So another Thanksgiving has passed, and as usual this time of year, I try and take stock of all that I have to be grateful for in my life.
Only, this year, that list is a bit clouded, at least at the moment. Oh, to be sure, having spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my wonderful family, I saw many reasons for which to be thankful. Both mine and my wife’s family are doing pretty well overall.
And yet, this morning, as I write this, I’ve learned that a dear friend of mine’s father has just passed away, having lost his long battle with cancer. And yesterday, one of my nephews fell and broke his arm, leaving his poor mother to deal with both him, and her newborn child. Other family members and friends are facing their own particular battles as well.
Kind of gives one pause for a moment. I mean, I try and be grateful for all that I have in life. And yet, life pays me back for this with more suffering and problems. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t discouraging to be human at times.
Through these clouds I know that eventually, rays of sun will break back through. Today, however, I’ll have to admit I’m struggling to maintain an attitude of gratitude. I guess that comes with being a Minister of the Mundane. There are some days that are just worse than others, and really are mundane. The challenge is to hold on during these times, recognizing that they too will pass, and that God is still there, walking alongside of us all, especially during the gray days.
I have to lean pretty hard on God sometimes, when the clouds have covered up what is otherwise a pretty darn good life. When the “mundaneness” of life has really closed in, and I’m failing to see all that I do have for which to be thankful, I’m really left with no choice but to lean on God, my friend, and ask Him to see me through. As He has so many times, He will see me through the cloudy day, and back into the sunshine.
This is my message to you gentle reader, that there are just days when we need to remember that God is here for us to indeed lean upon. I’ve chosen to call myself a Minister of the Mundane because so often, that’s what life is…seemingly mundane days, with some doses sprinkled in of more than what we think is our fair share of suffering. It can be hard, when we are lost in the mundane details of our lives, to remember we are divine creatures, created by a loving and divine Father with the intention of overcoming the “mundaneness” of life, and letting our divine natures shine forth.
But that is exactly what we are…divine creatures. And, being divine, we can indeed overcome life’s circumstances, and be so much more than what we ever thought we could be. The trick is, on those cloudy days, to call upon God, our heavenly Father and our best friend, to hold us up, and to guide our vision back to where we can see the goodness of life.
I started this chapter with a question, namely that of was it really a Thanksgiving this past holiday? Despite the hard times, yes, I’d have to say it was a time of thanks. I’ve found that, even when I don’t feel like it, when the mundane life has swallowed me whole for a moment, if I can just look to the heavens and utter the simple phrase “thank you”, I’m so much the better for it.
Being thankful may be the hardest when tough times have descended, but its also these moments of gratitude when you don’t feel very grateful that build your soul.
And, that is work worth doing.
-The Minister
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Creativity
When we exercise our wonderful ability to be creative, its my opinion that we draw pretty darn close to God.
After all, didn’t the Big Fella exercise the ultimate example of creativity when he created the universe? Yep, I think He knows a thing or two about creativity.
All kidding aside, it stands to reason at least in my feeble mind that if we are created in God’s image, then we have been given the gift of creativity with which to produce some remarkable things. As children, we seem to instinctively know this. Just watch your own children playing sometime; you’ll quickly notice that they are creating all the time.
As kids we used to create almost every day. Whether it was baseball fields out of tennis courts or dirt lots, or new worlds to conquer and explore out of a neighbor’s backyard, there seemingly was nothing that stood in our way in terms of using our imagination. We created a whole, whole lot out of seemingly nothing.
So, what happens to us as we age? Why does it seem that our ability to tap into our creativeness seems to diminish with time? Did we suddenly become shut off from our own internal fountain of imagination, just because we got older?
Well, yes, sometimes we do get shut off from our own ability to create. “Real life”, whatever that is, sometimes discourages us from utilizing our creative abilities. For a variety of reasons, oftentimes the temptation is to tend to shut down our imagination, and focus upon what is real and concrete. If we aren’t told outright, then it is often strongly implied that imagination is the province of children and daydreamers.
So, off we go to live in our inside-the-box lives, cutting ourselves off from a veritable fountain of youth: Our imagination.
I think this is a sad, sad way to live, yet I too at times have fallen victim to what others have perceived I should be doing, namely being “normal”, and keeping my “nose to the grindstone”, leaving that imagination stuff to kids.
