Life is Unpredictable

Life is unpredictable. That is such an understatement, yet we are surprised when it plays out in front of us. Try as we might, there is little or nothing we can do to control what comes our way.
Granted, some of our efforts do seem to bring about the desired results, but who is to say they wouldn't have transpired regardless?
Every day, certainties are removed from our lives, so we scramble to replace them with new ones, in hopes they will last. We yearn for that stability, grasping at our human-made ideas, only to have them trumped on a regular basis. Now, before you accuse me of being defeatist or nihilistic, let me point to the authors of Lamentations and Ecclesiastes. Though these seem to be downers, I tend to look at them as the works of people who have come to realize the futility of depending on humanity, but, instead, recognize the constancy and stability of God in our lives. God, who was, and is, and is to be.
"There is nothing new under the sun" and "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity" speak to the human condition and the repackaging to old, broken ways as new, fresh, and innovative thinking. Talk about old in new wine skins (which can be as disastrous as new wine in old wine skins).
We fall on hard times due to our ignoring and/or rebelling against God's Word. Even the darkness in our midst recognizes its power and potency, so much so that there is great energy exerted in trying to discredit it. But the Truth remains, no matter the attack. As someone once said, "Truth is truth. No can't have opinions about truth."

Sixty Plus

So, my sixtieth birthday came and passed without much hoopla or fanfare, resembling a rather ordinary day. And the subsequent days have fared equally. They have been a series of mundane, ordinary things, with the occasional tetanus shot and shingles vaccination thrown into the mix. But, overall the beginning of my sixty-first year has been quite uneventful. Perhaps that is what retirement can settle into if one does not go out and seek adventure. A stubborn cold had taken up residence, but I've seemed to have shaken all but a minor cough.
So, as I look ahead to the coming year, I will strive to keep life interesting, not as fast-paced as it once was, but a such a speed as to keep me on my toes, or even on the edge of my seat. (And, oh yeah, the heart thing will keep me alert, too.)

Moved to Tears

Why are some of us drawn to songs of defeat and broken dreams? What is it about them that strikes a chord with us? Is there some lost lost, forgotten hurt or disappointment that causes the sentiments expressed to resonate within us? Could it be the language of such songs is stronger, more interesting than those found in songs of joy? Perhaps we enjoy being moved to tears, feeling the heartbreak of others, being consoled in the fact that others has experienced such things.There must be something or else the writers of these wouldn't be so prolific.

August Update and Reflections

A little over two months (as well as two stents later) after my initial heart attack, I find myself becoming more comfortable with the possibility that there may be further major changes in my life. But, be that as it may, I have been asking the proper questions, and taking the proper precautions, and I've been almost assured that in the future, I will be as active as I have been in the past. One thing it's going to take it being able to wait and see, and to recognize the small victories as they come.
I know how very fortunate I've been, and I thank God daily for the miracles that have come along, from the right people being around at the right time, all the way through modern medical procedures. With each new turn, a new part of my life's path becomes evident, and the clearer it becomes that God has had this all in hand all along.
For now, I will listen to my doctors, my friends, and my handler (my loving wife, Pat). It is all I can do. They keep me humble and on the right road. As for the rest of you, prayers, thoughts, vibrations, or whatever you believe in sending my way have helped immensely. Through your love and support I know. As I've said before, deep within my chest lies a heart that beats.....and that's good enough for me.

Reflections Further On

We are humans are such planners. We try to get our ducks in a row, to work out as many of the details that we can, to proceed in a way that will turn out to our fullest advantage. Then, suddenly, we die.

Then, on May 27, 2013, I technically died. My heart stopped.

This was not according to plan. But that one event made me realize just how silly our plans are to God. That day was filled with God’s hand in my life, centering on the heart.

How could I have planned having numerous people around me to have cell phones to make the 911 calls for an ambulance? How could I have planned to have someone skilled in CPR be there immediately? How could I have arranged for that person to be a cardiologist in town for the weekend? How could I have set it up that I knew the officer in the lead car for the 5K I was in, or to know one of the EMTs in the ambulance, and to know one of the emergency nurses? Where in my plan was, when shocked back to life, that I would sit up and laugh?

