveal yourself to them through the loving care of family and community so they can recognize and embrace God’s infinite love for them.

Bless and protect the lives and works of the gallant men and women who serve in our Armed Forces around the world. For those who are in most danger in combat zones, send your mighty angels to stand with them against our foes.

Lastly, I humbly ask for your prayers as I take on a new responsibility as a member of the Parish Pastoral Council for St. Catherine’s. Please ask God to bless all the council members so that we can serve our fellow parishioners according to His will.

Aloha Friday Message – July 15, 2011 – A Bad Day at Black Rock

July 15, 2011

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Read it online here. Please use all the other links in this message, too. Thanks!

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I CAN’T BREATHE! I CAN’T BREATHE! HELP ME! HELP ME! I CAN’T BREATHE!

These words were often heard in my mother’s room at the Cherry Creek Nursing Center in Aurora, Colorado. She would experience panic attacks associated with her advancing dementia, and she was convinced she could not breathe. My brothers, along with the excellent nursing staff, were the ones who had to deal with it directly. I was thousands of miles away here in Kaua‘i. This happened so frequently, and was so disruptive and disconcerting to the other patients that it led to her being heavily sedated most of the time. The medication helped her, calmed her fears, and made it possible for the nursing staff to provide the level of care she needed. She was completely dependent on others for every function of her life, and, fortunately, only rarely during the years she stayed there did she experience again the sensation of not being able to breathe. My brother Dave often pointed out to her that if she had enough wind to shout, she must be breathing.

Although I was not there to witness her distress or to assist in her care, I certainly understood what she experienced. Some of my earliest childhood memories center on my lifelong asthma. I can remember several times going to bed at night and waking up the next morning in the hospital in an oxygen tent. Sometimes I would be there over night, or maybe one or two days. There was one stretch in the fourth grade when I was out for weeks. The feeling of not being able to inhale or exhale is definitely terrifying, and the panic one feels makes it even harder to breathe. Asthmatics learn how to take slow and shallow breaths so as not to start coughing. Coughing can be exhausting if you can’t get enough breath into your lungs to make it effective.

Over the past 60 or so years I have gained a lot of experience with that kind of “defensive breathing.” Most of the time my asthma is well-controlled with a regimen of medications, exercise – or avoidance of some kinds of exercise. As long as I manage the disease properly, most of the time it’s not a problem. I hardly ever have “just a cold.” I get pneumonia as easily as most people do common colds. Fortunately my doctors understand that I know when I am going to need additional medications, and – working together – we can usually avoid getting into serious trouble; but not always. Occasionally there are circumstances that I cannot manage. Take this past Thursday as an example.

Crucita and I were spending a week on Maui. We set aside Thursday to go snorkeling. Her nephew is a pipe-fitter working a job on one of the resorts near Black Rock Beach, a premium snorkeling spot. We parked near the hotel and walked over to the beach. Crucita is a natural in the water. Me, I don’t even like being wet, but I have at least mastered snorkeling and enjoy the beautiful things I see. It takes me a little longer to get into the water because I have to be careful of the UV which is always really intense here, so Crucita went ahead and got into the water. I slathered on a ton of sunscreen, gathered up my gear and went down to the water’s edge to join her. When I pushed out into the water, I got about 20 feet out and things went crazy in a hurry. I felt the beginnings of a bronchospasm, something I had not felt in years. Every breath I took through the snorkel tube made it worse. Suddenly I was yelling those words at the top of this message. I could not breathe. I could not cough. I could, however, panic; the ocean is a bad place to do that.

Crucita tried to get me to take her hand so she could tow me in, but the surf surge – small as it was – made it impossible for me to try to suck in air without my snorkel, and I knew something in the snorkel had triggered the bronchospasm. It was a dilemma, but solvable. I latched onto a boulder and tried to stay shoulders-above-water. I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes; this was no NDE – Near Death Experience. I’ve done that three or four times, and this was nowhere near close. But it was scary. I didn’t pray, I didn’t call my angel, Baruch, to come get me. I just held onto the rock and tried to move some air in and out while shouting I CAN’T BREATHE! I CAN’T BREATHE! Well, to quote Dave, I had enough air to shout, so I must have been breathing. I simply had hope and faith that somehow I would get out of that mess.

