At one point in His earthly ministry, Jesus had some of His followers find the commitment too challenging and left, so Jesus asked His closest companions if they also were going to leave and Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."*

Ultimately this is my conundrum. I don't always like all the things I am asked to do as a follower of Jesus. Forgiving people who are mean and cause pain to me or those I love is really not fun, and it causes people to make fun of me at times. Loving people who are dirty, angry, lonely and really unlovely is not something I would have set out to do on my own. Giving up doing things my own way is definitely a bummer.

But what is the alternative? I either follow the teachings and will of God or I am left to make my own way, and that is MUCH less attractive than doing all the hard things God asks. AND God actually teaches me how to do all the icky stuff, so it is not like I'm left to struggle on my own. Oh, and after God teaches me I realize it is not icky at all. It is freeing, It is powerful. It is truly in my own best interest after all. 

El-Shaddai, source of all blessings, thank You for the abundant blessings You pour out on me, even when I don't understand why some of this stuff is a blessing. Your ways are always designed for my highest good. All my needs are met and many of my wants too. You are amazing, God. AMEN

*John 6:68

I remember being young and being a bit confused about the whole "all have sinned and fallen short" thing. I had murdered no one and robbed no banks. I went to church regularly and participated in Bible study and community out-reach to the less fortunate. I was quite horrified when I realized I had been insensitive and caused pain to someone.

But here is the deal. Being a follower of Jesus is not about what sins, errors and rotten things I have not done. It is not about how often I go to church or how often I serve in programs to minister to folks in need of clothing or food, in jail or ill. It is not about how many Bible verses I memorize or how much money I contribute.

It is about my relationship to God. And when I was growing up I would have not even have had the smallest understanding of what that meant. I always feel a little sorry for young pastors because, fresh from good families and conservative colleges they often struggle to preach sermons that have much meat. I suspect it is because many are like I was at their ages, at least a little proud of my "relationship with God."

But it was as I fell on my knees, on my face, on my keester, rolled down hills, fell from the high place I had perceived as my right, that I began to understand that I needed redemption. This was when I began to really pay attention to God, rather than be complacent about Him being on my team. Ah ha, that was the problem, the team was my team with my ideas and my goals. When I started to fall in love with God, when I began to give God the same attention and commitment that I had given my human relationships, goals and plans, then I began learning about the God who restores us.

You see, whether separation from God is "a little arrogance" or a major, public plunge into the "big" sins, it is still separation. I suppose this is why Christ told this parable in Luke 7:41-43: Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

So, unlike the World, Christ assures us that those of us whose sins have left us with no illusions about our need for redemption are actually blessed because we have a truer and deeper understanding about the value of our gift of restoration.

Jehovah-mikaddesh, thank You for Your ability and willingness to restore our relationship with You, not by our puny efforts to be better that we are, or to be, God forbid, better than the person next to us, but because it is Your nature as You have revealed Yourself to us. You take my breath away with Your love for me. AMEN

I'm often quite sure what I want God to do for me, yet how often I am wholly wrong about what I need!

This is one of the great blessings I have found in my faith: I am not in charge! Things don't have to go my way to be going well. God does allow challenges to come my way because, hard headed as I am, I often don't learn any other way than to get a taste of what I think I need.

But Jehovah-jireh, the God who provides, provides only that which moves us toward being the best-self God created us to be. I have certainly been frustrated in my life when I felt things were going ever so wrong and sometimes that is an indication I need to change my attitude or behaviors or assumptions. But no matter how wrong I get it, at some point I realize God has truly redeemed the experience so amazingly that what I learned through that challenge is exactly what I need to understand or know at some further point.

So I really can rely on my God, who longs for me to become all I was created to be. I can't mess things up so much that God will give up on me and I can't run so far from God that it takes more than a whisper to re-start the conversation, or more than a breath of surrender to begin receiving God's best gifts.

Thank you, Jehovah-jireh, for always providing for my every need according to my highest good. Thank  you, Jesus, for sending the Holy Spirit to help me understand this even when my life seems dark and frightening. AMEN

This is my favorite name for God, Jehovah-Rapha, the God who reveals Himself as Healer. How many times have I turned to God for healing? 

