Did you know that each one of us is mentioned in the Gospel reading for today? (John 17:20-26) We are! Jesus is talking about us – in fact, he is praying for us. First, Jesus prays for his disciples, the ones he will be sending out into the world. But then, Jesus shifts his prayer to include others. He says: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…”
So what is the Lord praying for? What does he want for us? What is his will for us? Jesus asks “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us…” Read More
Today would have been my father’s 87th birthday. But as many of you know, he left this world last November. Tomorrow, it will be the six month anniversary of his death. I’ll be honest with you, I miss him dearly. I miss the talks we had, both in person and on the phone. I miss his advice. And I miss his warm embrace when we hugged. And I’ll never forget the last words he said to me the night before he died. When we were done talking on the phone, he said, “So long.” It was his way of saying goodbye. How ironic that these were his final words to me. Read More
Ah, Spring! That glorious season when the sun warms, temperatures steadily increase, trees begin to come alive again, birds sing their happy songs, the grass begins to regain it’s color, and a menagerie of ground vegetation emerges and blossoms from the shadows of winter. Ah, Spring! How lovely it is to have you back with us. But along with all of these joyful experiences of this season, a frightful and disturbing life form develops… Read More
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:26-40) is often used as an example for witnessing to a foreigner or a Gentile. However, I personally believe that this passage is also about being open to where the Holy Spirit is leading us. Read More
The following song was written years ago when I was reflecting on what Jesus had gone through in order to save us. Despite the fact that we were not actually present when all this occurred, we continue to persecute and kill by our words and actions. I pray that these words allow us to become one with the suffering Christ and to make the changes needed in our lives to live according to his word. Let us carry our cross in order to bring resurrection into the lives of others. Read More
“Whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
Spoken to the Jews by the man from Nazareth.
The crowd, they thought, “This man is possessed!”
What was he thinking?
Was he greater than Abraham or the prophets of old?
This statement he made was really quite bold.
“We’ll never taste death.” Of this we were told:
What was he thinking? Read More
We have chosen to fast
Not with ashes but with actions
Not with sackcloth but in sharing
Not in thoughts but in deeds
We will give up our abundance
To share our food with the hungry
We will give up our comfort
To provide homes for the destitute
We will give up our fashions
To see the naked clothed
We will share where others hoard
We will free where others oppress
We will heal where others harm
Then God’s light will break out on us
God’s healing will quickly appear
God will guide us always
God’s righteousness will go before us
We will find our joy in the Lord
We will be like a well watered garden
We will be called repairers of broken walls
Together we will feast at God’s banquet table.
For my birthday this year, my wife Stephanie bought me one of those fitness activity bands. If you’re not familiar with these, it’s a small device that you wear on your wrist, and its main purpose is to monitor how active you are and to motivate you to get moving and get healthier. It will monitor the amount of steps you’ve taken, miles walked, calories burned, stairs climbed and even how long you’ve slept at night. And it even tells you what time it is! And, the one that I have also monitors my heart rate so I know when to increase my workout. I love this thing! And since I’ve received it, I have changed many of my old habits and have taken the necessary steps (pun intended) to improve my well-being.
And that’s exactly why I love Lent! It’s a time for us to monitor our daily spiritual activities. It’s a time for us to realize that we are not doing all the things that we should be doing (or perhaps doing things that we should not be doing). We need to check our heart to see if we are loving others, treating them with respect, and putting their needs before our own. We need to measure the amount of steps we’ve walked in another’s shoes, so we may not judge others according to our own standards or personal beliefs. We need to ask ourselves, “How many people have I burned by my hurtful or slanderous words?” We need to wake from our sleep and be rejuvenated in our faith and in our prayer life.
Now is the perfect time for us to be reconciled with God. We’re about mid-way through Lent – and it’s not too late! We can reconnect with the Lord. We can change our bad habits into good habits. We can become the people that God made us to be. We can be active and transform our lives for the better – but only if we want to do so.
The good news is that we don’t have to do this on our own. Jesus is right here to help us (and to get us moving)!
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!
“When I decided to give my life over to the care of Christ it seemed as though I was riding a tandem bike with Christ pedaling on the back seat. I kept steering the bike as best as I could. It was a hard and rocky road. So I kept pleading for Christ to pedal harder to help me make it through the dangerous areas. There were treacherous corners, steep mountains, large rocks and deep holes on the road I was traveling. Because of the complexity of the path I kept crashing the bike and running off the road. I kept getting injured and I often lost hope that I could follow such a difficult path. After several serious mishaps, my Savior asked, ‘Might I steer for a while?’ Reluctantly, I agreed and climbed on the back of the bike and began pedaling as best as I could. I watched in wonder as to the new way that Christ maneuvered the bicycle through the obstacles on the path. He was able to navigate through every danger ahead. If I ever felt frightened He would lean back and touch me with comforting assurance. When I needed rest, He would stop pedaling to give me living water and the bread of life. He guided me to places and people who helped me gain knowledge, healing, acceptance and joy. Now I understand, the power of the tandem bike is to let Christ do the steering and when I think that maybe I can’t do it anymore, Christ always smiles at me and reminds me to keep pedaling.” ~Author unknown
Today, I want you to reflect on this question: do you trust in Jesus for all your needs, in every area of your life, and for anything you may encounter? If we trust in the Lord He will be there to help with decisions, temptations, illness, social situations, and whatever else we may encounter. We will find renewed trust, hope, love, and a deeper relationship with Him. In good times, in tough times, or in a year of drought, we can be like the tree by the waters that does not fear or worry; whose leaves are always green and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-10)
As we continue on our Lenten journey, let us realize that it’s all about trusting God even when we can’t see what’s ahead for us. It’s about letting go of the handlebars of our lives and allowing God to take the lead. When we place our complete trust and confidence in the Lord, we will be blessed. That’s HIS promise! That’s OUR challenge!
Peace on the outside comes from knowing God on the inside - spreading the message that work and the circumstances of everyday life are opportunities for growing closer to God and serving others.
