Oh how I wish I were the sort of person who wakes each morning excited to jump out of bed and begin thanking God for every challenge and blessing the day might bring. But I confess I am more the sort of person who smiles at the beautiful sunrise and only really focuses on my relationship with God when I find my heart's tires are under-inflated or my life's engine is coughing up the hill.

I think this is what Jesus was referring to when he said, blessed are the poor in spirit; for their is the kingdom of heaven. I may manage to keep setting aside time for devotions, Bible reading, prayer, fasting, journaling, meditating, corporate worship, Sunday School classes and other established forms of personal disciplines and still feel far from God, feel I am "just going through the motions", wonder if my faith is "enough". I can feed the homeless, visit those in prison, tend the dying, show up at the nursing homes, light the altar candles at church, lead a Bible class and yet be overwhelmed with a sense that I can't make a dent in the needs I see, be ashamed of my limitations and feel uncertain if I'm in the right place. But it is that very questioning, struggling, longing for more that draws us further along.

In other words, it is our own sense of being poor or low in spirit that nudges or drives or calls us to new dependence on God, new ways of understanding scripture, new ideas about prayer or how we could expand a ministry, or see the need to pass a ministry on to the next person God is calling to that work, or have our eyes opened to whom we should invite to work beside us, or how we might approach a struggling loved one. It is the springboard to stretching and growing and refining our capacity to trust, to love, to serve, to fulfill our purpose(s) over our time here on earth. 

I believe that being poor in spirit is an indication of an unrealized capacity to more fully experience the kingdom of heaven in our own lives. I believe it is the capacity to be more rather than do more, although doing something new is often an effective catalyst to get things rolling.

So when we feel frustrated, let us neither beat ourselves up, nor give up, nor "soldier on", but rather let us slow down, thoughtfully contemplate, share with a trusted friend, wait with both confidence and a prayerful willingness to change. Let us anticipate with confidence the possibility of a new direction or an adjustment in emphasis or a sense of renewal and refreshment or simply the opportunity to rest more fully in the Grace of the kingdom heaven.

Most Loving and Trustworthy God, thank You for getting my attention when I am running off with more enthusiasm than judgement, more reliance on my own ability rather than Your direction, more self-righteousness than humility. Pour Your Spirit into my heart to guard against anything that distracts me from serving You in all I do. AMEN

The Beatitudes can be found in Matthew 5: 1-12. Verse 3 reads: Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

How do we merge personal spiritual disciplines with being the hands and feet of God? How do we move from justification (the moment when we quit fighting God and surrender ourselves to our Creator, Redeemer and Guide) to embrace the process of sanctification (letting that moment propel us forward into a relationship built for growing and serving).

I think of this quote from N T Wright: "Worship is love on its knees before the beloved; just as mission is love on its feet to serve the beloved." And I believe these concepts are intertwined and explored in Christ's words often called "the Sermon on the Mount."

The first thing to consider is to understand to whom Jesus was speaking. Jesus had gone "up into a mountain and when he was set, his disciples came to Him." So He was not writing this to seekers who were still exploring Jesus teachings. This was not addressed to new believers. It was not addressed to the adversarial church leaders who challenged Jesus daily. This is Jesus instructing, teaching and loving His established followers. Today we might say He was speaking to people who identified themselves as his followers and who were seeking to be "disciplined". 

This term discipline has developed such a negative aura that the way it is used for Christians is considered by the Merriam-Webster dictionary people to be "obsolete," though for loving parents it is not obsolete at all. We long to discipline or instruct our children in ways that help them become productive citizens of their political community, their family community and their church community. Discipline has only lately come to mean so broadly meant something harsh or artificially restrictive.

But these folks were looking to Jesus to help them form a way of understanding in a more orderly and mature fashion this very question of growing in grace, becoming more mature followers, of being sanctified throughout the time between accepting salvation moving on to the post death part of the journey, of learning how to live our days here in faith.

We all have such different stories of faith, and if we are very fortunate indeed, that story gets new chapters written throughout our time here. In the coming days let's consider how that might happen.

God does not changes. God is all knowing, all powerful, all present, unchanging.

But we change and not always for the better. 

I believe God never gives up on us but we are so often guilty of giving up on God. If we develop the habit of giving up on God and keep making choices based on willfulness, materialism, selfishness, or self-gratification, eventually our self-will runs riot. This causes harm to those we love, non-productive shame, and general bad citizenship. But all that can be helpful if the fallout drives us to question old assumptions and explore new ways of thinking and behaving.

But every time we stomp down our conscience, trample kinder impulses, justify outrageous behaviors we pull further and further from God so eventually we convince ourselves that we can only be redeemed if first we make atonement by acts of rigid self-denial or by demanding "perfection" from those around us and ourselves. When none of that works we then conclude that there is no God or that God demands too much or, most heartbreaking of all, that we are too unworthy, too bound to evil, too far gone for God to reach us.

Yet still God has not moved, has not stopped loving, has not lost power or gone away or changed His covenant. 

Wherever you are...whatever mistakes you have made...whoever you are acting like...however you got to this place, nothing of that changes this essential truth:  God loves you; God has never left you, even in when you have been trolling through mess after mess. God does not demand that you get it together before you contact Him; God is longing to hear from you. God has a plan for your life and it is bigger than any mistake or mistakes you have ever made.

But don't be deceived. Although God never abandons us, it is very dangerous for us to keep pulling further and further from the heart of God, because our capacity to imagine a relationship with Him, our ability to hang on to a glimmer of hope become weaker and weaker. 

