The University of Adversity

AN ENCOURAGING WORD written for June 17, 2010, by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, Pastor Emeritus, Monroeville First United Methodist Church

 
 

Dr. Scott Peck begins his most helpful book, The Road Less Traveled, with the simple sentence: "Life is difficult."  When I first read Dr. Peck's book, that opening sentence stopped me dead in my tracks.  As much as I knew it to be true, I did not want to accept it.

We all have a mental model of what life is suppose to be like and  most of us have no place for 'difficulty' in that model. We go through life feeling that every time we have difficulty something wrong or abnormal has slipped into our lives. Any model of  life that ignores the constant recurrence of difficulty in some form is bound to be disappointing, because as Dr. Peck explained, "life is difficult." Our mistaken model of life causes us yet another difficulty; a feeling of disillusionment that life has not been even-handed and fair with us because it has been so difficult.

 
 

 Happiness is not the result of a trouble free life. If it were, we would never have a taste of it - not in this world. Happiness is a condition that graces our lives when we find creative ways of coping with difficulty. Happiness is not a singular experience that comes to us independent of other life experiences; it is a part of the whole cloth of life. It is a by-product. It is refined from life's inevitable difficulties by a style of creative living in which we accept and deal with the reality of our difficulties. 

 
 

We have not been placed here in this life for the purpose of dodging difficulty, but for the purpose of meeting it. Someone has suggested that at the end of life 'God will not look for your medals, degrees or awards, but for your scars'. That may be a better measurement of meaning than most of us could imagine. The scar tissue of adversity can become the muscle of character. There are some who will never achieve greatness because they never had enough adversity to make them strong.

 
 

No sane person goes out in life looking for trouble, but no person begins to achieve his or her potential unless life is seasoned with some adversity. Disraeli once said: "There is no education like adversity". No person is really educated until he or she has an advanced degree from the University of Adversity.

 
 

The ugly scars of adversity are like Rembrandts before God. Take a look at your life and see how many battle scars you have. You may be a hero and just do not know it. Do not hide your scars. Celebrate the victories they represent.

  

Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem, by Dr. Tom Butts

Several years ago Larry King did a program on depression, and reported that 20 million Americans suffer depression serious enough to require treatment. It seems this illness has almost reached epidemic proportions in this country. Very few families are free of the impact of depression. We all know depressed people - and we may be a depressed person.

As a pastoral counselor, if there is one word that I hear more often than the word 'lonely', it is 'depressed'. The two words are often inter-changeable. One is almost always accompanied to some degree by the other. Since I am a 'general practitioner' (not a specialist), some of the people who come through my door suffer a kind or degree of depression that is above my pay-grade, and if they are able to afford the cost, I send them to a more highly trained specialist.

There are multiple causes and consequences of depression. Depression can erode important relationships at home and in the work place. It can cause many problems and much unhappiness to the depressed person and to the people who live and work with them. Situational depression can be resolved with time and some outside help, and sometimes with short-term drug therapy. But there is a species of depression that is more than situational. It is deeper, darker and less amenable to the usual means of treatment. Unfortunately, such in-depth depression is not always initially detectable; and unfortunately, those who have such in-depth depression are often resistant to treatment either due to embarrassment, pride or despair. If you are depressed over a long period of time, it is important to consult someone who can help you determine the depth of your condition and keep you from falling into an even deeper, darker hole. Even the darkest of depressions can be treated

One of the most serious outcomes of severe depression is suicide. Not all suicides are the result of depression, but I would estimate that 95% of them are. Last year more than 30,000 people in this country died by suicide.

There is nothing of which I know that is more emotionally devastating than the death of a family member or friend by suicide. Death under any circumstance is an upsetting experience, but death by suicide leaves so many unanswered questions, even when some note of explanation is left. "What were they thinking? What could I have done? Why? Why?" The mental and emotional machinations of a suicide are almost always lost in mystery.

I decided to write this column after reading an article on death by violence in The Chicago Tribune. The World Health Organization, using research from 160 experts in 170 countries, reported that 1.6 million people (world-wide) died violently in the year 2000. One person commits suicide about every 40 seconds, one is murdered every 60 seconds, and one dies in armed conflict every 100 seconds. The report estimated that almost 1 million people took their own lives in the year 2000, making suicide the number 13 cause of death world-wide. 550,000 people were murdered, and that does not count the unlawful deaths disguised as accidents or natural causes. About 60,000 young children died from abuse.

You may rightly be wondering in what way I intend to find a word of encouragement for anyone given the above-mentioned statistics. Encouragement takes many forms. Sometimes it comes in the form of comfort. Sometimes it comes by logically seeing an individual tragedy in the context of its larger social setting. Sometimes it comes simply by knowing that you are not alone in your struggle to understand a mystifying tragedy.

There are things that happen to us, and to those we love, which are beyond our power to understand or fix. Such things may come in the plain brown wrapper of every day life, or be wrapped in life-altering and soul-ripping tragedy A friend once told me of an ordinary day in his family in which it seemed that everything that could go wrong went wrong. At the end of a uniquely stressful and complicated day, his wife was preparing the evening meal to the tune of two children crying. Suddenly something boiled over on the stove and she threw up her hands and began to cry. The husband asked: "What can I do?" She said: "There is nothing you can do, just comfort me." Things happen in life about which no one can do anything. If all you can do is comfort someone, that is enough.

When tragedy strikes we often feel alone. While it is cold comfort to be told that the same thing happened to 999,999 other families, objectively, we at least know we are not alone, and we have a statistical reality which in time may help to put the matter into perspective. At the moment in which suicide happens, nothing else seems to matter except that one isolated death, but with time the margins will expand so as to allow the tragedy to be put into some perspective

If you have experienced several months of unrelieved depression, and you cannot identify a reason for your depression, ask your primary physician for help. If you have a friend or loved-one who has symptoms of serious depression, use your powers of persuasion in a spirit of love to persuade them to seek help. Help is available

While there are often warning signs that a person is suicidal, you must never blame yourself for the decision of a person to commit suicide. Get help if you see signs of suicide in yourself or others. After a suicide, get professional and spiritual counseling to help you come to terms with the fact that someone you know and/or love chose a permanent solution to a temporary problem. By Dr. Tom Butts

Enough: Part 2

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity & Generosity

By Adam Hamilton

Week Two: Wisdom and Finance

Key Bible Verses

• Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
  but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Proverbs 21:5
  
• The wise have wealth and luxury,
  but fools spend whatever they get. Proverbs 21:20
  

Key Insights from the Book and the Video

1. Many of us have a bit of the prodigal son in us: We have the habits of squandering and wasting our resources.
   
2. We have a tendency to focus on today rather than plan for tomorrow.
   
3. When our purpose is having as much pleasure as we can in the moment, the things we do tend to become less and less satisfying until finally we come to a place where we're entirely dissatisfied – and often broke.
   
4. Two of the primary money wasters we struggle with are impulse buying and eating out.
   
5. The rule-of-thumb regarding impulse buying is to shop for only what you need. Make a list, buy what you need, and get out of the store. If this is difficult, wait twenty-four hours before purchasing the impulse item.
   
6. Society tells us that our life purpose is to consume; the Bible tells us that our life purpose is to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill God's purpose for our lives.
   
