Recovery Specialists

A few weeks ago, this area of our state endured a really cold winter blast lasting several days. Night temperatures were below zero and daytime's were only a few degrees above. The water company warned customers to protect the pipes in their homes and businesses, but for some people that caution was too little or too late.

On my way home from work one afternoon, I saw two large trucks parked outside the home of a neighbor down the street. "Recovery Specialists" was lettered on the vehicles, and I re-constructed the scenario. Pipes froze and burst during the extreme cold, then when warmer days returned so did the flow of water: soaking the floor, dripping through the ceilings perhaps, ruining carpets and damaging the owner's possessions. What a mess!

I have been thinking about the ultimate recovery specialist. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18, 19) The world needs a recovery specialist. As first created, it was good; God declared that it was. But because the people He formed in His own image had choices, the possibility of things going wrong existed. And they did. Knowing this would happen, God planned from the very beginning to provide the way to recover what was damaged. He would send His Son.

Not only the world in general, but people as individuals need the recovery specialist. We need the Good News of salvation that Jesus brought. We need release from our bondages, understanding for our blind spots, freedom from the things that overburden us. We need to experience God's favor, seeing Him through the Son as our loving Father. We are not equipped to do this on our own. We need to call in the "specialist."

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death. (Psalm 86:1-7, 11-13)

He is always ready to respond. No extra charge for nights or weekends.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://wwwlsxc.hu/

Give Me This Mountain

"Give me" is often a selfish request. Whether it's a child who has learned that "gimme some" gets him what he wants or the adult who is hoping for his/her gains to come with no personal effort, the expectation is basically self-centered. Even prayers are sometimes selfish, not going beyond "Lord, give me this," and "O God, I want that."

But "give me" can also be a very mature and self-sacrificing request. Caleb's story is told in the Old Testament. The people of Judah came to Joshua, and Caleb spoke to him. "You'll remember what God said to Moses concerning you and me back when he sent us into Canaan to spy out the land. We brought back an honest and accurate report. The companions who went with us discouraged the people, but we stuck to our story because we trusted God. That was the day that Moses solemnly promised me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance, you and your children's, forever. Yes, you have lived totally for God.' Now look at me: God has kept me alive, as He promised. I was forty years old back then, and it is now forty-five years since God spoke this word, years in which Israel wandered in the wilderness. And here I am today, eighty-five years old! I'm as strong as I was the day Moses sent me out. I'm as good as ever in battle, whether coming or going. So give me this mountain [the hill country] that God promised me. You yourself heard the report, that a fearsome tribe of giants was there with their great fortressed cities. But If God goes with me, I will drive them out, just as God said." (from Joshua 14:6-12)

Caleb, even at eighty-five, was not expecting something for nothing. He was ready for war, ready to take on the hostile people in the land, ready to take the walled cities there, no matter what it cost. He was saying, "Just let me at it!"

Do we, when we pray, expect God simply to "give" us what we want? In His mercy, He often does, but sometimes, just as we may deny the whining child's demand, He chooses another way to answer. Sometimes He doesn't lay the desired thing in our hands until we've done battle with the "giant" that is withholding it. Sometimes we cannot just walk in and take over the "walled cities" but have to strategize and to marshal all the forces at our disposal before the answer comes. But like Caleb we can say, "If God goes with me, I will get what He intends to be mine. I am not afraid. I can take this mountain!"

MaryMartha

Art from http:www.sxc.hu/

Trying Again

Several days ago when I powered up my computer, I could not access the Internet. I tried and tried with no success. One computer technician advises that nine times out of ten, just turning it off and back on will solve the problem, so I re-booted the system. When that didn't work, I remembered what my service provider had told me once: turn off the power to the system, wait a few minutes, and then turn the power on again. And thankfully, this worked!

Now I could have tried for the rest of the day to get online by clicking again and again on the Internet icon. Finally in sheer frustration, I might have phoned tech support—a lengthy process usually—and would have been embarrassed by their first question: "Have you tried re-booting your system?" There is something about these electronic gadgets that needs to be re-set sometimes before they will work smoothly again.

