First or Last

I noticed a book title the other day, If You're Not First, You're Last, outlining sales strategies to come out on top in the competition. It's interesting that the world so often teaches principles that are the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. He would say something like, You're Not First, Unless You're Last." (Not that one shouldn't be diligent in making their work profitable.) Jesus told His followers, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” (Mark 9:35)

The "Good Samaritan"

Some organizations and individuals have discovered that the way to be successful is to follow Jesus' example, and they do that assiduously. While it is always right to do the right thing, I wonder about the motive of much "servant leadership." Like Pharisees standing on the street corner to pray, I suspect that some corporate action is really saying, "Look at us! We are fair to our employees. See how our good policies benefit the community!" If that's the case, is the attention they gain really going to make them first? Or is good PR already their only reward?


And Jesus' call was to serve everyone else, not just the profit-making business world or the public service sector or even the church world. Does real servanthood make much noise at home and in the marketplace? "Don't sound a trumpet before you," Jesus said. (see Matthew 6:2)


Or put another way, "Don't blow your own horn."

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/ and
lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures/

God Is Generous

One of a Series on "God's Endearing Personality"

One has only to remember John 3:16 to know that God is generous, the ultimate Giver. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish but have everlasting life." In so many more ways than this, however, God shows us His heart of giving.

Thou that has given so much to me,

Give one thing more, a grateful heart.

--George Herbert (1593-1633)

"Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" (Psalm 68:19 NKJV) There is perhaps no better way for me to explain God's generous "benefits" than letting Psalm 103 (NLT) enumerate some of them.

He forgives all your iniquities; He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. What would happen if we all got exactly what we deserve?

Heals all your diseases. I believe there is no disease—ancient or modern, and not even death—that God has not shown Himself to someone somewhere as the victor over it. Some scholarly person has studied execution by crucifixion and has concluded that every type of human suffering was experienced by Jesus during His Passion. He overcame them all and lives today!

Redeems your life from destruction. How many times a day, even when we are unaware of it, has God kept us from harm? Even greater, how often He answers our prayer, "Deliver us from evil." The angel of the Lord truly is "camping" all around the person who confidence is in God!

Crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Some folks talk or sing about the crown they expect to have one day when they get to heaven. This crown is for "everyday" wear and is ours by our present acknowledgement of it.

Satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Physical needs, spiritual hunger, intellectual quests, mental stimulation, emotional satisfaction—God is concerned that all of these appropriately supplied.

Executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He is the helper of the helpless. We've often heard it said, "God helps those who help themselves," but another Scripture tells us differently. He is "father to the fatherless, defender of widows . . . God places the lonely in families." (Psalm 68: 5, 6 NLT) He does not ignore the needy, but sends aid—very often through the hearts of others He has touched and through their hands.

Pities (has compassion on) those who fear Him, knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. The children's little song says, "Be careful little lips what you say . . . little hands what you do . . . little feet where you go," and sometimes we grow up feeling that the Big Policeman in Heaven is just waiting to catch us in a wrongdoing. No, we sometimes forget that the song also tells us, "There's a Father up above and He's looking down in love." He is a good Father who would seek to correct rather than condemn,

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. While Jesus warned His followers that there would be "tribulation" for them in the world, yet the promise is that in all things He is working for our good. (See Romans 8:28)

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!"

MaryMartha

Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NLT is 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/

Come to the Water

As soon as I turned on the lawn sprinkler to water some newly-planted seeds, a blue jay sat in the tree above the garden area, and issued a stream of loud calls. Soon after he flew away, a number of birds of various kinds arrived to shower and have a good, long drink. Were his calls an alert to his friends and neighbors that he had spotted the location of some cool water on that hot day? It seems so.

That reminded me that we are given the privilege and responsibility of spreading the message, "Come to the water." " 'Come!' say the Spirit and the Bride. Whoever hears, echo, 'Come!' Is anyone thirsty? Come! All who will, come and drink, Drink freely of the Water of Life!" (Revelation 22:17) All around us are people who need to know that there is a place of peace and refreshing. We have discovered it ourselves, and we can invite them, "Come! There's water here. I've found it!"