7. Being able to accomplish the greater purposes God has for our lives require goal setting and planning.
   
8. Without a plan to reach our goals, we will revert to being like the prodigal son. A plan gives us concrete steps that we can take to accomplish our goals.
   
9. Simplifying our lives enables us to give more generously and experience the joy that comes from living for something beyond ourselves.
   

Financial principles to live by

1. Pay God your first fruits; pay your tithe and offering first
   
2. Create a budget to track your expenses
   
3. Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means)
   
4. Establish an emergency fund
   
5. Pay off your credit cards, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely
   
6. Practice long-term savings and wise investing habits
   

Questions to Think About

1. In what ways are you like the prodigal son mentioned in Luke 15?
   
2. Which of the following most resembles your lifestyle:
   
   1. Heading toward a looming financial crisis
      
   2. Wasting what you have; spending money here and there because you can afford it
      
3. Which of the money wasters, impulse buying or eating out, presents the biggest problem for you?
   
4. How would you describe your life's purpose, vision, or calling?
   
5. What does the phrase "Blessed to be a blessing" mean to you?
   
6. How can goals and planning help us better accomplish the plans that God has for our lives?
   
7. Of the six financial principles, which is the most challenging to you?
   
8. If we want to achieve financial peace and accomplish God's greater purposes for our lives, what are our options? Why is simplifying our lives an important option?
   

Closing Prayer

Generous God, all we have comes from you, yet we are not always wise stewards of what you have so graciously given us. We have listened to the lure of the world, buying and consuming compulsively and excessively. Forgive us for being wasteful like the prodigal son. Forgive us for leveraging our future in order to have pleasure in the present. Help us to begin to put into practice the biblical wisdom we have discussed so that we may become good stewards of all that you have given us. Teach us to be generous and willing to share, to be Kingdom minded people who are focused on accomplishing your purpose for our lives.

Enough: Part 1

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity & Generosity

By Adam Hamilton

Week One: When Dreams Become Nightmares

Key Bible Verses

• For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grieves. I Timothy 6:10
  
• Whoever loves money never has money enough;
  whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
  This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10
  
• What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26
  

Key Insights from the Book and the Video

1. We live in a world that encourages us to live beyond our means rather than be good stewards of our God-given resources.
   
2. When it comes to material possessions and money, we are not in a position to pass judgment on others, for we do not know their heart.
   
3. For many people, the American Dream is a subconscious desire for achieving success and satisfying the desire for material possessions. Generally, it has come to mean consuming, acquiring, and purchasing.
   
4. We are affected socially and spiritually by two "illnesses":
   
   1. Affluenza – the constant need for more and bigger and better stuff.
      
   2. Credit-itis – the idea that we can have something now and pay for it later, which exploits our lack of self-discipline and allows us to feed our affluenza.
      
5. Most Americans spend money with very little self discipline, saving less and spending more and more on credit.
   
6. A spiritual issue lies beneath the surface of our financial sickness. We have surrendered to the sinful nature that is within us.
   
7. The starting point of the solution to our problem is a changed heart, which results in changed desires and a changed sense of life purpose.
   
8. As we allow Christ to work in us, seeking first His Kingdom and striving to do His will, we begin to sense a higher calling to simplicity, faithfulness, and generosity.
   

Questions to Think About

1. What are some of the ways the world encourages us to live beyond our means? What challenges do you face when trying to save and be a good steward of your God-given resources?
   
2. Why is it dangerous to pass judgment on others regarding the way they spend their money (Matthew 7:1-5).
   
3. How has the "American Dream" changed over our nation's history?
   
4. In what ways do you struggle with "affluenza and credit-it is? How is this a problem for us as individuals, as a family, and as a nation?
   
5. What are some of the messages that advertisers convey to get us to buy their products?
   
6. What are the root causes of our wanting to consume more? How is sin part of the problem?
   
7. What role do you think God wants money and possessions to play in our life?
   
8. How is a changed heart the starting point to the solution of our problem with money and possessions?
   

Closing Prayer

Lord, we confess that in many ways we have bought into the concept of the American Dream which says that success is defined by worldly profits, possessions, prestige, and pleasure. We struggle with the yearning for more, and often we try to satisfy this yearning by pursuing material things rather than pursuing you. Forgive us Lord. Change our heart, and correct our vision. Give us your perspective on money and possessions. Help us not to focus on all the things we wish we had, but to be grateful for what we do have. Teach us to wisely manage the resources you have given us so that when you prompt us to help those in need, we are free to assist them. Enable us to live simply, to be content, and to give generously.

Enough: Introduction

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity & Generosity

By Adam Hamilton

Introduction: Faith in the Midst of Financial Crisis

Key Bible Verses

• I lift up my eyes to the hills —
  

  Where does my help come from?
  

  My help comes from the LORD,
  

  The Maker of Heaven and Earth. Psalms 121:1-2
  

  
  

• Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. I Timothy 6:17
  

Key Insights from the Video

1. An economic crisis is also a crisis of faith.
   
2. The most potent threat we face today is fear.
   
3. At the center of most economic crisis is the extension and abuse of credit.
   
4. Credit comes from the Latin word "credo", which means "I believe" or "I trust". To extend credit to someone is to believe or trust that the person will repay you in the future.
   
5. As Christians, our credo or trust is in God. The Apostle's Creed begins, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth."
   
6. Throughout the Bible, we find words of hope and promise that remind us that we have no reason to fear, for God is our refuge and strength.
   
7. An economic crisis is a spiritual issue stemming from at least five of the deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, and pride.
   
8. The Church is a beacon of light inviting people to find deliverance, redemption, salvation, hope, and a new way of life.
   

Questions to Think About

1. How is an economic crisis a crisis of faith?
   
2. What happens when we feel we can no longer trust our banks, financial institutions, and our government?
   
3. What role does credit play in our economic crisis?
   
4. What insight does the Latin root word "credo" for credit play in your thoughts about the economic situation?
   
5. What insight do you get from the key bible verses about how we should trust in the Lord during times of fear during the economic situation?
   
6. In what ways is an economic crisis a spiritual crisis? Identify the sins that are at the root of this spiritual crisis.
   
7. We all are tempted by some of the sins of want and desire to have things. In what ways have you been tempted by or given in to the sins of gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, and pride?
   
8. Why is the government incapable of addressing the spiritual issue that lies beneath the state of our economy? What can Christians and the Church do to provide real help and hope?
   

Closing Prayer

O Lord, this earth and everything in it is yours. All that we have is a gift from you. When times are uncertain and our finances are hurting, forgive us for panicking and listening to the wrong voices rather than looking to you and your Word. Forgive us for giving in to fear and allowing worry and anxiety to keep us from being the wise stewards you would have us to be. Prepare our hearts and minds for the coming weeks of study. We pray to be open to your instruction and your guidance. As we learn to be better stewards of the resources you have given us, we put our complete trust in you. We trust you Lord, and with our lives and with all you have entrusted to us. Amen.

LISTENING FOR GOD, by Dr. Jim Savage

I have heard Your Call, my Lord, and respond with a Yes that arises from the depth of my being. I Know that if I follow close to You, nothing shall be able to separate me from Your Love. Amen. (Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God)

Who are we to think that God speaks to us? Yet we know that God is trying to reach us all of the time.

