Category: Uncategorized

God’s call is mysterious; it comes in the darkness of faith. It is so fine, so subtle, that it is only with the deepest silence within us that we can hear it. And yet nothing is so decisive and overpowering for a human on this earth, nothing surer or stronger. This call is uninterrupted: God is always calling us.

-Carlo Carretto

I can understand the calling of God. I hear it summoning me every day. But “the darkness of faith” is more ominous. That phrase sounds wrong somehow. I always think of faith as something filled with the light of hope and promise. So “the darkness of faith” strikes an uneasy cord in me. And yet, faith can be strongest when there is no lighted path, when taking the next step is stepping into an unknown place. When you can’t see, you simply have step into the darkness trusting God who already knows what’s next on the journey.

God calls us to move forward in faith, to trust in God’s grace, to know that God walks before us. Sometimes God leads us through the storm and through the dark. God may lead us over some stony places. God may lead us close by a dark and dangerous precipice in order to bring us to the green pastures and the still waters just beyond.

But even when all that lies ahead of us is darkness, we can walk into the darkness hearing God’s promise, “Fear not; for I am with you.”

Some days are just hard . . . with worries about health, concern for family members, missing grandchildren, feeling a little blue. Several years ago people were following their biorhythms, calculating the rise and fall of our bodies’ biorhythms as clues to our physical and emotional health. There may be something to that, though Wikipedia seems to debunk the idea. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about biorhythms:

A biorhythm is an attempt to predict various aspects of a person’s life through simple mathematical cycles. Most scientists believe that the idea has no more predictive power than chance and consider the concept an example of pseudoscience.

So who knows if biorhythm theory explains hard days. The reality is that most of us do have down days on occasion. I love the following definition of a hard day:

“Not standing on top of the world.
But standing under the weight of the world.”

(From a blog entitled The Edge at https://theedgeishere.wordpress.com/the-ins-and-outs/
https://theedgeishere.wordpress.com/the-ins-and-outs/)

So today for me is a hard day. I will push through it like I always do, knowing that tomorrow will likely be better. And I will stand upright (most of the time) on this promise I find in Isaiah 41:10.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Amen.

There is an old Gospel hymn that says, “In times like these, you need a Savior. In times like these, you need an anchor. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid rock.”

There has never been a time when those words were as true as they are now. In these days, we face economic hardships, terrorism, gun violence, war, all manner of insecurity. Many voices shout out answers to solve these dangers and challenges. Their answers are inadequate at best. I suggest just one sure answer from 2 Chronicles.

If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14. New American Standard Bible (NASB)

We can complain, despair, cry out for help, all to no avail. What we must do is humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, turn from our wicked ways, and then wait patiently for God to hear us and to forgive and heal.

Please listen to a moving choral piece entitled “If My People” on YouTube at the following link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MXbn1yhXwc&sns=em

A sunrise reminds me of the best in all of us, the caring, the love, the compassion that is new every morning. The chaotic world we live in needs the best of who we are. That’s why the current political season distresses me with its rhetoric of hate.

There is no doubt that we are immersed in politics these days.The presidential candidates dominate our news outlets with their political views. Parading across the airwaves, there are political platforms day and night. We agree with some of their platforms and promises; we cringe at others.

What makes me cringe more than anything else, though, are when candidates claim to follow God and to uphold Christian values while promising to deport people, carpet bomb countries, and turn away refugees who have nowhere to go. Nathan Hamm suggests a simple, but profound, political platform. He calls it the politics of Jesus.

Love your enemies.
Serve the poor.
Welcome refugees.
Make peace, not war.
Do justice & love mercy.
Care for all God’s creation.

Nathan Hamm

I would like to measure every presidential candidate against these politics of Jesus. When I do that, I seem to hear a lot about hatred, war, deportation, exclusion, and a brand of justice that is frightening at best. Oh, I know that reality sometimes makes it necessary to choose an unfortunate path in order to ensure national security. But is there a political candidate that holds the politics of Jesus in her or his heart as an ideal?