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/

Hover Givers

An acquaintance of mine is a "hover giver." I'll explain. (He doesn't read this blog, and would be disinclined to recognize himself if he did.)

A hover giver prefers being present when the gift is received. He hovers over the beneficiary, in order to be sure it is appropriately noted that he is the giver. His gratification comes, not in the pleasure of the recipient, but in his own recognition as the one who gave.

A hover giver is offended by not receiving appreciation. This doesn't mean that children should be permitted to ignore the niceties of appropriate thank-you's. But such a giver hovers, waiting for response and extreme in insisting that gifts should be acknowledged in "proper" ways.

A hover giver prefers to specify gifts for projects with obvious results—not food baskets for the needy or school supplies for a storm-ravaged area, but donation to memorials or building projects. He hovers over the situation to be sure the funds are used as indicated, and are adequately appreciated.

A hover giver, however, is not a believer in "It's the thought that counts." It is, instead, the gift that counts. Never mind if it was given with a definite stated purpose. Since giving is, to him, a self-centered action, it is not too surprising to discover that what is given to him is used in his own interest—that is, "best interest" or not.

A hover giver suspects the altruism of others also to be selfish. He asks, "What is he/she getting out of this?" That someone would give freely with a spirit of generosity is nearly incomprehensible to him.

. . . Give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. – Kahil Gibran

Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)

MaryMartha

Art from http://sxc.hu/

Giving and Keeping

One of the important principles of Christian stewardship is that of "flow." We talk about cash flow in our budget or about the flow of goods from one country to another. The word implies that is a movement, not a static condition. Jesus was talking about "flow" when He taught, "Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting is the way. Generosity begets generosity." (Luke 6:38 MSG)

Jesus also told a parable about a rich man whose ground yielded such bountiful crops that he ran out of storage space. " 'What can I do? My barn isn't big enough for this harvest.' Then he said, 'Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!' " (Luke 12:18, 19 MSG)

The farmer had successfully provided what seemed to him all he would ever need. He failed, however, to consider one important factor: he could not guarantee a life long enough to enjoy all the goods he had amassed. Life itself was not something he owned and controlled.

Is enjoying "ownership" of things not acceptable? Is it wrong to have a savings program? Is acquiring a valuable collect of certain objects unspiritual? Should one refuse to prepare for retirement years ahead? No, that is not the point of this story at all. The warning, Jesus said, is this: “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” (Luke 12:15 NLT) It is a wrong attitude, more than an action, that He holds up for reproach.

Balancing this part of the life of faith is difficult for many Christians. Some are inclined to give too little and hold on to too much. There are others who would give too much and invest too little in their own self-care.

A Persian lyric poet of the 13th century wrote, and his words have become some of my favorite. They express so well how important the latter is:

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store
two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole,
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

--Muslih-uddin Saadi Shirazi

And furthermore, you may share both your bread and your hyacinths with another needy person! Finding the balance is not a once-and-for-all achievement, but a process whereby giving is cheerful and keeping to use is joyful!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation marked NLT is 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. Scriptures marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Art from http:www.sxc.hu/

Loving in Deed

This morning before seven o'clock a crew began arriving at the big two-story house across the street. A huge bin was delivered from the trash hauling company (and carried away full, three times.) A motorized lift sat in the driveway, there so that a painter could reach the high gables. Men arrived in pickup trucks and SUV's with chain saws and ladders, women with paint rollers and hedge clippers until by 10:00, there were over thirty workers on hand. They were part of a city-wide effort by local churches to "love" our city by cleaning, painting, and doing other jobs that improve the living in our hometown. Thousands of volunteers from around thirty-five local churches united in service and outreach to the poor, elderly, or disabled as well as to public properties such as parks and schools.