Thomas Aquinas distinguished two kinds of Listening: "the language of man that speaks around us and God who speaks to us interiorly." For opposite reasons, these two kinds of Listening seem difficult for people who speak too much and superficially, while God doesn't express Himself enough and too profoundly.

Thomas Aquinas said: "There are two types of Wisdom: created and uncreated; both are given to man, and by this Gift of Wisdom, man can grow towards Holiness." He brought up many means to acquire created Wisdom: through our own efforts and as a freely-given Gift from God. We should give thanks to God for this Gift.

"Strive for the greater Gifts" (1 Cor 12:31): knowledge of God, theology, or discussions "about" or "of" God. By believing in a teaching that was given by God to man, we turn towards Him and draw the desired Wisdom from there.

REFLECTION: Grace

There is something very practical about God's Grace.

"For the Grace of God that brings Salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to Live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." (Titus 2:11-12)

Grace brings Salvation, then shows us how to Live out our Salvation. Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and yes to godliness. While the Law does motivate Obedience, acting as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ Jesus, the incredible Grace of God is an even greater Motivator.

Grace brings out the best in people, not the worst. True Grace pours from the heart to be Shared with all.

The desire to say no to all that would make Jesus sad should be a motivator for Grace. Yet, some folks do refuse to show Love for others who do not measure up to our expectations, our 'rules' for Christian Living. Many folks have do this at one time or another.

Jesus makes it easy for us. Grace is the radiance of the first-Love that Christ Jesus extended towards us. "We Love because He first Loved us." (1 John 4:19)

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Is yours a Life of Grace? Are the people around you inspired to godliness because you offer Grace? When you make a decision about right or wrong, is it made by Listening and following through?

You can take control of your own Life by taking the time to Listen for God's Call, and following God's will, so don't wait for others to determine your fate in Life. Live with your Purpose for being in Christ Jesus as Lord. With God's help and the power of the Holy Spirit,
you can find complete enjoyment and can arise each morning with a song in your heart and a skip in your Walk........Thanks be to God for Such Love!

Prayer For the people of Haiti...

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU, because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing, because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister needs to be buried out from underneath a pile of concrete, because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because this morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was able to take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral, but most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti. Lord I cry out to you, the one that makes the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness in to light, I cry out that you give those mothers strength, that you give them peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so that help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye. For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on! Protect the children and shield them with your power. I pray all this in the name of Jesus!!! Amen!

Eating Apples in the Dark, by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts

AN ENCOURAGING WORD written for January 7, 2010, by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts.

There is an interesting story of a mountaineer who came home hungry one night. He lit a candle and began to eat an apple from a bowl of four apples. He soon discovered that the apple was inhabited by a lively worm. He threw it away and selected another, which he soon discovered to be wormy. He tried the third apple, but again found a worm. Whereupon, he blew out the candle and ate the fourth apple in the dark.

Sometimes it is easier to live in the dark than to face uncertain realities of life in the light. Some call it 'putting one's head in the sand'. Others call it 'looking the other way'. Psychologists call it 'denial'. Whatever you call it, it is dangerous. It can lead to eating a lot of bad apples without knowing it.

Several years ago I was a delegate to a law-making conference of the church. The dynamics of the procedure were not much different from the sessions of the Alabama State Legislature, which I have observed many times. I found myself ill-disposed to come home and tell the people who had sent me what really went on. It would shatter too many illusions and create too much anxiety.

I was reminded of the old German adage: "It is better not to know how sausages and laws are made". I had never really understood that adage before, but my experience made it painfully clear. To know how sausages and laws are made tends to make you lose your taste for sausage and your respect for laws.

We are living in complex and potentially dangerous times. Even a democracy can be an ineffective and sometimes dangerous form of government in the absence of the studied attention of an informed citizenry. We take great pride and sometimes exaggerated comfort in the fact that we live in a democratic society. [I use the term "democracy" because that is how we commonly think of our form of government. Technically, we live in a constitutional republic.] It is easy to forget that whatever you call our form of government, it needs "tending to". It cannot be put on auto-pilot and left to function unobserved and unattended.

Speaking to the House of Commons in 1947 Winston Churchill made an astute "tongue in cheek" observation regarding democracy. He said: "Many forms of government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

Any student of history and any observer of the rise and fall of governments over time would agree with that "Churchillian" observation. Our enthusiasm about our form of government has sometimes led us to mistakenly think that we could export it, unaltered, to other countries whose culture is complicated and radically different from our own, and that such a change would be received with universal appreciation and function with great success. We have had occasion to experience great disappointment in the practical application of that philosophy. We tend to forget, if we ever knew, Churchill's caveat regarding the universal and immediate application of democracy as we know it. In a conversation with President Eisenhower in August of 1954, Churchill opined: "I am a bit skeptical about universal suffrage for undeveloped nations [actually, he used the word 'Hottentots' which I am hesitant to use] even if refined by proportional representation..The British and American Democracies were slowly and painfully forged, and even they are not perfect yet."

Our form of government is a "work in progress" and is dangerously fragile when left to float unattended. When 'the people' do not know, or do not care, what is happening at city hall or in the state legislature or in Washington, our democratic society (constitutional republic) can not only become ineffective, it can fail. When we blindly elect officials who become increasingly beholden to the army of self-interested lobbyists who prowl the halls of our law-making bodies, looking for law-makers who are morally weak, financially needy and fearful of not being re-elected, our government is in mortal danger. An informed and vigilant populace is an essential ingredient of our democracy. Ignorance and indifference are the greatest enemies of good government..

The fabric of integrity in our social and political life is kept intact by the people who keep the lights on while eating apples; and who are willing to watch diligently to see how sausages and laws are made. Ignorance may momentarily soothe our anxieties and accommodate our laziness when we have to take a bite of something about which we are not sure, but it will cause us to end up swallowing wormy apples, bad sausage and equally unpalatable laws. Blissfully blind ignorance can cause illness and lawlessness and the loss of our most precious possession - freedom.

Keep the candle burning bright when you eat apples. Keep an eye on how your sausages and laws are made. It is the key to the survival of our form of government and our way of life.

Speaking on the right of the election of Lord Mayor of Dublin over 200 years ago, John P. Curran said: " The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance, which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.."

Don't blow out the candle!!!

 

 

Never Shoot an Iguana

In her book Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen has a section called "From an Immigrant's Notebook", which is a collection of inimitable vignettes.

In one of the stories she tells of shooting an Iguana in the hope of making something from its beautiful skin. She describes the big lizard as having such colorful skin as to appear like a pane cut from an old church window. A strange thing happened when she shot the Iguana, which created for her a memory that she never forgot. As she was walking up toward the dead lizard, it faded, grew pale and all the color died out as in one long sigh. It was the life of the Iguana that radiated all of the glow and splendor, and now that the flame of life was put out, the beauty and soul of the Iguana was also gone.

She wrote a brief commentary on her memory of the experience. Ever since that time when she 'shot an Iguana,' the memory came back to haunt her each time she tried to capture some part of nature's beauty and take it for her private use. She recalled a line from the hero of a book she read as a child: "I have conquered them all, but I am standing amongst graves." She concluded: "For the sake of your own eyes and heart, never shoot an Iguana."

