Decisions, decisions, decisions. No matter where we turn in life, there’s a decision that needs to be made. What should I do today? What do I wear? What book should I read? What do I want to be when I grow up? Should I exercise or binge watch some TV series? And on and on.
According to the people who know about this kind of stuff, adults make 35,000 decisions every day. Crazy, right? And 226.7 of these decisions are about food alone! What should I eat today? Do I pick it up or have it delivered? Do I stick to my diet or snarf-down that piece of chocolate cake? And on and on. Our lives are filled with decisions. Read More
I’d like you to imagine this scene. You are in grade school standing with a group of your friends on the school playground. Two people emerge as captains and begin picking their teams. You stand there, waiting for your name to be called and to be chosen. What are some of the emotions that are running through your mind? Is it excitement in anticipation of your name being called? Is it anxiety and the stress of waiting? Is it doubt that maybe you don’t feel like you’re worthy of being chosen? Or is it fear, thinking to yourself, “Please don’t let me be picked last.” Finally, you’re picked. What were you feeling? Was it relief that you landed on a team? Were you hesitant because you weren’t sure of what was to come? Or were you filled with exuberance, ready to jump in and get started? I remember one time in grade school, there was a boy named Billy who had absolutely no athletic skill at all, and neither captain wanted him on their team. Eventually he was the last kid standing. When he was finally chosen, he didn’t reluctantly mosey over to his team because he was last. He was filled with such joy and excitement that he began yelling at the top of his lungs, “Woo hoo! Yeah! Alright! Let’s do this!” The rest of us kind of looked at each other in complete shock because we had never seen anyone so excited to be chosen. Read More
When I was growing up, money was scarce at times, and we often had to do without. My dad worked two jobs to help make ends meet while my mom made every penny stretch as far as possible. That was probably the major reason why everything they gave me was always two or three sizes too large. I remember when I was 12 years old, I received a pair of roller skates – so large that I had to stuff an old sock in them to fill up the toe space. When I took them out of the box, I looked up and said, “Mom, I can’t skate with these.” She said, “Be grateful for what you have, Allen.” And then she said the phrase I had become so accustomed to hearing over the years, “Don’t worry; you’ll grow into them.” Read More
It was a beautiful afternoon as I hopped into my vehicle to run some errands. The sun was glistening in the sky and the birds were soaring amongst the giant, puffy clouds that decorated the Spring landscape. Drivers were hurriedly passing me by as if all were late for an important engagement. Sometimes I feel like the speed limit is only a guideline for most people. Regardless, it did not deter me from my tasks at hand.
As I was cruising down the road, a car passed and signaled to enter into my lane in front of me. Once in the lane, I noticed a bumper sticker on their rear fender that read: God Bless The Whole World: No Exceptions!
That really struck me in a number of ways. I immediately thought of all of the hate that exists in our world – and our nation. A thought often crosses our minds that some of our enemies should not exist. And I’m not just talking about those in other countries, but also the individuals that cross our paths in life. But to see this statement on that bumper sticker reinforces the fact that no matter the color of your skin, the language you speak, the faith you profess, or where you call your home, each of us is made in the image and likeness of God. We are Gods’ creation and his chosen people. Every single person in this entire world is worthy of God’s blessings and love.
The modern-day mantra of “it’s all about me and what I want and what I think or believe” is really getting old – and it has to change. It must change! Everyone needs to accept the fact that God loves and forgives all people – no exceptions. God has chosen each and every person on this earth for a specific reason and purpose. Each of us is called to do great things in Jesus’ name and to make a difference in this world. Each of us needs to spread the love of Christ to others. But we cannot do this if we are prejudiced and biased against one another. We have to find a way to genuinely love our enemies and forgive those who have wronged us. This was the message of Jesus, and this needs to be our message as well.
We need to make sure that we pray and ask God to continue to send his blessings down upon us AND everyone else – always!
May God bless the whole world: no exceptions! Amen.
I’m a disciple of Jesus and I’ll tell you my view,
Of the events that took place, the events that are true.
These past few days were filled with such grief.
My heart’s filled with pain, denial, disbelief.
We had just shared a meal, of bread and wine alike,
When he said someone will betray him; it will happen tonight.
The mood suddenly changed, and Jesus felt distraught.
Something felt different; something was off.