This endeavor to show Christ's love in a visible way was carefully planned, beginning several weeks ago. From time to time today, I observed what I can only call a transformation in progress. Maybe this was not an "extreme makeover" in the TV sense of the word, but it's probably as close as we'll ever see on the street where I live! Amazing! But the crew didn't stop with painting the whole house, hauling off old furniture, and clearing away a lot of brush. They also did some new landscaping with beautiful shrubs to dress up the front of the house and a stepping stone path through the back yard to the dog house!

John, the Apostle of Love, wrote "Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." (I John 3:18) I saw that demonstrated in such a fine way across the street today.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation is 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/

Things Mama Taught Me: "It's Good to Share"

My parents brought up six children, all of whom were living in the home at the same time. There had to be some lines drawn about owning stuff.

Community ownership was the rule concerning many things. The pets belonged to everyone—and no one; they were outdoor animals and pretty much fended for themselves. The bicycles belonged to everyone, and so did the old tires and barrel hoops we rolled and the swing that hung from a pipe frame. The playhouse in an old chicken house was no one's exclusively. Unless they had been given to you specifically, the crayons and scissors and flour paste belonged to everyone.

But there was personal ownership too. Each of us had a "cupboard," a fruit crate turned on end, fitted with extra shelves and curtained by our mother. In it were papers, books, toys that belonged specifically to that person, old keys, pretty rocks, and anything else that was treasured by the owner and that would fit between the shelves. When the possessions stuffed into it began to fall out, Mama decreed that "it is time to clean out your cupboard." It was a terrible affront to have someone (that is to say, a sibling) "go into your cupboard" without permission. Another example of a strict ownership rule is this: Candy did not appear in our home very often, but at Christmas there was a plate of fruit, nuts, and candy for each of us (a German tradition). Sorrow was certain to come to any person who failed to honor "mine" and "thine."

Sharing and taking turns were lessons in the schoolroom and in the Sunday School classes. The materials and play equipment there did not belong to any of us but to "the school" or to "the church." We could use them if we shared and if we took turns. (This, we were assured, pleased Jesus.) But at home, I do not remember much about being ordered to share. That was encouraged, of course. "It's good to share," we were taught, but we were not forced to share what was rightfully ours individually.

So did we grow up to be hard-hearted and selfish? No, I don't think so. What we learned back then is that there are boundaries. We do not take things that belong to someone else. We do not enter places where we are not invited or assigned. We do not intrude into affairs that are not our business. We do not assume the right to do what we want at the cost of everyone else's comfort or pleasure; this is particularly true in public placates.. We respect other people and what is theirs. Hopefully, they will respect us and what is ours. Then when we decide to give or share, it is from the heart because we have chosen it.

We learned to respect God and what is His too. The Bible, God's Book, was handled with particular care. The Church, God's house, was a place to walk and not run, to speak quietly and not laugh loudly. The music was lively but appropriate to this special place. The "saints" there, God's people, were held in esteem. We shared our time and money and childish energy not because we had to but because we wanted to. (Well, most of the time, anyway!) As an adult, I now have a clearer sense of everything having its source in God and ultimately belonging to Him. But I am also still guided by the principles of responsibility to myself and others that I first learned as a child.

To think about:
What were you taught about having personal belongings and about sharing? Does that still affect your sense of owning stuff?

MaryMartha

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

Things Mama Taught Me: Look After Each Other

I don't remember taking care of my younger brothers, but I do remember holding the baby sister. For years, my older brothers who can recall those "babysitting" days, have without mercy reminded me about my preference for reading over tending to the baby flopped over my knees. "Won't someone come get this miserable baby?" I pleaded. Miserable indeed! They won't let me forget!

Any family that has more than a couple or three children usually has to enlist the older ones to help watch the younger ones. What is true for our natural families is hugely important in the wider context of the "household of faith" and beyond that to the community at large. The Apostle Paul wrote "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:10) It is easy to give generously to "family," our own loved ones and those who share our faith. But what about the "all people"?