For my parents as they battled fatal illnesses? 
For my nephew and his family as the little guy underwent (successful) cancer treatment? 
For folks in brick and mortar prisons whose souls are burden with the consequences of their errors and whose guilt grows as they watch their families struggling? 
For folks bowed down and overburdened with additions running from work-a-holism to heroin, pornography to emotional eating to running other people's lives? 
For expectant mothers and new parents anxiously scanning the horizon for any potential hazard to their child?
For those whose bodies are under siege from injury and illness, those who struggle with mental health issues, those whose souls are weary and sick?
For survivors of crime, fire, war, poverty, hopelessness, pain, fear, anxiety, and abuse.
For myself, those I love, those they love, members of our church family and those they love, folks whose stories make the newspaper and evening news, and folks whose stories come through social media or from the heart a weeping stranger?

God knew that my life in this temporary home would include much suffering and struggling and weeping and exhaustion, yet millennia before I was born revealed Himself as the God who Heals. The joy of prayer for the suffering is that it comforts and heals both the object of the petition and the prayer of the petition.

God heals in so many ways. Today we thank God for the life of a beloved family member, Woman of God, whose prayers to go home were answered on Christmas Day. Her family will miss her, but so much of what was amazing about her lives on in her children and grandchildren. Her deepest longing to meet her Creator face-to-face was granted. And she left confident, not only in her own destination, but in God's commitment to offer comfort and compassion to the children and grandchild whose lives here feel diminished today.

Jehovah-Rapha, we thank you for healing our beloved sister in Christ, and for Your tender care of her family as they learn to live with the new normal. AMEN

 A few years ago I became interested in a feature of the Old Testament. I learned to pay attention to the names of God recorded there. Oh, many folks know that in the Old Testament of the Bible, speaking the name of God is strictly prescribed because the people of God believed it was a special blessing to be allowed to know the name(s) of God and to speak them.

In an age where folks frequently use the names and symbols of God in the most abasing manner, such respect is considered superstition or foolishness. (I suspect folks would be drummed out of decent society if they used the names Allah, Bahá', Vishnu, Satnamor, Odin or Te with such disrespect for the beliefs of others.) But when I began to consider the names of God it was interesting, even enlightening.

The most commonly recognized name of God from the Old Testament is Jehovah. God directs Moses to lead the Isrealites from captivity in Egypt by telling them to follow Moses as God's representative out into the dessert. I can imagine that Moses knew this would be a hard sell, so he asks, "Who shall I say sent me? What is Your name?" And God answers I AM. When one is God, one does not have to say more, but through the ages God has chosen to reveal more to His creation about the nature and character of their Creator. 

But to begin, God states this most basic truth: "I AM". For if that is not so, then what else is of interest to any of us? God discloses the essential source of all and the crux of God's desire to have a relationship with God's creation. God does not "make a case"; solicit homage, or demand tribute. God simply says, "I AM." And follows up by providing for God's chosen people. By revealing God's own nature to the Isrealites, God began leading all of us to know and understand the nature of our Creator.

So the name Jehovah is our most basic acknowledgement of God's essential status as our Creator, our Author, our Designer who, in revealing God's nature to us, reveals our own nature to us. We were created to love the God who begets us and trust that God's greatest longing is for our greatest good. We fail and fall as we let fear be our god, but still the Great Jehovah pursues us, loves us and calls us back into a holy and freeing relationship as God's child.

My Prayer for Today:  Almighty Jehovah, thank You for revealing Yourself to me, to each of us. Thank you for never giving up on me as You continue to be the great I AM. No matter how far I stray from trusting You, how often I fail to turn to You for wisdom, strength, hope and stray from the journey to become all You created me to be, You continue to love, to call, to woo, to whisper truth in my heart. Thank You for Your patience and Your unchanging nature. AMEN

"Then Moses said to God, “But if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me,’ then the people will ask, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?” Then God said to Moses, “Tell them, ‘I Am Who I Am.’ When you go to the Israelites, tell them, ‘I Am’ sent me to you.” And God said, “Tell the Israelites that you were sent by Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This will always be my name. It is how I want the people to remember me from now on." Exodus 3:13-15 EVR

You have shopped with care, expending funds, energy and intellect to place before your beloved a truly unique and valuable gift. And when the gift is opened it is given only a moment's notice before your beloved enthusiastically opens other packages in the search for blingy, shallow and even dangerous items touted by the culture of "me" as what we deserve to make us happy.

I know I would have little patience for such behavior.

Yet we do that every day to a God who gives us His Son so that we might have the "free gift of God which is eternal life." 

We poor human beings are so easily distracted by everything from great challenges to great material blessings, always thinking we will get around to thinking seriously about God later when our schedules calm down, when we are through school, when we have kids, when we get the kids raised, when we are less stressed caring for our aging parents, when our careers are assured, when money is more plentiful, when time is not in such short supply.

And what does God do? Does He shoot lighting bolts from the clouds? Does He ignore us to get even? Does He give all the good stuff to those who are pious? No, none of that.