Don't live mired in sadness, anger, loneliness, hopelessness or desperation one day longer. Turn toward the heart of God today and ask Him for help. He always delivers.

Sunday is known as Palm Sunday to followers of Christ. It is the day we remember He was honored and praised as He entered Jerusalem. He knew that the crowds would do what crowds seem to always to...turn on Him in only a few days. But He gave to those of us who value our relationship with Him a picture to remember of His grace and courage as He moved forward to accept the weigh of our sin.

Two millennia later we pause in our busy lives to take note of these days in a special way. We think of the sacrifice made on our behalf. We wonder how we could be worth so much. We look at Christ, awed that our God was willing to walk among us, bear our burdens and wash us clean by His blood.

He was pierced because of our rebellions and crushed because of our crimes. He bore the punishment that made us whole; by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5


God did not create junk and God would not ask His Son to die for junk. God loves you, knows your true worth, longs to heal you, comfort you, restore you. Won't you speak to Him?  Reveal your true heart? Take time to consider the possibilities?

I'm so impatient. I want to make everything OK right now. Of course, that is based on my giant ego thinking I actually KNOW what is the OK thing from my very limited perspective.

I've learned to be grateful I've never won the lottery since, with even a little hind sight, I can see that I am capable of fixing things that are absolutely NOT ready to be fixed.

So many things take time to unfold. When I lived in Florida I had a beloved friend who brought me a hyacinth in a pot. (This, my favorite spring flower, does not grow in gardens there.) I never see one without thanksgiving for the many small and large acts of kindness that she sprinkles with such grace. But I have had very little luck with getting bulbs once forced to bloom again my garden.

A family counselor told me some years ago that she had decided that, although counseling can be a great value, the essential requirements for moving forward are a capacity to believe that is possible and an openness to change. Such things can not be bought, given or driven for another person, no matter how much we hope for a better life for those we love.

One thing, I believe, can  help. That is to live a personally hopeful life of growth and purpose. It shines light and love all around because our lives speak more loudly than our voices. 

What will you do today to make a small change in your own life? How can new thinking or rethinking, acting rather than reacting, embracing humility over being right or love over judgement in even a small matter lead to healing for yourself and by reflection for those you love?

We are a little more than a week from Easter. If you have a loved one you who is dealing with incarceration or with post-release challenges, today is a good day to send a note. This is also true for folks who are home-bound or in nursing homes or dealing with mental or physical illness or social isolation, since being imprisoned in an uncooperative body has many similar challenges.

With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD. 
I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 
When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 
Look on my right hand and see-- there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for me. 
I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. 
Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 
Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name.
the righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me." 
                                                                                                                        Psalm 142:1-7 
Won't you write to them today. 
Tell them that you love them, and that God loves them more. 
Be the light in a dark place. 
Be the hope in a place of despair. 
Be the hands and feet of God today. 

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" John 5:6 

When I was younger I thought this was a pretty silly question. Who does not want to get well?

But I must confess there have been times when I was more comfortable sticking with the "devil I knew" over the risks of stepping out toward something potentially less awful. Scott Peck wrote of this in The Road Less Traveled when he spoke of the temptation to wait for sure death in a dark cool cave rather than risking losing the small comforts of the cave by striking off across the desert sands and heat in the hope of finding an oasis. So too, often I have simply tried to do more of what is not working and called it "persistence" when what I really need is to give a new approach a try--risks and all.

In fact, without the promises of God I don't know that I would have ever considered intentionally inviting discomfort and possible failure. Oh, you say, but failure is pretty certain if we keep repeating the same routine in the hopes of a miraculous alternative outcome. True indeed, but we all know things that we should do that we do not and things that we should not do that we do.

So how do I become willing to get well? I believe this is a gift of the Spirit of God which Christ sends. At all times we are invited to explore God's teachings, open a conversation with God through prayer, risk the breaking of the protective shell that hardens our heart and embrace a hope for a new life.

Oh Mighty and Loving God, open my eyes to new possibilities, give me courage to consider a new way of living, teach me to be wise and fill me with hope. AMEN

Prisons and jails are not known as happy or hopeful places. Even weekend incarceration (such as is sometimes arranged for the chronically child-support challenged, but gainfully employed) is an unpleasant and dreary experience. For folks serving life sentences or decades long sentences it grinds not only the prisoner but the family very fine.

Even over the course of fewer years the capacity to keep up with the challenges of visitation rules and schedules at facilities often hours or even days away make family contact too often a rare event. Even the challenge of what to write and the outrageous expense of phone contact erode family contact, even though we know it is a primary positive indicator of post release success in rebuilding a productive life. When Pastors and church family members fail to maintain contact, prisoners wonder about their welcome when they return to their church families to rebuild their lives as redeemed followers of Christ.

If you have such a loved one, please write today. Think about this from the first Chapter of Colossians*: This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

God's power to redeem is not limited by concrete walls or iron bars. It is not even limited by our own sin. God stands ready at all times and in all places to embrace each prodigal son and daughter. God hears prayers, even tentative, inquiring prayers, even rants of distress and tears of longing, even whispers when we can only barely dare to believe that God has time for us, much less values us.

This is the message we have been sent to share with the world and no one is in more extreme need of love, acceptance, hope, redemption and reconciliation than our loved ones in jails or prisons, their nuclear families on the outside and the churches that need to answer the call to be the hands and feet of God in the this most challenging of circumstances.

