Love first!

“Merry Christmas” is a simple greeting but over time it has come loaded with everything but the Spirit of Christ Jesus.  First the word Christmas is from the mass that many of our Christian brothers and sisters celebrate to honor the birth of Jesus. The word “Merry” has become favored in the US over “Happy” that is dominant in the UK. [1]  Then there is the whole hoopla over “Happy Holidays,” when in fact the word Holiday comes the from Middle English holidai meaning "holy day" much like Halloween which is derived from Hallowed Eve. 

For me the disappointment is that so few people really enjoy Christmas however they offer a greeting for it.  It becomes a frenzy of activity focused on consumption and appeasing family, not centering on Christ and God’s eternal grace.  What would happen if you didn’t buy that perfect toy or newest game or designer clothes?  Would your family love you less?  NO!  Overtime, what you would give them is even more precious because you would give them a true sense of what is real and what is important in your life.  You love them and you cannot buy or earn their love.  That’s right you cannot earn love.  You can earn respect but not love.  Love is freely given. When your children care about you for who you are rather than for what they can get out of you that is love.   

Most Christians know by heart John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Yet few of us continue to read in verse 17 “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Whoa!  Not to condemn the world?  Yes! That is God’s love.  We sometimes call it unconditional love, but real love does not come with conditions.  Love can be hard and tough as the one loved has need, love can hurt the one who loves.  Maybe I should say love often hurts the one who loves. But love is not turned on and off based on the loved one’s behavior.  Jesus told a parable of a prodigal son, whose father never gives up hope for his son’s return.[2]  The father never stops loving his son.  That is the very good news of love.  Neither the lover nor the loved one has to be perfect.  You do not have to have the same politics, ethical stance or religious persuasion to love someone.  What was true during the time of Jesus and in 1965 when Hal David wrote “What the World Needs Now is Love” is still true today.  So let your heart be filled to overflowing with love not just for a season but all your life long. 

So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays but most of all I love you!  Even if I do not know you, I love you because my heart has been open by the love of God for all of creation.  You are a precious part of this universe.  You are a child of the Living and Loving God.  I dedicate this blog to YOU!

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[1] http://askville.amazon.com/start-Merry-Christmas-Happy-Clement-Moore-poem/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=428207

[2] Luke 15:11-32

WATER!

Happy Thanksgiving!  May you be granted a attitude of gratitude, all your life long.  If you are having trouble being thankful, I would suggest you start with a hot shower and these facts:
There are over 7 billion people on our beautiful planet Earth.  Of all those people, if you have access to hot running water you are one of the 5% in the world who does.  That's about 350 million people who do and over 6 billion who do not. 
If that is too big of a number to wrap your brain around, try over 6 million Americans who are homeless many of them children. Then there is the whole issue of clean drinking water.  Estimates of over 7 million people do not have access to clean water.  Check out Unicef's web page on the need.  http://www.unicefusa.org/work/water/

So begin your day with giving thanks for clean hot water.  Then imagine going for a job interview with no way to be clean.  The desperate need for clean water makes me think of the famed poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink

Today you could make a commitment to help others have access to this vital resource.  A thankful heart overflows with gratitude and then becomes an instrument for change in our world.  Jesus meets a woman at a well and asks her for a drink.  From this request comes a powerful dialogue about who Jesus is and what he brings to the world: 
¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give, will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Could you be a spring of water gushing up to give life to others?  I met Tom Logan of the Shallow Well Program of the Marion Medical Mission at a Presbytery meeting in 1992.  At the time he was trying to raise funds to provide a truck for the Embangweni, Malawi Hospital and the shallow well program. During the year the truck was used as an ambulance and when the mission team arrived it was their transport to outlying villages where wells were to be dug. I remember when the goal was to provide 300 wells during a two week mission trip.  They were successful and last year the goal was 2500 wells and they surpassed that goal!  They are now providing shallow wells in Tanzania and Zambia and the mission has a fleet of trucks.   Tom often quotes Matthew 19:23 "... with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible!"
http://marionmedical.org/

 

I dedicate this blog the many people whose hearts are filled with Thanksgiving and

 to all those who bring a cup of cold water to those who thirst

and a hot shower for those who have none.  Blessings, Linda

 

Old Growth

I took some time off to go visit my sister in California.  It was a wonderful time away to re-center and set new priorities

When Moses first comes down with the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, The opening commandments are about our relationship with God.  They begin with “Shall Not” except the fourth one that commands us to remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. (see Exodus 20:1-11)  Moses in Deuteronomy expands these commands from what not to do to what to do. “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (6:1&2)  by the teaching of Jesus even the religious leaders saw this command as the heart of the Torah often referred to as The Shema from the first words Shema Yisrael “Hear, O Israel.” 