I had started that day to complete a 5K race, and ended up filled with love, concern, and care surrounded by and lifted by the prayers of my family, friends and community (and beyond so it seems).

And who orchestrated all of this? Who was behind, through, and ahead of all these things? My Creator, my Savior, my God. I cannot speak for others who have not been as fortunate, but as for me, a heart beats within my chest, and that’s good enough for me. It is a moment by moment, breath by breath blessing from my Abba, Father.

Bro-Tech and Me

Having a fatal heart attack can change your perspective. (Boy, is that an understatement.) Having recently gone through this, I have to say things aren't what they used to be. Other than the dietary restrictions, and the limitations (albeit temporary) on my activity, this thing has done some things to my head. The first week had me welling up over some of the least, little things, and appreciating stuff more than before. I pretty much reevaluated some of my priorities, found out how many friends I have, received cards, posts, and prayers from a cloud of people, and generally felt loved and fortunate that things happened the way they did. Through whole whole thing, from being light headed and going to sit down during the 5K, to the doctor who happened to be there to give me CPR, to the EMTs, emergency department workers, to the staffs at two hospitals, and even a helicopter crew (and anyone else involved that I may have forgotten to mention), I can look back and see God's hand in it all. There is a reason........ and it was put simply by a brother in Christ, "God has more for you to do." So, now, I take it easier, don't get nearly as upset over things, and I wear my "life vest" , which is a wearable defibrillator (what I call affectionately "Bro-Tech"). Yeah, life is different now, but I embrace the experience, and will try my hardest to use it to show how much God loves us, and to give encouragement to others with whom I share in this "fraternity". Don't worry about me, pray for me instead, and for all others going through stuff in their lives, and I'll work on doing the same for you.

Grace and Fear

Grace, grace, grace... the word is used, abused, and misused repeatedly, depending on the intent and agenda of the user. We can pour out grace and mercy on others, the unearned kind, yet we struggle to accept it for ourselves in similar circumstances. Grace has been called costly, cheap, and even free. So why do we have such trouble with it?
A recent reminder I received pointed out that our God of grace is also a vengeful God who is to be feared. This is true, but should that fear be based on the retribution He may hand out, or should it be a fear of how incredibly loving and powerful God is, so powerful and loving that we will never fully understand even the smallest fraction of that love and power, thus leading to a fear of our own ignorance? Yes, we may live in fear of the unfathomable grace of God, so deep that one may be afraid of falling in and sinking to quickly and too deep. This fear may subside as we float down into the comfort of God's love, yet may reoccur as we again realize the true depth of God and His love and grace for us.
Now is the time to embrace the fear of what we don't understand about God, and to use it to compel ourselves to work towards a deeper, stronger relationship with Him, always moving towards Him,always in reverent awe. Thus, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Do You Really Mean That....?

I sit here today, wondering if it would be prudent to post my opinions about certain topics, or just let sleeping dogs lie. It seems to me there are a lot of negative things wandering around, unchecked on all the social media, and the more you try to comment, the more out of control it can become. Simple statements can be misconstrued, taken out of context, flipped and twisted so as to make any point the reader wishes. So that is one reason I do not respond to many of the things I find on line. They seem like they are designed to lure someone into a discussion (or in many cases a long, diatribe lambasting the responder as intolerant, non compassionate, or just plain in error). So, my friends, this post serves as my comment on all that comes to me. I already know how many of you feel and think about certain things, and I feel I'm not in need of a constant daily reminder of those views. I, too, have strong views, and any disagreement we may enter into will only serve to strengthen what is already thought. I don't like it when my mind is forced to close down. As for me, I will try to build you and others up. Please know I see all of you as God's children.

Hey, Look What I Can Do

(I was privileged to speak @ Jefferson United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 17. This is the text of that talk.)