*Colossians 1:21-22

Today's sermon dealt with a woman with a lot of trouble who was befriended by Jesus.* I'm not certain why our ego makes us think that we have new troubles or more troubles, because we basically have the same troubles clothed according to the latest trends. So I certainly feel a connection to a woman who lived in a time that was filled with challenges compounded by choices made along the way.

In fact, it is very easy to be in such a mess that all we perceive is our troubles and the world is happy to replay our self-judging and insecurities to keep us thoroughly focused on our own feelings, fears and foibles. So in today's reading Jesus distracts this distressed woman by asking her to consider that there may be another way. He is so effective she runs back to town to share with her neighbors what has happened to her.

I have read and heard various speculation about her back story, but as usual, the Bible tells us enough. We know her life had challenges and Christ acknowledged those challenges without judging the person and as a role model Jesus preached US a powerful sermon by that act. But the point of our preacher this morning was this: this woman had had enough challenges to be ready to consider something new.

Often folks ask, "Why do I have to experience this challenge (or for hard-heads like me, challenges)?" And I believe the clue to this lays in the experiences of this person. I believe we face challenges until we finally understand that WE ARE NOT IN CHARGE. No one, no how, no where does the little human bein' that I am have all the answers, enough strength, sufficient patience, ample love, adequate capacity to keep out of trouble and sometimes our strong wills and personal abilities, education, skills or gifts keep us trying, trying, trying until finally we begin to think there may be something else, something more.

Some of us were blessed by contact with kind, wise, servants who inspire us to explore the possibility that there may be an answer in our relationship with God. Other folks have had no or casual contact with people of faith and the most tragic have been wounded by the brokenness of someone flouting their Christian faith, leaving a scar that is slow to heal. But, however we come to a point of longing for more, or as my preacher so elegantly said, "So very thirsty for more than we are" -- finally willing to consider a conversation with God, to explore what a relationship with God might mean.

So when we are feeling broken, lonely, sad, despairing, frustrated or empty, we are not worthless, unworthy, barren, unimportant, frustrated or any of the other things we might feel. My friend, we have just finally come to a place in the road where the distractions of the world become dulled and something new is able to whisper a new hope to us. 

Are you ready to consider something new? 

* John 4:5-42

When I want to consider the appropriateness of my actions or ideas I like to start by looking at how Jesus lived. Today I was thinking about the balance between saying and doing in my life as a follower of Jesus.

I was considering how we love the unlovable, irritating, the foolish, the angry, all those broken, faulty and messy other sons and daughters of the King of King. It is not so easy. After all, how hard can it be to be cleaner, quieter, more sensible, less angry if "those people" want to get along!

But then, we really have no idea how hard or easy it is for another person to do anything. There is an entire social service agency in our metropolitan area that collects personal hygiene and household cleaning supplies because the poorest of the poor can't by so much as a bar of soap with food stamps. For someone struggling with chronic debilitating illness, might they truly be doing the best they can amid confusion, fear, exhaustion or despair? And why does it matter anyway since no where in the Bible are we told to care for the needy "if they are worthy". Instead the Bible is pretty clear that ALL of us have come up short (Romans 3:23).

Only Christ was without sin. So how did He treat those who were struggling, whether with physical limitations or moral choices. First He was the most gentle with the most in fragile and He only showed frustration toward whose who had been blessed and mistook that as permission to lord it over "lesser folks". Second, He did not lecture or moralize at folks, but rather, with ALL He guided, instructed, loved, engaged, tended and, where there was physical infirmity He healed and where there was sin He forgave. I can find not one instance where He mocked or smirked or demeaned...and He was perfect!

So why do we, who are ourselves so broken, error prone and in need of kindness, fail too frequently to offer the smallest acts affirming human dignity for those whose neediness is more visible than our own?

This is why I believe it is so important to balance our turning toward God activities (through Bible study, corporate worship, personal devotions, journaling, meditation or fasting) with our "being hands and feet" activities (visiting the sick and the prisoners, feeding the poor, offering shelter, caring for the widows, the children, the disabled, the elderly, the poor in spirit, loving and caring and doing). Because it is in traveling with, living with, those "others" that we learn how very completely they are us, these our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Family is such an interesting concept, such a gift when it is not a burden! Nothing seems harder to me than to have such extreme danger in ones family of birth that the only safe option for ourselves or our children is to limit or sever contact. I have a quirky, odd, sometimes crumby, mostly OK and often smashingly wonderful family who are willing to go the extra mile even when there has been no close contact for a while. But I have spoken with people who have the most horrendous experiences of abuse, life-damaging neglect, even overt bodily and emotional injuries, too often compounded by the additional abuse of family members who prefer not to deal with the essential evil seeping through their lives.

I've also been blessed with family of choice that expands the blessings in my life: sisters of choice, grand-children of choice and a particularly spiffy foster daughter. Over the years as life and circumstances change, the connections continue to bless and inform my life in such amazing ways. If we haven't spoken in a while, but you need me to meet your step-niece at the airport and drive her a couple of hours to your sister's house, I'll be there with joy and gratitude that love is the tie that binds.

But in the end, anyone we love can come up short. Maybe occasionally. Maybe often. In the most serious cases we may even need to love from afar or with significant boundaries established. And all of that makes loving seem so dangerous at times that we limit it, circumscribe it, hide from it in an effort to not be hurt.

This may be why my most favorite attribute of God is described in this verse from 1st John: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. * So when I most certainly do NOT feel loving toward someone I am not required to rely on my own capacity in this. 