This pensive little story spoke volumes to me. I recalled the many sad experiences that I have had in trying to snatch natural beauty from its living source so that I could have it for myself. I remembered crushed butterflies, dead fireflies in a jar, cut flowers, dead song birds (killed with a slingshot) which could no longer sing, and treasured relationships killed by possessiveness.

Perhaps we have all, at some time in our lives, tried to capture for our own private use something of beauty which really did not belong exclusively to us, only to discover that it slowly (or quickly) died in our selfish grasp. Maybe it was more than a cut flower found dead the next day or a crushed butterfly. Perhaps you have smothered a person in the process of trying to possess them for yourself in a way in which one human being can never belong to another. Perhaps it was a child you did not allow to grow up because you loved them just like they were - dependent. It could be a husband or wife or an employee whose beauty, usefulness, and love died when you held them too close.

Possessiveness is a dangerous characteristic. The desire to take for ourselves that which does not rightly belong to us is the source of so much human suffering. It is the cause of destructiveness at so many levels. It is a primary ingredient of wars. It is most destructive when it is exercised in the small kingdom of the family. A powerful, possessive and controlling parent or spouse can wreak havoc in a family and cause emotional problems in individuals that infect subsequent generations.

In his novel, "The Sleeping Doll," Jeffery Deaver has one of his characters explain why she ran away from home and joined a cult when she was a teenager. "When I was growing up they (parents) were very authoritarian. I had to do everything the way they insisted. How I made my room, what I wore, what I was taking in school, what my grades were going to be. I got spanked until I was fourteen and I think he only stopped because my mother told my father it wasn't a good idea with a girl that age....They claimed it was because they loved me, and so on. But they were just control freaks. They were trying to turn me into a little doll for them to dress up and play with."

This is a story I have heard, in one form or another, hundreds of times. It often comes from young women who left home as soon as they could escape a possessive, controlling and/or abusive situation. Ironically, these women often subconsciously decide to marry a controlling husband and/or join a church or some other group with a controlling leader. They do so without realizing how, or understanding why, they are putting themselves right back into a possessive, controlling and potentially abusive situation. Thus the debilitating impediment moves from one generation to the next, leaving the landscape littered with victims.

Beware of over-weening possessiveness at any level. It is often expressed under the guise of love. Many insecure young women who are starved for love and attention misread possessiveness for love and learn one or two children too late that they have made a terrible mistake. When you kill the spirit of a person with over-weening possessiveness and control, the beauty of the person and the relationship is lost.

In a 'cut flower' civilization such as our own, where we are tempted to separate beauty from its source for fear it will fly away, or for fear someone else will take it, we would be wise to remember Isak Dinesen's experience.

Hold beauty and your beloved with a loose hand. Do not shoot the Iguana.

All Saints Day

COMMUNITY........ All Saints Day…Affirmation:   We need our ancestors, guides, and fellow travelers in this work of the Spirit.....a Community of Faith ……………………MARK 12:28-34…Many think of religion, with all its Commandments, as a burdensome straitjacket.  This may have been true, in some sense, of the Judaism in Jesus' day, and it is sometimes true today among people who claim to belong to God. Jesus wanted to correct this false understanding of True Faith.  He summed up the numerous Jewish Laws in two simple but profound Commandments:  Love God totally and love others as much as we love ourself.  If these two thoughts rule our heart and mind, we will be well along the Path of Spiritual Transformation.   (The Life Recovery Bible)

 REFLECTION:  Circle of Faith.

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors.  All of them are alive in this moment.  Each is present in your body.  You are the continuation of each of these people.  (Thich Nhat Hanh)

 The spiritual practice of love builds community, as do kindness and gratitude and prayer.

 Community is created and renewed when individuals act in love and serve each other.

 Prayer is the rippling tide of love which flows secretly from God into the soul and draws it mightily back to its source.  (Mechthild of Magdeburg)

 
 

"Life is like a bottle of wine. Some are content to just read the label. Some drink the wine."  (Tony DeMello)

Which are we?  Do we participate fully in life and share God's love with others? Are we inebriated with Redemption?

The challenge is to stop reading the labels----or labeling one another----and to drink deeply of each experience, each day, and each one's stories.  This affords us the opportunity to see each of those with whom we are in relationship as a lifeline to the deeper mysteries of life where all are connected.

God draws us together to embrace eternal possibilities that God has in store for us:   a place where all are welcome and all find a home.  Each day offers us a new beginning to set our feet as pilgrims on the path to find again this place.  It is the Spirit of God, the very breath of God that leads us to this place.

The path depends more on Enlivening the Web of Connection that will allow the Everlasting Source to sustain Itself and us, the way blood circulates through the body.   ("Making Connections" Joseph Nassal, Fall, 2009)

As Jesus' disciples, our love of others needs to be not just within the community of disciples but outward to all humanity.  This embrace of our human family leads to greater knowledge and acceptance of ourselves.  As Jesus instructs this embrace of the family calls for us to love our neighbor as ourselves. To do this authentically, we need to set aside or transcend our own selfish interests and delusions of self-importance.

The command to "love your neighbor as yourself" is a very simple concept. One does not need a degree in philosophy or theology to realize that if all of us would follow it consistently, virtually all violence, war, racial prejudice, and political and economic injustice would disappear from our planet overnight.  The perfection of God's reign would just that suddenly appear in our midst.  The concept may be simple enough, but the headlines in our daily papers and our nightly newscasts make it obvious we humans "don't get it."

To love is "to will the good of another."  The definition implies that we need to make the effort to actively seek the good of the other as the circumstances dictate.  It is not enough simply to think nice thoughts or have warm feelings toward another. (James 2:15-16)   Nor is it enough to "will the good of another" only when it is convenient or does not involve any sacrifice of personal interests.  Jesus taught that "no one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friend." (John 15:13)

 Dear God, help us to see our true Spiritual condition. The key is Your first commandment. And we do know it.  All our good works, all our prayers, all our righteous words can mask a barren love-relationship with You.  We know to love You with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength.  Help us to love with all that is in us. Help us then to love others the way that Jesus taught. Come, Holy Spirit, renew our willingness to participate in life this very day. Thank You, Three-in-One God.  Amen.

 "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  (John 13:35) …Jim Savage

 
 

When to Ask for Help, By Dr. Jim Savage

How far do you go, or how long do you wait before you ask for help?

My sense of direction when driving leaves something to be desired. I even have difficulty finding places where I have been before if I have not been there in the last six months. I hate to stop and ask for directions. I have spent much time 'wandering' rather than getting where I wanted to go because of my pride.

Last year my children gave me a GPS for my birthday. Thank God for that unseen satellite in the sky which beams directions to my GPS, which talks to me, telling me in advance on which street I should turn. I punch in the specific address of my destination and proceed with great confidence without having to stop and ask.

One of my esteemed colleagues in the ministry is retired Baptist minister, Dr. Gerry Gunnells, erstwhile pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. Several years ago he wrote a column about a notice posted in a textile mill. The notice read: 'If your thread gets tangled, call the foreman'. "If you have ever seen the complicated operation of one of these giant carpet mills," said Dr. Gunnells, "you can understand the wisdom of the notice." To wait too long to call for help is to court catastrophe.