Shall I give something to the ragged, shivering man at the mall exit? Shall I agree to add something to my grocery bill for the food warehouse? Shall I stuff a bill through the slot of the bell-ringer's bucket? Shall I buy cookbooks that I don't need or greeting cards that are ugly or magazines I won't read because some young person wants to go to camp or has to help buy band instruments? I think Paul was not binding us to a requirement to give to every one who expresses a need (or a wish, for that matter). "Let us do good," he said, as an encouragement to be a generous, unwearied giver. And perhaps we need to be reminded that doing good consists of more than a few dollars here and there. John Wesley said, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." There are many ways of doing good—even sometimes withholding the easy handout.

Good stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to each of us requires us to assess each situation, not in a protracted, rigid manner but with openness considering it before deciding yes or no. It need not be a long, painful process. Giving is meant to be a joyful thing! It's how we look after each other.

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.

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

No Strings Attached

In my current

stuff-releasing project,

I've given away several items that have considerable intrinsic value but to which I am no longer connected. I assured the intermediary that the stuff was given "with no strings attached," that is, no special demands or limits. I find that is such a relief! There is no need for me to follow up: who is the final recipient, where are they using it, are they using it as carefully as I once did, and so forth.

This being the Christmas giving/entertaining season, I pondered some more about the general concept of no strings attached. One person complained, "I entertained that couple twice in my home, and they have never offered an invitation in return. Don't they know they are supposed to reciprocate?" I wanted to respond, "Well, did you enjoy their company? Did they seem to enjoy yours? Is that not enough?"

There are many reasons why those acquaintances may not have opened their home in return. Things are not always what they seem; perhaps someone in the home is physically or emotionally frail. Perhaps there are serious financial limitations, and they cannot afford anything but essentials. There may be things in the home that need to be repaired or replaced, and they feel embarrassed by the situation. Perhaps they are just ill at ease with entertaining. These may not seem like sufficient reasons, but they are huge to some people.

I could have added, "Or maybe they were naïve enough to think that they were invited to your home because you wanted to have them there. They just didn't catch on that the reason you invited them to your home was so they would invite you to theirs!"

There are some people who want to give only if they are recognized "sufficiently" as givers. Giving to those who do not acknowledge the gift is a touchy subject: Grandchildren who do not say thanks for birthday checks, brides who do not send thank-you notes, waitpersons who are offensive about expecting a tip. Every giver has to decide for himself/herself how to handle these situations. But it would be well to stop and consider, "Why am I giving this? Are there strings attached to this gift? What am I hoping for in return?"

I should confess that I am not really the magnanimous giver that you might think. I am so glad to be getting rid of stuff! But it did make me happy to be able to give some things away, rather than sell them. Maybe I should be paying the recipients for giving my former possessions a good home!

MaryMartha

Art from http://sxc.hu/

I Am But One

The little country church I attended as a child was sparse in decorative effect, but I do remember one blue-and-gold banner on the south wall, three-fourths of the way forward in the rows of hard, straight benches. It said something like this:

I am but ONE,
But I am ONE.
I cannot do EVERYTHING,
But I can do SOMETHING.
What I CAN DO,
God helping me,
I WILL DO.

It would be nice if I could tell you that the motto changed my young life, set me on the road to success, and still guides me. That would not be entirely true. The significance of those words was tucked away somewhere and has only recently come to the surface again. Isn't memory an amazing thing! Now that I am able to appreciate the wisdom of that banner, I am glad someone hung it there to remind me, all these years later, of an important truth: Whatever we do, counts.

One of my nephews, when he was quite young, told his parents, "When I grow up, I want to be a garbage collector." (What little boy doesn't want to go through the trash to see what preciousness he can find?) They did not discourage his ambition, but instead replied, "We need good garbage collectors." He turned out to be extremely well-educated with an important position in some technical career I don't even understand! But if he had been a garbage collector, that would have been important too. Tell me, just who would you miss the most—your supervisor at work if he/she was gone for a day, or the trash man if he skipped your pick-up day?