I have had many occasions in my life where I needed to love someone who was driving me to the point of exhaustion or rage and God has never failed to answer this with a swift and resounding, "You Got It!". Do I mean that I suddenly felt all new lamb and daffodils tender toward the person. No, I mean something quite different. I mean that God convicted me that the person I was so frustrated with was actually loved by God as much as I am--even when I am being irritating and outrageous! It is the choice powered by God's love to show His Love to another; and to do so without limits because I have no right to set any limits on love, even when I must find the courage to established healthy boundaries.

* 1 John 4:8

Have you been thinking that you might want to get involved in some kind of mission or volunteer work?

Here are some of the stumbling blocks I have had: I don't know anybody there. I don't know what I would like. What if I get pushed to do something I don't want to do? How do I know what I would be good at? What if I get asked to do something scary, like talk to strangers or be around scary people? Everybody else seems more affluent than I am and I don't want to feel pressure to give money I need for other things. Aren't I too young? Aren't I too old? How will I fit it in?

Does any of that seem familiar?

Let me share some ideas from my experiences in this area: Ask someone you know, even a little, and ask them about where they volunteer and if you could help. Spend a little quiet time thinking about what touches your heart and then do a little research about who needs help. Look at the groups at your church who have a mission they support and ask someone to tell you more. (Asking questions does not commit you to participate further and keeping the mission of your church family on your prayer list is good for everyone!) Try something just once. Try something else. Promise God that for 30 days or 6 month you will be a willing helper for anything that you can do even if is seems too small or is not really your area of interest. (This last still makes me giggle because God has provided many unexpected blessings because of my offering this to God!)

So, what if you find the mission folks ask for things you are not willing to give? If they are truly pushy and obnoxious you may need to keep looking for the right place, because, frankly, some church people have a lot of growing to do. But maybe they are speaking God's call to you. So pray a bunch, including for the people serving the group and being served by the group, asking God to send you wisdom and discernment about your place in the ministry.

Oh, does this sounds like work? You betcha! It is also very exciting and fun. You will meet some of God's most amazing Servants. You will have experiences that will change you forever. You will be blessed in direct relation to your willingness to be a Servant. It does not require you to live without life's necessities. It does not usually require that you get on a plane or boat to travel to distant lands, but if it does, oh wow! It does not require that you be young or old or healthy or brainy or educated in some particular way. But it will result in you being amazed at how God has been preparing for your service long before the thought ever entered you mind.

Will you offer yourself to God to use in His Ways for the next month?

I am not certain which is more frustrating: government programs that are SO hard to de-fund when they do more harm than good, or not-for and non-profit groups (including churches) that are not consistent and persistent in their support of community needs.

This is why it is so very important for all of us to rely more on God's resources than human ones, even if they have the best of intentions. I do think it is good to work in support of viable community programs but in the end no program can be as flexible and personal as each of us needs when we are hurting and afraid.

So whether you are working with an established team, working to establish a ministry, or feel you are too old to help, please remember that the basis of the best work is done when the people involved stay ethically and practically grounded. Anyone can help.

1. Anyone, in any place, can pray. Pray for those in need, in pain, without hope, awash in loneliness. Pray for the hands and feet people who are working with these folks. Pray for leaders, board members, administrative staff and volunteers with a heart for those in need and in pain.

2. Anyone, in any place, can speak in supportive and kind ways to the hands and feet people doing the work on the ground. You can share the news of the work they do to aid in connecting those needing comfort and aid with those offering it.

3. Many programs involved in jails and prisons can use volunteers to write notes of encouragement or review Bible studies from home. Please do this with the support of a group! There are several operating around the nation and it is VERY important to understand the proper ways to keep both yourself AND the incarcerated folks safe. It is VERY affirming work and very worthwhile for ALL who participate. Please contact me if you have questions or need additional resources.

4. Even small donations make a big difference when God gathers from many people. So whether you are thinking about making a provision in an estate or contributing what you get by using store coupons, nothing is too small, too unimportant, or speaks more clearly of your commitment to all of God's children.

5. Many programs exist that are supported by folks who feel called to walk into jails and prison to lead worship, facilitate Bible Study, fund raise for the chaplains (many of whom must provide their own support), serve as reading coaches and life mentors. AGAIN: There are several operating around the nation and it is VERY important to understand the proper ways to keep both yourself AND the incarcerated folks safe. It is VERY affirming work and very worthwhile for ALL who participate. Please contact me if you have questions or need additional resources.

6. As the numbers of people incarcerated explodes (per capita 7 times more today than in 1980) and those under court supervision continues to expand there are increasing needs for helping folks who are working to turn their lives around: to find mentors, welcoming churches, job training, jobs and family life coaching. Reentry program needs are great but again, need to be done wisely and safely.

The most important thing to remember is that very few of us are in a position to "fix" things for incarcerated folks and their families. But each of us can offer kindness, demonstrate in practical ways our belief in renewal and redemption and walk with struggling individuals and families.

Won't you start by praying today?

There is something particularly enchanting about time with family. I think this is one of the most difficult things for someone who loves an incarcerated person. Each family dinner, each birthday, anniversary or reunion there is an empty chair. And when there is time together it is always in an institutional setting. Some prisons are getting better about having kid-friendly areas where children visiting a parent in prison has a happier area than drab walls, folding tables, chairs and vending machines.