The hour was approaching, it was happening at last.
He prayed in the garden that this cup of his should pass.
But it wasn’t about him, but about his Father’s plan.
We awoke to find out that his betrayer was at hand.
Jesus is gone, it’s so hard to conceive.
Yesterday was so painful, I still can’t believe.
It all happened so quickly, from dawn to mid-day.
To see how he suffered as he walked along the way.
He carried his cross, three times falling and stumbling,
But he carried it for us; never griping, never grumbling.
The people spit and they jeered as he passed along by.
They cursed and they shouted, “Let Jesus be crucified!”
They nailed him to a tree and hung him high in the air.
With a crown full of thorns, it just wasn’t fair.
In suffering he prayed, for all – not just a few,
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
He took his last breath and passed from this life,
I cried and I cried; I was filled with such strife.
His body was taken down and laid in a tomb.
A guard was at the entrance for fear of the Jews.
As I stand here and gaze at the stone-cold tomb
With tears in my eyes and my heart full of gloom.
I know that he told us that he would rise from the dead,
Yet I feel so helpless, confused, and mislead.
Jesus is dead, and what a beating he took.
The whippings, the scourging, the nails on the wood.
So how can he rise and come out of this rock?
Why am I doubting? I really must stop.
Though darkness surrounds me, in Jesus I do trust.
I believe what he told us, and believe, this I must.
He will overcome the grave; for this I am sure.
Because he loved me that much; for me, he endured.
Now I wait in anticipation for the miracle to arise,
To see his radiant glory before my very own eyes.
Jesus changed the world and our sin he set free.
He died out of love, and he did it all for me.
During the first week of Lent, I listened to an audio book from Archbishop Desmond Tutu titled, ‘God Has A Dream.’ In that book, he makes this enlightening statement:
“Pray as you can – not as you can’t.”
He refers to the times when we are so exhausted that we can barely function, and we do not have the energy to give God our fullest attention.
The point is that we should not just give up or neglect prayer altogether because of our physical state of being. What we need to do is open up a dialogue with God letting him know that we don’t have it in us right now for “full-blown” prayer. Simply stating this to our heavenly Father is indeed a prayer in-and-of-itself. The purpose is to pray as you can – in the condition that you are. It doesn’t have to be a 15-minute litany. A simple prayer will do just as well. For it is better to pray short and simple than to not pray at all.
What we need to do is something that my spiritual director has told me for years. Instead of stressing over the fact that we cannot manage to pray in the manner that we would prefer, we just need to say something like this:
“Father, I am too exhausted right now to give you my complete attention or the praise that you rightly deserve. I will make the time to speak with you later. Until then, please continue to watch over me and keep me safe. Amen.”
Our intentions may always be good, but the body is often too weak. So, don’t be afraid to ask God to have the patience with us if we fall asleep in the middle of our prayer. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you fall asleep during prayer. As I always say, what better way to fall asleep than in the arms of our loving Father.
Don’t let exhaustion or extreme busyness pull us away from prayer. Make the effort to keep that line of communication with God always open and active. Remember, pray hardest when it’s hardest to pray and you will find true peace this Lenten season. Amen.
It is Sunday morning, and the night before has brought forth a frosty-white blanket on the ground; remnants left behind from an early morning freezing rain that tapped upon our windows at 4:11am. I awoke to something that sounded like a sharp object tapping relentlessly on the bedroom window. It was at that very moment when my day started. Read More
I love modern technology! Maybe this is because I have spent the bulk of my career surrounded by its bleeding edge innovations, but I am constantly in awe of the immense impact it’s had in our lives. However, it has been said that technology has exceeded our humanity. Well, I don’t know about that, but technology is super cool – especially if you know how to use it. Read More
Last night while sifting through some old notes and quotes of mine, I found this paragraph in the chapter about self-conceit from the book “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a’ Kempis. I was deeply moved again as I was the first time I read these words: Read More
There are many things in life that confuse me. For example, why does lemonade have imitation flavoring, but furniture polish contains real lemon juice? Why does “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing? If something “goes without saying,” why do people still say it? Why is it that if someone tells you that there are four billion stars in the universe you believe them; but if there’s a sign that says wet paint, you have to touch it to be sure? Some things just don’t make any sense. Read More
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.
