There are lots of folks who make a "cameo appearance" in the Bible, never to be named again. And there are lots of folks whose life story is given in painful detail. But when a person pops up in two distinct honorable contexts I'm interested in learning more.

Gamaliel is noted at the end of Acts 5 speaking to the Jewish leaders who were VERY UPSET by the stories the followers of Jesus were spreading...Jesus was risen and His way of living (and the coming of the Spirit of God at Pentecost) call us to a new way of living, a closer relationship with our Creator, our God. This was VERY revolutionary stuff and the church leaders were "furious and plotting to kill them". Gamaliel reminded them that people claimed to be prophets all the time and, over time, their ideas proved to be dust and their followers scattered. In verses 38 to 39 he said: "I say to you, keep away from those men and let them alone; for if this plan or work is of men, it will come to nothing, but if it is of God you cannot over throw it -- lest you even be found to fight against God." Indeed the plan has proven to be "of God" and those whose political power and earthly wealth were going to be swept away in the centuries since did pay a price for "standing against God."

This seems an important message for me today. Being a passionate person I have much compassion for Peter who, mistaking his own passion for God's lack of power to protect His Son, lopped off the ear of the servant of the High Priest as Jesus' death march gained speed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Those of us dealing with the criminal behavior of a beloved child are often referred to Carol Kent's books as a source of comfort and hope in the face of disaster. She and her incarcerated son tell their story of the son's fear and self-righteousness driving the son to murder someone he believed to be a very dangerous person, so this silly "taking up God's slack" thing tempts us to horrors yet today.

In fact, I think we are all guilty of it at different times, in varying degrees. We tell a lie because we are afraid the truth will cause pain. We make a sin worse by trying to avoid its consequences. We fail to value someone who blesses our life because we are too distracted by the "problem" person. We like to think of ourselves as good, caring people, but in truth we are guilty of stealing what is God's because we don't want to deal with the pain of the situation.

So today I will resolve to let God be God; to Let Go, Let God; to get off my high horse and down on my knees focusing on digging the weeds out of my own garden rather than acting like I know what everyone else needs better than God does. 

Please, beloved Father, send Your Spirit to help me fix my focus on growing closer to You rather than judging or manipulating others into what I think is better. Convict me of Your passionate love for those I love, Your utter trustworthiness and power in their lives with no help from me. Keep my mouth shut when my words might wound; make my words sweet as I encourage and let me live my love for You and Your love for All into their lives by my willingness to listen, to forgive, and to seek forgiveness. Make me fearless when I am walking in Your Will and stop me as forcefully as necessary when I pose a danger to those I love. By the Grace of Your Son's sacrifice. AMEN

The coming weeks will bring family reunions, a baptism, a baby shower and, I expect, much laughter and some tears as we remember those now living in a better place, not here to give hugs, share family history and speak of lessons learned.

For those of us who struggle with an incarcerated loved one or someone whose choices make us hope that incarceration is the worst we will be dealing with, there are shadows. It may be an empty chair at the table or worry that the challenges of one beloved one will spill over into disruption and pain for other beloved family members and for ourselves. And always there are questions: "What could we have done differently?" and "How do I help now?" and "How do I quit making it worse without meaning to?" For families where this has become an all too frequent issue the even more urgent questions is: "How do I keep this from pouring into yet another generation?"

So today's devotion really was a poke in the ribs. The Bible reading from 1 Chronicles 7 is full of "begats" and fathers and sons and daughters names and their offspring and the family story stating: "and they were might men of valor in their generations." Frankly I was kind of thinking "yeah, yeah, other than a list of potential baby names this is not so interesting." Then I got to verse 20 which tells of sons gone wrong and the consequences of that which included their deaths. Then verse 22 speaks of their father Ephraim who "mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him." He eventually had another son, but even at the rejoicing of a new life the father spoke of the "tragedy (that had) come upon his house". 

