Aloha Friday Message – August 6, 2010 – Hold Your Tongue!

August 6, 2010

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Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved!

Today I have two things on my mind. The first is this past Sunday’s Healing Word: Orbit. The second is this verse from

Proverbs 13:3
NIV: He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
NAB: He who guards his mouth protects his life; to open wide one’s lips brings downfall.
KJV: He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

This passage always reminds me that [1] one of these days my mouth is going to be the end of me, and [2] despite that, I can do something about it. I know this because of what I learned when studying the Epistle of James 3:1-12.

James talks about the power of speech, the power of the tongue. The power of speech is one of the most amazing gifts God has given us. In any language a human can praise God, bless God, worship God, adore God, glorify God, teach fellow souls about the power of God’s Word, and assist the Holy Spirit to lead lost sinners to Christ. But with that same tongue we can blaspheme God, insult God, sin against God and our brothers and sisters, and – like the Adversary – we can tell lies that can ruin a life, destroy a relationship, or break someone’s heart.

We have the ability to speak truth; it is certainly the best way to influence others; and yet so often we take this ability for granted or – worse – abuse it and invent our own “truth.” James’ Epistle gives us several different ways to understand the versatility of the tongue: the bit, the rudder, fire, a poisonous animal, a fountain, and a fig tree. I’d like to focus on the first and third of those for today.

A bit: Let’s think of the whole body and then think about how small a part of that body comprises the tongue. Yet, for such a small part, it truly is wonderful because of all the things it does; Taste, chew, speak, swallow, spit watermelon seeds, whistle, drink, even breathe; all of these things are possible because of the way the tongue was created. Small thing; big functionality. That functionality is one of the major determining factors in how we live out the course of our life on Earth. James points out another small thing with big functionality: a bit – and bridle of course. The analogy is that we put a bit into a horse’s mouth and – with the bridle – we can control a horse. A horse something that is animal as opposed to mineral, alive as opposed to inert, has a certain amount of self volition as opposed to with no self-control (bingo!), and doesn’t work at all unless it is held firmly in place. Hmmm. My tongue is alive, often does what I don’t want (including get between my teeth when I am eating), and sometimes I lose control of it because it gets disconnected from my bridle a/k/a brain. And whenever it “acts out on its own” someone or something usually gets hurt.

Fire: Many lives, governments, marriages, self-images, and even politicians have been reduced to ashes by a “tiny slip of the tongue,” a “little white lie,” an insult delivered as humor, or complex orchestrations of propaganda. James point out that the smallest spark – set loose carelessly or deliberately I would say – can set a whole forest afire. If you’ve ever been at a bonfire, you know how hot and dangerous it can be, and that’s a fire that is supposed to be controllable. A forest fire is something that is at once terrifying and fascinating. Who cannot watch the images on TV as a fire creeps across the land devouring everything in its path? But if you’ve ever been at, in, or even close to a forest fire, you know it is something only slightly less powerful than the ocean. Such destruction can begin from the smallest incident and progress far beyond its place of origin. Even a small, brief contact with fire can cause lasting trauma. Have you ever burned your finger lighting a match or picking up a heated object? Fire can cause hurt and in some instances – depending on how it is controlled – can also provide help. We set intentional burns to make fire-breaks, we cauterize wounds, we smelt ore, we cook food, we defend against the wild, and fill a room with light – all generated by fire under control. James’ point is that when fire is allowed to be out-of-control, usually bad things happen. I am leaving lightening strikes out of this illustration because, for me, that opens the door to another huge area of learning.

James images in this passage are meant to show us what may happen when we fail to control our tongues. He states that the person who can control his/her tongue can control the whole body – and avoid sinning in the flesh. If we step back a little farther and look at the context of this passage, we see that it begins with an admonition to those who are, or wish to be, teachers. In the early church there were apparently a lot of people who laid claim to knowing the truth about Jesus. James admonishes them to be careful, because a teacher has a greater and higher level of accountability. The authority to teach can be abused; it can even be falsified. James cautions people to be discerning about the fruit of their service to others. (See last week’s AFC as well as Matthew 7:14 and Luke 6:44). We, too, must be discerning (see 1 John 4:1-3 … “Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, 3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God.”

OK, so we get the idea: The tongue can be a tiny little monster at times, yet it is essential to life, but can also be a source of death. We need to be careful how we control it and how we deal with the consequences. Another passage in Proverbs speaks of the person who doesn’t care about the destructive power of his carelessly spoken words. “Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, ‘I was only joking!'” (Proverbs 26:18-19). It’s easy to let our ego move us away from “love thy neighbor as thyself” and smack-dab into “Umm-m-m-m-m! You stu-ped! I’m going to tell.” It’s easy because that’s what The World expects under the domination of The Prince of The Air – Satan, The Accuser whose whole existence is controlled by his own lying tongue. Because of that he was cast away from God, and when I follow his advice, I am also moving away from my Creator.

Some days I am close enough to God and strong enough in my faith that the light and warmth of The Son enriches everything in my life. Other days my orbit carries me into cold and darkness and my life shrivels; that dark cold even affects everyone in my life.

• When my orbit has nothing at the center, I just run around in a circle until I lose control and dash off into oblivion.
• When I orbit around something powerful enough to keep bringing me in no matter how much or how often my own momentum wants to carry me out, my orbit is cleaner and less likely to lead to destruction.
• When I orbit with and around others who are centered in that same power, we influence each other and become a system of orbiting bodies. Now I can’t exited that too far without running into trouble, because the point I want to make is that where we have the potential and power to control our lives, we should do so.