I know this: When I believe that a presidential candidate desires above all else to govern by the politics of Jesus, they will definitely have my full support and my vote. Until then, let us pray for a brand new sunrise of mercy and grace.

Solitude used to be difficult for me. All my life, I have been a social person who loved to be around people. These days are different, and I have made friends with times of solitude. Paul Tillich said this: “Language…has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone.”

I have found solitude as a comfort these days, a time for self-reflection and a time for spending time just listening for God’s voice. It is a time when I find myself, the deepest parts of myself. It is a time when I find God in fresh new ways.

I love these words by Macrina Wiederkehr:

And don’t we all, with fierce hunger, crave a cave of solitude, a space of deep listening—full of quiet darkness and stars, until finally we hear a syllable of God echoing in the cave of our hearts?

Above all desires, I want to hear a syllable of God echoing in the cave of my heart. Solitude makes that happen for me, and I leave the cave with a renewed sense of my life.

Gorgeous shot of the mouth of Otter Creek in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore taken earlier this month by Kristina Lishawa Photography.

The photographer writes:

I have photographed this place many times; it is never the same. Seasons march on, light changes, the river bed courses through its varying paths in the sand. My heart, too, affects the picture that is created. Hopes, fears, dreams, regrets, prayers…all are poured out here tonight in this blue hour.

I am not a stranger to suffering, and have learned much about the blue hours of life. Like many people, I have suffered loss in many ways, loss of parents and parents-in-law, loss of my youngest brother, loss of beloved aunts and uncles, loss of employment, loss of a home through fire, loss of the nonprofit organization I built, loss of my physical health through all of 2014. More serious still is the loss of hopes and dreams, life regrets, the experience of fear.

During most of my times of loss, I suffered. At times, I felt as though I would lose myself in the suffering. Romans 5:3-5 speaks hope to me every time I read it.

. . . We also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Suffering also touches our inner spirit with spiritual and emotional growth, the kind of growth that builds on our resiliency to face every tomorrow. Orson F. Whitney speaks to the growth that comes from suffering:

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God…and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like God.

In the end there is always abiding hope in the midst of the blue time of suffering.

Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy will continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.  Lamentations 3:21-23 GNT

This is a photo taken by the Hubble Telescope. Scientists cannot begin to figure out what it is. My friend says, “I like to think of it as the gate of heaven.”

On January 8, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope photographed the spiral galaxy NGC 4845, located over 65 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo (The Virgin).

On another day the telescope saw Messier 96, a galaxy that resembles a giant maelstrom of glowing gas, rippled with dark dust that swirls inwards towards the nucleus.

Amazingly, the Hubble Telescope sees and photographs astounding images every day, many of them discovered for the first time. Many times NASA scientists have no idea what they’re looking at. I think that’s because this is God’s universe, filled with wonder that humans can only begin to imagine, much less identify.

It seems like a vast array of God’s miracles to me, miracles of beauty and wonder that form the mystery planned by the divine Creator. When I take myself too seriously, I remember that I am just a minuscule, wee speck in that enormous universe. And when I am despondent, I remember that the tiny speck that is me is important to God. That’s miracle! That’s grace!

Today much of the East Coast is wearing a blanket of snow. The blizzard is impacting almost 30 million people, with some places expecting 20+ inches of snow.

There is never a quieter time in a city. Snow falls silently, and the sound of very few vehicles break the silence. Schoolyards are devoid of the voices and laughter of children. Government offices are quiet, though transportation crews are in emergency mode. Airplanes are stilled, with 5,700 flights already cancelled. Traffic is slowly inching along the roadways. Even metro transit is at a standstill.

Families that are normally busy at work and school are gathered around glowing hearths. Even the sound of home furnaces are silent because the power is out in many places.