From that experience, I began thinking about Albert Einstein's definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." That might be a little harsh, but it certainly does make a point! It doesn't make sense, it's foolish and it's disregarding reality to do the thing over and over again that is not working. We learned, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." And so sometimes, we do try and we try again—but we simply repeat what didn't work in the first place. Sometimes we need to stop and re-think the situation; maybe we need to "re-boot" the system before we make another attempt!

Thomas Edison, we are told, tried over a thousand times to devise a light bulb that would work; the secret of his success was that he did not try one single way a thousand times. When it became obvious that what he had done would not work, he tried something different until at last he accomplished what he had set out to do. If you're dealing with a knotty problem right now, consider whether there may be another way to approach it. Eventually, the light is going to come on!

MaryMartha

Art from www.wpclipart.com

Cross Words

There are several meanings for the term "cross words."

4 There are cross words, as in angry or frustrated expressions. To the dog, "Get out of my way, you stupid mutt." Or to the driver (who incidentally cannot hear you) who zooms around you on the freeway entrance, "Are you nuts?" Or to the third-grader at your house, "I don't see why you can't tell me ahead of time that you need to bring an empty cereal box to your classroom this morning!"

4 Then there are cross words, as in crossword puzzles. I happen to be a fan of a certain cruciverbalist's creations. (And no, I didn't make up that word!)

4 And finally there are cross words as in the ones that are always "cross-wise," spoken contrarily to what someone else has said.

"It's really nice out today. I'm enjoying the sunshine."
Yes, but just wait. You can't rely on more than a day or so of decent weather in January.

"I hear the XYZ Company is hiring. I think I'll check it out."
Sure, go ahead. You know there are going to be sixty people applying for their two positions.

"I'm finally feeling better. I've had a hard time getting rid of this bronchitis."
Well, my sister-in-law went back to work too soon and ended up with pneumonia.

"Lou's in a good mood today."
Yeah, but it won't last. It's probably the calm before the storm.

"Did you see the game last night? It was really something!"
Well, that coach oughta be producing, as much as he's being paid.

These cross-words speakers would never use bad language. They might not even use angry or frustrated expressions like those mentioned above. They wouldn't criticize others or say things that put them down. They wouldn't brag on themselves or make favorable comparisons between their children or grandkids and yours. But they are just so negative!

Don't make room for gloom and doom! "Speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this [life in Christ], no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it." (I Thessalonians 5:11 MSG) Aptly spoken words are lovely, a Bible proverb tells us, like apples of gold in frames of silver!

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Things Mama Taught Me: "Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice"

I was perhaps nine or ten years old and I was sweeping our old, unpainted, farmhouse porch. I found that if I knocked on the floor sharply with the broom handle, little puffs of dust bounced up out of the cracks between the boards. It was pleasant to see that! I would sweep the dirt away, and then pound the next crack to give up its little cloud of dust. Thump, thump. Brush, brush, brush. Thump, thump, thump. Wouldn't my mother be pleased when the porch—including the many dozens of cracks—was swept really, really clean!

No, my mother was not pleased! I was supposed to be doing some other chore, and the intense porch-sweeping was nothing but a delaying tactic. "What are you doing?" my mother asked.

"I'm sweeping the porch. See! I'm even getting the cracks clean!"

"I want you to go right now to do what I asked you to do. Obedience is better than sacrifice." I don't remember if she told me or if I already knew the Bible story from which that lesson comes. King Saul kept back some of the spoils of battle although God had explicitly told him to destroy everything. He then tried to excuse his disobedience by claiming he would make a burnt offering to God. The prophet Samuel denounced the plan. "What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." (I Samuel 15:22 NLT)

You may think my childhood offense was not all that serious—and perhaps it wasn't, as possible offenses go. But my mother made the occasion and its lesson seem quite serious—or why have I not forgotten it all these years later? It sticks with me as firmly as the Bible story itself!

