Everyday Hope

Every day can be like Christmas in its love and its peace if our hearts open up and make room for love. The holy child is waiting to be born in every instant, not just once a year. Marianne Williamson

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. Psalm 51:15 AMP

So, here we are in this first week of the season of Advent.

 

My life took a turn six weeks ago that, while not totally unexpected, surprised me none-the-less.  The church that I have worked for over the past seven and a half years, struggling with giving, eliminated my position. 

Boom!  Just like that I was out of a job. 

It was time.  I had said years ago when I took the position, that five to seven years would be about right.  If we hadn’t made a difference in that time, it was not possible and it would be time to “shake the dust off my feet and move on.”

It has been a tumultuous year…retirement (sorta, kinda) of an old staff member, new staff member totally ill-equipped for the position, church literally torn up as new roof and re-working of the sanctuary took place, old staff person back – temporarily, new equipment in place and working, new staff member in place, son is very ill, budget problems at the church…manufactured budget problems, but budget problems none-the-less.  Gotta have a secretary.  Gotta have a custodian.  Can’t change the minister until the Bishop and Cabinet make the switch.

 

Program director can go.

Really.  I was OK with it.  Not ok with the way they did it, but ok that it happened.  It was time. 

These were the same issues they were dealing with when I walked in all those years ago.  Same people causing it.  Obviously, not much learned here. 

As the pastor said to me one day, “Where is Christ in all of this?  Do they not know him? There is someone waiting in every corner to attack.” And he was right.  He was discouraged.  I was disheartened.  We had worked so hard.  He likened himself to the Apostle Paul.  I have tended to think of myself as Elijah.  Not that we are that holy, please don’t misunderstand, but that they just never seemed to catch a break.  They worked and worked to help others know Christ and they ended up in prison again and again.  They had to run away and hide so as not to be killed by the queen.  All because they knew the Lord and they wanted others to know him too.

But you can’t make people learn.  I know this.  Years of teaching has taught me this lesson.

So, I have lost my job and, more than that, I have lost my church.

 

God continues to provide and next week I will start a new job in a new place.  While it will still be a few weeks before we will be able to physically move there, the work will begin and I am looking forward to going back to my early childhood days in a new state and city.  New challenges.  New friends.

And I look forward to being able to attend the church of my choice, rather than having to be at work.  I look forward to NOT being responsible for the details that get overlooked by the volunteers so that it all flows seamlessly.  I look forward to worshiping God and relaxing in his sanctuary.

It did not go unnoticed by me that this past Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent.  And, while I have not attended church outside of my living room, I have worshiped God right here in my own sanctuary, the place he has given me to lay down my head for the past six years.  Andy Stanley has been leading me through The Bible for Grownups.  If you haven’t seen this study, I would encourage you to do so.  It’s not about the Bible stories that we’ve all heard since we were children.  It’s about how the Bible came to be The Bible.  I’ve taught a big part of what he teaches here, but he puts it together so much better than I ever could.

 

And it made me think.  The first Sunday of Advent.  The Sunday of HOPE.  That’s a good thought for this Sunday in my life.  I think I’ve spent the last year or more trying desperately to hang on to hope…for my church, for my son, for my future. 

And then I had lunch with one of my young friends.  He, too, is struggling with this decision…how does the behavior of some of these people fit with what we have taught him (church people are still people – completely fallible and every one of us struggling to get through the day looking at least a very little bit like Christ).

 

Every day can be like Christmas in its love and its peace if our hearts open up and make room for love. The holy child is waiting to be born in every instant, not just once a year. Marianne Williamson

So when I read this quote by Marianne Williamson, someone I have followed for over thirty-five years, that little flame in my heart flickered and I asked the question, “Why do we wait for this one month out of the year?”

Christmas is about love and peace.  Wars have stopped for just this one day to remember.  People spend four weeks in parties and concerts and caroling and baking and shopping and …

Why is this?

Jesus didn’t come so we would celebrate his birthday once a year; so we can have big parties and celebrations.  He wasn’t opposed to parties and celebrations but if we make these things the pathway to Christ, then we’ve really missed the purpose of his coming.