Orbits are a complex function of gravity and mass. That gravitational pull is a little like a bridle. If I oversimplify that, and draw that oversimplification back to the passage in James, what I learn is that the best place to put that bridle connected to the bit that controls my life is in the hands of The Master. My brain, my heart, my tongue, my imagination, my devotions – all of these can be turned over to Him. Once in a while (like nearly every day) in the same way a headstrong horse yanks at the bit-and-bridle, I can regain “control” for a while. That usually does not turn out well. That bridle is the orbit that keeps me centered on where the Real Power resides.

Thank you for your prayers this past week. Please continue your prayerful support of everyone in the MBN, especially those who have asked for our prayers.

MN, PF, NA, and JE (happy to report he is back to work again): All have chronic illness and are working on doing their part in the healing process. JE especially asks for your continued prayerful support that he will not relapse.
KV, JM & family, PM, FS: All traveling under God’s protection so we pray for continued safety leading back to home and work.
CT: Father passed away midweek. Many friends and family sent condolences. Pray for the family as they work through their sorrow.
KD: Fighting the good fight against great adversity. Help him hold onto his home and his faith.
The MBN: Pray that we continue to make time to pray for the whole MBN at least daily.
CI, KA, TH, KM, MC, TO, and the millions of other Americans looking for work to sustain their families: Pray that they will become part of the solution in the world economic crisis by finding employment.
The suffering souls in the Philippines, China, Chile, Afghanistan, Iraq, The Gulf, Somalia, Darfur, and everywhere that evil and catastrophe inhabit the lives of billions: Pray for God’s Mercy, and strive to be an instrument of that Mercy.

MBN member AV sends this bit of advice: I would strongly recommend the following site for ALL of your prayer requests for healing: http://www.christianhealingmin.org/prayerrequests/
Check it out; it’s a wonderful resource.

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

Chick Todd
Age quod agis.

Urgent prayer requests – August 4, 2010

August 4, 2010

You remember Ryder, our godson. His Grandmother has been on the MBN prayer list for
quite some time now due to an aggressive cancer. She has been undergoing treatments which
initially were positive. Today she is having a pretty rough time of it – not doing well –
so Ryder’s mom and Godparents are asking you to offer an extra line or two in your daily
prayers for Grandma Nelson – as well as for Grampa Nelson, the love of her life. As
always we ask for hope, healing, and health.

In addition, I ask for prayer for Polly F. who has been dealing with a rapidly
progressive illness which her doctors have been fighting despite not knowing for certain
the cause or how to get her the treatment she needs because of poor access to her veins
and difficulties with her kidneys. Polly’s brother is a Franciscan Priest, a friend of
the MBN, and a personal friend as well.

Thank you, Beloved, for your prayers also for Justin’s family. The family and friends of
Justin are offering a novena in his honor and we are laying him to rest on August 10th.
May his soul rest in peace and may he be perpetually in the Light of El Shaddai – God
Almighty, the God who is All Sufficient.

Aloha Friday Message – July 30, 2010 – Look Sharp! It’s Aloha Friday!

July 30, 2010

1031AFC073010 Look Sharp! It’s Aloha Friday!

Proverbs 27:17
NAB: As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man.
KJV: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Sometimes when I read that, I sort of wonder about the assumptions there. Does that mean a harder person sharpens a softer person? A smarter person sharpens someone less bright? Looking at the meanings of the words in Hebrew there is a connotation that inner strength is used to strengthen the outer strength (paw-neem’ – countenance) of another. One strength which is internal helps shape the external strength and character of another. It is a way the inner character is tested and improved. It is a fruitful relationship, but it seems to me it is mostly a one-way relationship.

I was going through some old notes and came across something that explores two-way relationships – community relationships. It’s based on the differences between like and love. Liking is a feeling. Loving is an act. Liking is easier, and loving is definitely harder. The fruits of like are transitory and superficial. The fruits of love are enduring and deeply meaningful.

Think about fruit for a minute. It’s natural. Fruit is not manufactured. It is the outcome of life and living. It is begun with fertility and yields to growth, but the growth must be nurtured. Living, life, growing, cultivating – all of there require an “other” or several others. The relationship between the fruit and the others requires cultivation. Fruit doesn’t just happen. It doesn’t appear out of nothing. It comes from a tree, a plant, a vine, a seed and the host that produces the fruit needs to be anchored to a source of nurturing – sure there are “air plants” but they are still anchored and nurtured in a way that suits their nature.

The tree, the vine, the plant, the soil, the sun, the rain, and the fertilizer – none of these devour the fruit. The fruit is not for them. The fruit is for another, and that other is usually outside the system that provides the substrates for growth. The garden is not the same as the gardener. The gardener reaps the fruit of his labor, and the fruit of his labor comes from nurturing that which is natural growth, not manufactured growth. The fruit is for the gardener, and if the fruit is abundant due to his diligence, the fruit is for others as well.

Fruit comes pretty much ready-to-use. You can make fruit into other things by combining it with other ingredients. You can use fruit to make an apple pie, or ketchup, or wine, but you can’t use fruit to make concrete. Fruit needs to be used the way it is. Sometimes you have to cook it or peel it or crush it or ferment it, but you can’t really change it’s basic, natural use. You have to use fruit appropriately. Using it inappropriately makes it useless.

Fruit is alive, even while you are using it. Dead fruit is yucky! It attracts flies and other scavengers. It stinks. It feels and tastes terrible. Fruit dies when the vine, or plant, or tree, or growth substrate dies. Fruit begins to die when it is separated from what grew it, from whatever it used of fertility, soil, sun, water, chemicals, nurturing and cultivation. Cut off from its roots, it no longer grows. That doesn’t mean it is totally lost forever, because fruit contains the spark of life inside itself and can be used to regenerate and make more fruit. Everywhere, all the time, something stops growing and begins dying. You and I are always growing and dying at the same time just within our own bodies. When we stop growing more than we are dying, we head toward dying quicker. But that doesn’t mean we should just give up; we have the seed of life in our fruit, in the fruits of our labors.