But we can’t help but think about the places that are anything but quiet. Bustling with sound and labor are the homeless shelters and the organizations and churches that have opened their doors as warming centers. Blankets are being distributed, meals are being served, and we should be extremely grateful for the tireless workers and volunteers that make it happen.

During these days, called the snowpocalypse, remember your neighbors, especially the elderly who may not be able to meet their own needs. Enjoy the quiet, revel at the sight of a winter wonderland of snow-covered trees and roof tops, take this chance to stay in and be lazy, build a snowman with your children, drop into the fluffy ground and make some snow angels, make sure your pets are cared for, remember those who have no warm shelter, and thank God for the sheer beauty of a world covered with  snow.

God’s universe is miraculous, filled with natural magnificence we normally do not see. But every once in a while, we get to witness the dazzling works of nature. An example is the electric blue bioluminescence in the Maldives, captured in this photo taken by Doug Perrine while he was on a trip to the Indian Ocean.

The bright blue glow came from the beach on Vaadhoo Island after local plankton reacted with oxygen in the sea water to produce a light brighter than the Milky Way. The natural phenomenon is called bio-luminescence.

Expert Peter Franks explained the phenomenon, saying: “When jostled, each organism will give off a flash of blue light created by a chemical reaction within the cell. When billions and billions of cells are jostled by a breaking wave, you get a seriously spectacular flash of light.”

It’s a scientific happening. But it looks like one of God’s miracles. That’s the thing about miracles. They’re startling, dazzling, and they change your very outlook on life. We do not see them every day. Or do we?

Are there miracles all around us that we just fail to see? If we take an extra moment to be still while we look and listen with our hearts, might we see a miracle or two?

A sky full of stars? A moon with a face? A falling star streaking across the night sky? A purple sunset?

I have a notion that God wants us to be still enough to see a miracle. It’s worth a few minutes of our time.

My Latitude is 32.718444061; My Longitude is -83.698615042. That’s where my house is for anyone who cares about such trivia. The important part is “home,” a sense of being home, in the right place. A friend of mine from the past used to pray this prayer:

“Lord, make this a haven where all who may call it home shall find strength for another day’s journey.”

His prayer was full of wisdom about what home should be. In March, I experienced an upheaval of home. We moved from our house of thirty-three years, a city we loved, close friends, a beloved church family, and our child and three grandchildren. That move, 602 miles from our home in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Macon, Georgia, was a physical, spiritual and emotional disruption of life.

At almost midnight, we drove through country roads and up to our new dwelling, greeted by my brother and sister-in-law. Our belongings preceded us, and were impeccably arranged in the house. A decorator’s touch (my sister-in-law) made the house look beautiful. There were garden areas in the front and in the back, lovingly created by my family in Macon and Atlanta. Fresh flowers and flickering candles made the place feel like home. We crawled into our own bed, made with fresh, new sheets, and quickly fell asleep in that new place.

I have yearned in these past few months for my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my church, and for the home we sold in Little Rock. But I have also learned what home really is. For here in this new place, we have found renewed peace and serenity. As always, there was baggage in Little Rock, painful reminders of losses and disappointments. We were able to leave all that behind and start anew.

This is truly “home” now, and for that I am most grateful.

Sometimes navigating our life journey is like trying to move in the dark. It’s not easy to move when you cannot see the way ahead. It can be downright scary. But the truth is that none of us knows what is on the path ahead of us. We walk by faith much more than we walk by sight.

What’s up ahead? What’s around that dark corner? What’s across the path? How many paths do we face and how do we chose?

Isaiah 42:16 is a comfort to those of us trying to find our way in the dark.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

That is a promise we can hang on to when we’re trying to move in the dark. And finally, I love the hope found in these words of George MacDonald.

She was rather melancholy, but hoped as much as she could, and when she could not hope did not stand still, but walked on in the dark. I think when the sun rises upon them, some people will be astonished to find how far they have gotten in the dark.