For over four hundred years people had been crying for the Messiah.  They wanted to be saved.  They envisioned the leader riding in on his stallion, bringing his vast army to very publicly defeat everything bad in their lives.  “PLEASE save us,” they cried.  And they waited.  Few had hope.  Most had determined, like me – I’m afraid, that this was it.  This was all there might ever be.

And then a baby was born.

 

Not at all like they had assumed it would happen and because it didn’t happen the way they thought it would, many wouldn’t believe it.

But it did.  And if we make it all about that night, we have missed his message.  Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy.  If we know him, not of him, but really know him, we are filled with these things.  Even when we begin to wonder if perhaps we’ve been wrong about all of it, when we know him that little flame is still there and he reaches down into our very being and reminds us.

 

“I know,” he says.  “I’ve been where you are.   I know how tired you are, how discouraged you are, how painful this has been.  I know and I’m here.”

Instead of filling every moment of this season with all the ‘stuff’ we normally do, what if we were to take this time and be still with Him?  How would our season of Advent and our remembrance of the birth of our Savior be different, if we hadn’t worn ourselves out doing all the things we all do?

I have HOPE that each one of us will find that time and place to be still with him and when we do, then we’ll praise him every day, we’ll celebrate him every day, we’ll honor him every instant of every day.  And then…

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. Psalm 51:15 AMP

What Life is About

Life isn't about keeping score. It's not about how many friends you have. Or how many people call you. Or how accepted or unaccepted you are. Not about if you have plans this weekend. Or if you're alone. It isn't about who you're dating, who you used to date, how many people you've dated, or if you haven't been with anyone at all. It isn't about who you have kissed. It's not about sex. It isn't about who your family is or how much money they have. Or what kind of car you drive. Or where you're sent to school.

It's not about how beautiful or ugly you are. Or what clothes you wear, what shoes you have on, or what kind of music you listen to. It's not about if your hair is blonde, red, black, brown, or green. Or if your skin is too light or too dark.

It's not about what grades you get, how smart you are, how smart everyone else thinks you are, or how smart standardized tests say you are. Or if this teacher likes you, or if this guy/girl likes you. Or what clubs you're in, or how good you are at "your" sport. It's not about representing your whole being on a piece of paper and seeing who will "accept the written you."

But life is about who you love and who you hurt. It's about who you make happy or unhappy purposefully. It's about keeping or betraying trust. It's about friendship, used as sanctity, or as a weapon. It's about what you say and mean, maybe hurtful, maybe heartening. About starting rumors and contributing to petty gossip. It's about what judgments you pass and why. And who your judgments are spread to.

It's about who you've ignored with full control and intention. It's about jealousy, fear, pain, ignorance, and revenge. It's about carrying inner hate and love, letting it grow and spreading it.

But most of all, it's about using your life to touch or poison other people's hearts in such a way that could never have occurred alone. Only you choose the way these hearts are affected and those choices are what life is all about.   Author Unknown

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely…

 

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.

 

But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.  For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Make a new friend, remember an old friend, BE a friend!

 

Make it a GREAT day!

 

 



We'll See



Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field.

One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift.

Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see."

A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!"

The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see."

Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man."

The farmer said, "We'll see."

Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy."

The farmer said, "We'll see."

Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him.

Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man."

The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."

Moral of the story: There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from.

As Fra Giovanni once said:

"Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty, believe me... the gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence."

Author Unknown

I Am There



Do you need Me ?
I am there.
You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by.
You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice.
You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.

I am at work, though you do not understand My ways.
I am at work, though you do not understand My works.
I am not strange visions. I am not mysteries.

Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know Me
as I AM, and then but as a feeling and a faith.

Yet I am here. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.
When you need ME, I am there.
Even if you deny Me, I am there.
Even when you feel most alone, I am there.
Even in your fears, I am there.
Even in your pain, I am there.

I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.
I am in you, and you are in Me.
Only in your mind can you feel separate from Me, for
only in your mind are the mists of "yours" and "mine".
Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me.

Empty your heart of empty fears.
When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.
You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all.
And I AM in all.