It is my prayer that we get better at helping family members who did not do anything illegal or bad, yet suffer along with their child, parent, spouse, friend, uncle, cousin, etc. Because the numbers reflect an important truth: where family ties remain strong recidivism is markedly lower. 

We seem to have lost the original purpose of consequences for wrong acts: restitution and restoration. Until a few decades ago the idea was to do what could be done to help the victim of the crime. Of course in those days it was pretty clear who the victim was...he was the guy or gal who had lost property, health or life because of the willful act of another. Now if a victim of crime wants restitution they have to hire an attorney, sue in civil court and, unless the criminal is a person of means, wind up actually in worse shape than ever emotionally and financially. The other idea was to convince folks to "go straight", meaning return to the community and become productive, contributing citizens and family members.

Somewhere we have gotten lost in a system where most of the time everybody looses. Except for some rare programs there is not much work on helping the criminal understand how their behavior has harmed the community, their families and other individuals. Folks who were raised with families who lived productive, honorable lives based on an ethical base find it hard to understand how some folks don't get that. But it is an increasing problem in a culture more concerned with "getting our props" than in risking being kind. Many folks send a check and think that is enough, but still can't identify the janitor from work or the girl who drew their blood at the hospital if they run into them at the grocery store.

Does that seem like a small thing to you? Because I think it is huge. Customers are too often more engaged with a gossip on the cell phone that a kind word for the check-out clerk. Drivers are so involved with the music on the radio they don't notice a motorcycle until they have cut into their lane. Teacher are so overwhelmed with keeping everyone under control and keeping up with paperwork they have no idea a child's grandmother went into the hospital last night. Such disconnects cause lost opportunities and even outright harm, but we all have a dozen excuses about why we "didn't mean anything bad."

I've about come to the conclusion that the pain I cause by being self-centered and thoughtless is every bit as bad as if I'm intentionally snippy and rude. I don't want to hear one more person whine, but whose behavior clearly shows we humans are far more interested in our own convenience than the lonely, unassertive person who is doing her or his job with integrity while the world never says more than a perfunctory thank-you if their cell phone does not ring.

Come on people! We are all connected and need to treat each interaction with the care God shows us.

These spring days are such a delight! I can hardly dare to hope that we are past snow and freezing weather since in the Midwest we can see snow in April and the last frost is often so late that the tradition here is to plant annuals on Mother's Day. But still, I embrace each day, running errands with a light heart and getting back in the walking routine and watching the local nurseries as they start displaying plants.

But a place in my heart lives with incarcerated folks where spring can be a bitter reminder that they either await a far distant day for release and reentry into the free world or, more challenging, have no expectation of ever walking in a park or along a stream or through the woods again in this life. They long for time with family and mark the days of the lives of their family living in a free world that goes on without them.

My grandmother used the term "arrow prayers" meaning she would draw an arrow pointing "up" on a card or piece of paper and post it where she would be reminded to pray for something or someone throughout the day. I think I'll do that today with an "arrow prayer sticky" on my kitchen window and patio door. As I look for the birds or check the trees for signs of budding or head out for a walk, I'll carry in my heart prayers. I'll pray for those longing for a renewal and a new hope, especially those behind bricks and mortar walls and those in personal prisons of addiction, isolation and loneliness.

Creator, God! Whisper hope to the hopeless and comfort to the sad and anxious and love to those who feel unlovely. Give them understanding of the new life that is available to them in You, and freedom from the old things. Convict them, Spirit of God, that this freedom is available even in times and places of physical, emotional and mental restraint. Wrap them in Your protecting love and pour out on them Your tender care and healing. AMEN
 
So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!  2 Corinthians 5:17

"And in the morning, a great while before day, he (Jesus) rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed."* This passage from Mark is so interesting to me. Jesus prayed, took time apart to talk things over with God. He rose early to do this, so it was something Jesus did not want to get swept aside by the business of the day.

Jesus did live in a way that is a good example for us even today, So often we think about Jesus "not sinning" but it is also about what Jesus did, how He lived His life, how He interacted with His follower, disciples, family members and those who opposed Him.

There is a lot of wisdom and insight about a lot of topics in what is reported about the teachings of Jesus, but the whole area of how Jesus lived has been less obvious to me. Yet every interaction was filled with love and patience for a very frustrating human race. It is striking to see how Jesus spoke with those who challenged His teachings, to Judas even as he was betraying Him, to Peter to help him deal with Peter's denial, how tender He was to His mother and John from the cross, His tears at Lazarus's death and resurrection.

Day to day, month to month, all the years on Earth He loved, lead, instructed, explained and challenged His followers to become more....more in relationship with God, more tender towards God's other children, more trusting and more courageous. And when He returned to the Father, He promised to send the Spirit of God to continue that work in and for us.

No other understanding of God, no other "religion" if you will, embraces such teachings, offers such relationship with a living God who meets us where we are and tends and nurtures and loves and listens.

If prayer was important to Jesus on earth, surely we also need to avail ourselves of this opportunity every day.

* Mark 1:35

I noted a Facebook post that said 'Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold." There was a Bible verse noted, Proverbs 11:27. Since I did not remember a verse quite like that I looked up the verse and to say that it did not match exactly would be an understatement.

In the New International Version it reads: Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.

In the King's James' Version it reads: He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

In the Good News version, which is really a paraphrase rather than a translation, it reads 
If your goals are good, you will be respected, but if you are looking for trouble, that is what you will get.