The decision to produce more fruit is usually not made by the fruit. Fruit doesn’t decide how productive it will be. The productivity of fruit comes from the nurturing of the growth substrate and the cultivation provided by others – iron sharpening iron. Learning is living. Growing is changing and learning to live is inescapable if you are growing. If you are cut of from the vine, you are dying quickly. If you were a blade of grass mown down this morning, you will be tinder by this evening. Coming to terms with all of that is healing, and healing is the result of nurturing growth.

When you live, work, walk, cultivate, grow, and share your crop of faith, you are giving life a chance in a sinful world condemned to death, and that’s the truth. The biggest source of death for the truth is lies, so sharpen one another by knowing about the lies and the liar (John 8:44). It takes time to grow, and your time is limited. For God, time is all the same – so ask him for some, enough so that you can continue to grow. Read scripture to enrich your growth substrate – your life – but read good non-scriptural stuff too. Get a spiritual director or at least get a spiritual direction, one that is based on reality, not manufactured fruit concocted by some guru. Be real about what is happening to you in your life. Is it difficult? Are you being ground down? Maybe you are being sharpened! I keep saying this – “It’s always good in the end. If it’s not good yet, it’s not the end.”

There a corollary to that, I guess. “If it’s good now, it may not be the end, but it’s a good place to grow toward that.”

I’ll leave you with these words from St. Paul – and it is him speaking to you, not me.

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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me [Paul] — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

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

Please continue to pray for, with, and about one another. NA still needs help with her housing situation and a way to support it. CI looking for work at home but sill living apart from the family; spouse is going for surgery to correct the after-effect of a cordoma. KD asks to be delivered from everything that threatens fruitfulness. DN and family ask for strength to endure many storms. MC is taking steps toward being liberated from choking weeds that threaten all fruitfulness in life; pray that the gardener finds the best ways to help. Pray for those who are suffering oppression, terror, war, disease, pestilence, famine, and inhumane treatment. Pray for those who have lost everything due to floods, earthquakes, fires, storms, and other “acts of nature.” Pray that you and I will continue to be fruitful and that we will always remember that our fruit is for others.

Peace be with you always. Aloha pumehana. E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe. = May blessing be ever with you.

Sorry to be late today. Dental procedure yesterday sort of took the sap out of me. (pun intended!)

I like you, but best of all, I love you!

 

 

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Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Aloha Friday Message – July 23, 2010 “Credo … “

July 23, 2010

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Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved!

I will start with today’s Bible passage – another of my all-time favorites – Romans 10:9-10.

NIV That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, “and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
KJV That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

In all the Rites of the Catholic church, as well as in every Christian denomination I know of, at some point in the liturgy the people in the assembly make a public confession of faith. In the Catholic churches this is generally a form of the Nicene Creed. In non-Catholic congregations, it is generally a version of the Apostle’s Creed.

As a boy, growing up at Corona Presbyterian Church in Denver, I learned the Apostle’s Creed, and felt a strong association between the creed and today’s bible verse. By the time I was 10, I knew my life was no longer my own and so believing in my heart that the resurrection was in fact a fact was already part of my personal creed. The opportunity to publically confess that was a bonus – even though it was done in a safe setting – in church with a whole bunch of other people who were doing the same thing.

As I grew older, I challenged those feeling – I’ve told you in past messages about reading the 200 section at our branch library one summer – and I stuck with the “faith of my father.” His was a formidable faith which was proclaimed in thought, word, and deed. And even as I worked my way through my process of conversion from “Baptiterian” to Catholic, the important, the power, and the wonder arising our of recitation of the Creed – in either format – continued to be a bulwark of my faith.

As the years rolled on, I continued to meditate on the articles of the creeds – the 12 sections normally considered as natural divisions in the body of the text. I often thought about doing a series of studies, or sermons, or messages about the content and meaning – as I see it – in the words with the text so often recited by Christians all around the world. I still think about that, but I no longer feel little my little light shine on that immense topic is something the world truly needs. I guess you could say I’ve outgrown my desire to show off what I think I know about the power and potential in reciting the Creed.

There is one topic, however, I cannot get out of my head, and that topic is associated with the word recite. Often in liturgies we recite the Creed. That particular rite in the liturgy is often called The Profession of Faith; but it is often merely recited – rumbled and rambled through superficially as a sort of choral reading, more as a habit than a profession, sort of a bridge between two parts of the worship service. When this happens we are not engaged in the creed; we are saying the creed instead of praying the creed. Perhaps saying it is all that we need to profess our faith, to achieve the effect in “with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

To me, that sounds too easy, too good to be true.

I’m going to give you a little example of what I mean. I’m going to put the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed in this document, and show you how I think sometimes God hears them. I’m going to use both out of fairness – no Rite or Denomination has a lock on righteousness during the Profession of Faith – nor do I of course. I just imagine that sometimes the secret, silent, brief prayers we make during this time n our worship are heard just as clearly (perhaps more clearly since they are more personal?) by our Lord. Here then is the first Creed I learned, The Apostle’s Creed, as it is often recited “during church.” It comes out as a long string of strung-together words that are barely more than a stream of sounds.

It seems to me we can do better, that we could pay attention to the words, the phrasing, and especially the meaning of what we are reciting. I think if we were engaged in praying instead of saying or reciting the creed, it would become not only an external and public profession of faith, but also an internal and transformative act of worship. It is more likely to affect our hearts if it originates in our hearts in a heart-felt sacrifice of adoration and praise rather than something we “know by heart.” I think sometimes a worship leader can influence the way our hearts and minds work when we move through the Credo. If the leader rushes it so that you have to really take a deep, fast breath so keep going and you still miss being able to recite a portion of a phrase or article … well, maybe that leader is not engaged in praying the Creed. That would be understandable, forgivable, but also changeable.