Good morning. I’m glad you are here. Recently, Pat and I were able to see the movie, OZ the Great and Powerful. It’s a nice, family friendly film, but best of all, it holds true to the story which it precedes. Also, it’s a nice morality tale about our theme for today.  But before we get to that, let me tell you a little story.
As many of you know, I’m the youngest child of seven, the baby of the family if you will, and, as any youngest will tell you, there are certain expectations, reputations and other things that go with that birth position. Well, long story short, a lot of that stuff is true in my case. It got to the point where sometimes I felt like the guy in that movie I mentioned. You know,  “I am Ron, the great and powerful!” That is until my siblings and I started getting together as adults. Then the true nature of things came out. On a recent trip with my brother, and two of my sisters, it came even closer to home. At one point this was said: “This is the universe. This is the center. It’s not you.” What would you make of that?
But, it really didn’t have that much of an affect on me. You see, I’ve been married to a great person who has regularly reminded me in various situation: “It’s not always all about you, Ron.”
Now having said that, let’s read today’s Scripture, Romans 12:1-13

The New Life in Christ

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. ⁶ We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ⁷ ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; ⁸ the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
⁹ Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.^{[a] 12} Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
When we look at the beginning of this chapter, we see Paul describing what a new life in Christ is, and should be. We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices. Up until the time of Jesus’ life, sacrifices were taken to the temple and carried out by priests. They were seen as outward expressions of devotion to God, and were to be of the best and purest kind.. Here we see Paul telling us that because of what Jesus did, we are now to internalize this practice, becoming a part of the process, making it a constant daily thing. We are to serve God in all we are and do, to the point where we cease to live for ourselves. Through this we gain holiness. Our devotion to God and the holiness that comes with it shows in how we live our daily lives, moving beyond some traditional rituals. It shows in how we offer ourselves, and continue to every day.
Looking at V. 3-8 we see these were written especially for Church Leaders, but can easily be seen as instruction to us, too. They serve as a warning, letting us know we should avoid getting too full of ourselves, and then lording it over others. This not only applies to any position we may hold in the church, but also to our talents and abilities.  All too often, we look at what we are able to do and kind of get it into our heads that the church, and the world would fall apart without us. We think too highly of our own talents while looking down on those of others. I know I’ve said things in meetings along these lines that have caused Pat to cringe. I really wasn’t trying to be arrogant, but that’s how it came across.
What I really want to center on today is verse three. This one has always stuck in my mind, and I’ve struggled with what it really says and what it truly means for a long time. I often come back to it when certain things come up in my life, or when something nice is said to me. Because of this inner conflict, I’ve found I’m not able to take a compliment, usually disarming it with humor or with what others perceive as arrogance.

What it comes down to is pride. So, let’s look at that. Exactly what is pride? One definition is the state or quality of having inordinate self-esteem; conceit of one’s talents, ability, wealth, station; contempt for those seen as beneath us in station.

Pride is regarded as a vice, scripturally, as we see in  1 Samuel 2:3:

³ Talk no more so very proudly,
    let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
    and by him actions are weighed.
We are even told pride precedes a fall.
Think about it….. Why do we strike out alone to accomplish a task, thinking we can handle it without God? Why do we have arguments, and compete with each other for attention? Why do we think what we have to say is more important that what someone else’s input and opinion? Why do we jockey for position, wanting to gain as much control as we can? Why won’t we allow God to love us or be a part of some areas of our lives? What is it, when we have been put into our place, causes us to want to lash out? It’s that evil dragon, pride. Pride, pride, pride. We can’t allow this to run free, for pride is destructive. We can’t keep it caged up, so we must give it over to God to control.
We have to be careful not to get so full of ourselves that we start thinking we’re indispensable. I used to think that when it came to my career. There were some days when I should have stayed home, but I was sure things wouldn’t get done properly if I was gone. And we must not get too set in our ways. I really resisted becoming a Social Studies teacher for the whole sixth grade, because I was convinced I could do many things equally well. Even when technology came around, I was bound and determined to take my chalkboard to the new school, and leave the smart board to anyone else who’d use it more. How foolish I was, but it was a matter of pride and not wanting to change. I became a slave to “that’s how I’ve always done it”, instead of a servant doing what was best for all the students. But, as with anything, I found good stuff in these new things, and used them to become a better teacher, humbling myself and adopting fresh ideas to mix with the old.
The words of Romans 12:3 ring true. Let me repeat them here:  "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly that you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith God has assigned."  By following this instruction, we can learn, through prayerful consideration, to cooperate with one another and enhance and expand each others effectiveness in being servant-warriors. God does provide, and we keep in mind what we have doesn't come from our efforts alone. God has His hand in everything.

