Mothers

How many mothers have you known who have been the heroines of some extraordinary event? Few, very few. Yet you and I know many mothers who are indeed heroic. They may never have figured into any one spectacular event. They may never be in the headlines of the paper. But that is not their desire. They lead lives of constant self-denial, happy to curtail their own likes and preferences, their time, their opportunities for self-expression or success, so that they can surround you, their children, with happiness.

What an example they set for us. Whenever we need an illustration of self sacrifice, we have only to look to our mothers. If we dig to see what is truly extraordinary about their sacrifice we find it is the joy they display in everyday, ordinary events. How many times have you been praised for cleaning your room, receiving a good grade on a test or paper, a hug?

Have you ever asked yourself what is their reward? Or is this just something they are supposed to do? Are they any less human than anyone else...do they have dreams, ambitions, desires that go unfulfilled year after year? And yet, they do not hold this against us. Their true reward is you and the adult you have or are becoming. To be able to look to a child and watch them display character, love, honesty and compassion is all they ask. Is there any better example of God's love on earth than the love of a mother for a child?

The next time you feel lost or alone, look to your mother (or her memory) and praise God that He has given you this wonderful gift. It is a gift just for you...

Peace

Peace on earth, peace in our life time, peace and love, peace that passes understanding...phrases you may hear perhaps not every day but certainly very often. Peace...can we achieve it?

As you all learn and grow into adults, you will make your own decisions as where you stand on the issue of war...is war to be avoided at all costs? Is war justified sometimes? Prayerful consideration and time spent in communion with God will show you your path. We cannot control the world at large, we cannot even control our own community...we can control our heart. Spend time in prayer and study and then listen, Christ will lead the way...

If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart. amen
lao tse

Persistance...

John 6:44 begins with Jesus saying "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him..."

I guess I've always been a nerdy type...I love the way words play upon each other and rarely read an entire book without looking up a couple of words in the dictionary or a thesaurus. When I read this verse, the word "draws" jumped out (definition: to cause to move after or toward by applying continuous force). Applying continuous force means that it's not just a one time invitation, not just a gentle pressure but unrelenting, never stopping. It is uninterrupted ...a line with no gaps or breaks in it, get the picture?

When God sets about drawing people to Himself, he doesn't take half measures, doesn't quit and won't take No for an answer. Which of us is worthy of this kind of effort or pursuit by our Creator? Have you ever marvelled at the fact that even though we may desire this gift with all our heart, God desires for us to have it even more than we do? He made us, loves us and will never give up on us or let us go. Us...you and me...

Candy

The next time you eat a piece of hard candy, sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the moment...the taste, the texture, the sensation. Be patient, it will take a few minutes (No Chewing!).

As you eat the candy, pray and picture it as an issue in your life. Imagine God working on this dilemma while you work on the candy. If you'd rather, say a short prayer and use this time to listen for God's guidance and encouragement. Whatever your need...when the candy is gone, the prayer is finished. "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10a

Take up your Cross

When you hear the charge to "take up your Cross" what image comes to your mind? Is it of the Cross at sunrise like shown here? Is it the image of Christ upon the Cross? Is it the suffering, struggling Christ carrying the Cross through Jerusalem? This charge is of great consequence and should not be taken lightly, but does it mean endless and perhaps senseless suffering on your part? My image is Christ with the Cross upon His shoulders and it scares me...how could I, weak and flawed as I am, ever live up to that standard with dignity, compassion and most of all love? I cannot find the courage to be that person. But maybe I have it all wrong...

Perhaps this is a call to be transformed by the symbol of our faith. Could it be that we are called to embrace the suffering that comes with living in a fallen world? Perchance it is calling us to allow the death of our own lives, our self-centeredness and live the life abundant that God offers us. He will never ask more than we can give, nor give us a task without equipping us...I realize that "taking up my Cross" is another call for me to trust my Creator and Redeemer and open myself to be what and who He needs in a lost and fallen world. With His help, I can do that...

The Rock

“YOU ARE PETER, AND ON THIS ROCK I will build my church,” said Jesus to Simon Peter (Matt. 16:18). I had always envisioned this as the rock-strengthened church standing firm against all the onslaughts and batterings of hell’s forces. “Not so,” a scientist who was also a lay minister once told me, “I see that rock of the church not standing still, waiting to be attacked, but thrown by God, flying through the air, crashing into the gates of evil to release those trapped there.” What an insight! - Flora Slosson Wuellner Forgiveness, the Passionate Journey

What imagery...the church not as the passive resistor but as the active aggressor against evil...ponder this and what it means...

Overflow...

I read a great poem this morning:

God fills
our cup full
and running over,
not so
we can boast
or measure,
but so
we can spill over
into the lives of
others. S. Dyer (devozine)

The imagery struck me. Have your ever filled a bucket full of water? Full to overflowing? The water rushes over the sides not in precise measured amounts and you cannot control where it goes. It splashes wherever it wants. If we allow God to fill our cup to overflowing, think of the lives we will touch, lives beyond our control. How many others can we reach and refresh with God's life giving love?