God loves, woos, and cares for us with eternal patience longing to fill us with peace, joy, hope and a future of purpose and growth. If only we can escape the confines of our human perspective of time and importance, to instead give Him our attention, our conversation, our willingness to learn how to accept His finest gifts!

This is my Christmas Prayer for us all: Gracious Lord, Almighty God, thank You for loving us even when we are foolish. Thank you for always being willing to listen, teach, love and guide us. Send Your spirit that we might be still and know that You are God. and that I am Your beloved child. I love you so. AMEN

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."  Romans 6:23 (NRSV)

It is interesting that so many conversations between angels and humans start with the words "Fear not." From this I deduce that the cherubic and girlish portrayals common in Christmas card art are far from accurate.  There are more frightening images of angels: imposing, powerful, majestic forms that I would much prefer begin any conversation with me with those very important words "Fear not."

A particularly wonderful minister friend gave a Christmas sermon some years ago noting that neither Sadducees (liberals) nor Pharisees (conservatives) nor the ruling king and his court (powerful and influential folks) nor Rabbis (church leaders) nor merchants (business owners) were the recipients of this world changing news. My friend postulated that was because in all of Judea, the shepherds were the only people with the capacity to hear the news without immediately veering off into thoughts of how it affected their own power or position. Instead these shepherds just followed directions ("You will find the babe....") and went to worship their King and Savior.

So on this night when we remember this amazing gift to us, let us all commit a space of time to ponder what it means that God asked and His Son agreed to become a vulnerable baby, slowly learning to control His body and develop His gray matter just like all babies must, so that He might in a little over three decades endure an excruciating, public death in our stead and raise again that we might have life eternal. 

I love the King James words, "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people". This is not a promise for a later time or for a limited few, but rather for all times and for all peoples. Rejoice today that this is true for your loved ones in jails or prison or other forms of limited living and for you, too.

Surely this is the kind of news that would indeed be delivered by a truly imposing multitude of heavenly heralds of imposing presence. Let us hear their news and consider that running full-tilt to the manger is indeed a fitting use of our time today.

" Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. 11 Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city."  Luke 2:8-11 

I've always thought it odd that we count the days to Christmas rather than to Christmas Eve, since for many folks church services and family activities often start the day before Christmas. Our Church is even having its first Christmas celebration at 10:00 a.m. on Dec 24th. Like most churches in this age, there will be no service on Christmas Day.

For folks celebrating Hanukkah this is one of those years where the days of celebration culminate on the 24th of December. 

So for practical purposes everything needs to be ready today for the Holiday celebrations. As much as adults may anticipate Christmas traditions and activities, most are pretty ready for the Christmas to New Year's period of eating left-overs and pots of soup, not having to chase the clock with school bus schedules and at least for some, days off work.

Maybe this is the best day of the year for me to remember the 25th verse of the 31st chapter of Jeremiah: "I will give rest and strength to those who are weak and tired.”  Because for all the joy of family and celebration and the often more generous actions of folks this time of year, it is also traffic snarls and budget angst and tense family moments and an unexpected tear at a touching memory. 

Yup. I'm definitely ready for God to give me rest and strength. And even more important is this: I am deeply grateful for my God who cares about my weakness and exhaustion on all the days of my life.

Peter, in the House of Cornelius, began to speak: “I really understand now that God does not consider some people to be better than others."  Acts 10:34 (ERV)

Is this the absolutely most difficult thing to learn? It seems we get it wrong such a staggering amount of the time. Seems like everybody has somebody they think they are better than--rich over poor, churched over 'heathens', one skin color and ethnicity over another, one nationality over another, one neighborhood over another.

Even in prison there is a cache for certain crimes and a 'most horrible' for others, though often on the outside it might be hard to understand why a major drug dealer who has caused the abuse and deaths of many children due to the physical and mental challenges of addicted mothers and father is "higher' in the pecking order than a molester. Or why NA folks can be snarky to people addicted to marijuana or alcohol as though there is something 'better' about being 'badder'.

And, of course, folks in the free world, even some church folks, feel better shunning folks who are struggling with public sins even as they are mired in secret sins, or the more acceptable 'white collar sins' of gossip, mean-spiritedness, laptop porn, too much booze too often, mental cruelty and uncounted others that we justify "because other folks are worse."

Really, Paul speaks to all of us because at one time or another we have all been guilty of judging the homeless or bad drivers or the parents of unruly children or the children of cantankerous old people or somebody somewhere sometime.