Sometimes during very routine things, our minds wander. I’m sure everyone has had that experience when singing a song, reciting a prayer or series of prayers, or trying to meditate on a scripture passage. “Things” pop into our minds; the world intrudes; we think or say things that are not intended to be part of our worship experience. When this happens during the Nicene Creed, this is how it might look if the speed of speaking were the same and also if we could visualize all the “background noise.”

I “go there” sometimes, too. I wonder how someone can be talking about a track meet while the rest of us are saying the creed. I wonder how kids can be pushing each other back and forth while their parents ignore them. I wonder how a teen can be texting in church. I find humor in the fact that the gecko on the window over the front of the church is always there for every mass. I wonder why I am paying attention to the things I should be ignoring. I try to listen to me praying the creed and to do it justice. And I sometimes wonder why I wander though the Mass without actually landing anywhere. The one thing that most often helps me find a landing place is The Creed, because it is indeed what I believe, what I confess, the very kernel of my faith, the summary of scripture and tradition that makes a stark difference my profession of my faith. Next time you have an opportunity to pray the creed, don’t think about this letter; think about the Creed. I believe it will change your life.

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

Please remember in your prayers:

Aloha Friday Message – July 16, 2010 – The Blind Boy’s Sign

July 16, 2010

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Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved! Today we have a very nice message sent by DG, and a link sent by several members. The link goes to a You-Tube presentation that really makes the point about who you should listen to when you plan your life. I’m sending these because they both fit well with today’s Bible verse:

Proverbs 12:15
NAB: The way of the fool seems right in his own eyes, but he who listens to advice is wise.
KJV: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

How many times have we turned a deaf ear to good advice or looked for all the wrong answers in all the wrong places? The World does not have a clue. The Word has everything you need. See John 1:1.

Here is the message DG sent:


Here is the You-Tube link: Even if you have seen this video before, it takes less than two minutes to see it again, and it is so worth it! Tip of the hat to AT, CW, and WF.

LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WUQYJ77qa50

Prayer requests for this week: PM traveling home to Zambia; pray for a safe journey and strengthening visit with family and friends. FS also in Zambia to teach in a seminary there; pray his advice and teaching for the seminarians is heard and followed. TH is returning to the mainland; pray that he will find meaningful and rewarding work and a church family as loving as the one he is leaving behind. M, already frail and also in her 80’s, dealing with incomprehensible changes after the sudden death of her husband; pray that the wisdom and support she needs is available in abundance. MC and her children are suffering through terrible abuse; pray that she will receive and use the good advice she needs to make positive changes. Once again MG asks us to thank God she is doing so well; pray that her remission continues … forever … literally.

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

Make it a great day by making someone smile.

If you should meet someone without a smile, give them one of yours. No other gift could cost you less to give or be of such great value when received.

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

AGE QUOD AGIS
chick

Aloha Friday Message – July 9, 2010

July 9, 2010

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Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I found something extraordinary the other day. I want to share it with you. Please, follow this link:
FOLLOW THIS LINK
http://www.crosscards.com/cards/friends-and-family/miss-you/i-miss-you-3.html

I do not know who constructed that card but s/he must think much the same way we in the MBN think!

This verse from Philippians has been in several AFC’s over the past few years. It is a powerful message. It is so easy to forget that we do not need to be anxious. Eager, yes, but anxious, definitely not. That seems especially difficult recently. There are so many things which can stir up anxiety – there’s the oil spill, and two wars, the economy, and the weather, and that’s just the obvious stuff. There are matters that are less global, too – unless you’re directly involved in one of these four just mentioned – and things in our lives can make us fretful, too. Our kids and their future, our health or the health of a loved one, our jobs if we are fortunate enough to have one, aches and pains, traffic and pollution, and a million other things can all weigh upon us and wear us down.

So, are we to just merrily skip on down the road and ignore all of these things? No, that’s not wise; I don’t think it’s even possible. We cannot just ignore anything and everything that isn’t pleasant. But, we should not allow these things to steal our joy or dim our hope. When we contemplate all of this negativity from the perspective of our own lives, it seems overwhelming. If we try to commiserate with everyone who is suffering because of any of these things, we realize how helpless we can be against such an ocean of suffering. When we make the decision to share our concerns with God, to be thankful that he will help us understand, then we place our lives in his hands, we submit our spirit to his keeping.

Hope, peace, joy, and love – and much, much more – all of these fill us and surround us when we give God everything. Oh, it’s so tempting and so easy to say we hand it all over and then pick and choose a few things to hold onto so we’ll have something to worry about or to feel guilty about. Remember this? “Any of the things you have that you can give away are your possessions. Everything you cannot give away possesses you.” Paul is encouraging us to be possessed by God and by no one and not thing other than him. That is the source of that peace that surpasses understanding.

No one can do that perfectly. There are very few of us who can even do it well. Most of us utterly fail moment by moment, day by day, year by year. But there is One who did accomplish that goal of being totally in sync with God. Do you say, “Well it was easy for him! He was God!” No, not that easy actually. He was also completely human and as a human he completely submitted to God with prayer and thanksgiving. Imitate him. Before you give your life over to worry or despair, before you unleash you anger over another hurt or disappointment, take a moment, and use that moment for prayer and thanksgiving.

In the television epic LOST, Jack learned that he could close his eyes, count to five, and allow only that much of his life to be controlled by fear. We can do better. We can take five to join our hearts and minds and spirits and wills with God. Because we are imperfect, that union may not last more than a couple of seconds, but that is enough to allow peace to inundate us. We do not hold our peace; we are held in peace, the Peace that surpasses understanding.