What a load of bologna!
There’s nothing written in the great Handbook of Life that says as we get older, we must leave our imaginations behind. Nothing. Not a sentence. Heck, not a word. Imagination is the stuff of dreams, and dreams are the ingredients of creativity, and ultimately, creation. If someone hadn’t imagined as a grown-up how wonderful it would be for man to go the moon, then, well, we wouldn’t have ultimately made it.
I’ll bet that person was pretty much dismissed as a day-dreamer too.
Folks, God wants us to create. God wants us to use our imaginations, or else, why would he have seen to it that humans would ultimately possess this capacity? Our ability to dream, and then follow through on those dreams, is what makes us different from the animals, and all other living creatures. We can imagine possibilities. We can see these possibilities, and then if the desire is strong enough, make them real through creation.
What greater tribute can we give to God then to use our own abilities to create the future?
So go ahead and imagine. Heck, tonight, why not go outside, and just picture yourself standing at the plate with the bases loaded, down 3 runs, in the bottom of the ninth inning, in the last game of the World Series. See yourself in a little play of sorts, a recreation of a potential heroic moment that many warm-blooded American males dream about. Have some fun, and play…the neighbors might think you’re a bit daft, but who cares?
And then, swing for the fences. You just might connect.
-The Minister
After all, didn’t the Big Fella exercise the ultimate example of creativity when he created the universe? Yep, I think He knows a thing or two about creativity.
All kidding aside, it stands to reason at least in my feeble mind that if we are created in God’s image, then we have been given the gift of creativity with which to produce some remarkable things. As children, we seem to instinctively know this. Just watch your own children playing sometime; you’ll quickly notice that they are creating all the time.
As kids we used to create almost every day. Whether it was baseball fields out of tennis courts or dirt lots, or new worlds to conquer and explore out of a neighbor’s backyard, there seemingly was nothing that stood in our way in terms of using our imagination. We created a whole, whole lot out of seemingly nothing.
So, what happens to us as we age? Why does it seem that our ability to tap into our creativeness seems to diminish with time? Did we suddenly become shut off from our own internal fountain of imagination, just because we got older?
Well, yes, sometimes we do get shut off from our own ability to create. “Real life”, whatever that is, sometimes discourages us from utilizing our creative abilities. For a variety of reasons, oftentimes the temptation is to tend to shut down our imagination, and focus upon what is real and concrete. If we aren’t told outright, then it is often strongly implied that imagination is the province of children and daydreamers.
So, off we go to live in our inside-the-box lives, cutting ourselves off from a veritable fountain of youth: Our imagination.
I think this is a sad, sad way to live, yet I too at times have fallen victim to what others have perceived I should be doing, namely being “normal”, and keeping my “nose to the grindstone”, leaving that imagination stuff to kids.
What a load of bologna!
There’s nothing written in the great Handbook of Life that says as we get older, we must leave our imaginations behind. Nothing. Not a sentence. Heck, not a word. Imagination is the stuff of dreams, and dreams are the ingredients of creativity, and ultimately, creation. If someone hadn’t imagined as a grown-up how wonderful it would be for man to go the moon, then, well, we wouldn’t have ultimately made it.
I’ll bet that person was pretty much dismissed as a day-dreamer too.
Folks, God wants us to create. God wants us to use our imaginations, or else, why would he have seen to it that humans would ultimately possess this capacity? Our ability to dream, and then follow through on those dreams, is what makes us different from the animals, and all other living creatures. We can imagine possibilities. We can see these possibilities, and then if the desire is strong enough, make them real through creation.
What greater tribute can we give to God then to use our own abilities to create the future?
So go ahead and imagine. Heck, tonight, why not go outside, and just picture yourself standing at the plate with the bases loaded, down 3 runs, in the bottom of the ninth inning, in the last game of the World Series. See yourself in a little play of sorts, a recreation of a potential heroic moment that many warm-blooded American males dream about. Have some fun, and play…the neighbors might think you’re a bit daft, but who cares?
And then, swing for the fences. You just might connect.
-The Minister
Monday, November 5, 2007
Finding God at the Office
Do we see God at the office?
Does He walk in the halls of business, where it seems that all too often there is but one goal, and that goal doesn’t include God?