There are some obediences that God absolutely requires; everything else hinges on these. We are commanded to love God above all, and to love and care for others as we do for ourselves. Sacrifices of time, money, energy, and other resources, even for a cause as great as the Kingdom of God, are nothing if we aren't obedient to these commands. "If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." (I Corinthians 13:3 MSG)

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Art from htttp://www.sxc.hu/

Seeing Rainbows

An airplane traveler commented that while flying high above the earth, she had seen the unusual sight of a full-circle rainbow. Rainbows are created, we know, when the sun shines through water droplets, breaking the light into its differing wave lengths which we see as colors. In order to see the whole rainbow (the full circle), one has to be high enough that the ground is not in the way.

Each rainbow is unique to the person viewing it, because we each see the apex of the bow at an angle of roughly forty-two degrees. Even the tallest mountain isn't going to work to see the full circle—unless you're hanging off the face of a cliff—because the sunlit drops on the bottom part of the circle are going to be hidden, that is, lower than the forty-two degrees from your head [actually, the shadow of your head. It gets so complicated!]

The rainbow-sign given to Noah and to all his descendants after him signified that God was making a covenant with them. "Then God said, 'I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life." (Genesis 9:12-15) Seeing rainbows should remind us of God's mercy and provision.

Sometimes it rains and we don't see a rainbow—although probably somewhere, someone can. When we do see one, it is only partial; we seldom see the full rainbow. God, though, always sees it as complete, a full circle. It is like that with His providence too. We can see only part of it, and sometimes we fail to see it at all. But He sees it! It's perfect! It's whole and beautiful! If we could just see what He sees!

Although we may be privileged some time to see a full-circle rainbow, and we may at some point understand how huge God is as our Source, much of the time we must be content with the beauty of seeing only a little. That teaches us to walk by faith, not by sight, "for we live by believing and not by seeing." (II Corinthians 5:7)

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Neighbors

Today, in the United States, we are observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A little over forty years ago, this African-American preacher and civil rights activist preached his final sermon in Memphis, Tennessee. The next day, April 4, 1968, he was assassinated.

In that speech, Dr. King spoke out in support of the striking sanitation workers in the city and quoted Jesse Jackson who earlier had said that up to now only the garbage men had been feeling the pain, and now we must "redistribute the pain."

What did that mean? He described the situation in terms of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan. When Jesus taught that we ought to love our neighbor, a man approached with a question to trick Him. "Who is my neighbor?" This could easily have ended in an involved theological and philosophical debate, but Jesus' response was a simple story.

A certain man was traveling the winding road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It is a dangerous place, well-suited for ambush by thieves. Not surprisingly, the man was attacked, beaten and robbed, and left for dead. A priest came by, but did not stop to help. A Levite too passed by without stopping. Dr. King said,

"Now you know, "we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings—an ecclesiastical gathering—and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that 'one who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony.' And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jericho to organize a 'Jericho Road Improvement Association.' That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effort.

"But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that these men were afraid. . . That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the 'Bloody Pass.' And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over [at]that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?' "

With compassion, he gave aid to the wounded man, took him to an inn, and arranged for his care there, promising to pay for whatever was required. "Now then," Jesus asked, "who in the story was a neighbor?" Obviously, the one who helped was neighbor to the one who was in need.

We are neighbors to the suffering people of Haiti. We are neighbors to the homeless and hungry in our own city. If we do not stop to help, what will happen to them? If we close our eyes to need, something closes off in our hearts—compassion—even if there is not very much that we can do to bring actual aid. If we can't be bothered even to care about abused children and laid-off workers, we get calluses on our spirits.

If we do not redistribute some of the pain, what will happen to us?

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/Picture.htm

Though the Mountains Quake

A young man I know was preparing on Monday evening to ship out the next day from Norfolk, Va., with about 3,199 of his Navy buddies. They were embarking on a long journey from the east coast to the west coast—the long way around, passing Cape Horn on the tip of South America. Their ship, the USS Carl Vinson is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier which had recently undergone an extensive overhaul in Newport News and was heading for its new homeport in San Diego. Readying the ship began weeks ago and involved loading tons of food and medical supplies. But God knew something that the officers and crew did not.