On a day-to-day basis, we need people who, as their job, throw newspapers, wash dishes, drive school buses, operate Laundromats, change tires, sell the garden produce they've grown and many more. We need street sweepers, tow truck drivers, roofing crews, mail carriers, teachers, attorneys, pastors, librarians, firemen and a host of others. In addition, we need people who will volunteer to stuff envelopes, fill trays at feeding centers, write letters for an elderly person, be a foster grandparent, or teach someone to read. We need people who will pick up trash they didn't drop, hold the door for someone, and smile whenever they get a chance.

Not all of us are going to be rich or famous or powerful; it takes a lot of ordinary people to run the world. Abraham Lincoln said, "God must love the common man, He made so many of them." But even the most ordinary of us can make a valuable contribution if we live out the idea that whatever the something is that we can do, we will do. The Wisdom Writer said, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (Ecclesiastes 9:10) We have to do what we can, while we can.

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.

Hugs

When I left my workplace yesterday, I was greeted by a couple of young women standing on the sidewalk. Three more people were standing closer to the street. They all held up large signs, "Free Hugs," and called out, "Do you want a hug? They're free!" Striped Hershey's candies? No, real hugs. Umm—well, okay. And I took several—five in all. They explained that it was International Free Hugs Day, and they were there from a local cosmetology school to give out free hugs.

Well, I'm not sure the huggers were right about the date; I found information to the contrary. But their hearts were in the right place. There actually is such an observance, designated by the founder, Australian "Juan Mann" (a pseudonym), as the first Saturday following June 30. Many organizations such as schools or retirement centers, or even whole communities, have their own initiatives set on other dates. Apparently I got in on one!

Virginia Satir, a prominent American psychotherapist and author, was especially noted for what was then (mid-20th century) a novel idea: that clients' "presenting issue," i.e. the surface problem, was seldom the real problem. Instead, how people coped with the issue created the problem. She was extraordinarily sensitive to the nonverbal aspects of communication, and believed if she could help her clients see, hear, and feel more, that their own personal and interpersonal resources would lead them to find the solutions. It's not surprising, then, that we get this famous quote from her: The recommended daily requirement for hugs is: four per day for survival, eight per day for maintenance, and twelve per day for growth.

Consider the benefits: Hugs don't require special equipment, there are no parts to break or batteries to replace, and no periodic tune-ups are required. They are naturally sweet yet non-fattening, are all-natural and preservative-free, and have no artificial ingredients. There are no monthly payments or insurance requirements and they are non-taxable. Hugs are low energy-consuming but have a high-energy yield and are non-polluting!

Of course, there are sensible cautions. One shouldn't indiscriminately crush everyone in an unexpected bear hug. But there are other sizes too. A-frame (upper body) hugs, cheek hugs, sandwich hugs, group hugs. Hugs to ask for if you need one. Hugs you ask if you may give. No appropriate person around? Hug yourself. Hug your pet. Hug a tree.

The Bible doesn't talk about hugs specifically, but hugging wasn't the social norm then and still isn't in many cultures today. Kissing a hand, one or both cheeks, or even air-kissing is for them more acceptable than embracing. The Apostle Paul told the Christians at Rome, Corinth, and Thessalonica to greet one another with "a holy kiss." Peter encouraged "a kiss of love." The point these writers were making is this: greetings that one might normally reserve for family or close friends is appropriate among the family of believers as well. Some families are really hug-gy, some are not. Some church groups are really hug-gy; some are not. When you're among huggers, I encourage you to be a hugger. Or at least a huggee.

MaryMartha

Info about Satir—http://psychotherapynetworker.org/component/finder/search?q=virginia+satir
Satir quote— http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/virginia_satir.html

The Church Is Christ's Body

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the earth, yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now." St Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582

From childhood, I have heard this quote by the famous Carmelite nun, whose writings are full of deep spiritual insights as well as practical common sense. But to me, the idea that I was responsible for "being Jesus" to the world around me was a scary thought! With my exaggerated sense of obligation, it seemed like just too much.

I agree with Teresa that I am a personal representative of Christ. The Apostle Paul himself wrote, "So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!' " (II Corinthians 5:20) But my overwhelming sense of duty was relieved when I realized that I am not by myself in this. It is not up to me alone, but to the whole Church.