Good questions these, and they are ones I have wondered about for most of my career. I’m one of those seekers you see, an individual who always wonders just exactly what he is to be doing with his life. For the most part, I’ve always worked at least part of my time in an office environment, even though I have traveled a fair amount for work too. Most offices that I’ve seen are not the types of structures that inspire deep philosophical debate and thought. Oftentimes they seem quite cold and impersonal, devoid of much personality. One would think God really wouldn’t like being cooped up in an office. Heck, we humans struggle enough with it, think God really wants to spend His time in an office too?
Ever since the turn of this century, when Americans experienced both attacks from enemies outside of our borders, and attacks on our very moral fiber from enemies within the office from multiple corporate scandals, we humans have started to really question just exactly what we are doing with our time. For the vast majority of us, we need to work to put bread on our table. Work, however, at least in the modern sense of the word, isn’t exactly full of meaning and joy, especially when its conducted in a drab office environment. So, we, oftentimes joylessly, drive off to our offices each morning in the hopes of finding some small kernel of meaning as we try and earn our “daily bread”.
How then, do we make sense of our workaday lives? How do we find the meaning? How do we see God at the office?
The answers to these questions, like most of life actually, can be found in the fabric of our everyday, mundane lives.
When groups are gathered together working creatively on a project at work, well, seems that could be one great place we’d find God. I’m banking that God, the ultimate Creator, sure does love it when His children get together and create themselves.
When folks are sitting around the break room just having a good laugh at something, seems like God is probably there too. After all, He created laughter, so he darn well probably appreciates a good joke as much as the next guy!
And, when a co-worker takes time out of his or her busy schedule just to listen to a colleague’s problems and life challenges, sure seems like God’s there too, being as compassionate as always. To show love and respect to another human being is something that God has hard-wired into all of us. While sometimes we can forget this, we always get opportunities in life to remind us that life is all about love, and that’s truly it.
We find meaning at the office when we find God. And God it turns out, is in every nook and cranny of every office building. We just need to keep our eyes peeled, and more importantly our hearts open to His touch. While offices are cold and impersonal many times, the people that inhabit them are flesh and blood, people with emotions and feelings, and joy and pain. We don’t have to all be doctors to be healers. Every day, the office presents us all opportunities to help heal one another. When this occurs, work isn’t so bad, and has a lot of meaning after all.
I’m writing this on a Monday, and I’ll admit, getting up to drive to that cold and impersonal office was not high on my list of life’s most enjoyable moments. But, turns out I did manage to laugh a little bit, to exercise my creativity some, and to listen to a fellow co-worker as he needed someone upon which to unload his problems.
All in all, not a bad day.
-The Minister
Does He walk in the halls of business, where it seems that all too often there is but one goal, and that goal doesn’t include God?
Good questions these, and they are ones I have wondered about for most of my career. I’m one of those seekers you see, an individual who always wonders just exactly what he is to be doing with his life. For the most part, I’ve always worked at least part of my time in an office environment, even though I have traveled a fair amount for work too. Most offices that I’ve seen are not the types of structures that inspire deep philosophical debate and thought. Oftentimes they seem quite cold and impersonal, devoid of much personality. One would think God really wouldn’t like being cooped up in an office. Heck, we humans struggle enough with it, think God really wants to spend His time in an office too?
Ever since the turn of this century, when Americans experienced both attacks from enemies outside of our borders, and attacks on our very moral fiber from enemies within the office from multiple corporate scandals, we humans have started to really question just exactly what we are doing with our time. For the vast majority of us, we need to work to put bread on our table. Work, however, at least in the modern sense of the word, isn’t exactly full of meaning and joy, especially when its conducted in a drab office environment. So, we, oftentimes joylessly, drive off to our offices each morning in the hopes of finding some small kernel of meaning as we try and earn our “daily bread”.
How then, do we make sense of our workaday lives? How do we find the meaning? How do we see God at the office?
The answers to these questions, like most of life actually, can be found in the fabric of our everyday, mundane lives.
When groups are gathered together working creatively on a project at work, well, seems that could be one great place we’d find God. I’m banking that God, the ultimate Creator, sure does love it when His children get together and create themselves.