The story of the criminal behavior sounded like the drone of the evening news as assaults, robberies, thefts, home invasions and violent death make victims of us all: potential is misspent, innocents pay with their hope, confidence, even their lives and it is hard to figure out whether the families of the "victim" or "perpetrator" are bleeding more profusely, aching more deeply, grieving more passionately. I'm pretty sure who is dealing with more shame, and who is more likely to get casseroles from their church friends. Both houses will have an empty chair at their table, a sense of loss of a better "might have been", questions, mourning, a new reality, the need to rebuild expectations for their tomorrows.

But somehow I find Ephraim's story comforting: it speaks to the thoughts that had been pecking at my brain as I have been anticipating all the family joys and excitement. You see, Ephraim (this father of fallen sons) both went on with life yet also remembered his lost children, and I am thinking probably looked at his new born son and prayed God would give him more wisdom, better parenting skills, courage to live boldly with enough heart and hope that his new child would be spared the pain of rebelling against God, against family values earnestly taught, instead becoming a mighty man of valor in his generation. 

So I will embrace each moment with family, trust God more wholly, listen with less judgment and more love, pray A BUNCH, walk humbly seeking to be a woman of valor in my generation. I believe that is the best gift I can give to my grandchildren and their grand children.
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Oxford Dictionary:  VALOR, noun, Great courage in the face of danger, see also brave, fearless, dauntless; having pluck, nerve, backbone, spine, spirit, fortitude, mettle, hardihood, spunk; being heroic, stouthearted, audacious, bold, gallant, daring,

Thou shalt defend your opinions on the color for the paint and carpet at the cost of kindness. Thou shalt complain when new volunteers don't "do it the right way" although no one took the time to work along side to help them. Thou shalt speak unkindly to anyone who irritates you.....SAID NO BIBLE EVER.

We are so quick to defend every opinion about the most pointless things. But we run like frightened rabbits when we are asked to do some serious thinking about the things the Bible does say.

I believe the church must do better. I believe we need to read ALL the Bible, including the difficult and scary parts. As an example, in Proverbs 31: 8-9 we read these words: "Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor."  Proverbs 31:8-9

In my county we have a jail that fails on every level to provide basic care of the people incarcerated there, fails to provide a safe working environment for jail employees, regularly gets plastered on the front page of the newspaper (though local broadcast and electronic media are doing an astonishing job of glossing over the issues) with long articles documenting dangerous conditions, yet our political "leaders" are mute, more interested in trolleys and art districts and closing recycling centers than in addressing the most basic human needs for safety and dignity. Few people incarcerated in this jail or working in this jail walk out of its doors feeling hopeful about building a better future because fear does not drive positive change in any environment. And in this building there is an amazing amount of fear and very little hope; but then, wealthy defendants don't spend much time behind these walls and the people who do are voiceless in the world.

The chaplain and other volunteers offer what hope there is and are overwhelmed and serve at the pleasure of the very people who have allowed this situation to develop to this point. If they are like other volunteers I have spoken with, they constantly balance being allowed to tend gently those they can, forgoing speaking the truth loudly and loosing the opportunity to serve there at all. 

The political folks in charge of this have just commissioned a second study but as they wait to have all the necessary political cover completed and paid for, they hail this interim improvement: hundreds of doors have been replaced because they did not lock. This included doors to cells assigned to incarcerated individuals to sleep. This has resulted in several rapes of people. Though privacy laws (and a sense of care) prevent us from knowing exactly who, we know that statistically they were likely charged with a petty crime but unable to pay bail or fines. It is no surprise that the authorities cannot find the funds to make needed changes to the facility and, far more importantly, changes to the CULTURE of this jail because they are having to pay hefty settlements for both injuries to the incarcerated and for fostering a hostile and unsafe working environment.

Are our churches speaking out on behalf of these vulnerable brothers and sisters? I'm not being deafened by their demands. If they are picketing at the jail, it is not being reported. If they are writing their political representatives it is not making much of a wave.  THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE, BUT IT IS IN THE HANDS OF CORRUPT ELECTED OFFICIALS, for if they are not corrupt surely they would themselves be picketing and speaking and demanding that the horrors of this situation be shoved in the face of every decent person even if it is not their personal horror or that of their child or their parent who is at risk in this facility EVERY DAY. Maybe it is only the person next door, or at the next desk, or a more distant family member, or the person they need to make their business successful or save their child's life. We are all PEOPLE, people! 