Though you may not see the good, good is there, for
I am there. I am there because I have to be, because I AM.

Only in Me does the world have meaning; only out of Me does the world take form; only because of ME does the world go forward.
I am the law on which the movement of the stars
and the growth of living cells are founded.

I am the love that is the law's fulfilling. I am assurance.
I am peace. I am oneness. I am the law that you can live by.
I am the love that you can cling to. I am your assurance.
I am your peace. I am ONE with you. I am.

Though you fail to find ME, I do not fail you.
Though your faith in Me is unsure, My faith in you never
wavers, because I know you, because I love you.

Beloved, I am there.

James Dillet Freeman

This poem received a lot of attention in 1971 when it was taken to the moon by astronaut James B. Irwin on Apollo 15. Irwin's mother gave it to him before the flight and he actually left a copy of the poem on the moon.

God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM."  This is what you are to say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me

to you."

Exodus 3:14

My Prayer

I pray
Today
That God will bring you
Peace
Where there’s been pain
Harmony
Where there’s been discord
Love
Where there’s been loneliness

I pray
Today
That God will bring you
Solace
Where there’s been sorrow
Justice
Where there’s been inequality
Clarity
Where there’s been chaos

I pray
Today
That He will heal your human heart
and help you face tomorrow
With a renewed sense of
Courage
Strength
And wisdom.

Ted Hibbard

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Matthew 18:19-20

The Real Meaning Of Peace

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a
perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Author Unknown

 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Shoot for the Moon!

Why is it that so many of us are afraid to reach beyond our normal range?  We settle into our lives, get comfortable with the way things are, and just maintain it.  Then we reach the ripe old age of 40 or 45 or even 50 and we begin to evaluate EVERYTHING.  And it doesn't feel like it's enough or something is just not quite right.  We can't really put our finger on it.  There's a longing for --- something.  But what?  I've heard it explained as, "I was just skimming along the surface of my life.  Now I want to dive deep, deeper than I've every dived before."  Another friend said, "I've raised my kids, I've done my job, now I want to raise me.  For the first time since I was eighteen years old, I want to re-evaluate what I really want."


The reality is, those of us who are "middle-aged" are facing the second half of our lives.  For some this will be a long time.  For others, the time will be shorter.  None of us know exactly where we'll fall between those marks, but the reality of our life span is smacking us in the face and we want to be certain that however long the remaining time may be, it is not wasted. 


For some, it means leaving the confines of the business world, slowing down and enjoying life.  For others, as with another friend, we look for deeper meaning and start a new career in the service of others.  For me, the last few years have been an opportunity to sit back and listen to the inner callings of my heart.  What is it that I feel, that I know, in my soul I'm here to do? 


It's an interesting time in our household.  My son will be nineteen years old in a couple of weeks.  He has chosen not to attend college at this time and to create a technology business with some friends.  This has been a dream of his for several years and we both agreed that this was his moment in time to give it a try.  College is always available should this opportunity not pan out.  He is young with very few responsibilities.  Now is the time!


I watch him in his youth, lashing about, attempting to control things, to make things work his way and I remember myself at the same age doing some of the same things (we didn't have computers and cell phones but the ideas were the same--we were in control, we could make things happen). 


At fifty three years old, I've learned that we really do control our destiny.  What we think becomes our lives.  I've also learned that it's much easier to allow the things I want in my life to happen rather than to try to force the things I want.  Both ways may work, but allowing is so much simpler for everyone involved.  It's a much more peaceful existence, and I'm all about peace at this point in my life. 


Why is it that when we're young we believe that things must happen by force?  When is it that we learn that force may not be the easiest way to accomplish things?  I don't remember when that shift happened for me.  I just know that it did, and I'm grateful!  I've come to a point in my life where I don't want to, or have the energy to, force things anymore.  I'm relieved to sit back and watch as the world unfolds, just the way it is supposed to, and usually to my benefit. 


A good friend gave me a poster many years ago that I have kept on my desk, "Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars!" (Les Brown).  My son is shooting for the moon.  God bless him!  I, also, am shooting for the moon, a little more quietly, but never the less reaching for the same goal.