When folks are sitting around the break room just having a good laugh at something, seems like God is probably there too. After all, He created laughter, so he darn well probably appreciates a good joke as much as the next guy!
And, when a co-worker takes time out of his or her busy schedule just to listen to a colleague’s problems and life challenges, sure seems like God’s there too, being as compassionate as always. To show love and respect to another human being is something that God has hard-wired into all of us. While sometimes we can forget this, we always get opportunities in life to remind us that life is all about love, and that’s truly it.
We find meaning at the office when we find God. And God it turns out, is in every nook and cranny of every office building. We just need to keep our eyes peeled, and more importantly our hearts open to His touch. While offices are cold and impersonal many times, the people that inhabit them are flesh and blood, people with emotions and feelings, and joy and pain. We don’t have to all be doctors to be healers. Every day, the office presents us all opportunities to help heal one another. When this occurs, work isn’t so bad, and has a lot of meaning after all.
I’m writing this on a Monday, and I’ll admit, getting up to drive to that cold and impersonal office was not high on my list of life’s most enjoyable moments. But, turns out I did manage to laugh a little bit, to exercise my creativity some, and to listen to a fellow co-worker as he needed someone upon which to unload his problems.
All in all, not a bad day.
-The Minister
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Trying Not to Get Anywhere
If you’ve visited a bookstore lately, and strolled down the “Self-Help” section, you’ve probably noticed that the shelves are stocked full of every possible title imaginable, on every possible subject. Sometimes, I think I can hear the shelves actually moaning under the weight of all those books.
I mean, if you want to lose weight, find religion, lose religion, and find weight…it’s all there my friends. Every conceivable angle is covered, for a nation I’m guessing is obsessed with trying to get to some level of perfection.
As for me, well, guilty as charged. I too have from time to time gorged myself at the table of “Self Help”, only to find that while the quantity of “food” was staggering, the taste was a bit flat.
Just yesterday, I watched on television a couple being interviewed on finding one’s passion in life. The couple was certainly well-meaning; I do not mean to say I’m cynical about their claims of helping folks find their true calling in life. It is a noble pursuit.
But, lately, for me at least, I’m perhaps noticing for the first time that true happiness, true peace of mind really, can really only be obtained by purposely trying not to get anywhere. I have started my own little practice of meditation. It is through this daily practice that I am, for the first time in literally decades, seeing that by parking my butt in the present moment, and staying there for 45 minutes at a time (the length of time I generally meditate), that peace of mind is found now, right here, at this very moment.
I’ve always been one of those folks who believed that “someday”, peace of mind would be mine, when work was over, kids were out of the house, and all the bills had been paid. But, life continues to happen even after all of these events have transpired, at least that’s what I’ve heard. So when exactly was this peace of mind I aspired to possess going to happen?
Peace of mind, contentment, and happiness are qualities that have to happen sometimes almost in spite of everything else that is going on in one’s life. There will always be challenges. There will always be bills to pay, mouths to feed, and everyday trivial annoyances in one’s life. Peace of mind, if it is to ever happen, must happen by us choosing to have it, and choosing more importantly to practice living in the present moment.
I am far from an expert on meditation. For that, I recommend that you look elsewhere, as there are many great books on the subject that will get you started (here I am taking digs at self-help books, and I’m promoting another self-help book! But, trust me, this is different!). I’ve just started my own practice really. But, I can tell you that it does help to show you, and me, what living in the present moment really is like. For 45 minutes at a time, I sit and watch my thoughts go by, trying not to cling to any one of them, and just sit, immersing myself in the lovely and beautiful present. When I am finished, I find that I am much calmer, much more optimistic about things, and this feeling permeates a lot of the different aspects of my day as I move through it.
Meditation is quite literally a “non-striving”, a purposeful time-out from life, or perhaps I should say time-in to the present moment, where we just sit, and be. I really believe this is how God wants us to live our lives, just moment by blissful moment. We humans tend to believe that we will magically arrive some day, to a place where peace of mind and happiness reside. So, we continue to buy all the self-help we can get our hands on, to lead us to this blissful destination, as our everyday lives tend to not resemble utopia in any way, shape, or form.