 

So what does an ancient wisdom from the Torah have to do with a trip to California?  There is a peace that passes understanding when I take time away from my routine or now that I am retired from concerns about health and financial wellbeing.  Such concerns are always part of our lives, but when we are employed we can set those worries aside and focus on our job.   So all of us need time away, to re-center our essence in the Eternal.  It can be true Sabbath time when we really listen for the timeless message of “Hear, O Israel.” 

 

 

Mostly I wanted time with my sister, but I also wanted to see the ocean and get my feet wet and I wanted to touch a Sequoia.  I got to do both of those.  In the Sequoia National Forest among those ancient trees, they touched my spirit with a timeless message of peace and joy.  They absorb sound and even in a busy park they create a place of profound quiet.  Now that I have aged enough to see a new purpose to my life and ministry, I want to also be a source of peace and joy.  But I am learning that my spirit has to be immersed in quiet.  Like marinating food, I will become more tender, more loving and see what God is calling me to do now in the waning of my years.  I have appreciated other friends who have made this journey before me and I dedicate this blog entry to the human Sequoia’s I have known. Blessings on you all!

 

Perspective

Perspective and Decision making

When I was in eighth grade math my teacher, Mr. Peterson (I don’t think we even knew our teachers’ first names) told me to step back from the problem.  He even had us write on the board and then go to the back of the room to look at it.  He was not only teaching us math.  He was teaching us perspective.  I remembered his wisdom listening to a pod cast of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Star Talk.”[1]  Tyson recalled that with Apollo 8 humanity saw the Earth Rise for the first time.  This new sight drastically changed our perspective from a globe delineated by political boundaries to “Spaceship Earth” blue and white.  Earth was perceived as a fragile vessel, our home and out of that new perspective came the decision in the U.S. to create the Environmental Protection Agency.  Obviously there were other factors that led to that decision but I believe Tyson is correct that a new perspective made it possible. 

So, when was the last time your perspective was drastically changed and did that affect your decision making?  It may not be as dramatic as Earth Rise but let me give you an example of changed perspective that changed my decision making.  I have always been an animal lover, especially the warm and fuzzy ones, but insects and arachnids, I avoided like the plague.  In fact I was so afraid of them that I always called someone to come kill the invading creatures.  One night I was alone in my apartment and I discovered a large black spider under a table.  Horrified, I realized I would have to do the killing.  As I approached the creature with murderous determination, it began to run in circles in terror.  Killing it was easy, but afterwards I realized I was the scary creature.  This new perspective changed my view of insects and their main predators, spiders.  Now when I find an insect in the house (other than roaches) I often find a way to take it outside, yes even spiders.  Over the years the death of that one spider which changed my perspective, has greatly altered my decisions and behavior.  As a Christian pastor, I have used the butterfly as a sign of the transformative nature of God’s love.  So I have studied these amazing insects and been disturbed by their decreasing numbers, especially among the monarchs.  This picture taken in 2010 is the last monarch I have seen in Indiana. 

Sometimes we need to get close to examine a problem but sometimes we are too close to a problem to see possible solutions.  So the next time a problem in your life seems to be overwhelming you take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  That may mean literally going away to find a new perspective or just shifting your focus. 

 

 

I dedicate this blog to the memory of Mr. Peterson and all teachers who offer new perspectives to their students.

[1] Space Chornicles (Part 1) aired May 12, 2013

The joy of Science Fiction

Since I first read Isaac Asimov’s The Foundation Trilogy, I have sought out new writers of Science Fiction.  For nearly thirteen years while I returned to college and finished my Masters in Divinity (the name still makes me chuckle), I had far too many require readings to read for pleasure.  It was such a joy to have at least a little time for reading the greats of Science Fiction such as Heinlein, McCaffrey and Cherryh.  C. J. Cherryh’s Foreigner series helped me understand our children’s passion for languages.  As Esther teaches Czech and Russian and Ray’s is Japanese, now married to a beautiful Japanese woman.  Esther and I read the new Cherryh together.