So let's just let go of the finger pointing and get on with doing better. Let's respect women...and men, let's respect folks with all skin colors and from all locales on Earth, speaking all languages at all levels of efficiency, from all socio-economic strata, youth and aged folks, people who eat all kinds of foods with all kinds of spices and listen to all kinds of music and wear all kinds of clothes. Oh, and folks falling on the full range of the political spectrum and folks who are smart and folks who are not. Because God has made clear the measure of worth: "God does not consider some people to be better than others." And the converse must also be true, God considers none inferior to others.

Even specific behaviors that are unhealthy or dangerous cannot be attributed to anyone other than the person so behaving because there IS NO them or all them or all those or those folks...there is only us, my friend.

So just stop. Now. Permanently.

God says.

When we have a loved one incarcerated it is very stressful. Not only are we concerned for a loved one's well-being and how they might be restored to their family and community, we also have a litany of "woudda, shoudda and coudda's" running through our heads like NASCAR driver's lapping the competition. We deal with physical stress that damages our health; we deal with emotional stress that warps relationships with those we love the most; we may feel abandoned by family, church family and friends; we may be worried about new and significant financial burdens.  If we are fortunate enough to find comfort in a support group, we have to make time for that too and maybe even defend our participation to family members or friends.

Through all this, we long for contact with our incarcerated loved ones, to know that they are physically OK and working to survive incarceration and making choices that will return them to the free world at the end of their sentence prepared to build productive lives. We await the phone calls with a mixture of longing and a fear of soaring phone bills. We long to get letters and struggle to find both the time to write and know what to write about to our missing loved one.

But the worst thing is if the phone calls stop without explanation and there are no letters in our mail boxes. Are they being transferred? Have they been injured?  Or become seriously ill? Are they depressed? Have they been transferred to protective custody or more restrictive housing? Is the facility on the news? Does the chaplain know anything? Does the lawyer know anything? ARE THEY OK?

So, to prepare for such moments of distress, make each contact count. Set reasonable boundaries about time and duration for phone calls so you can really enjoy the voice of your loved one when you talk. Keep your letters honest but kind so, if they must be read a hundred times before the next one arrives, they leave the taste of hope during a stressful time rather than reinforcing despair. Be kind during visits even though you are exhausted by the travel and unnerved by the expense.

And when our hearts are tight with fear and uncertainty, let us turn our faces to God, thankful that no matter where we are or where our loved one is, God always knows what is going on and what is needed and has unlimited resources to meet those needs fully, everywhere and for everybody.

I was speaking with a person who has a family member in prison out of state. The comment was, "Charlie was last in (Name of Prison in State) but we have lost him."  To folks who have not had to deal with incarceration that seems extraordinarily careless. But to those of us who have dealt with the legal system it is not so surprising, and for some, all too common.

Because most of us long to have our incarcerated family members and/or friends incarcerated as nearby as possible for the prisoner's own well-being, but also for the comfort and financial survival of the family outside, then news of a transfer to a facility nearer to home is a blessing and this is more common when a release date nears. But since most transfer activities occur in a communication blackout even this transfer can be stressful until we know again where our loved one is housed. 

Most often transfers do not bring a prisoner closer to family, but rather increase family anxiety, expense and further fracture the very connections that reduce recidivism. Even attorneys often must work to track down a transferred federal prison inmate who, with no warning, lands many hundreds of miles from family and representation. For inmates with failing health, mental illness, developmental disabilities or who do not speak a lot of English all this causes greater distress not just for the prisoner, but for their loved ones. Of course, the poorer the family of the incarcerated, the greater the burden.

And I know from personal experience that the timing of transfers can be both the result of clerical error and disruptive to rehabilitative treatment plans for prisoners, and for families and facility staff.

So if you are being a supportive friend of someone dealing with the incarceration of a loved one and you find that person pulling her hair or babbling in frustration, muttering "we've lost Charlie" do not be alarmed. And this information may help: a web search for "inmate finder for STATE" or "federal prisoner finder" may provide a lead...or not.  Most states have web-based inmate finders and many county or city jails have also found it useful to support unlinked boards, but if there might be transfer to various jurisdictions (say two counties and the state with federal or city witness subpoenas) causing the transfer, it may still be a bit of a job.

But please persevere, for a note from family or friends can be truly redemptive for someone who feels less than worthless and wholly adrift in a sea of confusion.

I have had a day full of blessings. I have been eating and shopping and laughing and visiting with my good friend. We don't really remember when we met, but we grew up in the same church where our parents had been members since the early 1950s.  Lest you think, we are 150-years-old, we were toddlers then! We always have lots of memories we share and we remember each other's parents and grandparents. We have buried parents and husbands together. We speak of our faith and are honest with each other. We pray for each other and for each other's children.