Well, Beloved, that’s a wrap for today. Please, pray for one another with tenderness and joy, being thankful for all your blessings. For all the things that make the headlines, give thanks to God and request that he give you a better understanding. If you truly believe that immigration is out of control, the world is converting to Islam, the economy is going to destroy our nation and that all of this is unbelievably horrible … you have missed out on having some of that unsurpassable peace. Many of the same people who fear these things also believe that God’s hand is always active and that none of these things occur without him allowing it. If you believe he is actively involved in all that is happening and that nothing that happens is unexpected to him, you’re missing out of a big flood of peace if you can’t make that apply to everything globally, even universally. It is most definitely wrong not to care about all of these issues. In the recent past these AFC messages have looked at acts of mercy, acts of faith, and the path of commitment. It is essential that we care and that we care enough to take action to mitigate the suffering and sorrowing in this world. We can even suffer and sorrow for them and with them. But to feel that unsurpassable peace, we have to “let go and let God.” IF he allows it – whatever it is – we can trust him to make it right.

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

Please get out there and do your part to mitigate whatever it is that worries you. Do that with prayer and thanksgiving and with the expectation it will bring you peace. It wouldn’t hurt to count to five a few times, either.

chick

Aloha Friday Message – July 2, 2010

July 2, 2010

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Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved. Today is our Goddaughter’s 22nd birthday, and it is a joyous occasion. We love her very, very much and are so proud of everything she has accomplished. Happy Birthday Meghan!

Speaking of Love, do you ever get those moments when a song, or a photo, or a scent gives you goose-bumps? (We call it chicken-skin in Hawaii). That happened to me this past Sunday. One of the hymns was I have loved you with an everlasting love. The line after that says, “I have called you, and you are mine.” I always, “know” I am His, but I don’t always realize it, I don’t fully understand what that means. I’ve thought about that all week and did a little list-making. Here are some thoughts for you.

The Lord says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

1. God is righteous – he is the ultimate in integrity, justice, and mercy – and his righteousness is manifested in his love.
2. God’s love is not a sometimes-thing like our love. It is ginormous, humongous LOVE that lasts forever and always and spills over into all generations drenching all persons in pure, unabated love.
3. This LOVE has always been there. It is there right now. It is always going to be there. Where is “there?” Everywhere, Beloved, God’s love is everywhere – except where it is not wanted. In those places, love exists, but is unknown.
4. God takes care of his stuff. Whatever he made, he made it to last. Even when we are broken hearted, he can set everything in our lives back in order just as easily as he controls the heavens and the earth. Is power is so far beyond our understanding, it’s almost scary. That’s why we call him an awesome God.
5. Satan wants us to hate each other and to hate God as well. He lies to us and tells us we are sovereign unto ourselves – that was Satan’s big mistake – and the ancient liar is incapable of repentance. You are not. Only God is sovereign. You are not. Acknowledging, accepting, and sharing God’s love proves that.
6. These two commandments that summarize all the law and the prophets sound too easy. “Love God and love each other.” Are you thinking, “Easier said than done.”? And yet, we have something inside us that compels us to keep trying. That something is the love of God. How? Why? Simple: We are created in his image – he made us using himself as the archetype.
7. So why is it that Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John are a “New Commandment?” The two we just looked at were commandments of law and were obligations of the law. Jesus’ words say, “as I have loved you.” Under the law, at Jesus’ time, something could be sacrificed to expiate sin. In Jesus’ new Kingdom, someone is sacrificed to expiate sin. Jesus calls us to enter into this sacrificial love with him, in him, and through him. That idea of sacrificial love replacing law-based obligation was extraordinary in Jesus’ time.
8. It is this sacrificial love that literally converts us from sin and death to virtue and life. We become more and more like him by loving ourselves and others in the same way Jesus loves us. But there is an unexpected prize in that.
9. The prize is this: God has always wanted us to know and to show his love. From the time of Abraham to this moment in your life, all God wants is to give you his love and for you to love him back. Again, it sounds so easy; but, we know it is not because for us humans find it easy to sacrifice something but very difficult to sacrifice us. We never seem to get it quite right. So, because he loves us, God helps us out with that.
10. God takes care of the second half of that. He loves us, and we know that. We just can’t fully reciprocate that love, so he gave us The One and Only Son – fully God and fully human – to link his love to our love. Genius! Not sure you love him enough? Act as though you do love him enough, and you will. Do what love insists upon. In God’s name and for love of him, give yourself for because he gave himself for you.
11. He made it easier for you by doing it for you. Every good thing you have in your life is a gift you can give to others. Whatever you do not give will be lost, so give it all. Because God has asked you to do that and has shown you how, he blesses you with abundance every time you give so you can give more. It never stops even though sometimes we might believe it has (“the dark night of the soul”).
12. It is true. Loving God and serving others – which is following The Way, The Truth, and The Life – always entails suffering. It is suffering that enables us to see God more clearly, to emulate the sacrificial love of Jesus. It is the way we understand how God works. Our sacrificial love opens our eyes to the Light in the heart and mind of God. Once you’ve seen the Light, darkness becomes unnecessary.
13. Well, John really hit the nail on the head with this. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.”
And so in the end, Beloved, it is God who Loves us enough to see us become holy, it is by loving God that we become holy, and it is by loving one another that holiness glorifies God. I think this is expressed wonderfully well in the Letter of Jude 1:21-25

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 On those who waver, have mercy; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.

24 To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, 25 to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen

Make it a great day, Beloved. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad! And in our gladness, let us love each other in the same manner as Jesus loves us right this minute.

