How it all fits together

I am marveling at how God works.  There are the big things that happen that are wonderful, at which we stand in awe, but I am thinking about little things.  Some might call them coincidences. Things as little as the daily crossword puzzle. How often it seems that I come across a crossword clue that relates to something I’ve just experienced, or read about or heard about. Here’s an example: I’ll be talking with someone about a musical/opera I love, “Les Miserables” and then the next crossword puzzle I do requires a word related to that piece of art.
Or a friend is telling me about a new and exciting book they are reading (or movie they’ve recently seen) and it turns out that’s the same book or movie I’m excited about, but haven’t told anyone yet.  Or, I am thinking and praying about someone and their situation and that person, apparently out of the blue, contacts me.  Or, I am considering about taking a class in something, let’s say, piano lessons, and I come across someone who is a piano teacher and is looking for new students.   Or, I’m out and about doing errands and I make a wrong turn, and where I end up is at a place where I need to do some business, but it was not on my list to take care of that item on that day.  Until now, I am right in front of it so may as well do it.
And the best one: I am troubled about something, it’s on my mind a lot, and I turn to my morning devotional, and lo and behold, the subject of that devotional is the same thing I’m struggling with.
Now, are such events simply the incidents and accidents of daily human life, or are they in some way, somehow, orchestrated by God?  The answer to that is probably unknowable.  But I get more pleasure out of thinking that God in all God’s greatness is not concerned only about the great happenings in the world and the course of human history, but is concerned also about the little events in each person’s life, every day.  Maybe an angel or something goes ahead of me to ‘pave the way’ so little good things happen to buoy my day? Or maybe, it’s just that I am becoming more aware of how all things ‘fit together’  ?
I do know this.  As I grow spiritually, I seem to be aware of more and more of these ‘coincidences;’ that somehow, if only we knew how to look, we would see how everything fits together, that daily life is not just a random jostling of people and events like molecules bouncing in the universe, but rather, more like a stream that takes everything in its stride and its future course is changed just a bit by each addition.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future
with hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

God is not finished with us.

Conversations with various persons in recent weeks on various subjects have prompted me to consider the difference between what is xenophobia and what is prejudice. Xenophobia is simply the fear of the unknown and unfamiliar – it is almost instinctual, and most if not all of us are born with some of it.  Prejudice is a mental attitude against a person or group.  None of us is born with this.
A young friend of mine was telling me that her father disapproved of her dating an African-American man.  The father said, “How can you stand to touch his skin?!” (I kid you not.). The daughter, as you might imagine, was horrified and disgusted by this question.  Evidently, the father had attached something distasteful to darker shades of human skin.  How he got there, is for another time.  But if it was simply a matter of xenophobia, it could be simply rectified if he could touch the skin of this young African-American man and know it feels the same as any other human skin.  Where it becomes prejudice is when he turned his fear of something unknown into something negative.  He then used this prejudice, this pre-judging, which was not based in fact, but, rather, in some fig newton of his imagination, in much of his decision making, and as it turns out, in how he related to his own daughter.
One might say, Well, he was just concerned about the well-being of his daughter. If that was the case, there are hundred questions he might ask her about the young man, like What do you know about him? What do you know about his family?  What are his aspirations?  What do you like about him?  What does he like about you?  Does he seem like responsible person? etc. etc.  Unfortunately, he asked none of those fatherly-concern kinds of questions, rather, he asked a question about the texture of the young man’s skin, augmented in distaste by the intonation in his voice as he asked it.
I am reminded also of the recent declaration by Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who switched his view of gay marriage (now followed by Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois).  Now that Portman realizes he has a son who is gay, the issue no longer seems abstract (read that, unknown, unfamiliar), so his reduced xenophobia has helped him to change his mind.  If he had a prejudice about homosexuals, he would have retained that even in the face of his son or anyone else he knows who is gay (sadly, some parents of gays have.)
So I had to ask myself, What views do I hold that are the result of xenophobia, which can be corrected by more knowledge, and what views do I hold which are prejudice, which can be corrected only by a change in the heart. I realize the items on the list for the former is long, and sadly, the items on the list for the latter category is even  longer.  Thank God, God is not finished with me yet!

Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. – Psalm 119:66

And to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, so that you may be filled with  all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:19

No regrets

Some of you may recall that my beloved father in law passed away a few months ago.  I have been reminded this week of a conversation I had with his hospice caregiver, Mary Beth.  Mary Beth said it was refreshing to care for Poppo because, unlike most of her clients, Poppo voiced that he had few regrets – you know, the big decisions in your life that you wished you’d done different.  Poppo had no big regrets: he shared with Mary Beth that one of his regrets was that he quit learning to play the piano at age 10, and never resumed.

Mary Beth went on to say that with most of her terminally ill patients, she hears about regrets deep and many.  Most folks, she said, wish they hadn’t worked so hard, wished they had not missed out on important relationships, wished they had not ignored or skipped  relational experiences because they spent their time at their job or in other attention-and- time-consuming ways.

Jesus said so many times: “Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last, but for the food which endures forever.”  Jesus came to show us the importance of relationships: relationship with God, relationships with those who are close to us, relationship to the wider world.  Here we are some 2100 years later and still we seem to spend our time mostly on things other than relationships: working too hard and/or too long, shopping or otherwise looking to acquire material things, over-involved in some hobby or sport, too many hours in front of a screen – TV, I-Pad, cell phone, etc.  It seems to me that spending time in every way but on important relationships may be easier, but if we did spend more time and attention on relationships, we’d get better at dealing with them.

And we struggle to “find time” to nurture that most important relationship, the one with God through Jesus.  I am wondering if we need to learn the lesson from those who are elderly – both what they celebrated about their life and what they regretted.  So that we ourselves might have less regret when our turn comes.

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry,
And whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. – John 6:35

Reflections on being an American citizen

From Our Pastor: Several of my friends are now serving as missionaries in various parts of our world, and I am on their list to receive regular reports of their work.  Recently, one of them wrote of their reflections on being American citizens, even as they are living in an impoverished corner of the world, where virtually everything is unfamiliar, political situation borders on unstable, and much about daily life is uncertain.  Normally I would not include something like this in a church newsletter, but I am prompted to share this, in light of our recent presidential inauguration, where, despite great differences across our country, there was again the peaceful transition of national power.                     

From missionaries in Africa:

In discussing the problem of suffering with my African friends, we agreed that suffering is suffering, and we don’t need to decide who suffers the most. We also noted that those who suffer seem able to only concentrate on their own suffering  (vs. the contemporaneous suffering of others) and that compounds the pain. Yesterday a nursing student demanded money to help his sick daughter. I explained that we couldn’t help everyone, and that, at this time, we felt compelled to help two babies with club feet and leprosy patients. Instead of considering that perhaps these people were worse off often than he, he redoubled his argument. I listened until I was exhausted and then I said, “I’m sorry.”  Living abroad has given us a new perspective about America. At the risk of sounding overly optimistic, I would like to tell you why we are proud to be Americans.

 

Democracy. Every four years we get to elect new leaders. Here, with few exceptions, leaders only leave office when they are dead.

Legal system.  The US has had its share of corruption, but eventually many government and corporate officials are prosecuted and go to jail. Corruption here is rampant and rewarded.

Freedom of expression. We can still print and say anything we want, even criticize the government. In many countries here, critics are imprisoned.

Food. Yes, food is expensive in the USA, but we still have amazing variety. Here, in addition to being expensive, there is little variety, and the quality can’t compare to that in the US. We are surviving on bread, tiny potatoes, white rice, beans, bananas, pineapples, and a skinny chicken now and then.