The crew departed on their trip about the same time the devastating earthquake occurred in Haiti on Tuesday this week. On Wednesday, the Carl Vinson received orders to deliver assistance to the stricken nation, and the commanding officer immediately headed the ship for Mayport, Florida. There they loaded nineteen helipcopters, plus additional personnel and support equipment from five different east coast Navy squadrons—in less than eight hours.

The Carl Vinson arrived off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Friday, ready to begin humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It carries exactly the kind of supplies that are needed, including water-purifying equipment and three operating rooms. With landing space for additional helicopters, those on board are equipped to do medical evacuations as well as ferry supplies and people to and from the ship. The aircraft's ability to make a quick response, along with its flexibility and its self-sustaining capability, make it the ideal platform to carry out relief operations in this catastrophic situation. And God knew all this too!

God has not forsaken Haiti. My young friend is one more way I can see that. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah." (Psalm 46: 1-3)

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Photo of the USS Carl Vinson - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Carl_Vinson_(CVN-70)

Who Would Be God?

Years ago, when I made an ill-informed choice and landed in some distressing circumstances, I blamed God! In fact, I was pretty mad at Him. "How could this happen to me?" I stormed. "How could you let me make such a huge mistake?"

God is very calm when He answers such questions. "If you couldn't make a mistake," I heard Him say in my heart, "who would be God in your life?" Now I may have been foolish to ask God such a thing, but I am not stupid! I knew for sure that I did not want to manage life by myself. I did not want to be my own God.

Sometimes we are so determined to see our own agenda worked out, that we try to use God to enable that. I believe that God hears us when we pray, and I believe that sometimes He does things in answer to prayer that He would not otherwise do. But that He can be manipulated because we invoke His name is far from true. I believe in miracles too; sometimes there is no explanation for an outcome except such Divine intervention. But to expect God to unhinge the regular working of the Universe because there is something I want is likewise false.

s If we could re-route tornadoes and floods and earthquakes at will, who would be God?

s If we could always prevent broken bones and car breakdowns and layoffs in the lives of those we love, who would be God?

s If we could provide bountiful crops and a cure for cancer and blissful marriages, who would be God?

s If we had the power to end world hunger, threats of terrorism, and illiteracy, who would be God?

Sometimes it's quite easy to see that our circumstances, pleasant or otherwise, are the direct result of choices we have made. But it is not always that clear. Sometimes simple cause-and-effect doesn't apply, but we still want desperately to believe there is an existential reason for everything. So when good happens, people say, "I—or you or they—must be living right." When bad things happen, we wonder, "What did I/we/they do to deserve this?"

There is spiritual wisdom in asking God if He wants to teach us something through the situation in our lives or in the world, but He does not owe us explanations for everything. Father Cavanaugh explains to Rudy (in the "movified" story of an aspiring football player, 1993), "In thirty-five years of religious study, I have only come up with two hard, incontrovertible facts: there is a God and I'm not Him."

We're not God. And aren't you glad?

MaryMartha


Related posts:
What Job Learned about Reasons (here)
Is There a Reason for Everything? (here)
Reconciling (here)

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Learning from Swimmy

Do you remember Swimmy? He is the one little black fish in a school of fish living in the sea. ("Swimmy," an enduring children's classic, written by Leo Lionni, 1963) Swimmy is different from the others, as they are all shiny and red, while he is as black as can be. They all swim happily together.

Lesson that people can learn from the story of Swimmy: Different is okay. We can still all "swim" together.

One day a big hungry tuna fish comes and swallows every one of those little fish in a single gulp—all except Swimmy. Only he is left, all alone in his big wet world. At first, Swimmy is lonely and sad. Then he begins to swim around and discover all sorts of amazing things: jellyfish, a lobster and an eel, seaweeds and anemones.

Lesson to learn: If we keep our eyes open, there may be something good for us to discover, even in the situation that first presented itself as a personal disaster.

At last Swimmy discovers another school of fish, just his size, and all of them are shiny red just like the fish he used to hang out with. But instead of swimming around, they are all hiding in the dark places of the sea. When he asks them to come and swim with him and see all there is to see, they refuse because they are afraid they will be eaten by the bigger fish. "But you can't just lie there," Swimmy tells them. "We have to think of something."