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

Praise report from GW: Total absence of tumor. It’s confirmed. It’s over.
Another celebration: July 4 is the birthday of two of my brothers. It seems they, too, are finding that the older they get, the longer they live. Happy Birthday Dan and Dave!

Maybe next week we’ll go to the movies. 😀

chick

Aloha Friday Message – June 25, 2010

June 25, 2010

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Philippians 4:6-7
NAB 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

KJV 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

When I was a kid we sang a chorus in Sunday School called, “I have a Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart.” One of the verses was “I have the Peace that passeth understanding down in my heart.” That was always a tongue-twister for me so I always sang, “I have the Peace surpassing understanding down in my heart.” That was easier to say and easier to understand – or so I thought. When I learned to play guitar that was one of the first songs I tried out. It turned out I had a lot of Joy in my heart, especially when playing and singing hymns and Gospel choruses. It wasn’t until I started making real trouble for myself that I began to understand what kind of peace surpasses understanding.

That happened in the late fifties and early sixties. By the end of the sixties, my head was is a totally different realm. I’d tuned in, turned on, dropped out, rolled over, ducked under, muddled through, gone from Dean’s List to Uncle Sam’s List, and burned more than a few bridges along the way. Of course, I built a few, too. Mainly, though, I “expanded my consciousness” until I knew all the answers but couldn’t remember the questions. All through that period one thing remained constant. I stayed connected to Jesus. By the time Uncle Sam got me, my friends referred to me as a “Jesus Freak.” And once the Air Force finished with me, I pretty much had to surrender the Flower-Power kind of Peace in favor of “Work it out from the inside” peace.

In short order I got a haircut, a change of clothes, a change of health, a career (Medical Technology), a new religion (Roman Catholic), a wife (Crucita who agreed we would have a Christ-centered marriage), and a new outlook on life (mostly from the middle of Texas). I stayed connected to Jesus through all of those changes, but I also noticed I was more stubborn, louder, more easily agitated (Crucita noticed all this, too), and way less patient. The Peace surpassing understanding must have gotten shorn from me like my Hippie hair.

As the years ground by, I found more changes – new places to live, an expanding career in Clinical Laboratory, lots and lots of new friends (many of whom are now old friends), a smattering of pets – cats, ducks, dogs, rabbits, goats, and one trouble-making heifer – more responsibilities (including two kids and a mortgage), more education (a BA in Medical Technology and a MSM in Human Resource Management), and even more friends. But I still stuck with Jesus. The Peace surpassing understanding showed up intermittently, but it did surface once in a while much to the relief of those who had to put up with me when it wasn’t around.

Sometimes things happen that really get your attention in ways you never planned. “Sometimes?!?!” Yeah, you’re right. Like Ike said, “Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.” The kids got sick, or the dog got run over. I lost my job, or got a job that changed my whole life. People came into and went out of my life. I made huge mistakes and small victories. Jesus went along for the whole thing, patiently waiting for me to figure it out. 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 “What do you want me to do here?!?!” And God’s quiet answer was “Live here!” Oh, yeah, no?

Many times He’s had to smack me up the side of the head to make me pay attention. I’ve been surprised by what He thinks is relevant and even more surprised by what He thinks is funny. Here’s a little something which was relevant and funny – funny as in “Wow! Where did that come from?!” and relevant as in “Oh, yeah, no?” This is from shortly after we moved to Kaua‘i, and I was teaching in Waimea.

For this morning

Hastening toward the front door
to get to the car and roll
up the windows I am rushed
by the squallish rain that threatens
me and my upholstery (so vain).

For some ridiculous reason I snatch
up my jacket, wrestling against its
flopping arms. It will get wet,
and stay wet, faster than me
and longer than me, but will
not object. Or so I thought.

In an instant the rain becomes
the lesser foe and seems only
an agent of my present distress:
My jacket zipper is stuck,

I curse it because I cannot
willingly curse my haste and still
be accountable to my little man
in the right-rear quadrant of my brain
who barks accusations of things
I have already confessed:
“Well, that was stupid, you STU-PED!!”

I yank up and down on the
fiendishly small handle of this
apparently demonic device
and begin the argument that
will ensure the upholstery will
get soaked before one of us
loses it or loosens it.

The zipper, that is.
The zipper that was.
The zipper that will
always be.
With or without me.

Then the miracle happens in
waves of wonder surging through all
thirty-two dimensions of my
singular reality in this
predawn darkness.

The rain lets up. I see
the windows closed. My false
accusation of carelessness is
equitably acquitted. The
zipper’s rebellion subsides
and there in front of me
shimmering like light
filtered through summertime’s
weak lemonade is
a poem. But, was it this one?

I don’t know! How can I tell?
This one might belong to Reid, or
Byron, or Wendell Johnson, maybe
even Pliny, or Sartre, but
it could be mine if I am the
one who catches it.
It really could
be if only I could
zip it up like a jacket to
hold back the squalling rain of
poems I am not quick enough to write
or too clumsy to close correctly

Winter, 2002

Make it a wonderful day full of the Peace that surpasses understanding, Beloved. I am so very happy to have you and your love as part of the rain of poetry in my life. God bless you always and all ways.

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


chick

Special Message from MG: “Tell everyone thank you so much for your prayers and good thoughts. My doctor says the surgery and chemo worked and now my stomach cancer is a thing of the past. I only have to go in every four months for a check-up. Thank you all very much. Praise God!”

Have a praise report? Send it in. I’ll tell the MBN!

Aloha Friday Message – June 18, 2010 – An Old Story

June 18, 2010

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Not just any old Aloha Friday ….