Electricity & Flush Toilets. Most Americans have electricity and running water. In Kananga, a city of a half a million people, there is no steady electricity (three hours at night) and no running water. The one permanent American resident in Kananga uses a hole outside his rooming house. We are close to a dam, which furnishes electricity to the hospital, but the hot water heater in the house has been broken for ten years (very expensive to replace), and we take baths by warming up two large pans of water on a stove.

Medical services. Despite the cost, the reality is that many Americans have access to medical care not available here. Bob has seen conditions that never would have gone as long untreated in the US. Even our county hospital in Chicago has far more equipment and personnel than the hospital here, which many consider to be the best in the entire country.

Books. While books may be beyond many people’s budgets now, still we have libraries with a marvelous selection of books. Here they are studying English without even dictionaries. Most have no access to newspapers, television, radio, or internet

Education. As desperately as we need to improve our schools, the fact is that even the poorest school in Chicago would be considered fantastically rich here. I teach in schools where there are no books nor computers, only blackboards for the teacher to write on. Students spend much classroom time simply copying from the blackboard into their notebooks.

Social services. As inept as may of our social services are, we still do have many safety nets in place. Here in cities, if a child’s parents both die of AIDS, some children are abandoned, although in the villages, extended families often take over care of the orphaned children. Unemployment is often 50-80% percent, with no unemployment benefits.

Roads and infrastructure. There are only 400 miles of paved roads in a country that is the size of Western Europe with 55 million people. Many roads are dirt, and when it rains, water washes out deep ruts and potholes. Also, it is difficult to get anything fixed easily

Parks. We take it for granted that cities have green spaces for relaxation and refreshment. The cities around here are oppressive, asphalt jungles with no greenery..

I do believe in the resourcefulness and ingenuity of Americans to solve their problems. as long as we don’t despair.

Indeed, some things to think about when we are tempted to grouse about not having enough, or about what other folks are doing these days. Older folks sometimes fear they won’t be able to live in the future as they have in the past, and younger folks fear they won’t have the same kinds of opportunities their parents’ generation had.  These fears are relative. They are connected to an economic standard of living in our collective mind.

What our Christian faith can help us do is move away from envisioning the future in economic terms, and envisioning the future more in relational terms.  When such occurs, surprising turns of events occur that we could not anticipate.  Sort of like what Jesus envisioned, where relationships are the point and economics is just part (albeit, a significant part) of what facilitates them.

This being the season of Lent, perhaps we could spend some time thinking and praying about what this ‘wilderness’ might yield in terms of spiritual growth.  There is nothing we can experience that Jesus has not already experienced, and there is nothing we can experience that Jesus can’t help us find a way through.  What an incredible Savior we have -  for all time – even this time – and for eternity.

 

                        Remember that I am with you always, to the end of the age.

                                    –Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 28:20b

Pastor Michelle

Waiting…

I’ve been thinking about waiting – you know, that time you live between the anticipation of something happening and the event actually happening.  All of us wait in line for things on a regular basis – at a store or restaurant, on the telephone, at a medical office, for a child to return from school or a spouse from work, you name it.
In addition to these daily waitings, it seems like lots of folks are waiting for at least one big thing, most of the time.  Some of us are waiting for retirement, some for test results, some to find out what is happening with an elderly parent, some for an adult child to get their act together, some for the boss to grant you a raise or some appreciation for your work, some for the big day to use the tickets you bought for a music concert, some for the time to begin the planting season, some for a special celebration time, like a birthday, anniversary or graduation.
In my household, two big things loom on the horizon, one which gives a lilt to my anticipation and the other which gives a thud to my anticipation: a memorial service for my late beloved father in law, to be held in late April.  (Yes, one was held in Florida, but this one, is for “the rest of the family”).  Family is coming here from all over the country.  As many of you know, the event of a funeral or memorial service often becomes opportunity also for a family reunion.
The other event is the resolution of the murder case, that is, the brutal killing of my step-children’s mother, (alleged) by her current husband. This is unlikely to happen for more than a year, and many steps, some known and some unknown to us, will happen during that waiting time.
What I find is that as I go through my days, my thoughts will often float to either the memorial service, at which point my heart smiles, or to the murder case, in which case my heart dampens a bit. On my more disciplined days, I say a brief prayer about that event, before I move on to other thoughts.  How do you think about that thing you’re anticipating or waiting for?  What happens inside you?
Waiting has been called “the time between the times.”  This suggests that we live our lives sort of hopping from one event to another, and that the life that happens between the events – long anticipated or long dreaded, either way -  is just not so important.  But the Bible tells us, “Redeem the time (Col. 4:5).”  It doesn’t specify which time, or that some time was more worth redeeming than other times.  I am reminded that while I am anticipating – whatever it is I am anticipating – I am going through my days.  Life is happening, there are unlimited opportunities to grow and to develop skills, to praise God, to serve others, to deepen in loving.
So I ask myself: How are you redeeming the time, that is, truly living your days, until the time everyone arrives for the memorial service?  How are you redeeming the time, that is, truly living your days, until the time when the case is resolved?
I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God. My times are in Your hand…”             – Psalm 31:14-15a