"God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself." (Ephesians 1:22, 23) The Church is Christ's body. His hands, His feet, His eyes are given expression through many believers, not just me. While I want to take my full share of responsibility to bless and do good, it is not the fearsome "oughtness" I once thought it was. All those who share my allegiance to Christ as the head, share my participation in being His body.

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.

Little Is Much

Two funerals held in our city today drew my attention. One was for a sheriff's deputy who died after being shot during his response to a call for aid. About two thousand people, including the governor and attorney general and a large number of law enforcement officials from the region, attended the memorial service held for him. So many cars were in the procession to the cemetery that sections of some of the main thoroughfares through the city were closed, and traffic was directed to alternate routes. Hundreds of officers and members of a motorcycle honor guard stood with flags at the burial site. A gun salute, "Taps," bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace," and a helicopter flying overhead honored the young man in a way befitting an officer who gave his life in the line of duty, especially since he was a loving husband and father.

The second service was attended by only a few dozen people. "Nellie was God's biggest earth-bound angel," the presiding pastor said, and wept openly as she shared the many ways this Christian woman had shared her life and her love with others. It was a very simple service, with nothing to make it outstanding except the one we were remembering and honoring. The community paid little attention—but God took note.

Little is much if God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown and you can win it,
If you'll go in Jesus' name.
    Kittie L. Suffield (1924?)

MaryMartha

Comforters

My mother used to make comforters, two or more for every bed occupied by the six of us children. I remember the flannel, usually in somber stripes, being laid out on the big dining room table. On top of this, Mama laid a thick layer of batting and covered that with a second flannel. The edges were stitched on the sewing machine, and the whole was tied in a neat, squared-off pattern with colored yarn. We saw no particular value in handmade items, because that was all we knew. In those days, it would never have occurred to us to purchase a quilt or comforter. Now I would gladly exchange my bright floral bed covering stitched in a flowing pattern for one of those old tied comforters, just because they are so—comforting!

The very word "comfort" brings to my mind being secure, even enclosed—like being wrapped up in the comforter my mother had made. "Are you comfortable?" someone asks us, and yes, we feel an atmosphere of warmth and safety and ease. "I'm not comfortable with that," we protest in some situation, and it may be because we feel uncertain or exposed. A parent offers the safety of their arms to the child who is injured, or a friend puts an arm around us when we are hurting; they are giving comfort.

God too provides comfort. In fact, one of the Trinity is specifically assigned the job description of "Comforter." Various Bible translations give descriptive names for this person: Friend, Advocate, Encourager, Counselor, Helper, Strengthener, Standby. The Greek paraklētos literally means "called to one's side," capable and ready to give aid. However, God does not comfort us just so we can be comfortable, but so that we become comforters too—friends, encouragers, helpers, ready to give aid.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you." (II Corinthians 1:3-6)

Our experiences of difficulty are not wasted, for when God gives us strength and encouragement, He then can use us to help another person who is weak or discouraged. The movie script writers were not the first to come up with the idea of "paying it forward"!

MaryMartha

The movie reference is to the 2000 feature, "Pay It Forward," based on the novel of the same name. A student's project to "change the world" involves not paying back the person who has helped you, but instead paying it forward to other people.

The Scripture quotation is 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.

To Bear His Cross

Roman soldiers led Jesus out from the governor's palace, forcing Him to carry the cross on which He would die. On the way, tradition says, Jesus, weakened by the physical traumas of the preceding hours, collapsed under the burden. Then they [the soldiers] compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross." (Mark 15:21 NKJV)

Why Simon? Why a good country man who had cares enough of his own? He had not come, as many had, to the see the public spectacle of a crucifixion; he was just minding his own business.

Or did the blood and dirt and injustice make him cry out, brining the scornful attention of the soldiers? Did Simon "ask for it"?