Will you bring this to your churches, to pastors and church councils? Will you pray passionately that people with hearts for God will welcome a clearer understanding of the issues and act in ways that can move us forward?

I believe our very future depends upon this!

I have an unfortunate character trait: I tend to imitate those I am around. One week with a southern cousin leads to a month of all-y'all's and bless-her-heart's popping unbidden out of my mouth.​

That is bad enough, but the bigger problem is when I spend too much time with folks who have the habit of unhappiness. Oh, I know, you think I should "just say no" and I do limit my time and practice boundary setting. But if I were trapped in a head that roils with fear and anger and bitterness, I would want someone to toss a flower over the wall behind which I hide my tender heart.

Some years ago I was asked to visit regularly with a woman who was terminally ill and, between deaths of friends and family and behaviors alienating her remaining family and friends, she had a very narrow support network. It was not always pleasant because she tended to speak for long periods either justifying her own poor behavior or railing about people who had wronged her. I remember one afternoon she was working herself into a lather that was making her existence even sadder. I looked at her evenly, quietly asking, "How is that working for you?" She looked shocked and then started to laugh as she said, "Not so well, I guess." It seemed a turning point in our conversations.

I believe we are created for fellowship, for traveling in pairs and trios, for living in families or families of choice. My dearest friends hold me accountable when they notice I'm running off the rails or letting myself run on fumes. We share our challenges and fears with a high degree of safety. (We all, being imperfect, mess up sometimes, and being able to forgive one another is also an import part of the equation.) We cry together but also laugh together, often at ourselves. We do not live in each other's pockets, but these women are profound blessings in my life.

We seek the opinions of those we value and trust as we consider life changes or respond to changes imposed upon us. We share our faith struggles and broken hearts and dearest hopes in ways that affirm and strengthen us all.

I am so grateful I have learned the value of tending carefully friendships and relationships that are healthy, hope-filled, honest and joyous. (If you are reading this and think it might be referring to you, you are right and a blessing in my life.)

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.   Ecclesiastes 4:9-12             

Today when I mentioned I do prison ministry I got a not unusual response: we should just kill the worst people who harm children and old people.  If only it were that simple. As a Christian I believe God loves all the children God created, even when we error, sin, mess up, harm others, fail to seek healing for our injuries...you see where I am going here. So if the perfect God sent Christ do DIE for us so that God no longer sees our sins and we who are NOT perfect judge other. But all of us have harmed others (you say it is not intentional, but does that really make it any less heinous?) and tried to justify our own failings (which Christ already did for all and we can neither destroy Christ's gift nor convince God to destroy His covenant) and caused more harm by failing to fess up and take our lumps, so does this seem sensible? 

So can we agree it is a matter of degree rather than right or wrong, good or bad, sinner or saint? And if that is so, do we truly know the mind of God so that we can say the Bible doesn't mean what it says and Christ's death was not what God claimed and on the spectrum between Pol Pot and Mother Teresa (who proclaimed the limitations she dealt with in her faith journey), where IS the single spot between where bad is too bad and good is good enough.

Not that you can find any of that in the Bible, because it says right there in black and white (and red?) that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.* Nowhere in the Bible can we find a list of "big sins" and "small sins". Because in the end sin is ALWAYS about not trusting God and that is one gigantic mistake.

Whether we are Eve in the Garden or King David sliding from lust to murder or Pontius Pilate trying to wash Christ's blood off his hands, we are trying to do things our own way, justifying our suspicion that God is not reliable and not as able or wise or smart or powerful as we are. Does that sound as silly as it feels to me? Yet I do it...not by opening stalags or poms or killing fields but still by plotting and planning and scheming and fretting and worrying and demanding God do things my way "or else I'll take matters into my own hands." Then disaster looms because I think I am better than the Creator of the this universe and all other universes. 

Now, if you are not a follower of Christ, this discussion is really not pertinent to you. But if you call yourself a Christian, how do you judge how bad is bad and when good is good enough, or is there a better use for our time -- like just getting on with leaning more fully on God?

 As it is written, There is no righteous person, not even one.  Roman's 3:10