Lesson from Swimmy's new friends: Fear keeps us from venturing out of our "safe" place. Fear keeps us from experiencing wonderful things. Fear keeps us from thinking straight.

At last Swimmy says, "I have it!" He teaches all the little fish to swim close together in formation so that they look like one huge red fish moving through the sea.

Lesson from Swimmy: Obviously, teamwork can accomplish what many small individuals cannot. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Then, because Swimmy is black and looks different from the rest of the huge fish-shape they have formed, he says, "I'll be eye." And so they all swim together and chase the big fishes away.

Lesson from Swimmy's story: Different is not only okay, it is absolutely necessary!

"Swimmy" is one of my favorite children's stories. Not only is it a work of art, but it has so much to say. It isn't really a stretch to see that the ideas it presents are not at all foreign to our life of faith. And those lessons are not juvenile!

><> Differences? The Apostle Peter said, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10:34, 35) Paul writes, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

><> Look for what is good. ”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28)

><> Fear? "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (I Timothy 1:7) “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

><> Teamwork is the key. "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." (Galatians 6:2-5)

><> We need each other. "Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." (Romans 12:3-5)

Thanks for reminding us, Swimmy!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from www.wpclipart.com

Grand Opening

The new arena that I have written about a number of times in the past is now complete. (To access these earlier posts, type the word arena in the search box on your left at the top of this screen.) The public open house was a week ago, and the first event was this past weekend. There are always a few dissenters, but for the most part, people were pleased. They were impressed with the size and attractiveness of the building and how smoothly much of the apprehension about parking was worked out.

During the building, I have compared the local process with the construction of the Tabernacle where the children of Israel worshipped during their wilderness journey. There was a "grand opening" for the Tabernacle too, far surpassing any celebration we might plan when opening a building for use. "So at last Moses finished the work. Then the cloud [which had served to guide and protect them] covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys." (Exodus 40:33-38)

Our new arena will serve the community well for many years, I'm sure. But the place of worship filled with God's presence, thousands of years ago or in the present, is beyond compare!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://sxc.hu/

Ordinary Time

The Latin phrase, "Tempus Per Annum" ("time throughout the year") is rendered into English as "Ordinary Time." That is the term that the Catholic Church uses to designate the two periods of the year that are not connected to the season of Advent and Christmas or the season of Lent and Easter. The first period of ordinary time begins with the evening prayer of the first Sunday following Epiphany, January 6. Although this is not part of my faith tradition, I was struck by the expression itself.

Some sources say that Ordinary Time gets its name from the word "ordinal" meaning numbered, since the Sundays of ordinary time are expressed numerically on the liturgical calendar. But others suggest that Ordinary Time is better related to our word "ordinary," since so much of life feels ordinary indeed after the celebratory season, in this instance, of Christmas and the beginning of the New Year. There were high points in Jesus' ministry, related to us in the Gospels, but we may recall that much of Jesus' life was ordinary too. He worshipped on the Sabbath, "as was his custom." He walked until He was tired, and then He sat down to rest. He ate with common folks, even sinner-people both rich and poor. He went about simply "doing good."

There are some ways we can make these weeks until spring and the celebration of the Resurrection something other than just "ordinary."

8Keep a gratitude journal. Scientific studies show that people who "count their blessings" regularly are happier than those who do not. Once a day, write five things that you are thankful for; they don't have to be earth-shattering, perhaps as simple as a good cup of coffee or your ride coming on time. On Sunday, read the list aloud, saying before each one, "God, I thank you for . . . ," purposely focusing on God's provision, rather than on what you do not have.

8Act on your faith. Look for ways to be kind and generous. Think of the small things you can do today rather than the big ideas that can be conveniently put off until some other time! Mother Teresa said, “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

8Read something of morally engaging value. During the seasons of special celebration, we become very busy and may not read much, but during ordinary days—especially in the winter months—we can take time to read what others have written about God and faith and the meaning of life. We don't have to agree with everything we read, and probably won't, but reading spiritually challenging literature is a good way to keep faith vibrant.