Philippians 4:4
NAB: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! KJV: Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

One of the greatest things I have learned about getting OLD is that the older I get, the longer I live, and the happier I am about everything. I enjoy telling the same old stories, and enjoy hearing people laugh at them. Speaking of old stories …

~~”Old” Stories~~
Those of us who are “of a certain age” know first-hand that getting old is no picnic. Here is a short collection of some of our favorite “old” jokes.
<<+>>
An elderly couple had dinner at another couple’s house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, “Last night we went to a new restaurant and it was really great. I would recommend it very highly.”

The other man said, “What is the name of the restaurant?”

The first man thought and thought and finally said, “What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know… the one that’s red and has thorns.”

“Do you mean a rose?”

“Yes, that’s the one,” replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, “ROSE, what’s the name of that restaurant we went to last night?”
<<+>>
Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed, with a suitcase at his feet who insisted he didn’t need my help to leave the hospital. After a chat about “Rules being Rules,” he reluctantly let me wheel him to the elevator.

On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him.

“I don’t know,” he said. “She’s still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.”
<<+>>
A couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a checkup, the doctor tells them that they’re physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair.

“Want anything while I’m in the kitchen?” he asks.

“Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?”

“Sure.” he answered.

“Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?” she asks.

“No, I can remember it.”

“Well, I’d like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so’s not to forget it?”

He says, “I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.”

“I’d also like whipped cream. I’m certain you’ll forget that, write it down??” she asks.

Irritated, he says, “I don’t need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream. I GOT IT, for goodness sake!” Then he toddles into the kitchen.

After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment, and then says, “So! Where’s my toast?”
<<+>>
A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy: “So, I hear you’re getting married?”

“Yep!”

“Do I know her?”

“Nope!”

“This woman, is she good looking?”

“Not really.”

“Is she a good cook?”

“Naw, she can’t cook too well.”

“Does she have lots of money?”

“Nope! Poor as a church mouse.”

“Well, then, is she good in bed?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

“Why in the world, do you want to marry her, then?”

“Because she can still drive!”
<<+>>
Three old guys are out walking. First one says, “Windy, isn’t it?” Second one says, “No, it’s Thursday!” Third one says, “So am I. Let’s go get a beer!”
<<+>>
A man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it is state of the art. It’s perfect.”

“Really,” answered the neighbor. “What kind is it?”

“Twelve thirty.”
<<+>>
Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical. A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous, young woman on his arm.

A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, “You’re really doing great, aren’t you?”

Morris replied, “Just doing what you said, Doc: ‘Get a hot Mamma and be cheerful.’”

The doctor said, “I didn’t say that. I said, ‘You’ve got a heart murmur, be careful.’”
<<+>>
Back in the days of the Old Wild West a sweet little old lady is riding on the train going through Utah. She is sitting next to the window and seated on the other side is a cowboy. Suddenly she taps him on the arm and excitedly points out the window. “Look at that bunch of bison!” she exclaims.

“Not ‘bunch’ ma’am. ‘Herd.’”

“Heard of what?”

“Herd of buffalo.”

“Of course I’ve heard of buffalo!”

“Sorry ma’am. I meant a buffalo herd.”

“Well, what should I care what a buffalo heard? I haven’t got any secrets from a buffalo!”
<<+>>
Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, ‘How old was your husband?’ ’98,’ she replied. ‘Two years older than me’ ‘So you’re 96,’ the undertaker commented. She responded, ‘Hardly worth going home, is it?
<<+>>
Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: ‘And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?’ the reporter asked. She simply replied, ‘No peer pressure.’
<<+>>
I’ve sure gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver’s license.
<<+>>
I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor’s permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.
<<+>>
An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. ‘Wal-Mart?’ the preacher exclaimed. ‘Why Wal-Mart?’ ‘Then I’ll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week!’
<<+>>
My memory’s not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory’s not as sharp as it used to be.
<<+>>
Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.
<<+>>
It’s scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker!
<<+>>
These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, ‘For fast relief.’
<<+>>
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS: You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing.

AND OF COURSE ALWAYS REMEMBER I LOVE YOU!!
chick
(Now, quick, go look up Ephesians chapter 4 and memorize verse 32 please and thank you.)

Speaking of OLD STORY stories … From William Howard Doan in 1867:

TELL ME THE OLD, OLD STORY

1 Tell me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love;
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.

Chorus: Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and His love.

2 Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in–
That wonderful redemption,
God’s remedy for sin;
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon,
The “early dew” of morning
Has passed away at noon.
3 Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave;
Remember I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save;
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me.
4 Tell me the same old story,
When you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear;
And when the Lord’s bright glory
Is dawning on my soul,
Tell me the old, old story:
“Christ Jesus makes thee whole.”

Same Old Story. Gets me every time!! Plenty reason to REJOICE!!

Make it a great day, Beloved. I’ll see you again soon 🙂 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.
chick
If the link did’t work, try pasting this inbto your browser
http://lyricsondemand.com/miscellaneouslyrics/christianlyrics/tellmetheoldoldstorylyrics.html
:mrgreen:

Aloha Friday Message – June 11, 2010 – In Memory of “Auntie Tin-Tin”

June 11, 2010

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In Memory of “Auntie Tin-Tin”

This week’s Bible verse is one that many, many people have committed to memory. I know for sure I’ve know this since at least the fourth grade and maybe even earlier than that. Many of you know it as well or will at least recognize it. If is Philippians 4:13

NIV: I can do everything through him who gives me strength

NAB: I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.

KJV: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Auntie Tin-Tin was the babysitter for our goddaughter, Lily Mae. She passed away suddenly last week. Although she had been in poor health for quite some time, her death caught all of us off guard a bit. When someone we know dies unexpectedly quite often we hear phrases like, “Well, you never know.” Or maybe “When your number’s up, it’s time to go.” And of course, “We all gotta go sometime.” And the ultimate, “Only two things are certain: Death and taxes.”

