May I be overwhelmed with goodness today
and be generous enough to share it
with others.
May I be aware of the needs of others
and turn awareness into compassionate
service.
May I accept forgiveness and give it.
Receive love and share it.
Hold fast to hope in
the midst of darkness.
May I sing
and dance my way
from the shadows into the Light.
May I look back on this day and
recognize all those moments
that were filled with You,
my Lord and my God.
Abiding Presence.
Small triumphs: knowing that your action won’t, of itself, change the outcome, but doing it anyway; one step and then one step; understanding that line by line the poem is written, brush stroke by brush stroke the painting is done.
Large hearts: the character of generosity; caring for the other as much as you care for yourself; going out of your way to do what is good and right; in the Way of Jesus.
My heros are not the people who make the headlines, but the ones who quietly, and with determination, do unto others, go the extra mile, offer the cup of cold water in the heat of the moment, think more of us than me. We need heros right now in a time when we seem to have lost our way in this complex and confusing world. If there was ever a time to “be Christ in the world”, this is it.
Remember the old line we were taught in typing class: “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country”? How many times have I written that line as a way to make my fingers nimble over the keyboard! Read it again and change the words “good men” to “all of us.” Lord Jesus, give me courage to try and strength to do it.
Press on!
Assumptions are dangerous companions. “I’m a doctor…” so I assume you are wealthy. “I am a school teacher…” I assume you’re not. “I am an officer in the U.S. Army…” so you love combat and war. “I am a non-combatant…” so you are not a patriot. Assumptions are dangerous. When someone asks me what I do in life, and when I say “I am a pastor” I sometimes get that “O, that’s too bad” look. Because the assumption is that I believe and act in certain ways which are irrational or irrelevant…by the questioner’s standards. Don’t assume people into categories; when you do, you shrink the size of the world considerably. Not everyone is like me, or you. Not everyone should be like me, or you. Diversity is life-giving. You and I are like individual cells in a living body. In ways I do not understand, I am important to life; without me, one little cell, the world would be different. Same for you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: what you think, say and do make a difference. You were made for this moment. But the underlying problem is that you and I assume that the real people of “value” make the headlines, accomplish big things. Maybe that false assumption is what drives some of us to seek power and control, or some of us to quit because we never make the “big time.”
Does one yellow wildflower matter in the field of flowers? Does one bird in the sky make any difference? One song? One kind act? One helping hand? So, thanks for asking what I do, or what I believe, or what I hold sacred…just don’t measure me by your personal standards which you assume to be universal. There I go preaching again! Well, I am a pastor/preacher/teacher, but I’m retired and I don’t do those things anymore. Really? Another assumption. Those things are everywhere!
May I recommend three words to keep in your mind today? As important, even urgent, as the words: “I love you!” are, I’m thinking of three others. They are found in one sentence in the scriptures, 2 Timothy 4:7. Write these down as a reminder of how life should be lived: Fought, Finished, Kept. I imagine Paul to be an old man, tired and worn down, when he wrote his younger colleague, Timothy. Paul had lived a hard life and now he was passing on a word of great wisdom to his co-worker for the Gospel of Jesus. In fact, three words.
Fought: Do not give up, Timothy. Mixed in with the good times of joy and satisfaction will come difficult days, even threatening days. Fight, Timothy. In the face of poor odds and little chance, press on with courage and conviction. Stand for what you believe. You will not be alone, my friend. It may seem that way when the valley is dark, but you are and will be in the presence of an abiding strength. Courage, Timothy. Press on! Fight the good fight.
Finish: Timothy, if you have the courage to start it, then have the determination to finish it. Don’t quit. It is lonely when others give up and go home. But the finish line is just ahead, just there beyond the turn in the road. Trust me, Timothy, and finish what you start. Doubt, discouragement and personal danger say: “Quit and go home.” But when Jesus said “Follow me” he didn’t mean halfway.
Keep: Timothy, the only thing that has kept me fighting to the finish, the only thing worthy of my life’s effort, is the good news of God offered us in the person of Jesus. Keep the faith, my son. Do not lose it when something else comes along that looks easier, quicker, more expedient. It’s ironic, isn’t it, Timothy. Keep it but don’t hesitate to give it away. I have found that the more you give, the more you have. I have fought the “good” fight; I have finished the race, and while I have given “good news” to everyone who will hear, I do not cross the goal line empty. In spite of it all, my faith is deeper, richer and more profound than when I started, Timothy. So it will be for you!
And so will it be for you.
Barren but beautiful, made so by Light.
Simple but spectacular.
Inviting and engaging.
An invitation to become part of this morning gift.
Listen to the silence.
Feel the air.
Flow with the soft lines that have no
beginning and no end.
Light reveals, renews, restores.
Light in the desert of our days.
Sit with peace and make her your friend
this good and brilliant day.