Perhaps one of the great truths in life is that happiness is found right here, and right now, this very moment, despite what your particular circumstances are in your own life. God doesn’t truly want us to agonize over our mistakes in the past (yep, I’ve sure done a lot of that), or worry about all the possible calamities in our future (yep, check that one off for me too). He just wants us to enjoy this moment fully, this wonderful mostly untapped moment right in front of us, and then move naturally on to the next one.
So, it’s a bit of a paradox really. But its been my experience that God works through paradoxes a lot of times. Only, they really aren’t paradoxes to Him, just to us.
By trying not to get anywhere, you tend to arrive here.
And “here” is turning out to be a mighty fine place after all.
-The Minister
I mean, if you want to lose weight, find religion, lose religion, and find weight…it’s all there my friends. Every conceivable angle is covered, for a nation I’m guessing is obsessed with trying to get to some level of perfection.
As for me, well, guilty as charged. I too have from time to time gorged myself at the table of “Self Help”, only to find that while the quantity of “food” was staggering, the taste was a bit flat.
Just yesterday, I watched on television a couple being interviewed on finding one’s passion in life. The couple was certainly well-meaning; I do not mean to say I’m cynical about their claims of helping folks find their true calling in life. It is a noble pursuit.
But, lately, for me at least, I’m perhaps noticing for the first time that true happiness, true peace of mind really, can really only be obtained by purposely trying not to get anywhere. I have started my own little practice of meditation. It is through this daily practice that I am, for the first time in literally decades, seeing that by parking my butt in the present moment, and staying there for 45 minutes at a time (the length of time I generally meditate), that peace of mind is found now, right here, at this very moment.
I’ve always been one of those folks who believed that “someday”, peace of mind would be mine, when work was over, kids were out of the house, and all the bills had been paid. But, life continues to happen even after all of these events have transpired, at least that’s what I’ve heard. So when exactly was this peace of mind I aspired to possess going to happen?
Peace of mind, contentment, and happiness are qualities that have to happen sometimes almost in spite of everything else that is going on in one’s life. There will always be challenges. There will always be bills to pay, mouths to feed, and everyday trivial annoyances in one’s life. Peace of mind, if it is to ever happen, must happen by us choosing to have it, and choosing more importantly to practice living in the present moment.
I am far from an expert on meditation. For that, I recommend that you look elsewhere, as there are many great books on the subject that will get you started (here I am taking digs at self-help books, and I’m promoting another self-help book! But, trust me, this is different!). I’ve just started my own practice really. But, I can tell you that it does help to show you, and me, what living in the present moment really is like. For 45 minutes at a time, I sit and watch my thoughts go by, trying not to cling to any one of them, and just sit, immersing myself in the lovely and beautiful present. When I am finished, I find that I am much calmer, much more optimistic about things, and this feeling permeates a lot of the different aspects of my day as I move through it.
Meditation is quite literally a “non-striving”, a purposeful time-out from life, or perhaps I should say time-in to the present moment, where we just sit, and be. I really believe this is how God wants us to live our lives, just moment by blissful moment. We humans tend to believe that we will magically arrive some day, to a place where peace of mind and happiness reside. So, we continue to buy all the self-help we can get our hands on, to lead us to this blissful destination, as our everyday lives tend to not resemble utopia in any way, shape, or form.
Perhaps one of the great truths in life is that happiness is found right here, and right now, this very moment, despite what your particular circumstances are in your own life. God doesn’t truly want us to agonize over our mistakes in the past (yep, I’ve sure done a lot of that), or worry about all the possible calamities in our future (yep, check that one off for me too). He just wants us to enjoy this moment fully, this wonderful mostly untapped moment right in front of us, and then move naturally on to the next one.
So, it’s a bit of a paradox really. But its been my experience that God works through paradoxes a lot of times. Only, they really aren’t paradoxes to Him, just to us.
By trying not to get anywhere, you tend to arrive here.
And “here” is turning out to be a mighty fine place after all.
-The Minister
Monday, October 22, 2007
Postscript
Recently, I wrote about the experience of really understanding the crucifixion, and what it meant to mankind (see “For God So Loved The World”). It was a very powerful experience for me, one that perhaps will finally start to help me make more sense of that unbelievable sacrifice, and life in general.
Well, from the “So unbelievable it just couldn’t be a coincidence department”, I give you this postscript to that story.