How awesome is that!

Especially in the current age, not all of us have opportunities to have decades long friendships, but each of us can be a good friend. 

My prayer for us all is this:

Heavenly Father, thank you for our earthly family of birth and choice. Thank you for all the people you send to be fellow traveler's during our lives, people who listen to us, counsel us, share their authentic selves with us and are accepting of our authentic selves. Help me, Lord, to be a good friend and to appreciate my good friends. AMEN

I have always been a bit frustrated by the genuine kind-hardheartedness of sweet church ladies who bring casseroles during times of illness, death and new babies. They are a blessing and the best of them include neighbors or even strangers in addition to family, church family and friends.

But churches in general are less helpful in more tender situations such as miscarriage, divorce, separation, job loss and they totally don't have a track to run on for rape, addiction, final transfer to a nursing home, suicide or incarceration. Too often, if they are uncertain of how to respond to emotionally charged situations or how to help without harm, they take the road of, "least said soonest mended" leaving the most fragile and damaged to wonder if anyone notices much less cares. Or, sometimes they come to help wearing army boots in a bed of violets.

So let me make this suggestion: sometimes the only thing you can say is "I have some experience with this and you can call me to talk any time." It might work to say VERY gently, "I don't know what to say or how to help, but I'm available if I can drive you somewhere or clean bathrooms, whatever helps." But sometimes the BEST way is to drop off a small bag of fruit or a note with a hug or just to hold a hand, givng the person by your presence time in a safe place during their season of sorrow. 

In fact a gentle note a week can be a great blessing.  I learned this when a beloved friend lost her son and soon after was diagnosed with a fatal illness. As much as I loved her and longed to help, I just did not have a clue. So, as much a balm for my own sorrow as to support her, I sent a small "thinking of you" card each month for the rest of her so short life. I did not mention anything about her specific losses and offered no advice, but rather in that small way traveled with her a bit in her sorrow. She quietly mentioned one day that she appreciated it.

When I was widowed in my 40s my BFF came or called me every week for months. My gratitude is still overflowing. I did not have the energy to pick up the phone and call, so her willingness to gently accept a disproportionate responsibility for communication for that period was a gift beyond measure.

So, during this time of year, when money is tight and patience is at a premium, will you take a moment to acknowledge someone struggling? It may be a call or a note. It may be a smile and the gentle holding of a hand. It may be an offer to do an errand so a neighbor does not have to get out in the cold or to run the vacuum for someone with back problems. It might be a gentle invitation to a meal or an evening playing cards.

It may be something as priceless as taking the time to let your eyes meet their eyes, that they might see the acceptance and love of God through your kindness.

At this time of year, speaking of gifts evokes images of shiny paper and bright bows.  We think of everything from chia pets to boxes of chocolate.

But St. Paul spoke of the gifts that are our innate abilities, plus the spiritual strengths our journey develops, as specific components of God's unique plan for us.

Today I stopped by to speak briefly with a new friend. She has many gifts and strengths, but one of my favorite is that when she smiles, she truly lights up the room. Her eyes twinkle, her skin glows, her smile sparkles. This is not because she has a worry free life for she has her full share of challenges. It comes from her truly kind and generous heart that shines God's love on those she meets. Does she think of this as a ministry? Maybe not, since lots of us miss the blessings our gifts and strengths, offered to others with modesty and without expectation of reward, shower on folks we may not even know. 

So for folks who live lives of quiet desperation, sad, lonely, without hope and feeling invisible most of the time and like a target the rest of the time, the day is an uphill climb. God herds those folks our way so that a kind word or genuine smile or a cheerful greeting with eyes that actually connect become a blessing that is a true Christmas miracle amid the stress and chaos.

So today I continue to smile with memory of her warm and delightful ministry to me during a very challenging week. Thank you, my friend.

I thank you, God, for each person who takes a moment to be Your Hands and Feet, sharing Your Love in such gentle and restoring ways. AMEN

Romans 12: 4-8  For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 

We are such a "doing" kind of society. Sometimes we fail to even take the time to consider if what we are doing is helping or hurting ourselves or our loved ones. Busy, busy, busy.

While I certainly believe in taking action rather than persistent pondering, hoping or dreaming and feeling that is enough, I also have learned that running off with the best of intention but without a solid base of operations can cause more problems than it solves.