“I will have the life I want if I am present to the life I have.” The writer Mark Nepo, once again, stops me in my tracks. This is one to think about. Just suppose that Joe (fictitious) is sitting at a table in the coffee shop wondering why he has no friends. (Joe worries about this all the time.) As Joe is staring into his morning espresso, Bill (fictitious) stops and says “Excuse me, but I wonder if you might share your table?” “No,” replies Joe, “I’m busy wondering why I have no friends.” Hmm.
Charlie (f) is slumped in his easy chair in the family room, distant look on his face. “I feel so unloved; it’s like I don’t exist.” As that thought sinks deeper roots in his mind, his five-year-old daughter climbs up into his lap and snuggles into his arms; Bozo, the golden retriever, all the while laying at Charlie’s feet, shifts his body trying to get even closer, and Miriam, Charlie’s wife, calls out: “Come on, everybody, dinner is on the table.” Poor Charlie. He feels so unloved.
Long, long ago, Isaac sat under an olive tree pondering his life’s meaning and purpose. “Who am I? What am I to do with my life?” And, in the midst of his self-wondering, a stranger comes along, a young man with a group of twelve men following him. He stops, gets Isaac’s attention, and says. “Come with me, friend, and I will show you the fullness of life. Follow me.” Isaac declines, replying: “Thanks, but no. I’m trying to figure out what to do with my life.” Hmm, again.
“I will have the life I want if I am present to the life I have.” Don’t lose the present because you are so worried or focused on the future. This is the moment that will not happen again. It is a gift. Don’t waste it.
We don’t pay a lot of attention to that wonderful and insightful section of the Bible called Proverbs. Maybe we should, given the pressures, anxieties and worries of our day. Proverbs 10:9…”He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.” A good dose of integrity would not hurt the world today.
“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Dwight David Eisenhower
“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” Samuel Johnson
“Image is what people think we are. Integrity is what we really are.” John C. Maxwell
“In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” Warren Buffett
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, given him power.” Abraham Lincoln
God help us all to be people of righteous character and unquestioned integrity.
You won’t find this day on the Liturgical calendar, although some of us treat it like a holy experience. Today is National Dessert Day. I looked it up: “a day dedicated to enjoying various sweet treats like cakes, cookies, pies, and ice cream (all at the same time: my editorial addition). While the exact origins are unknown, this unofficial holiday is a popular occasion for people to indulge in their favorite desserts.” Indulge! Isn’t that a wonderful word? And many of us are very good at it. I can be very indulgent toward an apple pie or chocolate brownies. I know people who even indulge God.
That’s right. They “yield to” God. When it’s convenient, necessary, or advantageous, they remember that you and I didn’t create reality…God did. That nothing we do causes the sun to rise and set…it’s what God did. That we do not cause the flowering of the rose bush or the twinkle of the star…God. Indulging God is like tipping one’s hat to the Creator as we rush by in efforts to run life the way we want it. Wouldn’t it be ironic if it all worked the other way: God indulges us. Pays casual attention only when necessary? But I can make a pretty good argument that the intensity and consistency of God’s loving presence is demonstrated, not by indulgence but by incarnation. The one whom we call The Christ was not and is not an act of indulgence. He was and is an act of intense love. So I leave you with this reality to think about today…to meditate on, to ponder about, and to respond to:
God is not an apple pie.
Moments of defiant challenge come to us all. When they do, we respond or retreat. Examples of those statements are evident in the story of Jesus of Nazareth. He defied brokenness in favor of wholeness and unity. Hate in favor of love; Evil for goodness; Despair for hope…it’s a long list. And while we like to think of Jesus as “meek and mild”, I believe his nature was anything but that. When it came to the welfare of human life, and all the elements of God’s creation, Jesus was like this majestic outcropping of stone, battered by wind and storms, but defiantly anchored to the core of the earth. Perhaps once smooth and beautiful on the surface, the stone has taken on a new look. And isn’t it beautiful, too. Perhaps one might say even more beautiful than the smooth surface that once looked out upon the Colorado landscape.
Today might be the day you are asked to stand in the strength of your faith convictions. Today the wind might blow hard against the structures of love, hope, faith, justice that you have built. If that is the case, be defiant. Have the courage to say “No” to behaviors or beliefs that diminish the principles or practices of Jesus, for he is the messenger and the message, not of vindictiveness and violence, but of creation’s worth and dignity. When the storm shakes the structure, remember the foundation. The basic question in the midst of challenging storms is so simple: “What would Jesus do?” Naive? Never. It must be the first and last question in our minds under all circumstances. If we claim Christ and declare his lordship, then times will come when we must face challenges and decide to live by four words and a question mark. “What would Jesus do?”
Dare to ask, and you will discover who you are along with directions to follow. Four words and a question mark.
Shining Spirit 
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