I awoke from my sleep the other night, coming awake from some dream. As I stirred in bed, my eyes settled on the clock radio by the side of the bed. The time was “3:16”.
No, I most assuredly am not making this up.
I instantly went from a dazed slumber-like state, to one of alertness and absolute wonder. Here I was, just a day removed from perhaps finally realizing the gift God gave us through the death of his Earthly son, when emblazoned on my clock radio was the absolute specific chapter and verse of that beautiful Bible passage: Namely, 3:16.
Do you think Somebody’s trying to get my attention?
I’ve written before how God tries to get our attention through numerous “mundane” vehicles, such as songs, license plates, and the words of a kind stranger. He does try to communicate with us, through all manner of methods, and methodology.
I can now add clock radio to that list.
-The Minister
Well, from the “So unbelievable it just couldn’t be a coincidence department”, I give you this postscript to that story.
I awoke from my sleep the other night, coming awake from some dream. As I stirred in bed, my eyes settled on the clock radio by the side of the bed. The time was “3:16”.
No, I most assuredly am not making this up.
I instantly went from a dazed slumber-like state, to one of alertness and absolute wonder. Here I was, just a day removed from perhaps finally realizing the gift God gave us through the death of his Earthly son, when emblazoned on my clock radio was the absolute specific chapter and verse of that beautiful Bible passage: Namely, 3:16.
Do you think Somebody’s trying to get my attention?
I’ve written before how God tries to get our attention through numerous “mundane” vehicles, such as songs, license plates, and the words of a kind stranger. He does try to communicate with us, through all manner of methods, and methodology.
I can now add clock radio to that list.
-The Minister
Monday, October 15, 2007
For God So Loved The World
He gave His only begotten son.
Yes, we all know that one. I’ll bet I’ve heard this most famous of Bible verses a million times over the course of my life. Yet, sometimes, it takes time to really understand the impact of these words.
In church this past weekend, we were witness to a baby receiving baptism, an always happy occasion full of hope and promise. The baby of course howled in protest at having water sprinkled on his bald little head, but the parents, godparents, family, and friends, as well as the congregation, just smiled and laughed warmly. Hey, we’ve all been there right? Besides, nobody wants cold water sprinkled on their head, now do they?
It really struck me how joyous this sacrament really is. It’s truly the welcoming if you will of another soul into God’s kingdom, done formally for family and friends. I wondered to myself about all the possibilities that were open to this little baby, the life he had all in front of him. What joy, what wondrous opportunities were in store for this little fellow. And the parents, well, they had equal amounts, if not more, joy just bursting out from inside of them, proud of this wee little lad they had brought into the world.
The gift of a child to parents, especially the first child in the family, must be an absolutely magnificent feeling.
As I was lying in bed on that Sunday evening, about to doze off to sleep, the familiar old Bible verse came into to my otherwise quiet mind. The words, “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ …” very quietly, yet strongly, scrolled through my head, as if sent to me by, well, God. And then, it hit me, like it has never hit me before. God willingly let his own Son, God made flesh, be put to death to atone for our collective sins, and provide us with everlasting life.
I thought about that little baby, being baptized on that glorious day. I thought about the obvious love the baby’s parents, heck all children’s parents, had for him, how proud they were, all full of hopes and dreams. Given that, what parent in their right mind could willingly let their child die for the sake of others? Yet, this is precisely what God did for us, on that cross that somber day.
He died for us. He died for me. I was so moved at the realization of this, that I began to cry a bit. Tears came down, tears of joy perhaps, or maybe just gratitude, but tears nonetheless. I’ve never truly considered, until now, what this all means.
Look, I am by no means the greatest Christian in the world. I struggle with my faith on a daily basis, and I’m not here to proselytize to you, or even try to convert you over, far from it. But, what happened to me with the realization that a loving Father in heaven loved me so much, that He sacrificed everything for me, has never made such an impact on me in all of my life. I cannot imagine sacrificing my own child for millions of people I’ll never know, yet God loved me enough, and you enough, to do this very thing.
Today, I’m still awestruck by this realization. Yes, I’ve known this verse, and what the crucifixion means, for most of my life. But it never mattered like it mattered on a quiet Sunday evening, just before sleep. Given this knowledge, of what should we ever be afraid? Given this knowledge, why should we ever hate? Given this knowledge, why should we ever not be grateful for every minute we are alive?