So this is interesting for several reasons: 

(1) It highlights the difference between translations and paraphrases. While paraphrases are interesting and can be helpful it is important to look deeper as we grow in faith so that we are not misled by someone else's more narrow idea of what a particular passage may mean. In this instance the person who paraphrased the statement "Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold." is interpreting the verse from a very different perspective than the authors of the Good News version. 

(2) How do I know what is right if there are so many interpretations? This is the work of the Spirit of God who guides, instructs and enlightens us as we study the Bible. In this age one of the great blessings is that it is very easy to compare translations on the internet. Also, checking with a pastor or mature Christian friend may provide a historic framework to help interpret and many ministers and pastors are either able to read in the original Greek or Hebrew or have resources to help examine the oldest manuscripts. 

(3) It is never a good idea to take a single Bible verse and try to build your faith around it. Engaging in various types of Bible study such as church groups, carefully considered electronic resources, books by reputable authors and fellowship with other Christians all help us be wise and discerning as we seek to grow in faith and understanding.

(4) Many Christians experience a specific blessing when reading the Bible that, while it is possible to happen with any intelligently written material, it is very profound and interesting to us. I  have read a Bible passage that seemed to make a very strong impression on me, providing enlightenment or comfort or joy so that the verse is remembered as having been important to my growth and understanding. But some years later when I went to that same verse to experience that again, it simply dose not speak to me in the same way. It is still a very nice verse and the words are good words, but the special connection is just not there. For me it is as if the Spirit of God allows me to connect to a passage as needed at that time and then, as I continue to grow in faith, other verses become special for a time. I always have a sense of gratitude for the passages, but either they provide a different perspective or a warm memory of when God provided a special blessing. That may sound odd if you have not experienced it, but it happens fairly often.

So about this paraphrase of this verse; Is it reasonable to get "Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold." from this passage? Personally I find this paraphrase consistent with the older translations although not the traditional perspective. I also find the paraphrase consistent with other teachings of Christ in regard to seeing folks through the Father's view, each of us a wholly loved son or daughter of the King of Kings rather than looking for the smallest speck of flaw in another. (See also Matthew 7:3-5 and Luke 6:42) We call that interpreting scripture in light of scripture, meaning, asking ourselves: Is this consistent with the overall teachings of Christ?

At the very least it is worth a discussion and further study...which is the joy of the Bible. It always calls us to uncover new depths of love, understanding and service with each interaction we have with it!

If you haven't been looking through the Bible recently, pick one up today!

We moved back from a part of Florida that is more pine trees than palm trees. But in the land of hurricanes and tropical storms I was always amazed by the tall palms capacity to bend rather than break in the storm. Their root system is shallow so the tree itself must be more flexible than a giraffe neck in order to survive the bend and sway of powerful winds and water. Other parts of the Gulf Coast have live oaks that do throw down deep roots to anchor old trees permanently bent by winds that drive persistently inland.

Now back in the Midwest I'm relying on trees to hold firm the terraced woodland that preserves the area for water runoff during winter melting and spring rains. These trees, throwing down deep roots and reaching tall to catch the sun to sprout their leaves and ensure their continued growth fascinate me.

The landscape in the Middle East has no oceans and nothing I am aware of the would remind one of a Midwestern glade, but the power of trees still drew the Prophet Jeremiah:

But those who trust in the Lord will be blessed.
    They know that the Lord will do what he says.
They will be strong like trees planted near a stream
    that send out roots to the water.
They have nothing to fear when the days get hot.
    Their leaves are always green.
They never worry, even in a year that has no rain.
    They always produce fruit.                                         Jeremiah 17:7-8

So, today I will let the trees remind me to lay down deep roots that I might love and serve God well, tend with kindness and wisdom to family and friends through challenges great and small, worship and study that my roots might be well nourished and everlasting, and thank God for all these amazing trees.

Release, re-entry, redemption, reconciliation, renewal, recondition, rehabilitate, refinish, remodel, reconsider, revitalize, ....this is my favorite part of the dictionary. It points out so clearly that getting it right the first time is not part of the human condition.

All of us at some time or other have slipped up, including things that could get us arrested from connecting a palm to a face in anger or a baseball bat to a windshield, from letting a friend "share" a prescription tablet for a headache to finding something in a sweater at the bottom of the shopping cart that did not make it through the checkout process, to drinking one more than was legal before the drive home, to failing to secure goods in our care which results in their theft. The list is pretty long.

For many folks there is an assumption that people in jail are uniformly bad people. And it certainly is true that some folks work pretty hard to keep making foolish and incompetent choices before the gate swings shut. But the point is anyone can succumb to temptation. Even loosing our temper with our children and harming them with words is horrid if not actionable, but I don't know of any child who has totally escaped this experience even from loving family members. How about delaying another week that visit to the nursing home or a shut-in relative? According to the Bible, being hateful is the same crime as murder because killing the spirit and hope of another is sometimes harder to heal than a black eye; it just isn't illegal.

One thing that is so evident in jails and prisons is the cost of unhealed sin. In the free world we pretend we didn't do anything that wrong and we go on our way thinking that we are OK. But incarcerated or free world sin has a price and the price is numbness of soul, self-justification and a downward slope that keeps us on a treadmill of poor choices and unrepentance until we can justify more spitefulness, more corner-cutting, more spirit bruising choices. Some folks keep this up until the slope becomes steeper and steeper and the choice to change directions seems more and more impossible. A few visits to a nursing home and it will become clearer how far we can drift in our choices in just a few decades.