They compelled him to take Jesus' cross. Was he afraid? To bear the cross of Christ—what awful judgment might be visited upon him for aiding in Jesus' death! Did Jesus then, through His pain, perhaps smile at him and whisper, "It's all right, Simon. Take the cross. It's not for them you do it. It's for Me!"

And when we face a cross—entering into the dark places of human need, loving and holding up the weak, caring patiently for those who disappoint, enduring the misunderstanding of some we had counted on, giving ourselves cheerfully to a small but wearying task—can we then remember that we bear His cross? This is not our loving or giving; it is His—His cross again, for He still feels the burden of lost, confused people. The Apostle Paul wrote from prison, "I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church." (Colossians 1:24 NLT)

Our self-made crosses cannot redeem; suffering of our own will not bring healing. It is only Jesus' cross that saves. Only His suffering is redemptive. Like Simon, we may be called upon to bear a cross. We too are compelled, but not by a sword. "For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake." (II Corinthians 5:14, 15 AMP)

The hymn lyrics written by Thomas Shepherd ask:

Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
And there’s a cross for me.

To let the cross be laid upon us for His sake, to bear His cross with Him and for Him is to help release His redeeming love and power to work in our troubled world.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 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 AMP is taken from The Amplified Bible®, copyright 1965, 1987 by The Zondervan Corporation and The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Why This Waste?

During the last week of Jesus' earthly life, He again visited the home of His friends in Bethany. A dinner was prepared in His honor and Martha served, as usual. Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, sat at the table with the others who accompanied the Master. "Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 'That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.' Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. Jesus replied, 'Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.' ” (John 12:3-8)

How could Judas have been so grasping, implying that giving to the poor—although that is not what he actually intended to do—was a worthier cause than expressing devotion to the Lord? Is there such a thing as lavishing too much love on Him? Is anything we pour out for Him truly wasted? Mary did not think so—and neither did Jesus.

What if Mary had hesitated? "Maybe this would embarrass Jesus; I know for certain that the disciples will not understand." "Maybe I should wait until some time when we are alone." "Martha and Lazarus will think I am foolish; I have scrimped and saved all my life for this little jar." "It—really—is—a lot of money." "And if I pour out all of this oil, there will be none for my own burial." So many objections Mary might have considered, but she chose instead to "waste" her precious treasure.

Just a few days later, Jesus was arrested in the garden, found guilty of claiming to be the Son of God, and executed on a cross. Among the crowd witnessing the awful event, were a number of women who were followers of Jesus. They observed the tomb where His body was laid, and went home to prepare spices and fragrant oils for perfuming the dead. After the Sabbath ended, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing their gifts. But the tomb was empty! Jesus was gone!

What if Mary had kept for herself the costly perfume instead of pouring it on Jesus? She never had another chance to demonstrate her devotion. Jesus had told the observers, "She did this ahead of time for my burial." He meant exactly that, for it was the only opportunity she had to pour the precious ointment on her Lord.

If we have an offering of love to "waste" on Jesus, some words or actions fragrant with grace to honor Him, let us do it now.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture quotation is 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.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Just Travelin' Through

Several members of my family had the opportunity a few days ago to see one of nature's spectacular displays. In south central Nebraska, hundreds of thousands of migrating Sandhill cranes make their annual layover in an area along the Platte River. For several weeks, they feed on wasted corn in nearby harvested fields, beginning at sunrise to "fuel up" for their long trip north to Canada, Alaska, and even Siberia, where they will nest. At sunset, they return to the shallow, protective river to roost safely through the night. During a six-week period, an estimated half million of these cranes--about 80% of the whole world's population--pass through an 80-mile wide flyway on their spring journey from the warmer southern states and Mexico. Seeing these long-necked, long-legged birds landing or taking flight is an awesome sight, and hearing the constant "bugling" of thousands of their voices is an impressive sound!

As we left the area, I pondered the idea of "just travelin' through," and remembered lines from the old southern Gospel song: "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue . . ." (J. R. Baxter, Jr.) Upon our return, there awaited the sad news of my brother's sudden and unexpected death. He did, indeed, just pass through this world. His sixty-nine years did not seem long enough for those of us who knew and loved him, but they were long enough for him to make significant and lasting contributions to the lives of others, particularly children and young people.