Now that I am retired and can read all the more what fills my spirit most, one of my great joys is discovering a “new” Science Fiction writer.  That is new for me.  Talented writers bring you into a new world of the possible.  Often they realize that science and technology always have two sides.  There is the delightful side of discovery and new potential and there is the equally disappointing side of unexpected and harmful side effects.  Good Science Fiction explores hidden motives and introduces us to surprising heroes as well as lost souls.   So here are two of my new fines:

Hugh Howery’s Silo Saga is a tribute to human extremes.  There are the fascist yearnings to have one’s own way and destroy all those who would stand between one and one’s desire for control and there are the indomitable spirits who confront overwhelming odds and do NOT give up.  Howery[1] creates an end time worlds buried in the ground.  Talk about creative he has a UBS drive that has all three Silo Saga books: Wool, Shift, and Dust.  He even gave permission to another writer, Ann Christy to use his “world” for the setting of her writings.

Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles[2] confronts human prejudice in a whole new way.  Cyborgs are the new throw away people.  These are not the cyborgs of Battlestar Galactica, these are ordinary folks who through trauma or illness need mechanical supplements, such as artificial limps or eyes even hearts.  Can anyone spell pacemaker?  There is even a strange and deadly virus that adds terror to the stories.  But more than all of that, you will meet strong women who confront overwhelming odds with strength of character.  Meyer uses traditional fairy tales (have you seen ABC’s Once Upon a Time?) to frame her stories so there is heterosexual romance. 

I dedicate this column to Jo Clayton[3] who wrote Science Fiction and Fantasy.  There was an overarching theme of forgiveness in many of her 35 novels.  She died of cancer in 1998 ~  she was a true gift from God!

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[1] http://www.hughhowey.com/

[2] http://www.marissameyer.com/books/

[3] http://www.dm.net/~mjkramer/johist.html

Red Shoes

Have you ever bought something on impulse and been very disappointed?  Sure you have!  Me too.  But I was pleasantly surprised when I gravitated to these red Alegria shoes.  Maybe it was the butterfly on the side that drew me in.  I do have a deep affinity for them, but I think it was the shinny red color that clinched the deal.  What has been a pleasant surprise is that these shoes are one of the most comfortable I have ever owned.  The shoes I went into the store to buy, have turned out the be the worse fit ever. So what lessons have I gleamed from my red shoe purchase?

They seemed so impractical and frivolous.  But as I headed into retirement so did the Pope and he gave up his red shoes, I did not.  It was a delightful illustration of my retirement was not the end of my discipleship.

 

I am not much of a shopper.  I have accepted that I am missing a female gene that makes shopping/fashion/decorating a joy.  But every so often it is worth the hassle to get out of my comfort zone and try something new.  I may be rewarded with a great find.  I may meet an old friend and have time to share.  Or I may come home exhausted and frustrated.  Isn't that true about most of life?  Taking a risk can lead to defeat or great success, the wisdom is that in spite of failure, we need to be willing to take risks.   What risks are you avoiding?  What tried and true paths have you worn ruts in?   As Albert Einstein is credited  with saying: "A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for.” (link for quote)

Take at least one risk today.  To help someone who you are sure can never repay you.  Forgive without being asked.  Study a subject in which you are not already knowledgeable. Be impractical!  Then take delight in the surprises that await you.  Be a blessings.  Linda

Saying THANK YOU to those who make a difference in our ministry.

There is something very special about a church secretary/office manger.  For nearly 15 years Unity's Bess Enright blessed my life and ministry in so many ways.  This is a tribute to all the people who serve churches, temples and other non-prophets with energy, imagination and love! 

First the thank you:
Thank you for all the times you saved the pastor/bishop/director's ass from just being stupid to needing a barrier behind which they can recover.  Thank you for listening and listening and listening.  Thank you for thoughtful advise even when we don't take it!  Thank for tolerance of living an interrupted life of phone calls, unexpected visitors and the run to buy supplies of which someone else used the last one. Thank you for sharing laughter, tears and dreams that everything we do has a purpose.  Thank you for being you!

Several years ago we took a vacation to Florida where the weather turned cold.  I wrote this poem out of that experience and dedicate it to Bess.

Cold Exit

It was so inviting the glistening blue water

But the air was so cold.

 

Entering the warm embrace was easy.

Leaving was hard.

 

How long can we stay in the water

afraid of to be cold?

 

The couple says find shelter here

behind this wall in the sun.

 

Warm sun, cold windbreak.

 

Who stands shivering in the cold

and needs a gentle guide to shelter?

 

Come child of the warm water find shelter with us.

 

 

Take time to notice those who provide shelter from the cold and give thanks.  Amen.  Have a blessed day, Linda