– George MacDonald

I am waiting in the dark for a kidney transplant. I don’t know when, or if, it will happen. I don’t know if a matching kidney will be found. I don’t know how well I will tolerate the surgery. I have idea what lies ahead for me, and when I let myself dwell on it, I experience nothing but darkness. I can stand still, paralyzed by fear, or I can walk on in the dark, full of hope, full of trust in the God who guides us through dark paths.

Thanks be to you, O God, for the night and its light,

for stars that emerge out of evening skies and the white moon’s radiance.

Thanks be to you for the earth’s unfolding of colour and the bright sheen of creatures from ocean depths.

In the darknesses of the world and in the night of my own soul, let me be looking with longing for light, let me be looking in hope.

Amen

~ J. Philip Newell, Celtic Benediction

I am including selected portions of this speech by The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. The speech was delivered on March 25,1965, in Montgomery, Alabama. May it inspire us today as much as it inspired its first hearers.

As we go away, let us go away more than ever before committed to this struggle and committed to nonviolence. I must admit to you that there are still some difficult days ahead. We are still in for a season of suffering in many of the black belt counties of Alabama, many areas of Mississippi, many areas of Louisiana. I must admit to you that there are still jail cells waiting for us, and dark and difficult moments. But if we will go on with the faith that nonviolence and its power can transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows, we will be able to change all of these conditions.

I know you are asking today, ”

How long? Not long,because “no lie can live forever.”

How long? Not long, because “you shall reap what you sow.”

How long? Not long:

Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,
Yet that scaffold sways the future, And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above his own.

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

How long? Not long, because:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat.
O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on.
Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
Amen.

A Prayer honoring the Birthday of Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Excerpts from the speech “Our God Is Marching On!” by The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., presented in Montgomery, Alabama on March 25, 1965.)
O Lord our God, how long will prejudice blind the our vision, darken our understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?

When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of our cities and communities be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of God?

When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the darkness of this lonely night?

How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?

We know, God, that however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because “truth crushed to earth will rise again.

And so, by your guidance, God, we will move on toward the unconditional love that you have shown us. With the faith that nonviolence and its power can transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows, with the grace that comes from your gentle hands, with the courage and justice that has grown within us, we will join hands in unity to build a sparkling new world.

And this we will do in your name, guided by your love, inspired by your Spirit.

Amen.

I want to be present in my life, not dwelling on the past, not focusing on the future, but being fully alive in the present moment. It’s actually a contemplative discipline called mindfulness.

Mindfulness meditation is unique in that it is not directed toward getting us to be different from how we already are. Instead, it helps us become aware of what is already true moment by moment. We could say that it teaches us how to be unconditionally present; that is, it helps us be present with whatever is happening, no matter what it is.

When I am fully in the present moment, all my spiritual, emotional and physical strength is available to me to help me cope with whatever is going on in my life. I am fully engaged in my present, able to navigate whatever rough waters have come my way.

Mindfulness is “the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment.” (Psychology Today) The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published the results of a ground-breaking study that found that meditation appears to provide as much relief from some anxiety and depression symptoms as antidepressants.

But back to my personal experience, I can attest to the fact that practicing mindfulness definitely minimizes the guilt of the past and the anxiety for the future. I no longer hold on to the anger and regret that marked my past. I no longer give much thought to the future, at least in being anxious and fearful of what the future might hold. In reality, the present is all I can handle, and doing that works for me.

I love the part of the hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” that says, “morning by morning new mercies I see.” How true that is, that every morning God graces us with new mercies that make life worth living. The Bible says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

I experienced that today. But day befor yesterday I felt a sense of despair, and I remembered one of my favorite Psalms

“Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, because I will praise him once again, since his presence saves me and he is my God.”

Psalm 43:5

But after a night of despairing, the light of God’s new morning refilled me with hope, with the feeling that things were not so bad, with the conviction that I had made it through the night and actually found joy in the morning.

There’s something magical about the morning light, even on rainy days like this one. It just always seems like the sun rises to proclaim God’s fresh, new mercies for the day. I can live with that divine promise, even after the darkest night.