Yesterday a young minister spoke of advice he received from the campus pastor as a newly on-fire Christian. He had been relating his improved life of bible reading and prayer, his efforts to build more respectful relationships and avoid sin but he told his mentor that he longed to "do more". His mentor smiled and gave this advice: following Christ is more about becoming who we are called to be than it is about following rules perfectly. 

This, I believe, is where a lot of us in the mortal church get off track. Because trying to live a better life or attend church to worship and fellowship or volunteering at church and for other worthy efforts, regular Bible reading and an active prayer life are all right and good, but they are not the goal.

The goal is a deeper relationship with God so that with each challenge we turn to God for wisdom and resources and with each blessing we thank God and with each interaction we are aware that Christ stands with us.

You see, if my "faith" is about doing then what about the times when I am not "doing?" But if my "faith" is about being then that is a constant state and not something that is turned off and on based on my thoughts or actions.

This is my prayer for all of us: Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus sent you to us to teach us and comfort us until He comes again. Please open our hearts to Your instruction that we might at all times and in all places remember Whose child we are and act accordingly. Let us make those choices and take those actions that persistently move us closer to the Heart and Mind of our Father that others might see God's love in action in us.  AMEN.

So looking back over the past few days, we have identified topics we can consider when writing our incarcerated loved ones to share how we have found in our own lives that truth, right living, choosing to be at peace, giving faith a try, accepting salvation, the teachings of God, praying always, paying attention, never giving up and praying for all people are truly ways to put on the Armor or God.

This is truly Good News because there is nothing about those actions and choices that are prohibited behind bars. I'm not saying it is easy inside OR in the free world, but it is possible to take one of those ideas and wring out all the love to feed our hearts and rebuild our lives even at the darkest times and in the darkest places.

Today I have been reading about Ste. Terese of Lisieux (I do have a special love of women theologians) who said "Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers, and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."  She died at age 24, a modest Carmelite nun in France in the late 1800s. Yet today, nearly 120 years later, her smallest actions of love still speak to hearts and minds across the world.

Today, won't you commit to adding to your life a basket full of the smallest actions of love toward the incarcerated, the homeless, those in foster, nursing and group homes, the lonely and the sorrowful, the angry and the unlovely, the least of these our brothers and sister? Pray for them. Let love overcome fear in dealing with them. Contribute as you can to reputable organizations seeking to help them believe in redemption in the most practical of ways. Show up to volunteer. Accept positions of responsibility and leadership as you are lead.

Any and all of that gives you a life that will speak to those you love.

I find this so startlingly wise: "Always pray for all of God's people." 

1. If I'm busy praying for someone, I am opening my heart to new ways of interacting with them. I know this from my personal walk in faith because I have been known to get quite irritated with someone I felt was a danger to someone I love--OK, OK totally furious. But because I had been praying for this person, I was able to live my values rather than my prejudices when that person was in need. I've never been sorry I did the better thing with kindness.

2. When I am turning my eyes and heart outward I am way less likely to be mired in self-pity because one must be pretty narcissistic to fail to see we all share common challenges and problems. When I am honest, I know I have made some degree of all the mistakes I find so horrid in others.  If we are fighting the same demons, it seems very foolish to fight each other too.

3. I am likely to learn something new. Remember, every person is either teaching us the value of wise choices or the potential horror of bad choices. I don't know why I can see the train wreck coming in other people's lives more clearly than I can my own, but I can. Then, when I start to make the same mistake, just a bit of truth slips in and I find myself arguing with myself about why it is OK for me when it was a disaster for others. (When I find myself trying to justify an action in my own head, it is usually a pretty clear indication I'm about to do something foolish.)

But the biggest thing, of course, is that all prayer opens my heart to God who longs to reach us, teach us, love us and empower us to be all God created us to be. And praying for all the people God created (all people) is pretty much a full time job as we pray for each life that touches our life.

Busy moving in the right direction is never a bad thing.

* Ephesians 6:10-18

There are many answers to prayers. Sometimes we pray for something that would harm us, and because God loves us the answer is "No". Sometimes the act of praying needs to work on us for a while, to open our hearts to the best for us and so praying requires persistence. Sometimes prayers are answered so fast that we are asking God's help in 'keeping up'. 

I remember I was trying to decide when to change jobs and was praying about it on the way to work. Within an hour of starting time I was back in my car having been laid off saying, "Really, God? I'm not sure I'm ready!" But God was ready.

Here is the thing: being in relationship with God is about prayer so just keep talking to God. Whether if 'feels like it' or not God is always listening and God knows where you are going, for what purpose you were created, how it will all unfold. God is delighted when we seek God.