All of us are just traveling through. There is no way to know just when our journey will entail leaving this world to enter what the song calls "Heaven's open door." Remember then: "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again."

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

The quote is generally attributed to Stephen Grellet, a prominent Quaker missionary in the 19th century, although some sources credit other authors.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Be Like a Flower

One morning during vacation, I was sitting in a garden for some quiet moments before a busy day of sight-seeing. Seeing roses and other sweet blossoms there, I turned to the Gospel of Matthew to read Jesus words, “Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30) Jesus was telling me too, “Be like a flower—don’t be anxious, have confidence in God, He cares for you.”

I continued to read in the next chapter Jesus’ warning about judging others. “Be like a flower—bloom where I’ve put you, don’t worry about other people, give of yourself even if others don’t do the same.”

Then Jesus talked about plants bearing the fruit (flowers) that were theirs by nature. “Be like a flower—don’t try to be something you are not, I’m waiting to see if what you produce is like Me!”

In the parallel passages of Luke, Jesus taught about giving and loving indiscriminately, friend and “enemy” alike. “Be like a flower—give and love freely, look for your reward to come from Me.” Yes, the Scripture teaches that my gift will be returned to me, “pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into [my] lap,” but that does not necessarily mean my actions will be compensated similarly and by the very person to whom I gave. (See Luke 6:38)

I remember a poem from some long-ago literature class, a selection by Kahil Gibran from “The Prophet.”

Giving

You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard
for fear you may need them tomorrow?

. . .There are those who give little of the much
which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.

And there are those who have little and give it all.

These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and
their coffer is never empty.

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.

And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is
their baptism.

And there are those who give and know not pain in giving,
nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;

They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its
fragrance into space.

Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from
behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.

Be like a flower!

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

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.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Equal and More Equal

Most of us, as Americans, are familiar with Thomas Jefferson’s statement in the Declaration of Independence, that all men (all people) are created equal and that all are equally entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We also remember Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, describing “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” We believe, or want to believe, those words, and we expect our government to move swiftly to remove any inequities. But it troubles me that Jefferson and Lincoln did not say merely, "all Americans", but "all people." In reality, there seems to be a system something like that which existed in the satirical novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell. The pigs who controlled the government on the farm proclaimed, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Not only did our early countrymen face the issue of "equal or more equal," but so does a large percentage of the world's population today. There are many issues: medical care, clean water, education. Let's take just one example: food.

Statistics on world hunger from the World Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN reveal that in 2008, the number of undernourished people in the world rose to 963 million. An estimated thirty-three countries have a critically short food supply. About 65 percent of the underfed live in India, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia. Just a few days ago, the UN Environment Programme released a new report stating that over half the food produced today is lost, wasted, or discarded as a result of inefficiency in the human-managed food chain. “There is evidence within the report,” executive director Achim Steiner noted, “that the world could feed the entire projected population growth alone by becoming more efficient while also ensuring the survival of wild animals, birds and fish on this planet.”

Pope Benedict XVI gave other UN statistics in his Lenten message: The total food surplus of the United States alone could satisfy every empty stomach in Africa; France's leftovers could feed the hungry in Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy's could feed Ethiopia's undernourished. And it's not just the matter of there not being enough to eat; people are starving. Today 25,000 people will die from hunger. A child dies every six seconds of malnutrition or starvation. Is that equal? Or are we just more equal than others?

We can't very well send the vegetables that American kids want to leave on their plates to the starving somewhere else in the world. That old ploy doesn't help. The Pope said further, “[The spiritual practice of] fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live." And although I do not worship in that particular tradition, I think he may have the right idea.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Sources:http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29930&Cr=food+crisis&Cr1=
http://www.un.org/issues/food/taskforce/pdf/Global_Economic.pdf
http://www.uscatholic.org/news/2009/02/un-statistics-reveal-extent-world-hunger

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com