8Observe a day of rest and worship. If there are family members in the home, reserve some time with them. As with the other suggestions, this need not be elaborate. Just find something that makes this day special and save that activity for the day.

The weeks after Christmas until spring and Easter need not be a long boring stretch between the good stuff! It can be a time to try new things and refocus our energies on spiritual growth, becoming Exceptional and Rewarding Time rather than Ordinary!

MaryMartha

Information about Ordinary Time from www.churchyear.net and an article in Our Sunday Visitor online at http://www.osv.com by Woodeene Koenig-Bricker. Art from http://www.sxc.hu

Things Mama Taught Me: "You'll Spoil Your Appetite"

This is what my mother warned when we wanted a snack too close to supper time or wanted sweets instead of more nourishing fare. I never lacked appetite, so I don't know that her admonition was necessary; nevertheless, she had a good point. It's very easy to leave out foods that are important for the body's maintenance and growth by substituting what we call "junk food" for its lack of those valuable nutrients.

I think it's possible to dull intellectual, cultural, and spiritual appetites also. If the brain is never challenged to process things that are beyond immediate recognition, where will new ideas come from? If appreciation for the arts is dumbed down to awe of dazzling technological displays, what will feed our souls? If beauty is only superficial and goodwill is a commercial product, how will we recognize truth? If everything we read or watch is "mind candy," how will we grow in the ability to fulfill our responsibilities? If we are used just to nodding to God once a week, how can we know His voice on the day He wants to speak to us?

"For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good." (Psalm 107:9) Let's not spoil our appetites!

MaryMartha


Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission of The Lockman Foundation, http://www.lockman.org/


Art from http://sxc.hu/

Reading a Good Book--or The Good Book

Today I checked out from our local library a graphic novel. No, perhaps not what you are thinking: a story full of explicit sex and/or gratuitous violence and vulgar language. The new meaning of "graphic novel" is an illustrated story in comic-book style. They are not all equal, just as novels that have no pictures are not all equal. There are so many in the bookstores and libraries now that I wanted to see if a graphic novel was worth my time. I have the preconceived opinion that nothing will beat words, but we'll see.

"Graphic" doesn't mean what it used to mean. Our language has undergone lots of other significant changes over the years, so it is no surprise that numerous committees and even some individuals have spent years translating and/or paraphrasing the Bible, attempting to make it more easily understood and thus more relevant. I'm hoping we don't go so far as "The poor in spirit . . . the merciful . . . the pure of heart are really rockin'." But if teens don't get the term "blessed" and think "happy" isn't what they want, maybe someone will come up with a version that speaks to them.

Actually, with a little searching just now, I found that someone has done just that. Rob Lacey has written "The Word on the Street," published in the UK in 2004. One would not use it for careful reading or study, but many consider it very attractive to introduce youthful newcomers to the Bible. A bit of his style from Genesis:

"First off, nothing . . . No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off: God says the word, and WHAP! Stuff everywhere!"`

From the Big Ten Rules:

No. 1: "I'm your god . . . I get total priority. You won't have any other gods distracting you or taking your attention away from me. I'm the only God. No other god's worth squat."

And a wise one-liner from Solomon: "Don't talk to a mirror and expect to lip read the answers to life." (Did you recognize Proverbs 3:7?)

There is also a graphic Bible for teens and young adults, or even younger children who are good readers. I should have known! And yes, the Library has some books of the Bible in graphic form. I'll read them next!

The big black King James Version of the Bible is not one of the Trinity (or part of a Holy Quaternity, either). If the Word is presented accurately in teen-speak or modern English or colored cartoon-style drawings, is that not a good thing? The Apostle Paul said he wasn't too concerned about the motive people had for preaching the Gospel—good, bad, or indifferent—just so it was preached. (Philippians 1:18) Might he suggest today that the words with which it is presented don't matter as much as the message?

"Let the reader understand."

MaryMartha

Art from www.wpclipart.com

Things Mama Taught Me: When in Doubt, Don't

There is hardly a more succinct bit of advice from Ben Franklin than his "When in doubt, don't." I don't know if Mama got her wisdom from him or whether it was the natural gift of her motherhood.