Not all wind up in a mortar and iron prison, but rather we imprison ourselves in attitudes that alienate families and friends, cut grandchildren off from family lore and laughter, break hearts in the name of self-righteousness and flood generations with unexamined ways of doing business that are destructive.

So find a dictionary and turn to the part that has the "re"s and consider also repentance, remembering, relationship, reality, relish, and rejoice that God renews us daily by the power of the blood of the Lamb, Christ and through the comfort of the Spirit of God.


No matter how far you have drifted or slipped, God loves you and longs to restore you to relationship.

Today I'm off to help out at a local Habitat for Humanity: Women Build volunteer day. I offered to help with lunch since the build team was full, so I spend last afternoon cooking. It is the first really springy day and tomorrow promises to be even nicer. This is such a great way to get over cabin fever.

Over the winter there have been so many days too cold to walk very far and too few sunny days. So my plan for the coming days is to get out more, and remember to welcome the rain when it comes to bless the plants and animals. I'm hoping my neighbors will be out more, my grandkids will be interested in a trip to the park and someone will let me help them garden a bit. I'll smell the fresh air, check the trees for buds and the earth for plants peaking through. 

And I'll be disciplined about thanking the Creator of all this wonderment for the multitude of joys in my life.

Won't you join me!

He who oppresses the poor taunts His Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. Proverbs 14:31

Reading the Bible over a course of years is very interesting. Sometimes the words pierce my heart like an arrow with stark clarity so that I know with emphasis something I need to change in my behavior. Other times I read a familiar verse and realize a new comfort or insight for my current situation and wonder why I never noticed that before. Other times something peaks my interest and a journey starts of reading in context, checking similar passages, reading commentaries, talking with a trusted Christian sister or brother to try to understand if my ideas are consistent with Scripture as a whole.

So it was today when I read this in the 2nd Chapter of Ephesians: "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." St. Paul was speaking of the equal love of God for both the Gentiles and the Jews because some Hebrews were snobbish because they had known Jehovah before the Messiah was born and the Gentiles sometimes succumbed to the temptation to remind the Hebrews that it was not the Greeks who had murdered Christ. 

Does this sound at all familiar? I understand too well the temptation to view my incarcerated child as one of "them," and wonder how he could have strayed so far. But listen again to these words as they spoke into my life, "Jesus speaks peace to those in prison and to those in the free world. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

So I don't have to manage, control, direct, restrict, restrain, or dominate because I have tried all that and it was not helpful; in fact it was often harmful to the one I love and to myself. Neither do I need to tend, care for, aid, provide for, or support because that is God's area of authority as He builds His relationship with my adult child (or sister or friend). God has no grandchildren and my influence is limited to quietly letting my little light of love and faith shine for those I love.

Today let us pray: Lord of Love and God of Hope, help me to surrender to Your Love and Care and Authority my beloved child whose life choices frighten me so very much. I know You love this child with a love that I can only reflect and that Your promises are always kept. Instead, help me Lord, with every temptation to worry, fuss and stress about my child's situation, to recommit my child's safety to You and thank You that You ALWAYS provide for that child's highest good. Help me, Lord, to turn my thoughts, my energies, my abilities to deepening and strengthening my relationship with You and using my gifts and talents in Your service. AMEN

i am concerned about folks who are way too quick to believe stuff. Oh, I know many folks think being a Christian means being tooooo naive. But this should not be the case unless said Christian has limited mental abilities. By this I do not mean being too lazy to think critically and do a little research. After all, Christians understand sin and know no one is without temptation. So here are some rules I would like to suggest we all follow, because being an easy mark can lead to allowing a crime to be committed that we should not participate in and may even fund truly evil actions.

1. Do NOT donate money or pay for services to websites just because they have a slick website and cute Christian messages. If the website does not give clear contact information that you can confirm independently do not give them money. Read the website! Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out why a reputable sounding Christian women's organization had two Facebook sites (one without any contact or organizational information at all). When I finally unearthed a web-site address it had all the slick graphics of the two nearly identical Facebook pages, no location information, no information on principals, no explaining what donations might be used for. No such organization is a tax-exempt organization filed with the IRS nor on web-sites that report on charitable organizations. I emailed the only contact information on the website for financial, sponsor and IRS status information; I'm still waiting for a response. The only connection I could make was someone who appeared to be a young woman in another country trying to sell some very short and simplistic written work. Is she a naive dupe or a fake identify created in an elaborate system to solicit for crooks or jihadists! My suspicions are aroused because after two of my FB friends liked the site it suddenly showed up on my Facebook account as having been "liked" by me which I guarantee it was NOT.

2. If you have a Facebook account check on it regularly. Way too many people can hack in and post stuff to your wall which is then sent to anybody following your FB page. One of my son's account was hacked and some incredibly lewd and rude stuff was posted you probably don't want your Dad or Aunt or Granddaughter to see!

3. When you must sign financial information like tax forms and banking documents or get statements from a financial institution READ them and please do it promptly. Under the law you have a limited time to notify credit card companies of false charges or for banks, insurance companies, brokerage firms and the like to fix problems if you are missing money from your accounts. I know some of their correspondence makes the federal government look like 3rd grade math but keep asking questions. Start an envelope to keep all your charge slips and copies of invoices for merchandise purchased on line until you have check them off your statement and contact the credit card company if you can't identify a charge. They will help you get contact information and if it is a false charge they will help you get credit. Several slick folks through phony rebate checks and "add on" monthly fees have managed to land on my statement when I did pay enough attention. But I not only went after the money, I notified the attorney general's office in my state. Far too little cyber theft if prosecuted and fake sights to not do good things with your money. They also can use the sight to troll for data to steal your identify. If you are too frustrated to be wary and alert, stick to the store in the mall or sights that a trusted family member or adviser confirm are real and safe. 