Yes, I feel different today, I feel incredibly loved, and forgiven. I do hope this feeling lasts. I really can’t imagine my life now without this knowledge.
There’s a God in heaven folks who happens to care about what we do a great, great deal. I’ve let Him down numerous times in my life, and will do so I’m afraid numerous times more. But today, perhaps, I’m taking my first small steps towards home.
Or, perhaps I should say Home. After all, I think God is calling us Home from the moment we are born.
-The Minister
Yes, we all know that one. I’ll bet I’ve heard this most famous of Bible verses a million times over the course of my life. Yet, sometimes, it takes time to really understand the impact of these words.
In church this past weekend, we were witness to a baby receiving baptism, an always happy occasion full of hope and promise. The baby of course howled in protest at having water sprinkled on his bald little head, but the parents, godparents, family, and friends, as well as the congregation, just smiled and laughed warmly. Hey, we’ve all been there right? Besides, nobody wants cold water sprinkled on their head, now do they?
It really struck me how joyous this sacrament really is. It’s truly the welcoming if you will of another soul into God’s kingdom, done formally for family and friends. I wondered to myself about all the possibilities that were open to this little baby, the life he had all in front of him. What joy, what wondrous opportunities were in store for this little fellow. And the parents, well, they had equal amounts, if not more, joy just bursting out from inside of them, proud of this wee little lad they had brought into the world.
The gift of a child to parents, especially the first child in the family, must be an absolutely magnificent feeling.
As I was lying in bed on that Sunday evening, about to doze off to sleep, the familiar old Bible verse came into to my otherwise quiet mind. The words, “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ …” very quietly, yet strongly, scrolled through my head, as if sent to me by, well, God. And then, it hit me, like it has never hit me before. God willingly let his own Son, God made flesh, be put to death to atone for our collective sins, and provide us with everlasting life.
I thought about that little baby, being baptized on that glorious day. I thought about the obvious love the baby’s parents, heck all children’s parents, had for him, how proud they were, all full of hopes and dreams. Given that, what parent in their right mind could willingly let their child die for the sake of others? Yet, this is precisely what God did for us, on that cross that somber day.
He died for us. He died for me. I was so moved at the realization of this, that I began to cry a bit. Tears came down, tears of joy perhaps, or maybe just gratitude, but tears nonetheless. I’ve never truly considered, until now, what this all means.
Look, I am by no means the greatest Christian in the world. I struggle with my faith on a daily basis, and I’m not here to proselytize to you, or even try to convert you over, far from it. But, what happened to me with the realization that a loving Father in heaven loved me so much, that He sacrificed everything for me, has never made such an impact on me in all of my life. I cannot imagine sacrificing my own child for millions of people I’ll never know, yet God loved me enough, and you enough, to do this very thing.
Today, I’m still awestruck by this realization. Yes, I’ve known this verse, and what the crucifixion means, for most of my life. But it never mattered like it mattered on a quiet Sunday evening, just before sleep. Given this knowledge, of what should we ever be afraid? Given this knowledge, why should we ever hate? Given this knowledge, why should we ever not be grateful for every minute we are alive?
Yes, I feel different today, I feel incredibly loved, and forgiven. I do hope this feeling lasts. I really can’t imagine my life now without this knowledge.
There’s a God in heaven folks who happens to care about what we do a great, great deal. I’ve let Him down numerous times in my life, and will do so I’m afraid numerous times more. But today, perhaps, I’m taking my first small steps towards home.
Or, perhaps I should say Home. After all, I think God is calling us Home from the moment we are born.
-The Minister
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Moon and the Stars
I’m an early riser, at least during the work week. I say early, because some folks certainly rise earlier than me, but if when I wake up, it’s still dark outside, that’s pretty darn early to me!
I’ve found that time, once I can successfully shake the cobwebs from my head and the sleep from my eyes, is a wonderfully peaceful time. It can be almost a holy time. Usually, it’s quiet in the house, and I’m alone with my thoughts and feelings. I tend to do a bit of gentle yoga stretching during this time. In the Fall and Spring, it’s especially nice, as the windows tend to be open, and I can hear the symphony of the crickets outside chirping away.