I’m not saying all pride is bad. Pride can be a good thing, as long as it is an appreciation of one’s position as a Christian and a member of the human family. This helps us to keep our heads, and, hopefully, keeps us from doing anything that lessens that standing. Romans 12:16 states: “¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;^[a] do not claim to be wiser than you are.”

This good pride reminds us that we rise to the level of faith that God’s grace gives every day. All that is good, all that is right and acceptable can be a source of pride as long as it is founded in faith, and flows from faith. How many times to we give credit to God for the blessings we have in our lives, and for the faith, hope and love that we feel? Now faith, and these other spiritual gifts with it, is given to us  according to the amount God sees we need.

Jesus said in Matthew 20:25-27:

²⁵ “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶ It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave.”
So, do you find yourself in a position of power and influence? Don’t forget to thank God. How about the talents and skills you have? Again, thank God for those. And after thanking Him, don’t forget to use them for His glory. A sober use of the gifts that God has given us is required. On the one hand we must not be proud of our talents, but on the other hand we must not bury them.
Now, back to OZ. I don’t want to be a spoiler if you haven’t seen this film, but the wizard learns of the good he can do just by using the talent and know how he has. Does it come out okay in the end? Hey, this is Hollywood. What do you think?
Use what you’ve been given, not in a conceited or puffed up way, but in the true service of God. And, if the Spirit moves you, use that in the delivery of your service. Don’t worry about what others may think of your service. Rejoice that you can rejoice, and allow them to serve and rejoice in theirs.
C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, says this: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” A little later in the same book he states:” “The point is each person’s pride is in competition with everyone else’s pride.” If we learn to accept this diversity in our showing and using of the gifts God gives, then this competition will go away, and we all become equal.  Our understanding of each other grows, and our need to be better than someone else disappears along with the fog of smoke and mirrors that has prevented us from relating more fully with our fellow humans. To be truly great we must become servants of one another, not to boast in false humility, but to live life like our Master Savior.
In this chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul’s point is that we are to avoid feeling superior to others, whether it be according to the amount of faith we think we have, or according to our gifts and how wonderful and special they seem to be. No, we should view and use these gifts and our faith for the good of all other members of the family, seeing them as no better or worse than the gifts our other family members have.
And so we see from all of this that pride, when it is the wrong type, can lead to negative things. So, how do we combat it? When asked what the opposite of pride is most people would say humility. So what of this humility? What is it and where does it fit in with our faith?

HUMILITY can be defined as the state of being free from pride and arrogance; a modest estimate of one’s worth, or a sense of unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness.

When we don’t pursue it on our own, sometimes we can have it forced upon it. I can’t count how many times in my life this has happened. Whether it be with friends, family, or colleagues, there are always times when pride got the best of me, and I needed to be taken down a peg or two. When I should have had the wisdom to keep my mouth shut, I (as comedian Ron white likes to say), I seem to lack the ability. How many of us have taken credit for some coincidence, or something not of our doing? How many have quoted someone and let it be thought to have come from us? When we are humble we do not take credit for any goodness or virtue, do not overrate ourselves, or take too much delight in ourselves. We know our limits, and we give God the glory for any good we might do or any goodness we might have.

In the words of Rick Warren: “You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time.”