"Is this shirt clean enough to wear?" a son or daughter might ask her.

"If you have to ask, it isn't."

"When in doubt, don't." This may be helpful when we are making up our minds whether or not a certain article of clothing or a particular activity is appropriate, but it is actually not the perfect watchword for more important decision-making. There are many times when we have insufficient information to enable a confident decision. "Will I need more than $100 to make this trip?" Well, there's not any way to tell. I have no information about the possibility of having to be towed and replacing a water pump or fixing a windshield. I just make the best decision I can with the information I have.

Sometimes the information at hand is not accurate, as in "Will I need to clear the sidewalks in the morning?" Snow flurries were predicted, but I didn't get up early enough to shovel four inches of flurry off the walks.

And sometimes the information-gathering process is skewed by the emotion involved—mine or someone else's. "Call now . . . Write your Congressman today . . . This is the only opportunity . . ." Decisions based on emotion are at best shaky, and sometimes plainly mistaken.

But "when in doubt, don't," does serve to slow us down long enough to examine carefully the decisions that have significant effect on our lives.

sDoes the decision have short-term benefits which will cost me dearly in the long run? (Credit purchases immediately come to mind.) Choosing the right thing often has a costly immediate effect on me, but the benefits are greater long-term.

sDoes this decision affect others? Is that a positive thing for them, or will I be the one who only possibly reaps the benefits at a cost to those around me, especially those for whom I am responsible? (Making a major move comes to mind; gambling away the paycheck would be another.)

sDoes this decision require my overriding the reservations I may have? Does it require haste? (Car sales come immediately to mind.) "The chance of a lifetime" actually comes around every once in awhile.

God is good, and He has our best interests at heart. He is ready to give guidance and help when we sincerely seek to honor Him in our decision-making.

MaryMartha

Art from http://sxc.hu/

Hold Onto the Wonder

During the Christmas break from school , I took my grandson to our local Science and Discovery Center. One especially interesting display demonstrated how "monsters" are made for TV shows and movies, and he masterfully punched the buttons to make the dinosaur thrash its head about and open and close its jaws menacingly. We saw the process of their creation from the drawing board to molding and painting the form to their electronic circuitry. The resulting appearance and movement are pretty convincing—except we could see how all of it was done.

We learned (quite accidentally) that the gears flattening a penny into a souvenir impressed with an image of the Center do not use a penny at all, only a blank piece of copper. Yes, it has the figure of Lincoln on the back, but that too is part of the stamping process. You don't really think that the organization would deface property actually belonging to the Federal Government, do you?

We saw the Bubble Man do things with his bubble wands that seemed almost magic—except he told us it was just water and liquid dish soap. (It has to be Dawn Classic, he says.) He made huge bubbles, jiggling bubbles, a bubble within a bubble, and whole clouds of bubbles.

At eleven years, my grandson doesn't believe in magic or the reality of monsters, but he hasn't yet become out of sorts with how the world works. He was eager to see everything we could cram into our hours there, and declared it great fun. It was wonder-full.

Too often we adults get a tired, I've-seen-it-all attitude, and we ignore the true wonders all around us. We need to hold onto the sense of awe that children have—until it is discouraged out of them by adults with a tired, I've-seen-it-all attitude! We would be amazed that hummingbirds can hover mid-air, and that we can fold paper airplanes that glide and stall and land. We would marvel at the inventiveness of humans who have learned how to travel into space and back, and that we can blow a bubble big enough for a person to stand in. We would be in awe of the Milky Way and a "tornado" in a glass cylinder. Sometimes we have the opportunity to share with someone an experience or a place which we previously enjoyed. There is vicarious pleasure in sharing it with them for the first time, and we perhaps enjoy it nearly as much as we did originally. That is because its wonder has been restored.

Keep your eyes open. Hold onto the wonder. No matter what this New Year holds of the difficult and unexpected or of the very ordinary, look for the wonder-full!

MaryMartha

Art from http://sxc.hu/