After I’m done stretching, I’ll usually wander over to a window and just gaze outside for a few moments. The sky is so beautiful at this time of morning, still dark, and full of stars as far as the eye can see. The moon is right up there too, and I’ve learned to really appreciate its beauty, whether it is full or just a crescent in the air.
There are times, certainly more often than not, when I feel incredibly loved while gazing out at the moon and the stars from my bedroom window. It’s almost as if God the artist is watching me admire His painting of the pre-dawn sky, and really appreciates me doing so. After all, He painted it for me and you to admire whenever we wanted.
There is so much beauty in the world, surrounding us all the time, if we but just stop for a moment and appreciate it. We humans tend to try and fill our lives with a lot of “doingness”, so much so that we don’t set aside nearly enough time for just “beingness”, if that makes sense. A lot of us complain about not being happy enough, or content enough, or having enough peace of mind, yet how can these things come about when every waking moment is occupied with activity? I’m learning that a lot of happiness and joy can come from just gazing out of a window at a moonlit sky, in the minutes before dawn, when all is quiet.
I’ve read and heard that people with terminal illnesses, from which there is no hope of recovery, finally “get” life. They understand that all the striving, all the material things, all the bustle and hustle of their lives really didn’t mean all the much. What matters is the touch of a loved one’s hand, the flowers in Springtime, the leaves changing in the Fall, gentle breezes, a slow and steady rain on the roof at night, and the moon and the stars. They finally see that happiness, and joy, were all around them every moment of their lives. And, for many, this knowledge alone is at least some small comfort.
It is my hope for you and I that it won’t take a terminal illness to show us that happiness and joy are indeed ours to be had, absolutely free, if we just open our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. I know in my heart of hearts that God wants us to see the beauty He has provided for us. It must be frustrating when He sees us walking around in paradise, but with blinders on.
As for me, well, I’m just looking forward to tomorrow morning, when it’s just me and the moon and the stars.
-The Minister
I’ve found that time, once I can successfully shake the cobwebs from my head and the sleep from my eyes, is a wonderfully peaceful time. It can be almost a holy time. Usually, it’s quiet in the house, and I’m alone with my thoughts and feelings. I tend to do a bit of gentle yoga stretching during this time. In the Fall and Spring, it’s especially nice, as the windows tend to be open, and I can hear the symphony of the crickets outside chirping away.
After I’m done stretching, I’ll usually wander over to a window and just gaze outside for a few moments. The sky is so beautiful at this time of morning, still dark, and full of stars as far as the eye can see. The moon is right up there too, and I’ve learned to really appreciate its beauty, whether it is full or just a crescent in the air.
There are times, certainly more often than not, when I feel incredibly loved while gazing out at the moon and the stars from my bedroom window. It’s almost as if God the artist is watching me admire His painting of the pre-dawn sky, and really appreciates me doing so. After all, He painted it for me and you to admire whenever we wanted.
There is so much beauty in the world, surrounding us all the time, if we but just stop for a moment and appreciate it. We humans tend to try and fill our lives with a lot of “doingness”, so much so that we don’t set aside nearly enough time for just “beingness”, if that makes sense. A lot of us complain about not being happy enough, or content enough, or having enough peace of mind, yet how can these things come about when every waking moment is occupied with activity? I’m learning that a lot of happiness and joy can come from just gazing out of a window at a moonlit sky, in the minutes before dawn, when all is quiet.
I’ve read and heard that people with terminal illnesses, from which there is no hope of recovery, finally “get” life. They understand that all the striving, all the material things, all the bustle and hustle of their lives really didn’t mean all the much. What matters is the touch of a loved one’s hand, the flowers in Springtime, the leaves changing in the Fall, gentle breezes, a slow and steady rain on the roof at night, and the moon and the stars. They finally see that happiness, and joy, were all around them every moment of their lives. And, for many, this knowledge alone is at least some small comfort.
It is my hope for you and I that it won’t take a terminal illness to show us that happiness and joy are indeed ours to be had, absolutely free, if we just open our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. I know in my heart of hearts that God wants us to see the beauty He has provided for us. It must be frustrating when He sees us walking around in paradise, but with blinders on.
As for me, well, I’m just looking forward to tomorrow morning, when it’s just me and the moon and the stars.
-The Minister
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