Every Christian fellowship has the duty to cultivate their own humility. And the best way to do that is to use Jesus as our standard. Let me close with one of his parables that demonstrates how we are to behave humbly:

In Luke 14:7-11, we find a parable about how our humility should work and affect our lives:

⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; ⁹ and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

It reminds me of the audition process for any show. You go in ready to show people what you have, and then wait patiently to see if it’s what they want. If you have a history with the directors, you kind of expect them to use you. But, there’s always that possibility you’re not right for the show. That’s when you don’t allow your pride to take over; simply accept there will be other opportunities and move on. In other words, we are not to expect to be honored just because of anything we think we are, but are to take the more humble position of allowing someone else to recognize where our true place should be. Be humble enough to know that even though one opportunity closes, others will present themselves.

 Be humble enough to know that even though one opportunity closes, others will present themselves. It’s all part of the process we call our faith walk.

Primary Colors

(This is the text for a talk I gave @ Jefferson United Methodist Church on February 24, 2013)

What are the primary colors?

When you think of red what comes to mind? Anger, embarrassment, sunburn, heat, that pill in the movie The Matrix that would turn the characters human again?

And what about yellow? Bananas, cowardice, canaries… Did you know Superman has his powers because he lives on earth and we have a yellow star as our sun?

Then comes blue. Think blue and you think of cold, depression, loyalty, singing the blues, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, the sky…..

As you can see, we’ve connected certain emotions, experiences and attitudes with the colors that are the basis for our sight. Yet, we can take these three colors and combine them in infinite ways, and come up with the splendid array of colors, tints and hues found in the world around us. In fact, if you know the technology behind color TV, they use that idea to create the pixels that make up the picture. Up until lately, red, blue, and green were used, but they’ve figured out how to add yellow to give a more realistic image.

Adding color seems to improve things. I mean, think about The Wizard of OZ. Color was used to help us make the leap from Kansas to a magical place over the rainbow.

This is what happens when these colors are mixed. In fact, the perfect combination of primary colored lights is white light, which contains the visible spectrum of light.

So, what are the primary colors of our beliefs? I put it to you that they are Faith, hope, and love. Each in and of itself stands boldly and releases power. But in combinations, they open up new areas of vision. Each contributes its own characteristics to create new ways to view life. And, as each is a shining beacon, if all are mixed, the result is the pure white light of our Savior. It should be noted that these three frequently appear together in the NT, not separately, but as interacting gifts of the Spirit. Let’s take a look at each of these separately.

First, what is faith? If we say we have faith, we usually mean we believe in something or trust someone. It is the identification of our source for belief and trust and involves a certain amount of expectation of things that could happen.       

Mark Twain said, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.”                                                                                                                                        "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  This quote is from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The word faith comes from the Hebrew word for “firmness or stability”. It only occurs in the Old Testament twice, but that book contains more examples of faith than definitions or explanations of that doctrine. Seems the carrying out of faith was more important to those writers than trying to define it.

We see examples of our fathers stepping out in faith, taking risks, believing that God is Who He says He is, and will provide what is needed. Abraham, David, Joshua, Daniel, Ruth, Esther……. All took risks, all had great faith.

In his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning gives us these words of encouragement. “The ragamuffin (that’s all of us Christian believers) who sees his life as a voyage of discovery and runs the risk of failure has a better feel for faithfulness than the timid man who hides behind the law and never finds out who he is at all.” We are to step out, reach out, and live out of faith, in the sheer knowledge that God will be with us, will provide what we need, and will keep us in His care. Leaps of faith may seem huge, but with God by our side, our fears can be quelled, and our apprehensions altered.
In Paul writings we find new emphasis on the indispensability of faith. Only when man has faith is he in a right relationship with God, able to understand himself and act rightly. In Hebrews 11:1-3, Paul gives us these words:  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ²Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. ³By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.^”

Faith is necessary to developing a true religious experience. In its Christian meaning, Faith is our initial awareness of God and also a continuing attitude of personal trust in God. It is trust in God’s decisive action through Christ for man’s redemption. Faith is trust in the person of Jesus, the truth of His teachings, and the redemptive work He accomplished on the cross.