Since we usually feel that most of our lost conditions and tangled situations are of our own making, we tend to keep struggling unproductively on our own so that no one will see our failure. If we felt that the problem had been caused by someone else, or even by forces over which we had no control, we would be less apprehensive about calling for help. The wish to protect our 'image,' the illusion of 'independence,' as well as other unspoken reasons, keep us from making a legitimate request for help. It makes little difference who or what caused the tangled threads; it is imperative to call for help before the situation spreads beyond your own life and begins to entangle the lives of other people in your tapestry of relationships. The truth of the matter is most of the people who can help us care little who or what caused the tangle. It is the loss of our image of adequacy that makes us reticent to ask for help.

Where do you go for help? Go to those who have reason (by training and experience) to know how to help you. It is always good for us to be willing to 'call upon the Lord' for help, as long as we remember that more often than not God sends help to people through people. It is okay to pray when you are lost on the way somewhere, if you will remember to stop at the nearest gasoline station and ask for the information for which you have prayed. Many people think God operates like the Lone Ranger, sans Tonto. Not so. Angels come in the form of strange people, strange ways, and at strange times in answer to our prayers.

I love the story of a man who was in a flood zone during a hurricane. The sheriff's department sent a car to take him to higher ground. He refused to offer saying that he was a religious man and that God had promised to take care of him. The rising water was ankle deep in his living room when a boat came by and offered to take him to safety. He declined the help on the grounds that God had promised to take care of him. The rising water finally forced him to climb on the roof of his house. The rescue squad sent a helicopter and offered to take him to safety. Once again he refused help because God had promised to take care of him. The man was swept away in the flood and drowned.

The scene changes. The man arrives in heaven and demands to speak with God. He tells God how disappointed he is that after such a life of faith and trust that God did not take care of him. God said: "I sent a car, a boat, and a helicopter to rescue you and you refused my help".

More often than not angels come in human form.

If your thread gets tangled, or the water is rising, or if you get lost on the way, ask for help. You would be surprised how many people there are in the world who not only can help, but who want to help.

Things You Can’t Change and Things You Can

AN ENCOURAGING WORD written for October 1, 2009, by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, Pastor Emeritus, Monroeville First United Methodist Church

We live in a frustrating world where there are nagging problems we cannot change - certainly not in the short term - maybe not in a lifetime - maybe never. Nothing frustrates us more than nagging personal problems. Frustration leads to resentment - and resentment to anger. Chronically angry people do strange and uncreative things to themselves and others, none of which resolves or even lessens the nagging problems.

There are problems in life that are beyond our power to fix. These are almost always problems outside ourselves. We have all worked on age-old social problems we wanted to fix only to discover that in spite of our best efforts, solutions would not likely take place in our lifetime, and maybe never.

There are problems in and between people we know and love that are beyond our power to fix. Sometimes there are problems in members of our immediate family that are beyond our power to fix no matter how hard we work and pray.

I have an old friend who, when he writes me, ends every letter with a well-known Latin idiom: "Amor vincit omni" - love conquers all. It is a lovely and hopeful thought, but its practical application has notable exceptions. Christians tend to extol the virtues of love as the immediate and final cure for everything. It pains me to tell you that this is not true, certainly not in the simplistic way in which we usually think and speak of love. Nothing is the cure for everything.

The only nagging problems we have the power to fix are our personal problems. Even then, there is no 'silver bullet'. If we have deep-seated unresolved anger, frustration, hatred or any other negative feeling that is burning us, it lies within our power to do something about it. No one else can do it for us. It will take intentional effort, or prayer or counseling or all of the above, but it is within our power.

As I write this column, I have just come from a meeting where I listened to one of my heroes speak, Col. Glenn Frazier. He is a World War II veteran and a survivor of the Bataan Death March. His suffering in that experience was beyond words. He hated the Japanese. Col. Frazier said that his hatred of the enemy was a useful, if not an essential attitude as a soldier at war. But, when the war was over and the enemy was defeated, the hatred did not go away. It intensified and became generalized. He hated Japanese automobiles, electronics and everything made in Japan. He came to hate people who bought anything made in Japan. The war was over, but not for Col. Frazier. In his heart there was no peace treaty. Twenty-five years of hatred rewarded him with nightmares every night. He dreaded going to sleep and finally could not sleep. His pastor counseled him that forgiveness was the only solution. He did not see how this was possible. But, after 25 years of suffering after the war, he decided he had to do something, and forgiveness was about the only thing he had not tried. So, with the tools of his faith and help of God he set out to forgive the Japanese. The process took two and one-half years. Probably the most difficult thing he ever did, but he did it. He finally threw down that weapon that was so useful to him as a soldier at war, but which was so self-destructive for him as a civilian in peace time. He said that after the process of forgiveness was complete, he has never had another nightmare!

In James Lee Burke's novel, A Stained White Radiance, there is an interesting and insightful encounter between Detective Dave Robicheaux and his AA sponsor, Tee Neg, an uneducated Cajun who could barely read and write. Before Tee Neg bought a bar and poolroom, he was a pipeline and an oil-field roughneck. Three fingers on his right hand were snipped off by a drilling chain.

It is obvious to Tee Neg that Robicheaux is chronically worried and frustrated, so he decides to do some 'Cajun counseling'. This is what he said:

"You're studying this case all the time. You t'ink that's it, but it ain't. You bothered by the way t'ings are, the way we got trouble with the colored peoples all the time, you bothered 'cause it ain't like it used to be. You want sout' Lou'sana to be like it used to be. You want sout' Lou'sana to be like it was when you and me and yo' daddy went all day and went everywhere and never spoke one word of English. You walk away when you hear white people talking bad about them Negro, like that bad feeling ain't in their hearts. But you keep pretend it's like it used to be, Dave, that these bad t'ings ain't in white people's hearts, then you gonna be walking away the rest of yo' life.

"I had seven years sobriety, me. Then I started studying on them fingers I left on that drill pipe. I'd get up with it in the morning, just like you wake up with an ugly, mean woman. I'd drag it around with me all day. I'd look at them pink stumps till they'd start throbbing. Then I went fishing one afternoon, went into a colored man's bait store to buy some shiners, told that man I was gonna catch me a hunnerd fish befo' the sun get behind them willow tree. Then I told him I changed my mind, just give me a quart of whiskey and don't bother about no shiners. I got drunk five years. Then I spent one in the penitentiary. Get mad about what you can't change and maybe you'll get to do just what Tee Neg done".

Do you understand that?! (Email for Dr. Butts: tolabu2@frontiernet.net )

Why People Give

Why People Give

This is the time of year when churches are in the process of planning their projected budget. This essential procedure lacks exactitude, but when done correctly and published to the membership everyone gets a birds-eye view of the scope of the mission of the church.

The next step taken by most churches is to conduct a campaign for pledges to that budget. Many ministers and church leaders do not look forward to this annual task. We are reluctant to ask people to give, even to so worthy a project as the church. For the most part I have always found this exercise to be potentially spiritually enriching. I believe most people want to give to causes which represent the betterment of society in general and individuals in particular.

There are at least 3 essential ingredients to a stewardship campaign with integrity. The first is a clear understanding of the sacred nature of the cause for which money is being raised. This is God’s money. It is to be used only for promoting the Gospel and helping people. These are two things to which Jesus called his followers when he was here in the flesh. "Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). After a laundry list of ways we are called to minister to the poor and oppressed, Jesus said: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren (and sisters) you did it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). Having established the holy nature of the effort we go to step two.