4. Even if they offer a million dollars or tell you a family member is in jail or trapped overseas DO NOT GIVE ANY MONEY, ACCOUNT INFORMATION, PERSONAL INFORMATION LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS, DATES OF BIRTH OR ANCESTOR NAMES TO ANYONE WHO CONTACTS YOU!!!! Really, I can not emphasize this enough. This is how people get scammed, robbed and financially abused EVERY DAY. Do not even click on emails that are from someone you don't know, but also don't open them if the name is familiar but the email address is wrong. People steel names out of address books with impunity because I get phony emails ALL THE TIME even though I am aggressively careful about who I give my email address to. If it claims it is from a familiar company still don't open it because phony look-alike addresses are common. Don't ever do anything in a hurry because that is a common ploy to get you to act before you think. If a phone call is not from some you know hang up the minute you hear a pitch to buy something, give you something for free or ask for money. This is no time to be "polite" and tell them you need to hang up. Just hang up.

5, If a family member or friend is helping you with your bills or investments ask another family member or trusted friend to go over the statements with you every month. If this makes the person who is helping angry suggest they switch roles for a while. After all, if your helper gets sick and you are upset it is smart to have someone else already up-to-speed. And you may just help keep temptation from calling the name of someone you love.

OK, sorry for the rant, but truly things are getting harder and more complex every day. The problems of web-based financial abuse are too big and complex for local police departments and apparently too unimportant to companies and government officials to pay much heed. The internet makes many things seem easy until you try to unwind identify theft or have to file charges against a loved one who is spiraling out of control with money stolen from YOU (and those you might actually want to help).

Be safe out there!

The New York Daily Times reported that yesterday a group of inmates at a men's unit at Rikers Island, New York, took extraordinary steps to interrupt a violent sexual assault saving and protecting an injured corrections officer until prison authorities could regain authority. Rikers administration has one of the most abysmal professional corrections reputations in the country. 

The story is disturbing on several levels, but at its most basic it serves to remind ourselves of two important facts:

 (1) Folks in the free world would probably not expect heroism, courage and compassion from prisoners for their guards. But these men not only put their immediate safety on the line, but may well have made themselves a target of bullies on the inside, yet they did not shirk. 

(2) I think detention officers have the absolute worse jobs ever. The smallest mistake or bit of flawed judgement can cause injury to others or themselves. There is so much rage, bitterness and despair pervading the population, so much real danger and, unless the administration is both very competent and honorable, there is little pro-active support so staff can survive the challenges. Often the folks with the best capacity to support healthier prisons are elbowed out by incipient bullies. The temptation to justify what seems to be small "cheats" can erode the soul and the temptation must be especially harsh when daily exposure to a prison population might tempt one tho think, "Well, my cheat is nothing to what others do." Overall, lots of temptations, not much pay, abiding danger and little respect in the free world. It is little wonder that a marginal or poor administration can loose authority quickly. 

So for today let us rejoice that even in desperate places honor can survive. And let us lift up in prayer those who struggle to maintain their faith, their honor, their humanity within prison walls, both prisoners and staff.

Oh, God of All Hope and Light, shine Your love and hope into the jails, prisons and parole offices that both those facing the consequences of errs and those who our society gives custody of them are inspired by each small act of kindness, each instance of honor, each moment of humanity to build better lives for all involved. The situation is grievous and altogether alarming, Lord. Show us each how we can "Remember prisoners as if (we) were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if (I) were in their place."* AMEN

*Hebrew 13:3

These last dregs of winter have been so odd. For starters I refuse to complain about winter weather when I know what the Northeast has endured with feet of snow and all the challenges entailed. But I am so excited to see my favorite spring ritual begin, one I missed every spring for the past dozen years while I lived in the South.

As I look outside my window I see what I have seen all winter, lots of bare branches, dead leaves and flora and an occasional squirrel or rabbit. But soon there will be a hint of green budding out, crocuses popping up, then red-bud trees and tulip trees peeking through, then hyacinths, tulips and daffodils and more green in the trees. The birds and squirrels will build nests and the sun will begin to warm the earth.

This is has been the backdrop of my life for most of my years and I think I find it so enchanting because spring is the promise of renewal, regeneration, and rebirth. This is something we all need. I get a bit frustrated at the mania of the past few years to find the clay feet of anyone who achieves any kind of worthwhile goal. But this is a natural blow-back from all the unrealistic hero worship that preceded it.

The Bible has better sense. I can not think of any major player in Judeo-Christian history that did not have clay feet because the obvious truth is that no one is without flaws, no one grew up without making mistakes, sometimes some pretty embarrassing mistakes. They were real people with real flaws and real challenges and still they found in God the guidance, strength and endurance to achieve good things exactly because they knew their own weaknesses so instead relied on God to do the heavy lifting.

That is the promise of spring and the reality of God. It is never a bad time, never too late, never a lost cause to turn our face toward God and ask for rebirth, regeneration, redemption and hope for the future.

"But the Lord is the one who is marching before you! He is the one who will be with you! He won’t let you down. He won’t abandon you. So don’t be afraid or scared!” Deuteronomy 31:8