Then a solution arrived, an act of charity, a wise choice made by a young boy – maybe 10-11. He offered me an orange boogie-board and Crucita, the boy, and a few other people got me out of the water. It took nearly an hour to bring everything under control and to be able to breathe nearly normally.

Now, what in the world does all of that have to do with St. John’s message, today’s chosen Bible passage? First, please click on this link to see that passage in context. John is talking about testing spirits to see if they are of God of The World. The proof of being of the Spirit rather than of The World is Love. If it is from or leads to Love it is of God. Now, think of this: There is evil in The World, but not all of The World is evil. We can get into things that indeed are life threatening not only to our natural, physical life, but also to our Spiritual life. You have heard, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” Death is a punishment, one that can come suddenly and unexpectedly from something that at first seems inconsequential – or more likely from something where we have chosen to ignore the possible consequences. We fail to “test the spirit” of a thing or action, commit to it without thinking, and end up in trouble.

Beloved, we are at war in The World and at war with The World. As Paul stated in Ephesians 6, we are in a spiritual warfare. That is also why John was exhorting believers to stand together in love, and not to fear punishment for doing what is right and good. But we also know that just as The World can suddenly become life threatening, so too can our experiences with the spiritual world. The potential consequences of this war are way more terrifying than not being able to breathe. Not breathing can take your life. Not fighting the evil can take your soul. So here’s the point:

The best way to get out of trouble is to stay out of trouble. In our lives we will have those moments when things go horribly wrong without warning. We will be betrayed by a loved one, become desperately ill, suffer some kind of tragic loss, and while it is true that sometimes these difficult things are the natural consequences of our choices and actions, it is also sometimes totally random. The World likes to call that “An Act of God.” You can argue both sides of that and not get very far because “what happened” is less important than your response to it.

John and Paul each tell us to respond with and in faith, with and in hope, and most importantly with and in Love. My “Bad Day at Black Rock” ended well because I, and everyone around me, held onto faith and hope, and then a little boy showed up and completed the triad by an act of unconditional love. He gave up his boogie-board and floated me to safety.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

Please continue to pray fro Maddie Spence (who suffers from Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, we pray for strength throughout the treatment and healing process. Find out more at Madelyn Spence’s Corner)

Also continue to pray for the continued healing of M, a 51 y.o. husband and father who got Chicken Pox. He is making progress.

Also we continue to pray for PB in Flagstaff who is struggling to break the grip of addiction.

Remember MC, TO, CF, and everyone who has experienced huge loss recently. Pray that the hurt and the confusion caused by their trauma will be eased by the faith, hope, and love of their friends in the MBN and elsewhere. Pray that ALL who are in pain, sorrow, danger, or illness with find a healing word.

Remember to pray for one another, too. And please, please, please remember to do small things with great love.

Aloha Friday Message – July 8, 2011 – A Faithful friend for Aloha Friday

July 8, 2011

1127AFC070811 Read it online here.

Sirach 6:14-16 A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.

Sometimes when we listen to or read a certain scripture passage, we hear it in a new way. That happened last Sunday as I listened to a reading from the 8th chapter of Romans- one of my long-time favorite chapters. Beginning at verse 9: “But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (NAB) Or written in another translation (NLT) “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)”

This is going to drive my spellchecker crazy, but I want you to hear it from the NAB as I have often heard it. I heard, “ifonly the Spirit of God dwells in you.” What I heard last Sunday was, “if onlytheSpirit of God dwells in you.” Small difference, I suppose, but enough to make me think long and hard about what that means.

What would it be like, I wondered, if inside of me was not the sinful earthling I struggle with day after day, but instead everything inside me was The Spirit of God? All the selfishness, the sinfulness, the anger, the doubts, the very things that separate me from God – all would be banished if I let go of that spirit of corruption Paul is talking about and instead embraced The Spirit of God. It is something to which many of us aspire, and in which all of us fail – most of the time anyway.

Once in a while, The Spirit prevails over our flesh – the descriptive term Paul applied to living completely in and of the world. We’ve often heard our pastors say to “be in the World, but not of the World. We accomplish that when we let our spiritual life take precedence over our Worldly life; when our actions are motivated by love – of God and neighbor – then we are not “of” the world, not merely flesh. We are “of” The Spirit.