People tend to give generously when they know their leaders are giving generously. I recall a phrase from a stewardship campaign many years ago which I find to be true: "Financial influence runs downhill." No minister or church leader should ask others to do something they are not doing. One of my friends was asked by a local church to direct the annual stewardship campaign. Early on he was told that the pastor of the church had never pledged, and had no record of giving. He went to the pastor and asked if this was true. After some stuttering and fancy footwork the pastor admitted this to be true, but said he gave to other undocumented causes. My friend said to him: "You will either make a pledge worthy of your means right now or I will pack my bags and go home. I will not ask people to do something their pastor is not doing."

The third important element: "Do not be afraid to ask people to give." When the cause is beyond our own interest – when it is for the highest purpose, be bold.

Robert Macauley, founder of AmeriCares Foundation, a humanitarian group that provides relief efforts at home and around the world, recalled an experience he and Mother Teresa had on an airplane flying to Mexico. As box dinners were being passed out, Mother Teresa asked how much the airline would donate to her charity if she returned her dinner. When she found out, she soon had everyone, including the crew, returning their dinners.
But it didn’t stop there. When the plane arrived at its destination, Mother Teresa asked the crew if she could have the dinners to donate to the poor. And, when the airline provided the dinners, she asked to borrow one of their maintenance trucks to deliver them.

If your cause is just and you can speak with the moral authority of one who has already set an example, boldness is appropriate.


AN ENCOURAGING WORD for September 27, 2007 - written by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, Pastor Emeritus, Monroeville First United Methodist Church

The Tyranny of Absolute Certainty

AN ENCOURAGING WORD written for August 20, 2009, by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, Pastor Emeritus, Monroeville First United Methodist Church

The Tyranny of Absolute Certainty

What we see and understand in and about life so often fails to correspond with what others see and understand. For those for whom unanimity of understanding is essential to emotional security and mental comfort, this universal fact is a source of considerable frustration and anxiety.

In the opening chapter of his classic book, The Immense Journey, anthropologist and naturalist, Loren Eiseley, offers an insightful caveat concerning his view of reality which he gives in the remainder of his book. He says: "On the world island we are all castaways, so that what is seen by one may often be dark, obscure (or hidden) to another". (Eiseley, Loren. "The Immense Journey". Vintage Books, 1959. 14)

There are so many things which conspire to keep us from seeing things alike. Our views are conditioned by our experiences, our ignorance (or education), our prejudices, and our deep (and often unconscious) personal needs. 

How futile it is for us to expect others to share our perceptions of reality with uniform exactitude. We may learn from each other, but we will never be alike. Those who nurture serious expectations of uniformity are doomed to disappointment; and those who are obsessed by expectations of uniformity are the budding tyrants of our time who would extinguish the human mind, which is the primary light by which God has traditionally rescued us from darkness and ignorance, chaos and fear.

We are never in greater danger of error than when we are absolutely certain that we are absolutely right. The most destructive and inhumane times in history have been those in which some person or group of persons have been so absolutely sure they were absolutely right that they used the power at their disposal to impose their views of reality on all who were under their domain. Some of the most unpleasant people I have ever met have been people who were absolutely sure they were absolutely right, and whose mission in life was to impose their views on everyone else by whatever means necessary.

To be a little uncertain, or at least only moderately sure, is to be human - and humane. The encouraging word for today is that you do not have to be absolutely sure in order to be right. 

It is quite possible to have strong convictions and still be open to those with countervailing strong convictions. Our understanding of reality changes as we grow older, and hopefully, wiser. My children ask me questions to which I sometimes have to reply: "You should have asked me that question thirty years ago when I knew the answer!" I suspect that all of you who are over thirty-nine have had same or similar experiences. 

The people with whom Jesus had his most serious problems were those who had no doubt whatsoever that they were absolutely right. In order to prove their point and eliminate any doubt about how wrong he was, they killed him. 

Think about that the next time you are absolutely sure that you are absolutely right.

(You may email Dr. Butts at tolabu2@frontiernet.net )

Teach Us To Pray, by Dr. Jim Savage

"Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." (Jer 33:3)

The utmost earnestness should be employed in seeking Salvation in the use of appointed means; yet it is to be sought only as the Gift of the Son of man.

Constant exercise of faith in Christ is the most important and difficult part of the Obedience required from us as sinners seeking Salvation. When by His Grace we are enabled to Live a Life of Faith in the Son of God, holy tempers follow, and acceptable services may be done. God, even His Father, who gave their fathers that food from heaven to support their natural lives, now gave them the True Bread for the Salvation of their souls. Coming to Jesus, and believing in Him, signify the same. Christ shows that He is the True Bread; He is to the soul what bread is to the body, He nourishes and supports the Spiritual Life. He is the Bread of God. Bread which the Father gives, which He has made to be the food of our souls. Bread nourishes only by the powers of a living body; but Christ is Himself Living Bread and nourishes by His own Power. The Doctrine of Christ Crucified is now as strengthening and comforting to a believer as ever it was. He is the Bread which came down from heaven. This shows the Divinity of Christ's person and His Authority; also, the Divine origin of all the Good which flows to us through Him. May we with understanding and earnestness say, Lord, evermore give us this Bread. (Matthew Henry)

"We receive God's Grace and it has nothing to do with merit. The beauty and the paradox of Grace is God does not demand that we EARN His blessings. The Grace and Love of God transcends our human ability to understand. But even without understanding, we are Called to Accept that Gift of Grace, freely given, and rejoice.

There is great Mystery. But what we need to Know and Believe is that there is great Power. Things happen when we pray that do not happen if we don't pray.

Prayer is one of the Ways we link ourselves with God; we put ourselves in the channel of God's moving Power; and we participate with God in ministry to All." (Maxie Dunnam)

REFLECTION: Practice a Life of Prayer:

The psalmist pleads his earnestness, and the Mercy of God, as reasons why his prayer should be heard.

Our poverty and wretchedness, when felt, powerfully plead in our behalf at the Throne of Grace. The best self-preservation is to Commit ourselves to God's Keeping. I am one whom Thou favorest, hast set apart for Thyself, and made partaker of Sanctifying Grace. It is a great encouragement to prayer to feel that we have received the Converting Grace of God, have learned to Trust in Him, and to be His servants. We may expect comfort from God when we keep up our Communion with God. God's Goodness appears in two things, in giving and forgiving. Whatever others do, let us call upon God and Commit ours case to Him; we shall not seek in vain. (Psalm 86, Matthew Henry)

AFFIRMATION: Grace:

Grace is the Gift of unlimited blessings that I receive without any requirements or stipulations being placed on me. There is no term I must meet and there is nothing I can do to earn or lose the unconditional Love of my Creator.

Grace is always present and blessing me. Mercy and Goodwill are mine Now and Always.

The Gift of Grace proclaims that I am of unquestionable value to my Creator; the generosity of God inspires me to give back in return.

Yet the Reality is I am Always Blessed with more than I give.

Thank You, Gracious God. Thank You, Christ Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy....You are my God, be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You I cry all day long....Hear my prayer, O Lord." (Ps 86:1, 3, 6)

"Keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You." (1 Chron 29:18)

AUDACIOUS PRAYERS / PERFECT RESPONSE, by Dr. Jim Savage

(Fearlessly daring; bold; unrestrained by convention)

"David danced before the Lord with all his might......."