For Jesus himself, faith was essentially trust in God. Jesus had to trust His Father enough to face the cross as the only way to save humankind.

"The faith of the Protestants, in general, embraces only those truths, as necessary to salvation, which are clearly revealed in the oracles of God. Whatever is plainly declared in the Old and New Testaments is the object of their faith. They believe neither more nor less than what is manifestly contained in, and provable by, the Holy Scriptures.... The written Word is the whole and sole rule of their faith, as well as practice. They believe whatsoever God has declared, and profess to do whatsoever He hath commanded. This is the proper faith of Protestants: by this they will abide, and no other." John Wesley

Our faith comes out of a desire to see what could be, and to trust the journey will be worth it. We prepare our hearts in faith. To quote the song, Walk On, by U2:

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen

Such is the basis for our faith.

Let us now turn to hope.

Let’s define Hope as the anticipation that something will happen, an anticipation which can drive us forward, and keep us wiling to keep on keeping on, to use an old expression.

New Testament hope has deep roots found in the Old Testament. . In the Old Testament, the word “hope” is used to translate a variety of Hebrew words, with diverse meanings as confidence, trust, and safety. And the Greek word used in the New Testament means “expectations and desire.” So, hope has been around for quite a while, and the meaning hasn’t changed all that much, even though the OT word is closer to faith, once again proving the relationship between faith and hope. Hope stands or falls upon the dependability of faith, If one has faith, hope follows directly, being the anticipation of the fulfillment of faith. Throughout the Bible, the thought of hope fuses together the reality of God as the source and goal of expectation and the totality of faith’s response: trust, eagerness, patient endurance, and joyful assurance.

So, in this time of Lent, let’s look at the hope spelled out in Christ’s life in His final act. Jesus took the cross out of obedience to His Father’s will, and possibly in hope that it would be enough in the eyes of the world to make it want to be reconciled with the Father. There is hope found on the cross, hope that comes from One who had enough care and compassion for us that we would suffer for us, so we wouldn’t have to face the consequences of our own actions. This sacrificial deed and then His resurrection becomes the basis for our hope that we all will share in the experience of dying to ourselves and being raised again as new creations. This hope plays itself out in our willingness to share in the lessening of ourselves for the benefit of making the knowing of God by others greater. In so doing, we become more like Christ in our Father’s eyes, and less like the world.

Hope, simply put, is the desire and expectation that the Messiah will come for us, coaxing from us not only loyalty to Him, but also a type of closeness not seen in other relationships that we will extend to our neighbors.

The power of hope is conveyed from God to people through the Holy Spirit, which dwells in their hearts. Paul wirtes in  Colossians 1:25-27, ²⁵ I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶ the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It is because Christ lives within us that we have hope in our lives. This hope is evident through an unshakable confidence, with steadfast endurance, with boldness, freedom, and with love.

What are the words to that old hymn?

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

In the 21^st chapter of the book of Revelation, we find these words: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." This is my favorite Scripture, because it gives me hope of the ultimate victory of which all us believers will be a part.

Which brings us to love. Love is one of those things that gets a lot of press. Everyone seems to talk about it, from song writers to poets, to journalists to authors of self-help books, because love sells. But sometimes we lose sight of what love starts out to be.

Love is the knowledge that something has happened, and continues to happen. It is the experience and the experiencing. It is a noun in that we can identify it, but it also a verb because it is something we are commanded to do. Love is the very nature of God, according to Scripture. It is defined only by listing its attributes, and lies at the heart of Christianity. Christianity is the only religion that presents God as love.

Please listen to these words: “7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Those are from 1 John Chapter 4: 7-16. Did you notice a couple of times, the writer gave a simple definition of love. There in verse 8, then again in verse 16- “God is love.” All human love, whether Godward or humanward, has its source in God.

C. S. Lewis, puts it this way. “Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone you will presently come to love him.”