We also all know that we cannot do that on our own. We depend on The Spirit to be able to access the Grace to be Holy. That is why we have that constant warfare between the flesh and the spirit, between our sinful nature and our holy calling. Left on my own, I have to admit I often find it easier to give into the sinful nature into which I was born, and forego standing against the World with The Spirit. Wouldn’t it be great if there were more help for each of us to do that? Well, I have found a source for just that kind of help!

You. Yes, it is you who help me most when I can’t set aside my selfish, sinful ways. I remember you, and that makes it easier to prevail; not just to endure the ways I fail, but to prevail against failure itself. It does not happen often enough, but it does happen more when you and I stand together. I have learned that I can depend on you to remind me to pay attention to what The Spirit is saying rather than what The World is saying.

And so we can see that indeed a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, a priceless treasure, and a life-saving remedy. When we consecrate our lives – set them aside to be purified and made holy vessels for God’s purposes – we defeat those things which keep us “of” The World even though we are still “in” The World. Of course, you can see that it is not us that brings about this defeat of sin, but The Spirit. When we selflessly act in Love rather than selfishly act outside of love, then we have only the Spirit of God in us. That is easier to do with Good friends, friends whose own holiness is visible to us more often than their failures to be holy.

When I fully consecrate my life to The Spirit, it is not possible to divide that consecration so that I can hoard away areas of my life that are just for my Worldly pleasure. It is all or nothing. If I consecrate all of my life, that includes you; you most certainly are part of my life, and a big and important part at that!

So, Beloved, I choose these passages today so that you will know more intimately why I say that I love you. You are part of what makes it possible for me to live in and make use of the Grace of God.

I came into this world as a son, and despite some intensely negative episodes where I let my parents down, I always new that as a son I was loved. Later I added the role of brother, and there again, I often failed to act upon the love I felt for and from my siblings. Still later I was able to add the role of husband. It is a role I cherish, even though I am often not the good husband I can and should be. And even later still, I learned the joy of being a father to our children. Once again, I often failed to live up to the holy responsibilities of parenthood. And yet, in all these roles every time that Love prevailed so also did The Spirit prevail – or is it more likely the other way around? Yes, every time I let The Spirit prevail, Love prevailed.

It is the same process with friends, “for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.” Beloved, thank you for helping me live out this song:

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated unto Thee.
Take my moments and my days.
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Let them flow in Ceaseless Praise.

Share-A-Prayer

My colleague, LL, told me that her husband M is very ill with chicken-pox. M is 51, a terrific dad and wonderful husband. As an adult, this virus is especially dangerous. Please lift up M and his family in your hearts and minds and pray for successful treatment of this infection with minimal suffering and side-effects.

Continue in your prayerful support of missionaries, and all the humanitarian helpers in all the areas of the world where tragedies have taken many thousands of lives. Pray also for those who are suffering the horrors of war, terrorism, famine, and disease. Pray for our leaders in every walk of life, but especially for those who lead us in our Spiritual lives. And of course, Beloved, pray for one another – for each and all of us – that we will always find in one another a sturdy shelter, a priceless treasure, and a life-saving remedy in whom only The Spirit of God dwells.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.at your service, Beloved.

Aloha Friday Message – July 1, 2011 – Pucker up!

July 1, 2011

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Read it online here.

Aloha nui loa, ‘Ōmea! Much love to you Beloved! Today’s verse is another one from Proverbs. It is a sweet thought that has some deep implications. It is Proverbs 24:26:

An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips [from a true friend].

In this day and age, that can be dangerous ground to tread, especially if you don’t look a little deeper into what it all means. Is this something that can be linked to St. Paul’s message, “Greet one another with a holy kiss” in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26? Sort of, but it is more along the lines of a greeting between two very good friends as in 2 Samuel 19:39 as between King David and his dear friend, Barzillai. The gray-haired old man had done great service to David – so much so that David wanted to take him to live with him a life of fame and honor in Jerusalem. Barzillai turned him down by basically saying, “I’m too old for that stuff. You go on ahead and have a great life.” David loved him for that unselfishness and kissed him as he prepared to cross the Jordan on his return to Jerusalem.

There is another example in Acts 20:37. Paul is with the church in Miletus with representatives of the Church of Ephesus. He has acknowledged being led by the Spirit to travel to Jerusalem. This was a momentous decision, and literally changed the course of church history. Paul has just told his dear friends that they will probably never see him again, and they are moved with deep sorrow as they bid him farewell with embraces and kisses.