IN THE MORNING:

Lord, give me a cheerful disposition, not only to benefit myself but also to bless others. I know that a good attitude can be a great influence for You. Help my Joy spread to all those I meet. Amen.

2 Samuel 6:12-19:

It became evident that happy was the man who had the Ark near him. Christ is indeed a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence to those that are disobedient; but to those that Believe He is a Corner-stone, Elect, Precious. (1 Peter 2:6-8)

Let us be religious. Is the Ark a blessing to others' houses? We may have it, and the blessing of it, without fetching it away from our neighbors. David, at first setting out, offered sacrifices to God. We are likely to speed in our enterprises when we begin with God and give diligence to seek Peace with Him. And we are so unworthy, and our services are so defiled, that all our Joy in God must be connected with Repentance and Faith in the Redeemer's atoning blood. David attended with high expressions of Joy. We ought to serve God with our whole body and soul and with every endowment and power we possess. (Matthew Henry, 1662-1714)

"Remarkable things happened when the early church prayed. The fourth chapter of the Book of Acts records just one of those Audacious Prayers and the nearly unbelievable events that followed a time of very Bold Prayer.....

The results of the apostles' Prayer was evident to those within the church and astounded observers from afar, who were then drawn to this contagious and Joyful community.

May our Prayers be as Audacious and God's Response in our midst as dramatic and Transforming." (Rueben P. Job)

CONTEMPLATION: Stillness and Praying....Personal Rhythm:

Some never experience the Peace of Contemplation because they try to Pray in distractions. Most people realize that it is difficult to hear God's whisper over blaring noises. Our noise is on the inside. Our minds grind in an endless conversation---commenting, regretting, expecting, worrying, resenting. Because of these distractions our encounters with God remain shallow and tentative. Some of the early Desert Fathers called this the ceaseless "murmuring" of our minds. An early abba likened the mind to a tree full of chattering monkeys.

Through a rhythm of quieting and "stilling," of systematic Preparation for Prayer, we can Attune ourselve to the Mystery within us. Contemplation begins with the quieting of one's whole lifestyle and being.

Discipline of Inner Stillness:

1. Prepare yourself. Be comfortable; Be alone; Slow down.

2. Be Aware. Observe feelings; Relax.

3. Breathe. Take four long breaths. These can help you distance yourself from the world. (Sr. Kathryn Hermes, 2001)

(4. Enjoy the Presence of God.)

"This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps 118:24)

Enjoy the blessings of this day.

"Be glad of Life, because it gives you the chance to Love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to think often of your friends, and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit, in God's out-of-doors.

These are the little Guideposts on the footpath to Peace." (Henry van Dyke)

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF DISCIPLES, by Dr. Jim Savage

Disciples are Expectant.

The Way early disciples lived mystified people around them because the disciples seemed to live in another world. The Principles that guided them clearly differed from those that guided others. They Practiced a Way of Life both beautiful and mysterious. Their Lives made sense only if one Knew that they were Living by the Power and Guidance of God. Their Lives were governed by the Reign of God and not by the press of politics or the call of culture. They were Different Because they Chose to Live their Lives in Obedience to and in the Presence of God. (Reuben P. Job, A Guide To Prayer For All Who Seek God, Upper Room, 2003)

The people sought the Spiritual food of Christ's Word, and then He took care that they should not want bodily food. If Christ and His disciples put up with mean things, surely we may.

And this miracle shows that Christ came into the world, not only to Restore, but to Preserve and Nourish Spiritual Life; in Him there is enough for All that come. None are sent away from Christ but those who come to Him full of themselves.

No difficulties can hinder Christ's appearance for His people when the set time is come.

Let the disciples have their Master with them, and All Is Well. It is for want of rightly understanding Christ's former works that we view His present works as if there never were the like before.

It is sad to think how much more most care about their bodies than about their souls. (Mark 6:30-34, 53-56, Matthew Henry)

"Regardless of how we define Christ's separation from the world, one fact is clear: He did not separate Himself from human beings and their needs. Nor did He limit His concern to the Spiritual part of man's personality." (Edwin W. Lutzer, 1941-)

REFLECTION: Wherever we are, God Is, and All Is Well.

THE LIGHT OF GOD SURROUNDS US. Wherever we may be in the world, we give thanks that God's Light is shining on our Pathways.

THE LOVE OF GOD ENFOLDS US. We are never alone. Enfolded in the Love of God, we receive the deep, abiding comfort of our Creator.

THE POWER OF GOD PROTECTS US. God is the One Power and Presence in the universe, ever with us and blessing us.

THE PRESENCE OF GOD WATCHES OVER US. We are eternally One with God and one another.

WHEREVER WE ARE, GOD IS! And ALL IS WELL.

(This prayer was put in Bibles for troops in WWII and also taken to the moon when astronauts landed there in 1969)

"Do not fear for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Father God, give us Jesus' wisdom, Jesus' heart, Jesus' determination to minister to All. He had compassion on All. Thank You, Gracious God, for Christ Jesus. Lord, today minister to our churches wherever they are, to Your disciples wherever they might be this day. Help us to live in this world but not be a part of this world, Now striving to Live Your Way. May we have the compassion and generosity toward All that You showed us. Thank You for coming to show us the Way Home to the Father through You. Come, Holy Spirit, guide us this day in the Jesus Way. Thank You for the assurance of Such Love! Amen.

"When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His field." (Matthew 9:36-38) In Christ, Jim

“Hollow Praise” by Dr. James H. Savage

Has someone ever given you a compliment, and later said something about you behind your back that was not so pleasant? Why do we humans do this? Would it not be easier to simply never offer the compliment to the other person if we are not serious about our words? How does it make you feel about the other person when you find out through the rumor mill that unkind things have been spoken? I wonder how Jesus felt on Palm Sunday as he rode into Jerusalem.

The New Testament shares through the four gospels that Jesus began to be less and less popular as Passover came closer and closer. Jesus was talking about His death more as each month passed by. Jesus’ disciples seem to become more nervous as they journey closer to Jerusalem, and as they speak more about death.

When Jesus and the disciples reach Bethpage, they settle down near an olive grove. Some of these olive trees today date back for many centuries. We often call this place that is still in existence “the mount of olives.” It is located on a hillside directly across from the hillside gate where Jesus would enter on the next Sunday. Jesus spent much time in prayer and thought as he prepared himself for the entry into Jerusalem. A great number of people were still following Jesus, and many inside the city had heard about Him. Jesus must have been famous by the time Sunday had come, for the crowds were lining the streets. They were praising Jesus, and proclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Why were they waving palm branches, and calling Jesus “the Son of David?” They did this because they expected Jesus to overthrow the Romans, lead a rebellion of Zealots, and establish a new nation of Israel. Jesus heard their shouts of praise, and already knew He would disappoint them greatly since His purpose was very different.

I personally think Jesus appreciated the support, and shouts of praise. But Jesus would also have concern in His heart for the souls of the same people who would turn their backs on Him in just a few days. Everyone loves a person in power like a king or a president. But no one likes a servant who dies on a cross for the spiritual salvation of the world.