Those expressions seem a little flippant if you are well-acquainted with the deceased. Family and close friends are more likely to say, “Well, s/he’s in a better place now.” Or “I know I will miss her a lot because there are so many things we shared together.” And “S/he will always live on in our memories and in our hearts.” And the ultimate, “They are enjoying God in Heaven now.”

All of these things are ways we express our perceptions of death. All of them are things we say when people die. There are, of course, billions of words written to describe death and dying. There are organizations like hospices that help us get through the last days of life. We had a fellow a few years ago who did everything he could to help people get “beyond the veil” through assisted suicide – they even made a movie about him. How we perceive death depends a lot on how we perceive life. If life is a gift, then death may also be a gift. If life is a struggle, death may be a gift, a relief, or just another struggle. If death is something to fear, then life is probably fear-filled, too. Sometimes our misperceptions about life give us misperceptions about death.

Every culture on Earth has pondered death. Some have worshiped death or gods associated with it. Some worship God who conquered death in Jesus. Some believe death is just biology 101; first you’re alive and then you’re not. Some people worry about it all the time, others prepare for it with elaborate plans, and most of us just try not to think about it too much – however much is “too much.” Many of us have no fear of death at all. It’s not because we are brave, or especially courageous, or out of ignorance or arrogance. We just know that death has been conquered. We know that eternal, everlasting life is the next part of our journey, and we’re at peace with that.

Now, it’s true, most of the time we don’t know when or where death will occur. You all remember Justin, our 7 y.o. MBN member with the cordoma. The last news I got from his mom about a month ago was that his life-expectancy was around six months. We are all still praying that Justin will receive the miracle he needs to be totally healed. I know it’s got to be tough on his family, though. Knowing that death is imminent doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. Sometimes we use humor to deal with it. I heard a comedian say, “Dying is pretty popular. Everyone I know is doing it.” Hank Williams had a lyric that said, “No matter how you struggle or strive, You’ll never get out of this world alive.” Crucita and I cracked up this past weekend when we heard a guy in a commercial say, “Six out of ten Americans are dead.” Well, that’s what we thought we heard. What the guy actually said was, “Six out of ten American are in debt.” (Sometime getting old is really funny stuff!!)

I remembered this story about some friends who loved to play baseball:

Two ninety-year-old men, Moe and Sam, have been friends all their lives. Sam is dying of cancer, and Moe comes to visit him every day.

“Sam,” says Moe, “you know how we have both loved baseball all our lives, and how we played minor league ball together for so many years? Sam, you have to do me one favor. When you get to Heaven, and I know you will go to Heaven, somehow you’ve got to let me know if there’s baseball in Heaven.”

Sam looks up at Moe from his death bed, and says, “Moe, you’ve been my best friend many years. This favor, if it is at all possible, I’ll do for you.”

And shortly after that, Sam passes on. It is midnight a couple of nights later. Moe is sound asleep when he is awakened by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calls out to him,

“Moe…. Moe….” “Who is it?” says Moe sitting up suddenly. “Who is it?”

“Moe, it’s me, Sam.”

“Come on. You’re not Sam. Sam just died!”

“I’m telling you,” insists the voice. “It’s me, Sam!”

“Sam? Is that you? Where are you?”

“I’m in heaven,” says Sam, “and I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got really good news and a little bad news.”

“So, tell me the good news first,” says Moe.

“The good news,” says Sam, “is that there is baseball in heaven! Better yet, all our old buddies who’ve gone before us are there. Better yet, we’re all young men again. Better yet, it’s always spring time and it never rains or snows! And best of all, we can play baseball all we want, and we never get tired!”

“Really?” says Moe, “That is fantastic, wonderful beyond my wildest dreams! But, Sam, … what’s the bad news?”

“Moe, you’re pitching next Tuesday!”

Well, so maybe it’s not a good idea to know. But I do know this: Just as I am absolutely certain I will someday jettison this cranky old man’s body, I also know that someday I will rejoice eternally in a brand-new glorified body. I’m also pretty confident that I do not and will not fear dying. The only things I “worry about” are the circumstances. I think mostly the idea of chronic pain or severe injury haunts me. Other than that … well look at the second and third paragraphs up there. That brings me back to the verse for this week.

Even when it comes to death, I can handle that through Christ who strengthens me. To extend the thought expressed by the comedian quoted above, “It works every time as near as I can tell.” Actually compared to some of the stuff we have to deal with day-to-day, dying is a piece of pie (or cake if you like that better than pie). There is so much suffering to endure in this life! Illness, famine, pestilence, war, terror, politics, pain, injury, insult, tragedy, “acts of nature,” acts of humans, bad music and art, COPD and cancer, splinters and hangnails, dogs that bark all night, oil spills, domestic violence, violence of any kind, child abuse, pornography, desperate poverty, and interminably long sentences by people who should know better! But I can endure all of that when I am empowered in Christ. Auntie Tin-Tin knew that, too. I’m OK with knowing that, knowing that she knew. That’s enough for me.

Feeling a little beat down? Tired of the monotony of monotony? Thinking that death is something you’d rather not think about, at least not right now? Afraid you’ll have an offer you can’t refuse like Sam’s? Then it’s time to get connected to Him who empowers us to do everything. Do it today. It’s even more certain than death or taxes that you will be amazed by the Peace given to you through Grace.

One last request for today: Go back to the interminably long sentence and pray for the people, places, and things suffering from everything in that list. Can you do that, please? Do it for, with, in, and through Him who empowers us all in every good thing we think or do or say. Keep praying those prayers for the rest of next week. It will make a difference! (And you know, a deliberate act of corporal or spiritual mercy here or there would be much appreciated, too.)

God bless you, Peace be with you, and …
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.

chick

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