A kiss is a token of affection. It can be one person to another person as mother to child, it can be a shared moment was we share a kiss as husband and wife, or it can be a sacred moment as in the Sign of Peace (the literal Kiss of Peace or Biblical Holy Kiss). A kiss from a friend, especially a deeply-loved friend, is different from all of these. It is a sign of affection, yes, but also a sign of deep respect and love. When your friend gives you a kiss, it is way different from the kiss you get from your mom or dad, your gramma or grampa, your auntie or uncle, or from any relative for that matter. It is also way different from the kiss you get from your spouse or your boyfriend/girlfriend, or your kids. A kiss from a friend is like a polite and affectionate closing to a beautiful letter. It is not out of character for the person or their relationship to you. It is just a perfect way to say, “You are so beautiful to me. I love you.”

God says that to us sometimes. I recall the story of a young priest we knew in Phoenix who told us about one of those experiences. He told us that when he was facing the decision to go to seminary, he felt unworthy, depressed, uncertain, and asked God to show him how to make his decision. Nothing happened. He decided to drive over to the athletic field to watch a softball game. As he sat there in his car, he continued to wrestle with his convictions and his doubts. It was no use. There was still no answer. Then, by impulse, he reached over and turned on the car radio, thinking it would help take his mind off this internal debate. Just as he reached for the switch on the radio he prayed, “OK, God. I get it. I’ll be still and wait on you. I’m just not sure I’m good enough for this, not sure I can do what you want, not sure if I’m even able to hear you if you do answer me.” The radio started up and the first thing he heard was God’s answer to his prayer. It was a song, and the words were, “You are so beautiful to me…” He instantly knew God not only heard him but also answered back, and that’s how he started the process of becoming Father Mark.

That was one sweet answer! For Fr. Mark it was like a kiss on the lips from God himself! It was – in today’s parlance – so sahhhh-WEET! It reverberated through his whole being. Here in Hawaii we’d say he got “chicken-skin” (goose-bumps). His heart skipped a beat. He knew with perfect clarity that God loved him because the answer was that intimate and correct. When your valued, dear, honest, and deeply-loved friend gives you a kiss like that, you just feel … BLESSED!! It’s not sexual (hetero-, homo-, or otherwise), it’s not worldly, it’s not even uncomfortable. Far from it in fact, because an honest Holy Kiss is a reminder of the powerful love of God. He became an earthling so he could plant a Holy Kiss on other earthlings.

And so we go back and look at this verse in Proverbs. It is not the act of giving or sharing a kiss that is the point of this verse. It’s about what it is like to receive a kiss like that. In the context of the era in which the verse was written (and right up until this very moment as you read these words) it has nothing to do with a kiss. If you ask a question and get a delightfully satisfactory answer, it’s like getting a kiss on the lips from a dear friend, from God even. It is sahhhh-WEET! So when you get an honest answer – from a friend, a lover, an advisor, a bank, a government agency, a spouse, a child, a pastor, from any person or institution – an honest answer is like a sweet kiss. It is a welcoming, intimate realization that The Truth has been presented to you as a gift. Gosh, I love that idea!

Of course, I also love the idea of a sweet kiss on the lips from a dear friend – even if it comes over the radio like it did for Father Mark. I remember one time in Kayenta (you’ve heard this story before) I was really disgusted with having to stay 120 miles away from the family and drive over two hours to get home Friday night and then leave before sun-up to get back before work Monday morning. I asked God “What do you want me to do here?!?!” And God’s quiet answer was “Live here!” Oh, yeah, no? That was such a sweet kiss – maybe it felt like a kick in the head at the time, but now I remember it as a Kiss.

So, Beloved, think about that the next time you hear a dishonest answer, and go out of your way to give an honest answer, an honest appraisal, and always an honest Holy Kiss.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved! Pucker up! God may be waiting to plant one on you, too! And think about this: How much do you think God would enjoy a kiss on the lips from you?!?!?

Who-o-o-a-a-ah, DUDE! Chicken-skin!!

Share-A-Prayer

A former parishioner from our St. Catherine’s Parish here in Kapaa is going in on July 6th for a colon resection. We ask for prayers for a successful surgery, an uneventful full recovery, and a successful reentry to a life full of faith and music. This is for BP who now lives on the mainland.

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