Lailah Gifty Akita says it well: “Each day brings new life, new strength, new dreams and new hope. May you find courage, confidence and hope to reach out for your dreams.”

My dear cousin, who is more like my sister, sent me this text message: “Sunsets, sunrises, stars and the moon.” It reminded me of the vast magnificence of our universe. It reminded me of how infinitesimal we are, how very small we are.

And yet, God’s love is poured out upon us every day. No matter how small we are in God’s universe, God’s big love is ours. God chooses us individually and singles us out as beloved children.

I share with you today this prayer from the letter to the Ephesians.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

– Ephesians 3:16-2, NIV

Life has few easy roads. My pathway, and probably yours, has been dotted with stones and other rough obstacles. If you are like me, you try your best to gaze down a path and then choose the one that seems to be the smoothest, hoping there are no potholes to fall into and no rocks to trip over. So often, I have reached for the stars and set my heart to reach them, only to find that the way is too steep.

My choices have not always been so great, and certainly none have offered me easy travel. Each pathway I have ever traversed held its unique obstacles, sometimes stones in the road, at other times steep climbs impossible to make, and at other times enormous, heavy, immovable boulders.

There is an old gospel song that says, “It’s not an easy road, there are trials and troubles, and many are the dangers we meet . . . No, no. It’s not an easy road . . . But God walks beside us and brightens the journey, and lightens the heavy load.”

Difficult pathways filled with obstacles are in every life journey. We can take heart in three truths:

1) We do have the inner strength and resilience to make the journey;

2) We are often graced with companions along the way to give us encouragement; and

3) God always walks before us and beside us to guide our way.

Life has no smooth road for any of us; and in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim, the very roughness stimulates the climber to steadier steps, till the legend, over steep ways to the stars, fulfills itself.
– W. C. Doane

What do you say when you have nothing to say? I knew this day would come, the day when I have nothing to say. Nothing much going on in my life. No significant events to write about. Just nothingness. My heart is silent today.

But perhaps that’s a good place to be, a place where silence reigns inside me. It’s a good time for free-wheeling contemplation, introspection without any current agenda. Perhaps it gives God a blank slate on which to write divine words on my spirit. Perhaps it is my time to simply listen to the rhythms of God, to the beating of my heart, to the song in my soul.

Henry Miller wrote these words in his book, Tropic of Cancer:

I need to be alone. I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company.

So today I come face to face with myself, with nothing to say.

I miss them all the time, sunrises and sunsets, sparkling moments that happen once, and then are lost forever. Life is too full of stuff that keeps me from seeing the beauty of special times. I can’t help but think that God is sad about that, sad that I have set priorities that cause me to miss holy times.

I would like to change some of those out-of-whack priorities. I would like to spend more sunrises and sunsets drawing nearer to God and finding my heart of prayer. I would like to melt into a place of serenity and meditation. I would like to spend a few minutes of sheer tranquility.

It’s my own choice, really, my decision to make. So I think I’ll take some sage advice from Jo Walton:

“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”

I have learned through many situations that adversity in life is inevitable. Life brings rainstorms and ominous clouds. No human escapes adversity, because when everything comes into a certain unfortunate alignment, adversity follows. What is most important about adversity is not how intense it is or how long it lasts. What is most important is how deeply the soul experiences it. How do we face it? How do we respond to it? Do we confront it alone? Do we seek support from those who care about us? Do we open our hearts to the grace and healing of God?

Of course, we can be tempted to just give up and give in to adversity. We can choose to allow it to spill its bitterness all over us and through us. We can simply let adversity have its way in us.

Or we can choose another way, the way of grace, the way that leads us beside still waters, the way that restores our soul, the way that leads us out of the storm clouds and into the brilliantly colored sunset skies. I think that this choice is the one that God desires for us. I think that God wants to guide us through the trouble and on toward better days.

Rabindranath Tagore expresses it so eloquently:

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”