And Brennan Manning has this to say. “The litmus test of our love for God is our love of neighbor.”

Love is vitally related to faith. Faith must become evident in service to others or it is dead. We must love God, ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies, without hypocrisy and in deed and truth. Love is the bond uniting all Christian virtues. What separates the real from the fake? Love.

These three things, faith, hope and love, are the primary colors of Christianity. Each – faith, hope, love- are beacons from God to illuminate our paths and guide us. Individually they provide glimpses into a better relationship with God. Each, in and of itself, can sustain us in times of joy, and in times of trouble. But, it is in the combining of them that the true glory of God begins to burst forth.

To see what Paul has to say about this integration of faith, hope, and love. Let us read Hebrews 10:19-25 – “Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

You see, as with all primary colored lights, when all shine together equally they produce white light, and that pure white light is our life in Christ.

Last week, Pastor Quincy Wheeler said it best. “Jesus comes into a colorblind world to give us true knowledge of color.” May we keep our eyes open and receive the joyous gift of all the colors in God’s creation.

Just Wait Until...............

Why do grudges feel so good to hold onto? I mean, what kind of empowerment do we get from holding onto hurts, or perceived slights, from others? Do we not see we allow our minds to be controlled by things which people have said or done to us? When we finally confront them about these things (if ever), we find they have forgotten them, or were unaware of the effect they had on us. So, we've walked around, for years sometimes, hanging onto these, playing them over and over again in our minds, plotting the witticism we'll dish out when we do confront the person, or even considering the revenge that will be meted out. It can even reach the point of obsession, where our grudges color everything in our lives, and may even cause physical problems. So, what is the solution? If you have any doubts or concerns about your interactions with, or the actions towards you by others, then the time to clear the air is at that moment, or fairly shortly after. The saying goes that anger allow the person you're upset with to live in your head rent free. Best to enter into a conversation with them, express your feelings and views, and then walk away with the knowledge you've laid the thing to rest. Grudges are unhealthy, and can only lead you down a dark path it's better not to travel.

Fear

Fear is a pretty powerful emotion. It can keep us from doing even the simplest of things and cause us to disparage those who show less fear than we do. Life is for living and if we surround ourselves with fear, we limit ourselves. So the question should be asked, "Exactly of what are we afraid?" Rejection? Consider just how fragile your self-image and/or relationships are if this keep you from attempting something? Looking foolish? Really? Check out some of the things you already do, from supporting some team, or interacting with small children. Afraid of being found out as something you are not? Think about how much energy is expended maintaining whatever facade you have. If you are transparent and honest, at least you are showing trust in others being able to accept and/or tolerate who you really are. Heck, they may even like you more if they meet and get to know the real you. Or how about death? Can we be so afraid of this that in our cautionary attitudes we limit our experiences? Yes, fear has its power, but it can be overcome, and we will usually find whatever we have feared has been overblown, usually magnified by the fear itself.

Freezin'........................

Help!!!!!! Please consider donating to the Special Olympics this year. I'll be doing the Polar Bear Plunge in Geneva, OH on February 9. You can contribute on my page. Check out the following:
http://sooh.kintera.org/faf/login/partMenu.asp?ievent=1044517&lis=1&kntae1044517=FFB87666F6514F14ABB49CE65D962D91

Another's Moccassins

The presence of authority and power can have strange effects. Those under that authority find it easy to criticize, complain, and try to second guess those to whom they have to submit. And those in authority over others can sometimes forget what it was like to be on the receiving end. Those both can happen due to our human nature, and our desire to be right. 'Tis a slippery slope. What is needed is a spirit of cooperation, understanding, and an acceptance of whatever position in which we find ourselves. If mutual respect and love prevail, and a healthy sense of the common good is promoted, then whatever endeavor is undertaken will benefit. Be content with your status. Be supportive of each other. Be empathetic across the authoritarian line. Most of all, enjoy what comes. Do your best to accomplish the goals set. In your heart, keep each other lifted up. Who knows when you might find yourself on the other side?