I really appreciate this 'never give up' advice because God never gives up on us. If Almighty, All-powerful, All-knowing and Always present God asks me to keep praying I can do that because God keeps listening, I find that powerful, hopeful, and truly amazing.

And, with a little practice, I have found that there is always something to talk over with God like seeking knowledge and discernment, something to ask God for others, like "please don't let me ever get in the way of my loved ones relationship with You, God", something to thank God for, for example that all my mistakes are covered in the blood of Jesus and thereby made invisible to God.

Keep praying. Never stop.

* Ephesians 6:10-18

It is easy to let our attention stray, especially this time of year. And for the incarcerated person dealing with many losses and regrets it is all too easy to drift into a very dark place.

So I believe this direction is to keep paying attention. If we can turn from our fears and frustrations to notice others, we can pray for them. If we notice we are consistently drifting to negative and sorrow thoughts, we can choose to pray for those we love instead. If we feel useless we can chose to thank God that we were created for a purpose no matter where we are.

Victor Frankel wrote in Man's Search for Meaning about life in the concentration camps of Europe during World War II. An educated and successful family man with a hope-giving profession and place in his community was wrenched from his family never to see them again, sent to survive and observe the death camps in painful detail then liberated in very fragile health. But as much as he remembered the relentless inhumanity, the moments of shining humanity remained most powerful for him. If folks in such a dark and hopeless place could shine small moments of light even when it could mean their own death, then I think that must have taken a certain amount of focus to even notice the opportunity for kindness.

So today, as Holiday Stress swirling around memories of happier times are made bitter sweet by the sorrows of current challenges; as advertising of all sorts would have us believe that only over spending brings happiness; as store clerks, postal employees and waitresses struggle to smile while being ignored or berated; as those dealing with depression struggle even more than usual; as folks in prisons and jails think of families and friends afar with a mix of longing and chagrin, Christmas can get lost in the holiday. But we can be a small moment of light. We can smile and thank folks for jobs well done. We can stick to our budgets and remember time is a gift of infinite value. We can take a simple meal to someone too overwhelmed to cook. We can write notes of encouragement and thanks. And we can always, always pray for each person as we go through our day.

Always be ready to let your Little Light Shine.

* Ephesians 6:10-18

I love being around children. They never have any trouble talking to God! They just tell God what they are thinking about, concerned about, what they want for their families. They do say what they want, but mostly I find children understand quite clearly that God is not a vending machine, but rather Someone who is OK talking about the big stuff.

So, when I feel stuck about how or what to pray, I am grateful that God has an answer to that problem. When Jesus was preparing to return to heaven after the resurrection Jesus said,

"But the Counselor, the Holy spirit -- the Father will send Him in my name -- will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you."   John 14:16

It must have been hard for early followers of Christ to grasp this concept, but for those of us who now routinely use internet and cell phones to communicate, it may be so common a concept that we fail to appreciate the true mystery and miracle. Because when talking to God we don't have to worry about the truth or wisdom of the advice or information. We don't need to have the internet up or our phone charged. We don't even have to know the proper search terms or how to word the question.

We just stand, sit or lay wherever we are and say, "Comforter, help me. I don't even know what to pray for or what I need, but God does know and longs for me to receive every good thing. Counselor, give me ears to hear, eyes to see, a mind to comprehend, words to say (if needed), hands and feet to serve and break my stubborn stony heart so that all of me may be for all of You. Amen."


* Ephesians 6:10-18

I could (an may at some point) do an entire series of conversations on types of prayer, postures of prayer, inhibitions to prayer. Scores of books have been written since shortly after the arrival of the printing press thru a new batch for Christmas sales. Whole web-sites and organizations are devoted to prayer. And throughout my life my prayers have changed as I have grown in faith and understanding.

But in saying to put on the armor of prayer, God does not give us a list of TO DOs and TO NOT DOs. He stated, Pray with all kinds of prayers and ask for everything you need. In short, God says, talk to me. In another part of the Bible St. Paul speaks of praying without ceasing and in another passage reminds us to pray at all times and in all places. Jesus himself tells us to pray always. Praying is a BIG deal...all kinds of prayers made with a heart for God. God even tells us to pray about our unbelief! (After all, our struggles are not surprise to God, but when we talk about them to God it opens our heart to hear God's wisdom on the subjects with which we struggle.) We can praise and worship God in prayer. We can confess our mistakes and fears and ask in confidence for help from the Holy Spirit. We can tell God about our needs, hopes and dreams and pray on behalf of family, friends and strangers. We can engage in prayers of thanksgiving even in the darkest corners. Sometimes we learn God has even answered our prayers before we knew what we needed!