A new prayer

This past Thursday, the television was on at our house during the day, uncharacteristically, and something caught my eye.  It was the swearing-in of the new Congress,  being broadcast live.  While I know this swearing-in ceremony occurs every two years, when there is a change in the composition of Congress due to bi-annual elections, I don’t recall ever actually watching the ceremony.

It was impressive. The vow they made is the same one that was made centuries ago, when our country was founded, with appropriate amendations along the way. The current version was established in 1884:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

As the cameras panned the House of Representatives, I thought to myself, There are so many eager lawmakers, each chosen by voters in their state to represent them, so eager to do the work of the people.  Each in their own way was driven by some kind of values, morals, principles, ideals to run for office, and now, having been elected, want, and probably expect, that they will put their principles into practice.

And then comes the messy job of actual legislating. They say that you should never watch two things being made: sausage and laws.  (We get a tiny glimpse of the messiness of legislation in the new highly-acclaimed feature film, “Lincoln.”)  Probably each of the legislators there today is not thinking about the stinky sausage part, but about their ideals and principles – at least for today

A year from now they will probably be wondering what happened to some of that idealism as the incredibly arduous task of governing settles in on them.  And as they each begin to receive far more criticism of what they do than encouragement.

And this past year was stellar in that regard. I think Congress has a national approval rating of something like 9%.  And these are the people we elected to serve us!  Most of us are so mad at them, so frustrated by them, so suspicious of them that it is difficult to say anything nice about them.

All of that national stuff can seem so remote, and yet we know that in fact, that this is not true.  The voting that each individual citizen does  has direct effect on the composition of that body, and thus indirectly, what happens after that.

I realize that I have not prayed very often for our Congress. Occasionally yes, but not often as a daily practice.  And when I do pray, it is often with a hint of helplessness and hopelessness about what goes on in Washington. I see more clearly now that while my vote is a very important part of the functioning of a democracy year by year, far  more important than that, is my earnest prayer for the legislators.  It means I have to clear my mind and heart of my usual sentiments about most of them, and see them as children of God, as dear to God as I know myself to be, with hopes and dreams for serving others, as I myself have, albeit in a much smaller sphere of influence.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its effects.
-James 5:16b

Tips for a Better Life

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following statement, ‘my purpose is to ______________ today.

5.Live with the 3 E’s—Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games &  read more books than you did in 2012.

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is Manufactured in plants.

11.Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds and walnuts.

12.Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house,  your car and your desk. Feel the new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things  you cannot control. Instead, invest  your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away, like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like royalty, lunch like a bit less than royalty, and dinner like a college kids with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. Say this to yourself at least once every day.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you,

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five Years will this matter?”

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. REMEMBER, GOD heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often (or email or text or write)

37. Each night before you go to bed, complete the following 2 statements: “I am thankful for______. Today I accomplished ____________________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. Pass this on to some folks you care about.

May your troubles be less; may your blessings be more; may nothing but happiness come through your door.