Things did not change for the followers of Jesus until The Day of Pentecost. Even the event of Easter did not provide the power and courage that was needed. Palm Sunday reminds me that our praises to God might be hollow shouts of praise until we receive the power and courage we need through the Holy Spirit. In my daily relationships, Palm Sunday reminds me to offer true and genuine encouragement to family, friends, and church members alike. My prayer is that each of us will be filled with God’s Spirit this year, and offer our praises to God, and our encouragement to our fellow Christians along the way. I pray that our praise to God and our encouragement to others will never become words that are nothing more than “Hollow Praise.” God grants the Spirit to all who ask. God offers us the opportunity to offer heartfelt praise this year! Praise God!

It is interesting that all four of the traditional gospel writers include the story of what we call “Palm Sunday.” Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all share this great story, but here is Matthew’s account:
“When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethpage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; and they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the palm trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” May the God of all palms and praises touch your heart and bring comfort to your soul this spring. May the God who led Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, be with you and give you comfort, and strength for each day: and may the God of peace bring peace to all souls that struggle.

ENCOUNTERING OPPOSITION, by Dr. Jim Savage

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE: Psalm 130

Many things present themselves as diversions, many things offer themselves as remedies, but the soul finds that the Lord alone can heal. The Holy Ghost gives to poor souls a fresh sense of their deep necessity, to stir them up in earnest applications, by the prayer of Faith, by crying to God. And as they love their souls, as they are concerned for the Glory of the Lord, they are not to be wanting in this duty....... Then let us up and be doing; it must be done, and it is attended with safety. We are to humble ourselves before God, as guilty in His sight. Let us acknowledge our sinfulness; we cannot justify ourselves or plead not guilty.

Jesus Christ is the great Ransom; He is ever an Advocate for us and through Him we Hope to obtain forgiveness. (Matthew Henry,1662-1714)

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I Hope....." (Psalm 130:5)

JOHN WESLEY ON PSALM 130:

In his journal, John Wesley describes hearing a choir at Saint Paul's Cathedral singing this Psalm on May 24, 1738, just hours before he felt his "heart strangely warmed" at Aldersgate Street. This is a Psalm of Hope, a plea for God to hear; an expression of Hope for God's forgiveness. The Psalmist repeatedly asserts Hope that God will Save. (The Wesley Study Bible, 2009)

REFLECTION: AWARENESS / AUTHENTIC DISCIPLESHIP:

The powers of this world do not want to see their authority and control usurped by another, even if that other is God.

To preach a Message and Practice a Life of Authentic Discipleship will make us uncomfortable and make others anxious and sometimes hostile. We are not above the struggle of what it means to Follow Jesus. The complex issues of Life do not lend themselves to easy answers. It is not easy to Know with certainty the Path we are to Follow. ("A Wesleyan spiritual Reader" by Rueben P. Job, Upper Room Guide To Prayer For All Who Seek God)

WHAT WONDER DOES FOR US:

Wonder expands our thinking, deepens our insight, attunes our hearing. We begin to ask, Why? and How? and What if?

Out of that quest comes Discovery: all of our inventions and creations and musings and pushing for knowledge---our drive to conquer challenges, to search out mysteries. It should lead somewhere, prod us to think a bigger thought that moves on to nobler or more expansive actions. Visions and insights that Open us to Wonder should be enjoyed and meditated on and pondered through the years until we not only Understand their Meaning, but find ourselves shaped by them.

A Sense of Wonder exposes the world as more than flat and static and still.

We become able to See its dynamic qualities, to See inside and through and past the obvious. Wonder recognizes and enjoys the beauty of Creation and the quality of Created Things.

When we develop the Sense of Wonder we gain insight into Purposes and Meanings behind events and gain the desire to Seek out Wisdom from the Powers beyond our own.

We're able to Understand that this Life isn't all there is.

There's a time and space and order in another Realm.

Those of us who have come to Know this have to Share the Love discovered! The Holy Spirit is truly Guiding the Way if only we Wait and Seek with our whole heart and mind and soul.

Dear God, lead us in new directions this very day is our prayer. Surprise us with insights that never end! May we Share the Love we've found. Thank You, Father God. Amen.

PRAYING FOR BOLDNESS, by Dr. Jim Savage

".....The righteous are as Bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)

True Prayer begins with God who moves our spirit, as the Gospel song tells us, to seek Him seeking us.

To believe that we who Pray take the initiative is a conceit born of pride! The impulse to Pray always begins with God. We may either choose to Obey or ignore that impulse, but the impulse itself always begins with God. Through our Prayers He reveals that His Will is wholly Love, and that our response to that Will must be Love as well. Even our Love for God draws its Energy from the Source of Love itself, which is God...........

This yielding may begin hesitatingly, reluctantly, and with apprehension, but over time these misgivings must give way to the Joy of that New Awareness that comes of Spiritual Rebirth. (Russell M. Hart, "Crossing the Border")

WESLEYAN LIFE APPLICATION TOPIC: PRAYER

Wesley calls Prayer the "proper test of our desires, nothing being fit to have a place in our desires which is not fit to have a place in our Prayers." (Sermon 26) He says we Pray "not for a passive, as for an active conformity to the Will of God." Testing desires and being conformed to God's Will do not happen in passive pleasantries of Prayer. It takes us beyond a "sweet hour of Prayer" into a Profound Awareness of God's Goodness and painful confession of our sin until we hear the often disturbing and always challenging Word of God for our world. (The Wesley Study Bible, 2009)

REFLECTION: PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE: Rest for the Soul:

We need to find an "out-of-the-way" place in our own backyard or by a lake or at a park to "rest awhile." When we are stretched in so many different directions we still need time by ourselves to get our Life together.

Most of us only spend time at these rest stops once or twice a year during the period we have marked on our calendars: Vacation.

When that time arrives and we hit the road to get away from it all, sometimes we maintain the pace we keep during the rest of the year. When we return we often seem more tired than when we left. But every now and then during this sacred space of leisure----whether we put our feet as we gaze at majestic mountains in the early morning mist or soothe our thirsty feet in a cool stream; or put our feet under the table in the company of Friends----we may find ourselves whispering, "Ah, the Good Life."

The challenge comes in keeping that whisper Alive in our hearts when the rubber meets the road again and we find ourselves rushing off to our next appointment. The challenge is to find these holy places of rest in the midst of the hectic pace of everyday Life. The challenge is to take a few mini-vacations each day to refresh the spirit and restore the soul. (Joseph Nassal, "Rest Stops for the Soul")

2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

"My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn. I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my Cross, but I have never thought of my Cross as itself a present Glory. Thou Divine Love, whose human path has been perfected through sufferings, teach me the Glory of my Cross, teach me the value of my thorn." "George Matheson, 1842-1906)

Dear God, we Know to Trust You with our sufferings. Help us to understand Your great compassion, even when You choose to let us remain broken. Teach us through our weaknesses to lean on Your Strength. Give us Grace as You keep us humble, so that Christ's Power may rest on us. Forgive us, Lord, when we forget Your Gift of how to Pray, and Your example of Love. Come, Holy Spirit, purify our hearts with Holy Fire this day. Teach us is our Prayer always. Thank You, Gracious God. Thank You, Christ Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit! Amen.

"But He gives us more Grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives Grace to the humble.' " (James 4:6, Prov 3:34)