So what about this prayer thing? Is it begging God for stuff?  Even good stuff? Is it performing for our Sunday School class or parent? Is it a dry, repetitive list of demands offered with little hope of "success"? Unfortunately these things sometimes do pass for prayer among the uninitiated.

But for someone growing in their faith and spiritual maturity and pro-actively seeking a deeper relationship with God is it a miracle that ushers many blessings into our life: deeper understanding and reliance on the amazing nature of God's Will which always seeks our best. For folks struggling, it is the solid rock that does not move, even as we feel tossed upon the waves of fear and uncertainty. For lonely folks it is the lifeline to their Friend, their Lord and their Father.

It is the cry of a newborn to the softest breath of the dying and every interaction between. God tolerates our anger, our foolishness, our willfulness while schooling us, nurturing us and loving us to a life of purpose and fulfillment. He takes our worst traits and refines them into the specific skills and talents for the tasks and plans ordained since our birth.

Just keep praying! Never stop! Never fear God does not hear or does not care. Just keep praying!

* Ephesians 6:10-18

If the teachings of God are important, where do I learn them? 

The best source is the Bible. It was written at God's direction to give us help in learning about God. Sometimes I read a little part of the Bible and it really helps me think in wiser ways about how I want to live and about decisions I face. But the Bible is not a magic toy to give us an easy answer. Instead it is a book to be read often and in different ways. It is good to read all the Bible from beginning to end over a year, a portion each day. It is good to read a single book of the Bible, especially in the New Testament, just a verse or two a day to really think about what God might be saying. It is good to learn how to use study guides like a Concordance so you can look up every where in the Bible a particular word is used, like love or obey. I love the internet where I can read a verse or passage in many translations and interpretations to better consider it in context. It is good to participate in an honest Bible study group so you can discuss things the Bible says with other people serious to learn more about God. (By honest I mean this: look for a Bible study group seeking Gods wisdom rather than one who is bending various versus in the Bible to back up their own thinking. Ask for help from the Holy Spirit when you have concerns about this.) 

But before there were Bibles, God still revealed Himself to us. And for people who don't have a Bible or can't read or can only understand simple things, God is no less in love with them and no less able to reveal Himself to them. So, when you are watching an awesome sunrise or sunset or listening to a baby's laugh or touching the face of your dying love one, God loves you and will use such moments to help you know God better.

We learn about God from mature Christians who may be our pastor, teacher or fellow worker. I have learned much about God by watching mature Christians love unconditionally. In Bible class I may learn as much from a new Christian asking honest and basis questions as I do from the most educated Bible scholar. Since I can trust the Holy Spirit to help me discern the truth when I ask persistently and humbly, I can speak with a lot of folks about God and use that conversation to seek the truth for myself in Scripture and in prayer, in fellowship and in service and in worship.

In all my life I cannot comprehend or understand or fully know God, because God is God. So it is very exciting to grow in understanding and love and hope, knowing the journey will never end, never become boring, never become unimportant.

* Ephesians 6:10-18

So you have started thinking about God, talking to God, reading about God, asking other folks about their relationship with God and you don't understand everything, but it sounds pretty important. What now?

Now you act on the information you have gathered and the tentative relationship you are experiencing (or for long-time church members you may be thinking that there may be more than what you have always settled for). Now you tell God you want a relationship with your Creator, your Savior, your Comforter and you are willing to make changes with God's help. If you can, tell God you acknowledge God's place as number one in your life and your belief that Jesus died for your sins so you accept forgiveness for your sins and that when you leave this world, you will go to live with God in heaven. 

What if you are not completely sure about all that right now? It does not seem to be a good idea to lie to God to try to get into heaven. You are right, God knows all about you so lying to God is pointless and silly because it is just us who gets confused about what is true. But here is the really amazing part to me: God accepts you where you are and helps you grow in faith.  God does not expect you to know everything or get everything completely right on the day you accept God's salvation.  God just wants you to give your tender broken heart to be healed.

So whether you have rarely ever spoken spoken to God or are a regular prayer who is beginning to think there is a deeper relationship possible than you have known before, speak to God today a prayer something like this--or whatever God leads you to do:

God, my Father, I need something more in my life and I believe You are that more. I'm not sure what to do or say, but You know the deepest longings of my heart and you know all the confusion and limits I have. Teach me to be what You want me to be. I trust you and I promise to keep talking to you and learning to listen to you. I believe this can happen because Jesus promised and sends the the Holy Spirit to guide and teach me. Amen.


* Ephesians 6:10-18